Two Elves Walk Into A Bar

[Shadowlord]

"Anyone want a drink?" Slipping around the bar, Rayvinn offered the other elf a smile as she stood on tiptoes to reach a higher shelf where the Patron was. She doubted it was the bottle she'd left there during her last visit but that was of no consequence. Look who developed some civilized manners while she was away...a small tumbler was pulled from the rack and filled a quarter way with the tequila.

As the other elf - elfess - approached, his eyes trailed her subtly. Shadow was not the type to stare (though it was perhaps hard not to), but when she reached the bar itself he smiled. "Tequila is it? Strange drink for an elf." He raised his scotch glass to her, almost a self-mockery of his own choice of beverage.

A perfectly groomed brow arched at the comment and she pointed at his suit. "Armani is it? (It might not be!) Strange clothing for an elf." Raising her glass of tequila in return salute, she grinned a bit impishly before tilting her head back to drain the glass. it was replaced upon the bar and as she refilled, a side glance was cast over at him. "I'm not likely a typical elf..."


"Armani, indeed. Strange for an elf, but not in Rhy'din, no? I think Rhy'din has no typical elves, for that matter." As he spoke to her, he noted certain details, as if dimly remembered, his eyes studying her while she tossed back that shot. But who knew what an old elf 'remembered'? "Have we met, my lady?"


"Not strange for Rhy'Din at all, no." A manicured fingertip traced along the rim of the glass and she shrugged lightly. "If I am that easily forgotten, then perhaps I should say that we have not met." In all fairness to the elf, she had not given her name during their last brief encounter. She wasn't feeling the dullness of being fair, however, and opted for entertainment in whatever form it might take even if that meant teasing the poor elf.


"If I'd forgotten you, I wouldn't be asking, would I? I seem to recall officiating some duels, and you were on the caller's couch, then gone." A small sip, his eyes not leaving her aside from to blink now and then.


"Perhaps. I tend to come and go with the wind..." She fluttered fingers in demonstration of such flightiness. A ghost of a grin was offered over the rim of her glass before she took a sip and then replaced it upon the bar.


"Ah, the wind. While I, for the moment, come and go with the tides. Tell me then, do you have a name, woman of mystery and wind?" An impish smile tugged a side of his mouth.


"Ahh so here we are again, Sir Shadow, where we left off before...with you attempting to find out my name." Yes, she remembered. "I am not so sure that "Woman of Mystery and Wind" is such a terrible title, far more catchy than my own name, of course."


"I see. Sir Shadow? Who told you I was a knight, then, Miss Wind?" He drained the contents of his glass with a subtle clatter of ice against the container's sides, and poured himself another. "And tell me, does that stuff work?" He glanced at the bottle of tequila she'd been pouring from, and back to her.


"No one did, of course. I was merely being polite. I suppose I could have called you Mr. Shadow but that seems so very stuffy and not at all interesting." She glanced to the bottle and then up at him and shrugged. "It works 'about as good as any other means of memory dispeller or distraction, simply a matter of picking your addiction. The flavor is quite a bit better than your typical amber tequila but that is a matter of preference. What would you need it to work for exactly?" Perhaps a forward sort of question but he'd opened that line of communication and she wasn't exactly known for filtering her thoughts.


"Well, I suppose I've found most of our people are not susceptible to the alcohol humans make. But then, they never had scotch, nor tequila, where I came from." Not that it stopped him drinking his own brown liquor, which took on a deep amber shade with the melting of the ice within. "Simply Shadow is good, I'm neither knight nor lord, but your politeness is appreciated. More could stand to be polite in this place, I'd say." He studied Miss Wind with open curiosity.


