On the house

[Deleted]

Rain beat against the window of the Avale Pub, raindrops trailing down the weathered glass like tadpoles, merging into one another and then slowly drifting apart. Syrit Azeurid sat in the corner of the pub staring coldly into his empty chalice, as though deep in thought. Letting out a sigh, he slowly climbed to his feet and walked over to the bar. He planted the glass down with a clunk.

"Wine, barman."

The bartender turned to face him, eyed him curiously, then nodded. He picked up an amber coloured bottle from behind the bar and popped out the cork, then made to pour it into the glass. Azeurid held up his hand.

"The bottle," he said.

The barman raised his eyebrows and reluctantly passed over the bottle. Azeurid brushed aside his sweeping black fringe and held the bottle to his eyes.

"Corked?" he frowned, his dark eyes flashing between the amber bottle and the human behind the bar.

The man muttered something and turned to hold the bottle up to the light. As he turned, Azeurid swiftly sank his slender hand into the man's robe pocket and softly pulled out a small coin purse which he then dropped into his own tunic pocket without a sound.

The barman turned back around and shook his head.

"Looks fine to me, stranger."

Azeurid flashed a smile and then pulled a fistful of the stolen coins from his tunic. He scattered them onto the bar.

"My mistake. Please, do keep the change," he said, taking the wine bottle and turning on his heels to return to his seat in the corner of the room.

Too easy.

[Deleted]

Now why did life just hate Loren? Devan threw himself in jail, so who was sent to make sure he got out sometime soon? He was. He made enemies with a dragon, a queen, and now as if by some evil humor, the gods decided to make it ran on him. It was simply just his luck.

The man sighed as he stopped right outside the doorway of the pub, he wasn't getting anything stolen from him, no sir, he knew the type of people who visited bars on rainy days. He laughed for a moment, people like him. That thought made him smirk as he reached into his pocket and hocked a chain to his coin bag. Thieves were caught trying to snatch his coins like that all the time.

Loren sighed finally opening the door to the pub and entering, his hair flat to his head and water dripped onto the floor. He probably looked horrible. He looked for a seat that would possibly get him drier faster, he didn't know what exactly that meant but he was just hoping maybe a fire or something was in here....nothing, he sighed again, it would have to just be a night to get drunk he supposed. He paid for a bottle of whiskey and sat himself down in a corner seat it was in the light and for some reason he thought the light would dry him sooner.

[Deleted]

Azeurid tilted back his head and swallowed the last mouthful of the glass of wine he had poured himself. He felt it trickle down his throat and into his stomach. It was warming.

He looked up and stared at the dripping newcomer sitting in the opposite corner of the bar.

Heh. Drinking alone in the middle of the day.

Gripping the wine bottle in one hand and his glass in the other, Azeurid got to his feet and walked across the pub towards the man.

"Still raining out there?"

[Deleted]

Loren looked at te man dumbfounded, "Are you so drunk already you don't know a soaking wet man when you see on? See its still raining, it's been raining all day and with my luck it probably will rain all day." oh he had such horrible luck.

[Deleted]

Azeurid's eyes narrowed. He set his bottle and glass down on the table and pulled up a chair.

"Rotten luck, eh?" he said, slithering into a chair opposite the stranger.

He eyed the bottle of whiskey and smiled.

"Your luck must be rock bottom to be drinking that God-awful stuff," he said.

He pulled his right hand out of its long leather glove and offered it out for the man to shake.

"Azeurid."

[Deleted]

Loren smirked, "Washes away the troubles quicker. Loren" he said as he shook the man's hand. He of course wouldn't drink all of it. He could use some of the rest for cleaning purposes and starting fires. Things like that.

"You didn't pick anything much better I see," he says motioning to the bottle of wine, "Taste for that is acquired, definitely something you just have."

[Deleted]

Azeurid let out a low, gravely laugh and shook his head.

He pulled his left hand out of its glove and placed both gloves down carefully on the oak table, then began rubbing his hands together. His fingers were long, thin and slender. He had his father's fingers. Elven fingers.

He leaned towards his new acquaintance and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Tell me, Loren," said Azeurid. "How would you like to turn your luck around? How would you like to make yourself some... coin?"

[Deleted]

Loren chuckled again, he did live money, but if he screwed up and wasn't able to help Devan out of jail if he didn't it then his head would be severed before he had time to even know he screwed up.

He also leaned in so his voice could be heard while it was hushed, "I love coin as much if not more than the next guy, you can keep talkin but I ain't promising nothing yet." he smirked.

[Deleted]

Azeurid leaned back in his chair and eyed the man carefully.

"Listen, Loren. I'm new in town. The last thing I want is to get a bad name around this city," he began. "But there's an easy profit to be made in this place,"

He moved in close again.

"This is low stakes. Trust me," he whispered. "If we act quickly, we can be done in five minutes and nobody will suspect a thing. We'll go fifty-fifty. A tidy sum. We'll be eating well for the rest of the week."

Azeurid rocked back in his chair again and nodded at the whiskey bottle.

"Hell, you can even buy yourself more of that dishwater," he grinned.

[Deleted]

Loren smirked, "Alright, I'm in."

If he was a decent person Loren would have warned the man that being with him didn't establish a name worth having but he didn't want to risk not getting in on this so he kept quiet about it.

[Deleted]

Excellent.

"This barman knows I'm not from around here," Azeurid said. "But you're thinking why does that matter, right? It's obvious. He's keen to impress me - anything for repeat custom, especially with the inns as quiet as they are. I'm going to distract him. There's a coin purse on the middle shelf behind the counter. He'll be so pre-occupied that he won't notice it be... redistributed. That's where you come in. Wait for the signal."

