Of Poetry

[kaythenia]

It was early afternoon in the Fairy's Fountain but still the patrons came, gathered around tables in groups to laugh, talk and play their games of cards or dice. The atmosphere was warm and had an aura of safety about it, that was what Kaythenia liked about it so much. She didn't feel like she stood out particularly amongst the crowds, in her situation that was nothing if not a positive. The young Bard had been convinced by Youkai to return to Castle Town for now, on the promise that if she needed to run he would not hold it against her. She had felt the need to spell that out for the Knight, thanks to her lifestyle, keeping a promise of any kind was difficult. But for now she would do her best, the Fairy's Fountain provided a safe haven at least, Kaythenia did not constantly find herself worrying on where she would sleep for the night. The staff on a whole did not ask particularly prying questions and seemed content to just smile and wish her good day. For Kaythenia, that was nothing if not a positive. Although she was not due to perform this evening for a time she was perched upon one of the barstools, with a thin, battered book laid out on the wooden bartop.

It was something she had picked up for cheap in the market place that very morning, a book of poetry by an author she recognised. It was an old copy but it did not bother the young woman as she read her way through it, her chin resting on one hand. Eyes focused on the words on the page, turning the page carefully every so often before settling back down to continue. Kaythenia knew that some people thought the arts to be a frivolous pastime, designed only to captivate and ensnare the gullible and naive. In some ways perhaps it was, it depended on the intentions of the artist themselves. This particular poet had been a favourite of her Mother's and had in her opinion written their sentiment from the heart rather than the head. A rarity considering some of the nonsense she had thumbed her way through this afternoon at the bookstall, honestly some of it didn't have the substance to have even come from the head, rather someone's britches if her instinct was at all correct...
Her expression must have said it all as the merchant commented that she looked as if she had swallowed a fly.

Until she had found this, that had more than made up for the farce she had to dig through to find it.

[Baal Tansley]

While most people enjoyed drinking at night, the Fairy's Fountain provided the advantage of being a meeting place to socialize during the day. It was for this reason that Baal didn't require a minimum amount of drinks as a lot of other bars did. The Fairy's Fountain to him wasn't just a bar, so it didn't need to force that particular aspect of the tavern down upon people. There were many regulars who came just for the atmosphere, perhaps to play a game of checkers with a buddy or meet up with some friends before going elsewhere. Either way the friendly atmosphere led to enough drinks being bought that he could call any day this busy profitable.

And so he was serving up one of those scant few drinks that were ordered to a customer. He collected the rupees for the drink and wished the man a happy day before throwing the little gems into the till. Beside the till sat his sword, Asher, hidden from sight but always in reach. Most regulars knew of the sword's presence, as Baal had to use it every now and then to intimidate some punks or drive off bad business. He didn't particularly like using the sword for that, especially considering the story behind the blade. It didn't feel respectful to the memory of the previous owners. But it was more reliable than brandishing a bottle or a spoon.

Grabbing up one of the dishes that needed to be washed, as they were always present within the bar, he began to wipe it down when he noticed his most recent employee relaxing at the other end of the bar. The place had been busy and she hadn't ordered anything since she'd come in, so he must've overlooked her. I must be losing my touch, Baal thought to himself and grinned as he took the few quick steps required to put himself at her service.

"It must be a good read that one so careful finds herself lost within its pages," he said with an amused tone. Jules had noticed that the furniture in the room Kay had stayed in had been moved. Jules had cleaned those rooms every day for over a decade, so Baal trusted her opinion on these things. He had reasoned it all out and came to the one obvious conclusion. "Can I get you something since you're here?" he asked and motioned back at the line of bottles behind the bar. "We do have more than water available, you know."

[kaythenia]

"It must be a good read that one so careful finds herself lost within its pages, can I get you something since you're here? We do have more than water available, you know."

Kaythenia's gaze lifted from her book at the sound of Baal's voice, the edge of the page between her finger and thumb. She noted the mention of her being 'careful', even she couldn't exactly pin down the meaning behind such a comment. Was her employer referencing to the fact that she nearly always had an excellent grasp of what was going on around her? Or maybe that she took great care when retiring to her room of a nighttime. Perhaps Jules had said something in regard to the moved funiture? Kaythenia scolded her overactive paranoia, although it had saved her neck more than once it also made her think far too much into things. Maybe the casual comment was exactly what it was, simply a Baal's way of starting up conversation. The Bard did not yet know him well enough to be able to aptly read him quite yet.

