In for Trouble

[Talia Idris]

Talia followed Ardys and Ari into the shop, with eyes wide as she took in the sight of everything sparkling. The shop keepers rushed over to Ardys right away with a glare the direction or Ari and Talia, most likely because they could tell that Ardys was the only one out of the three of them who could afford anything here.

Talia tittered over to one of the display cases. Giggling a bit as she had to grab hold of the counter to regain her balance she ended up leaning over to look at a fine collection of rubies and emeralds.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" A rather sarcastic voice asked from above her. Looking up Talia saw one of the shop keepers staring at her and she stumbled back in surprise, nearly knocking over Ari.

"Ah...no. I was just looking." Talia giggled a bit awkwardly.

"Fine then." The lady paused as she squinted at Talia's neck. "What do you have there?"

Talia instinctively reached her hand towards her neck, her eyes widening as she realized that the ruby necklace that normally sat beneath her dress was now hanging out for all to see.

"We're you trying to steal from me?" The woman asked as she started to stomp over to where Talia was.

"No! It's mine, I swear!" Talia said, the sound of her voice pounding loudly inside her head as she tried to back towards the door. "It was my mother's, it's the only thing of hers I have!" Talia looked at her new found friends, her eyes pleading for one of them to help her.

"Likely story, what would a poor girl like you be doing with such a jewel. I am sure that you stole it! Now give it back before I am forced to call the guards on you!" The woman made a swipe for the necklace and Talia jumped back. Of course with her current lack of balance she ended up falling backwards into another display case, causing it to shatter around her.

[Ari]

This has to be what a royal's closet looked like. There was enough jewelry to buy several houses, and all different colors of headscarves and lacy gloves. Ari sighed, smiling as she ran her fingers over a nearby scarf, the soft silk slipping over her fingers tips in the most pleasant way. She stared at the material longingly, her hand reaching to touch her head, where her own faded, moth-eaten ribbon was tied. She turned away from the expensive scarf only to be met with her reflection in a mirror on one of the display cases.

What was this pale-faced, meek girl doing in a shop filled with such grandeur? She had no place there, no more place than Talia did.

Ari tried to steady the girl when she ran into her, her hands resting on her shoulders a moment. She glared at the shop keeper. "She's had the necklace all day. It belongs to her," Ari said, looking over at Ardys for help. She winced as the two began to shout at each other, her ears ringing. The sound of the glass shattered inside her brain and she groaned, watching as the glittering shards exploded onto the floor with several fine necklaces. "Come now, I believe it is time for us to go. You really should get this mess cleaned up. Someone could hurt themselves," she said quickly to the shopkeeper, grabbed Talia's elbow. "Let's go," she whispered to her, waving at Ardys to signal her to follow. There was no way she had enough money to get them out of this one.

[Farius Masello]

Farius Masello was in a grand mood. An exceptionally grand mood, one that was odd to have when a guard that disliked duty was freshly removed from it. So he went for a walk downtown. Just a stroll, something he almost never did. Sisara was off doing whatever she did; he was glad to be able to enjoy this time by himself, even though he loved her company. As a matter of routine, he had kept his light guardsman archer's armor on (it attracted women like a lodestone).

As he ambled by a jewelry boutique, smiling at a dainty young half-elf as he passed, Farius heard a raised voice. Instinct and interest fained him investigate further. When he did, he found a trio of lovely ladies exiting the store, one looking lost, one frightened, and one a mixture of innocence and adventure.

Perfect.

Farius donned his most charming smirk and descended upon the trio. "Why, hello there, ladies. In need of assistance?" he crooned, choosing to open conversation mainly on the distressed one (because those were always the easiest). It was only then he realized he had never met any of them, though the one he spoke toward seemed vaguely familiar and was likely a native. First impressions told him these were a trio worth pursuing.

[Ardys]

Things escalated quickly. Ardys, at first annoyed to be pulled away from her beautiful, shining, perfect, sparkly, diamonds (in her mind they were already hers - it would be a bit more money than she was willing to fork over to legally buy them, and anyway, she disliked supporting an economy that she couldn't be herself in - as she would return later in rat form and claim them by right of conquest), quickly realized that something bad was happening to her new friends. She hadn't noticed Talia's ruby (Ardys knew she was slipping on her game if she didn't notice something so lovely) at first but the shopkeeper was right. It didn't really look like something someone of Talia's ilk would have.

