Returning to the Past.

*Angel stood outside the tavern that she used to own, her head tilted upwards as she just stared at it. It looked imposing on this occassion, since the sun was going down, and the shadows were beginning to cast.

Her attire was far from her usual gowns of high quality. Instead, she'd chosen to play the part and was dressed as a local wench woman might, with a white blouse covered by a dingy burgendy red corset that pulled tight around her waist and black velvet floating skirts. Her cloak looked as if it were designed and made by a blind tailor.

She turned to Kinsen and smiled faintly.*

"What do you think? Is it as you remember?"

*She was curious to go inside and see how it had changed since the fire took it to pieces.*

=Kinsen stands next to Angel, arms crossed at the wrists in his usual fashion. He is wearing armor, a black breastplate over chainmail, a white cloak falling down his broad shoulders, the long hilt of his family's bastard blade poking out over his shiulder, a cruel looking mace at his hip. He glances across to Angel with a smile. "It speaks of long days at sea and salt-spray. she may not look the same, but she feels the same." he glances around, ever vigilant, his eyes the cool grey of a dawn sea, the red crescent on his face shining like blood. he looks back to Angel. "Does it feel the same to you?"=

=Catona stands like a statue, hands resting at his side, his body speaking of barely concealed tension. The gleam of his metal arm catches the light, as the unadorned steel over his body. a pair of broadswords rest on his hips. The hilts are both well worn, and nearly identical. He stands surveying everything around him, his face a blank mask, his features handsome and cold, like a marble statue. he stands at 6-foot, a few inches shorter than Kinsen, and his musculature is more slender, more akin to a hunting cat. his eyes take in every detail, weighing everything as a potential threat. he stands in a sort of relaxed stance, with the underlying tension rippling in him, though he does not move, and barely seems to blink=

*Laughing, Angel crossed her own arms and looked from Kinsen to the Tavern.*

"Well..."

*Then she shrugged and turned back to look at the old building.*

"I thought it would feel the same, but I can't say it does. I just can't believe that I lived here for so long..fed those stupid chickens out the back, and well..I honestly thought I'd die here, too."

*She stepped forward, heading for the entrance.*

"I suppose it won't hurt to go in and have a drink. Lets see if the staff make them as good as I used to."

*Angel grinned, and pulled at the wooden door handle*

=Kinsen put a hand on the door with a smile. "Perhaps, to err on the side of caution, I should go in first?" he grins, brushing a few stray strands of black hair from his face before resting his hand on the haft of the mace at his hip.=

*His jesture caused Angel to roll her eyes in jest, as she pushed the door open just ahead of him. Her tone still jovial, Angel continued to walk into the building.*

"Kinsen, I think you underestimate how well I can take care of myself.."

*Stopping in the doorway, she stopped to check out the new interior. It had all been redesigned. Even the old fireplace wasn't in the same area as it once was. For a private reason, this changed her mood and her face fell in disappointment.*

"Oh...I wasn't expecting it to be..like this.."

*All the furniture was upgraded. It had all been improved grately. To anyone else, there would be no fault.*

=Kinsen steps in past Angel, glancing around the interior carefully, and he nods slightly. Glancing across, he catches Angel's expression and offers her a soft smile. "Now, remember, it's the spirit of the action." he pats her shoulder. "It looks good. Clean. strong, if that's the word to use."=

*She wouldn't fault him for doing his job and stepping forward, so she patiently waited until he was done, painfully aware that with such actions it might make them more obvious. Still glancing around, she caught him looking back at at her, and smiled with him.*

"Clean..strong..maybe thats whats wrong with it. None of it really exists.."

*She gestured Catona and Kinsen to follow as she made her way over to a round table in the corner of the room. Pulling up a chair and sitting down, she rested her elbows onto its wooden top.

As the bar wench came round, she ordered nothing but a jug of water with sliced lemons to be added. *

"Try to look as if you fit in a little, I'd hate to stand out. I'm here for a reason, I needed time to reflect on all this...I honestly wondered if I'd missed this place, but now I've discovered I miss the memory of it more. Now it has no soul, its not how I used to run it."

