Vi sighed. It had been almost two months since Hal had left Old Rose to do, what ever, and Vi had long since decided he'd gone to join that Wick girl they'd met, and he didn't know enough about the girl to find them. He'd decided that, so long as the passive was safe, he would worry about finding him and regrouping later. As for his vast winnings from gambling on Clock's Eve, he'd already spent a small amount on a pistol and a sword, boh of which he'd kept at his side, and the rest he'd given to what he'd viewed as worthy causes.

Now he was on his way to join the Bad Brothers, having spoken with one of the members not long ago. He was to meet a golly by the name of Corwynn, who was supposedly of a high enough rank to recruit him. Though Vi didn't neccessarily like the fact that he'd be dealing with a golly, he knew this was likely his one and only chance, so he would amp up his charisma as much as possible, and deal with the situation. Squaring his shoulders, he took a deep breath and entered the tavern, looking around for his potental employer.

It was a busy night, and Gem was rushing about trying to catch all the orders and fill them in quick time. Her hair was sticking to her head and her forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The place was quite hot when you were running about as she was, but she was doing beautifully, as she always did, and no one had to wait too long.

She popped behind the bar to fill an order for six Chrove's Erses, and noticed the new fellow walking in the door. If she could get his order now, she could have it on the bar by the time he sat down, "Oy, friend! What can a girl get you?"

He seemed to be looking for someone, "Looking for a friend, are you?"

Vi blinked, a bit startled, then smiled and nodded, "Well, sort of. Not a friend, really, but..." He cleared his throat, "I'm looking for the golly by the name of Corwynn, could you show me where he is, please?"

Gem pressed her lips into a forced smile. They didn't tend to get galdori in the tavern very often, but there was always a representative of the Brothers on the busy nights. It just happened to be Corwynn that night.

"Sure thing," she told him. She fixed up a double Gioran whiskey and slid the drink down the bar to the newcomer, "Take that to him, would you? He's in the back room."

She pointed across the establishment to a pair of bead-draped doorways that led to private rooms, "The one on the right."

She picked up the six mugs of chrove's erse, three in each fist, and carted them off to a corner table full of burly men.

"Yes'm, and thanks." He took the glass and made his way toward the doors Gem had indicated. He could feel the golly's field. It made his hair stand on end. Was he really ready for this? Yes. He mentally prepared himself- or tried to- for the meeting that was about to take place, not knowing what to expect. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, the passive held back for a moment before crossing the threshold into the back room. "Hello?" He said, tentatively announcing his presence.

A very curly, very blond-haired galdor was sitting alone in the dim back room, obviously expensive boots carelessly sprawled on the tabletop. Arms draped across the back of the well-padded booth-like seating, the sleeves of his almost painfully crisp white shirt were rolled up to reveal stylized ocean wave tattoos on both his forearms. His gray vest fashionably matched the cloudy weather of the day, but if he had a coat it was nowhere to be seen. Corwynn looked up and raised an eyebrow at the young passive, right hand tightening its grip on the unusual pistol he thoughtlessly held in it.

"Good evening."

He smirked, blue eyes traveling to the drink in the albino's hand, "You're not my usual, busty waitress. Either you're new on the job or you're here to meet me for something else." His tone of voice was nonchalant and (for the moment) nonjudgmental, and his crooked smirk only accentuated the age-lines of his fine, weathered features. He might have been in his forties, but how far into them was almost impossible to tell.

"Besides taking my drink off your hands, what can I do for you?" A slight hint of distaste hung on the blond galdor's last word, rolling off his tongue as if it had not been caught in time. His expression didn't falter, distantly amused as it appeared to be.

Vi stared at the golly for a few long seconds, trying to get a grip on his nerves. The glass in his hand shook, it's contents threatening to spill over the lip.



He hadn't noticed until now, that he had been holding his breath. Letting it out slowly, he set the drink down before its intended owner, forcing a smile. "My name is Nivious Lumen," He started, his voice coming out in a squeek. He swallowed before speaking again, in a more level, audible tone, "I wish to join the Brothers. I was told to meet you here." Good. That last bit sounded much better, his voice sounding confident this time, not betraying his fluttering nerves, his now-innate fear of the galdori.

"Relax, kid. Hawke's an equal opportunity employer. For the most part, anyway."

Corwynn laughed haughtily but his tone of voice was hardly threatening. Not removing his feet from the tabletop, he pointed at an empty chair across from him with his pistol as he reached for his glass with a four-fingered left hand, "Take a load off."

The blond galdor raised an eyebrow, watching the albino carefully as he paused to take a drink of his whiskey. His gaze wasn't quite critical, and whatever the gunman might have felt about race was something he'd apparently learned to keep to himself in Old Rose, "Maybe we should get you something to drink before I ask you to tell me what you have to offer?"

