A light drizzle pattered down on across Jastrey, washing away the clouds of pollen everywhere. Lia stood a pace or two away from the tavern steps enjoying the sky's offering. Though, her hunger drew her up into the Shady Corner. Inside was filled with a low din of activity. She scanned about the dinning area seeing most of the tables unoccupied. Lia put in an order with the barkeep before taking a seat, her back to the wall. It was a habit of hers...something she felt like she'd been taught before by someone...She tied her birdcage off to her side. With a relaxed sigh, her eyes drifted closed.
The birdcage was smaller, maybe only large enough to hold a single robin, and had chain straps connected to it. These were currently looped up around her belt. It looked empty.
Lia's eyes carefully peeled open. Her gaze locked on to Shrayvar almost immediately. She looked at him with a calm, patient expression.
Shrayvar looked back at Lia for a whopping three seconds before he developed a sudden interest in one of the room's corners. After a moment he looked at her again, this time focusing on her face. His expression was strikingly similiar to that of a vendor deciding whether or not to accept an offered price. Ultimately, his ears flattened against his head in defeat as he rose up from his chair and approuched Lia's table.
"Okay, I give up," he said with a sigh. "What is that attached to your belt?"
A amused crease appeared at the corners of her eyes, but her face remained otherwise unchanged. She allowed herself to be examined by the Mau. It seemed he was trying to make heads or tails of something; of which she had her guesses. Lia's gaze followed him to her table. When he was beside her, rather than answer his question, she held up her arm in greeting. "I'm Lia. Lia Saxum. To who do I owe this pleasure?" She asked.
Surprised by Lia's response, Sharyvar didn't react right away. Reckoning that there wasn't point in pressing his inquery further, he decided to just follow along. "Uh, I'm Shrayvar," he said as he shook Lia's hand. "Nice to meet you." His hands sunk into the pockets of his black trousers after letting go. "So... are you from around here? I just recently moved into this town myself."
The door to the tavern bangs open as Taklinn kicks it open and enters with his arms full of heavy bags.. He walks to an empty table and drops the load on the floor next to the table, dust and dirt flying into the air as they land. Walking through the cloud Taklinn goes behind the the bar and pulls a decanter from beneath and a mug from his belt and returns to his table. Along the way he glances over to the pair in the corner and says "Good morrow to ye both. Did ye pick up a new kitty in yer travels Lia. Must 'ave been hard at work trainin' him, as I ain't seen ye in town in awhile. Put together anythin' since last we talked?" Taklinn diverts his course and sits in a chair at her table, keeping an eye on the pile of bags that he had carried in.
The loud noises Taklinn made as he burst on the scene drew Lia's attention momentarily. "Oh uh...I've been here briefly before. I only just got back in town." She explained, but stopped short. Her eyes were again fixed on the dwarf. Lia's expression grew a bit tight, and her body tensed. The Ixifar let him speak before clearing her throat and responding. "Ah well, no. I've only just met Shrayvar here. My travels took me home for a time. But now that Ober-...er, my former master has passed on there's nothing to really keep me there." She paused, adjusting herself in her seat, glancing to Shrayvar as she did so. "To answer your question, Shrayvar. You could say this cage is apart of me. Through some unknown circumstances, some sort of curse was put on me and now my soul resides outside my body."
Shrayvar raised a fist towards his mouth and coughed as the disturbed dust made an attempt to invade his lungs. He too paused to watch as Taklinn fetched the decanter and returned to converse. Shrayvar appeared unfazed when Taklinn referred to him as a “kitty”, but his eyebrows did narrow when the dwarf got to the bit about being trained. When Lia explained that they had only just met, he gave a brief nod to confirm. His eyes widened in suprise after Lia explained the purpose of the cage. "Really?" he said. "I've never heard of anything like that before." He bent his legs slighty in order to better examine the cage while resting his hands on his kneecaps. "What happens if the cage gets opened or damaged? Do you lose your soul?"
