Author: Mazerine, Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:48 AM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

She couldn't help but smile as Douken shook her by the shoulders, winking at her and stating that he would, of course, join her.  "Okay," she said, making a good attempt to not tense up as his arm was around her.  "Just need to get a few things around town," she said, grinning at him before the pair split for a short while to do what they needed to do before leaving. 

Mazerine ducked into an apothecary with a few things on a list - a couple of different healing salves, some herbal remedies for muscle pain and headaches, and a tincture for altitude sickness - something she had heard about people getting when they flew on airships, particularly if it was their first time.  Making idle conversation with the alchemist at the counter, she gave Mazerine a thoughtful chuckle and tossed another small bottle into the crate that the elf purchased.  

Before long she had met back up with Douken and they headed to the airship port.  Mazerine had never really been around something as busy as this, except festivals and the like, and her eyes were wide with wonder as she took in the sights around her.  She got distracted for a bit of time, watching airships ascending and descending before she hurriedly caught up to Douken as they reached the area in which they would pay for passage on one of the massive vessels.  Mazerine eyed the harpy with interest as Douken explained to her that they were keen on traveling to Iria.  

At that point, Mazerine walked up next to Douken and began looking at the airship prices and times of departure, mostly paying attention to the time.  One particular parchment caught her eye, which departed about an hour from the current time.  "Oh, Douken, look!  It's a luxury ship," she said, pointing at a very intricately designed pamphlet.  Unlike more of the other economic choices, the luxury airship seemed to include several extra amenities, including a dining area and a tavern-like lounge (in which food and beverage were included with the price of one's ticket).  Mazerine began to rifle through her belongings to get her silver pouch.

As Mazerine searched through her bag for her silver, the harpy glanced at the pair of them, and then back down at the pamphlet.  "This is a very highly priced ship," she said.  "I may suggest one of the economy class travel fares on one of our smaller fleet?" she said, attempting to direct Mazerine's attention to a different pamphlet.

"No, we'll take a suite in the luxury one," she said, dumping the proper amount of silver onto the counter, much to the harpy's surprise.  She scooped the silver towards her and pushed two tickets towards Mazerine and Douken, along with cabin keys. 

"Dock four," the harpy instructed, and Mazerine scooped the keys and tickets up and turned to Douken with a grin.  

"It's my first time flying in an airship, why not do it the right way?" she said, looking over her shoulder at Douken as they walked towards the docks.  It didn't take them long to reach dock four - at which the largest of the airships was docked.  They showed their tickets and went inside and were quickly met by a man dressed in a very fine suit.  He took Mazerine's bags from her.  

"Madam.  Sir.  If you'll follow me," he said in a formal manner, before showing the two to their suite.  Once inside, he set Mazerine's bags down and addressed the pair.  "My name is Leonard.  I am at the station at the end of your hall.  Should you require anything at all, do not hesitate to ask."  He exited the room and shut the door behind him.

Mazerine turned to Douken.  "Do we have our own butler?  That is amazing!" she exclaimed, clearly excited about the prospect.  She turned and looked about the incredibly lavish room, complete with the largest bed she had seen outside of her home in Endapano.  The furtniture was exquisite, and there were several windows looking outside.  "This is incredible," she said, breathlessly, as she wandered inside to check things out.

Author: Douken, Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 12:48 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Douken was not one to sit around as they studied the relics he had found. Most of the time, they would take it, give him payment, and do the research on their own. However, he was with the "business partner" in this project, meaning he had to sit around and listen to the talk about the ancient works and puzzles that came from it, before delving a point of origin that came from a base of text. Of course, while they knew WHAT the text was from, they lacked the books to translate it, offering them a lead to Iria and their massive library of magic studies.

Her spunk was high when the offer came up, though dropped when she asked if he still wanted to be by her side. Giving her a chuckle, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving a bit of a shake before jokingly asking her, "You are how old, and you have still yet been across the ocean?" Before giving a quick pat. "I'd be glad to join you. After all, you are still my boss," giving her a silly wink, as if their initial business deal left them from being partners to an actual relationship (even if the state of that relationship was a bit complicated). "Not only that, but you will need some help getting around, right? I've been around Iria multiple times, so I am sure I can find the best shops and libraries to help us out."

With the deal set in stone, the pair made sure they had all their supplies at the ready, Douken sending the cart he used back into the realm while Mazerine returned the room key and visited the apothecary, picking up some "essentials" for the trip. For all Douken knew, she was picking up things for motion sickness for heights as a just in case, not anything else like more migraine medicine and a special potion in relation to what happened last night…

Once the pair were ready to depart, they headed to the airport, where everything was filled with buzz and commute, many races and characters passing in and out while in the back, the massive airships rested a couple were taking off and others were landing in. A sight he had not seen in a long time. It was when they got close were they greeted with a harpy, who gave the pair  a bow. "Greetings," she told them, her words rich with accent. "Where we be heading today?"

"Iria," he replied, before she nodded and digging through her pile pf pamphlets before laying them out.

"Here are times of departures and prices. Feel free to look through to see which ones suit your needs and your accommodations." She made sure the sooner flights were more on top.

With the two looking around, seeing the models and offers, Douken asked her, "So, which one do you like best?"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 10:24 AM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Mazereine glanced up at the shade that separated the wash basin area from the main part of the room as Douken spoke to her, halfway through pulling the brush through her long hair.  She frowned.  He sounded apologetic - almost as if he regretted what had happened between the two of them.  She silently resigned herself to the fact that he had no real reason to be apologetic to her - even though the events that had led to what had happened between the two of them had originally been Douken's idea, he gave Mazerine ample opportunity to stop things from going any further.  She had willingly gone along with what happened, and had been perfectly okay with it - mead or not.  Granted, if the pair hadn't been drinking in such excess, she doubted that she would have had to courage to let anything go that far, whether or not she wanted it.

She didn't say anything back to him at first, continuing instead to brush her now only damp hair and pulling it into a long braid that fell off one of her shoulders.  She was at a loss for to say, as what was being said to her still offered her no insight as to what Douken really felt like.  Done fixing her hair, she tucked her brush back into her bag, kneeling on the floor.  She had gotten dressed in her usual attire (of course with a replacement shirt), and was fiddling with her gear.  When he finally stepped out from behind the screen, she glanced up at him.  "I don't regret it, if you're worried about that.  And I'm not upset with you.  Like I said, it was… well, nevermind," she said, her face turning red and her voice growing quiet.  She looked away from him and back down to her gear.

"Oh, well… I guess maybe?  I paid for them, but I've no use for that.  You can keep it if you want, I guess, or maybe I'll just tell one of the maids to hock them and keep the silver for profit," she said, shrugging her shoulders without looking at Douken. She did, however, glance at the attire as they spoke, and the memories of them watching one another slowly strip down to nothing flooded her mind.  She shifted uncomfortably on the floor before standing back up with a bit of a groan, her muscles still somewhat sore.  She pulled her boots on and looked at Douken, who also seemed to be ready.  "I'm hungry," she said simply, gathering her gear up. 

She walked out the door, at which Douken followed her and they went downstairs. The pair ate a quick breakfast, with Mazerine settling up for the room and telling one of the maids her plan about the clothing - she seemed rather excited at the prospect.  When they had finished eating, Mazerine briefly explained to Douken that she wanted to visit one of the artifact shops in the city and speak to one of the historians about what they had found at Occultatum.

It did not take them long to reach the small shop.  They ducked inside and Mazerine presented the item to the man at the counter, who seemed very interested in it.  They spent the better part of an hour in the shop before the man informed them they would need a specific text to be able to figure out the true purpose of the item, and the last known location of the text was in Iria.  

