"Still don't know who the hell woke me up, but whatever."

A long swig from the bottle was taken as those words haunted him quite a bit. A man on the shorter side was sitting indian style on top of the table. No, not at it- on top of it. Strange tattoos were etched on both his arms and his hair was untamed and dark as the evening sky with crimson highlights. It was obvious that he wasn't of this city nor continent, but where on earth did he come from? Such a philosophical question was beyond him and would simply make Scorpio's head hurt even more than any amount of booze would. Instead, he resumed where he had left off and taken to life's simple pleasures again- eating, drinking, and fighting. Even with how this world had changed over the countless years, Scorpio didn't feel out of place. The rest of the world, on the other hand, didn't share such feelings about him as everyone present from the barkeep to the employees and patrons watched him speechlessly as he downed his thirteenth bottle of whiskey in a matter of two hours. “Man, this stuff is more delicious than what I was drinking back in the day!”, he spoke cheerfully as he carelessly tossed the bottle and let it crash onto the ground before signaling the barkeep. “Another one please.”

“You do know that you will be paying sooner or later, right sir?”, the keep asked, unsure of what to make of him.

“Uhh, sure. They’d be paying my tabs”, Scorpio pointed out to a group of sailors.

“What the…who the hell you think you talking about?”, one of them demanded as they moved over to his table. “How bout you get off that table, sitting about like you own the place.”

“Come on now”, he spoke with both hands raised and a smile, “We are all friends here, right? And surely you can pay for my drinks. I promise I’ll be done after thirty… “

“THIRTY!? The hell you will stick us with that!”

The confronting sailor reeled his fist back and sent forward to punch Scorpio in the face, which he did but to his shock, the strange man hardly moved from his place. His fist was still connected to his face when Scorpio’s eyes moved towards him. “So, a fight? Alright, pal, we can have a go.” The sailor wasn’t fast enough to move away when he took his arm and pulled him in to deliver a right across his jaw. He held back some of his strength but he was sure that he broke some of his teeth as he flew away and landed onto another table. The others went after him but he jumped off the table and met with the closest one, sending a strong left into his gut, and swiftly went after the next one. His forearm blocked the incoming punch and leaped up and connect his knee against the man’s chin and kicked the chair from out of the fourth sailor’s hands and kicked him away.

It was a quick fight, much to his disappointment and Scorpio sighed as he fetched one of their bags and found some silver. “Don’t mind me, fellas. Just taking some of what you owe me.” He tossed some of the coins at the bar and climbed back up to his “seat”. “Now about that bottle…”

"Go fish!" Ciara shouted at the card table.

"Wrong game lady." One of the men sitting at the table said.

"Hit me."

"That's black jack.' He said, "This is poker."

A group of poker players and Ciara were circled around a table each with cards in their hands. Piles of glinting coins were piled in the middle and most of the players had a mug of beer, except for her. Three empty barrels sat on her left, lacking even a drop of the rum that this tavern was so famous for. The other players at the table had asked her to join them for only one reason. She was clearly drunk. They thought it would be an easy win but they hadn't realized how easy it would be. She'd already lost the first game and was on her way to losing the second. Ciara didn't seem to mind. She laughed at every little thing and her face was a bright pink from all that drinking. Raising her hand, she waved over one of the bartenders.

"Another barrel of your gold eclipse rum!"  The fae woman called out a little too loudly

"Miss, you've already had three." The bartender had a look of concern.

"And I haven't passed out yet." She retorted, "Another barrel please!"

"I'm afraid you've had the last one. We're all out." The bartender sighed, "And the head bartender said you've had enough."

"Thank you anywaysssss."

How was she supposed to have fun? For Angela's sake, she might become sober! Even the thought made her feel a twinge of dread. And she was still playing the game. Her eyes scanned the lively tavern. It was as full as the first day she visited. How many years ago was that? She'd lost count. Everything moved by so quickly. One minute she was an innocent…no she was never innocent. One minute she was new to everything and the next, it was all just the same. Ciara looked longingly to one of the player's mug of alcohol, like a puppy longing for food. Having enough of this, she looked into the sea of people and spotted a man fighting. He managed to take down the sailors and seemed to be smart.

