Chance Meetings (Alleria)

[Zared Halberk]

x x

Being the son of a nobleman can have its pains sometimes. Fortunately being the second son of a nobleman usually cancels out those pains. Where Zared's brother would be recognized almost everywhere for his position, Zared himself was a ghost. Nobody cared about the second-born, and Zared's face was one of those easily forgettable ones. It helped Zared out a number of times, actually, getting mixed in with the wrong groups here and there during his various excursions into Castle Town whole.

Tonight, however, it was another story. Zared was not the second-born of a high influence family or the younger brother of one of the big up-and-comings in Castle Town. Tonight he was just another one of the guys in the tavern, part of the group. That was one thing Zared never struggled with: fitting into a crowd. When he arrived at the tavern it was almost no time at all before he had settled into one of the largest groups there. Throwing around a bit of coin really helped as well, of course.

Zared sat at the table and laughed at a joke that had just been told. This is what he liked about the taverns. This jolly mirth that spread to anyone who came along. There was no political concern, he could just have fun. He wiped his eyes where there were tears in the corners from all the laughing he had done that evening, when a single coin bounced across the table and landed in his mug. Part of a drinking game that the group he was with was trying to organized, but failing to get much order at.

"Oh, great, that's just want I wanted, copper poisoning in my drink," he said dryly before grabbing the mug and taking a long swig, as the rules of the game required. He set it down and wiped the foam away from his upper lip. "Alright guys, I'll go set up another round. I'd better not come back to find a king's fortune in my drink," he said, wagging his finger to scold the other guys mockingly. They all laughed and Zared got up from the table and headed over to the bar.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

Alleria enjoyed the anonymity of taverns, and the fact she could find silence even in a raucous setting like this. It was an odd combination, no one really cared about who one was in a bar. It also helped that most of the patrons were too drunk to see straight by the night's end, so there was that factor to consider. She was no one important, aside from the occasional lewd gesture aimed at her figure. The young Gerudo tended to take care of that with a few broken fingers to the idiot that tried, so it was all good~! She could hear the loud laughter of a particularly jovial table somewhere behind her, and it was both familiar and humorous to listen in on. A drinking game no doubt, and she giggled into her cup silently. Bring the mug to her lips, she sipped at the amber liquid slowly. Alleria enjoyed drinking, but she found it more smart to not down everything at once, because she preferred keeping her wits about her. It was an amiable atmosphere, but she liked to err on the side of caution. Old habits from her childhood died hard, but it was worth it.

Alleria wondered if perhaps she should buy another mug, but she glanced back as the laughter behind her began to grow louder. She glanced over her shoulder, blue eyes zeroing in on a young male laughing quite happily. Her brow quirked as she watched a coin splash into his own mug, and yet he drank it anyway. Honestly, she wondered how men came up with most of these games. The mind seemed to be much more imaginative while inebriated it seemed. She held herself back from snorting, and took a bigger mouthful of her own drink. Her mind was beginning to grow a little fuzzy around the edges, and that was also another reason she did not drink too much. Alleria could not hold her liquor too well, and that was an embarrassing fact to admit. Apparently her friend had told her she was a very happy and clingy drunk, and Goddesses knew she did not need that experience again. Not that she remembered it. Thank goodness for some small miracles, right?

Alleria turned blue eyes to the male that was suddenly by the bar. The same one that had been laughing before, and she smiled lightly. It seemed he was having quite the fun time. Perhaps feeling a little bold than normal, Alleria leaned forward a little to capture his attention. "From all the laughter behind me, I can tell you're all having a fun time," she remarked with a laugh. As she studied him, she found that he was actually quite cute. The young woman wondered if he would be fun to flirt with, and she considered it to be her own type of drinking game. The amiable joviality of the room, along with her own drink, were starting to loosen her up. Just the way that Alleria liked it~!

[Zared Halberk]

x x

Zared got to the bar and tried to flag down the bartender. The man was busy, however, and seemed to ignore it every time Zared raised his hand. The nobleman sighed and resigned himself to waiting, leaning over on the counter and keeping a close eye on the man. That was until a lady sitting at the bar seemed to seek his attention. He turned his head to look at her as she spoke, then offered her a grin as he realized what she was speaking of. "Some more than others, I assure you. I'm going to be going home and looking up ways to disinfect one's stomach after this, but all in the name of mirth, right?"

