Where Devils Dance The Times Are Good

[† The Jaxness †]

Amidst the patrons' partying and restlessness, Roxy felt herself tiring at she sat at the bar. After sharing a quick drink with her husband, she stood up from her stool and weaved through the crowd of drunks to the stairs to prepare for bed. Holding up the hems of her loose pants, she walked up each step. When she got to the top, she went to the very last door on the left, her steps slow and quiet. Turning the brass handle, she stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Leaning against the door frame for a moment for support, she closed her eyes, listening to the buzz of excitement downstairs through the door. With a deep sigh, she stood up straight and walked over to thenicely made bed. She began pulling back the blankets and sheets, untucking them from the mattress. She fluffed her pillow for maximum comfort, since she knew right away she was going to need a good long sleep tonight. Looking at Rolloth's pillow beside hers, she flattened it out a bit, since he didnt like his head that cushioned when he slept. After all the renovations, the room was spotless. Floors lacked any hint of dirt, the closet free of cobwebs, but she had put off putting away her and Rolloth's clothes. They had wanted to get a headstart on opening the Inn, so they had left their bags by the door.

Covering her mouth as she gave a tired yawn, she trudged to one of the bags, pulling out her nightgown and slippers. Setting her clothes on the floor, she just pulled out Rolloth's slippers, not knowing what he was wanting to wear to bed. Checking to make sure the curtains were drawn, she shed herself of the short black top, slipped out of the loose pants, and rid herself of her undergarments. Rubbing the goosebumps from her skin, she quickly stepping into her nightgown, wiggling into it as she pulled the spaghetti straps up over her shoulders. Now covered with the white silk nightgown, she smoothed out the material which extended to just above her knees.

She stepped into her well-worn slippers, and grabbed her thick cotton robe from behind the door. Tying the sash, she stifled yet another yawn, and stepped out of the room. Walking back down the hall, she stopped at the top of the stairs to see that a majority of the patrons had left, the few remaining were all saying their goodbyes to Rolloth at the door.

[Moridanu]

(Arianwen)

*Arianwen’s night passed in a blur of bleary eyed patrons and dirty glasses. She was so caught up in the rush that it was several hours before she was able to catch her breath. Pausing to push her long blonde bangs back from her face, Arianwen looked around in surprise to see that nearly all the patrons had gone, while the remainder were finishing their drinks and saying goodnight to Rolloth. Wiping the last glass clean, she slid it back into its place on the shelf before she dropped the cloth on the bar, alongside her crumpled apron.

All the patrons had now gone, and the bar was spotless as she had been keeping clean while she worked, a habit she had picked up from watching others. Smiling shyly over at Rolloth, she waved slightly, calling out ~I am done to be finished Sir..~ though her English was jilted and halting as she struggled to say the right words.

Slipping out from behind the bar, she offered a smile and a wave to anyone who might wish her goodnight, as she moved through the kitchen and walked through the back door. Her family were waiting for, and the leader of the pack let out a long low howl to announce his presence. She grinned from ear to ear as she raced towards the nearby woodlands, shedding her clothes in the last patch of yard before the thick trees and undergrowth welcomed her naked form with their green embrace.

The moon hung heavy and full in the dark sky above her as Arianwen ran with her pack, the wind streaming through her long pale blonde hair. For hours they played, bonded and hunted together, and would of done so forever, if it had not been for the rising dawn. With the dark sky beginning to shift to a light violet, Arianwen bid her family farewell and made her way slowly back to the backyard of the inn. Finding her discarded clothes where she had left them, she dressed quickly while walking towards the door. A few minutes later and she was in her room, shedding her clothes once more so that she could crawl into bed naked. As the cool cotton sheets caressed her skin, Arianwen shivered and hugged herself slightly as she drifted off to sleep. When the time came for her shift to start, she would arise fresh and prepared for the day ahead.*

[Ninjz]