"Oi! Pretty boy!" She stood up and shouted at him, "Come over here! I got a proposi….propo…..a deal for you!"

Her finger was pointed directly at Scorpio and her shout ringed louder than the mob of drunken men. One of the perks of learning to sing and performing on stage was she knew how to get loud without straining her throat.

"Beat these half-brained frauds in a game and I'll buy you four barrels of any alcohol you'd like. And you get the winnings!" Ciara proposed.

"Hey! That wasn't part of our deal!" One of the poker players protested.

"You picked a drunken woman who didn't know anything about the game." She got in his face, "And don't think I haven't noticed those extra cards Fred."

The man gulped before shying away from her fury while the others begrudingly accepted this idea. But it was all up to Scorpio. She turned to him with a beaming face of drunken bliss.

"Watcha say pretty boy?"

With that little tidbit all settled, all Scorpio had to await now was another thing of whiskey to wet his whistle. He was sure that eventually, he would find the others, Just not Virgo, she was such a bore. Why the very thought made his whole body quiver with disgust for a little while before he recovered in time for the next bottle to grace his sights. It looked to him that even with the years that flew by him, might was still right and he had plenty of it just in case those like the sailors wanted to test it. Perhaps his next opponents would put up a decent fight, the last being slightly more on the pathetic side. What kind of men were they these days?

“Oh well, at least you never disappoint me”, he said comfy to the bottle, caressing it close to his face before he popped the cork out and proceeded to have his fill.

It wasn’t until he was about halfway through with his drink when he heard someone calling out to him. Or at least he thought that to be the case as he looked over at the woman sitting about with a group of men. Dimwittedly, he pointed himself with huge eyes, “Who me? Well, he supposed that she was, considering that there was no one else in the same direction as he was and Scorpio hopped off the table and carried his bottle along with him. From her temperament, it seemed like she had one too many to drink, but her proposal was met with both delight and uncertainty. “Hell of an offer, but what are they playing?”

“Poker”, one of the men said with a defeated sigh. Clearly, they weren’t happy with the sudden change in players, and he wasn’t quite sure what poker was or even how to win at it. Still, she had said four barrels of what he wanted, and plus getting some easy cash would help him out too.

“Alright, show me how to play, fellas. And don’t lie to me or else you’ll end up like those “tough” guys over there.” He pointed at his earlier victims before he took a seat at the table and they quickly explained how things worked here.

“Okay, I get it. It’s similar to a game I used to play many, many moons ago”, he followed up once he got a good grasp of the situation. He already held a good advantage in that he could read body language well. He might not be the smartest, but he had his moments. The cards were shuffled and dealt out to the players; Scorpion flashed her a brief smile before the games began. Looking to his hand, he had two jacks and three queens- a full house from the sounds of what they had taught him. He betted a little from his own stash of coin while all but one other followed suit. He kept a grin at them, trying to now show anything to throw them out of their game. More coins were flung into the pot and slowly the number of players still decreased as they folded. When it came down to just him and the last man, the latter shoved the rest of his money to the center. “Come on, pretty boy. You ain’t scared, aren’t ya?

“Hm, nope”, he retorted as he did the same with his money. “Guess this is the part where we show our hands, right?” Scorpio revealed his hand and waited for the man to do the same. His opponent seemed a little off and went to move his coin back. “Excellent practice round, lad. Let’s make this next round the real deal…”

His hand was immediately snatched up, and Scorpio held a grim look on his face. “Practice? This is the first time I’m hearing that. Now about that hand…”

“Yes, release mine please.”

“I mean your cards, fella.”

Begrudgingly, he flipped his over, only having a pair of aces. “Come on now, I got a wife and three kids. Surely you don’t need this”

Scorpio sighed and proceeded to reach over and punch him squarely in the face. “I told you not to lie to my face.” He released the man and didn’t bother to watch him quiver and holding his nose while he collected his earnings. The other players merely shook their heads and glared at the woman. “You can order me all that whiskey, their strongest stuff, please lady.” He scooted the coins into a sack and flung it over his shoulder. “You can even have some if you’d like. Though you might already have had a bit too much.”

