[Cherry Heart] Tavern Security!

[JessicaMuddy]

The hustle and bustle of the Popped Cherry tavern, like a pack of undead tearing up a village, was wild as all hell. All types of creatures were present in the two-story building, all somehow getting along in the explosive environment. Packs of men sat around few tables, all crowded together, most either chatting, drinking, playing cards, or any combination of those three things.

 

“Oy, lads! Keep the damn incomprehensible s*** you call music down!” The bartender, a middle-aged human, leaned over the alcohol-drenched tabletop and shouted at a couple of men in the corner, all of different races, with each other’s arms over their shoulders, who were loudly singing about something no one could quite make out. As he turned away from them and returned to manning the bar, he glanced out of the broken window next to the entrance and saw a group of people approaching.

 

“Hey, barkeep! Eyes on the work.” The customer waiting before him said. The bartender looked at the customer, and gave him an agitated smile.

“Calm your… Whatever those things on your chest are, fatty. I got a couple a guys coming to look after the place, since it’s been gettin’ so damn popular after that festival from a few days back.” The man then poured his customer a drink and shooed him away, the drunk man grumbling in an annoyed tone as he left.

 

“Hey, Hamrey, there’s some guys ‘ere talking ‘bout looking after the place. Buncha psychos, eh? You’d never need anyone to look after you!” A raspy old voice said from the table closest to the door, which then proceeded to cackle at the owner.

“Actually, they’re here for good reason. I don’t want no chaos happening and these guys’re from the Cherry Heart guild. I’m sure they’ll do a good job.” And with that, Hamrey paced over to the door and opened it up, stepping outside to a group of 3… People? “Bloody hell. I wasn’t expecting a bloody Minotaur! Anyway, name’s Hamrey, you’re workin’ for me today.” The man stood eagerly before the three, one hand drooping lazily and the other in the pocket of his shaggy jeans. "Since the festival happened this place has become one of the more popular places this side of the city." Hamrey was trying his best to sound like he wasn't a total redneck, which appeared to be working at least a bit.

 

[spoiler=OOC]

So that your beginning posts actually have substance, you guys can begin by talking to each other while walking, if you want. If not, short posts are fine too.

 

 

[Hakima]

---

Masaru stretched himself out and yawned, enjoying the light breeze sweeping across his skin and pulling at his hair. He felt lighter than he had in a long time, well-rested and properly showered, with the faint scent of some kind of a fruit-based cologne wafting off of him. Cherry Heart and their warm beds and indoor plumbing were already a huge upgrade from the last three years he had spent exploring, and he was beginning to wonder why he had ever left the comfort of his home with the Smith family.

 

“Hey, Jeeves,” he started topically, hands laced together behind his neck as he walked through the streets. For a city that had been so filled with life so recently, Prunus was surprisingly mellow at night, save for the noise coming from inside of the restaurants and the flickering of a streetlight that was about to go out. “How did you get that suit to fit you, anyways?” He had to admit that it had been weird to hear from Tegur that he thought that the horse talked to him, but he wasn’t a very judgmental guy; he had seen stranger.

 

The horse shook its head and huffed, blowing out its lip and spraying Masaru in a thin mist of spit. He raised a hand defensively, wiping at his eyes and laughing under his breath. “Okay, okay, I get it. It’s rude to ask a horse about the suit. I’ll drop it.” Jeeves seemed content to keep walking after hearing that, but kept his head pointedly turned the other way. He didn’t seem like he would be letting that one go so easily.

 

Masaru shook his head and wondered what had been so offensive about the question. “You’d think I asked what he weighed or something…” He muttered under his breath, studying the stars above. It was harder to see them here in the city than it was back at home. He had asked Mrs. Smith why that was, once, when they had traveled to a bigger city to sell something, but her answer had confused him back then. Something about more lights blocked them out or something? She had always been a really smart person, even back when he had first showed up and didn’t know how to read or write. Masaru learned more from her than he ever did from those stuffy school teachers.

 

He was pulled from his reminiscent memories of simpler times when he walked head first into something. “Ow!” With a shout he jumped back a little bit, rubbing at the sore spot on his head. “Oh! This is the place!” He recognized it as he looked up, a hanging sign above the door that read in bold letters, “The Popped Cherry”, with a deflated cherry shown beside it. “Geez… Some name, huh?” The meaning was not lost on him.

 

“I’ll tell them we’re here,” he volunteered, already at the door and knocking loudly a few times. There was crashing noises from the other side of the door, and loud swearing, and then someone answered. Masaru saw that the man was obviously extremely drunk, his eyes blazed over a bit and stumbling as he tried to stay on his feet. He felt sorry for the man, his head aching a bit at the thought of the hangover he was going to suffer in the morning, but he had a job to do. “We’re the people from Cherry Heart. The owner hired us to hang out here for a while to keep everything calm.”