Then again, Ardys had spent a whole afternoon with the girl and knew that thievery, especially right under the nose of a shopkeeper, wasn't exactly in Talia's character. "Now, jus' hold on a moment," she started before Ari started dragging Talia out. Shrugging and figuring it was probably the right thing to do, Ardys threw a cheery grin at the irate shopkeeper. "Th' little lass's right," Ardys nodded at the shopkeeper. "'T'would be a massive shame if someone was hurt... or if somethin' was stolen in the commotion." The last was added with a feral smile, baring entirely too many teeth for politeness... or humanity.

As the trio practically fell out the door, Ardys couldn't help her pleased smirk. "Y'all are easily th' most fun I've had in a month." Before she could go on a guard approached and her smile dimmed briefly. She took a quick read of him - clothes said guardsman, hair said prideful, smirk said looking for a good time (therefore probably not on duty, unless things had really gone to the dogs since she'd last been around) - and her own grin returned. An arrogant guardsman she could handle. One actually trying to do his job to keep the peace would just be boring.

[Talia Idris]

Talia had let go of her pendant for a moment to grab hold of Ari who pulled her up and ushered them out the door. Everything was moving so fast, to the point where she didn't even realize a couple small cuts on her left hand where she had attempted to break her fall. Thankfully her dress had protected the rest of her body from the shards of glass that she had landed in. One would think a fine store like that would have invested in stronger glass.

Staggering out into the street Talia blinked a couple times trying to right the spinning world and figure out what to do next. Smiling she was about to make comment on Ardys' statement, mention how this was not the norm for her but when she looked up and there was a man standing in front of them that caused her to freeze up. Not so much because he was a man, but because he was a guard! Those no good excuse for shop keeper must have called the guards on them.

Talia didn't realize that she was still holding onto Ari until she squeeze a little too tightly and she heard a sound from Ari. Letting go she jumped away, of course once again she teetered and almost fell, this time she almost fell into the man who had just finished greeting them.

Thankfully she was able to catch her balance just a foot or two before him. "What is wrong with me today?" She asked herself as she took a couple slow steps back, looking anxiously towards the shop behind them. She saw the lady shopkeeper smirking at them through the window, which caused Talia to scowl back and then glare up at the guard.

"I don't know what that lying..." She bite her tongue to keep herself from saying something unladylike, even tipsy that was not her style. She started again, "I don't know what that woman told you but she is lying. I didn't steal my necklace, its was mother's and now it is mine. If anything she was the one trying to steal it from me!" Talia finished her statement by putting her hands on her broad hips and giving a firm nod. There was no way she was going to have the only thing her parents ever gave her (besides her life) without a fight.

[Ari]

Great. Things had been fine when everything had been fun and games. Ari was still trying to suppress her laughter as she thought of the whole situation. Three drunk women stumble into a jewelry store. How much more fun could things get? But now, they had problems. Ari peered up at the guard, fists already clenched and ready to fight. The last thing she needed was a guard on her tail. But then again, with the look this one was giving them, that could mean more than one thing.

Ari reached to rest a hand on Talia's arm to stop her from saying or doing anything even more stupid, but she doubted there was much more trouble to start. First a gang fight in an alley, then a lovely drunken walk, and now here they were, three slightly intoxicated women walking out of a jumbled jewelry store. "We just had a little... misunderstanding with a rather arrogant store clerk, is all. No trouble here," she told the guardsman, nodding and smiling innocently.

He was not a bad looking man, not fat and dumb like many of the city guards were. She let herself looking at him for a few moments too long before dropping her eyes from his to look at the ground instead. Whether he planned on arresting them or not, she would be happy to be a few miles away from the cluttered street. Already a crowd was starting to gather.

[Farius Masello]

Boy, Farius thought, this is quite the group. One was screaming at him for some reason (she needs to calm down...), one was obviously checking him out (bet she doesn't even notice she's doing it), and one grinning ear to ear (what do I make of that?). He could deal with that.

"Ladies, calm down," he said soothingly. "And between you and I, that woman is a saggy bitch." Farius wished he didn't know that from experience. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind's eye of recollected images. He knew he had to keep the monologue going to really hook them.

"Listen, I'm not on duty and you three look like you need some place to sit down. How about we go to this great tavern I know just across here?" Masello gestured his head back toward the other side of the street. "Or maybe if you're up to some walking, I can show you around the city. I'll bet you don't know anyone that knows this place like I do." He finished it off by widening his smile to show carefully groomed teeth.

