Culuril's Strixhaven Adventure

Myala listens closely to Chierhy as they walk over to the Bow's End Tavern. Located further away from Cloudblower Hall than the Firejolt Cafe had been, they have to make their way through more of the campus to get there. It's roughly to the other side of the Biblioplex from the dorm.  Myala had given her friend's outfit a number of looks. Her own was far more conservative and she was starting to worry that she might look out of place. 

The conversation pauses as they walk through the doors. (You enter through the door on the east side of the place. Section E2 on the map.) Inside the tavern, the squat building has a gleaming wooden exterior, carved in overlapping Strixhaven star motifs. It's dim and cozy, and not too loud at this point. It features rich mahogany floors and well-worn furniture of oak and black leather. As you enter, you see numerous tables in the area you are in, with a bar near the center. To the right, steps lead down to a nearly empty overflow seating area. Doors lead to other areas, likely a kitchen. In the middle of the south wall are double doors, propped open, leading to a patio. There is a stage set up on the patio. 

Myala agrees to the choice of table and has a seat, sitting directly across from Chierhy. "It sounds like a very interesting experience, teaching like that. I do kind of know what you mean though about working with peers." She grins, "And boys."  She shakes her head knowingly. "As you guessed, my time was mostly serving in the guard. As a leader, I was often leading training, but more of a physical nature than an intellectual nature. I was trying to continue some of my studies with a private mentor, but most of my time was working over the past year."  When a waiter comes over, a dwarf student in a first-year uniform, she orders a glass of wine. "I think the boys were even worse, thinking we women would not be as capable as they were. I would prove them wrong and quickly they learned to listen to me. We do have a strong tradition of women serving in the fighting forces, but it still seems to take just a little bit more work for us ladies to earn respect." 

Being a creature of habit, the purple-skinned tiefling would order his usual meal and drink, listening to Aurora and nodding. "Your hurdy gurdy, is it a common instrument where you're from? I admit I hadn't even heard about it before hearing you play here when I first got here." He says, and then it is like he is briefly moved back to those sweet and exciting early nights at the tavern that had changed his life in so many ways. 

He then catches the brief smile from the woman he briefly met earlier at Cloudblower hall, giving her a soemwhat awkward smile in return. She seemed to carry herself with such composure and confidence, so unlike himself when he first came here he thught to himself with a brief inward smile. She was quite beautiful too and he wondered if she would have many suitors at the university, or if she preferred the company of the woman across from her.

 Earlier

Room

Bow's End

Aspen would take a bit of a scenic route to the Bow's Tavern to stretch their legs a bit, stopping to check out, and smell the flowers along the way. Inhaling deep breaths, her chest rises and falls as she takes in the fresh, fragrant, outside air which always brought a smile to her face. Should she happen to find a couple seeds as she went, Aspen would carefully collect some while leaving enough behind to continue the natural cycle. After tucking them safely away in her pocket, she'd start on her way again.

Soon enough Aspen would reach the Bow's Tavern and find herself staring up at the establishment in front of the doors. Her hand comes to rest on the handle. She takes a deep breath. Drumming her fingers once, she'd finally open the door to let herself in. Stepping forward to take a look around, her fox like ears would twitch and swivel to all the new sounds while mistmatched eyes scan the new to her area. She'd take in many new faces while seeing if she may spot any familiar ones.

“I had to keep the boys in line in class. But at least, culturally boys think of girls as more studious and quiet, and therefore, the idea that we are “better” in a classroom and therefore a boy can “learn” from us exists somewhere in that assumption. Whether it is correct or not,” Chierhy adds with a brightly conspiratorial smile. “But you were in “enemy territory”… teaching boys about the things they think they own. Fighting. Athletics… I don’t think I would have made it to the end of the term.” Chierhy laughs appreciatively before adopting a more serious attitude when a thought strikes her. “Did you ever have to… actually fight, with weapons? Oh!, there is Aspen.” Chierhy tries to get Aspen’s attention as she enters the tavern, lightly touching Myala's arm as a way of holding their place in their conversation despite the (not unwelcome) interruption.

Aurora laughs at the Tiefling's question. "Well Mal, the hurdy gurdy is not terribly common, but not unheard of. There was an older gentleman where I grew up that played and it always fascinated me. So I learned to play."  Having noted some of the others arriving she says to Malvyn, "I should go and say hello to Mae over there. I'll be right back."  