When they were back outside, Mazerine stuffed the item back in her gear bag and pulled the pack back onto her shoulder.  "Guess I'm going to Iria," she said.  "I've never been to Parvpora," she added, a silly grin coming to her face at the prospect of travelling.  The shopkeeper had suggested traveling to Iria via airship, as they were already in one of the ports and it would take much less time than traveling by boat.  The grin faded from her face, and she turned to look at Douken, her gaze locking with his for the first time that morning.  

"Do you want to come with me?" she asked, a hopeful tone to her voice.  After all, he had been a great exploration partner.  His skills were incredibly useful.  And, she had to admit to herself, she did have fun traveling with him, even when they were in down time and just relaxing.  She found him interesting enough.  Part of her was silently pleading and hoping that he would say yes, and that he would continue traveling with her, while another part of her hoped he didn't.  The prospect of sharing a cabin in a ship together, be it airship or boat, was a bit unnerving.  Sure, before last night they had slept in the same bed, but things would be different now, wouldn't they?

"I mean, I've never been to Parvpora, like I said… and I could still use the help.  Besides, don't you wanna know what this is all about?" she asked, clearly meaning the box they had found in the ruins.

Author: Douken, Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:11 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

She could barely hold her eyes towards him. The closest she had gotten was towards his hand, and that was just so she can see where she was getting the medicine, quick to comment about his taste. "They do say the more bitter it is, the better it will help," he quipped lightly, though without much of a response back from it. Her eyes were quick to get away from him soon afterwards with her comment about last night, knowing both of them were a bit hazy about it before making a bit of a hasty retreat away from him, drying herself off before moving so the screen was between them once more.

While the water was still warm, he was still sure to recraft the fireball rune to hop off the heat a bit more before removing the simple street clothes he had one and stepping into the bath himself. It had felt like a long week since he last had a dip in, and it would had been more refreshing if the air between the two hadn't been so tense and strange. Dipping his white hair under, he let it soak for a little bit before pulling back out, scrubbing off whatever dirt and sweat that had built up from their time away.

"So… uh… Mazerine…" Douken told her as he pushed his fingers through his hair to smooth it through, "About last night… Sorry for pushing things that far…" Sure, he could blame the mead for numerous things, but it was still him who offered to bet their clothes and dignity at hands of poker, thinking it was the right incentive, and he was the one who helped set the mood for the things to move as they did, ending up with how things were in the morning. Sure, she also had the same number of chances to tell him no, but he still felt bad for having things escalated that far in the first place.

"At the very least… I am glad you were alright with it… at least as right as you thought it was…" Again, mead was not a helping factor. Though he dared not say it, he also felt glad that he had that last bit of control at the end…

Stepping out, he took the other towel and began to dry himself while heading for his adventure gear, making sure things were as straight as could be before looking down at the dress and dress suit that scattered the floor. "Right…. I guess we got to return these as well?"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:56 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

It seemed that Douken, at least, was not feeling nearly as awkward as Mazerine was about what had taken place between the two of them.  He gladly accepted the water that Mazerine had offered him, making a comment about her cleaning herself up and gesturing to her hair.  She reached up and felt her hair just as Douken had, and her face turned a bit more red - it was clear, from what she could feel - an absolute disaster atop her head.  "Oh, okay, but-" she began, but Douken got up and got the bath heated for her.  She didn't get a chance to say anything else to him as he told her he would take one after her and walked out the door.

She frowned slightly, but still got up from the edge of the bed and walked toward the bath basin, which was now steaming from the warm water that resided within it.  With a sigh, she pulled the tunic back off and climbed into the wash basin, shivering slightly at the contrast between the temperature of the air and the temperature of the water.  It felt wonderful on the aching muscles in her legs, and she closed her eyes and sank down into the water, letting herself be fully submerged so the rat's nest of her hair was now down and soaked.

She washed quickly before, wincing slightly as she ran her hands over her chest which felt slightly bruised from their activities the night before,  same as with her thighs as she washed those.  After that, she washed her hair and proceeded to relax in the water, closing her eyes and nearly drifting off, only to be jarred back to full consciousness by the sound of Douken opening the door and coming back with the medicine he had gone to fetch.  "Oh… um, now please?" she called out to him and sank as far as she could into the water before he approached, just the tops of her breasts visible through the steam.  It was not as though she had anything to hide, but the two had yet to address the elephant in the room so to speak.  

As he walked around the screen to bring it to her as she requested, she glanced up at him from the water and reached out to take the medicine, swallowing what she could quickly.  "Disgusting," she muttered as she made a face at the taste of the concoction.  Her eyes rested on Douken for a moment before she cleared her throat.  "Last night was… fun," she said, her eyes falling from his face and looking anywhere but at him.  She wanted to ask him how he felt about what had happened, but there was a timidness in her that stopped her from such.  

After a moment, she got up from the tub, having decided there was no point in trying to hide her body from Douken - he had seen her unclothed in several different circumstances by this point.  She grabbed a towel from the nearby stand and proceeded to dry her hair with it.  "The uh… the water is still warm," she added, without looking at him.  "I tried not to take too long."  She bent over and picked up the tunic she had dropped on the floor and walked out from the area of the room shielded by the screen where the basin was, toweling off her body as she went before heading over to her bag of things, and began to search for her hairbrush.  She figured they could discuss their next plan after Douken was done bathing.

Author: Douken, Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:41 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Douken kept still as Mazerine stirred, feeling her soft fingers glide across his chest as she came to. However, it was not until he heard her shuffling for some clothes did he show an attempt to waking up, letting out a bit of a yawn before pushing himself up. When she started to speak up (which was an overstatement), her words were unsure as she offered him a glass to drink. "Thank you," he told her, taking the cup in hand and downing it really fast, parching his throat just enough to not feel cracked.

He looked up at the mess of her hair as she tried to offer getting some breakfast. However, instead, Douken placed his hand on her hair. "How about before any of that, you get yourself cleaned up?" Before he even let her argue a case, Douken headed over to the basin and drew the fireball rune, focusing on its heat to get the tub heated up. "I will head to the streets and find the local apothecary for some medicine for us." Picking up the clothes he had taken away from him from last night, he got dressed simply before headed for the door. "I will take one after you," he stapled on before heading out the door.

The streets were still a bit messy from the sudden celebration last night as Douken walked through, asking around and getting lead to the apothecary, where he picked up a bit of medicine. However, it seemed today was quite active for the chemist. "Guess everyone was having fun celebrating," she chuckled as they talked before  telling her farewells before tending to the next customer in line. Hopefully they have enough, he thought as he looked at the line before taking his portion of the migraine medicine.

Heading back to the hotel, he unlocked the door, seeing Mazerine's silhouette rested upon the screen that hid her from the door. "I got the medicine," he told her, raising up the bag. "Do you want it now, or after you are done?"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 2:00 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Douken's slight movements when he awoke were note enough to jar Mazerine from her slumber.  That happened a few moments after he had resigned to let himself lay there while she continued to sleep.  She did not open her eyes at first, instead making a soft sound as she shifted slightly, snuggling her naked body up closer to Douken's, her hand running across his chest and her head nuzzling into his neck.  She grew still, the only movement from her coming from her fingers lightly dragging back and forth across his skin - until she gained a bit more consciousness, however, and her hand seemed to freeze in place.

She slowly pulled her head back from the crook of his neck and looked up at him with a very confused look in her eyes, but did not say a word.  She drew the rest of her body away from him and slid out of the bed, her face turning a deep shade of red as the realization of what had happened washed over her.  The memories were cloudy, just like they had been the night she had (sort of) kissed him before passing out - but much more real in terms of what had occurred.  

