[Everdark] Take a Gamble

[Yeva]

14 Cylus 720

"I didn't know you could volunteer!" Yeva thought that sounded rather fun, "I think I'd like that. Well... maybe. I'm not a soldier either," A nice way to learn about the city first hand and help others. It was just a matter of figuring out what they needed help with, "I'll go find us somewhere to sit. Just let me know how much," Yeva pointed towards the beach and took a few steps while Darius chatted to a man in Scalveen. She had heard the language once before her actual arrival to the city, and even so, it was used more as habit than the native language. Common was still favored in the city, which suited her just as well.

Yeva's boots rustled against the sand as she wove through the people on the beach. A bit closer to the water, past a young couple rather enamored with one another, a fire was burning, illuminating the sand to an soft green glow. Somehow, perhaps in her intoxication, it looked magical and she shuffled toward the bright smell of salt water and smoke. Lowering herself, Yeva kept busy, plucking up shards of seashell and trying to spot any that were still in tact - ones that might have been used for hair ornaments or decor with a bit of whimsy. She sang softly under her breath, a little rhyme she had come up with as a girl.

"Lady Luck is at your door way,
she wants to know your name...
Will you answer when she calls
or will you turn away?

Lady Luck!

Oh, Lady Luck..

She knocks a little louder,
asking to come in,
Ya coin purse is itchin'
but gamblin's a sin.

Lady Luck! Oh, Lady Luck."

She hummed the tune, idly scratching a grid into the beach. There was no third verse, no continuation of the story, but her body swayed as she buried her fingers in the sand and looked up to see a woman coming around and offering more drinks. Yeva waved her over and had her mug filled, as well as one poured for the sailor. By the time she was walking off, the medic noticed Darius and the food, "Oooh! I'm excited! Here, I got this for you," Yeva's eyes lit up and she wiped away stay bits of sand from her skin, holding out the drink, "Is this okay?" she patted the ground, looking around to make sure there wasn't somewhere he might prefer and smiled up in a goofy-light headed sort of way, "I know tonight's for games and stuff...I thought we could still play while we eat. Ya ever play x's and o's? Idunno if it's the same name here," she laughed, imagining what he might think of a children's game and then shook away the fleeting worry he thought her childish, "My ma used to called it... well, just something silly."

Yeva took a drink of her second mug and found it to be quite pleasant this time around. Had they changed the brew? Or had she simply grown accustomed to the taste? Either way, when Darius handed her the spicy noodle bowl, she drew an X into the sand, in the top right corner of the grid and then took her first, mouth watering bite. The flavor was delicious! The shrimp had a nice texture, not overdone or rubbery at all, and the noodles....

A bit of sauce flecked on her cheek as she corralled the food into her mouth and chewed. She looked delighted - and then the movement of her mouth slowed, and her eyes widened. Swallowing, Yeva made a funny, high pitched sound and her mouth felt as hot as a dragon's! "It's hot! It's really hot!" she yipped, hands fanning her cherry face. Yeva tried to cool her burning tongue by gulping at her ale, a trail of it dampening her blouse. She gasped, coming up for breath, "Mad man! ." Her scalp felt like it was going to sweat, but man, did it taste good! Even still, she debated taking another bite, "How! H-Whaaaa.. What is that!"

[Darius Baer]

Darius began to regret adding spice to Yeva's noodles as soon as the young woman gave him another drink. She was being polite and generous; he was being a prankster. He took the tankard all the same, gratefully enjoying a quick swig as the redhead began to draw in the sand. The man looked down at the grid, and his bearded lips began to stretch into a grin when he realised what she was doing. He stepped over the grid and sat himself down beside her.

"Aye, another game sounds good."

A little scrounging in the poor light followed, and he soon had a stick in hand. After Yeva had drawn in her 'X', Darius took a moment to consider his strategy. That was what he thought he was doing, at least, but he had probably had a little more to drink during their game of Chase The Ace than he'd realised, and he only ended up leaning across and scraping a rather crudely shaped 'O' in the opposite corner with very little forethought.

