In for Trouble

[Talia Idris]

Talia's cheeks were flushed, she did not know if was due to the alcohol in her drink or simply embarrassment on how much she had blurted out. Either ways she bit her tongue to keep from saying more while she listened to each of the other women tell a bit about themselves. Although she still couldn't get a proper feel for who either of them really were. But since they had only been together for the past hour or so she guessed that was a bit natural. She stared into her cup and debated drinking anymore. With a shrug to herself she decided that there was no harm in it so long as she just went slowly.

Looking at the roses she noticed that they seemed to be a bit perkier, smiling she turned back to the women at the table while her fingers still absently mindedly playing with them. Pushing her bangs back with her other hand she her Ardys mention the 'whisperin's' that had started to surround the city.

"I don't really know much," Talia answered, "I live where I work so I try not to get into much trouble so my boss doesn't have any reason to fire and evict me." She grinned "Although it is hard to go anywhere these days without hearing a little something. Some people say that there is an uprising coming and others say that that is just a lie to try to gain supporters. Others say that the sewers are infested with people waiting for a rebellion." She shrugged her shoulders. "No one really seems to know what is really going on, at least from my understanding."

[Ari]

Ari listened carefully to Ardys are she shared a little bit about her past, though it was not enough for her to discern much from. She wondered if this woman had something to hide too. If it was magic, as Ari suspected, she knew it would be difficult to get it out of her, not that she would blame her. This was not the sort of place to be bragging about gifts.

Watching Talia, she could not help but smile at how careful the girl was to not express her direct opinion. There was far too much "he said she said" going on in the world, in Ari's opinion, but it was probably for the best. It was impossible to trust anyone.

"There are always 'whisperins' in places like this," she said with a shrug. "It is impossible to tell what is truth and what is not anymore. As for the rebellion, I think I believe in it. What with the way things are now, it would not surprise me that people are getting restless." Finishing off her drink, Ari slid the mug away from her and leaned back in her seat. A rebellion would be nice. Perhaps then things would finally get more interesting.

She turned her attention to Ardys again, watching her steadily. She was dying to get the woman alone, some place where it would be safe to ask her about her magic. She could sense it so distinctly, as if it were radiating from her very blood.

[Ardys]

Now a rebellion... a rebellion was fun. And if these two girls - especially Talia, good employee that she was - had heard about something going on, chances were it was pretty far advanced. Or that the people organizing it had no sense of secrecy, but either way, Ardys felt her curiosity rising. Perhaps they could use a spy. She was one of the world's finest, after all. No one looked for a rat in a city like this.

"Well, th' sewers would hardly be place t' go lookin' for angry folk, right? It's filthy down there," Ardys replied almost distractedly. She hadn't been part of a rebellion for what felt like too long.

She turned her full attention back to the girls. "So th' city's been quiet over th' last few years, I suppose. Such a borin' place, ain't it? Most places ain't like this, y'know. Some lands those who can touch magic are worshiped as gods an' queens. But people fear what they don't know, so here we are." Ardys mock toasted with a wry smile and killed her drink, waving the serving girl over for another. "Are ye hungry?" Ordinarily she would just eat as a rat but the venison with cranberries sounded positively decadent.

[Talia Idris]

Talia stared quizzically at Ardys when she mentioned something about sewers. She didn't quite understand what she was talking about or trying to say. Although perhaps she was simply talking to herself. She quickly changed her focus when Ardys brought up food. It had been a while since she last ate, she had passed up her last meal to run the errand that she never really finished.

Instead of picking her up on her suggested offer Talia decided to be polite first. "We couldn't possibly impose on your generosity any further." She smiled as she held up her now almost empty glass. "This place is much to expensive to expect you to cover my costs. I have no way of repaying you." She smiled regretfully again. She really didn't want to leave but she wasn't very comfortable with using another person for what they could offer her when she had so little to offer in return.