The corners of Vi's lips twitched once before flicking back into a smile, and he sat down- albeit a might stiffly. His eyes were trained on the gun, and it took a great amount of will to keep himself from resting his hand on the pistol at his side. It at least gave him a small amount of comfort just knowing it was there incase things went amiss.



"Er, yes, that would be nice." He cleared his throat, placing both hands on the table, one over the other.

Corwynn watched the young passive sit down, and he waited for him to get back up again once he'd agreed to wanting a drink. There were a few moments of awkward silence, and the blond galdor's expression slowly grew into something amused. He'd used the universal 'we' out of politeness, and it was only to his chagrin that he realized Nivious had not caught on.

"I suppose it's a strange irony that I wait on you, young Lumen." The gunman chuckled, blue eyes crisp with his aristocratic humor. Setting his glass on the table near his knee, he reached his left hand up to a small cord behind his booth seating. The faint tinkling of bells could be heard from behind the beaded curtain, perhaps in the direction of the bar, "I do hope it amuses you as much as it amuses me."

He laughed, shaking his sun-touched curls, "Sorry. I couldn't help myself there. You're not here for me to make jokes at your expense. While we're waiting for service, why don't you go ahead and let me know what you, well, do for a living ... or at least how what you do might be useful to Hawke."

The blood rushed to his face in mild embarrassment and self-irritation. So much for first impressions... Of course, he should have known that a golly would never have the courtesy to get a drink for any other than another golly. And here the golly was, teasing him- not that he wasn't used to such, being not only a passive, but an albino to boot. He politely ignored the mockery, waiting for the golly to calm down.



Relax. "I've worked in several taverns," He started slowly, being sure to keep eye contact- how tempted he was, to stare at his hands instead, "And have resorted to picking pockets when times were rough. I'm great at memorizing things, I'm a good sneak, and I can handle myself in a fight." Just to lable a few of his qualities- for some reason this gave him some confidence, and he was able to speak clearly.

Gem sighed a little as the bell rang, damn, already? She took off toward the doorway, straightening her skirt and wiping the sweat from her brow. She didn't care to have the golly in the bar, but she knew where the money was-- and where hers was going if the Brothers rep wasn't pleased with the service.

She leaned in, hair on her arms prickling at the sensation of his field, "Can I get you another drink, luvy?" She was smart enough not to ask him if she could do anything for him.

Corwynn watched the boy relax as he talked about himself with a casual disinterest. He listened, however, enjoying his drink and settling back into his seat.

"I see—"

The blond galdor laughed, grinning broadly, blue eyes all but disappearing into the sun-etched age lines at their corners, "I'm fine, thank you, but this young man is in desperate need of something to help him relax." He pointed casually with a wave of his pistol, as if it was just an extension of his hand, "Whatever he wants. It's on me."

"Sure thing," she flashed the golly a grin before turning to the pale boy. She leaned in a little, "What can I get you, puppy? Whiskey? Magma? Blushing hingle?"

She blew him a little air-kiss and leaned against the door frame to show off a little. The theatrics were part of her job-- not that she minded a little oggling.

Vi ignored the golly's comment, though his eyes flicked warily to the gun and back. Though it wasn't like the gun was the golly's only weapon. "I would like Gioran Whiskey, please," he said politely, smiling at the woman despite his stress.

"Sure thing, sweetie," she turned with a wink at Corwynn and left with a sashay through the swinging beads.

The blond galdor chuckled, not displeased by the theatrical attentions, coyly watching the woman leave before returning his gaze to the albino passive, "So, what you're saying is you're more or less looking for something entry-level, am I right? Not just another messenger boy, though. You're hoping to work your way up the ranks, into something more useful. Some on-the-job training and a bit of adventure, eh?"

Corwynn grinned from over the rim of his glass, arching a blond eyebrow, his voice more casual than insulting, "You might have to deal with the title of thug for a while, kid, but it doesn't have to be forever if you actually have some worthwhile skills."

"How's that strike you?"

Vi nodded slowly, that sounded about right...



Thug? That didn't sound right. He had more brains than a typical thug, though this could work to his advantage for any dumb enough to underestimate him. A slow smile crossed his features, "That sounds... good enough for a start." He was starting rather young, after all. He couldn't expect much more from any other job at his age. Perhaps by the time he hit 20 he'd be in the higher ranks. But this was the here and now, musn't get too carried away.

Amani entered the tavern, scanning the room and failing to find any familiar faces. She felt a familiar field present though, and her eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. She pulled a butterfly clip she had out of her pocket and used it to get her hair out of her face. It wasn't much of an improvement-- Amani had been busy running around looking for a man by the name of Black who owed Hawke money. One aching arm later and she was done with the assignment that had proved more trouble than it was worse. Still, she couldn't help being satisfied with the results.