 

The man looked at him a bit dumbly, and his mouth moved as if he was trying to form words, but nothing came out no matter how hard he tried. Masaru was about to repeat himself after almost an entire minute, but finally a voice from somewhere inside the tavern shouted that they were there, and someone yelled an acknowledgement. A moment later, a much more sober looking man was at the door, obviously the bartender.

 

“Bloody hell. I wasn’t expecting a bloody Minotaur!” The man took one look at Tegur and did a double-take. He did his best to recover quickly from his shock, though, shaking his head to clear his thoughts and then continuing what he had been saying.  “Anyway, name’s Hamrey, you’re workin’ for me today.” Hamrey slouched back a bit, obviously a lot more comfortable now. "Since the festival happened this place has become one of the more popular places this side of the city.”

 

Masaru smiled warmly and nodded. “Sounds good for business!” He stuck out a hand for Hamrey to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Hamrey. My name’s Masaru, and these are my friends, Nanuq and Tegur. We’ll make sure not to let a thing go wrong while we’re here!” He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that he had just jinxed it by saying that, and wouldn’t realize until much later how right he was. 

[Makο]

"..."

 

Among the many patrons and adventurers the occupied the city streets, Nanuq found himself traveling with the two he had met a day or so ago; or rather, the one, while the other was just inexplicably there. Smelled slightly of fruit, he did. Probably took to cleaning himself with water and whatever fruity concoction he could procure. While certainly not unfamiliar with the concept of bathing, it never sat well with him; it felt like an awful waste of non-frozen water to simply wipe the dirt off of you. After all, it'll come right back on later anyway; it felt like an exercise in futility. Though, having slept in the stable overnight and not bathed in several weeks, he feared for a moment his smell might stand out as weird; the thought quickly left his mind.

 

As far as he could parse from the information he gathered from his peripheral presence in the guild, he was off to go protect a tavern from... people, he supposed. Ruffians, those who can't hold their liquor, and what not. He found himself wondering exactly what it would be like, as Ursine are remarkably efficient at holding their liquor; he's never seen one drunk a single time, though he's heard of the after effects that occur when one does lose himself. A very expensive occasion, as the trader calls it.

 

"...The horse wears clothing. Not even good cloth."

 

He could only assume the horse was ignoring him, in favor of spiting the young man who'd been walking with him and the Minotaur for the past few hours. Which suited his taste perfectly well; he didn't feel like coming under scrutiny from a pack animal of all things.

 

Not today.

 

It took but a few more steps forward before a very, very recognizable whiff hit his nose. Alcohol, and a strong scent at that. If they were not approaching the pub, than he couldn't imagine what it was, outside of a booze festival or a brewery; neither of which appeared to be nearby. The added scents of sweat, puke, and various foodstuffs confirmed his suspicions as he approached the tavern.

 

“Oh! This is the place!”

 

"Idp Rgrrpq Nlpqqz," a plaque in front of the establishment read. Of course, in writing, so he couldn't understand a thing of it. Not that it mattered much to him.

 

“Geez… Some name, huh?” Based on the past few hours of traveling, it was clear that this guy was very, very talkative. Whether or not he had anything of substance to say was another matter entirely, but he did assist in some moments in which the level of awkward their band accumulated got a little too high for everyone's tastes.

 

"I'll take your word for it."

 

They took their first few strides inside the door, and-

 

"...North Forbid."

 

Nanuq had a fair idea of how a drunkard acted and what they looked like, but to this degree... it was something totally foreign to him. People absolutely wasted by every definition of the word, slurring their speech, spilling their drinks, and shouting and getting loud for no reason other than for the sake of it. And the smell... it was almost overpowering to a nose that had smelt almost nothing but Ursine and snow for the majority of his life. The smell of alcohol hit his nose again, and unconsciously, he smacked his lips. Resistance will be difficult.

 

“Bloody hell. I wasn’t expecting a bloody Minotaur!”

 

Someone who didn't slur his words was an immediate relief; at least he's intelligible. He appeared to be in momentary awe at the sight of his large horned acquaintance, but didn't need very long to make a recovery.

 

“Anyway, name’s Hamrey, you’re workin’ for me today.” He tried for a moment to find a chair to sit in, but failed several times before finally succeeding, almost dropping to his rear several times in the process. If he hoped no-one would notice, someone did. "Since the festival happened this place has become one of the more popular places this side of the city.”

