Rowdiness is Contagious [o]

[Sonya]

"Oh my...they've gotten quite excitable over there, haven't they?" Sonya watched a brewing disagreement on the far side of the tavern out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't quite sure how it started out. Until it got to be too noisy to ignore, she was more concerned with pleasant conversation and occasionally making sure no one was about to put a blade between her ribs than an argument that didn't concern her. Now, however, a casual glance had just allowed her to notice one of the men smashing a tankard over another's head. Sonya closed her eyes and sighed. She was having such a good evening, too. Almost landed a companion for the night, even.

Said prospective companion gave a wary look over at the brewing fight. "You gonna do something about that?" he asked, looking at the bartender. The bartender shrugged. Sonya didn't blame him. The guy looked like he'd normally need hired help to keep the tavern in order. He just also didn't look like he brought in that kind of money. The man looked between him and Sonya. "You mind if I-"

"It's fine, isn't it? Just let them work out their frustrations," Sonya shrugged. "They'll all be in enough pain in the morning that it'll be punishment enough. If it gets too out of control-hold that thought." She turned, catching sight of a thrown bottle missing its intended target and instead sailing straight for her. Grabbing her companion's currently empty (or at least closer to empty to her own) tankard, she brought it up and swatted the bottle out of the air. It crashed to the ground and shattered, causing a stunned silence to fall over several tavern-goers nearby. The brawlers on the other side, however, didn't seem to notice at all. "Never mind, I'll take care of it. Barkeep, you got a stick of some sort I can use? I don't want to draw for something as simple as this."

The bartender tossed her the broken remains of a broom handle. Sonya took less than a second to examine it, deciding that it would suffice. "Help if you like. Or don't, that's fine too," she said, giving the man next to her and anyone else who could see it a charming smile. "Same to the rest of you. Just be warned that it's about to get a lot livelier in here."

[Zerachiel]

One would say a Priest had no space in a bar, or even a tavern. Well it did not matter, as the male had simply traveled to this place, shortly after his covering at the church in the area he was previously. He had gained a few converts, and spread word of The Pasture, so it was not a wasted journey at the very least. Although, he had now been on the road a bit longer then most would think necessary, as he had been moving around to small villages. As such, his hair was shaggy, and the five o'clock shadow on his face gave him a more jovial, but off key look. If he were as he was normally, he would be austere, and unyielding. But now, he looked like a man that was perhaps kinder.

If one wasn't hesitant to seeing purple as a bad colour, as plegia seemed to hold that colour dear. The male had been sipping his tea, sitting in a corner removed from most, letting the soft brew slide into him like a refill of fuel for the horses. But when he opened his eyes, a tankard had smashed into his table, leaving him bereft of more tea. Of course, his eyebrow rose, and he followed the source to two very deep into brawling drunkards, and a slender figure moving to intercept them. Debating a moment if he should intervene, the male just gave a soft sigh and then moved his form from his comfortable seating spot.

''Pardon me Child, would you let me handle this?'' he spoke to the young lass, brown eyes settling on her for the moment. Yes, he may be of the priest class, and with a proficiency in staves, but that didn't mean he didn't know submission techniques. Although in actual combat it would be useless, here it was perfect. The targets were both very drunk and would require little effort to subdue should it come to that, and well, generally a certain tone in his voice kept people from doing anything. It was a tone he was loath to use regularly, but necessary for cases of those that could not care for their own selves healthily. But of course, he wanted to wait on the young lass' permission, as she seemed to want to intervene.

He hadn't even noticed how he used Child or that he used the tones when he spoke to his flock. Perhaps that and the symbols around his neck would label him as a priest. After all, he was not wearing either the customary white, or the robes of a priest, but rather functional black clothing. Well, there was a situation, and he had been across the tavern, further away then the lass, which might explain his late intervention. But after all, the thoughts of others were a mystery, as the two drunkards continued beating themselves up happily, unaware of the chaos they were slowly bringing to the once joyful tavern. Ah yes, this would definitely give him a perfectly opportune chance.

To save the duo that is.

Relax god is in control watch the dot take your meds obey my demands trust my dog time for surgery. Last time was the last time, this time you're 100 percent.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Sonya]

It seemed that the two brawlers' fight had started to drag in a few more people as well. A couple more had gotten dragged in after getting hit by thrown objects, while a third, closer to the group, seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Sonya. One good hit from someone she was assuming was the instigator quickly proved that he wasn't doing too good at it though. Sonya sighed. There didn't seem to be a good way to talk them down. Violence, it would have to be. She hated to have to resort to that, but...