He took a moment to glance over at the bartender again, but the man had his back set to the rest of the bar while he talks to a pair of young ladies who were looking to get some free drinks. At least that's what Zared assumed. But he wasn't exactly a trained read on people; that was more his brother's domain. Zared was just there to have fun, and it seemed the bartender was opposed to business. He grunted with disdain and pulled up a stool while he waited, furrowing his brow as another wave of laughter spilled across the tavern coming from his table.

Might as well occupy himself with others. "So are you drinking alone or are you waiting for someone?" Zared asked, noticing that the woman had no company with her at the bar. "Not that there's anything wrong with drinking alone, mind you," he added once he realized that she probably was. "I do it myself quite often. I mean, I'm not a drunk or anything, but I . . . should probably stop right there, sorry," he said, raising a hand and rubbing the back of his head as he realized his tongue had gotten away from him for a moment.

"Hang on, let me try something a little less embarrassing: hi, my name is Zared," he finished, lowering his hand to offer it to her, smooth as he was. Except before she could shake it he noticed the bartender had glanced back, and the hand was raised in another attempt to catch his attention. Which failed, miserably, and the bartender fell back into his conversation while Zared was left to clean up the mess he had just somehow managed to make almost immediately.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

Alleria was a little relieved that he did not mind her speaking to him out of the blue, but that was what bars were for! A bright smile crossed her lips, and she laughed lightly at his quip about his earlier action. No doubt he would be regretting his decision to drinking alcohol with copper in it, but it had been rather humorous. She did remember taking part in drinking games when she had been in the Academy for military playing. With all of the lessons and studying, she needed something to take the edge off. Honestly, most of the time she had been dragged into it, but many of her more exciting memories had been from those times. The trying and difficult times of being an adolescent, right? "Alcohol disinfects, so maybe you'll get lucky," she replied with a giggle. Her eyes flickered over the bartender who quite busy with being flirted with by a couple of rather tipsy girls. A good bartender was aware of all of his customers, or he risked losing business.

Well, she could not complain too much, since the young male had pulled up a stool to endure the wait. There were simple ways of getting the attention of the bartender, but Alleria noticed he seemed a little passive about calling attention onto himself needlessly. Her eyes flickered to her own mug, and she noticed that it was now empty. Oh, was that why she was feeling a little tipsy? Alleria really needed to build up her tolerance to the stuff if one glass already had her a little off balance. Well, at least she was smashed, right? No need to for her to blank out and wake up in a stranger's bed. [No, it had never happened, but she had woken up once to find her shirt missing.] Oh, yeah, those were fun, fun times. For the moment, Alleria just spun the mug around on the bar for mild amusement.

Her brow quirked at his question, but she never had the chance to answer as he continued on. Blue eyes grew more amused as he began to babble. It was kind of adorable in a way, and she merely waved her hand in dismissal as he apologized. "Yes, I'm drinking alone, and your blundering was rather cute," she reassured. Perhaps she was a little too brazen for her own good at times, but Alleria was curious as to whether he was easily flustered. She had no other way to entertain herself at the moment, and she was enjoying the conversation so far. Glancing back to the bartender, she was a little annoyed to find him still chattering away. Really bad for business that was, but it would be on his own head.

Alleria smiled at he introduced himself, but his lowered hand was soon raised again to attempt to catch the attention of the bartender. The man barely glanced their way, and he was back to flirting with the drunken girls. A frown marred her lips, and she could see that Zared was not quite the type to command attention to himself. Good thing she was, right? Alleria lifted her mug, and loudly banged it against the wood of the bar. Satisfied with the startled expression of the bartender, she narrowed her eyes slightly to intimidate. "If you're done flirting, we would really enjoy a refill of our drinks. Especially the table back there that would like another round," she commented dryly, gesturing over her shoulder with a quirked brow. Blue eyes narrowed to make sure her request was clear, and the bartender rushed to refill their drinks. Satisfied that her message had gotten through, she turned to smile sweetly at Zared.