Any game theory he might have employed was quickly forgotten, however, as Yeva took her first bite of noodles. Her reaction to the spice was hilarious and guilt-inducing in equal measure, and the bearded blond found himself torn between laughing and apologising. At first, nothing coherent came out of his mouth but an embarrassed chuckle, and he quickly found himself offering his own drink to the woman as she spluttered.

"Sorry," he eventually laughed. "I asked them to add some extra spice!"

The human could feel the heat in his cheeks as he spoke, and he knew - whether due to the alcohol, the embarrassment, or both - that they were reddening.

[Yeva]

14 Cylus 720

Despite the heat, Yeva took one more bite, this time of the sprouts that added a nice crisp texture to the otherwise heavy dish, and soon regretted it, both upper and lower lip burning with vengeance, "The cook definitely listened," Yeva opened her mouth and fanned with both hands while the meal balanced between her legs. On the sand and near the water, it helped the season was Cylus, "Woooo, Illaren have mercy. I kinda like it," Yeva half laughed, taking the prank in good nature. Darius was still a stranger but he hadn't struck her as spiteful or a bully, "I don't eat a lot of spicy foods so I don't have much of a tolerance," she admitted, slightly turning away from the bonfire to allow cold shadow to cast upon half her face, shaking her head when he held out his own drink in offering, "I don't drink a lot either so... You must be much tougher than I."

At least the pain was a steady thrum that she could focus on, but she didn't have much of a remedy for this particular pain, "I've heard bread or milk helps..." Yeva gave a small sniffle, as her sinuses were suddenly quite clear. At least that was a nice effect, good for seasonal allergies maybe... She'd have to keep it in mind, so overall this was most certainly a learning experience, "You know, it tastes good," she grinned and twirled her wooden fork, getting a sizeable helping for the large man, stabbing one of the fat shrimp upon the end, "Why don't you have a bite?

Yeva looked down and noticed he had made a mark in the sand. She was having a really good time, doing all sorts of things she wasn't used to. Drinking and playing games. Asking strangers to dine and talk. Possibly making friends. Scalvoris was turning out to be a breath of fresh air, exactly what she needed after Athart and maybe it was the ale now making her thoughts feel fuzzy, but the girl was gripped with pleasant emotion, "Thank you for..."

What was the word? She struggled a bit to remember it, thought still swirling and the fading spice of her lips ever distracting, "...-humoring me. It really means a lot. I was in Athart for few seasons before and... ah, well, the locals weren't as friendly," she tried to smile but there was a bit of fleeting sadness that she pushed away with a sudden breath. Things were different now, she was safe again, "It's your turn. Oh! How much do I owe you?"

While she had been talking, Yeva had put another mark in the sand, not well considered (or even considered at all, truthfully). The redhead attempted to untie her coin purse from her belt and struggled. Her fingers simply weren't behaving. It was as if they were stiffened with unfamiliarity, clumsy. Not her own. Somehow, the more she struggled, the more hilarious she found her predicament and then burst into a fit of laughter, shoulders dropping, "This is suddenly so much harder than it used to be."

[Darius Baer]

Darius felt an immense sense of relief when Yeva revealed herself to be someone quite capable of taking a joke. Her initial reaction had sent pangs of guilt through him, but when she took another bite, he was able to let his laughter grow further. There was something daring about the young woman, despite her small size relative to him, and her company was certainly enjoyable - although he had to admit that the alcohol they had enjoyed together must have played some part in that conclusion.

His offered drink was politely declined in the midst of their shared laughter, and when his new gaming partner offered him a forkful of food, he found he had nowhere to go. One hand gripped his ale, while the other held the stick that he was using to very poorly play in the sand. He didn't want to put down either, so simply leaned forward and opened his mouth.