"My metabolism burns it up quite rapidly but yes, I can become intoxicated if I drink fast enough and continually." It felt strange to have this conversation with someone who actually understood. "Perhaps why I favor tequila." She shrugged a little. "I don't know you well enough to call you by your name, of course, Mr. Shadow. If you insist upon forcing me to allow such dullness to leave my lips, I will comply." The lilt of her voice and the mischief that gleamed in the depths of jade made it obvious she was teasing again. "I wouldn't say that I am polite on a consistent basis. It truly depends upon the company and my mood, of course." She met that studious gaze with furrowed brows. "Do I have something in my hair?"


"Which is why I offered the name I am known by here, Miss Wind. I don't know, do you? For myself I eschew hairstyling products, far too much bother." Though the delivery of the words was dry, one look at his eyes told the lie - he was surely being a mischievous old elf. "Is Shadow a dull name then? I suppose compared to Miss Wind it is."


"No, but Mister is quite a dull, old title if ever there was one. I should think that you'd find Sir to be more appropriate to what you have going on here." Waves a hand to indicate his suit, perfect hair, etc. The dry delivery of that joke had her snorting just a bit as she laughed. It had been so long since she'd actually laughed, holding the weight of the world upon her thin shoulders prevented it most of the time. "That was terribly terrible, you know."


His hair was not perfect! Unless you counted the disheveled look, perfect. Of a morning he typically just ran a wet hand through it and called it good. However, he replied, "The suit... suits my line of work, at least here in the city. I run the Dragon's Gate Orphanage." Titles he had, accolades, but it was his connection to that place which was what he truly took pride in, and it might have showed on his face for a moment. Not pride, exactly, but he was proud of the fact. Still, he was not immune to mirth, and his elven, nearly fae nature caused another smile - and was that some sort of flickering light behind his eyes, like the memory of a thundercloud? Strange eyes, a wizard's eyes. "Not so terrible. It's good to meet another elf, even if she refuses to give me her name." A reserved sort of man, but friendly, he moved closer to her, at least at a range where no voices need be raised.

[Shadowlord]

"The suit is scrumptious. Very well cut. I will, of course, assume a woman picked it out for you." Oh yes, there it was. The wicked sense of humor that could bite those that took themselves too seriously, though it was never meant as anything more than simple teasing. "Dragon's Gate Orphanage. I believe I've heard of it. You really should be careful while there however.." she leaned forward just a bit and nodded solemnly as she whispered in a conspiratorial fashion. "Children are quite dangerous. Very much like miniature demons with their snot and sneezing and stealing of all of the shiny things." One of Rayvinn's truest fears were children. Still, she didn't like to see any creature suffer so running an orphanage to protect them (and protect others from them!) was quite an honorable job. "If I were you, I'd save the judgement of it being "good" to meet me until you've known me longer. Such an opinion tends to change with time." She refilled her glass, this time nearly to the brim and began to drink in earnest; her demons needed to be cast aside in order to have just a few more minutes of interesting conversation before she had to return to the truth of her life. "I never refused once to give my name."


The ghost of a smile remained as she described her feelings about children. He sensed, however, that she was not joking, and so refrained from expressing his amusement in a full laugh - barely. Still, he felt compelled to say, "Oh, we keep no demonlings at the Orphanage. The place is well warded against them. I cannot, however, dispute your observations about the young." Oh, but it was hard not to snicker, especially when he thought of some of the older kids, near to their 'release' and already pushing the boundaries with their teenage angst. "I'd say I'm a rather good judge of character, though. And you are nothing if not interesting." Another sip of his own, his eyes following the motions of her next drink. How well he knew the need to forget, if that's what he was seeing. He might even have felt some of the pain of her spirit, though he was not one to plumb anyone's mind, even if he had the spells to. "True enough, Miss Wind. May I know your name, then?"


"I shall appease you whilst still maintaining my aura of mystery." She smiled while a delicate boned hand lifted to wave around herself in high dramatic flair. "My human name...that is, the name I took when I left my homeland is Rayvinn. My true name is known by few and I apologize if it is offensive that I do not share it with you." She was nothing if not direct.