"I'm Alleria. Pleasure to meet you~"

[Zared Halberk]

x x

Zared wasn't sure if he was remarkably stupid for babbling on like he did, or remarkably lucky to find the one girl in the tavern who would take the time to call it cute. He merely offered her a sardonic smile at her compliment, not entirely sure he bought it. "That's a new one, cute, really. I've heard idiot and moron before, but cute is new," he commented quite simply, though he wasn't entirely sure she heard him as she turned her attention to the bartender. While she was turned Zared looked down to her drink to see most of the contents of her mug missing.

He idly wondered how many mugs had come before it, or if she was just naturally this alluring brazen. Certainly seemed the type to get her way when she wanted it. She called out the bartender and demanded refills for his table. Zared raised his hand meekly after she had made her demands and added, "This rounds on me, by the way, I'll just . . . leave the coin here, I guess." The bartender hardly seemed to acknowledge him, so set on making up for whatever he'd done wrong that he practically ran over to the table to take orders. The table let up an uproariously loud cheer at the thought of more drinks.

Zared stayed where he was at the bar, waiting to pay for the drinks now despite what he had just said about leaving them there. Or was that really it? He wasn't really the self-reflective sort, so there wasn't much chance he;d reason anything out. He merely counted off some coins idly on the counter before turning his attention back to his companion, Alleria. "I'd say the pleasure was mine, but I'm actually quite intimidated. You certainly know how to get your way," he said dryly, cracking a smirk in hopes that she wouldn't take his comment seriously.

"I suppose while I'm counting off coin I can throw some in to buy you a drink, too," he offered, adding a few more coins to the pile. "For all your help, I mean. It's appreciated, thank you." He seemed to have his tongue, for the most part, under control. It was really easy to slip up when his tongue was loosened by the few drinks he'd already had, not that his tongue wasn't loose already. Nine times out of ten he managed to talk his way into more trouble than his actions would ever get him into. This situation, for example, seemed to prove that, with his words doing more damage than anything.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

Alleria supposed that his talkative mannerisms would annoy some, but she honestly found the nervous habit cute. It was a shame that he had admitted that most called him an idiot or a moron for it. He honestly reminded her of a puppy somewhat, and a part of her wanted to coo over how adorable he was. She had had too much to drink if she was thinking like this. She glanced down at her empty mug, and soon wondered if a second one would have her entirely drunk. Well, no better time to build her tolerance to beer than now, right? "Well, those people are the idiots and morons for not thinking it's cute," she stated simply. Huh, it was a good sign she was not slurring her words together. Alleria glanced over to catch him regarding the contents of her empty mug. A more daring part of her wanted to make a lewd remark over it, but she held herself back. No need to scare him anymore than she had with her previous display of temper.

Raising her hand to muffled giggles at Zared's meek attempt at paying for the drinks. Well, his table would now be happy if their joyous cheers were any sign. Everyone was happy~! Well, Alleria would be even more happy when her mug was refilled. Glancing at her empty mug with a small pout, she hoped that the bartender was quick to serve like he was to chitchat. Blue eyes turned to Zared as he began to count out his rupees, finding it more interesting than pouting over her lack of drinks. She took the time to study him a little more closely, finding that he was really quite cute. More than cute, but Alleria was getting ahead of herself. Most men found her a little too overbearing, so she hardly took the time to give more than a glance to them now. [It probably did not help that she had a track record for beating the crap out of them when younger.] Alleria idly tugged at a lock of her blue hair, finding the odd color more comforting than the natural red. She almost forgot what it looked like red now.

Alleria blinked, looking to Zared as she shook herself from her thoughts. A slight smirk of her own crossed her lips, and she merely shrugged. "Only when I want something," she clarified with a wink. Well, at least he could crack a joke at her brazen temper and not be too off put by it. That was rather nice to witness, and she did notice he was stalling in going back to his table. She felt a little flattered, honestly. She almost protested when he offered to pay for her drink, because she honestly had just been trying to help. Another thought crossed her mind, and she glanced to the other table, biting her bottom lip a little hesitantly. Alleria was drinking alone, but was enjoying the current conversation going on between them.

"Do you mind if I join your table instead? Like you mentioned, I am drinking alone. Better to get drunk in good company, right?" Alleria asked with a hopeful smile. It certainly beat sitting by herself at the moment, and she found that she really would like to get to know him more. Taverns always had the most interesting people~

[Zared Halberk]

x x

The bartender topped off the drinks at the table really quick and then returned to collect his payment. When he was paying attention he was a fairly competent bartender, for example he counted an extra drink among the payment and refilled Alleria's drink for her, able to sense that that had been Zared's wishes when he had put the extra money there. Zared was happy he didn't have to say anything more on the matter, he didn't want to put the bartender too far out of his way. The nobleman was growing rather fond of this particular tavern.