He could foresee taking all three by the morning. Or if not, any one or combination of two would work with him. Farius wasn't feeling picky.

[Ardys]

More drinks? Ardys felt her grin widen and she stepped forward and purred, "I am findin' meself quite flustered by ann th' shoutin'... A drink t'calm th' nerves an' soothe th' spirit might be th' best thing fer me right now. Ladies?" She questioned, looking at Talia and Ari with a raised eyebrow. "Shall we let th' nice guardsman escort us t'a tavern?"

Ardys slipped her arm into the guard's own as she was talking, being sure to flash him a bit of skin from the side slit in her tunic. She would still like to go shopping, of course, but dresses could wait. Suddenly this night had gotten more interesting and fun! Though she did make a mental note to sometime in the next few days steal the diamond set from the jeweler, if only to make the shopkeeper pay for accusing Talia of theft. Honestly, Ardys thought to herself. Look at the girl. She couldn't steal an apple from an orchard, let alone jewels.

"An' I did still want t'do some shoppin' tonight," Ardys continued. "Y'know anywhere a fine, rich lady like meself might be able t'spend far too much money on completely inappropriate clothin'?" Oh yes. This guard would be lots of fun.

[Talia Idris]

Talia blushed as she nodded, evidently her nerves were a little fried after the whole ordeal in the jewelry story. Maybe a drink would be nice, certainly one wouldn't make things any worse then it already was. She really was a bit flustered at how defensive had been in front of this man, and her knew found friends. If anything it made her look more guilty and if it had been any other guard she could have been in big trouble. Thankfully both Ardys and Ari seemed to have stood up for her which seemed a bit unusual for people who had just met, but she wasn't going to complain.

"Sorry about all that." Talia said softly hoping that her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "I live here so I know my way around here fairly well. But I am totally up for a drink." She gave her best attempt at a coy smile.

Goodness it had been a while since she had gone out with a man, even if it was with two other girls. Most of the men who attempted to go out with her were old lecherous men or boys who had come into the bakery. Plus since she had taken the job at the bakery three years ago she hadn't had time to go out on dates, she might as well take this opportunity and relish it while she could.

"You coming Ari?" Talia asked as she looked back at her with a smile.

[Ari]

There was something not right about the man. His wandering eyes made her shiver. Guards were not to be trusted, no matter how good-looking or smooth-talking. And now this one was offering to buy three trouble-making women drinks? Something was definitely up. Ari watched the many skeptically as he spoke, shifting her weight from foot to foot uneasily. Her wings trembled against her back, where they were hidden beneath her clothes.

This is stupid. You know it is stupid. What are you doing? She close her eyes a moment to clear her thoughts, then forced herself to smile. The other girls were fine with it, so why should she not be? Plus, he knew the city. He would know the rumors too.

"Coming," she said softly, following a few steps behind. She rested her hand on Talia's arm, not feeling nearly comfortable enough to hold the man as Ardys was. "If you are taking us to get drinks, I feel we should be a bit more acquainted, yes? Your name?" she asked, looking up at the guard as they walked.

[Farius Masello]

Farius chuckled. "One at a time, ladies." That was too easy... "The name's Masello. Farius, if you want to get familiar. And yes, I know plenty of nice spots to waste money on a variety of luxuries," he added mischievously. The guardsman knew he already had two of them as good as boned, but the third would take some persuasion. Still, she seemed rather easily influenced by the wishes of the crowd, so to speak. Fingers crossed.

"What, may I ask, are your names?" While giving them time to answer, Farius decided which tavern he would take them to. He quickly extinguished the thought of asking his guests; he may somewhat falsely boast he knew everything about this town, but if one part of that was true, it was his knowledge of drinking establishments. Rather close, easy access to uninterrupted rooms, good fare, barmaid that isn't quite fed up with me... He thought for a moment longer.

Not Vic's, goodness knew he wouldn't be able to show his face there...ah, obviously the Rat. What was I thinking? Hopefully Katrina isn't working the bar tonight. Well, that won't matter. All in all, rather perfect, he thought, congratulating himself inwardly on his success. If these young women didn't know what they were in for, they were definitely in for trouble.