Vlad left his corner after the last patren exited, and went to his room. He unlocked the door and removed the various weapons, put on his specialy oiled and darkened leather armor, and began his rounds. He first went to the kitchen, and checked the back door. He found it open and immidiately palmed a hidden dagger. He slowley opened the door and peered out. Seeing the footprints, he was relieved. He had memorised the impressions left by the various employees around the Inn, and saw these were Arianwen's. He closed the door, and left it unlocked. The girl would want to return at some point. He then went over to the outer door of the kitchen and propped it open. He would be able to hear the sound of the back door opening from anywhere in the inn with his keen ears. He then continued on, checking to make sure that noone had forgotten to lock their doors. When anyone walked past he ducked into the shadows, hidden from sight. Eventually Arianwen returned, tracking mud into the Inn, and he watched her walk by. She looked exhausted, but happy, and so he ignored her. Deciding it was a quiet night, he grabbed a small rag and a bucket of hot soapy water and cleaned up after her. After all, the secrets one keeps in the dead of the night are the most precious, and noone likes to be snooped on. He would surely tell Rollith, but the man probably knew already.

His job complete he returned the items to their place, and returned to his rounds. He had trained himself to sleep very little, only a few hours a day and he could go days without rest. He decided that he would take a little longer time today, going to sleep around 8:00 AM and waking up 'round noon.

[Domar]

Rolloth woke up to the sound of a scream coming from down in the lounge. He sprang up from his bed, grabbed his holy pendent, through which he channeled his magic, and ran down the stairs. What assaulted Rolloth's eyes down there would haunt him for years to come. Upon the walls were several demonic symbols and on the one opposite the stair case held a message in Darkspeech, the foulest, unholiest language known to living things, which said, Come join our challenge if you dare! Small body parts were strewn across the floor and a letter, which looked like it had been written on skin, was pinned on the wall beneath the message. Rolloth walked over to the letter, taking great care not to step on any of the body parts, and read it, without speaking the words. As soon as he finished reading the last word the letter, blood, and body parts all burst into dark energies which dispered instantly afterwards. With a solunm face, and walk that matched it, Rolloth went down into the cellar. The door, which had been sealed before, now stood wide open in front of Rolloth. He then raised this pendent in front of him and focused all of his energies into it. Soon the pendent started to vibrate in his hand and slowly it also began to glow a hot red. Not once did Rolloth flinch while he finished the spell. Not while the thing threatend to shake his arm out of its socket, nor while it slowly burned into his hand. However, the moment the spell was done pendant in his hand exploded into five perfectly equal pieces and the door shut, never to be opened by the evil creatures inside again.

Rolloth spent the rest of the day checking on the customers, seeing if they were alright and assuing them that such a thing would never happen again, and talking with the guards. After everything was done and over with Rolloth sat down in the corner with the staff. "There are going to be some new people comng in," he said to them, "There are powerful dark creatures behind that door and someone needs to get rid of them, so I'm hiring people who can take care of them. We're going to try to run the Inn as though nothing has happened, but if you want to quit after what happened I'll understand." He then proceeded to explain what he thought had happened and what he was planing to do now to those that decided to stay, though he made sure not to mention the letter or anyhing on it. He would wait until he could talk to his wife in private to mention about the letter.

Outside of the Inn a man hammerd a sign into the the ground that said, "Now hiring warriors, treasure hunters, and anyone else with a death wish to join in the 'Hunt'."

(Sorry this post took so long to get up. If someone doesn't like the very slight auto I did just let me know and I'll change it. If you would just post as to what you did during the day while Rolloth checked with the customers, and what your feelings were about the morning incedent that would be nice. Thanks for waiting.)

[Catrux]

Toran had gone to bed dissapointed, he had hoped to buy the woman a drink or at least been able to talk to her more. Damn customers... he grumbled to himself as he walked to the room that Rolloth had designated for him. When Toran was finally able to check out of reality and into the dream world, it was well into the night. Even during that time of sleep he tossed and turned, wakeing every so often to cast glances at the coins laid out on his bed table, and his rapier leaning against a wall still in its scabbard. Finally, sleep took him.