The woman made her way into the next room and found a familiar head of golden hair-- with a boy.

"Cooor..." she drawled melodiously, putting her elbows on the table and resting her head on her arms. The position provided the two men at the table an ample view of her cleavage. Obviously she was in the mood for some flirty.

"On the clock?" she asked languidly, getting up slowly and examining the passive with a critical eye. "Hiring ghosts, I see..." The boy was thin, and his paleness gave him an almost ethereal quality. "Or if he is not a ghost he will be soon enough. He looks to be light enough to fall over in a small wind."

The blond galdor laughed and slammed his empty glass on the tabletop to accentuate his amusement, "That's a good boy. If you catch on fast enou—"


Whatever the gunman was about to say, it was utterly lost by the sudden, slightly surprising distraction. His blue eyes moved from meeting Nivious' gaze to the Mugrobi woman leaning on his table, but he was completely unashamed to not be looking at her face. A sly grin slowly crept its way into the weathered creases of his face, "Well, good evening, Amani. It's good to see you ... more of you, even. Leave your hired hands on the street where you found them, did you?"


"I suppose I'm on the clock, yes." Corwynn reluctantly looked up into Amani's eyes, but his expression was still full of amused mischief. He pointed at the young passive with the side of his pistol, left hand tossing some of his sun-touched curls from his face, "This here is Nivious Lumen, and as far as I can tell, he's not a ghost. Play nice with the boy; he's hoping to be family."

He smirked, waving his four-fingered hand with a flourish at the woman, just out of reach, brushing her arm with flirtatious flair, "This here's Amani. She likes sharp objects. I'm not sure if she bites ... yet."

The gunman laughed, removing his feet from the tabletop and sitting up, finally sliding his pistol back into its holster at his hip, "Will you be joining us, then? How did everything go this evening?"

Vi jumped a little as the golly slammed the glass on the tabletop, thought for a second he liked the new tone in the golly's voice, then tensed up as he felt the field of anoher golly very close by. Perfect, as if one wasn't enough to deal with...



Vi smiled stiffly at the woman, ignoring her snide remarks of his appearance, "Nice to meet you." Which, in his mind, translated into 'I don't like you.' Oh gods, when will my clocking drink get here?

"They are not my responsibility. I hired them for one night only." Amani said, quite unbothered by his earlier reference. Although she was selective, Amani was no blushing maiden. Instead she smiled at Corwynn pertly, and rolled her eyes skyward.



Amani glanced at Nivious, "Amani." she said shortly, again looking the boy up and down. Although her expression was slightly disdainful, her eyes betrayed the same queer amusement that Corwynn often seemed to wear.



She laughed, "Hah! Of course I bite. It is what you get for playing with panthers. One should expect no less."





"Is it?" she asked in an annoyed voice. If he was going to lie he should at least lie well. Pulling up a chair, the woman sat down with an air that seemed to imply she was doing him a big favor by staying, "It went fine. I am surprised you did not know before hand, since you implied you would be tagging along to watch me succeed without your help." It was clear she was still miffed by his earlier implication and folded her arms, leaning more towards Nivious.

"Do you see that man, Nivious? He dared to imply that I would fail my first assignment. That man--" She pointed imperiously, "Is a man of little faith."

Amani knew she was being pouty and petty but she had truly been offended by the implication. Although her victory put her in a good mood, it was slightly soured by his 'faithlessness' (as she thought of it).

Well I proved it wrong. That should satisfy me.

"I need a drink..." She growled, tapping her fingers on the table impatiently.

The woman didn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon, much to Vi's dismay. Oh, well... If he was to be a part of the family, he would likely be working closely with these two eventually, so he may as well get comfortable and at least try to get along.



"Oh yes, it's quite the tragedy." He said sarcastically, a smirk forming on his lips.



"I hear ya." He managed to say with some small amount of empathy.

Gem finally arrived at the door, bearing a handful of empty mugs and a glass of whiskey. She halted briefly at the sight of the other woman-- she had felt the second galdor's presence, but hadn't seen where she'd gone after she came in. She set down the whiskey in front of Nivious as she noted that Corwynn's glass was empty, "Here you go, puppy. You want a refill, luvy?"

She turned to the newcomer, "And I believe I heard you saying something about a drink. What can I get you?" Gem never knew what to call female patrons in general. Male bartenders got away with "beautiful" and "missy" and so forth, but it was just a bit awkward coming from another woman's mouth. And dealing with gollies was a tricky business, anyway, so she simply did without.

"Starfly." Amani said, still tapping her fingers impatiently, "I need something to sweeten my temper." The smile she offered Corwynn just then was so saccharine it would have made a gummy man puke.

Her fingers fluttered absently to the fresh hole in her coat as she smirked and pulled at the little fibers that were poking out.