He was yelping at the spice before he'd even finished chewing, the flavours threatening to scorch his tongue. But he persisted with the food, feeling as though he was breathing fire with every chew. He then promptly ignore the healer's advice and took a swig of his drink, before realising very quickly - but ultimately too late - that he had made a terrible mistake.

"U'frek's piss, that's hot!" the man yelled through his laughter, and he spluttered, sticking out his tongue as if the cold night air might take away the sting. "I'll not do that to you again, I swear."

His cheeks, which felt as though they had caught aflame, reddened in the dusky light as he watched Yeva take her turn in the game and proceed to thank him. It came as a surprise. If anything, Darius was grateful to have met someone friendly over a few rounds of cards. She had seemed like good company during that game, and that hunch had been proven correct after they'd left the tent.

"Of course," was all he said in response to her gratitude, offering a pair of shrugging shoulders. "Athart? Can't say I've been anywhere but Scalv and Viden, but I'm glad you're enjoying our cuisine."

Another chuckle followed, and then he turned back to the game, cocking his head slightly as he tried to remember what Yeva's last play had been. He put his 'O' in one of the squares in the grid, but realised almost immediately that he'd made a mistake. He was about to curse his poor decision when he heard the redhead speaking again, and he turned to see her fumbling with her purse.

"Oh no," he exclaimed, "nothing at all."

Without thinking, he dropped the stick and reached out for the money pouch on Yeva's belt, as if doing so might calm the woman's struggling fingers, but she was already laughing once more. He let himself catch her infectious giggles as he kept a cautious eye on her. After all, it would do the reputation of Scalvorian hospitality no favours if he couldn't stop her falling off the log and bumping her head.

[Yeva]

14 Cylus 720

The alcohol swirled in Yeva's stomach and made her head light and dizzy. She was laughing, carefree as he grabbed at her hands to still them. Eventually her giggles lessoned and she took a deep breath, pulling away and pressing her knuckles to the back of her cheek. She felt warm and the fire was so nice, "Are you sure?" the redhead straightened, quietly relieved to be sitting down. When she remembered their game and leaned forward, the entire world suddenly felt unbalanced and she had to grip at the log, "I can pay you back later. Maybe," she sniffed and collected her errant thoughts, trying to imagine when they might ever cross paths again. The medic had no idea just how often that would become, "I'mma member of the Order. I'm usually there. Or the library. Or the university. Or the Knight's Rest."

In sobriety, it could be argued that telling a new stranger your most visited locations to be poor form and even extremely dangerous, but she didn't seem bothered, drawing a marking to block his efforts of winning and then etching a small stick figure in the shadowed sand. She smiled, not quite forgetting her company, because soon after finishing the sketch, another taller stick figure was added next to the first and then, giggling to herself, Yeva finalized the artwork by adding curly squiggles for hair and attempting to draw flames erupting from their mouth, "It's suppos'd to be fire," she explained, each curved line somehow making the image less clear, "Oh, I forgot to sign."

She added her name, struggling with the motor skills. Eventually, her name was spelled into the sand, uneven and slopping downward, Y e v a. The tail of the 'a' dragged longer than it should have, almost a q, but not quite. Head cocked, she admired the work, and idly added a few stars before holding out the stick if Darius wished to take it. Yeva ate a bit more, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "I should pro'ly head back soon. It's gettin' late."

[Darius Baer]

Even in his own alcohol-influenced state, Darius could see how Yeva's drinks were robbing her of her sobriety.

It made sense, he decided, given her smaller stature, that she would naturally have a lower tolerance for alcohol than he might. But she still made for enjoyable company, and the blond decided that only winning their game of Chase The Ace would have proven more memorable.

She had proven to be a skilled player, though, and she had bested him in their game in the sand, although - he noted with a snorted chuckle - her drawing could do with some improvement.

"I can see the fire," he grinned, "although I think you've made me look a bit too skinny!"

As he looked down at the slender redhead, his dark grey eyes watching as she struggled to maintain her balance on the log - and finding himself reaching out with his one free hand to catch her potential fall - Darius realised he felt a sense of responsibility for ensuring she got home safely.