"Those were my thoughts at the time, though I was astonishingly less vocal with them," Zared said in response to Alleria's comments on idiots and morons. He dismissed that topic with that, not really enjoying the conversation returning to 'how cute he was' so often. He'd much rather direct it to other areas, even the pointless ones. Like Alleria's brazen attitude, though that itself wasn't pointless, conversing on it was. "I suppose it's a good thing you're not a woman of grand ambition, or maybe I overstepped myself by not bowing to you when I introduced myself," he mocked, feeling more at home.

"Absolutely. I mean, absolutely, come on over, not absolutely I do mind," Zared said, before sliding off of his stool and heading over to the table where his own drink was waiting for him. He pulled a chair out for Alleria. "Alright, introductions. That's Bearded Guy, that one's Blinky, he's Charles, and he is . . . I don't know, he's rather ordinary so I haven't been able to give him a name yet," Zared said as he pointed out the different companions by the way he remembered them. Most of them had names, but Zared couldn't remember any aside from Charles, for whatever reason.

He pulled up his own seat and took a swig of his mug, making himself at home again. Alleria's had been placed right beside him, with Bearded Guy on her other side. The man had an astonishingly puffy beard that was quite moist from all the drink. He very much resembled a dwarf, actually. Zared smirked at Alleria and pulled a coin from his pocket, turning and bouncing it off the table before it landed smoothly in Blinky's drink. Blinky blinked, everyone laughed, and Blinky drank. Thus was the mind of mirth among the table.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

Alleria merely smiled at his lack remark, content to let that banter end there. She could tell he was growing a little embarrassed with being called cute. Perhaps it was a guy thing, but she was more happy to see that her drink had soon been refilled. Well, at least the bartender was good at his job when not chattering away to the customers~! She should be a little worried with her sudden desire for another mug of ale, but sometimes it was fun to let loose. Being the voice of reason got boring quite quickly, and she was not too far from her home should she need to stumble home. Well, there was a pleasant thought right there, and hopefully she would remember to stop herself from becoming too intoxicated. Alleria took a small sip of her new drink, enjoying the warming sensation it had throughout her body. Now she remembered why she did not drink out too often, because she sometimes not remember to stop.

"Oh, no need to bow to me. Just endless worship of me is all," she teased back. Sarcasm seemed to be his choice of tone, and it just happened to be her own as well. Giggling again, she merely shook her head. Alleria was very pleased that did not mind her joining him at all, and she grinned warmly at him. She stood from her own seat and followed after Zared to the boisterous table. Blue eyes flickered over the other patrons, and her brow quirked in amusement at his nicknames for them. Blinky, Bearded Guy, Charles, and Ordinary Guy? Well, that was what she was mentally calling him since Zared had not come up with him. "How about Ordinary Guy for his ordinariness, then?" she joked lightly. Simple and got to the point, right? She slipped into her seat, placing her mug upon the table with the others.

Alleria leaned back as Zared took his own seat, giving him a questioning glance at his smirk. She watched as he pulled out the copper coin, and she snorted when she realized what he had in mind. Whatever game they had invented to amuse themselves with. Goddesses would grant them all the luck to not wind up with metal poisoning after this. Blue eyes watched as the coin landed into Blink's glass, and laughed with everyone else as he drank the ale anyway. She hoped he did not intend to swallow the coin as well, because that would not go down all that easily. Choking hazards aside, Alleria was quite pleased to finally be enjoying herself.

[Zared Halberk]

x x

"Guys, pray to our fourth goddess, Alleria herself," Zared said in retort to Alleria's comment about bowing, sweeping his hand across the table and then motioning to Alleria. Charles raised his hands in the air as if to offer praise until Bearded Guy hit him square in his exposed stomach whilst making a very dwarf-like noise. Charles stooped over and everyone started to laugh again. The laughs were easy at this table, and that was why Zared liked it. Blinky, sitting on the other side of Charles, patted the man on the back as he tried to catch his breath.