As she got out of the bed and began to walk to where her clothes were laid out (not the dress that had been left discarded on the floor, among other things), she let out a sharp gasp of pain, walking ever more gingerly until she reached her destination.  She didn't say anything but moved rather quickly to pull on a tunic which fell to her mid-thigh.  Next on the agenda was a glass of water, which she poured and drank in a very fast motion.  Her head throbbed as she looked around the room at the remnants of their games from last night - including all of their underclothing scattered about the floor near the table.  The bed linens were in disarray as she wandered back over and sat on the edge of the bed, her back towards him.  Her hair was situated on top of her head in a big mess now, strands falling out of the tied up portion all over the place.

She hadn't intended for that to happen between them, but she did not necessarily regret it.   She was more curious about what was going through Douken's head, and a little concerned about the pain she was feeling between her legs - that must have been what all the older women at court had told her about, the pain having been worth it?  Either way, she could feel the bruising already coming up between her thighs, choosing to ignore it.  

Clearing her throat, she spoke to Douken in a dry, still tired voice, quietly and timidly.  "That was.. I, uh." She stopped, not sure of what to say about the situation.  "Good morning," she said, shifting about slightly.  She still held a cup of water in her hands and twisted to offer it to him, without really looking at him.  "We should… We should probably get some breakfast.  I need to get that artifact we found looked at," she said, chancing a look into his eyes, not sure of what sort of expression she would find when she did.

Author: Douken, Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 1:19 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

A smirk struck Mazerine's face as she laid out her hand, boldly declaring victory as her hand showed the Queen boldly standing up front with the units behind marching in order. How appropriate, considering the night's celebrations. However, her statement came too soon. "You almost had me," he told her before laying down his hand. A random assortment of numbers with a king high at first, but at closer inspection, they were all spade. "However, this flush here trumps your straight." The air grew still as she sat down, drinking what remained in her glass before asking the important question. "So… what do I have to do?" her face mixed with blush and alcohol as if she tried to settle herself on the idea.

From there, the light dimmed down slowly as the two went through their paces until the final candle went out, the two sleeping silently, closer than ever before: naked and Mazerine cuddled up so close. After all, it had become a late night from their games and… actions… before the two tired each other out and called it a night. Even when the sun began to break the horizon, they had found themselves still sleeping for another hour, or at the very least, Douken did.

Douken's eyes peered open lightly to see the elf resting naked close to him, leg curled up around him preventing him from moving much (unless he wanted to wake her up so he could get up) while his head pounded from all the ale they had consumed over the night. Conjuring that mead was a bad idea… Sure, it was not as strong as the dwarven ale they played with the first time, but that alone seemed to had them lower their guard and consume even more, turning a fun night of games into… well…

While he did want to get up, put on some pants, and head for some medicine, he dared not budge an inch as Mazerine rested so close against him. Her face seemed quite peaceful as she slept the day away. However, the real question was how much was in her head about what happened? After all, the high quantity of mead did make it hard to remember everything that occurred…. only a faint gist… At the very least, he knew he did not end it in a way that could have potential, but it did not stop him from worrying.

Still, in the end, all he could do is close his eyes and bear the migraine as he let her rest, even if for a mere moment longer.

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Tue Nov 7, 2017 8:03 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Mazerine took the deck of cards as Douken offered it to her, proceeding to shuffle it.  "Maybe you're just not as good when you're drunk," she said in a rather playful manner as she dealt the cards to each of them.  As she picked up her own hand, her eyes widened slightly as she looked at what she had.  When it came time for the discard, she tossed two and dealt them both their remaining cards.  "Three of a kind!" she said in a giddy manner, laying down her hand - three aces, a king, and a ten - which beat Douken's pair of jacks, resulting in the loss of his undershirt.  Mazerine's gaze drifted to his chest for a brief moment before she gathered up the cards and pushed the deck across the table to him.

The following hand resulted in a loss for Mazerine, to which she lost the top half of her remaining garments.  Her deal of the next hand came up as a loss for her as well, to which she stood up and slid off her remaining garment, now being completely unclothed.  She looked rather nervous at that time, at which point Douken asked her if she wanted to accept the loss there or play another hand, upping the stakes considerably.  She contemplated this for a moment, before looking up at him with a confident look in her eyes.  "One more," she said and pushed the cards across the table to him.

He dealt and they went through the motions, each concentrating rather hard on their hand.  When it came time to show what they had, by some miraculous happening, Mazerine managed to beat Douken's two pair with four of a kind.  She made a little sound of victory as Douken stood and removed his remaining clothing, evening the odds between the two.  "Guess that means we have to play one more, doesn't it?" she asked, to which he nodded.  The terms of what the losing party would need to do remained somewhat undisclosed as Douken passed the deck back to her and she shuffled, dealing their final hand.

Mazerine showed her hand first. "No way you're going to beat this," she said, giving him a smile that was a bit more devious than any she had before. She had a queen high straight, and was incredibly proud of herself - until Douken laid his hand down, showing a flush of spades.

Her smile faltering somewhat, she looked from Douken's hand to her own and grabbed her cup, draining what mead was left in it, before looking to Douken, wondering just what was in store for her.

Author: Douken, Posted: Tue Nov 7, 2017 7:05 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

A chuckle escaped his lips as she pronounced her second hand incorrectly before setting his cards down on the table. Then again, having to do a four card trade, he knew it would not do him so well. "Alas, all I got is a pair of fives. You full house easily takes this round," he told her, removing the jacket that rested on his shoulders before recklessly tossing it on the floor before pouring himself a refill and taking a deep drink. Yes, putting more alcohol into his system was not a rule they settled on, but with the free refill on the drink, why would he not… well, maybe the extra bitter taste the casted concoction had, but they were far beyond the point to really care.

And thus, the game had officially started with the pair having lost items, each one slowly losing an article as they debated their hands on what to trade off. As each hand played out, an item was lost from either side, and each round slowed little by little the more they played. Was she actually considering her plays, or was she at the point where she had to focus really hard to be able to tell what cards she had in her hand? Of course, he had no real way of knowing without underhanded tricks, and as he told her during the first time they played, such tricks was a good way to get removed from the play area, not just the game.

"King and Eights two pair!" Douken declared, placing the hand on the table with a two serving as the final card as Mazerine set down a failed attempt at a flush, making her only a High Card. "And that brings us to a tie," he chuckled, watching her remove the corset that sat under her dress, leaving her only in her bra and panties while Douken sat in his chair in an undershirt and boxers. "Just a few more hands, and we will have a victor…" he chuckled, cleaning up the table before handing her the deck to deal once more, as if they had a rhythm in terms of switching dealers with each hand. "I must say, you are either learning quite a bit, or you are simply a much better player when drunk," he told her, laughing at the terrible joke before finishing off yet another mug.

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Tue Nov 7, 2017 12:18 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Their game of flipping coins into small cups passed quite a bit of time and had them both well on their way beyond tipsy.  The mead was not nearly as strong as the dwarven ale they had the last time, but it still did its job in setting both of them down the path of inebriation.  Mazerine may well have purposely missed to keep up with Douken, and by the time they had finished almost the entire bottle, Douken suggested something she had most certainly not been expecting.

"So what you're saying is, every hand I lose, I have to take off some of my clothes?" she asked, giggling as she spoke the words.  "You're going through a lot of trouble to get me undressed," she said, poking at his arm playfully.  "Did it ever occur to you to ask?" she joked, her words only slightly slurred. She let him go on explaining the rules, tilting her head as she listened.  Her cheeks initially had only been red from the mead they had been drinking, but they flushed a darker shade at his last statement, wondering whatever he could have meant – until it dawned on her exactly what he meant. 