[Ari]

Ari was glad she was not the only one getting bored with peace, but she would not be so bold as to say it like Ardys had. She simply shrugged and said, "I suppose a rebellion would make things more interesting, but we do not exactly have peace here, do we? There are ways to find entertainment if you look hard enough."

Food. Just the mention of it made Ari's stomach rumble. She opened her mouth to accept the offer, but Talia's polite refusal interrupted her. She disguised her ghosted words with a yawn and gave a nod in concurrence to the girl. "She is right," she answered, sitting up straight and stretched her arms straight up over her head. "We could not accept any more treats from you without repaying the favor." She put on a smile and glanced toward the door. Yes, the refusal was the right thing to do, and polite, but Ari was not looking forward to going back into the streets where the men could still be lurking. Plus, she still had so much more to learn about these women.

[Ardys]

"Oh pah," Ardys scoffed, waving a hand at the two girls as they both declined her offer to eat. "A girl's gotta indulge herself in a little pamperin' and spoilin' every now an' then. Feel free t'order anythin' ye like, th' pair of ye." She patted her small purse lovingly, careful to make it jingle slightly. "I've got meself more money than I rightly know what t'do with."

That was a lie. Ardys was quite capable of finding many various ways of spending money, but at this point she had so much of it she could buy queenly treatment and while that was fun, it was also fun to spend it on other people. Of course, she knew she probably just throw around the fact that she was rich... but it was just so fun! Ardys stifled a sigh and a shake of her head. She'd indulge in some retail therapy later if she could find any decent shops.

Speaking of... "Ah now, I'm always entertained, pretty Ari. Ye don't get t'be my age an' fabulously wealthy without knowin' how t'make yer own fun," she said with a wink and a grin.

Well, there went the idea of downplaying her money and treasure. Ah well. She waved the waitress back over and placed her order for the venison, then raised an expectant eyebrow at the girls. "C'mon now."

[Talia Idris]

Talia shifted in her seat uncomfortably in her seat. It would be rude to refuse a second time, and Ardys did mention a couple times that she had enough money to cover the bill. "Well....if you insist." She offered a smile as she accepted the offer. "I'll have the same thing." She said turning to the waitress before turning back.

Placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her folded hands and looked at the two women in front of her. She still didn't really trust them, especially after Ardys brought up the rebellion, after all she didn't want to get in any trouble. But why waste a perfectly good day off? Maybe it was just the alcohol in her system but Talia decided that maybe she should just let her hair down a bit and relax for once. It wasn't everyday you ran into a stranger who offered to pay for five star service.

"Well then ladies, if we are extending the meal why not make it a day. Don't worry, I don't mean that I expect you to pay for a big night," she smiled towards Ardys, "but if I have taken the time off, we might has do something fun besides just eating. So any ideas?"

[Ari]

Well, if Talia was eating, so was Ari. It was not everyday she ran into someone willing to pay for her meals, much less someone who seemed as happy about it as Ardys. She paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Ah, what the hell. A venison for me too," she told the waitress, smiling before turning back to the girls. She raised a brow at Talia's suggestion. A day out with two strangers? It was one way to meet people, yeah? Ari had not had anyone to have fun with in a long time, not since she lived in a house full of rowdy fox shifters. Why not?

"A day out sounds nice. I do not know the city very well, though, so perhaps my input would not be best. I suggest we find somewhere less expensive. Would not want to be into you for too much money, Ardys." She laughed a bit, though the last part was quite serious. One never knew when someone might turn around and expect a return of favor, something Ari did not have the right circumstances to provide.

[Ardys]

Ardys was pleased to see the girls taking her up on her offer of food. She was of the opinion that everyone should gorge themselves and pamper themselves whenever possible. While the rat shifter also knew that people were very different and some had issues accepting help or gifts without proper repayment or some such nonsense, she'd never turned her nose up at a free meal in her life and was always pleased when she could offer food to others.

