[Nexus] The Sleeping Goblin III: 40% More Drow!

[orb_of_blood]

"...Just like that? No interview or anything?" Aiden is growing a little suspicious. Maybe this place is different from Chicago, but he can't think of anywhere that would just say 'sure, you're hired.'

Nixa laughs lightly, "why not? Technically I don't own this place. It has no current workers. And if I didn't think I could handle you, I'd never have even spoken to you. If you'd like, I can make the process more difficult, but to be honest, that'd likely just bore me, so why bother?"

She shrugs. Any trouble would not be on her head, after all, but on Marty and Trissy's. Besides, if he did end up destroying something, she'd probably just laugh, watch, or join in.

[Devixer]

Aiden shrugs. "Alright, whatever. I'm just glad to have a steady paycheck in this crazy world. When can I start?" he asks, adjusting his coat.

[Dark Elf Bard]

Vierzt turns completely scarlet!

Nixa, shut your-

Woops, Divebomb said to be nice.

Ugh.... Whatever.

He wanders over to the bar and grabs another bottle.

[orb_of_blood]

"Right away," Nixa shrugs, "if you're ready of course. There are many free rooms upstairs you can pick from. Or if you have a different place, that's fine too."

She turns to Vierzt and smiles very sweetly. "Why dear brother, you're pink! It's okay if you're in love. I'll mock you mercilessly, and I advise against it, but still, go ahead."

She looks distastefully at the bottle in his hands. "Hey, uh- new guy." She was about to ask him to do something, but it occurs to her she never asked his name. "What on Laira do I call you, anyways?"

[Devixer]

"Sounds good to me." Aiden lived at GloG, but he didn't really like coasting on their charity. At least here, he lived in the same place he worked.

He rolls his eyes a bit when Nixa asks what to call him. "Name's Aiden. If you want to be official, you can call me Mr. Kester."

[Dark Elf Bard]

Vierzt grunts.

'M not.

[Murkus]

Vierzt turns completely scarlet!

Nixa, shut your-

Woops, Divebomb said to be nice.

Ugh.... Whatever.

He wanders over to the bar and grabs another bottle.

"Right away," Nixa shrugs, "if you're ready of course. There are many free rooms upstairs you can pick from. Or if you have a different place, that's fine too."

She turns to Vierzt and smiles very sweetly. "Why dear brother, you're pink! It's okay if you're in love. I'll mock you mercilessly, and I advise against it, but still, go ahead."

She looks distastefully at the bottle in his hands. "Hey, uh- new guy." She was about to ask him to do something, but it occurs to her she never asked his name. "What on Laira do I call you, anyways?"

Divebomb positively giggles at Vierzt, her lips curling in a girlish smile. Though she seems to take some offense at Nixa's comment.

"I'm a catch, I'll have you know!" Gelley assures her, placing an indignant pair of hands on her wide hips.

[Dark Elf Bard]

Well, I mean, uh, you're pretty, um, pretty... Stop!

Vierzt looks very uncomfortable.

[orb_of_blood]

"Sounds good to me." Aiden lived at GloG, but he didn't really like coasting on their charity. At least here, he lived in the same place he worked.

He rolls his eyes a bit when Nixa asks what to call him. "Name's Aiden. If you want to be official, you can call me Mr. Kester."

Nixa's about to introduces herself, too, but is forced to stop for a moment to think. Being official is hard because she has a whole bunch of different possibilities for her own names. She's either: Ms Vivilandra, Ms. B'xarenef, Ms. Akor, or even a few others. It all really depends on how much time one has to spend with another in order to take their last name. Some cultures say 'marriage', but the whole life-force-entwining with Saer was bonding enough.

"Um, Aiden is fine. If you want to settle in, or look around a bit, now is your chance. Otherwise, my brother's girlfriend if she'd like anything." She doesn't mention Vierzt 'cause he's helping himself. As for Divebomb, well she'd offer her a drink herself, but she doesn't want to appear doting.

Not that she has any chance of appearing doting, for her next words, directed at Vierzt, are:

"Not what, little brother? Not pink or not in love? You can't argue against being pink, I'm afraid. It's a rather alarming shade. And it only proves you've got a crush too." She shakes her head sadly, as though he's a lost cause.

When Divebomb takes offense, she only smiles. "I'm sure you are. It's just, why would such a lovely... uhm," she looks distastefully at the costume, "lady, like yourself want to waste time playing at love? I must say, I'm rather shocked such an emotion caught on at all."

[Murkus]

"Thank you Vierzt," Gelley says to the drow in a lilting tone of voice. It seems the offense she took wasn't significant. Or real, even. Though Nixa's next statement does confuse her. The short girl yanks out a chair before plopping down, crossing her arms and one leg over the other. "Why do you say that?"

Before Aiden does anything else, she leans towards him and points a finger. "Oh, um, can I have a rum n' Coke? Diet, please." She flashes a complimentary smile. "Thaaanks."


Meanwhile, Nixa should know that there are other employees around. Bellan, for instance. The muscular human-looking bouncer sitting quietly in the corner, watching the newcomers and worrying about potential assassins. He swore to protect Trissy, so he'll stay and watch over the customers.

[Devixer]

"No problem," Aiden says, mixing the drink relatively quickly after he figures out where everything is. He leaves it on the counter for Gelley to take.

[Murkus]

"Vierzt, honey, could you bring that over?" Gelley calls to the drow, without a hint of teasing in her voice.