"It's an old favourite of mine actually, came across it on the bookstall at Market earlier, one of the few poets I truly appreciate." She didn't miss the comment about there being more than water avaliable either. "I'm not much of a drinker, I prefer to have my wits about me." The suggestion was waved aside quickly as if she would prefer not to talk about it, quickly steering the conversation between herself and Baal onto different territory.

Momentarily she was distracted by one of the regulars who remembered her from her last performance, clapping her on the shoulder as he went by. Politely she graced him with a smile and a wave as he joined his group of friends for a game of cards, it gave her a moment to scan the bar. No familiar faces, good. The Bard turned her attention back to Baal, drumming her fingers gently across the old pages of the book. The words handwriten in a neat cursive, a far cry from her own spidery script which always seemed to move across the page as if her mind was moving a little too fast for her hand to keep up with. If she ever decided to pen her own songs and poems they would need to be written down by someone else, goddessess forbid anyone attempt to translate her handwriting. "If you would allow me to demonstrate why I was enthralled I doubt you would regret it." Kaythenia smiled at Baal.

[Baal Tansley]

Baal grinned that friendly bartender grin that spoke of inside jokes to everyone it was flashed to as the man slapped Kay on the shoulder and moved on. A bartender was always in the same place at the same time, a stable constant for the regulars. Conversations were shared, secrets told and jokes formed. Each and every person who regulared at the Fairy's Fountain eventually developed something to laugh about with Baal, and whether that was the bartender or the man on a whole was hard to distinguish.

"Looks like you're already a hit after two songs," he mused as he watched the man settle down and start talking to his friends. The bartender had to resist the urge to tune into their conversation with ears trained to eavesdrop across a crowded bar. It wasn't polite or becoming of a bartender, though he did it anyway on those boring nights with there wasn't much going on and nobody stopped to talk. Or the people talking didn't have anything to talk about. It was always nice to have alternatives.

"A chance to hear that enchanting voice of yours recite poetry? Why I would be daft to deny it," he said with another one of those grins. It was easier to talk to Kay than some of his regulars. He knew the topic to avoid and though he danced all over it he did stay away as much as was polite. Everything else seem fair enough game. "Pick me out one of your favorites," he mused, staring down at the book and doing his best to read it upside down.

"And we do have stuff that won't dull your wits, you know. Not everyone enjoys getting drunk, but people do enjoy the company. Tea, coffee, juices, some nectar, chances are if you can name it we have it back here somewhere. There's more than just what's on show," he said with a chuckle. They had a storeroom full of flavors. In a land as diverse as Hyrule it was beneficial to have some of everything handy to suit all tastes.

[kaythenia]

"Looks like you're already a hit after two songs,"

Kaythenia could only hope, after all it was what Baal was paying her for. If she did not excel enough to make her face recognisable to his customers she would not be doing her job as she ought to be. Even if so far she had only made the one performance to demonstrate her talent, it had apparently left a brand on a few memories around the place. So far there had been no sign of Davik around the town although Kaythenia was not so foolish to think that he had lost her scent. He knew her far too well for that, perhaps since Youkai's threat he was becoming more cautious about his timing now that he knew she had a Knight watching over her as well. Her Hunter might have been a coward but he was far from a fool, although there was always the risk of him spotting her around here...she knew that if she spent too much time hidden away in her room people were more likely to talk. The irony of that was the more time she spent here becoming part of the scenary as it were, the less talk was likely to spread.

"A chance to hear that enchanting voice of yours recite poetry? Why I would be daft to deny it, Pick me out one of your favorites, and we do have stuff that won't dull your wits, you know. Not everyone enjoys getting drunk, but people do enjoy the company. Tea, coffee, juices, some nectar, chances are if you can name it we have it back here somewhere. There's more than just what's on show,"

"My pleasure." she said, flicking a few pages along to find the one that she wanted. "Some tea wouldn't go amiss if it's on offer." It was probably one of the shorter pieces in the book, almost like an afterthought. But something about it struck a chord for her, Kaythenia couldn't really explain the reason behind it. Sometimes such things happened, you found a connection to something that you couldn't explain be it a piece of music, poetry or even people. She paused at the right page and ran her finger along the title as if she were tracing the raised ink from the page, the young woman cleared her throat and began to recite the poem.

