Hidden: Tavern Music Near the edge of the city where most of the commerce passed through the veins of the marketplace one could find a great many drinking establishments. If you happened down one particular alley, and could brave the smell of the stables and a smelter being side by side you would find the cracked cask tucked away just out of sight. Where as other Inns and Taverns tried to make their places as hospitable as possible for travelers with heavy coin purses, the Cask was singularly unique in that it's business strategy employed the opposite marketing strategy. The place was a shit hole, some might argue quite literally based on it's position to the back of the stables. Locals might claim that was part of the charm though, the sawdust on the floors seemed to raise every customer at least an inch away from the actual floorboards. This was probably for the best as the sawdust was also a mix of old vomit and discarded food and drinks of various quality. At one point the walls had been painted and there were signs of decorations that had been placed up. This had long since been degraded into multiple spots where stray weapons had caught the plaster, and writing that would put most mens rooms bathrooms to shame. The graffiti didn't just exist on the walls but was also carved into every table and even the main bar. Just as one entered they could see an old plaque hanging from the banister above the common room. Come in off the street and warm your feet. Come and share a brew or two. Wash troubles away or boast the day. You can do it all here at the Cracked Cask. The word SHITTING LIES was carved heavily into the beam just under the plaque. It was here that Sharara was sitting, legs wide spread as she slammed her mug down on the table looking across to the burly porter that she was having a drinking contest with. She wiped the suds from her face and gave the man a wobbly grin, her ears perking as she stared him down with her one good eye. "What's the matter old man?! Feeling the drink draggin you down?" The man wobbled as he gripped his own mug. "Hardly lass! I'm gonna need another ten rounds here!" His boast caused the crowd around them to stir, hooting and hollering at this drinking contest that had broken out with a burly porter and the Felin adventurer that was half his size. There's rambunctiousness caused the grinning Sharara to turn her attention to them. "Don't get your panties in at twist fellas! I still got enough room in my gut to put you ALL under the table!"
"I told you this last week, I'm a faerin dangit!" It took quite a bit of scolding to get through to this particular doorman that she was old enough to drink, despite it being well known Faerin stayed small for a fairly long time. Offline, it would've been just as troublesome, she realized- but at least here, it was easier to get past the issue of her childish figure. With a deep sigh, she wandered into the tavern. She was thirsty, and had a headache. Sure, this was normally two signs one shouldn't be having liquor, but honestly, she felt a need for some. Taking a seat at the bar, she ordered her drink and waited for it while eyeing a nearby drinking contest. "I wonder what it's like being able to hold liquor so well?" As the contest went on, she noticed the noise was getting to her more than the alcohol was. And then, the feline that was the star of the show noted being able to drink everyone under the table. In a game, it was probably safer to drink for someone that was a lightweight than in reality, wasn't it? Curiously, she took her drink with her and wandered over. "Mind if I join in? I'm not much of a flask, but I love a good show. Watching up close'd be much more fun."
"Of course you can join! I'm just about to put this sorry bloke under the table!" With that Sharara did what she said she was going to do, knocking back another flagon of whatever passed for ale in this particular tavern. Pounding her chest with her fist the small felin produced a belch that was honestly too big for her small frame, giving the man what could only be described as a shit eating grin before slamming both hands on the table and standing up. Her cat ears perking excitedly and tail practically on end as she stared down the swaying porter. "Go on old man! If you can even lift another tankard to your sorry gob that is!" "-shWhat chu talkin bout you sodsy trollipsh?-" He slurred picking up his alcohol to drink. For a single moment it looked like he might knock back another brew causing the drinking battle to drag on longer. But a small rumble in his gut caused him to stop, face turning green before. He held back his sickness, but this obviously cost him the war as he eyes seemed to roll back in his head and his face slammed onto the table spilling alcohol all over himself. This caused the crowd to go nuts, and Sharara exulted in the praised and adoration of the drunk bafoons around her. "THAT'S RIGHT! I'M YOUR BLEEDIN QUEEN! DON'T ANY OF YOU FORGET IT!" Sharara celebrated her victory for some time, sloppily giving high fives and cheering before kicking a barstool over to where @Harveste was sitting and straddling it. Looking over the even smaller Faerin caused Sharara's grin to grow wider. "Didn't expect to see another player in here, your type usually goes to the goose. Names Sharara, but you coulda probably seen that from my nameplate."
The stranger's grin was quite the sight in Harveste's eyes, as she kept a curious eye on the drunks in the room before feeling able to focus on the person she was speaking to. As she was introduced, the small looking girl seemed rather enchanted by her name. "Is it okay if I call you Shara, then?" Shara- a character from a video game she liked. Sure, the reference was likely beyond most people, but she could enjoy it even if it was just a fluke, right? "Ah, I'm Harveste. I went to the Goose once, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea. I wanted to try something new, and this place seemed unique- plus, I love livestock, and it's pretty easy to see it in this neck of the woods." Taking a small sip of her liquor, she was at ease because it didn't sting as much going down. It was a light drink, perfect for a lightweight like the fae that probably wouldn't normally be caught dead in a bar in general. So far, she was glad she'd chosen this place to relax. She was getting to meet an interesting fellow out of it, and the drink was pretty nice to boot. "You said it's rare for players to come here, but then what brought you here yourself, Shara? That makes you an equal commodity, don't you think?" Her words were said with a grin and a sparkle in her eyes. This would surely be amusing to hear!