"Well, I'll never be one t'be sayin' no t'a night on th' town," Ardys grinned. "But if ye think yer gettin' away with payin' fer all of it, yer thinkin' wrong. I just did some work an' I've been lookin' for a way t'start spendin' my earnin's. Help a girl out, won't ye?"

Maybe a shopping spree was in order as well. Ardys never wanted to blend in, of course, but she was always fond of incorporating local fashions into her clothing. And even if the clothing was as boring as she remembered it to be, surely she could at least find some furs or something. Having spent so much time in the south recently, she found herself bereft of cold-weather clothing. Usually she wasn't such a fan of confining clothes like heavy dresses and cloaks, but there was something truly glorious about fur. It made her feel like a queen.

She let out a clap of approval as the food was brought around. "Then, m'dears, I suggest we eat until we're stuffed an' then do some shoppin'? M'clothes ain't exactly good fer th' climate here. Then out fer some drinkin' - though I don't remember much 'bout this town, I think I might be able t'recall some good waterin' holes. An' if not... well, we're three pretty ladies. Someone'll surely give us directions, eh?" She asked with a bawdy wink.

Ardys was pleased to see that both of the girls seemed to have gotten over their ordeal from earlier. In her experience, food and drinks could cure most things, but when those failed it was time for shopping. Or murder, but despite the stabbing neither one of them looked up to killing, so shopping it was. Then more drinks! All in all, it was turning out to be a lovely day.

[Talia Idris]

Talia giggled. She couldn't remember if she had ordered another drink or Ardys had simply requested another round to go with their food. She was starting to find Ardys quite charming, even more so after she had finally given in after trying to be a proper lady about everything.

The food was the best that Talia had ever tasted, although the buns left something to be desired. Of course that was because they weren't from her bakery. "Well I guess if you are paying my dear Ardys, it will be your choice what we do tonight! I usually don't go out late, I'm up too early for work to spend the evenings doing much. Although I do know of a few good shops if you are looking for some nice winter clothes." She grinned as she had another bite of her food.

"So Ari," she said turning to the other woman, "What brought you to Marn? Have you been here before, like Ardys has?"

[Ari]

She could not remember the last time she had partook in such an amazing meal. The steam rising off the food filled her mouth, warming it as each bite seemed to melt on her tongue. More than once she gave an audible "Mmm," as she swallowed each little bit of heaven. That combined with such good beer made her smile as she sat there among the two women.

So distracted by her food, she hardly heard what the women were saying, other than that Ardys was paying, which was lovely, and that they were going to do some clothes shopping, which could be problematic, but was still lovely as well in its own way. When she heard Talia say her name, sher head snapped up, fork falling onto her nearly empty plate with a clatter.

She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "Me? Oh, well I have never been here before, no. I am doing a bit of research. Collecting rumors, stories, fairytales. So I travel a lot, and Marn was the next stop on my list, so here I am."

[Ardys]

Ardys had a self-satisfied smile on as she watched the girls eat while chowing down on her own food. Both of them looked a little short of a good meal to her (though to be fair, Ardys just liked feeding people), and she was pleased that they were enjoying it.

They were both certainly much more giggly now, and Ardys was stifling her own giggles occasionally too. She would have to remember this drink - anything that could get her tipsy without her chugging it got a huge nod of approval from her. And it even tasted nice!

"Fairytales, eh? I'd thought folk 'round here would be too concerned with their day-t'-day t'be interested in somethin' like fairytales. Rumors, though... they say th' woods between here an' Shim are haunted, did ye know that? An' there's some mighty interesting rumors floatin' around 'bout that manor on th' hill. I heard tell from a person a few years ago who had also passed through here that th' man what lives in th' fancy house is someone t'not be messed with." Ardys killed her second drink with a long swallow and pointed her fork at Ari. "Careful askin' about fer yer rumors an' tales, is what I'm sayin'. Th' woman I got that tidbit from weren't someone that struck me as easy t' scare. Some folk don't wish t'share their secrets... or have 'em spread all about."

