Ivae does her best to ignore the elf's joyful eating and the corresponding growl of her gut. "It wasn't a real childhood. Children have toys and play games in the streets. I was a vessel for the passing of knowledge," she admits.
"You know, I was an experiment in a lab once," Stoat chimed in, leaping up onto a stool next to the trio. Nimran grabbed him before he could say any more and said "My apologies. This little nuisance is often very difficult to keep track of." He then looked around awkwardly and bowed his head before heading back toward his table.
Nimran grimaced at his words while Stoat beamed proudly. "See?" Stoat asked. "Told you I was a lady killer." "He's not a lady," Nimran said as he plopped his head into his hand.
"I picked Find Familiar as one of my spe-uh, I mean, I rescued him from a group of mages who were experimenting on him. He's been following me around ever since." Stoat smiled lewdly as he leapt from Nimran's shoulder to the bar and started sidling up to the half-elf girl.
Ivae eyed Stoat warily, her shoulders tensing. Her father had a familiar and she had learned to be cautious of such creatures. "What do you want?" she asked very softly, almost inaudible, though not intending to be rude, despite her words.
As Stoat was creeping up to the young woman, he felt a hand on his back and jumped several feet into the air suddenly. Nimran reached up, grabbed him in midair, and said "Once again, I apologize. He's a slippery one, to be sure." Stoat, still looking a bit disheveled, manages to wink at the half-elf as Nimran threw him into a pocket on his coat. Stoat waited until his partner's attention was focused away from him before slinking back out of the pocket and jumping onto the bar again.
Stoat sidled up to the half-elf girl once more and asked in his best suave voice "Hey. You look pretty lonely. You know, you could pet me if you like. I won't mind." Nimran sighed and started rubbing behind the ferret's ears. Stoat immediately slumped down, overwhelmed by the resulting sensation of pure bliss. "There," said Nimran. "Feel better?" Stoat simply moaned contentedly as he laid upon the bar, no longer even aware of anyone else's presence.
Ivae gazed at Stoat nervously. He was furry and small, much in same manner as her father's feline companion. "Nothing personal, but I think I'll pass. I, uh, don't like the texture of fur. Thanks for the offer, though," she responded. She then noticed the odd way in which Karosim was looking at Stoat and frowned.
Karosim notices the half-elf girl looking at him and he snaps out of stoat's trance. "Excuse me my lady but i never got to ask you your name, so what is it?"
"Uh, Ivae is my name. What's yours?" the half-elf responds politely, absently fiddling with the buckles on her right bracer as she did so. Eye-contact was definitely not her forte.
Seeing introductions being made, Nimran bowed his head slightly and said "Nimran." Through the intoxicating pleasure of his petting, Stoat managed to stammer "S-s-stoat the F-ferret Lorlorlorlorlrlrlr..."
Nimran reaches out his own hand to take Karosim's, releasing Stoat from his petting-induced stupor. The ferret held out his paw to Ivae in a similar fashion, albeit with a cheesy grin on his face. "Nice to meet'cha!" he exclaimed.
"Well," Nimran said as he thought back on his earlier adventures. "There was one time Stoat and I were hired to clear out a group of ogres that were attacking caravans along the road north of here. Stoat put on a dress and displayed his 'feminine wiles'. The ogres charged at him, though whether out of bloodlust or some other kind of lust I couldn't tell you, and I fried them from behind with a fireball. Those that survived were promptly dispatched by Stoat."
"Ahem," Stoat cleared his throat, drawing Nimran's attention. "You still owe me a new dress after that," he said with a scowl. "I'm not buying another doll so that you can play dress up again," Nimran answered. "Fine," said Stoat. "I'll just steal one. I'm sure there is some little girl around these parts who wouldn't miss her dolly." Nimran shook his head with a sigh.
Ivae raised her dark eyebrows at Nimran and Stoat. It was clear enough to her that Nimran was a mage of some sort, being one herself. "Where, um, where are you from, Nimran?" she asked, tucking a rogue lock of silvery lavender hair behind her pointed ear.
"Well, I've been adventuring for most of my life, so I consider the road to be my home," said Nimran, his expression turning dark. "As for where I was born, well, I wasn't allowed to stay there for long. The people there were not kind to magic users like myself, and my parents' pleas were largely ignored. I was exiled only a few days after my power as a sorcerer had been discovered." He sighed deeply before adding "It's been a long time since then, however, so I'm not as bitter as I used to be about it."
"An interesting tale magic is quite interesting to me for the most i've ever been around was well around mages such as yourself. I've always wanted to study it but never had the proper teacher." Karosim says "Though i did frequently steal Spellbooks from my towns enchanter."
Comments
"Ahem," Stoat cleared his throat, drawing Nimran's attention. "You still owe me a new dress after that," he said with a scowl. "I'm not buying another doll so that you can play dress up again," Nimran answered. "Fine," said Stoat. "I'll just steal one. I'm sure there is some little girl around these parts who wouldn't miss her dolly." Nimran shook his head with a sigh.