"Heck yea you can call me Shara!" Sharara smiled wide, ears perked excitedly and tail curling at the end in the very same excitement. She'd never before had a nickname, at least not a cute one so this was kind of a new thing for her. Of course she'd never really had the girly experience before either so it was quite welcome in her mind. She'd always been seen more as a tomboy than the other girls where she grew up; the elders used to say that she was destined for a life of adventure because of it. All the boys her age were intimidated by her, and all the girls were too, so she was kind of used to not being entirely social in the ways that they were. At least that was the backstory she had for herself in her head, it was just an avatar in a video game after all. "So your name is Harveste... Is that like Harvest Moon at all? You kinda look like you might come from the moon with all that purple hair!" Sharara laughed heartily pulling a half empty mug of alcohol from her sleeping foe over, taking a swig. At the rest of @Harveste's question she flattened her ears and tilted her head to the side, seeming to think about it for a moment. It didn't really make sense to the cat girl since she was kind of a plain thinking individual. "I guess... I never really thought of myself as being a commodity! I just come here because this is where the rowdiest NPCs hang out, and I love getting rough and rowdy with them. Plus they threw me out of the other taverns..."
The excitement in Shara's eyes was more entertaining than the acceptance of the nickname. However, what really got her going was likely the one that Shara came up with in return, and more so the reason for it. She laughed, smiling merrily, eyes tearing a bit from the laughter. "Actually I don't know how I came up with the name. But...No, I think the rabbit on the moon is much cuter. I guess you guessed where I came up with the nickname for you though, huh?" Taking another swig of her drink, she did happen to think her lilac hair's style could seem similar to a rabbit's ears, but knew well that the old folktale was far from well known, especially in the United States. "Then again, the rabbit on the moon is way nicer than I am," She mumbled, the thought unintentionally coming out with her next breath. She blushed hearing her own voice, timidity settling in her throat. Still, Sharara's words were far more easy to focus on than her own embarrassment. As the woman mused she hadn't thought that much of herself, the faerin's cheeks puffed slightly and, without a thought, she hugged onto the woman with a smile after placing her cup down. "Silly! If you think of a commodity as meaning special, than you're definitely one! And if you need proof, you said it yourself, didn't you? I mean, not that many people get excited hanging out with the rowdy locals. Then again, that's because the locals can be pretty rough in general, sometimes. Yet you looked like you were having tons of fun together. If you ask me, it's an inspiration!"
"Nah I don't think it's an inspiration! I mean there's like knights in shining armor and big fancy lords and super powerful wizards and stuff. I'm just a one eyed grizzled felis who likes hard drink and playing rough. Nothing too special about that." Sharara scratched at the side of her face with a finger for a moment before shifting in her chair to look over the crowd that had gathered around the bar. Most of them had gone off to do their own thing now that the drinking contest was over. Of course some would glance in her direction seeing as she had already proved to be a source of entertainment when she so chose it. For her part Sharara cricked her neck from side to side. "So what about you? What are you hoping to accomplish in this game? It seems like everyone I meet has some sort of goal or something." "Me? I'm looking to be the strongest there is. I'm gonna have a name that causes mountains to crumble and armies to shatter at the mere mention of it! I'm gonna sail the world over and I'm gonna find every secret that there is to know!"
The lavender-haired girl giggled, watching the stranger quietly. This person was quite modest, wasn't she? "One eyed is already different, don't you think? I'm curious why you opted for it." She wanted to make a pun over the 'grizzled' note, but opted not to mention it for the moment. "Say, since you mentioned Harvest Moon, do you like it too? I don't usually get people asking me about my game name unless they're fans. Or, you know, just really like lunar phenomena." If this stranger had a similar taste in games, it was very possible to Harveste that her own nickname for the woman would make sense to her. And wouldn't that be fun? Finding the drinking contest being over was both a curse and blessing in one package. The lessened noise rang radiantly in her ears, relief in her thoughts as she could finally hear them. However, she had to admit that watching had been entertaining despite her internal woes. It was too bad she didn't trust herself enough to enter one. When she was asked why she played the game, she had to spend a fair few moments to think it over. Why did she play? She didn't really know if she had a concrete reason. In the end, she merely spoke her thought process out loud. "Well, let's see...I'm a writer, but I'm also a hermit. I don't really get out much, and for writing, it helps to have lots of experiences. There are things I'll never be able to experience offline, so I guess...I play to experience things I normally can't." With a smile, she felt her answer had been the best she could give, and was more than happy with it. Though, she did add to it soon after. "That, and games are fun. And a great way to make new friends, too. Like...I wouldn't have met you right now if I weren't playing, you know? So it's pretty helpful that way!"