As was the bards luck, about an hour after he finally began getting restfull sleep, a shrill scream pierced the tranquility of the Inn. Bolting upright, Toran did what any honorable man hoping to impress an attractive woman would do, and threw on his pants, grabbed his sword and went to act as a hero. By the time he got there little body parts were scattered about the tavern. Inquisitively, Toran crept closer examining some of the more whole appendages. With a cocked brow he looked to Rolloth, "Gnome?" was all he said. When Rolloth suggested a meeting he nodded his head. At the moment Toran was a bit distracted with the possibility of catching the woman during the temporary lull in business.

Just as he was about to go off and seek her out, he looked at himself and sheepishly said while scratching the back of his head, "I guess I should probably get dressed." Toran then made his way back to his room to get dressed and get ready for the meeting. On his way out, Toran momentarily debated with himself whether or not he should bring his sword. Airing on the side of caution Toran strapped it to his side and sought out the spot where Rolloth called them to.

After Rolloth's speach about evil and more newbies comming in, Toran spoke up. "Aye, I cannot leave now, I only just got the job." He laughed before continuing, "I'll assist in ridding you of these whelps." Toran knew that he wasn't some great warrior, though he was skilled and motivated, which could be a dangerous thing even if his motivation was a tad selfish.

[dagodevas]

Azazel entered the inn, his hooded cloak over his face to try to keep people from noticing him. He felt awkward socially and out of place physically. He had just arrived here from the monastery and had yet to meet anyone in town, though his mother had worked at a pub, inns always made him uncomfortable.

I wonder if bier is served here as it is in the temple. He wondered.

He went to the counter and asked if bier or mead was the ale in sling here.

"I'd like one pint of either. And, I'm interested in 'The Hunt', whatever that is. I'd be interested in joining it." Azazel stood there, somewhat blankly.

[Ninjz]

Rushing down the stairs, Vlad silently cursed himself for his lax treatment of the night. he burst into the room with one hand full of components for a spell that would suck the air from the lungs of an enemy, the other holding a short sword. He fell into the deep concentration of the battle, muttering the words to his spell, he slipped through the slightly open door silently to see Rolloth staring at a wall. then the room burst into a terrible darkness that drained the arcane words from his mind. then it was gone, and he stood there, his hand dripping in bat guano. he hastily slid his hand into his pouch, depositing the precious components there, readily accessible. he stared at the various evil words on the walls, approaching one sentence in particular. "If you dare, huh... well" he turned to wards the room with the door, ignoring the musician crouching over a body part, of course it is a gnome, what other race has the wizened skin and height of a child. he never had time for those "woo the damsel, please the crowd, then leave without a trace" types. Well he probably was thinking what so many others had, that the pretty barmaid was a woman of seedy intentions. well he would laugh at the outcome of this one,seeing as Arianwen was too wild to be tamed. however, this was just his opinion, and rumor can be anything, some saying she has killed some who tried, others that she runs naked in the woods. Having no real proof for either, Vlad just followed the course of skepticism. Striding into the room with the door he saw Rolloth clutching his pendant and muttering words to himself. recognizing the words of powerful magic he stayed back. he smelled the burning flesh and remembered the origin of Rolloth's magic. staying back he watched as the spell finished, and gasped slightly at the breaking of the pendant. feeling the aura of power emanating from the door, he walked to Rolloth, in case he was weakened by the spell.

[Moridanu]

((Arianwen Chandell))

*Despite her attempts at burying herself deep enough in her blankets so that the daylight could not reach her, Arianwen was slowly becoming painfully aware that morning was in fact well under way and that it would soon be time to start her shift. As thoughts slowly took hold of her sleepy mind, Arianwen yawned lazily while snuggling further down into her bedding. The night before had been exhausting as well as exhilarating and this morning her tired and aching bones were the price she must pay for such an experience.