[Dark Elf Bard]

Vierzt turns around extremely quickly and grabs the glass without a word.\

He's trying to look bored, but the drow looks more like he's trying not to smile hugely.

Vierzt hands the glass to Gelley and sits down a few stool away from her.

[Devixer]

Aiden shakes his head a little at Vierzt's expression, and quickly goes back to examining the bar and figuring out where everything is.

[orb_of_blood]

“I'm a matchmaker!” Nixa laughs. Hers is dramatic, involving tossing back her floor-length hair and giving what could be interpreted as slightly ominous peals of laughter. “Albeit that's not exactly what I was aiming for. Really, both of you ought to know that love is useless.”

Thoroughly amused, Nixa shakes her head and looks away, watching Aiden work instead. "Quite a stock, isn't it? Not sure how they got it all. I bet they can match just about any order. A shame, that. Such a misuse of magic."

How calmly she says that, as though she's never misused magic herself. Shoving Vierzt, her own blood, out of the inn springs to mind...

Can't believe he isn't angry about that, actually. Ah well.

[Devixer]

Aiden rolls his eyes at the 'love is useless' comment, although makes it a point to not let Nixa see that. "It could be magic, I guess," Aiden says. "I would venture a guess at money, but whatever you say." Long as he got regular paychecks out of this job.

[Murkus]

Whoah! Villainess radar going crazy. That laugh can't be anything but evil. Gelley leans away from Nixa a bit, but remains amiable as ever. "That's an awfully sad way to think. Did someone break your heart, Nixa? I know how that is. My sister's the same way."

Vierzt, meanwhile, gets only a polite and gracious nod by way of thanks. She smiles at him when he sits, but otherwise is content with her drink and her table. Sipping likely occurs.

[orb_of_blood]

Villainess? Nixa?

Well... maybe. Sometimes. Not really right now. I mean, at least she hasn't burned down the tavern. Yet.

...Right?

"That doesn't matter." She answers flatly. If one sparks the memories of Saer or Beren, one sees the darker side of Nixa. Case in point: "It's a simple fact that it is useless. Love doesn't pay for anything. It doesn't make you stronger, regardless of stupid sayings. All in means is that you have one more person to keep control of, to keep submissive, else they'll stab you in the back and move on. Watch yourself. This is my brother, remember."

As for Aiden, well, he never really asked what the job pays. Nixa may be under the impression that she doesn't need to pay him at all! She isn't, but he can't know that.

Oh, and it's probably a good thing that she didn't catch the eye roll!

[Murkus]

"I dunno about all that, Nixa," Gelley says, pursing her lips. She wonders if she was right about the poor girl. "Maybe you just haven't really experienced love yet." She glances to the side. "That's what it sounds like, anyway."

[Devixer]

Aiden decides to drop out of the conversation before he's provoked into saying or doing something really stupid, and starts to serve drinks to any present NPC's who request them. He really doesn't want to muck this up, this might just be the first job he manages to keep for longer than two months.

[orb_of_blood]

"I dunno about all that, Nixa," Gelley says, pursing her lips. She wonders if she was right about the poor girl. "Maybe you just haven't really experienced love yet." She glances to the side. "That's what it sounds like, anyway."

"Maybe not." Nixa agrees quietly. Again, she casts a longing look at the rows of neat bottles on the shelf behind the bar. Damn dragon blood.

"As fascinating as this all is, it's really a terrible topic. The entire point was to warn you against my brother, and my brother against you, but that seems to have back-fired. And now Vierzt seems to have been shocked into silence." Not waiting for his answer, she continues, "I'd rather ask about you, Gelley. The costume, specifically. It's been confusing me ever since you walked in. Is there some explanation behind it?"

Listening to whatever Gelley replies, she watches Aiden move around the bar. The poor man looks like he's barely containing a scathing remark, and Nixa shakes her head and tsk-tsks at his lack of will to come out and say it.

[Murkus]

((Oh, er, Gelley hasn't given her name. She just called herself Divebomb. Secret identity and all))

Divebomb makes no comment about being warned away from Vierzt. She just likes teasing him, for the moment. When asked about her costume, a certain pride is aroused, and the steel-clad heroine grins. "I'm a superhero! Saving lives, stopping crime, beating people up. That sort of thing."

[Devixer]

It's less a lack of will and more of a sense of tact. Aiden's not about to say something that might anger his employer, especially one that seemed to do villainous laughs for fun.

In any case, he won't be talking much anymore unless someone talks to him.

[Dark Elf Bard]

Vierzt gives Aiden a sideways look.

Didn't catch your name.

[Devixer]

"Aiden Kester," he says while continuing to pour and serve drinks. "But you'll probably just call me bartender anyways, after you've had a few."

[Dark Elf Bard]

Eh. Why do you want to work here? There's crossbreeders, half-dragons, insane shapeshifters, and hippies. Not sure which is the worst.

[Devixer]

"See, that's all null and void, because I'm far worse than any of those. I'm an unpublished writer," Aiden says, taking a moment to wiggle his fingers as though that were spooky. "Besides, not like I can choose where I work. Gotta make a living somehow."

[Dark Elf Bard]

Vierzt shrugs. Publish a book, if you're a writer.

[Devixer]

"Publish a book, he says!" Aiden says, going into a short fit of laughter. "Like it's so simple. How many publishers will I find in the Nexus? How many of them will accept some kid with no pub creds? Who would even buy a book around here, when they have easy access to much more advanced entertainment?

[Dark Elf Bard]

Vierzt shrugs.

If you're any good, people will publish, and buy your books.