"Oh! You're a writer? I'm a graphic designer in real life, that's actually kind of why I like Harvest Moon and Rune Factory and stuff, all those super old games are interesting and I like looking at the character designs and stuff." Sharara leaned forward slightly giving a grin, listening to the rest of the girls explanation. It was such an honest and simple answer and she was happy to hear it, all the roleplay aside she mostly had the same reasons for wanting to enter into game. To have fun was pretty much a common thread among all people in this virtual world. Josie could really appreciated that much. "That is a good point! We met because we both want to have fun with the game, I'm glad that you're in the same boat as me in that regard. What kind of writing to do you do in real life?"
"A graphic designer? That's amazing!" The girl was in awe at the woman's work, not having even seen it. Not nearly close to being an artist, she couldn't help laughing idly at her memories of failed drawing attempts. "I'm really bad with visuals, but I always loved the retro feel of early games. I played all the really old Harvest Moon games for gameboy and stuff. It's amazing how they've changed! But what I like most is the stories. Rune Factory's stories in particular were fantastic- even if at least a couple were really, really slow to build up." As she giggled and took another sip of her drink, brushing some hair behind her ear so it wouldn't get into the liquid. Unfortunately, some did still get into her mouth, leading to a momentary lapse of conversation for a coughing fit. "I write a lot of different things actually. I started out making comics on a 3D program since I can't draw, but eventually I stuck to poetry and novels. I have a poetry anthology out now, and managed to turn one of my comics into a pretty good story. At least, it's selling at all. I tried doing the cover myself, but...Well, if you look up Alien Irony, you'll probably see just how crap my drawing is. I'd love to see yours sometime instead! What's it like being a pro?"
"Alien Irony! I'll totally look that up some time." Sharara was sort of done drinking for the time being, she idly pushed one of the mugs on the table around instead. She had to pace herself just in case someone else wanted to challenge her to a drinking contest. Not that it would really be much of a problem, she had a pretty good constitution for this kind of stuff. That wasn't to say that she could knock back ale after ale though and hope to survive the night. "Being a pro is alright, I mean I've done a lot of design work for a different VRMMOs and stuff, they actually took me over to Japan for a while to do some work for Gate of Tiamat Online, that was pretty cool. I don't do as much character design or art as I would like too, I'm mostly involved with small things like UI elements and stuff like that but it's still pretty fun. Not that I'm doing much work right now..." That last part left a bitter note in her mouth, the industry had kind of turned its back on her. Still she wasn't trying to feel to shitty about it, she perked her ears and grinned at Harveste. Always forward. "I actually had my own web-comic too when I was a kid but I never really updated it that much though."
The excitement in the woman's voice made her a bit anxious. Had she really just promoted herself online? Actually, promoting herself at all was a pretty big feat for the faerin. Perhaps a pat on the back was necessary, even for such a pitiably simple thing. She called the bartender for another drink, giggling a bit as she glanced back at the felis. "If you do, feel free to let me know how bad it is, kay?" Well, so much for her minor boost in confidence. Hopefully another drink would help with that. As her drink came, she stirred it lightly with a straw she'd gotten- it wasn't usual for a simple drink like hard cider, but she found it helpful at times, and fun to play with. She was easily entertained, like the child she would often be mistaken for. Taking a sip through it followed by blowing into the liquid to make bubbles, she giggled- but listened carefully all the same. "I heard of Tiamat but never actually got to play it. I saw some screenshots of it though. Looked pretty cool. I bet your comic is way more interesting, though! Can I get a link sometime?"
"Haha! I wouldn't worry about how bad it was, you said you did it when you were younger and everyone starts somewhere!" Sharara rubbed the back of her head when her comic was mentioned, to be truthful she hadn't really don that much with it. It was like a bunch of pages that really went nowhere, more impressive because of the art than the story. She had always told herself that she was going to find a good writer to work on the web-comic and she'd do the art on it but it never really came to fruition. Instead she sort of just let it fall by the wayside and added a bunch of the really nice pages that she produced to her portfolio. "Of course I'll send you a direct message with the link!"
"Well, when I say younger, I don't mean especially young..." The girl mused, laughing nervously as she sipped her drink to ease the memories out of her head. "I've always found it easy to write stories, but I really suck at anything that requires visual acuity. Even when I try to draw, what I see in my head is usually only in words, not an actual image...So it just comes out as garbage scribbles at best." Without thinking it over now that she was getting more comfortable with the heavy drinker beside her, Harveste set up a friend request mixed with her contact details. "So you can message me later with that link, and vice versa. I'm curious to see what kind of story you had in mind. Depending on what I see, I may have to beg you to help me out next time."
