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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - AFTERNOON
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Louma finds her way to the Minnow for the first time a little while, dressed down in a plain cotton shirt and belt combo. She heads straight for the bar, sliding a bar stool aside to make room for her usual tail coil. She orders a plate of bread and stewed meat, looking about as she waits for her lunch.
Gareth is sitting in a booth not too far from the counter, a subtle, if sharp smell of metal polish occasionally wafting out from the booth as he works to maintain his gear. He'd spent some time in the time he's been in Respite exploring outside of the town during the cooler parts of the day, but aside from a couple of minor scuffles against wild creatures, there hasn't been much to pique his interest.
Louma spots a strange wolf, her interest immediately piqued by his assortment of weapons, as well as the way he's opted to do maintenance within a tavern. She tries to keep her airs as casual as possible, speaking up. "Hello there sir! What's all that... And that smell?" She finally catches a whiff of the polish, a familiar smell for certain.
Gareth glances up towards Louma, his blind left eye a stark contrast against his dark fur. He looks over the coatl with a bit of scrutiny, before grunting and looking back at his gear. "Metal polish. Been maintainin' me gear a bit since I was out beyond the walls for a bit the other day." He sighs a little as he holds up one of his pistols to look at the polish in the light, "Not much out there, is there?"
Louma shakes her head, noticing his eye. "No, the area is a little barren, being practically a desert. I've never seen you before, did you come to Respite for a hunting trip?"
Gareth sets his pistol down and takes a moment to fold his polishing towel up. "No, not exactly. I came along with me huntin' partner - bounty huntin' - because she needed to visit her cousin for some reason." He shrugs, "Didn't have anythin' to do elsewhere at the time, so I figured I'd come along."
Louma receives her food, deciding that this required a little more investigation. As Gareth's table is a bit occupied, Louma nods her thanks to the barkeep and moves her food and self to the next booth up from his, taking a seat across from him to continue their conversation face to face. She giggles, her voice sweetening slightly. "Bounty hunting? That sounds like an exciting adventure."
Gareth nods as he adjusts his gear, sliding his things a little off to the side so he can reach for his drink. He sighs and takes a gulp before setting the mug back down. "Yeah, bounty huntin'. Pays well, we get idiots off the street, and I get to keep me skills from rustin'."
Louma eats a bit of her food while Gareth talks, nodding. "That sounds interesting, at least! Did you get that injury on a hunt?"
Gareth raises an eyebrow, then gestures at his blind eye. "Ye mean this? No, I got it some years ago in a fight."
Louma ahhs, nodding. "That's unfortunate. Sorry if I'm prying a little bit, it's not often I get a chance to talk to strangers that are so well equipped. Honestly, I get a little bored living here."
Gareth shrugs again. "Eh... I'm not exactly trying to keep anythin' concealed, anyway. Prefer keepin' meself obvious like this, because then I at least know when folks are payin' any undue attention to me." He pauses, giving Louma a look, "If it's so borin', why are you even livin' here, anyway?"
Louma shrugs in turn, eating a bit of her bread before answering. "I suppose it's not so bad, actually things have recently become almost too interesting. And I've built up a certain amount of responsibility here."
Gareth chuckles. "Oh? Somethin' of a bigshot around town, hm? I see. Guess ye can't really escape once ye've got some responsibilities 'round town."
Louma shakes her head, giggling slightly. "Not that important, most of the time I do little more than push paper." She finishes off the rest of her meat before asking, "You said you didn't find much, where did you try hunting?"
Gareth: "I didn't really go out seekin' anythin', so much as just explore the outside a bit of a ways. Desert to the southwest, grasslands to the northeast, mountains every other way... Kind of an easy place for someone to get lost in if they're not careful."
Louma dips her bread into the remaining sauce from her meat as Gareth speaks, nodding along. She stifles a chuckle as he finishes. "So... Almost everywhere then. That's a shame you didn't find anything to give you a challenge."
Gareth shakes his head. "I don't go seekin' challenges. That's as good a way as any to end up six feet under before yer time." He quirks up a bit of a half-grin, however, "'Course, me partner and I 're more capable than most, bein' entirely honest. Exceptin' maybe the Orelan Navy."
Louma chuckles quietly, shrugging. "The only people that have to fear the Orelan Navy are pirates and smugglers, I think Orela has had it's fill of seabound conflict for some time. I don't doubt you and her are skilled, given what you've chosen to make your living at, but I'm sure some of the Guard here could give you trouble if they had the reason."
Gareth lets out a bit of a laugh. "Hah, maybe. Just a quick tour of the town, I can already see that some of the guards have steel in 'em. I guess frontier life hardens just about everyone in some way, though."
Louma grins, nodding. "I can attest to that, it's very difficult to settle down out here, and yet sometimes there is just nothing better for them to do than hunt or train." She shrugs. "Perhaps that's why you didn't see much near town. I bet if you asked nicely, someone might even be up to testing you at the guards training area." She eyes up the pistol he had just been tending to, smirking. "In hand-to-hand combat, of course."
Gareth 's eyes flick towards the pistol, then smirks as he leans to the side and pulls a rather hefty-looking scabbard onto the table from the seat beside him. "Well, those 're just single-shot pistols. Good enough to chase away anyone not serious about fightin' and hurt those that keep tryin'. All else, I got this. Been in enough scrapes to know me way around usin' a blade."