"I'm game if you are," she said quietly after a moment of contemplation.  "But we're going to need more to drink," she said as she grabbed the bottle of mead, emptying it into her cup.  Rather than getting up and leaving the room, she set the empty bottle down and placed both of her hands on it, closing her eyes.  It took a bit of concentration, but the bottle had been refilled with what Mazerine hoped would be the same mead they had already been drinking.  "I wonder if that actually worked," she said, pulling the bottle toward herself and giving it a sniff.  "Yes, it did!" she said proudly.

So, it having been decided, she left it up to Douken to get the cards out and shuffle them, dealing the first hand.  Of course, Mazerine had little to no idea of what she was doing, even after a bit of further instruction from Douken the night before.  She discarded two cards, being dealt two more, and when it came time to lay her cards down, she had managed to secure a pair of Aces.  "Oh, I actually did good! You said the ones with the 'A' on them are the best!" she said, about ready to point at Douken and tell him to remove something when he laid his own hand down - three sixes.  "Oh… oh no… wait… you said three is better than two… I lost that hand, didn't I?" she said, frowning.  "Ah, well," she said, and she proceeded to take off the small earrings she always wore, only visible now for her having been done up in such a fancy manner.  She lay them on the center of the table and gathered up all the cards, taking her turn to shuffle them (rather awkwardly, coupled with a lot of giggles), before dealing them out.

After going through the motions of discarding and redealing, Mazerine laid down her hand once more.  A pair of tens, and three fours.  "Look, there's two and three!  It's an empty house," she exclaimed, incorrectly of course.  "What've you got?" she asked, leaning across the table at Douken and giving him a smirk.

Author: Douken, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 11:05 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

"Lose horribly, you say?" Douken parroted, sitting down on the seat across from her doing the same, stretching out his toes and rotating his ankles as if they had been suddenly granted freedom. "Keep in mind we got different elements at play here. For one, this mead is no where as strong as our first game," he noted, taking a drink from his mug. "Secondly, we are both already feeling the mead, so I am sure that would affect our play. Finally, for better or for worse, this is solid ground we are playing on. There is no water to affect our shots. Either way, you are on."

It did not take them long to get a couple of small cups from one of the maids as they wandered the halls before they got into playing. Each having a stack of coins, they took their turns bouncing the silver onto the table and trying to get it into their opponent's cup. Punishment wasn't as bad this time, as they got to drink a very sweet and rich mead, but they at least balanced it out with bigger gulps. Sometimes, he even swore Mazerine missing on purpose just to enjoy herself a drink and not have him have the entire bottle. Still, in the end, after a long hour and nearly an entire bottle later, Douken offered an odd challenge… probably because of the alcohol.

"I think that is enough… How about we end the night with something simple… You know… cards," he said, pulling the deck out and placing it on the table. "However… We will be upping the ante quite a bit this time… Something that should help you realize how important your plays can be… After all, we won't be playing with silver… After all, you got quite the safety net in that department… easy to play it safe and silly." Beneath his red cheeks, a smile formed as he took off the key around his neck and holding it out. "What about instead… we bet the clothes on our back?

"The rules are still the same. The only difference is what stakes remain on the line. You lose, I get to take off whatever article of clothing or accessories you have on as a prize. You win, you can do so to me. We keep doing this until someone lacks anything to bet… And we can stop there… or add on even more pressure with something a bit more… humiliating…" A drunk chuckle escaped him at that, though never pushed the thought further. "So… you willing to wager the clothes off your back to learn a more risky mindset?"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 7:18 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

"What do you think is going to happen?" Mazerine asked Douken, leaning towards him with a hushed whisper, as the crowd quieted down, but her question was soon answered as the first of the fireworks shot forth into the sky, her eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across her face.  "Oh!" she exclaimed, a childlike excitement in her voice.  She was enamored with the sight.  "I've only seen fireworks one other time," she said, and fell backward into the grass, staring up at the sky.  The fireworks went on for a bit longer before they were over, and it seemed that the festivities were going to end shortly as well.

Mazerine's next suggestion was that they top off their cups of mead before heading back to the inn.  When they got to the meadery's stall, she ended up not only getting them each a refill, but acquiring a rather large bottle of the same hibiscus mead that they had been drinking for the last few hours.  "It's still early, we're not done celebrating yet!" she explained to Douken as she brandished the rather large bottle, her hands now quite full between that and the teddy bear as well as her cup that she sipped from.  Her cheeks had taken on a nice rosy color.  She had not reached a point of inebriation yet, but the mead and fun of the day definitely had a permanent smile plastered on her face.  

As they walked back to the inn, Mazerine babbled on and on about what they had done and seen that day.  At one point, she paused and grew a bit quiet.  "You're good company, Douken," she said, giving him a warm smile.  She grew silent after that, sipping slowly from her cup as they rounded the corner to the tavern.  When they entered the establishment, it was clear on the tavern level that there had been quite the party taking place there all day - and there still was.  Both men and women, drunk on who knows what, loudly celebrated in the tavern.  The pair managed to snake their way through and up the stairs.

When they finally entered their room, Mazerine set everything she carried except her cup of mead down and spun around to face Douken.  "I thought about suggesting we spend some time down in the tavern but… too many people after such a long day!" she said, laughing softly.  She took a sip of her drink and looked thoughtful for a moment before setting the cup down.  "Still can't get over how well you cleaned up," she joked, clearly poking fun at the discomfort he probably felt at the clothing.  

Rather awkwardly, she sat down at one of the chairs on the table, her dress making it a bit difficult.  She managed to bend over once seated far enough to pull her the slippers off that had replaced her boots, tossing them to the side and letting her bare feet touch the ground.  She fished her pouch out of her bodice and lay it on the table, leaning back in the chair as much as her attire would let her.  "So now what shall we do?" she asked, looking at Douken for a suggestion.  "I bet I could scrounge up a couple small cups, if you want to lose horribly at a game again," she said, laughing.

Author: Douken, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 5:15 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

It was not the only tent that offered the man to show off to the woman they escorted around, and he doubted it would be the last, either. However, it seemed that the archery challenge was the one that let her take up the challenge instead, doing so in between four other men with their madams watching nearby. Giving her a quick cheers, he watched her take aim like a master marksman, the still air giving no challenge to her accuracy before topping off the final shot into an older one. Those who stood watching drew silent as she went and claimed her prize, everyone watching her as she headed off back to Douken, giving them yet another cheers before offering his arm back to Mazerine and heading off.

"The evening is still early, and the events are still live. We should make the most of it." And thus, the pair explored the festival, trying out more of the games, feeling free to laugh at themselves when a child nearby did better than them (after all, it was not a competition) before getting some sandwiches and grilled potato slices, refilling their mugs once more before settling themselves down in the field, laughing and telling stories or complimenting (or occasionally making fun of) the street performers and bards.

However, as the pair ate and drank, the bards soon grew quiet, as if the sound of festivities died down. The lights were not going out, nor was their any sign of cleaning up, but things were quieting up for something…. a small whistle the echoed through the air as a tiny trail of light was sent into the sky before suddenly bursting out, filling the sky with a ball of color. As soon as the color faded, more strings shot up and detonated, filling the sky even more lights and colors as the noise returned with more cheering, events stopped as everyone watched the fireworks fill the sky, and yet it was also as if everyone were collected in their own small worlds as they watched.

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 1:12 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

The mead was just as delicious as Mazerine thought it would be, and she drank deeply from the pint that Douken had gotten her as they walked through the myriad of games.  She giggled a bit when the man from the earlier tent addressed them, placing her hand on her chest in a "who me?" manner.  When they walked over, she stood to the side as Douken listened to the instructions.  She caught his smile when he looked back over at her, knowing full well that he would be successful at the game.  She didn't fully understand what the concept behind the magic was, but when she heard the gentleman running the game mention that it involved rune magic, it gave her enough of an idea.