...Oh, or someone could try to talk them down anyway. Sonya blinked up at the man who had approached her. Holy symbols around his neck and a gentle tone that suggested the kindliest possible way of talking down to someone. Had to be a priest. Or at least someone who fancied himself as once. So that had to be what he had in mind, right? She couldn't imagine a priest resorting to violence for something so little. But then, she didn't actually know that much about religious figures. Most of her judgments at this point were based on assumptions. So if the man turned out to be a legendary Ylissean general, she would just have to take a valuable lesson away from the experience.

"Hm? Sure, go ahead," Sonya answered. "I'll buy you a drink if you can." She stopped herself before suggesting he do it with words alone, although she did genuinely wonder if he could.

[Zerachiel]

Ah, a poor innocent had been rendered unconscious. The girl seemed to be hesitant, and then simply let him go. Of course, he would hold her to that drink, but he would request tea. The male gave her a reassuring smile, and then stepped towards the two males, as they were fighting, but not at the same vigor. Tiredness was bogging them down, as the priest's eyes landed on them. Yes, a good solid one would do the trick, as he cleared his throat. When they continued on regardless of his intervention, the older male knew that indeed, he had to do what was needed to make them desist. One last breath, before he drew himself to his full height. ''ENOUGH.'' his voice boomed, loud and clear despite the noisy fight.

What anyone could hear in the voice was a command, something that compelled others to stop and listen. The two seemed to slack their grips, and turned to the priest. ''Are you two done? Naga may be divine, but even She would find difficulty in dealing with rabble rousing patiently. If you are to fight, do it out in the open rather then harming others.'' he said, the male's eyes dark and flashing. Oh yes, if he had to, he could fight. He was a prodigious mage, according to his parents. As few could even touch all of the magics as he did, light, dark, anima, healing. Magic held no secret to him, and he knew quite well how to use it. ''Now my children, calm yourselves. To drink is to make merry, not to harm your neighbor. Shake your hands, and wash clean of the debt, and return the air of merriment.'' he said, voice returning to a gentle tone.

Yes, a practiced ear would note the authority, the power in even his soft voice. The male extended his hands and gently brushed the foreheads of both males. No, they were not tame with this, but perhaps this was the first time that someone had showed them kindness, rather then disdain at their fighting. Indeed, it would not tame them, but they would feel a shame. It's the same feeling when one was scolded by their mothers as a child. That shame of having failed someone that believed in the good of you. Surely, nobody was immune to that feeling, although quite a few simply took themselves to ignore it.

And perhaps, they had enough sense remaining to feel this, and tame themselves from just his words, as he did not like to use restraining techniques on people... but would in order to spare them more injuries as well, as he would have to heal them anyways afterwards, as it was his function to do such a thing without even being asked to. Something of an extra function tied into his class and overall path in life perhaps, or maybe just simply something he did without thinking about it. Either way, he would heal their wounds and guide them to a new world, if they were so willing to listen.

Relax god is in control watch the dot take your meds obey my demands trust my dog time for surgery. Last time was the last time, this time you're 100 percent.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Sonya]

Sonya's initial assessment proved spot-on once the man spoke to the brawlers. The man had to be a priest, or at least some manner of religious figure. No layman would speak like that, especially not in the middle of a rowdy tavern. And sure enough, from the first word, the brawlers stopped and turned to listen to him. The few that had been dragged in along the way were immediately cowed by his tone of authority, backing down and away from the fight. That left only the two who had started it.

In fact, almost any normal person would have to at least reconsider their actions in the face of the priest's words and actions. Even Sonya would admit there was some shame in continuing a petty fight in the face of that. She might not have ended it, but she would have the good grace to take it outside. But, inebriation always stood in the way of good sense, and these men had been drinking all night. Shame was a concept completely lost on them, at least until the eventual hangover set in.

"Oi, oi, who do you think you are, preacher man? Naga ain't gonna care about me showing this waste of breath what's what," one of the two said, his voice slurred from the effects of more alcohol than even Sonya would ever recommend. "If you can't back that up, sit down before I lay you out!" The other, meanwhile, went back to ignoring the preacher entirely and tried to tackle the first while he was distracted.

"Well, so much for strongly worded warnings from gods," Sonya said, sighing.

[Zerachiel]

''Oh my, Children.'' he said, shaking his head, before he stepped in, pulling back the one male from charging. The priest moved quickly and efficiently, the pants and shirt definitely helping, as his hand moved with a destination. With a swift jab to his pressure point on the neck, Zerachiel put the charging man to sleep. Then, he did the same with a pinch to the other guy, knocking him down as well. And now, with the two of them were out of commission, the male shook his head in sadness.. ''Very unfortunate, I had not wanted to that. Would someone bring these two outside, let them cool their heads?'' the male spoke, before walking to the young lass with a gentle smile.