A smile formed on her lips when he asked what they were playing. His response wasn't a yes, but she had a feeling this was something he wouldn't turn down. Her new friend was unfamiliar with the game, which made her feel a twinge of concern. But she had already made her decision. There was no turning back now. The poker players quickly explained the game. Ciara pulled a chair from one of the other tables and sat down, watching the game with great interest. She smiled at Scorpio, giving him a wink as the game began. This was going to be fun. The pile of coins slowly grew as the number of players decreased. He was doing well, especially for his first time. She was half tempted to give him the alcohol for just getting this far. Soon it was just him and the last man, both holding their confidence still. The other player bet the rest of his money, expecting to win. Ciara kept her face as a pleasant smile but inside that sweet elation rose in her chest.

Both sides were betting everything but she knew only one would come out of this as a richer man. When Scorpio placed his hand down, she knew he'd won. The cowardly opponent reached out to grab his coin back and began talking some idiocy about a practice round. Ciara stood up, ready to barrage him with words when Scorpio snatched the man's hand. She smirked, realizing he didn't need anybody to defend him in a poker game. The poker player only had a pair of aces. A definent loss, even she who knew little about the game knew that. She rolled her eyes when the poker player went on about having a wife and kids. Everybody in the tavern knew he was just a sailor with nothing to his name.

"Four barrels of your strongest whiskey please!" She called out to the bartender.

"I thought you weren't allowed to have any more." The bartender said.

"Its not for me. Its for…." She turned to Scorpio, "Sorry darling, what was your name again?"

Four barrels of the strongest whiskey was ordered for him. Part of this was her revenge on the poker players, all whom probably despised her now. Part of this was a way for her to get her hands of whiskey, if her new friend allowed her to have some. But most of this was to stall the pull of boredom on her mind. She disliked the sound of silence, as it let her mind wander too much.

"Don't worry sweetie. If I haven't collapsed, then I haven't had enough alcohol." Ciara declared before looking at him again, "So do you always go travelling around, entering poker games? Or am I just extremely lucky tonight?"

She was still drunk but her temper had calmed, allowing her to hide it better. The bartender approached Scorpio with four barrels of their strongest whiskey, as promised. Ciara paid the bartender and thanked him for getting it so quickly. Meanwhile some of the poker players had left the tavern, making her feel more comfortable. Some of her troubles had just left and now she was free to talk with this fascinating new friend.

Scorpio could have simply ignored the call to arms and continued binging on the drink he had just purchased for himself, but it was the temptation of acquiring more, at least more than his weight in a whiskey that really drove the point home. This lady, whoever she may be, certainly had a way with getting things done and he himself went unaware that he had been deployed to deal with the seedy crew. It would be rather obvious to see that he did most of his thinking with his fists than his brain. Speaking of which, he would see it drown in liquor on this great and glorious day!

He did happen to raise a brow at the bartender for trying to regulate this madam’s drinking. Aside from some extra enthusiasm, he didn’t see anything quite wrong with her packing away a few more. “Scorpio”, he quickly replied as he fell back into a chair and cracked his knuckles. He would have to get in as much fun as before the party poopers would eventually find him. Even now, he was amazed that his “siblings” hadn’t located him so far. Chop it down to dumb luck, one might call it. He tossed the bag of coins into the table and looked on to see that her word was kept- on the way were four large barrels and he could smell the strong whiff of the booze across the room.

“Could be luck or fate or anything in between, really. I played a similar game from my homeland, a long, long time ago. Had to see it in or else the others would find out and I’d heard a mouthful of lectures.” The barrels were placed down, along with two mugs, though the bartender gave the lady a side glare before leaving them. “Help yourself. Not going to tell a lady no.”

He waited for a few seconds before he took his own mug and skimped at the top of one of the barrels, taking a good fill of the whiskey into it and started chugging it down. “So what’s with that gang earlier? They don’t seem like your type of crowd at all, miss.” He gave her a careful look before shrugging it off and taking to his mug again. “Then again, the mainlanders here seem odd, even in these times..”