Lecture over, Ardys sat back in her seat and speared a cranberry. "Not that I'm tryin' t'discourage ye from askin' about, mind. Lord and Lady know I like meself a good story. Just mind yer step. If this place is as fussy as ye say an' I remember, tread lightly."

[Talia Idris]

In the back of Talia's mind she knew that she was not acting like herself. That she really should smarten up, leave the rest of her drink alone and maybe drink a couple glasses of water, or coffee even! Of course a new version of herself had taken control and wasn't about to let go that easily, burying any thoughts about trying to sober up.

She sat back, her food finished. She had resisted the urge to lick her plate clean during Ardys' talk about fairy tales, the food had just been that good! Letting out a rather un-lady like burp she covered her mouth with her hands with a giggle, while her face flushed from what little dignity that was still in tact...or perhaps it was just the alcohol.

"Well, such a fine meal deserves a fine desert if any of you are still hungry." With a couple of nodding heads for a reply she continued with her scheme. She leaned forward, closer to the girls and lowered her voice to what she hoped was a whisper although she wasn't too sure since her head was buzzing like there was a swarm of bees encircling it. "I know the cook's assistant here, we met while buying stock for our kitchens. Anyways, while we can all attest to the excellency of the food, apparently the cook is terrible at anything desert wise, except for sauces."

Talia winked at her dinner companions as she leaned back. "So I was thinking, I have a friend at another bakery who owes me a favor. She makes simply delightful tarts and mini cakes. How about we head there, snag a little something and if we can still walk after we can go shopping!"

[Ari]

Ari gave a shrug at Ardys's warning. "I have been rumor hunting for a few years now and have not found anything too frightening yet. I will be careful. However, a great story is quite worth a little bit of trouble." she grinned and raised her fork as if in cheers, then went back to cleaning her plate. The food was gone far too quickly and she found herself glancing at her companion's plate to see if they had any scraps. To her disappointment, she found both women had enjoyed the food just as much as she had.

Leaning back, she brought her chair up on its back legs and crossed her legs in front of her, stretching her arms out over her head. Smiling at Talia, she nodded in approval. Desert would be perfect. "Let us go taste these tarts then. We might as well spoil ourselves rotten while we are this far." Ari went to stand, though she leaned a bit too far back in her chair and fell backward, the chair clattering to the floor. Her mind was too foggy for her to remember to tuck and roll, so she landed sprawled out over the wooden seat. The bar was silent for a moment. Come on girl. You cannot be that drunk.... can you? She frowned a moment. How many beers had it been...? Letting out a forced chuckle, she stood up and righted the chair, dusting herself off as gracefully as she could. I believe we should go now, before we cannot even stand. Lead the way to desert, Talia my girl!

[Ardys]

Ardys loved the idea of dessert. She was always in the mood for something with far too much sugar and butter in it. She stifled a giggle when Ari tried to lead the way out. These girls were such lightweights, it was adorable. Ardys herself was feeling pleasantly tipsy but she was nowhere near drunk... though she did have quite a tolerance for alcohol, she knew.

Ardys followed Talia out into the street and was slightly surprised to see it was almost evening. They must have been longer in the restaurant than she had thought, not that that was a bad thing. She looked idly in some of the windows as they walked by, the trio stumbling slightly. Out of the corner of her eyes, something shiny glinted and she stopped abruptly, turning to face it.

In the window of a jewelry store, a sparkling mass of diamonds and sapphires set in silver that she could hear practically screaming her name. It was a tiara and necklace and earring set, shimmering against black velvet like something out of this world (and certainly out of place in the hushed darkness of Marn), and Ardys knew immediately that she had to have it. "Might we be startin' th' shoppin' early, then continue t'dessert?" She inquired with a hungry grin. "I ain't able t'resist somethin' that shiny." She waved a hand at the glittering set, eying it like it was the secret to the universe.