"Again and again, however we know the landscape of love
and the little churchyard there, with its sorrowing names,
and the frighteningly silent abyss into which the others
fall: again and again the two of us walk out together
under the ancient trees, lie down again and again
among the flowers."

There was a pause, Kaythenia lifted her gaze from the page to look at Baal although her expression was extremely difficult to read.

"Face to face with the sky."

As she finished the final stanza there was a slow clap from behind her, possibly from a few paces back. Kaythenia broke the eyecontact with Baal to glance briefly over her shoulder, the colour immediately drained from her face. Davik was perched at a table not six paces away, the hood of his cloak down, dark hair pulled back into it's customary loose ponytail and dark eyes, almost black in this light. Calmly he left his seat and wandered over to where Kaythenia sat, her hands immediately clenched into tight fists on the bartop and every muscle in her body sang with tension as he approached. She knew better than to get up and sprint even if her instincts were screaming at her to do so. "I'd know that voice anywhere, good to see you again, Red." Davik rested one hand on the curve where Kaythenia's neck and shoulder met, his long fingers splayed across the bare skin of her collarbone. The Bard didn't speak, she merely stayed where she was.

[Baal Tansley]

Baal took her order and went about setting up the kettle to boil. The most recent pot was old enough that the water was only luke warm, and Baal liked to keep up the quality. He set the pot on a gas-fueled fire and waited for it to start boiling, then turned around to listen to Kay read her poetry. The singer had a beautiful voice while singing, and such was still true even as she read the verse. It was funny seeing a musician so into poetry; usually the two were like cats and dogs. But then there were cats that got along with dogs and vice versa, so he shouldn't be so surprised.

The eye contact did catch him off guard. He certainly wasn't ready for that during a little poetry read, though he couldn't quite make out the emotions behind it. She was doing a good job at putting up a mask. She finished and a lot of nearby patrons were also caught in the momentary stupor, though it was quickly broken by the slow clap from another man Baal hadn't noticed enter the bar. Damn, I really need to start paying attention.

[/i] He eyed the man as he approached. There was something sinister there.

The way Kay's knuckles turned white as the man approached, and she went stiff as a board. There was definitely something wrong with this man. Part of the past he didn't pry into. Unfortunately for Kay it seemed like he was about to get involved. "It is a lovely voice, isn't it?" Baal said casually, taking the tea off of the burner as it boiled and pouring some tea, placing the cup in front of Kay. He also placed milk and sugar there. "I have cream if you'd rather," he added before grabbing another dish and ever so casually started to wipe it.

And all the while setting himself close to Asher, ready to grab the sword when necessary. "So how can I help you, sir?" he asked, laying the dish down and grabbing another one, watching this new man who set the bard on edge with a keen eye.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[kaythenia]

"It is a lovely voice, isn't it? I have cream if you'd rather,"

Kaythenia didn't make any move to touch the tea although she had a wide eyed stare about her, as if she were trying to focus on something, anything. At this point Davik took the cup of tea from infront of the Bard, adding a splash of milk before taking a sip of it, all without removing his hand from Kaythenia. He put the tea back down infront of her although she made no move to touch it, infact she now stared at it as if the cup had been filled with deadly poison. She did not hold Baal's gaze, instead she now seemed intent on staring at the cup as if it might leap up from the bartop and suddenly bite her. Davik's hand moved slowly up from her collarbone to gently, although the movements were laced with steel, to cup the back of her neck, lacing his fingers amongst the fiery locks. "She always has had a lovely voice, very distinctive. Isn't that right, love?"

"So how can I help you, sir?"

Davik shook his head and Kaythenia carried on staring at that same spot, as if she were primed to take flight at any given moment, the colour had completely dropped from her face and made her appear somewhat ill. The stranger acted as if this were nothing particularly unusual and rested his other free hand around her wrist, the contact caused a visible flinch and for a second she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "No need, Kaythenia." He spoke her name, pronouncing every syllable like honey dripping from his tongue. "And myself have known eachother for a long time and we have much to talk about, don't we?" The 'don't we' was puncuated by a squeeze around the wrist, pushing the cuff of her glove up with his thumb to feel the scarring he knew lay beneath. That was when she made a move to remove herself from his grasp but Davik held on, pushing it back down to the bar and shooting her a look which said 'Don't try that again.'