A copper piece bounced past Zared's mug, making a little metallic tink as it struck the side of his mug. Zared raised his mug to the attempt anyway and took a large swig. "Ordinary Guy is a mouthful, how about Ordon. Yeah, I like that. Fits you; quaint, peaceful, filled with nothing but air and leaves," Zared grinned and it took the newly dubbed Ordon a moment to realize what he was saying. The rest of the table started laughing again as that realization spread across Ordon's face, and he never even got a word of objection out over the roar.

Another coin bounced off the table, this time landing with a delightful little plunk noise in Alleria's glass. Zared looked down at where it had landed and up to her, raising an eyebrow and grinning. "Don't worry, alcohol disinfects," he jeered, reaching down and grabbing his mug and raising it to her. "I'll help you out this one time, how about that?" he added, his other hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out another of the copper coins. "And then you can aim for some revenge."

He raised the mug and took a swig, bringing it down and finding it was already empty. He had gone through that one far faster than the earlier ones. But such was the course of alcohol when you were having fun. He looked over at Bearded Guy. "I think the next round's yours once everyone's ready," he said, pulling out another of the copper coins and bouncing it expertly into Bearded Guy's drink. "Which shouldn't be too long," he added, turning and waiting for Alleria to make her shot.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

Alleria erupted into a fit of giggles as the other men proceeded to go through their own motions of 'worshiping' her. She tried to look as haughty as possible, but it was a little hard when everyone was making a fool out of themselves--herself included. She nearly choked on her laughter as Bearded Guy smacked Charles in his stomach, leaving him rather winded from the sudden attack. She shook her head in amusement, trying desperately to gasp for breath at this point. The alcohol was making it so easy for her to laugh at the tiniest thing, but it really was humorous. "That was very, very horrible, you know," she quipped dryly, flipping her blue locks in another haughty gesture. Alleria was quite sure she looked horrible in the attempt, because she simply was not like that. There was also the fact she dissolved into another fit of giggles after she did so. It took a few moments for her to even attempt to regain what little composure she had left.

An amused smirk crossed her lips as a copper coin landed against Zared's mug, quite sure he would take the attempt regardless. She watched as he took a big mouthful of the ale, and soon he was shortening her own nickname for Ordinary Guy. Ordon? She snorted in an unladylike fashion, not bothering to try and mitigate the noise. "You're a horrible person," she replied through her new peals of laughter. Ordon was a very nice village! Quiet and unassuming like their friend that had quite the affronted look upon his face. Alleria tried to smile in apology, but it failed as a result of her laughter. It was all in good fun, right? For the night he would remain Ordon, and it seemed he had no choice but to accept that.

Her laughter died away as a copper coin landed within her own glass with a small splash. Alleria blinked owlishly for a moment, glancing over to Zared who looked quite like the cat that had swallowed the canary. She huffed as he turned her own words from earlier against her, and so she childishly stuck her tongue out at him. A dare was a dare, and so she took a long drink from her own mug. The liquid burned down her throat, but she lowered her mug with a smile in place. "Why thank you, kind sir," she cooed, batting her eyelashes for added effect. She plucked the copper coin from his hand, wondering who she should aim for. Alleria thought of Zared for a moment, but she could see that his own mug was now empty after his last swig.

How about at Ordon, then~? Alleria giggled as attention soon turned back to her, and she rolled the coin between her fingers idly. Smiling sweetly, she flicked her wrist and watched with delight as the coin bounced upon the table, and neatly landed in Ordon's mug. "Your turn~" she said sweetly.

[Zared Halberk]

x x

It did Zared good to see Alleria enjoy herself. Not that he realized this or even knew why; he had only just met the girl, after all. Perhaps there was just something . . . enchanting about her laugh, perhaps. He wouldn't be able to place it into words even if he knew to be looking for those words. Instead his mind, already addled by the effects of alcohol, simply interpreted everything as fun and left it at that. He was having fun with the guys--guys he'd just met but that didn't matter--and along came a pretty girl to join them. He had to admit, even while somewhat less sober than normal, that she struck an impressive figure when she tried to look like a goddess.