"Don't see much need ta' stay someplace where ye go callin' someone yer master in the first place. Messy business ye got caught up with them Nox fools." he grumbles as he sets the mug on the table. He reaches down and pulls a drinking horn off of this belt as well. Closing his eyes as he picks up the decanter, he whispers quietly and begins pouring what appears to be a thick stout into the mug before filling his drinking horn with the same. "Best ta' not tempt the Immortals with questions of their designs, ye never know when they be listening in on ye." he says to the Mau, sliding the mug over to him as he speaks. "So yer new ta' town ye say, are ye lookin' ta remain here for awhile, or are ye just gonna scratch around fer a bit?"
Lia hesitated at Shrayvar's questions. She knew they were meant innocently, but it was a sharp reminder of why she hated having to explain her circumstances to anyone. Before she could make up her mind on how to continue, however, the Dwarf started up again. Lia's entire demeanor changed. Any hint of amusement or concern on her face was replaced by cool anger. Quietly, her hands clenched in her lap. It took until Taklinn began addressing the Mau that she bubbled over.
Bursting from her seat with a loud slam of her fists to the table, Lia whirled to face Taklinn. She visibly was containing herself to where she stood. "How DARE you. And you say that you were my friend? I will NOT have you defile Oberon's name such! I've said it to you before, but CLEARLY I must explain myself again! My master and I had NOTHING. NOTHING to do with those..." Lia had to resist the urge to spit outright. "Those slavers." She stopped, shaking slightly, and took a handful of deep breathes. Turning to Shrayvar, Lia curtly apologize, "Forgive me, friend. Enjoy your meal."
She gave one hard look to Taklinn before slipping out around the table and striding for the door.
Shrayvar sat down at Lia's table and picked up the mug that Taklinn had offered him. "Thanks," he said evenly. "I'll kee—" Shrayvar dropped his words and his mug when Lia aruptly struck the table. The mug bounced off his knee and spilled its contents all over his leg. A split second after the spill, Shrayvar reflexively reached for the sword that was sheathed on his left side. However, his hand never reached the hilt due to the fact that his forearm wound up smacking against the edge of the table. Shrayvar grimaced as he gripped his now throbbing forearm. By this point, it dawned on him that Lia wasn't about to physically attack. So he listened, wide-eyed, as Lia gave Taklinn a verbal beat-down. By the time that Lia turned her attention to him, Shrayvar had already placed his forearm on the table as if it had been there the whole time. He didn't dare touch his forearm again until Lia's back was to him. At the same time, he glanced at Taklinn warily.
"Not the ale!" the dwarf shouts as he sees the tankard fall. He stands up looking at the mau who appeared to be reaching for a weapon of some kind. "Yer better served ta' sit there, ye can't even drink correctly, and I'd hate ta' see what would become of ye if ye insisted on crossin' that toothpick with me axe an' shield." he says while he climbs atop the table to look Lia in the eye.
He settles his gaze on her, and red faced begins yelling back at her with equal volume. "Ye need ta' get yer stories straight ye crazy witch. I've seen ye postin' flyers about town, toutin' how ye would offer protection ta people. Name at the top of the postings was Noxian Wraiths. Yer memories ain't working right, as we've already established afore. One day yer ta' have to trust the people around ye. What have I ta' profit or gain from lyin' to ye. Carried that damned cage fer ye, if I was wanting ta harm ye, wouldnt I have done it while ye were perched inside? I aint never offered ye nothin' but help an' friendship, even when ye insisted on mixing in with hoots an' warlocks!" he shouts at her; rising up on his tip toes to leer over her as he does.
Shrayvar never even considered taking a moment to enjoy the sky's offering. If he could have, he would have taken the rain and stuffed it into the sky's stupid face. But since he couldn't, he had to endure the raindriops lightly pelting his fur as he sped-walked towards the Shady Corner. He cast a glance over his shoulder as he passed throught the entrance, turning his attention back just in time to avoid colliding with a departing Angori. The Angori cast a dirty look at Shrayvar, who in turn kept his gaze downward and muttered an apology as he passed.
After placing an order of his own, Shrayvar walked towards an unocuped table in the center of the room. Right away, he noticed Lia's birdcage. His curiousity piqued, he continued to stare at it even after sitting down. So long as the Ixifar had her eyes closed, it seemed safe enough for him to try and deduce the birdcage's purpose.