She was jolted rudely from her self indulgent sleep -in, as a piercing scream broke the silence of the sleeping inn around her. Arianwen sat bolt upright in bed, blinking furiously as she waited for any follow up sounds. But there were none. By the time she had dressed in dark brown leather pants and a light brown peasant top, and cautiously approached downstairs, the dark energies had already faded away leaving a concerned Rolloth staring at a door. She nodded to his words, saying nothing as she truly had nothing to contribute. She heard mention of the Gnome and shuddered as she pictured in her mind what his strewn body parts must have looked like sprawled out on the floor of the inn. Desperate to take her mind off things, she threw herself into work despite her need for either sleep or caffeine.

The day was passed in a blur. Despite the gruesome events of the previous night, people were still thirsty and Arianwen served them with her usual smile although she was noticeably uneasy. Several times she caught her eyes wandering to that door and a shudder would tickle down her spine. When finally Rolloth decided to address the staff, she listened to his words with a heavy heart, though she noticed that she seemed to be getting strange glances from both Vlad and Toran. Glancing blankly back at them, she smiled softly to Rolloth.

~Arianwen stay here..~ she murmured in her lilting tone. ~Here is home.~ In her own simple way, she was saying that no matter what terrible beasty hid behind that door she would never leave the only home she had ever known outside the safety of the Pack.

Smiling again, she sat back, sipping her drink as she waited to hear if anyone would quit, and what Rolloth would have to say next. *

[burn4me]

The chilling touch of night's breeze swept over him as he slowly strolled into the empty streets of the city he had entered. Silence replaced voices, where the sound of wind whipping across the area was drowning. The skys above lit up randomly as bolts of lightning webbed out in various directions. One could see the dark cloud illuminated by the bright lines of death. The rain cascading from above did not help at all, as each drop splashed off his cloak, meaning to eventually soak through and cover him with its touch. A bolt of lightning flashed followed by a thundering crack.

Enix's grey eyes swept gingerly back forth when the lightning lit up the area for the brief instant. It was still empty, but the path he was taking became much clearer. It lead to a giant castle of some sort that lay high on a hill. He could see the distant torches struggling to remain lit from the harsh wind that continued to attack it.

Enix was no fool and knew that the longer he remained within the clutches of this disgusting weather, the worse he was going to feel in the morning. Again he searched around for some shelter, but only smirked when another bolt of lightning blasted the skys above him. He had been standing in front of an inn, the Dancing Devil Inn.

His gloved hand grasped the outside handle, and instantly let go when another earthshattering clap of thunder echoed through the rain filled atmosphere. Enix grabbed the handle once more and gave it a good shove. He had hoped the inn was like many other inns he had encountered, open to all at all times.

His question was answered when the door swung open, and even more suprized when the draft of air jerked the door from his grasp, slamming it open. He immediatly entered and shut the door behind him, spitting a silent curse to himself.

The smell of death lingered here, and the stench was too strong to be old. His grey eyes swept the room beneathe his hood as it concealed his facial features under its shadow. He took a step forward and heard the squish in his boot. The water dripping off his drenched cloak was also forming a puddle where he was standing.

He raised his arm and removed the hood from atop his head, revealing his gorgeous facial features and mysteriously beautiful grey eyes. He soon spotted a small group huddled in the corner, their attention drawn to a nearby door as one man pointed at it periodically.

Must be the staff, he thought, dont think anyone would be having drinks at this hour.

His boots thudded against the wooden floor, squishing water each time he took a step. He was drenched from head to toe, yet, he still felt warm. His cloak had absorbed nearly all of the water.

He remained at the bar, awaiting one of the members from the group to notice his presence before rudely interrupting the discussion.