He blinked and caught himself staring, before turning his attention to the copper piece that bounced across the table and landed neatly in Ordon's drink. A wide grin spread across his face and he reached over to pat Alleria on the back. "You'd swear you did this before. Or maybe you're just a natural. Either way, I can see big things in our future," he laughed along with everyone else as Ordon took a long gulp from his mug. The mug came down with a metallic rattle of the copper piece inside clanging against the sides. A telltale sign that it was empty.

Zared leaned over and looked at Bearded Guy. "That's two, go set up that next round, it'll be three by the time you get back," he said with a grin as he bounced another copper piece (where these things were coming from was anyone's guess) into Alleria's mug. He nodded down to it and looked back at Bearded Guy, who muttered something that didn't make it further than his beard and got up, heading over to the bar. Zared saw that the bartender was once more engaging the girls from earlier. It might be a while.

So he set his attention on Alleria, who now had to drink, and grinned. "Beats drinking alone, though your liver might say otherwise by the end of the night," he commented dryly, clinking the side of his empty mug against hers in a makeshift cheers. "So what brought you to this bar, anyway?" he asked, striking conversation where it had been lacking as Charles and Ordon started a conversation about their own affairs and Blinky just sort of blinked at everyone. He was very appropriately named.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

Alleria could see that Zared was staring at her from the corner of her eye, and a part of her felt flattered that he was doing so. At least he was not making a pass at her, or that would end up with her breaking a few fingers for good measure. Giggling to herself at the slightly violent thought, she waited for Ordon to realize that her coin had landed within his glass. Her head tilted to the side, and she grinned brightly as Zared pat her upon the back in compliment. She merely waved her hand in vague dismissal. "You do a lot of things when you were a soldier," she admitted with a slight flush to her cheeks. Not the most riveting time of her life, but Alleria had been dragged on more than once escape by fellow soldiers to alleviate boredom. Drinking games happened to be one, so she had picked up a few little tricks while playing the sober voice of reason.

She giggled as Ordon soon emptied his own mug, and soon Bearded Guy was booted from the table to get another round of drinks. She huffed a little when Zared bounced a coin into her mug, and she knew she was getting drunk tonight. Alleria really, really hoped she would not remember anything embarrassing things she did come morning. A bet was a bet, and so she downed most of the content of her own mug. Her vision blurred for a moment, but she set her glass down as she finished. A pleasant haze was already beginning to settle upon her mind, and she wondered if she would be completely drunk by the time she finished her third glass. Wow, that was a very sad thought, but maybe they would think she had been already down more than two. She certainly would not be saying anything if she could help it.

Glancing back to Zared, she laughed slightly at his comment. No, her body would be telling her in the morning how stupid she had been when she knew better, but most fun things were stupid. "Oh, I'm quite sure I will have a glorious hangover to tell me so," she retorted with a smirk. No slurring of her words just yet, so she took that as a good sign. She did ponder over his question for a few moments, unsure of how to answer. Smiling slightly, she shrugged her shoulders, "I like taverns. You always meet interesting people, and maybe find a gentleman to pay for your drink." Free drinks were always a bonus~! Honestly, it was just nice to socialize with people after a job. She had been trained to be a soldier for over half her life, so she sometimes forgot what it was like to remember she was still a person.

[Zared Halberk]

x x

So she was a soldier. Certainly explained a few things Zared had noticed, but as mentioned before he wasn't the type to read too deeply into people. Primarily among the things he had idly noticed thus far into their conversation was that she had an outstanding figure, for what it's worth, and the regime required to be a soldier certainly helped explain some of that. There rest was probably genetic. Zared grinned at her. "A mighty soldier, and here I am just a lowly house guard," Zared teased. The two of them really weren't all that different, outside of her brazen mannerisms.

Her cup had barely found the table when the bartender came around with the second round. Alleria was first, as ladies are wont to be, and while the bartender filled her drink the rest of the guys quickly downed their last round to make room for the next one. After Alleria came Zared, and the bartender continued around the table until he topped up Bearded Guy's mug, and then he was off. It had already been established that Bearded Guy had a tab here, so no payment was necessary. There was a cheer from most of the guys and everyone drank, a couple of mugs already finding themselves half empty before the bartender could even get back to his conversation.