She clapped her hands, laughing as Douken shattered the quartz bear.  When he handed the prize bear over to her, she held it up and shook it a bit.  "Oh look, green!" she said playfully, holding onto it.  "Too bad I hate that color!" she quipped before the pair took off to another area.  During the time that Douken had played the game, she had drunk the vast majority of her mead.  Showing Douken her nearly empty cup, she suggested that she go and obtain a refill before they do anything else - the sweetness of the drink masked its potency, and she paid no mind to any objections and walked into the tent to get another, coming back out in a short amount of time.

The pair passed a game that Mazerine decided she wanted to try - a large target with different color circles sat back quite far from a counter, with a bow and quiver of arrows sitting near the front.  The halfling running the stall called out to Douken as they passed.  "Impress your lady with your archery skills, good sir!" he yelled, to which Mazerine paused and looked at it.  Rather than suggesting Douken try it, however, she gave him a big grin and handed him the teddy bear, wandering over to the counter and laying five silver pieces down, which was the price for the game.  She set her mead next to it, and picked up the bow.

The man looked at her for a moment before laughing softly as though he did not believe she would be capable of such a feet.  Several other targets were set up, all with different men shooting at them - no one expected a noblewoman to shoot a bow.  The men around her were hitting the outer edges of the target, proud of themselves for sticking all of their arrows.  

Like clockwork when the man set her off, Mazerine began queuing up the arrows from the quiver, drawing them back one by one in the bow and releasing them.  Her eyes were narrowed and her concentration high, each arrow landing in the center of the target, with the final arrow splitting the one previous to it down the middle.  She lay the bow down on the counter and gave a smile to the man running it, who looked absolutely dumbfounded.  Quietly, he handed her the prize she had won - a certificate to be presented to one of the weaponsmiths in town for a custom made bow, complete with a quiver of arrows.  With a grin, she scooped her cup of mead back up and walked back over to Douken.

"Well, that was fun!  I've always wanted a new bow," she said and took another sip.  "Want to go sit and enjoy our drinks and watch the bards perform?" she asked while gesturing towards a grassy area where many people sat on the grass watching a different group of bards perform. "Or we could find some more games if you want," she said, reaching out to take the bear back from him.  "I'm having a great time, so anything is fine with me," she added, giving Douken a genuine smile.

Author: Douken, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 8:31 AM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Douken could not help but internally smile as Mazerine took up the mask of her more noble half when it came to swaying the shop hands into samples of their foods. Instead of trying to play a part he was not used to, all she had to do was revert herself from her more adventurous side and into something that was meant to be presentable, allowing them to sneak in samples of their product. It helped kept them satiated so that they never worried about lunch… In fact, it even helped pass the time even quicker until the sun began to set, where the streets began to light up.

He was glad to see that most of the tents were ready to celebrate the night away, with only a few needing but a mere moment to get things situated. Smiling, he freely toured the grounds they were on as the street was flooded with bards, telling tales such as how the king and queen met or about their achievements of old that let them get into such positions. It was fun seeing a lot of the tents able to give some fun to the kids as well as the adults with their games, though it seemed Mazerine's eyes were more attracted to something more adult themed…

Watching her hold up some seductive lingerie caused him to turn a bit red, just thinking about her actually wearing it before covering it up with a slight snicker thanks to her confused comment. "Probably something you would wear in red light…" he commented back, hinting at the dirtier side of some towns that he did not want any nearby kids to hear. Luckily, she got the message really quickly, considering her face grew beet red before gently setting it down. Then again, it was a tent more tucked away, so it made sense they would try to hide away from children… And if I was a betting man, they probably have a couple bottles of Blessing of Canelux stowed away… After all, what better way to celebrate a new prince than the chance of more children?

After she returned to his side, they continued walking around, seeing what some of the other tents offered. One that caught Mazerine's eyes caught was a gambling tent with cards set up… Hold 'Em, it looked like. She did not say a word of interest, and even if she did, he would tell her no. After all, she was still getting used to the base rules of the game.

When she asked about what to do next, Douken offered, "Why got get a drink before we look more?" After all, there was no real security blocking drinks from the games, and some who had were still allowed to play. All they had to do was make sure things were kept clean and away from others. So, with this in mind, Douken headed into the tent, getting two pints of the hibiscus mead for the pair before heading down the aisle of games.

"You, sir! With the beautifully dressed madam!" he call called out, turning his attention to the man that they met from before! However, it seemed his confidence levels had severely changed. "Sorry about before, but we are now ready to go~! What do you say? You think you can show off some magical prowess for your special lady here? Look:" He then dug under the tent before pulling out a pair of gloves and a spell paper, a rune already drawn upon it. "Here's the deal: These gloves are actually spell mediums. It will let you channel your power into them and into this tag here. The tag is drawn with Mana Ink, so anyone can call upon its power. All you have to do is channel your mana into one of these, take aim at one of those, and you shatter one of my gems, you get a prize~! What do you say, only two silver." Looking back at Mazerine, he smiled before placing the coins on the table. "Perfect!" Now, be sure to only aim at the crystals on the right, as those are my failed attempts. The ones on the left I really am trying to sell."

Playing along, Douken placed on a glove before looking at the tag itself. Indeed, it was a fireball rune with a trigger chant on the bottom. One he had not much practice in drawing, but enough to study. Speed, impact, burst… his eyes looked at each segment of the room, mentally translating it down before channeling his power into it while his finger was placed on a certain segment. This one has a terrible blast at the end, so I need to increase its force, he thought as he charged it before holding the paper up to face what looked like a bear that was missing an arm. "Fro, kruuz!" he called out, shooting the fireball out and shattering the smoky quartz bear.

"Ka-BAM! Down does another failure! You earned this!" Taking the glove off, he was handed a plush bear in return, who wore a silver and green bow before Douken handed it off to Mazerine.

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Mon Nov 6, 2017 7:38 AM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

When Douken emerged from the tent, Mazerine placed her hands on her hips, giving him a look up and down, giving him a quick smile. When he commented on the amount of green she now had, she shrugged her shoulders. "First of all, I can't help that my eyes are green… but yes, it is my favorite," she admitted. "It's just bright, and it makes me think of a grassy meadow," she explained. "And while you were getting dressed I saw that artisan with the necklaces over there, I couldn't help myself," she added.

As he asked if his outfit pleased her, she laughed quietly and reached out for his cuffs, running her fingers over the cufflinks. "To match your key," she said with a smile. "And yes, it does please me… a noblewoman like me cannot be seen with common folk," she added in a sarcastic tone.  "You look rather handsome if I am to be honest," she said, her speech reverting back to its usual tone.  She glanced down at his feet and chuckled at the shoes.  "There's a price to pay for looking nice… I was taught that at a very young age.  If you even knew how tight this corset is, you would grow short breath… I already am," she said, laughing.

The pair proceeded to walk through the bazaar, looking at the different artisans and vendors that had set up their carts and stalls.  It was all Mazerine could do to stop from buying everything she came across - so much of it was so beautiful, and she had long since sold off a lot of her jewelry and clothing she had brought with her from Endapano.  They managed to spend hours going through the different carts, looking at the wares the artisans had created and sampling different foods and beverages throughout the course of the day. Several times before they approached a cart or stall, she would loop her arm through Douken's before they approached, speaking to the vendors in the sophisticated, high-class tone she had used before, garnering several free samples "for the lady and her consort."  "They just love pleasing those they see as nobility, may as well reap the benefits if we're dressed this way," she said at one point, giving him a quick wink.  Before long it was late afternoon into the beginning of the early evening, and many more people were beginning to pour out into the streets.  

