milliways_bar | (no subject)

OK, that makes Silk blink. He's not a prude by any stretch of the imagination but he certainly isn't used to such things being talked about openly and not by strangers either.

'...oh.'

Silent flailing ensues for a moment.

'Well...what are you being instructed in?'

He nearly asks about the two that want to bed him - but the words don't come that easily.

"I am not sure. My teacher slit my throat. I have been loath to continue lessons. I find blood does not appeal to me when it is my own as much as would please the Cruel Thing."

He's suddenly sitting cross legged on the coffee table.

"Sex and blood should very probably not mix. Or fire. Or so I am told."

The hand is shaken, of course. No visible signs of checking for strength or anything, but there all the same.

'You too.' He calls a rat and doesn't order a hot spiced wine, or a fruit brandy as he normally would when it's evening and cold and he feels lazy. This time it's ale, cheap ale at that, and the rat is given brass coins as payment, nothing larger. 'I haven't seen you here before.'

He can get cheap ale and pay with brass coin, but he can't change what he's wearing or the twitch of his nose.

"Apparently, I'm back after a long timeline tour in my own world that ended up with me coming here before I came here the last time."

He sips at his Corona.

"Haven't seen you around either, though."

And he twitches his head to the bar at large.

Translation? You on the job?

He's a little surprised by the speed of movement but covers fairly well. 'Your teacher sounds as though he or she needs to improve their methods. What would you learn from having your throat cut?'

Jack is rather disconcerting, he's finding.

'And...uh, no. I would think neither blood nor fire would mix well with sex, unless you have particular tastes that enjoy that sort of thing.' Hey, it's not unheard of, even in his world. He doesn't share those tastes though.

"I hated blood, I burn easily, and I fear very much that it will not be worth the heavy breathing."

He shrugs.

"And slitting my throat was not, maybe, unmerited. I was very angry."

He laughs. 'Yes, that sounds similar. My friend Barak would approve of the hint, he likes to spend winter days in forests sticking poles in large pigs. I prefer a nice game of dice by the fire but I get dragged along on occasion.'

He waves a rat over to get more ale. 'Fires and feasting, yes. Will you do something similar here?'

'Will there be many people?' He hopes so, he likes big gatherings. 'And is it an affair to dress for, or will casual clothes suffice?'

"In all likelihood, aye," Gimli says. "My old clan used to light the greatest fire they could at sundown on the night before Yule, and then someone would have to tend it until sundown of Yule itself. We'd gather about to keep them company. I haven't any dwarves here, but I expect I could drum up a few compatriots in such a fashion- especially since there'd be food and beer about."

Because, c'mon, big fire and no food and no beer? You must be joking.

"Casual will suffice. And I hope so. I've invited over 40 people thus far but haven't heard back from all of them. I think I have about 12 confirmed now. Which isn't bad since I sent the invites out yesterday."

If he'd considered that he might meet a fellow professional, he would probably have come in as Ambar. And he really should work on the twitching of the nose, it's a significant tell.

'That must be confusing for you.' He smiles slightly at the twitch. 'Busy at home so I don't get to visit often. Relaxing place though, I find, as much as a man is able to anyway.'

No. But sometimes, sure.

He smiles.

"Not so bad. Got me a couple of readymade friends and that seems to be working out all right."

He leans on one arm and swishes his beer around.

"What do you do back home?"

Specialty?

Obviously! Food and beer are imperative!

'Was that a tradition of some sort? Or just something that everyone does at Yule on your world? It sounds like fun, if rather cold.'

He laughs at that. 'Heavy breathing? If you know nothing of it, how do you know that that's what it entails?' He has a speculative drink. 'And there's more to it than that. I would recommend you try - life is full of ugly things. The enjoyable ones should be enjoyed as hard, and as often, as possible.'

His personal favourite? Wives of other men. Just because he can.

"I do not think so. I can only have so many scars. Thea..."

He shrugs, and pulls his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

"But I like dancing."

"It's a tradition of the Dwarves," Gimli says. "The hobbits and Men have customs of their own, of course. The hobbits eat- and you've never seen a feast until you've seen one set by hobbits- and there's quite a great deal of singing. The men aren't much different, though they've usually got stories to tell more than sitting about waiting for the next dish."

'Friends are always enjoyable, and useful, things,' he agrees easily. Then shrugs.

'Something of a diplomat.'

Spy.

'Businessman also. Acquire things, move them along, you know how it is.'

Thief.

'Occasionally run to cleaning up messes made in my friends' businesses also. Something of a troubleshooter in that regard.'

Assassin.

'You?'

"Well, I used to get people what they needed."

Cat burglar.

"Was pretty good at it too."

Good one.

"But now I'm doing work for the government."

Secret Agent.

"They've been trying to get me into that last one, but I just don't see the money in it."

Not a killer. Best at stealth.

Silk nods understandingly. 'There's never money in government work. Usually done by people who have a sense of the patriotic. Unfortunately I rather have no choice in that, but I find enough other things to keep me occupied along the way.'

Deliberately misunderstanding? Perhaps.

Or not.

Don't kill for money.

"Yeah, well, not exactly my choice."

They've got something on me.

"My brother got me into it."

And he's not alive to get me out.

'Dancing is a fun occupation,' he agrees lightly. 'But why do you find scars enjoyable Jack? There is more fun, surely, in things that don't hurt?'

Silk likes puzzles, it's a game to him. And Jack is quite the enigma at the moment.

"Thea said..."

He trails off, blinks twice, owlishly, and shrugs.

"I suppose it is not wise. But having a body is new, and having scars on it amuses me."

'A hobbit.' He muses. 'I've never seen one of them. Erastide has feasts also, of course - food seems to be the thing everyone has in common. But drinking is more what I look forward to - there's nothing really like being with a large group of friends and sampling ale all night.'

Silk's an Alorn. He can drink like a champion. His singing tends to be rather off key though, much to the amusement of everyone who's treated to a listen. Which is...everyone in the area, once he gets going.

'It sounds like a fun tradition you have. I enjoy the holidays, its nice to celebrate.'

'Well, there's plenty of time.' He grins at her. 'I don't see why anyone would want to miss it, it's the time of year for celebrating, after all. I'll certainly be along. Do I need to bring anything?'

Gimli smiles. "I'd not expect you to've seen them. They're folk of my world- halflings, they're also called- and not, apparently, anywhere else. Good, solid fellows, though." He shakes his head before saying, "A Yuletide spent with proper ale will be a wonder, for me. These past nine years I've been among the Elves of the Blessed Realm. Crafters, singers, warriors, one and all, but they can't make a proper beer to save their lives."