"Rayvinn...like the bird?" he asked, only able to hear her pronunciation, of course. He had more to say before she could answer that question, though. "It's not as if Shadow is the name given to me at birth, of course. Only one other living, on this world, know it. A wizard must be careful with his true name, you see." Though the hour had grown late, all life in the Annex gone but for these two, he found himself quite unwilling to call it a night. And it was the weekend, after all.


"The spelling is different of course, but yes, I suppose." A brow arched at his profession of being a magic wielder. "A wizard, are you?" Her gaze narrowed slightly as it traveled more slowly over him, starting with the very crown of his head. It wasn't the sort of gaze that left one feeling they were being lusted after, but left one feeling that perhaps they had no secrets remaining. "Hm...s'pose I can see it in your eyes. Where's your quirky hat and ruin encrusted robes?" She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Don't smell like bat guano either. Are you quite certain you are a wizard, Mr. Shadow o'th Tides?" The lovely angular face remained somber but the jade eyes were nearly bursting with mischief.


Truth be told, he rather liked being called 'Shadow of the Tides'. Even if he had provided the source material for the name. "Hmm. Quirky hats and bat guano are not my style. However would I have the chance to converse with such beauties as yourself, otherwise? As to the robes, well. Those are for *special* occasions, you see." And he winked, which could have caused his words to be taken as jest - even if he wasn't really joking on that point. "I'm a Keeper of Twilight Isle, is why I lay claim to being a 'wizard'. They use different terms over there, but it amounts to the same thing. Before I delved into magic, well. I lived in a wilderness yurt fighting orcs. What of you, Rayvinn of the Winds? What past endeavors are you trying to drink away with that tequila?" No mirth there, his comment was pointed, though he phrased his observations as gently as he could.


She looked him over once more, while attending to her glass of tequila, and shook her head. "No, I don't suppose that would be your style, or whomever put together your current ensemble. I bet those robes are incredibly warm, though." She'd not bother the poor elf with her other questions regarding the robes, instead quite focused suddenly on what he was saying. "Oh so you can fix that broken portal to the Isle then? Excellent, because I truly would love to stop vomiting every time I step through the blasted thing. How long will it take, do you think?" Brows arched thoughtfully as she moved right on to the next topic without waiting for an answer to her question. She had the attention span of a squirrel some days, easily distracted by anything shiny and new and he seemed to fit the description quite well. "You were a ranger then, I assume? Not just out there fighting the stinking orcs for fun?" She chose to mostly ignore his question, instead answering one he hadn't asked. "I was a ranger once upon a time, myself." Her grip upon the glass of tequila tightened a little but she managed a smile. "I think a woman is entitled to hold some secrets, is she not, Sir Shadow? I told you my name, that might be quite enough mystery solving for one day, yes?"


He opted to answer her last comment first, phrased as a question though it was. He could tell already, conversation with this elfess would never be a dull thing. "Not just women are entitled to their secrets, Lady Rayvinn, but fair enough. Forgive my prying. As to the clothing, you can thank my butler, Wilson, for my wardrobe. He's from a land known as 'England', a place I've never been, though many here seem to hail from it." A pause to sip at his own drink, and he stepped closer, opting for the bottle of tequila she'd been pouring from. Not for his own drink, but to top hers off. "I was, and am, a ranger. As for the Portal, I have heard some with your same reaction. I do not typically use it, but instead travel the paths of Water itself. Are you allergic to magical portals, then?" Far too much to cover in simple sentences, though he knew that despite all else, if she were a ranger they had that in common. More and more interesting by the moment.


She canted her head ever so slightly in his direction. "You are quite correct, Sir. All creatures are entitled to hold those things they deem secret to their breast. There is nothing to forgive, however, since you have presence of mind to not prod a rattlesnake." She offered a sincere smile and another incline of her head as he topped off her glass. Lifting it to her lips, she shrugged slightly at his question regarding magic portals. A sip taken, she answered. "I am not rightly certain. How is it that you travel the paths of water? That sounds quite interesting." Another sip taken of the tequila, it was quite surprising that she'd been drinking so slowly tonight.