Leaving the case with her instrument behind, she makes the long walk over to where Mae and Larine are seated. "I am so glad you two made it," she says, not really with a smile but with more of a sincere expression. "You're still going to play something with me, I hope? I had a couple of thoughts of some little things we could do." She names a few pieces, songs that are very familiar from either the Show Band or just generally well-known. 

At the table with Chierhy, Myala turns her eyes to look as she waves at Aspen. She waves as well, though glances back for a moment. "I don't see Arinchu, that's strange." As they wait to see if the cat-eared woman responds, she resumes her conversation with Chierhy. "I indeed learned to fight with a number of weapons, though I usually carry longsword and shield. But yes, I have had to wield my weapon when we had some intruders attempt to get into one of the palaces. They did not make it very far." 

Mae sat partly hunched over, but also very alert. Her eyes moved to see Aurora when she came over to talk, but then continued flitting about, as if keeping watch. "Oh, um, yeah, maybe. We'll see." She jittered a bit, her fingers gripping at her clothes and didn't really look right at anyone, but constantly surveyed the room. "There's so many people...they're here...I just know it..."

Aurora watches Mae a moment, then looks over to Larine. The green-haired girl seems to just give a subtle shrug, but then says, "I think you'd be happier if you played some music Mae. You love playing. And I would really love to hear you."  Aurora slips down into a chair at the table. "Hey, you don't have to play. But I'd really like it if you did. I'm so glad you came tonight in any case."  She pauses a moment, then says softly. "Look, maybe you're right. Maybe 'they' are here. But you've got Larine here. And you've got other friends here. You'll be fine." 

Mae just lowered her head a bit. "Yeah, maybe. We'll see." She paused again briefly though at the last comment before pulling her arms tighter around herself and stared at the table for a long few minutes before suddenly gasping and looking up and around nervously.

"Ah, yes, of course." The purple-skinned tiefling says as Aurora explains she would go and talk to Mae, without him. Perhaps it was for the best, right now at least, but he really hoped something could be done to make Mae feel better, and perhaps Aurora could help with that. If she could, perhaps her time was better spent with the once so radiant Aasimar.

Malvyn then notices the fox-eared girl entering the tavern, but somewhat to his surprise the half-orc didn't seem to be with her. She was probably to arrive soon, but in the meantime it would be bad manners to leave the newly arrived student on her own. He wasn't usually one to walk up to people, espeacially not pretty girls, but he recalled his first evening at this place, how the dreamer had told him about his card of choice, the knight of cups, and perhaps it was about time the knight of cups rode forth once more to save the lady in distress he thought to himself with a brief smile.

"Hey there..." Malvyn says a bit awkwardly as he comes up to Aspen. "...can I offer my comapny such as it is while you wait for your dancer friend to arrive?" He says, scratching his neck with one clawed hand while the other motions over at his and Aurora's table, his tail swaying slowly and anxiously behind him.

Aspen’s ears flick toward the sound of her name, her gaze lifting just in time to catch Chierhy’s gesture. Recognition softens her expression immediately, a small smile forming as she lifts her hand in return, dimple settling into her cheek as she makes her way over.

She moves lightly through the space, unhurried but purposeful, taking in the room in passing... faces, movement, sound... though it’s clear she’s searching for something within it. Or someone.

“Hi!” She greets gently as she comes to a stop beside them, her tail swaying in an easy rhythm behind her. Her eyes flick between Chierhy and Myala, warmth settling in as she takes them in properly. “You both look lovely.” She adds, and there’s a quiet sincerity in it. "Have you been here a while yet?"

(Sigh... Crosspost again... Every time almost... )

Chierhy finds Aspen’s eyes across the room and notes her approach. But then her attention is completely drawn back to Myala. At her admission, Chierhy’s eyes widen, her lungs fill with air, and her face glows with excitement. “You didn’t!,” she gasps, plainly on the point of asking for the story of the palace interlopers in its entirety. But Aspen arrives at their table at this moment, and Chierhy instead puts a pin in their conversation, raising her arm, showing off the flower-bracelet still encircling her wrist, toward Aspen with a sweet and gracious smile, a friendly welcome.

“You’re very kind, thank you,” she responds to the cat-eared woman’s compliment. “And your outfit is so cute!!”. The words are formulaic, but the corners of her eyes are crinkled in appreciation as she examines the details of Aspen’s ensemble. The Wagaduan has never seen clothes like this before. Suspenders? A shirt that looks like it is cut for a boy? She glances at Myala, trying to read her response to Aspen’s attire. Does she agree it is mad ooo?