''Thank you young lady, for having the sense to listen and not make the situation worse. I had no wanted to subdue them as such... well. It wasn't very difficult as they were drunk.'' he added. Of course, he could never do that in an actual fight, simply because armor would get in the way firstly, and secondly enemies would move faster then that. And as a priest, his duty was to heal others, no matter his training in other arts. The priest did a small bow, and intended to return to his table, only to find it upturned and out of commission from the fight. ''Oh dear...'' he said, before shaking his head, and then turning to the girl he was about to leave.

''Would it terribly bother you if I sat with you and that young man over there?'' he asked softly, as the noise had returned, joyous. He understood that some people were making moves on others, and well he did not want to interrupt the girl in her endeavors, so he assumed to be polite more then anything.

Sonya

Relax god is in control watch the dot take your meds obey my demands trust my dog time for surgery. Last time was the last time, this time you're 100 percent.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Sonya]

Sonya whistled at the priest's 'response'. Just like that, he'd knocked both of them out with quick and easy motions, causing them to collapse in a heap on the ground. "Not bad," Sonya said, nodding to him. The man soon called for someone to drag them outside to cool off, then approached her. Sonya watched a couple of the other patrons who had been dragged in jump on that task, dragging both of them across the tavern floor with some difficulty.

"No problem," Sonya said. "I'm not too fond of beating sense into drunken fools either. I was just going to let them be before they started dragging other people in, but...you saw how that worked out." She glanced back towards the tankard that had nearly hit her, to see that the bartender had already picked it up and was cleaning it off. At any rate, she supposed she owed the priest a drink now, although she'd let him collect on that if he wanted. It seemed he would, though, since he soon asked if he could join her and her hopeful companion.

"Actually, I should really be going. The wife'll be upset if I'm out too late," the man said, standing up.

"Oh...ahaha...oops," Sonya said. Yeah, if he stayed, 'the wife' would have had a lot more to be upset about than getting home late. An amused snort from the bartender told her that he'd figured out the same thing.

"Another time?" the man asked. Sonya nodded, although she seriously doubted that there would be another time. The man nodded back, then moved to assist the other patrons hauling the unconscious brawlers outside before heading out.

"Well, that happened," Sonya said, looking up at the priest. "Sure, I don't mind company. Have a seat."

[Zerachiel]

The girl seemed to be observing, as the priest just smiled and listened to her words. Of course his gaze had followed hers, but before he truly left her, he had come back due to his table. And of course, like a bit of fortune perhaps. Although, the priest slightly frowned at the young man. He had been quite... hands on with the child before him and he wouldn't have put it past the guy to have wanted to commit adultery. Well that was not his business to judge, but perhaps a priest's close-by presence is what caused the male to retreat? Many people became insecure of their sins or soon to be sins when near holy places or one of holy calling. He had learned that a long time ago.

''I would like to apologize, perhaps it is my presence that caused him to leave.'' the male said, bowing slightly to the girl. He did feel bad, but at the same time he was delighted. She seemed a very interesting young lass and he would probably hear quite a few fascinating things from her. With a soft smile, he pulled one of the seats for her, and then himself, seating himself only once she was. A gentleman's gesture perhaps, but it was probably more of his kindness that he always had. The bartender seemed to be amused at the other young man running out, and well brought the girl her drink, and the priest another tea pot. Which probably looked weird, the small delicate seeming china in a bar.

But with expert hands, he had the tea set, and could focus on the girl. ''But regardless, it must seem very rude of me. My name is Zerachiel and yours young lady?'' he said, deciding to take the first steps into speech, waiting until they were both settled down before continuing. But it was just a soft continuation, as the action seems to have cooled down, allowing the two to relax once more. Hopefully the two drunkards outside would cool off before coming in here again, and that the other patrons had taken that situation as a lesson. After all, Zerachiel would probably be not as nice if other people, despite the warning, fell into step with the disturbances.

He would not be very content with such a thing happening, and that was saying something of the man.

Sonya

Relax god is in control watch the dot take your meds obey my demands trust my dog time for surgery. Last time was the last time, this time you're 100 percent.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Sonya]

"Maybe. Obvious priest, sudden fear of whatever god disapproving. I wonder why that is. He certainly didn't care before." She shook her head, taking the seat that the priest offered her. "A shame too, he was pretty charming. Ah well..." Sonya didn't stop to ponder it long. She was a sinner too. She'd stolen, lied, cheated, gotten intimate with plenty of people (some even married, although she usually didn't find out until afterward), and murdered plenty. It was a regular occurrence, and she didn't feel a thing for it. Other people could disapprove all they wanted to, that didn't suddenly make her able to feel remorse.

She gave the bartender a charming smile as he brought another drink, and one for the priest. Tea, apparently. Well, that made sense. Were priests even allowed to drink alcohol? She made a note to pay for the tea herself, as promised, although the bartender had probably already picked up on that point. So, she turned her attention back to the priest as he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Zerachiel. I'm Sonya," she answered. "So, what are you doing out this way? I don't usually see priest types hanging around in taverns."