Scalvoris Town was his home, and he wouldn't have changed that for all of Idalos, but there were plenty of sailors who could get rowdy with enough ale in their bellies, and a slight, pretty woman like Yeva could become an easy target.

"Perhaps I could walk you home?" he offered, inexplicably finding cause to chuckle mid-sentence. "Just to make sure you don't get lost while you're..."

...drunk.

"...still learning to find your way around town."

[Yeva]

14 Cylus 720

Distracted by her etchings in the sand, Yeva tried to rectify Darius' weight by adding a circle and shading it in, however sand was not the most forgiving media and soon his body became distorted, caught somewhere between smudge and blob, "This's hardar then i' looks," she mused, lifting the stick up and turning it over, as if it somehow was responsible for the uneven lines and overall poor presentation of the artwork. Yeva took a deep inhale through her nose, held it in her chest. Mind fuzzy, holding herself upright was becoming less appealing with the alcohol beginning to really take its toll, "I like art. It's nice."

She leaned her head back and watched the stars and moons - everything was so dark in Cylus, the constallations were always brightest this time of arc - and then looked over her shoulder when Darius' hand hovered nearby, ready to catch her if she should fall.

"Perhaps I could walk you home?"

"Hm?"

"Just to make sure you don't get lost while you're still learning to find your way around town."

Yeva looked back at the events around her, suddenly drawn back down to Idalos, "Oh," she gave a soft chuckle, "I'd pro'bly get lost an'way. What time is it?" she stood slowly, testing the weight of her legs and then blinked by the sudden surprise of intoxication. She knew it was coming, and suddenly appreciated the blonde man quite a bit, flexing her fingers as if they were foreign entities. No doubt Azrael would wonder where she was. He would probably have plenty to say if he was at the tavern before she was, doubly so about her drinking. It was a bit uncharacteristic for her, all things considered.

"I would like that. Thanks. Um..."

Where was she staying again?

Yeva said nothing for a moment, thinking and then clapped her hands sharply together once as it came to her, "Knight's Rest Inn, that's it. You know it? "

With a bit of help, Yeva gathered her things and helped to clean up their meal, giggling to herself anytime she nearly took a tumble in the sand. More than once, she became distracted, either by others at the Casino or nature itself. Once she simply stared out among the ocean, admiring the deep black of the water. It looked endless. Then of course, there were the random facts when they actually began their walk through the city, mostly of medicine and cryptography. It was fairly understandable that she was a remarkably intelligent woman sober, although in her current state her train of thought was less predictable and a bit short-lived, "... and St... ste..." her lips pursed as she struggled with the word. She decided to break it up into easier bits, right as they rounded up to the tavern door, "Stega-no-grapny is when messages are hidden.... Right in plain sight!"

"We're here," she felt a rush of joy, and then confusion, "Thank you."

How did one say goodnight? A handshake? A pat on the back?

Yeva looked up at the broad man and then shook his hand. When she let go, the red head followed it up by a hug, tilting her head back with a drunken smile, "It was nice to meet you. Good night!"

[Darius Baer]

If Darius had been clinging to any lingering doubts that Yeva's drinking might have made her vulnerable - and he most certainly hadn't been - then they would have been quickly banished by the woman's new take on life. Over the course of the evening, she had become increasingly willing to let her guard down, which made for great conversation and plenty of giggling.

In truth, the redhead's company seemed just as pleasant while alcohol swirled in her belly as when she had been playing cards sober, but there was no safety in wandering the streets of Scalvoris Town at night in such a state. Whether he liked the reality or not, Darius knew that someone of his size and frame could prove to be quite the deterrent for a would-be thief.

"Ah, perfect," he grinned as his gambling companion 'corrected' her drawing of him. "Now it's the spitting image of me."

He followed the woman's skyward gaze, and he pointed out a particular constellation, its stars daring to pierce through the Cylus fog.