Louma leans over to see past the tables and chairs between them, offering a nod of approval as she straightens back up. "I like that, a wide skill set is impressive. Do you have any formal training, or just what you've learned by necessity?" She shakes her head after a second, grinning awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm prying again!"
Gareth hums as he leaves his scabbard-enshrouded blade on the table for now. "Mmh... depends on what ye consider 'formal' trainin'. Most of what I know's from learnin' from folks that knew what they were doin'." He grins again, "The rest of it? Self-taught."
Louma rests her elbow on the table, and her chin on that hand with a coy look to the wolf. "Interesting, indeed. I must admit, it's admirable that you've gone so long as a bounty hunter without training."
Gareth shrugs as he leans against the table a bit. "What can I say? Ye learn fast, or die fast."
Louma chuckles lightly, her eyes flicking towards his left eye. "I suppose you learned a lo from that, then?"
Gareth nods, staring at Louma with a flat look. "'Course. That one taught me I shouldn't put me face in the way of a sword." He snorts in amusement after a few seconds of silence, "Well, actually, it just taught me footwork."
Louma laughs quietly for a few seconds before sitting straight again. "I don't know, both sound like valuable lessons to me. Of course, now I've learned the first from you, and the second..." She looks aside at the black scaled tail piled around and under her. "That one might not apply to me, personally."
Gareth 's eyes take in the appearance of Louma's long, coiled tail, then chuckles as he looks back up at the swan snake properly. "Might be hard to know footwork without any feet, true. Still, from what I hear, snakefolk 're agile, more than a lot of others."
Louma: "Mmh, one of my guards once said he couldn't tell where I was going to move next, because he couldn't tell where my weight was shifting."
Gareth nods. "With that much tail, ye could feint one way and still have enough control to move the parts that really matter in a different direction entirely."
Louma shifts slightly, internally scolding herself for the minor slip up, not that she felt much need to keep her job obscured any longer. "You're right on the point with that assessment, are you sure you haven't seen a snake in a fight before?"
Gareth shrugs as he takes another drink from his mug. "Might have faced one down in a scuffle somewhere just outside of Orela, but nothin' recently." He treats Louma to a smirk, "What, ye offerin' to match blades with me?"
Louma grins, a slight flush coming to her face, though hidden by her feathers. She puts on a bit of a teasing voice, "I don't know, you wouldn't feel bad taking on a poor swan like myself?"
Gareth flashes a grin. "Who better to test one's mettle against than a guard captain? Yer from Orela, right? Snake country?"
Louma blinks, her coy expression sinking into a wry grin. "Ah, I am from Orela, yes. What gives you the idea I'm a guard captain, though?"
Gareth raises a finger and flicks at the tip of one of his furry ears. "One of yer guards said he couldn't tell where ye were goin' to move next. Most nobles I've heard of or seen don't usually spar with their hired hands."
Louma sighs, nodding. "Fair, I was hoping you had missed that. It's easier to get information in casual conversation. That's fine, I've been sure you're not criminally dangerous for a while now." She gives him a shallow bow, smiling. "I am Louma, pleased to meet you."
Gareth gives Louma a little salute and a half-grin. "Pleasure to meet ye, Louma. Me name's Gareth, bounty hunter, former pirate. Fiora's the one that captured me former crew." His grin slowly grows, "And I'm the one that helped her do so."
Louma laughs again, tilting her head a bit. "Really? You say captured, so they're still alive and possibly full of grudges, then?"
Gareth 's grin shifts into a smirk. "Won't bother me any. They'll be old and dodderin' by the time they get released. See, they were about do somethin' even I knew was goin' to be dumb. I bailed before they tried it, and sure enough, Fiora came stompin' into the bar a bit later with a bounty on the entire lot of 'em."
Louma shakes her head, smiling. "Your instincts seem pretty good, Gareth. What was this plan of theirs?"
Gareth snorts and shakes his head. "Attempted robbery of a Silver-Talon trade ship. Juicy target, if they succeeded, but anyone familiar with Vamas knows the Silver-Talons aren't to be messed with."
Louma looks aside, thinking for a moment before returning to Gareth with a nod. "Yes, I've heard the same. They likely don't even want to be released, it's safer in prison. Hm, unfortunately I can't really risk getting injured, so I'll have to ask for a raincheck on that match, assuming you'll be around town in just over a week."
Gareth shrugs a little. "I'm around town for as long as Fiora's around. Her cousin's got some problems right now, so I'll probably be around for a while."
Louma nods, grinning. "Well then, if I see you around, expect an invitation in the morning and a few bruises by the afternoon."
Gareth laughs and nods. "I'll keep me good eye out for the invite, then. Just don't expect to get away without a few bruises of yer own, Louma."
Louma chuckles, glancing towards the door for a moment before slowly rising from her coil. "I'll look forward to it then, Gareth. I've got a few errands to take care of and a certain stoat to harass." She gives him a polite bow, grinning. "Try not to get into too much trouble for a while."
Gareth chuckles and gives Louma another salute, then goes to pick up his polishing towel again. "Don't ye worry, lass. I'll keep me nose clean while yer out. I'm lookin' forward to the sparrin' match."
Louma nods, turning towards the door. "I'll worry anyways, just for spite." She chuckles as she heads for the door. "Enjoy your stay!" She ducks out the door, heading off for final preparations.