[Moridanu]

((Arianwen Chandell))

*Arianwen sat quietly, sipping her drink and listening carefully to the others. While there were some words and phrases that escaped her simple understanding of the local language, she understood enough to realise that Rolloth was worried, as was everyone else, it seemed. The storm that now raged outside had grown gradually, only alerting those inside to its presence with the occasional loud clap of thunder and flashes of blinding white lightning. It was one of these claps of thunder that seemed to deliver the latest patron to the Inn.

Arianwens cool blue eyes glanced over at the open door, as the cloaked stranger entered and made his way to the bar. Her keen sense of smell, combined with the sight of raindrops sliding off his shoulders and dripping on the floor, told her that the man was soaked through. As his shoes squelched while he walked to the bar, Arianwen rose silently with a quick nod to Rolloth. Whatever she missed in the meeting could always be explained to her later. She was the barmaid at the Inn, and before anything else distracted her from that role, she made her way quickly over to the fireplace. The kindling had already been laid, and it took only a few moments for Arianwen to produce a roaring warm flame. Replacing the fireplaces grate, Arianwen wiped her hands on her thighs before she tossed her long blonde hair over one shoulder and glided to the bar.

Soon she was standing before the stranger, smiling at him more with her sapphire orbs than with her pale pink lips. Her language skills failed her again, so she merely smiled at him more, this time her lips becoming more involved in the equation as she asked

~Drink?~*

[burn4me]

Enix looked at the strangely tall female as she approached him, flipping her hair over her shoulders. His eyes easily passed by her for an instant as he peered towards the small group still huddled and unaware of his presence.

"Drink?"

He shifted his eyes back towards the woman and allowed her sapphire orbs to sink deeply into his mysterious grey pupils before he responded. Her acsent was thick, but not hard to understand.

"Water," he cooly responded while giving a quick glance at the small puddle forming beneath him, "as if i need any more."

He looked up at the woman and she held a straight face. He nodded after realizing his joke had failed him.

"Perhaps some food if possible," he added, hoping that he would not overwork the staff who was obviously in deep discussion at the far end of the room.

[Moridanu]

*Arianwen merely nodded as the man asked for water and made an attempt to joke with her. Though her sense of humour was different to others, and her language difficulties often meant that she missed the pun when people bothered to take the time to tell her jokes, Arianwen did in fact understand this handsome strangers meaning. The small smile that played upon her rose pink lips was lost from his sight however, as she turned slightly and reached behind her for a large silver pitcher of ice water and a long silver fluted goblet. Turning to face him once more, she placed the goblet in front of him, her blue eyes trained on the task at hand, as she poured the cold water all the way to the top without spilling a drop. Glancing up at him quickly, she offered a brief smile and a nod before she turned away once more to put the silver pitcher back on the sideboard.

As she turned back to face him, she wiped her hands on her thighs once more as she nodded again at the mention of food. Shrugging apologetically Arianwen’s voice was light and halting as she struggled with finding the correct words to convey her true meaning.

~ We… have… cook..~ she gestured over towards the group, pointing to Alex. ~But… he…~she frowned slightly as the words she needed escaped her. After a few moments she muttered ~busy~, her cheeks now glowing a deep pink in embarrassment.

Dropping her head down so that her long blonde hair fell in shimmering waves to hide her blushing cheeks, she stared down at the floor as she raised her left arm to gesture behind her and to the left. If he chose to look, he would see a small stove with an even smaller pot of stew bubbling on the single burner at the back of the bar. It was a stew she had been making for her brothers and sisters outside in the woods, a healthy combination of vegetables, a few chunks of meat and various herbs and spices. Though it had been intended for her brethren’s main meal, she knew that this stranger was in more need of the sustenance and warmth the meal would provide. Without a word, she turned and walked with her head still downcast, making her way to the small stove. Within minutes, she had returned to the stranger with a large carved bowl filled with the steaming stew. A large wooden spoon had already been placed in one side of the bowl as Arianwen slid the bowl over to the man.