Many of the other colorful tents had tied their flaps open now, and within there were many things beginning to take place.  Games of all sorts were starting, and ale and wine began pouring freely.  Chants of "Huzzah!" and "Long live the Queen!" were heard regularly in the street, what with the celebration honoring the birth of the Queen's son.  They spent the next couple of hours touring the area, sitting and watching a few bards perform ballads they had written in honor of the new prince's birth.  Before long, the sun had begun to set, and festive candles and lanterns were hung out.  

A midway of sorts had been set up, with many different carnival style games scattering each side.  On one table, several bottles were stacked up, with the vendor offering large round stones to try to knock them down for a few silver coins, different prizes being offered up.  Another had the same style of bottles, but with rings to toss to try to land around the neck of the bottle instead.  There were several other games as well, some of which Mazerine could not figure out how they worked just from looking at them.

Several new vendors had appeared, their wares differing from those that had been offered during the day.  One particular table had garments of bright colors sent from Abed, and she dragged Douken over to look at it, being drawn in by the shades.  After looking through them for a moment, she held a bright red thing up to her body - it was clearly some form of intimate, scantily there undergarment, but Mazerine was oblivious to its real purpose.  As she held it up to herself, she turned to Douken and it was clear she was trying to figure out what it was for.  "What is this even?" she asked.  It was a hardly there brassiere attached with a few thin threads to a hardly there undergarment.  "I mean, why would anyone wear this?" she asked, trying to figure out how it would function as clothing.

They passed another tent, and from peeking in through the open flaps it seemed as though the people in that tent were playing a game similar to the one that Mazerine had taught Douken while they sailed from Egjora to Adeluna - she thought about suggesting they try that game, but the cloudy memories of that night urged her to do otherwise, instead scanning the area for more.

Another stall advertised several different styles of mead, including one brewed with hibiscus flowers.  "Oh, that sounds delicious," Mazerine said as they walked by.  The tent next to the meadery stall was filled with folks dancing to loud music, laughter drifting out the open flaps.  Mazerine glanced into the tent rather longingly, memories of her time at balls and fancy galas flooding her mind.  At times, she missed her life as a noblewoman in Endapano, but she was much more content with the carefree lifestyle she lived now.

"Well, what do you want to do?  There are plenty of choices to pick from," she said and left it up to Douken to decide what they would do next.

Author: Douken, Posted: Sun Nov 5, 2017 8:12 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

When she went to pull him along for something, he followed suit, keeping quiet before the pair reached another outfit stand before watching her character completely change before him as she convinced the man running the shop into getting him an outfit more suited for the moment, just like how she was pulled into one herself. "Forgive me, my lady," he replied, though more sarcastically than as a noble (to him, they both can sound the same at times), "but I am a lone adventurer. Tis not been my place in life for such fancy suits." Still, the silver spoke louder than words as the man accepted the proposition and guided him in, leaving Douken to deal with the men inside.

"Now let us see… What to do with you…" the man muttered to himself as he worked on measuring Douken's body, not being shy on forcing him still. "Do we make you more regal… No, no. As much as the fair lady wishes you to look your best, we still need you to be looking good, and I dare say I do not think the regal look would ever be your style."

"If I may bother…" Douken told him, causing him to get a stern look up. "Dress me as you wish. All I ask is that I am allowed to keep this necklace with it."

There was a pause as the man looked it over before turning his head towards the back, calling out, "Give me top 32 with an inch off the sleeves. Pair up with slacks 20, half inch cut! And no NOT cut corners on this one!"

It was a moment later til Douken return in his new garb, having one of the staff deliver the clothes he on before to the Winking Mermaid for one of the maids to add to the laundry list. "Green eyes, green corset… and now a green pendant… You really do love that color," Douken told her. He was wearing a deep blue coat over a grey vest, cuffed pinned with brass keyhole-shaped cufflinks and the top button to the vest replaced with a keyhole-shaped button as well. His slacks matched the jacket well as it was kept together with a smooth, black leather belt with a silver buckle.

"Does it please you?" he smirked, "Because these slick shoes feel very tight on my feet…"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Sun Nov 5, 2017 7:05 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

"Oh, thank you," she said as Douken complimented her appearance.  "And you're right, it could be much worse - you should see the garments I had to wear back in Endopano, and when I was still at the Embassy here," she said, chuckling.  "You would see this dress, as beautiful as it is, as a pile of rags," she said, thinking back to the intricate clothing that the nobles wore.  

Mazerine's eyebrows raised as the pair entered the tent, being spoken to in a rather fast manner by the man carrying crystals.  She was rather unsure of what to say but was rather grateful when Douken suggested they leave and check out the bazaar until it was a bit later in the evening when perhaps more of the festivities would be taking place.  "I think that's a wonderful idea," she said and offered an apologetic bow of the head to the man before the pair ducked back out of the tent, and headed towards the bazaar.

It didn't take them long to reach the bazaar, and it was clear that special shops and small tents of goods had been set up for the festivities.  Jewelers and artisans of all sorts had their wares set up, along with specialty wines and ales and spirits, foods, and other things.  Several tents such as the one she had been pulled into were set up as well, with garments for men and women alike.  Mazerine glanced at Douken, about to ask him what he thought they should do next, when an idea struck her head.  

"Come here," she said, and rather suddenly grabbed Douken's hand, pulling him off to the side of the main walkway in the bazaar.  They stood near a dark red tent, from which a few very well dressed noblemen had just walked out.  Another man dressed rather well stood outside of the tent.  Mazerine fished her pouch of coins out (which had been precariously stored in the bodice of her dress), and the pair approached the nobleman.

"Excuse me, sir?" she addressed the man, her voice sounding much more proper and high-society like than it usually did.  "I've a bit of a problem and I do hope you can help to remedy it," she said.  "You see, this fine gentleman here has offered to escort me about town for the day's festivities and celebrations… and as you can see I've dressed myself in my finest yet he has not," she said, gesturing behind her.  "Perhaps you could be of some assistance?" she asked, offering the man a hefty handful of silver.  She looked over her shoulder at Douken with a sly grin.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course, fair lady!"  the man said, pocketing the silver.  He rushed forward and took Douken by the arm, beginning to usher him into the tent where he would dress him in fine attire.  

Mazerine snickered at him.  "If I have to, you have to!" she called as he was pulled into the tent.  She assumed it would not take long, so she wandered a nearby artisan stall, purchasing a rather beautiful necklace with a small green crystal encased in a silver globe, and put it on.  She wandered back over and waited outside of the tent for Douken to emerge.

Author: Douken, Posted: Sun Nov 5, 2017 6:23 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Douken could not help but blink when the drunk tiefling came up, trading her drink away for Mazerine as she went to fix her up in more "appropriate garments." While she stared at him for help, he could not really do much but wave as she was pulled into a female dressing tent… and man, was he not going to bother getting a reputation for being a peeper. However, while he did wait for her, he could not help but take a sniff of the ale she was drinking beforehand. "Of course it's Dwarven Ale…" he sighed, placing the mug near the entrance as he waited for Mazerine to return in her "more appropriate outfit."

However, instead of presenting her properly, she was more shoved out, Douken's arms sticking out instinctively to catch her shoulders, which was not needed as the dress's cut showed more of her lower leg at the front while hiding them in the back. The blush was clear embarrassment as she fidgeted. "Well, at least you look good in it," he complimented. "I mean, could always be worse." Still, from how she was, she wanted a decent distraction, and the tent from earlier seemed like a good option.