The Bard glimpsed the silver chain at Davik's hip and immediately felt sick, purposely not looking at Baal. Kaythenia knew she shoudn't have listened to Youkai, it made her too easy for her Hunter to track down, she should have known it wouldn't be long. Oh Goddesses she had to get out of here, cause chaos, something, she had to run, every instinct in her body was screaming at her to do so.

[Baal Tansley]

That look, like a frightened puppy who caught the scent of its abusive master, was unmistakable. The way she was avoiding his eye, a clear sign that this was the business he wasn't supposed to know about. But, the way Baal saw it, this man had entered into the Fairy's Fountain and brought the business with him, so it was now Baal's business, too. He eyed the man, making sure to give no sign that he had caught on, as he continued his regular bartending duties.

The element of surprise was his here, it was just a matter of figuring out how to use it. First thing's first he had to make sure the two of them stayed in plain sight. If they went off somewhere there was no saying he'd see her again, considering the way she was suddenly acting. Baal finished wiping his dish and put it back on the rack, then grabbed a glass and put it on the counter beside Kay's tea. "Well if you're a friend of my dear bard then allow me to treat you to a drink. What will you have, we have a wide selection, practically anything you can name."

He paused, turned and glanced at the bar. The thought of poison--what good bartender with a past didn't keep some handy?--came to mind, but considering he didn't know this business he decided that would be too rash. Best keep them occupied. "And before you can refuse I insist, and I will not take no for an answer. Besides it'd be terribly rude to take the poor lady away from a fresh cup of tea, wouldn't you say?" Baal cooed, working that practiced sales pitch to its limits. "I'd say if you two know each other you share her tastes, something that'll let you keep your wits. We have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, well, like I said, practically anything you can name."

[kaythenia]

"Well if you're a friend of my dear bard then allow me to treat you to a drink. What will you have, we have a wide selection, practically anything you can name. And before you can refuse I insist, and I will not take no for an answer. Besides it'd be terribly rude to take the poor lady away from a fresh cup of tea, wouldn't you say? I'd say if you two know each other you share her tastes, something that'll let you keep your wits. We have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, well, like I said, practically anything you can name."

Davik raised an eyebrow at the offer but none the less shot Baal a grin, tightening his grip slightly on Kaythenia's wrist. Rubbing his thumb over the puckered skin of the scarring beneath the cuff of her glove like a one might with a worry stone, his other hand still resting on her neck, fingers intertwined with her hair. To the casual observer, Davik's behaviours might appear to be nothing but affection, behaving almost like a lover might towards a treasured partner. It suceeded in making the young woman feel sick to her stomach, the bitter, coppery combination of blood and his lips still stung at the very back of her throat. Having him near her in any way was enough to bring that memory back and that was the very least he would have on his mind. Kaythenia knew that much. The Hunter considered Baal's offer, there was no need to rouse suspicions by suddenly forcing Kaythenia to make a swift exit. The last thing he needed was to cause unwanted attention, unless she tried something foolish.

"That's very generous of you, I'll take you up on the coffee, strong. I was unaware until recently that you had aquired her as your Bard but I suppose word travels fast." Davik's hand left the back of Kaythenia's neck to move a lock of hair out of her eyes, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers as he did so. Such a motion was rewarded with a visible flinch. "You're not a well kept secret are you, Red?" Davik's expression betrayed nothing but his grip once again tightened on her wrist as a warning.

Kaythenia wasn't sure how much longer she could take this, if she dealt with the situation the same as she had last time it had meant totally abandoning the Inn. Causing total chaos in her doing so, but this time she didn't have Youkai sitting beside her and didn't dare risk a look at Baal. She couldn't let him get her by herself, then he would use that Braigh, the silver chain she knew he kept at his belt...But every instinct in her body was screaming at her to get out of there, to put distance between them again. Even though she was at a loss of what decision to make, Davik had been known to twist the truth and make her appear as a criminal or worse if she had tried to fight him back in a public place.