[Shadowlord]

His own drinking pace had increased, at least, he was not shy about clearing his second glass of scotch. No more ice this time, as he poured his glass full, only the vestige of a few melted cubes remaining. Having avoided prodding the rattlesnake - an inexact science at best, and in his case likely fraught with luck - he lent his mind to the specific topic she'd raised. "I draw my power from Water itself, from the seas, the lakes, the rivers. Here and on the Isle. Whereever there is water, I may travel. Can take passengers too, for that matter." He shrugged. "It is not so large a thing, though certainly more convenient than a cab." With their drinks full, he raised his own to her. "A toast, Rayvinn. To the meeting of elves in this strange city. Are you shady, like the others are said to be?" There was no doubt he was grinning, even though he hid his smile behind his glass as he took a sip.


Inky brows furrowed as she attempted to comprehend what he was telling her. "So you...surf everywhere?" The mental picture made her giggle and she attempted to stifle it as she raised her glass, though her eyes still held her amusement."To the meeting of Armani suit wearing, no bat guano wizards, that surf wherever they wish to travel." She tapped her glass to his but before taking a sip, she stage whispered. "I'm the shadiest, of course. And you? Are you a shady sort of elf?"


His grin could not be hidden by his glass; certainly, the mirthful laugh that followed her words was unmistakable. Business suit or not, wizard or ranger, he was still an elf, and appreciated humor in all its forms. His laugh, too, gave the lie of his stuffy demeanor. One had a certain reputation to uphold, perhaps, but it was nice to talk to another elf, another of his kind. Who wasn't so entirely stuck up that speaking to her was a chore. "Surfing is not quite what I do. Call it swimming, rather, and leave it at that. Like most magic, it is a thing better shown than described." But of course, he wasn't going to let that last comment slide. "Ask an elf called Shadow, that? Why, I put the shady in elf, didn't you know?" He was clearly full of it, but her rather whimsical nature seemed to be bringing out his own. The sadness of memory was in him, but he was doing a good job of concealing it, pushing it aside, or deeper down. Was it the scotch? More likely the conversation.
"Swimming..." he said to leave it at that but she was dying to know how in the heck he kept his clothes dry! The sharp lines of his face seemed to soften as he laughed, and he seemed very much less of a "Mister" or "Sir" now and more simply just Shadow as he had told her earlier. Her own laugh joined his, a higher sort of tone and nearly musical. "You have a point, I suppose...but you could be a poser for all I know."


It did seem to take him awhile to lose his rather formal air, but lose it he did. He had reasons, and reasons, for being tentative around a lady, though this one poked holes in his airs like an imp at a carnival set on popping all the children's balloons. "Swimming," he repeated, with a sly look in his eyes. "A poser? As in, not a true elf? Well, I should hope that isn't the case. You can check my ears, they are quite real." And he turned his head, dipping it slightly, to put one angled aural point within reach.


"A poser as in not truly shady...more of a goody goody type elf. Mhmm," she taunted but hopped back a couple of steps when he lowered his head for her to touch his ear. "Listen, I don't know what kind of elf you think I am but there shall be no ear touching on the first meeting! Ears are far too sensitive for just random touchings!" She nearly cackled, so silly and whimsical she felt at the moment.


Alas, she'd called him out on the trickery; for he knew of course, as well as she, how sensitive ears were amongst their kind. It *had* to be the scotch getting to him. Had to be. Right? He straightened with a grin. "You've seen right through me, Rayvinn. As I'd hoped you might." A mysterious thing to say, but he winked. "But as to the goody goody, I do fight for the good. As our people have of old, even when humans did not see it so. Things are different here, but the struggle is the same, our old magics trying to preserve what the younger races would overtake." He did have a way of waxing philosophical at the strangest moments.