 

"Oh, so all the worst of the alcoholics gather here, I suppose. Sounds... great."

 

With a sigh, Nanuq shifted while standing. His not wanting to drink booze was already bad enough; but at this point, he was doubting he would even find the information he needed. At least, not from this group of drunkards. Even those with loose tongues when under the influence would likely spout nothing but facts about that, uh... guild thing that he was in for a moment. Still couldn't remember what it was called.

 

The smell of alcohol continued to be overbearing.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Tegur had a headache. He drank even more than usual last night, and now he was suffering the consequences. However he couldn't afford to let that ruin his mood, he had to show the younglings how a professional worked!

 

The trip had been amusing, with Nanuq barely speaking and Masaru speaking enough for the three of them. Jeeves was uncharacteristically quiet, as well, today. Tegur chuckled at the exchange between the horse and the boy. "Don't ye worry yer head, Jeeves is very sensitive about his clothes."

 

When they reached the tavern, Tegur let out a sigh of relief. The smells, the sounds, ahhh this was it. He felt more at home now. This all felt natural to the man, though he was somewhat concerned for the boys. They were young and probably not used to such places. Ah, well, too late to go back on his word now. "Popped Cherry, eh? Maybe you'll have to get some advice after all eh lad?" He grinned at Masaru.

 

"I'll take your word for it."

 

Hmm what's this now? The boy couldn't read? Interesting...

As they stepped into the tavern they were immediately greeted by a drunkard, and Tegur laughed, before picking the man up and setting him aside.

 

“Bloody hell. I wasn’t expecting a bloody Minotaur!”

 

Tegur couldn't help but laugh again after the man introduced himself. "Aye we're here to help, Tegur's the name, now, where's the booze? Gwaaarharharharharhar!"

The Minotaur clapped Masaru, harder than intended, on the back. "You've got nothing to worry about, Hamrey, we're professionals, ain't that right laddies?"

Tegur paused a moment, glancing at Nanuq, who looked uncomfortable. He leaned lower and spoke quietly, though his voice being loud as it was that was enough to be heard over the cacophony around them.

 

"Nanuq lad, I was wondering for a while now...how old are ye?"

[Makο]

The Minotaur–Tegur, or some sort–was addressing Nanuq about his age. He stood their for a moment, staring blankly at him.

 

"Uh."

 

Unconsciously, his hand rest beneath his chin as he thought. Age... was not something Nanuq had ever once put much thought into, and it turned out he wasn't entirely certain how old he was. If he had simply been a normal cub like the rest of the young in his Clan, it'd be simple just to remember how long they had been alive, and go for that. But his father had made apparent throughout the years of the strange growth cycles he had gone through; he matured far quicker both in mind and body than an average human, but at the same time, he hadn't hit certain growth milestones that his other cubmates had. So, by that logic, he figured he'd be... somewhere between adulthood for both species.

 

"13?"

 

Nanuq had no frame of reference for the age of humans. His father had forgot to mention that much.

[JessicaMuddy]

Hamrey looked at all of the mages, who were introduced to him by the youngest-looking one, a boy named Masaru.

"Well boys, it's a pleasure ta meet you all."

"Aye we're here to help, Tegur's the name, now, where's the booze? Gwaaarharharharharhar!"

"Heh, it's right inside, though, you guys won't be drinkin' any 'till your shift's over." Hamrey said with a little chuckle on the end. "But then it's a couple rounds on the house!"

 

Immediately after the man told his joke, the beast before him leaned over to whisper to the third boy there. "Ay, Nancue, was it? My joke wasn't that bad, right? Bah, whatever, time to show you around. Come in." He then opened the door back up, letting loose a flurry of drunken voices in the direction of the four. "Geez boys, leave for a second and the place explodes!" Hamrey waved his new security over to his position as he started walking, to give a tour to them. He turned away, not caring if they were actually there or not, and started talking. "Here's the bar, my area of expertise, there's the toilet, in case you gotta back one out," Hamrey pointed at each of the things as he passed them, then began walking up a set of tacky wooden stairs, leading up to a large second floor. "and 'ere's the uh... Where most of the drinkin' happens! Oh, and don't forget the poker tables. They're a bit dodgy though. I don't mess with 'em."

 

He turned around to his new workers. "So, you got all that? Who wants to go where?"

 

[spoiler=Map]

So, here's a crappy map I whipped up in a couple minutes. This is probably not the final product and also just so you get an idea of the shape of the place.