However, things did not seem as set up as the person running the tent came up, clearly sweating while in his arm was a box full of carved crystals. "O-Oh hi, and welcome. I am sorry if things looks messy… I mean, itsnotlikeIwasnotreadyfortheking'scalltoactionforcelebration,makingusworkextraquicklytomakesureweareradyforthenight'sfestivities… Oh, sorry! When I lose my nerves, I start muttering like that… But, uh, if you want anything, feel free to holler…" Setting the box down, he wiped his brow before working to set up his stand even more, from crafted gems for magic mediums to well-crafted quartz crystal carvings.

"Maybe the main street is not the best place to look," Douken offered. "How about we see the bazaar until evening?"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Sun Nov 5, 2017 2:12 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Throughout Douken's further instruction on the finer points of poker such as card values and hands, there were a few times in which Mazerine let out a small exclamation and playfully hit him in the arm as he poked fun at her.  For all her faults, she did much better this time around.  She only managed to win two hands out of all they played, but it was more than she had managed to do the last time they had spent time playing the game.  When they called it quits and she laid down on the bed, she was asleep almost instantly.

She woke up for the same reason as Douken - the noise outside was a bit out of character, or at least she thought it was.  She sleepily climbed out of bed to join him at the window, drawing the robe she wore tightly around herself as she shivered in the cool air of the room.  "I wonder what all that is," she said before she busied herself with getting dressed.  When they had made it down into the tavern and were being served, she listened as the waitress offered an explanation to Douken about what was taking place outside.  It sounded like a rather momentous occasion. 

After the waitress had walked away.  "You know, I think I know what we can do today," she said to Douken with a grin.  When he agreed, the pair finished their breakfast, with Mazerine running back up to their room only briefly to grab a bit more silver for her pouch, not knowing what she would need for the festivities that were taking place. 

When they left the tavern, there were tents set up in every direction - it was hard for her to choose which way they would head.  "I… which way do you think we should go?" she asked him.  She scanned the area, her eyes falling on a beautiful green tent emblazoned with silver cording.  "Oh, that one is beautiful, let's go see what's in that o-" Mazerine was cut off as an older woman approached the pair.  

"Oh dear, my girl, you can't celebrate the birth of our prince looking like that!" she exclaimed, her eyes scanning Mazerine's outfit.  She hadn't any fancy clothing with her in the first place and was dressed much in the same manner as she normally would have been, minus her belt that carried her dagger. 

"I don't, I"m fine, really," Mazerine, protested - but it was to no avail.  The woman made a tutting sound at her and shoved a mug of something she had been carrying at Douken, instructing him to wait for his 'elf girl' there, and she dragged Mazerine off into a small purple tent right near where they had been standing.  Mazerine gave Doukena a pleading glance as she was dragged into the tent by this woman, not out of fear but out of sheer confusion.  

Not ten minutes later, the woman shoved Mazerine back out of the tent.  She was clothed in a rather fine white gown crafted from silk, with an emerald dyed leather corset around the top.  Her long hair had been piled in several braids on top of her head.  The woman yelled something to her about being dressed for the occasion with a drunken laugh.  Mazerine walked up to Douken, her face a bit red.  "She told me that a celebration like this was nowhere for a woman to wear pants," she said quietly, fidgeting with the rather elaborate (for her, anyway) skirt.  

Finally looking up at him, she shrugged her shoulders.  It was clear she was a bit uncomfortable in the ensemble. "Maybe we can go look in that tent now?" she asked, giving him a brief smile and gesturing towards the green tent again.

Author: Douken, Posted: Sun Nov 5, 2017 1:36 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

While Douken was offered the bigger platter of food, he was only able to eat three-fourths of its contents, partially because of the tired feeling that wanted to was him over. Still, it seemed the two were ready to make plans for the next day. After for this night, he could agree with her on keeping things simple. No study of runes, but of cards again, as she seemed eager to learn more about how to play poker. "Of course you don't know much about it, Miss My Q is higher than your K," he snickered, both knowing she did not know much of the fundamentals before cleaning off the table, leaving the tray near the door for the maid to pick up later before pulling out the deck once again.

However, before starting play, he made sure to show her the ranks of each card, mainly when it came to the face cards before showing off what hands could be gotten, starting with as low of a Pair to as high as a Royal Flush, before reverting back to its lowest, the High Card. "So pretty much, the success of your hand is determined by how hard of a hand it is to get. three of the same number is harder than two pairs because the deck only supports four  of that card. If a tie comes up, then the high card value is what breaks the tie. I don't really remember how to break a tie between two royal flushes, but the odds of that happening are extremely slim." Hoping she understood that much, he shuffled the deck and dealt out hands, not really betting or worrying about the mind games. Still new, she kept her plays a bit more reserved, playing safer with pairs and three of a kinds, which was much better than throwing it away for a King.

Once their fatigue was at its limit, the two decided to call it a night. However, neither of them really bothered to change into anything else, as it seemed the moment the pair hit the soft bed, the two were out like a light, leaving the maid who retrieved their food to darken the room for them.

Douken was woken up by the stir of the morning folk outside… and then some. Letting a yawn out, Douken pulled himself to the window, seeing the people very active with getting things set up. SO many tents and flags that more the royal emblem and colors suddenly flooded the streets. Events were being set up with games and colorful characters, all in a mere moment. When his elven companion woke up and the two got dressed  more casually than their dungeon run (so it can be cleaned and sewed properly if it could be salvaged), the two headed downstairs to get themselves some breakfast. As they were being waited on, he could not help but as, "So I saw some sudden commotion going on outside. Did we miss a holiday or something?"

"Oh, no!" their waitress said, "It was during the night that our queen gave birth to a baby boy… a new prince to the kingdom! The king got all excited and suddenly declared to get some festivities set up for the people to celebrate with him!"

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Sun Nov 5, 2017 12:57 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Mazerine laughed quietly as Douken yawned through his words, and joined him in eating as he started to do so.  She was still feeling a bit off and had fixed a much smaller portion for herself than she had plated for Douken, mostly pushing the food around on her plate with her fork.  Taking small bites, she chewed her foot rather deliberately when he asked her if she had any ideas on how to celebrate their success, and she shrugged, swallowing before answering.  "Good question," she asked, clearly not having thought her suggestion through.   "Tonight it's probably best to stay low, and get a decent amount of rest," she said.  "You're clearly tired, and I could use a good night of sleep myself," she added, pausing as she grabbed her cup and took a drink of wine.  "Maybe we can spend some time in the town tomorrow, I haven't been in Adeluna without something pressing to attend to in a very long time," she added with a bit of a grin, before spending a few minutes eating. 

It did not take her long to finish her food.  Drinking the last of the wine from her cup, she then filled it with water from the pitcher that sat on the tray along with the still half-full decanter of wine.  Taking a long drink of the water, she set her cup back on the table.  "I mean, we could be boring and spend time studying the contents of that box before we sleep - but what kind of celebration would that be?" she said.  "It's not going to lose any purpose if I wait a few days to start looking at it," she said.  Falling silent for a moment, she flexed her injured hand, the wrappings of bandaging feeling a bit stiff, and bending her hand seemed to loosen them up.  "What do you say you teach me a little more about poker before we sleep?" she asked.  "It was fun, but I still don't think I completely know what's going on with it - but I'd like to," she added.

Author: Douken, Posted: Sat Nov 4, 2017 3:08 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Slowly, the world around him muddled more into nothingness as he fell deeper in his sleep, as if he was going to quickly fall over from his seat. However, a gentle shake was given to him, which in his sense was a massive jolt, which snapped the tired human back to reality. Light flooded his eyes as the elf in front of him was more like a wall of blur as he fought to get his vision back while his nose was flooded with a new smell nearly. Her words were muddy, yet clear enough to understand.