Perhaps Malvyn arrives at this point and offers a place at his table for Aspen.

“Or…,” Chierhy smiles, “you could both join us? There’s no one sitting in those seats.” The other two chairs at their four-seat table. She looks over Malvyn’s shoulder at the woman who had been sitting with him. “Until your… friend returns?” She gently takes Aspen's wrist in her hand – asking permission with a look first – and if Aspen allows it, softly lowers her into a seat as she examines the weave and tailoring of the cuff with interest for a moment before gently letting it go and shifting her weight back to neutral as the others respond.

Myala holds off on her tale as Aspen comes over. She does give the cat-eared woman a long look, seeming uncertain about the attire, though she echoes Chierhy's comment. "Yes, your outfit is wonderful. And no, we've not been here too long." 

When Malvyn comes over, she also extends the offer for him to join them. 

It is just a short time later when Naevyn and Kadyr arrive. They spot Myala and Chierhy and head over. 

"Good evening, everyone," Naevyn says, 

"What's with the small table? We're not all going to fit here!" Kadyr adds. 

Not quite prepared for being invited to join another group of people, the purple-skinned tiefling hesitates, seeming a bit overwhelmed as even more people arrive, so he simply remains standing, waiting for the others to decide where to sit, glancing back at Aurora to see how she was doing on her front.

Chierhy smiles at Kadyr’s question, exchanging a quick, droll glance with Myala that conveys, ‘speaking of boys.’ The number of people who can fit at a table is determined by the table’s perimeter, 2piR, she thinks, smiling back at Kadyr, her eyes twinkling. So a round table, without corners – incidentally defining line of sight and legroom – often fits more than a seemingly larger rectangle. But we can convey this without bruising egos. “My mama agba says, ‘there’s no limit to how many people can fit at a round table as long as people are willing to squeeze a little.’ Just take chairs from that table–” the six-seater next to theirs “–and sit with us,” the Wagaduan replies, gesturing with confident grace, ready to shift her seat a little closer to Myala to make room.

Aurora again gives Larine a glance as she sees Mae's reaction. "Really Mae, would you rather not be here? You seem almost distressed." Larine tries to be encouraging again. "We're here to have fun Mae. We can relax here."  She catches the glances from Aurora. "I think she's just a little worn out from the school year." 

At the other table Myala gives a look to Malvyn, oblivious to any hesitance he have. "You are welcome to join us as well, sir. I'm sure we can make room." 

Naevyn immediately turns to grab a chair from a nearby table. Kadyr keeps talking. "I suppose we could squeeze in, though it's still going to be a tight fit!  But I guess we can all get cozy!" he adds with a brief laugh.  He too grabs a chair and when Chierhy moves her closer to Myala, he places his right beside her.  Quickly he takes a seat. "Well now, did you ladies already put in an order? What did you get?"  He glances at Naevyn, "What will you be having?" 

Aspen's smile lingered softly as Chierhy admired the bracelet, her tail giving a small, pleased sway. When her wrist is reached for, Aspen paused just long enough to meet her eyes and allowed it easily, her hand relaxing in hers. Having been guided to sit down with her, Aspen would do so, however would have sat at the edge of her seat, as if to not get too comfortable yet. There's quiet curiosity in the way Aspen watches her examine the cuff, the small alterations, and stitching. Her ears would tilt forward slightly, a faint dimple settled in as she murmurs almost shyly. "I did a bit of adjusting... It didn't quite fit right as it was." A soft hum followed, pleased the efforts made were noticed.

But even as Chierhy spoke, Aspen's gaze drifted. It was subtle, not pulling away from the moment entirely. Just, checking. The door. The room. The spaces between people. Still not here... The thought settled heavily. Aspen exhaled softly from her thoughts, the sound quiet but real, and her ears dip just a fraction before she lifts them again. She gave her head a little shake. “Ah, sorry...” She added gently, glancing between Chierhy and Myala as her wrist is released. “I think I may have interrupted you both earlier.” Her tone stays warm, apologetic without lingering too long on it.

When Malvyn approached, Aspen's ears turned first towards the sound of his voice before the rest of her followed. Recognition came easily, and with a gentle smile. "Hi, Malvyn." At his offered, her expression softened with easy sincerity. "I always welcome company." She said, tail giving another small easy sway.