=Kinsen takes a seat next to her and laughs. "Well, I must say, in my line of work, and considering everything, it's hard for me to remain inconspicuous." he grins, gesturing to himself, his large frame obviously standing out. he sits forward in his chair, casually checking his weapons to be ready if needed. "It is a new place, they find lives of their own, but it takes time. Like we adjust to new places, new places need to build character."=

=Catona steps into the room, taking up a place besides Angel as she sits, where he can watch the entire room, standing as a statue, his face a mask. he rests his hands casually on the hilts of the blades at his hips, his metallic arm gleaming in the light. he glances around the room slowly, drawing in all the details of the room, exits, locations, the face of every patron aside from them.=

*Taking the jug, she poured herself one, then another for Kinsen. Still holding the glass transparant jug she glanced up at Catona*

"I'll pour you a glass...although you'll probably leave it."

*She made him up a glass and slid it in his direction, and then looked around watching the other people in the place. *

"Its stupid really, isn't it? I was hoping that somehow I'd remember who I was if I came here. Its so different from the citadel, and I always feel humbled. Now, with everything gone and changed, it feels as if that part of my life always be permanently erased. I should have known the Dracolich would destroy most of it. I wonder who put so much money into making it look this nice?"

=Kinsen looks around the tavern again, smiling softly. "Someone that loves the place well, and the idea too." he glacnes up. "someone like yourself, who cares about it all. takes pride in it." he looks at her and nods. "Aye, there is destruction, but from that destruction came new life. as a forest fire paves the way for new growth, so does tragedy." he accepts the water with a smile, holding it in one hand but not drinking it. "Life is a constant modulation of forms, of situations. I suppose nothing is familiar when you come back to it. Things change, and that is the constant, isn't it?"=

She smiled, sipping on the water.

"Yes..Kinsen, you're right and you've made me feel better already, thank you."

Angel shifted in her seat and leaned back.

"If anything, this demonstrates that change is good, like you say. I don't need to be here anymore, I don't think I'll ever come back here again."

Looking as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Angel's blue eyes shimmered against the glow of the tavern. Her smile was still there, and it was clear she'd made up her mind that she was over the place.

"Sorry for dragging you all over the place, Catona."

=Kinsen takes a small sip of his water, and laughs. "I wouldn't say never, m'lady. It is still a nice establishment." he grins glancing over to Catona, and nods to him, smiling and placing his cup on the table. Besides, this place smells of the sea, and that has been sorely missed in my time back here."=

*Angel nodded and shrugged.*

"Lets make the most of it now we're here then... and perhaps later, just for you, Kinsen, we'll visit the docks."

*She called the waitress over and ordered a deck of playing cards. As the waitress returned, Angel gave her a small tip and turned back to the others.*

"I have a trick..the patrons used to love it."

*Angel took the cards out and gave them a flick, allowing them to shuffle between her hands. Laying the deck out, she started to take them, one by one and with much care Angel attempted to balance them together, in a sort of pyramid shape. One wobbled, and she giggled, trying to keep her hand there so that the card didn't topple the whole stack.*

=Kinsen watches with an amused smile. "Our fair Queen, a master of parlor tricks too?" he keeps his hands and drink carefully away from her work, watching with interest. He gances up to Catona from time to time, almost to see if the man is still there. his silver eyes light upon the rest of the tavern, his chair back pushed against the wall so his back is not exposed. his expression is one of calm, but there is an underlying nervous tension in the movements. He is not too happy with the current location, or the risk, and so is not fully able to relax. he drums the fingers against the cup containing his waterwatching Angel's work, while watching the tavern from the corner of his eye=

*Concentrating on the card she had in her hand and the stack already built, Angel couldn't help but grin playfully at Kinsens' words.*

"Queen? Is that what I am, now sir? I don't have the clothes of a Queen now, do I?"