"Perhaps you don't think I am a real elf!" She gasped softly in mock surprise. Her face lost some of it's comical shock and she nodded lightly. "Not what I meant by goody goody, however. I meant more the types of elves that are so aloof they look down at everyone else. She simply nodded as he spoke then replied, "My preferred fight is for those that cannot help themselves. I've not been with my own kind in so long that I fear I have forgotten much of what it means to be an elf."


"Then you've forgotten more than most ever did know, about being an elf. It is easy to lose one's sense of self in Rhy'din, one's sense of the old ways of our people." He was still smiling, faintly, at her initial jest but his reply carried the gravity her words urged. Required. "There are many kinds of elves here, and many ways of being an elf. Many of our darker kin have made lives here, and who is to say that they'd be better off in their Underdark homes?" For a moment there, he almost did reach out to touch her cheek, his natural empathy commiserating. "We are still who we are, no matter where we are, Rayvinn. And there are ways to remove ourselves from the city's bustle and reconnect with where we came from, for Nature is still all around us, and we are its children."
She nodded slightly and gave a half hearted chuckle. "I've spent plenty of time, of late, away from the bustle of a city. I reconnected with Nature but for reasons I won't specify just now, I'll not be reconnecting with where I came from. I do understand where we all come from but we are also quite influenced by the people that raised and taught us what we are." She sipped at her tequila and smiled. "Perhaps the wanderlust in my soul prevents me from settling anywhere and quietly contemplating so that I might age with wisdom." She snickered, intending to simply joke away the seriousness that the overtaken them but that statement rang with such truth that she actually looked almost sheepish.


"Mmmm," he said, smiling slightly. "You can take the ranger out of the forest, but never the forest out of the ranger, Rayvinn." His own mirth had mellowed into something he had not felt around another, in close conversation, in months. If that. He was strangely comfortable, talking to this elfess, even if certain signs should have warned him away. He could feel pain within her, confusion, and knew she had demons in her past, which chased her thoughts. No elf could live to any age without a weight of memories that would crush the mind of those whose mortal span was shorter. "Wandering is a good thing. But we also must rest, sometimes. Am I keeping you from yours, by the way?" Another swallow of scotch, and he realized he'd downed another glass. Three tonight, enough that he might have started feeling...something, though intoxication didn't show in his eyes, nor slur his words.


"This is truth, Ranger Shadow of the Tides. Quite the truth." The remainder of her glass was drained and the excess lightly licked from cotton candy pink lips. She'd stopped counting how much she'd drank years ago. "You are not keeping me from my rest. I don't rest so much these days as I use the reverie to refresh. I should be going, however. I would think that a busy man as yourself would need his wizardly sleep. You need to be on your toes when dealing with the wild children, of course."


His eyes were drawn to those lips, before he could help himself. They were nice lips... But surely that was the scotch in his brain, for he had sworn off women, had he not? He told himself that, anyway. "Ah, the reverie. Indeed, it is how I typically refresh, myself." Few knew of the Reverie, the trip down memory lane that most elves took nightly. This Rayvinn was the real deal. "Some say wizards, and keepers of children, never truly sleep. I hope that...we may see each other again soon, Lady Rayvinn. You'll find me often around the dueling venues during the late hours." Ever polite, he bowed slightly at the waist, though his eyes remained on hers, head tilting up slightly during the motion. He'd let the lady leave first, as gentlemen did, before travelling the 'paths of Water' right through the bar's sink.


"If for no other reason than I intend to glean information from you regarding this...swimming that you do. I have questions." It was spoken as a warning because it truly was. This elf was so curious that she could put to shame a hundred cats' curiosity combined. She moved towards the doorway that led to the Arena so she could take the stairs up, but her gaze lingered over her shoulder for a moment before she smiled and disappeared.