[spoiler=1st Floor]

[spoiler=2nd Floor]

[Hakima]

---

Masaru did his best to commit everything that the bartender told them to memory, but it was proving to be a much easier said than done task. His attention span had always been rather short, his brain hyperactive and always ready to focus on the next new thing, and he could count the number of times he had been inside of a filled up tavern on a single hand. Each new noise or drunken shout caused him to look in that direction quickly, gaze never lingering on a person or area for more than a second before he was onto the next. Masaru had noted a dirty bar, a table with an overly liquored man asleep at it, a bathroom, a group of people singing, someone dancing not far from them, and a set of stairs that lead to a second floor, where he saw more tables and even more intoxicated patrons, and a couple of fancy tables in the back where sober people were exchanging coins and money.

 

"So, you got all that? Who wants to go where?"

 

“Huh?” Masaru blinked a couple of times, staring dumbly at Hamrey for a second before he remembered what he’d been hired to do. He looked back in the corner, at the fancy green table, and recalled that Hamrey had said that the group seemed suspicious. Maybe it was best if he kept an eye on them? He would stick out the least, and it wasn't hard to see that both Tegur and Nanuq seemed to be struggling with the temptation of the nearby alcohol. 

 

“I’ll keep watch on the fancy tables over there.” Masaru threw a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing at the tables he had decided upon. His smile grew brighter, and he patted the small sack of coins that he had tied to a loop upon his belt. He had earned a few coins while waiting for the quest the day before, so that he wouldn’t have to ask for help if he needed something to eat or drink. “Maybe they’ll even let me play. I don’t know how much their buy in is, but I used to play poker back at home with some of the other guys when we would get bored. I remember I was decent at it, so who knows? I might make some extra money tonight!” Masaru looked at both Tegur and Nanuq, searching for any signs of disapproval in their face.

 

He didn’t want to step on any toes, and he didn’t know either of them all that well yet, so he decided to add in at the end, “Are you guys alright with that?”

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

"13 eh? That's uhh...interestin." Tegur didn't want to say what he was thinking. This boy was an idiot...wasn't he? Apparently he couldn't count, what kind of life had he led that he doesn't know how to keep track of his age? Pushing that thought away, he focused on the owner for now, thoughts of alcohol dancing in his mind.

 

"Heh, it's right inside, though, you guys won't be drinkin' any 'till your shift's over."

 

Tegur's smile slid from his face like slime from a blade, and his shoulders lowered slightly. No drinking? Until they were finished? That would be hours! He could already feel his headache returning and his hands began to twitch. But, he had to keep calm, keep calm Tegur, keep calm. The kids were here, he had to keep it together for them.

 

Masaru had asked something, and Tegur responded, with a strangely forced cheery voice. "Aye aye that's fine lad, go and do what ye think is best. If ya need my help, well, I think you'll be able to see me. Gwaaarharharharhar!"

He looked around, trying to decide where he'd position himself. The bar was extremely tempting, but, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to resist trying to get a drink. "I think I'll stick near the entrance, so I can throw any scumbags out easily." He raised his voice at the last bit, looking around the room and checking to see what kinds of reactions he got.

[Makο]

The Minotaur's reaction to what Nanuq said was... puzzling, to say the least. Perhaps what he said was probably not the smartest of things, or maybe the meaning of what he said wasn't understood. In any case, it likely doesn't matter, nor will the ramifications of it affect him in all too many ways. At the present, he was tasked by who appeared to be the owner of the pub to pick an area to... guard, he supposed.

 

"Come to think of it, I don't remember signing up to work."

 

His own musings aside, his first and foremost priority was to begin to ask around to gather more infor...mation. Any sort of hint or clue that might lead him to the where...abouts of his Clan. The pub seemed...to be packed with travelers and folk who didn't appear to be...locals, so he-

 

Nanuq stumbled in place for a moment, before regaining his footing and composure. New priority: he had to find a way to escape to overpowering smell of alcohol. Aside from the minor headache it was giving him, he was growing more and more tempted to "indulge" himself on various sprites and liquers; something that, if he knew had happened, would completely destroy any chance of him gaining any meaningful information from this place. He looked around, trying to find somewhere with a more powerful scent than-

 

His eyes fell upon the toilet. For the sake of sanitation within any Clan, there would always be a room dedicated for that sort of thing, with some method of automatic removal to the outside; saves on time, and leaves a nice bunch of fertilizer in one place for those who liked to have a small patch of crops growing. Even with the smell of alcohol that permeated heavily within the air, he could smell whatever vile things went on in that room. He winced at the thought of it, but...

 

"I'll cover the restroom, for now."

 

He was locked in now. Approaching the door through the middle, his heightened senses finally backfired on him for the first time since he left, lurching over at the mere scent of that vile den, though he managed to keep himself from actually ejecting anything. Well, at least alcohol was the last thing on his mind now.