With that, Azeurid got to his feet. He picked up his gloves and dropped them into the pocket of his leather tunic. Grabbing his wine bottle, he walked over to the bar area where the barman was waiting.

"What can I get you, friend?"

"My dear man," Azeurid began, his arms outstretched flamboyantly. "This wine is simply... glorious! I should very much like to take some bottles. Please, how many do you have? I'll take two dozen bottles!"

The barman looked stunned. He stammered the beginning of a succession of illegible words but then turned to face the shelf behind him. No bottles.

"Re... remarkable... Wine from a travelling salesman. Who knew it would sell so well! That was the last bottle, but there is a case in the cellar! One moment, I'll go and fish it out for you, sir!"

Azeurid raised his finger and tilted his head at the barman.

"Please, my dear friend, let me help you. A case of wine is not for one man to lift alone!"

The barman flashed a thankful smile and motioned for Azeurid to follow him. He plodded off towards a thick wooden door and began to descend down a set of groaning stairs into the cellar. Azeurid followed him, then, just as he was about to drop out of Loren's view, gave a mischevous wink.

[Deleted]

Loren's face twitched as devious and incredibly evil thoughts flooded his mind. He kept them at bay by walking behind the counter and grabbing the purse right where Azeurid had said it would be. He was doing fine until he reached the doorway. Purse and whiskey in one hand, the other creeping up to the torch he found on the wall. He face once again began to twitch.

Loren had grabbed the torch and walked back over to the doorway that led to the basement. He split the coins up so they were roughly fifty fifty, the larger half he threw down the stairs before he shut and locked the door. He began to walk out as he spoke. "Bars closed everyone go home." he shouted, whiskey poring on the ground as he exited the building. "Oops also forgot," he threw the torch back into the pub and fire began to spread.

[Deleted]

The door at the top of the stairs slammed shut with a thud as tens of glistening gold coins scattered over the stone floor. Azeurid's head twitched back sharply. The sound of the lock turning echoed throughout the cold, damp cellar.

Azeurid turned his head sharply and looked at the bar man. His eyes were wide with terror.

"What the hell?!" he spluttered.

The roaring sound of the whiskey igniting upstairs rattled the wooden door. Azeurid backtracked away from the door as his eyes darted around the cellar.

"W- Way out! Which is the way out?!"

"There's only one way in!" yelled the barman. His entire body was trembling.

Gulp.

[Deleted]

Loren looked back, he began to feel a bit bad for the man, but definetly not so bad that he would risk his life to save him, the rain would keep the fire from totally destiny the pub, and he figured someone would save him so deciding to settle with that he left.

[Deleted]

Raymond walked through the streets careful to stay hidden. He wanted to know the extent of the dsmage and the affects of te dark ones. As he walked through the rain he could see a light in the sky and a bit of smoke, a fire?! He quickened his pace in the direction of the smoke.

When he arrived he saw the pub beginning to get out of control as the fire spread, for a moment he thought about not offering to help, he was sort of underaged, but after deciding that was just stupid he ran to the door way.

The heat was almost to much from there, he saw a small spot where fire had yet to get to and sprinted to it. Looking around he saw no one, "Is there anyone in here!?!" he shouted.

[Deleted]

The male voice rumbled into the cellar. Azeurid darted up the steps and pressed his ear to the door. His heart was pounding.

"Loren?! LOREN?! ANYONE! Hello! Hello! In here!" he shouted frantically, beating his fists against the door.

The barman paced around the cellar with his hands on his head. His breathing was heavy and erratic.

[Deleted]

Raymond heard a muffled voice coming from the doorway to the cellar, he ran over and put his ear of the door.

The thick door was locked, and in this mess a key would be nearly impossible to find. "HOLD ON!" he called at the door. Raymond readied his bow and aimed it at the lock, could he force it open like that? He tried but only to get the arrow jammed into the lock. He looked around thinking of another possibility.

The flames were getting closer so he decided to try and hold them off a bit with water. The bottle he threw erupted into flames and only caused it to get worse....well that wasn't water...

[Danielle Otis]

Another boring day at work. Hopefully no customers would try to grab her ass this time...

Dani made her way towards the pub, grumbling. Annoyed with what was going on in town. She fumbled with the keys for the pub, so that she might be able to use the back door. For a split second she looked up. And then, of course, she spots the pub. Up in flames. Again.

She scowled, running towards it. She could at least try to help put out the flames, right? She burst through the door to look and see if anyone was there. And she spotted Raymond. "Hey! You need to get out of here!" she yelled out. "And don't throw that in there again! It's a bar, there is alcohol here, not the greatest idea to try and put the fire out with all of this!"

She jumped from place to place, hitting the small areas without fire on it, reaching to Raymond. There were arrows on the ground and lock of one of the doors. She furrowed her eyebrows. "You don't want to go in there, there's no exit out of there. Easiest to just go out the front door."

[Deleted]

Raymond would have greeted her better but under the circumstance it just wouldn't happen. He shook his head, "There are people down there!" he tried to explain as he tugged on the lock in a desperate attempt to get the door open.

[Danielle Otis]

Eyes wide, she looked at her keys. Well shit, she didn't have one for this door. Only the front and back, which were useless for this situation.

"Son of a...alright, give me a second..." she muttered, and turned to the door. Yelling, she asked, "Hey! Anything sharp down there that can fit through a lock?! I can pick it if I got one, just don't have anything on me!" She crossed her fingers, hoping the people on the other side of the door would have something.