When Alleria mentioned the hangover she was expecting Zared just laughed. "Glory be to the goddess," he commented dryly. "I happen to know a wonderful cure for hangovers if you want in the morning," he said, then immediately realized the implication of his words. "Not that you'll be with me in the morning, I mean, you can come to my estate if you want whenever you wake up at your own place and I can help you with that hangover . . . using the cure . . ." just digging himself a hole, so Zared did what he usually did in such situations.

He grabbed at whatever was available to change the topic. "I find I prefer the merry company of a tavern over the stiff engagements my brother likes to throw. And I certainly can't complain when I can find a gentleman to buy me a drink, either," he said with a hopeful grin that that had been enough to recover from his stammering. He raised his mug in a drinker's salute to Bearded Guy, who had bought this round and thereby bought him a drink.

[/size][/justify]

[Alleria]

A career she had left behind her over a year ago, and she did not regret the fact at all. Sure, she had been honed into one for more than a decade, but it had been a rash decision made by a ten-year-old girl that did not want to lose her only friend. Alleria was unsure whether she was content with being a blade for hire, but until she had an epiphany on what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, then she was stuck with it. Better than being stuck in Kakariko for the rest of her life, and at least here no one knew she was a Gerudo. Being thought of as a human with odd hair was much more preferable. "Former soldier. I like killing things, but it's a really boring career choice," she replied with a smirk. Alleria could sympathize with being a guard, which had been the most boring job she had been stuck with while still enlisted.

Alleria was quite happy that the bartender had been easy to pry away from conversation, and soon her own mug was refilled. She drank a small amount, smiling at the cheer of once again having their mugs refilled. She wondered which of them would be the first to pass out. Goddesses willing that it would not be her, because Alleria would never allow herself to live such an embarrassing thing down. Her head tilted toward Zared, blinking at his accidental proposition, which he quickly backpedaled on when he realized the implications of his words. His babbling was just adorable, and she broke into a fit of giggles as he tried to explain himself. The fact that he had not meant it in a lewd way was what saved him from her temper, and that she was too tipsy to care. Should she have fun with him? Oh, Alleria really wanted to have fun with him.

"Only if you get really lucky with me. Did I mention that your babbling is cute? Because it is," she cooed, leaning forward just a little to make him more flustered. The sudden change in topic did not faze her, and she merely smirked sweetly as she leaned back. Her expression softened at his own explanation for preferring taverns. It seemed he was a noble from his talk, but did not really enjoy that life all too much. Alleria could not really empathize, but she certainly understood the want of having some life when dealt a boring lot in life. She certainly preferred the merry company over her usual day-to-day rituals as well. Raising her own mug to salute Bearded Guy, she flashed a smile at Zared.

"Neither can I."

[Zared Halberk]

x x

Zared could recognize that dangerous look in her eyes that quickly faded. He'd seen it before, but often he'd been left wondering what he had said to inspire it. He was quite thankful he caught himself this time and the look disappeared in place of a smile. He found himself growing more and more fond of that smile. She smiled not just with her lips but with her face, and it reflected in her eyes. It was genuine, at least by his mediocre ability to read someone, but he liked to believe that it was. Genuine smiles were always prettier.

Unfortunately that smile was also filled to the brim with mischief and Zared did not like that fact. She got closer to him and he pursed his lips, not entirely sure how to react. She had to go and call him cute again, as well, just making the words harder to find. "I believe you mentioned that once or twice, though I could be mistaken," he said flatly, for lack of anything else to say. Sometimes he wished he was able to use his tongue as a force for good, but all it ever did was get out of his control ad dig him a grave.

For example her next words inspired him to speak without even thinking about his words. When she seemed particularly pleased that the drinks were coming freely his tongue jumped forward and away from him. "Then the next two rounds are on me!" he exclaimed, then realized what he had said. Of course he had the money to do so, his accounts were probably a bit too full for his own good, but whether or not that was the wise thing for him to be doing was another question. The words were out, though, and he didn't have any way to tactfully retract them, so he stood by them as the table erupted in cheer.

He turned a meek smile to Alleria. "I swear you cast a strange spell over me," he said, once again getting ahead of himself. Pretending he didn't say that and moving on, he returned to their conversation. "So what led you to giving up the life of a paid killer?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink hoping that the burning liquid would show his tongue who was boss and help keep it under control. Perhaps the first instance of anyone drinking to tightened their lips in the history of Hyrule.

[/size][/justify]