[JessicaMuddy]

Hamrey watched as his new guards chose their locations. The boy to the dodgy tables, the minotaur to the entrance and the one in between to... The toilet? Hamrey walked downstairs and followed him, but failed at opening the door. "You alright in there lad?" He asked with only a slight bit of actual concern. After a few moments of silence the barkeep heard a loud gagging sound come from the room. "Are you sure you're cut out for this kinda thing?"

 

 

A group of suit-wearing men sat silently at one of the large green tables, and saw a young boy walk over to them. The dealer stood up, walked pridefully over to the boy and just about pressed his face up to the newcomer's ear. "Listen to me very carefully, boy. We are professional poker players and I am willing to bet you don't know the first thing about this kind of competition. Now, if you even try to offend even one of us, we're gonna pump your stomach full of lead, you got that?" After his whispered his message, he then turned back to the table of players. "Gentlemen, please welcome to our table our newest contestant." He pulled out the nearest empty seat, motioning for the boy to sit down, before returning to his own.

 

"Care to tell us your name?"

 

 

The minotaur stepped outside to a cold front porch, a simple wooden railing with floorboards going around the perimeter of the building. There were a couple seats on said porch near the entrance, with two men happily (and drunkenly) chatting away, about something only the two would be able to understand, with the amount of lingo they were using. Out of the darkness of the night emerged two men, the colour of their skin veiling them from anyone's vision. Believing it was the perfect time to strike, they sprinted for the door, knives in hand.

 

What they didn't take into account was that a new bouncer had just been hired.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Tegur, expecting everything inside to be fine, decided to take a step out onto the porch. The cold didn’t bother him much, given all the fur. But the slight chill would help him fight the urge to drink. There was a couple of men out here, seemingly protected from the cold because of their drinking, and Tegur couldn’t help but smile.
He really needed to find some drinking buddies in this Guild of his.

That was a strange thought. Tegur hadn’t expected he’d join a guild after his past. But, this one felt much better. The people he met so far were friendly, if odd, and the leader seemed an honorable sort. Tegur didn’t get much of a look at him, but his instincts said he could trust the man. Of course, he’d be on the lookout whenever he could. It would be difficult to be wary if he wanted to keep up the appearance of happy-go-lucky drunk, but taking on tasks such as this was the only thing he could do to keep himself from thinking too much. He chucked, somewhat sadly, at the thought. He had gone far too long without a drink.

He frowned as he heard a small noise, and glanced outwards. Something was....
Tegur suddenly moved his body, positioning himself in front of the doorway. He whipped out his massive crossbow and aimed it forward. “I don’t think ye be wanting to do that, lads.” He said.

[Makο]

[spoiler=OOC for Muddy]

Nanuq never actually went INTO the bathroom; he was just standing outside it, watching. So, in order to make my post, I'm going to take the liberty of construing that Henry was talking to some poor chap who stumbled into the bathroom after taking one drink too many; that is, only one. I might make a mini-plot out of it about some guy who can't hold his liqueur.

 

 

 

Nanuq stood outside the bathroom, nose crinkled and finding himself in a considerably worse-off mood. After all, enhanced senses don't take well to strong and foul scents; and this is a tavern restroom we're talking about. One will find naught but the most foul and disturbing scents and sensations there. A short while after he had made his choice, wondering if just getting drunk would be a better idea, a small lad that couldn't have been over the age of 13 stumbled and tripped his way downstairs, almost collapsing onto his stomach several times. The lad had a head of silver hair and fair skin, though his cheeks were tinted red from what clearly seemed to be intoxication. He appeared unwell, with a sort of miserable look on his face as he looked around for the restroom. Finding it, his stumble-speed seemed to increase, placing a hand over his mouth and stomach. With his unsteady feet, he collided into Nanuq a meter away from the door, causing him to double over for a moment. Which, of course, caused him to naturally take a deep breath of the surrounding air, something he surely didn't appreciate. The lad finally made his way into the restroom, slamming the door and illiciting a loud groaning noise as he vomited.

 

A minute or so later, the one named Henry came down the stairs as well with a fairly concerned look on his face. Clearly, he was concerned about the state of the poor lad, who was still making those groaning noises. Quick-walking over to the door, he attempted to open it, though failing due to it being deadlocked from the inside. With a knock, he leaned over to the door.

 

"You alright in there lad?" He waited a moment, wincing at the sound of gagging, "Are you sure you're cut out for this kinda thing?"

 

Nanuq looked over to the man, welcoming any opportunity to get his mind off of the vile stench that surrounded him. "Does that cub do this sort of thing often?"