[Ardys]

This was a very self-confident guard, wasn't he? Ardys widened her grin and eyed the guard up and down again. "M'name's Ardys, mister guardsman Farius Masello," she purred. She wondered his take on magic - she could control herself (and her thieving fingers) for one night, perhaps two, but longer than that and it just wouldn't be fun. Guards were lovely, and it was fun to run rings around them when she stole things, but really... magic was in her and a part of her and she'd never deny it if asked to. It was just too much fun.

She could sense rather than see Ari's discomfort. Ah well. The girl would learn. The only way to deal with men like this Masello was to meet his arrogance with brashness of your own and then seen where you went from there.

Of course, if he thought it would be that easy to get into her lovely velvet pants (red today, because she was feeling dangerous), he had another thing coming. Ardys, while not picky in her men or womenfolk, had been the consort of kings and the mistress of nobles halfway around the world. Some upjumped guard with ideas was going to have to earn it, just like all the others had.

[Talia Idris]

Talia smiled and offered as big as a curtsy as she could without having to worry about falling over. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sir Masello. I am Talia Idris. And once again, thank-you for your generous offer." She hadn't hung around with many guards and the only one she did know tended to bring trouble around with him, but they couldn't all be like that. Afterall Mr. Morig hung out with a shifter and had a troublesome young son to boot.

It wasn't long until they reached the tavern that Farius Masello had guided them too. Although why she was going to have more to drink was beyond her, she had already had been forced to accept the guard's proffered arm when she almost fell over yet again. Perhaps as long she only had one drink, just to calm her fraying nerves, then that would help keep things (meaning herself) relatively in hand.

Staring over her drink at Farius she couldn't put her finger on it but something about him seemed familiar. Maybe it was simply the fact that she was identifying with the fact that he was a guard and they were always around some place or another. Either way she sat between Ari and Farius, slowly sipping her drink, her chest rising and falling as she took slow calming breathes between her sips and wondered what possibly could happen next in this apparently crazy day.

[Ari]

"Farius Masello," she repeated, letting her lips curve into the slightest of smiles. The name really did roll off the tongue. Smooth looks, smooth talker, and a smooth name. This one was dangerous. She knew she would be fine, and Ardys would probably be too (unless she was looking for trouble, which Ari had a feeling she was), but Talia was one to worry about. The girl was definitely the most drunk out of all of them and seemed to be the most affected by the man. Ari herself was not planning on falling for his smooth ways. She did not plan on losing it to some low guardsmen who could not keep himself reined in.

"Well, Mr. Masello, my name's Ari." She introduced herself in turn with the others as she followed the group toward the tavern.

Once they were inside, Ari sat down with her group, ordering her foamy beer as usual. Her eyes remained on the guard's face, focused on his smug smile. He was far too comfortable for her liking. "So, Mr. Masello. You have three beautiful women full of alcohol around you. What other treats do you have in store for us?" She cocked a brow at him and sipped her beer delicately, her pink tongue slipping out of her mouth to lick some foam off her upper lip carefully.

[Farius Masello]

The small one was hooked. The square girl was drunk enough, might as well be. The flamboyant one was iffy, but would likely follow the crowd. Farius was beginning to think it was too easy. Oh shit, what time is it? he thought quickly, but a quick look through the open door showed him nightfall would be here early enough not to need to worry about entertaining these young ladies much longer before he...entertained them.

Farius took a contented sip of his own brew, his second favorite (because damn it all, sometimes you get tired of your favorite when you drink a quart a day). He heard the question the small, perky one, Ari, posed. "If you're thinking what I'm thinking, we'll get to that, sweetheart," Farius said casually. "But fucking is a pain on an empty stomach. Hey, Katrina! Bangers and mash if you please, with some scratchings on the side if they're not as bad as they were last time." His request was met with what should have been a rude gesture. Farius shrugged unapologetically and adopted a smug little smirk when the barmaid went to the back to fetch food for the regular she was expected to please.

"Some bad blood there," Farius said before they asked. "She's one of those that doesn't understand the difference between the words love and rut." Farius stopped himself. What was he doing? I've gone from a perfect performance to absolutely horrid. I really need to eat before I get out, I can't work at all on an empty stomach. Best I not dig a hole farther than I already have. Solution? "And another round of drinks for my lovely new acquaintances and I!"

All the better when he got his potatoes and sausage. No pork scratchings. Guess they are just as bad as last time. Before he dug in, he smiled at the women and asked, "So ladies, how do you know each other?"