Aspen's gaze then drifted from him to her fellow first years. First Chierhy and Myala, but then Kadyr and Naevyn when they would join. "This is Malvyn." She'd gesture towards him. "We met earlier at the Cafe. He's a second year." She'd introduce him. "Please forgive my lack of formality..." Her mismatched eyes would glance to Chierhy with a respectful dip of her head before looking back to Malvyn. "This is Chierhy, and Myala." She'd gesture to them, and then the boys next. "Naevyn was with us at the cafe, but with him, is Kadyr." 

Only after that, once introductions were properly shared, and the group finished shuffling, taking their respective seats, does the thread she had been quietly carrying rises to the surface. Aspen's mismatched eyes had glanced down before looking back up, softer now. They'd flick briefly towards the door before returning. "Have any of you seen Arinchu yet?" A small breath followed, quiet, more thoughtful. Her tail slowed. "I rushed out, assuming we were supposed to meet here." It was the only part of the original plan that didn't change on her. Aspen let out a faint sigh. "I guess I got confused, and turned around, with the last minute changes to plans." Her lips dip into a bit of a frown as she starts chewing a little on the inside. Since Arinchu peeled off to go change without a word, Aspen rushed here in a sense of urgency, as if she were late or falling behind.

Aspen shifts. It’s subtle at first, but her weight eased forward, her posture no longer settled. And then she rises, the motion gentle but decisive, brushing lightly at her shorts out of habit. “I think…” She starts softly, her tail giving an apologetic sway. Getting cozy would be nice, but she felt she already failed someone and wouldn't be able to relax. "While you all settle in and get cozy, I should probably double back and look for her." Aspen would double over in guilt if she didn't at least try to seek Arinchu. She knew how much seeing Aurora meant to her, and would hate for her to be let down on day one. Not to mention optics appearing/feeling like she's been left out, when the truth would be that Aspen's scatter brain dropped the ball. "I don't expect to be long." Her dimple returns, smaller this time, maybe a bit forced as it's a touch sheepish, but still warm. “Save some seats, if you like.”

(Posting, then gunna edit for formatting to avoid taking too long to post again.)

Mae almost winced. "No, I mean yes, I mean...!!" Mae spotted Malvyn approaching the other group of students. "No! No, he can't tell them! We don't know if they're with them yet! What if one of them is!? He's going to sell me out! They're coming for me! This was foolish, I'm too exposed!" Mae suddenly stood up, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, there's too many of them. I can't get caught. I can't...I can't! I.." She couldn't stop a few tears before she suddenly bolted for the door.

"Well thanks, but technically I'm still a first year I think." The purple-skinned tiefling comments on the fox-eared girl's kind and considerate introduction of him to the others. "And we have met, albeit quite briefly at Cloudblower hall before." He adds, giving those assembled a friendly nod. "And thank you for the invitation but I should make sure I don't lose Aurora's seat over there, it was nice meeting you all." He says with a friendly smile to all those now assembled at the table, feeling his energy quickly draining with all things he felt he needed to consider with each one of them, and they were so many now. "Hope you find Arinchu, I'm sure she will be here soon." He says to the girl with the mismatched before returning to his seat.

When Kadryr plops himself directly between her and Aspen, Chierhy both admires his boldness and bristles at his specific choice of seating location. It feels a little like payback, though perhaps she had earned it. Still, the Wagaduan shares another covert droll look with Myala, her eyes flaring in mock indignation. But this is followed by an insouciant laugh. 

Chierhy had hoped to talk longer with Aspen. She wonders about the cat-eared woman’s immediate fixation on Arinchu, although earlier it had indeed seemed that there was a mutual spark. Yet, Chierhy had seen such sparks fizzle quickly before, and feels a pang of concern for Aspen. She had been kind to offer the little bracelets to everyone, after all. And Chierhy had hardly exchanged more than a greeting with Arinchu. 

Chierhy’s eyes follow Aspen as she gets up and moves toward the door. She’ll probably be fine… but it’s after dark, the campus is new, and now Aspen and Arinchu will both be alone wandering the campus… If they were in Oluwole’s care, he would have a fit.

Chierhy stands a moment after Aspen does. “I’ll keep you company. The campus is still unfamiliar. Maybe she took a wrong turn. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” Her expression shows, or she tries to show, that this is no inconvenience. She turns to Myala, just a glance to say see you soon, and an even quicker acknowledging glance to Kadyr.