*Her tone was full of jest, and it was clear she was relaxed. This evening, she was determined to have a good time. Angel wasn't stupid, she knew the dangers of it all but she needed to be away from the confines of the citadel.*

=Kinsen returns the look, chuckling softly. "The clothes do not make the queen, my lady." he glances around, and laughs. "Besides, isn't every barmaid a queen in her own right, at her tables? A servant of the people, but she has her dignity too." he takes another sip of the water letting it sit on his tongue. Still, fter the time, the simple joys of life were delicately beautiful to him. he glanced over to Catona, wondering what joys the man took in the life they had recently been given back to them. he lifts his glass to Catona slightly, in acknowledgment, and takes another slow sip=

=Catona moves with a supple grace to lift the glass of water to his hand and to his lips, taking a careful sip and nodding graciously to Angel. "Thank you, my queen." his voice is slightly quiet, and deathly calm, his expression never changing. He brings the cup back down to the table, the smooth motion ending with his hand resting on the hilt of one of his blades.

Catona turns his head fully and catches Kinsen's look, his dark emerald green eyes meeting the liquid silver of Kinsen's eyes and holding them a moment. As Kinsen lifts his cup, Catona nods slowly in his own acknowledgment before turning his gaze back over the tavern=

*Angel laughed at Kinsen's suggestion of a barmaid being a queen in her own right. It was a laughable notion, but mayhaps not too far off the mark.*

"I like the way you think. You always have an excellent way with words."

*Casually Angel flipped him a card, and one in Catona's direction.*

"Come on..lets see if you have the discipline for it."

*She giggled and took a card for herself.*

"You first, Kinsen...place the card on the side...try and balance it next to the others."

*Angel paused in her laughter as Catona spoke up. It was the first time he'd ever said anything to her. Now her genuine and honest smile widened. *

"You're very welcome, Catona."

*It was surreal to her, that he was standing there, since Angel had very much worshipped his legend for many years. Privately, she felt he deserved a better task than babysitting her.*

=Kinsen nods graciously. "Words are much harder to master than any sword, and are by far more potent, more effective." he catches the card before it hits the table, smiling at Angel. "And yet a harder discipline yet...card towers." he laughs and takes another, placing the edges together, taking his time in beginning the construction of a card house, glancing over at Catona to see his reaction to the invitation.=

=Catona's hand flashes out, lightning quick, though it seems his eyes hardly miove at all, catching the card deftly between his middle and pointer fingers. He casually rolls the card between his fingers, down and back up, ending with a flick of his wrist which presents the card back to Angel, face up.=

*She took the card from Catona and winked.*

"You're no fun."

*With a sigh, Angel realized that this was no use. She started to gather some of the cards.*

"I suppose we'd better be getting back home before we're missed. Its been a pointless trip and this was childish of me."

=Kinsen shakes his head as he helps her gather up the cards. "No, m'lady. You see it as self-indulgent, but it's a truth of its own. After a fashion, you've started a new chapter, and you needed the closure, I think."=

"I did, yes...but I also realized I could never come back here..I'll never have anywhere to go now save Aurora...no turning back."

*She smiled though, it wasn't a bad thought and she was proud of all the work she had put into Aurora.*

"Please, don't take it as a bad thing. As you say, its a different chapter."

*Angel stopped and paused for a few minutes, there was more to be said, but she wasn't sure she wanted to say it. Now, it was time.*

"Kinsen..I'm not happy with..."

*Sitting down, she put her head in her hands.*

"Things aren't always working out."

*She didn't have to explain the whole deal to him, that was personal. She just had to talk to someone.*

"I love Aurora, I love its people more than I love myself..but its not working out. Jaric's different..and I made a fool of myself with another man."

*Still being vague, she continued, blushing.*

" I asked Duke Ralean to "Write back" of all things, how inappropriate is that? What kind of Queen am I when I try to be a friend as well? But I've lost all my Aegis friends..and now I sit in the citadel mostly alone."