Ciara smiled at her new friend as the bartender placed the two mugs on the counter. The bartender gave her the side glare but she pretended not to notice. Her focus was on Scorpio as he had captured her attention fantastically. A mischievous smile played on her lips as he allowed her to have some of the whiskey. She filled up her mug and took a beginning sip, trying to savor the taste. The fae woman could almost taste the grains and all the labor required for such a drink. There was always something about alcohol that allowed her to taste every part, both the ingredients and the life. 

"Oh them?" She snapped her attention back to Scorpio, "Well I shoved five horses dressed as noblemen in Frank's house and I'm pretty sure I slept with somebody else's brother. Or I broke their table. Or both. I don't remember."

Ciara took another gulp of whiskey and felt the burning sensation trickle down her throat. The music and background chatter of the bar were mixed together in a jumbled up mess. But she could hear Scorpio perfectly fine, which meant that more wouldn't hurt. Her eyes wandered to his face, inspecting every inch from his hair down to his perfect little chin. He wasn't a face she'd seen before, thankfully and he didn't seem to be one of the fae, which meant she could almost relax. 

"They can't fight me and win so they offered poker as a way to settle thinks…things." Ciara explained, "I'll admit I truly am awful at poker. But I needed to show them there was no winning. No matter what they did, no matter what they pulled there is no winning against me or anyone else. And you were there to show them exactly that. So I thank you very much!"

She chugged the rest down and felt her insides burning. Good. Let them. She wiped the rest off with her sleeve and looked towards Scorpio with a glint of curiosity in her grey eyes. 

"Now its your turn, pretty boy." The fae woman declared, "Are you waiting for someone?" 

He had that look in his eyes, a look that only someone who was waiting for something had. 

Perhaps Scorpio was far too laid back for his own good. Perhaps a bit too trusting, but in actuality, he didn’t sweat the small stuff. As long as he could have some fun, he didn’t mind indulging in some naughty behavior. The woman looked as though she simply needed it; her reasons were her own, he supposed.

As far as those fools were concerned, they seemed to be docile due to one of their own being handled. It wasn’t a fair fight in the least- they should have all jumped in to help their comrade. Guess they were smarter than he had thought. “Well, I guess that could cause a bit of misunderstanding”, he slightly chuckled in his whiskey. “This before or after you had a bit to drink?” He did raise an eyebrow when it was mentioned that he had been vital in teaching them a lesson. She seemed much more calculating than they or even he had given her credit for. It was nearly scary to think about.

Filling up his mug for the third time, Scorpio delightfully took it into his mouth and started chugging away when her question drew in…an annoying fact. “Ugh, you could say that. Only I’m not looking forward to it.” He sat the mug onto the table and place his head onto his resting hands. She or one of them would come for him eventually. While he was content in being left alone and doing as he wished, he knew in his heart that it wouldn’t be long before they caught up to him. “Family, I suppose you could call them that, although not really, are probably awake as well. I call them that even though we don’t share blood. We are connected by other means and they will seek me out, not that I look forward to it.”

“See, I enjoy life’s simpler pleasures and they don’t. Duty, duty, duty. Blah, blah, blah. If you were to meet them, you’d surely die of boredom, miss. I just hope that Virgo isn’t the one looking for me. ” Shaking his head, he went over to the closest barrel and picked it up enough to drink from it. Just thinking about them made him want to drink more. He was sure that his friend here would indulge that.

“And what about you? Seems like trouble and you are bedfellows from the sounds of it.”

"After obviously" She said with a smile, "I would have left a note with a pun about noblemen being horses if I was sober." 

Ciara took another sip of whiskey and listened as he began talking about his sort of family. He wasn't looking forwards to it, that much was clear yet one fact confused her. Why would he wait for something he disliked? She continued listening to Scorpio with intent eyes, eagerly lapping up all of this new information. The fae woman could envision that connection and them seeking each other out, for whatever reason. Ciara took a free barrel and began drinking from it as well, only using a bit of magic to make herself physically strong enough so she could actually pick up the barrel. 