"See that line of stars?" he asked, indicating a trio that formed a horizontal line. "And then down either side, until the two rows converge in the middle, so that it looks like a heater shield? That's known as Loros the Shield Bearer, and they say it's supposed to have an influence on the personalities of Cylus babies, if you believe in that sort of thing."

He chuckled lightly, gently shaking his head to suggest that he himself did not believe such things, before allowing himself to get lost in the moment as he stared up at the celestial body.

"It's useful for navigating by night, though," he added.

Darius was the first to stand, and as he did, felt his head begin to swirl. But he widened his stance to catch himself, and the sensation had passed by the time Yeva had made her own wobbly way up to her feet.

Before long - and after a few helpful shakes of their items to empty them of any sand that had mercilessly climbed inside - they were on their way. Darius said very little, allowing Yeva to dominate the conversation with her meandering and seemingly disjointed train of thought. More than once, he had to gently guide Yeva back onto their chosen path, lest she become lost in her distractions and never make it home.

Eventually, however, they arrived at the inn that the woman called home, and after thanking him, she embraced him. Darius looked down at her as she did, trying to hide the awkwardness he felt being so close to a pretty woman - for, as he could see up close, she was pretty. There was a temptation to get lost in the woman's riot of freckles and her honey brown eyes, but he knew better of it. Alcohol was having a say, but he refused to listen.

Instead, he managed a rather awkward farewell and carefully disentangled himself from the hug, before thanking Yeva for her company, and - once she had entered the inn - turning away into the darkness to find his own way home.

[Doran]

Darius:

Knowledge:
Skill Knowledges:
Discipline: Don't let alcohol influence your judgment.
Endurance: Herding cats (or drunk redheads) has the potential to become frustrating.
Etiquette: Offer to help a lady get home if you think she might need assistance.
Gambling: You can learn how to play a game as a spectator.
Gambling: You can study potential opponents as a spectator.
Gambling: Learn the art of the bluff.
Gambling: Knowing how to read a bluff is just as important as knowing how to play one.
Navigation: You can use the stars to navigate.
Navigation: Different constellations can be seen in different parts of Idalos.
Navigation: Different constellations can be seen at different times of the arc.
Resistance: Drinking games can be fun but can impair your judgment.
Resistance: Standing too quickly after drinking can cause dizziness.
Resistance: Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach.
Resistance: Alcohol does nothing to remove the taste of spice.

Non-Skill Knowledges:
PC:
Yeva: Comes from Rharne.
Yeva: Is a member of the Order of the Adunih.
Yeva: Has a low tolerance for alcohol.
Yeva: Enjoys spicy food.
Yeva: Enjoys playing games.

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: Darius is drunk!
Renown: 5
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Yeva:

Knowledge:
Cryptography: The Purpose of a Cryptographer
Cryptography: Stenography Hides Messages in Plain Sight
Detection: Changes in Sobriety Within Yourself & Others
Drawing: How to Draw a Stick Figure
Drawing: Adding Details Can Sometimes Make a Drawing Worse
Drawing: Using Sand & Sticks a Temporary Medium
Gambling: How to Play Chase the Ace
Gambling: The Differences Between Rharne & Scalvoris (Card Games)
Gambling: Pay Attention to Played Cards
Gambling: What is a Buy-In
Gambling: How to Shuffle & Deal Cards
Resistance: Drinking Games Are a Dangerous Intoxicant
Resistance: Eating Without a Tolerance to Spicy Food
Resistance: Drink Milk & Eat Bread to Help a Hot Mouth

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: Yeva is drunk!
Renown: 5
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: I didn’t expect Yeva to visit a casino and get drunk. It was quite an entertaining thread though, and I found the game relatively easy to follow. I like that you included a picture and the scores, Darius. That was helpful. I also really enjoyed Yeva’s song. Darius is such a gentleman for offering to walk Yeva home. Enjoy your rewards!