"SooOOOORry 'bout that…" he managed to push through as a yawn escaped him as he spoke. "I didn't expect pushing such a trek would be draining." He was lucky that the lower plain they left had placed them closer than where they entered… Then again, looking back, a good potion of their hike to the ruins was more of a climb, so it was actually quicker when they found themselves more ground level with where they needed to be, making the travel back much shorter. Still, he let Mazerine rest during the trip back to recuperate until now, so it was near time for him to do the same.

However, she was one who wanted to make sure they celebrated their prize while it was still fresh in their mind: the good and the bad. With a light smile, Douken told you, "You're right. Besides, what good would sleep be if my stomach would not stop complaining?" Closing the tome in his lap, he placed it on the table before picking up his fork and pushing it into the bit of roast, slowly cooked so that the meat shredded apart without the need of a knife. The fork along was able to pull apart a good chunk before getting locked into placed by a baby red potato before being taken all in one bite, the taste of a rub filling his mouth with the juicy meat and gravy.

"So, what do you have in mind in terms of celebrating?" he asked her once he cleared his mouth of food.

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Fri Nov 3, 2017 9:29 AM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

Mazerine's gaze drifted from the box back to Douken as she realized he hadn't responded to what she was saying to him, and she saw that he had fallen asleep at the table, the quill he had been writing with having fallen to the ground.  She could not but briefly smile as she watched his bare chest rise and fall with each breath he took, and she understood why he had dozed off - he must have been exhausted, after all, he had pulled the cart with her in it all the way to town.  She wasn't a large person by any means, but it was enough weight coupled with their belongings where it would have added more strain to an already strenuous activity.

She got up, still wrapped in her robe, and picked the quill up, laying it on the table.  She glanced at the pages he had been writing in, much of the information not making sense to her, but she did not close it as she did not want to smear the ink if it had not yet dried.  Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door, to which she padded over and answered, getting a tray of hot food from the barmaid that brought it up to them.  She thanked her, and set the tray on the table, frowning because she knew she was going to have to wake Douken in order for him to eat.  

Before waking him, she fixed each of them a plate - it was a sort of roast, with some small potatoes and a bit of gravy to go with it.  Unsure of how much Douken would eat, she fixed him a decent sized plate, setting it in front of him and pouring a bit of wine into a cup for him.  After she had fixed her own plate as well, she leaned across to Douken and placed her hand on his shoulder, gently shaking his shoulder and softly speaking to him.  "Hey, the food has arrived… you should wake up and eat," she said softly, and once his eyes had opened she pushed the plate of food as well as the cup of wine towards him.

"No time for sleeping yet," she said, giving him a grin.  "We've got some celebrating to do after we finish eating," she added with a bit of a laugh.

Author: Douken, Posted: Thu Nov 2, 2017 9:44 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

It had been a long travel for the pair to return back to Adeluna, feeling longer with pulling the cart of supplies and the practically exhausted Mazerine from her death-and-revival incident. Still, getting back into the massive city, they had some tasks to take care of before the could even think about taking a place to sleep in. After all, who would even want to walk around on blood-soaked clothes without being looked at suspiciously, even if it was your own blood. Hell, maybe the fact it was her own could be worse considering where everything was.

Luckily, the shops they hit were willing to not ask questions and give them what they asked for without much question (considering many adventurers and thrill-seekers sought these lands), making quick work to find themselves at the Winking Mermaid. While he could do with leaving the cart itself near the front, he still felt like it was important to bring in the supplies inside with them, getting everything packed up as Mazerine took care of getting a room set up for the pair. When he returned, she willingly led them up their room, set up with a large queen-sized bed and a bath basin separated by a paper screen

Mazerine was quick to take to the bath first, making a silhouette on the paper to leave an impression what she was doing. Nothing too hard to really imagine, though, considering he had already seen her fully nude. As for Douken, while he did not strip down for a bath (as there was only one basin with enough room for one person), he did, at the very least, remove his coat and under shirt, letting his chest breathe and wipe away the sweat from the long hike.

"Got it," he told her as she told him where she placed her silver, taking what he considered a decent portion with a bonus for giving him such a scare. Setting his pay into his collection of coin, he pulled out a pretty thick book, a quill, and an ink bottle before taking it all over to a nearby desk and chair before opening it and looking over the written contents. A book that catalogued the runes he crafted during their trip, plus more, along with his breakdowns on how the rune parts translates into effects. Quietly, he took the moment to look everything over, but it quickly became hard to really focus on it. After all, as he sat there, able to catch his breath, he could feel his eyelids droop. He could hear her words as she spoke, but the were quick to muddle together before the world around him faded black, the quill lightly falling to the floor.

Author: Mazerine, Posted: Thu Nov 2, 2017 1:37 PM, Post Subject: Recuperation [P][R]

While the pair's adventure to Occultatum had been successful, it had not been without trials, and both found themselves incredibly exhausted by the time they had reached Adeluna.  Though Douken had been kind enough to get the cart to pull Mazerine with, in which she had rested for quite some time, she was still incredibly drained.  They both agreed that getting a place to rest would be best.  They stopped at a shop quickly for Mazerine to acquire some new clothing, and then made their way to the Winking Mermaid, Adeluna's largest tavern and inn.  Mazerine easily secured them a private room on the upper level of the inn, requesting a few things such as a hot meal to be brought up, along with a wash basin and kettle for heating the water in the fire, some wine or ale (she made it clear she did not care which), and some medicinal accoutrements such as wrappings and ointments, and a dish of hot water and a cloth for cleaning the wounds.

When they were safely in the room, Mazerine could have easily collapsed into the large bed and gone to sleep for several hours right then and there.  At first glance, the room was much nicer than that they had shared in Egjora, offering much more space - but of course, it had cost more too.  That was no worry to Mazerine - at this point, she was happy for a safe, warm, and dry place to recuperate from their journey.  

The fire in the room had already been stoked and water was already heating in the large kettle, which looked rather inviting to Mazerine - though she hadn't the patience to wait for multiple kettles full of water to heat up.  Instead, she decided it couldn't hurt to cast just a bit more magic and walked towards the basin full of water, muttering a small phrase under her breath.  The water bubbled for a moment before steam began to rise from it.  Dipping her hand in, she could sense that it was the proper temperature.  "Make sure I don't fall asleep in the water," she said to Douken with a bit of a laugh and moved to stand behind the privacy screen near the basin.  As she undressed, she tossed her dirtied and tattered clothing to the side, the firelight making only her silhouette visible on the outside of the screen.  After a moment, she slipped into the water, the steam obscuring much of her body from view.  She let out a sigh of contentment as the warmth spread over her body, sinking low enough for her hair to be dampened by the water.

After a moment of relaxation, she busied herself with washing.  "Go in the front pouch of my satchel," she called over to Douken.  "My silver's in there… take what you want.  I put you through a lot more than I let on," she said, and her disappointment with herself was fairly audible in her voice.  She said nothing after that, finishing up and slipping out of the tub back behind the privacy screen, wrapping herself in a fluffy robe that had been left near the basin. 

She felt refreshed enough after the bath where she did not feel the immediate need to sleep, instead walking toward the table and messed with wrapping a bandage around the wound on her hand.  When it came time to dress the wound on her stomach, it was rather awkward for her as she attempted to do so without exposing herself to Douken, until she gave up altogether and just sat down at the table.  A decanter of dark wine had been left, and poured herself a bit, taking a sip.  "I know I said it once already, but thank you," she said, looking at Douken with an apologetic look on her face. "And I'm sorry that I wasn't more truthful with you… but hey, we got it, didn't we?" she said, looking towards her bag where the box they had obtained still sat.