So you meet in an inn [Vakko || Kiernan]

Kiernan glanced up from his pint when someone sat next to him. A half elf, huh? That guy did not seem familiar. Sure, Kiernan could not claim to know all and every sailor around the port, but this guy did not even seem like a sailor. His skin was not tanned and dried like several weeks at sea would turn it. Kiernan turned slightly to his left to get a better look.

What kind of person would come to Linhythe and especially to the port when there was such a weather out there? A newly recruited sailor? Or maybe he was a client looking for a ship and its crew? Kiernan looked him over more intently, trying to determine what this stranger was. That guy did not look like he was wealthy enough to recruit his way out of a paper bag and if he was an aspiring sailor, he'd have been staying with the rest of his crew. Well, just staring and wondering was not going to give him any straight answer.



"Hey, kid," he began, "if you want to get anything served in this inn you need to speak up." He pointed his hand towards the bartender. "Sungë can handle the rush of orders just fine, but you need to shout to get heard." Kiernan figured that was as good an ice-breaker as any he could think of. The nagging curiosity that was nibbling at his mind would not let down.

"So, how's Linhythe treating you so far?"

Raising a brow curiously at the elf's joke, Vakko casually shrugged. "I'll try to." Was the only answer he could give. His impression of Linhythe had been splattered with blood long ago and, by now, no amount of bleach could wash that off. When the man started making questions, however, Vakko discretely studied him more attentively. He knew his mother had an ear on every dirty inch of this city, but he found it highly unlikely for her to already know of his presence, let alone of his location. Like the dark elf, he played his words in the safe zone.
"Looking for work, mostly." He said. "I busted through my expenses on my way here, so now I have to find something to fill my wallet again, before anything else." He couldn't care less about the city's beauty and he had managed to get back on his feet in Song-Lu, but a white lie could never hurt anybody.

He had to admit, thou, it took a lot of willpower to not physically demonstrate how startled he was when his companion suddenly rose up and shouted. His shoulders flinching might've given it away, thou. While he quietly swore some newly learned sailor profanity, he noticed the man had made him the favor to get the barman's attention. "Ah yes." He said, looking up to the owner. "I'd like a meat stew" He was not sure what the menu was, but he thought the man could figure it out.
After the other left, Vakko turned to the white haired man. "Thank you. What's your name?" He asked, figuring that since he'd be waiting for a while, he might aswell engage in a conversation if only to distract him from the amount of people in such a closed space.

His eyes followed the bow of nuts casually, but he didn't reach for it. A man's possession was his own, at least in his view, and way to many years learning hunting in a forest by his father taught him to respect another person's property, as little as a nut they might be. Unless of course, he was starving, but since that was not the case...
"I'm Vakko." He replied with a nod. He peeked over his shoulder to where the elf was pointing, but he couldn't say he saw much other than water pouring from the sky. "I'll take a look at it once the storm stops. What kind of job they offer, though?" He looked at the other with a certain amused, yet uncertain expression. He was not planning on lingering too much on the `good areas` to find a proper, stable job, but he appreciated the others willingness to help. It had been a while someone helped him without -apparently- wanting nothing in return.

If Kiernan knew Vakko's true intentions, he would probably not be as cautious as he was when warning the halfling about the dangers of the city. He knew them too well, experienced them too well. Even across the ocean in a godsforsaken bulk of ice, he witnessed those dangers. So it actually took him a moment to decide which facade he'd adopt, at least for now. "No, I don't really have a place." Putting a cautiously curious expression on his face, as if he truly knew nothing of the city. "... that sure put me in a necktie, but my choices are rather limited. Isn't there any less... dangerous place?" He said with a hint tone of dismay, opting for the harmless facade as the safer option.

Vakko nodded as the other made perhaps accurate guesses on the topic. "Most likely. But again, I'm used to it, so it shouldn't be too hard." If all went bad, he could once again turn to the anvil for help and work as a blacksmith somewhere. He didn't try that in Song-Lu, but nothing stopped him from going that way here in Linhythe, as much as holding a hammer brought back unwanted memories, it was better than starving, a situation he seemed to find himself in every other week since he left Valsk.

Mentally taking notes of the names as Kiernan listed them, he was actually taking the man's advice. He wanted to avoid trouble for as long as he could during his first days, before he could fully scout on what feet the underground market situation was in. "I see... main streets." He nodded. "I might just go take a look at them, if this food takes too long to come by." He stretched his head up, but there was no sign that the barman would come their way anytime soon. Always eager to get going, Vakko was not here to find a future or fortune, he was here for revenge, plain and simple. If either of them followed on her wake, he'd consider a bonus.

At the others question, Vakko's eyes left the barman again, as he had been stalking the man with his eyes for a long moment. "Ah, yes. I came from Valsk." He answered with a smile. "A long way to come, I know, but my father used to tell me many things about this city, so I thought I should check it for myself." He figured that answer would cover most of the basic bases of inquiry the other should have. "What about you? Born here, or away?" Before the other could have time to answer, however, there was an eruption of sounds from somewhere to their left. On a table on the far side, two men were feverish arguing about something. Vakko looked over from his shoulder. A bar fight to entertain his arrival? And one he was not involved in? That was new.

Even if the other was trying hard to hide it, Vakko knew an action thirst when he saw it, and Kiernan's eyes were full of that desire, although the man's actions alone spoke volumes of his needs. "Iadlain seems equally far, in my opinion." He only knew tales of the dark city, but nothing solid. He followed the man's eyes back to the growing circle of men. "Right now, however, I'm just wondering whether you want to join that snowballing mess because of the fun, or because of fear of them tearing your home apart." Vakko's gaze turned back to the elf with a sly, amused expression. "Both alternatives look valid to me." He knew very well he had to stay out of trouble, but nothing stopped him from nudging other people into it. As long as his food arrived before beer and plate started flying around, he couldn't care less.

[[ I'll leave the fight progress in your hands, since... well, it's Kiernan's Inn after all xDD ]]