Judging by the mans dishevelled appearance, and the lateness of the hour, Arianwen guessed that the man might be looking for a room for the night. She raised her head to look him in the eye as she asked ~Need Room?~ *

[burn4me]

She was struggling to communicate clearly, almost as if she did not know what to say, or how to say it. He thought perhaps she was a slave, or captive, but then he disregarded the idea after noticing that she was only ten feet from the door, she could have easily escaped if she wanted to.

Enix watched as the woman shuffled towards the steaming pot of food, a look of sadness sweeping over her eyes as she lifted the pot from the burner. He looked back towards the so called "cook" that the woman spoke of. A feeling of greed came over him as the woman brought him her own cooked meal.

He raised his hand gently at her kindness. "Only a minor bit will do," he said, giving a glare towards the busy cook, "its not your job to cook the food. I feel greedy for taking your own."

He sipped at his water and took a very small amount of the stew before motioning for the woman to take the bowl back. It was hot and almost immediatly warmed his body, and if the heat of the stew did not, the spices that had been mixed within surely would have. He was not entirely sure he could have eaten a whole portion of this woman's stew, not without his mouth going numb. After coughing a few times and covering the spicey seasoning sizzling his tongue with his water, he gave the woman a quick nod, replying to her question of whether he would like a room for the night.

"How much for one night?" He asked, standing back to his feet, and reaching within his robes to get his pouch of gold.

[Moridanu]

*Arianwen could not help but feel even more embarrassed as the man only ate a small portion of her stew before pushing the bowl back towards her. As she had made it for wolf consumption and not human, her herbs and spices had probably been too potent for the man to stomach. Cursing herself mentally, Arianwen glanced up in confusion as she heard the man speak. He said the words cook, and food though he glanced over angrily towards Alex, causing Arianwens confused frown to deepen somewhat. She glanced back down at the bowl, still almost full of her stew and despite her worry that he had not liked her cooking, she still felt bad for not providing him with more sustenance. Pushing the bowl back towards him she asked ~More?~

The next words out of his mouth however asked her how much it would cost for a night. She shrugged again, as she thought of what room to give to him. There were two different types of room on offer at the Dancing Devil, shabby, and slightly less shabby. It was the nicer of the two that she thought this man might prefer so she told him the price. ~ 3 gold pieces sir.~ Her language was perfect as she spoke, since Rolloth had spent a few months training her in how to quote prices and give the correct change when dealing with paying customers for the Inn itself.

She tried pushing the bowl towards him once more as she waited for his answer. *

[burn4me]

Enix stopped slightly as she recited the phrase near perfect after struggling for the past 15 minutes in conversation. He then arched his eyebrow when she pushed the bowl back in front of him. Now he was confused. He had denied eating it because it was hers, and she had obviously been upset for having to give it up, her body movement said it all. Now that he had only taken a little bit, even though is was all he could muster to take that little bit, she gave him the look as if she wanted him to have more. He brought a small sack of gold coins from within his cloak and nodded at her mentioning three cold coins. He had enough for that.

Again she tried silently begged him to eat of her stew. He blinked at her dumbfounded. "I thought this was yours? I did not want to eat your dinner."

Not sure whether she had understood him or not, he did not want to be an unwelcome guest, and shrugged to himself before swallowing another two spoon fulls of the stew. This time however, his face lit up in sheer delightment, and he occasionally moaned to the sparatic flavours and spices tingling his mouth. It was delicious after you got past the superheated seasoning.

He opened his right eye trying to catch the woman's expression, and found her smiling. He stopped eating the stew and wiped his mouth before giving her a agreeing smile of his own. "Delicious."

He dumped a small pile of gold into his hand and counted out three of them, handing them to the woman in a stack. He gave another peer to the group behind him and shook his head. They had yet to realize he had even entered. He focused his attention back to the woman who was tending to getting him his room key for the night.