"Yes." She said with a chuckle as she put down the barrel, "Trouble and I like to chase each other around. We are never one without the other."

Taking another drink from the barrel, she gulped down the wonderful liquid. It made her mind and heart flame. Whiskey or enough of any alcohol could set her free from those instincts designed to protect her. The truth was she didn't know who this man was or whether he was to be trusted. A part of her didn't care. A smile formed on her lips as an idea turned through her mind. 

"In a way we are running. No point in letting the things behind me catch up after all." She said vaguely, "The finish line is crossed whenever the pursuer grows too tired to chase." 

Telling her story to him was dangerous but the drinks had loosened her tongue long ago. Her ruby lips parted for a moment, as though she was about to say something but thought otherwise. Instead, she stood up and sat on the counter, looking at him with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. They both were in a similar situation, whether he realized it or not. The least she could do was offer what she had already taken. 

"Why don't we go somewhere tonight? Somewhere interesting and unique. If this might be your last night of freedom then lets make it a special occasion." The fae woman said, moving herself closer to where he was sitting, "Besides if they are going to hunt you down, why make it easy for them?"

Her blue hair fell in front of her face and she quickly pushed it away, instead crawling on the counter closer towards Scorpio then finally laying on it like it was some lounge chair. Why act like a lady in a tavern? That was no fun. Her hand reached out and she offered it to him, as though she was about to shake his hand. A swirl of magic circled around her fingertips and she looked up at him with strange violet eyes, a stark contrast to her normally grey eyes. 

"What do you say, pretty boy?" 

“At least you two like to be chased. I, on the other hand, can try to run as much as I can, It makes no difference- they always have a knack for finding me when they need to.”

He could be on the edge of the world, and yet somehow, someway his kin would track him down like a pack of hounds. It was a terrible game they played for a long time and it was suffocating, to say the least. Still, at least this lady provided a good ear to lend to his woes. And also a great drinking partner as she matched him, drink for drink. It was astonishing, Hell, he was impressed.

Scorpio continued to drink his woes down, hoping to drown them before the inevitable came to be. From the sounds of things, getting into trouble wasn’t her only problem, but she seemed to possess enough moxie to not given. Just like when she was dealing with that group of men. It was inspiring, almost enough to give himself some hope over his issue. Almost.

“Hell, I wish they’d get tired. Trust me, I’d give anything for some peace and quiet for a little bit.” He was about ready to finish the last of the first barrel when her latest moves caught his wandering eye. Heavens knew what she was scheming this time, and like before, he was sure that it had to do with him. Fortunately, he’d been amused by her antics so far, and it kept his mind at bay. Shame that they would leave behind the rest of the whiskey though. But he made sure to finish his fill first. Afterward, he leaned forward and considered her option. Wasting little time, he stood up and eagerly reached for her hand to take it. Perhaps it was the deal with the devil, but he knew of the ones that would be after him, and at least this pretty one would help him out. Whether it was for his own benefit or hers, it didn’t matter to him. “Let’s see what your bag of tricks holds this time, miss.”  There was more than what meets the eyes when it came to this woman, from the way she presented herself.

It was as though the world was holding a mirror in front of her. A man running from familial problems and every danger that brought. A part of her wondered what these siblings of his were like. A part of her never wanted to know. He leaned in for a moment, considering her request. For a moment she believed she would be turned down. Then he stood up and took her by the hand. A smile danced on her lips as vibrant violet magic swirled around their feet.

"Hold your breath." She said.

A large portal opened up underneath the both of them. Ciara pulled him closer as they both fell into the watery depths of this new area. She didn't want him to get lost or pulled away by the currents. Reaching to his neck, she cast a spell on them both. Normally singing or playing music would spend less mana and make the spell stronger, but at these times she could simply cast a quick spell. She opened her mouth and began breathing normally. She didn't say anything but instead began to swim towards a massive jellyfish.

The country of Ameru, refuge of the depths.