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(OOC: Thanks!)

Cyrus relaxed. Whatever strange feeling that had been bothering him so profoundly was more subdued now. "Sounds great, I could use a drink myself." he said, starting to walk alongside Sissmuth. He would worry about the guards later. "I know a nice place nearby, follow me." He motioned with his head toward a little dirt path alongside a nearby tent. "Just down this road a ways. So I'm curious, where are you from, Sissmuth?" he asked, putting his hands in his trouser pockets.

"From Valter," Sissmuth replied with a high-pitched tone to make obvious that he'd already established this fact. "Unlike some of the younger peoples of this crowd, I've passed my trials already, and now you could say I'm currently in search of something more in this life." He hated to sound to philosophical and he spat at the ground, as if to rid himself of the tone.

This place he's taking me to better have ale.

He saw a large sign approaching. Hallor's Bar. It sounded pleasant enough. But he learned that he'd been disillusioned by how the noisy crowds seemed to have found every pub there is. He scowled slightly at the large heard of Anthros and people as he slithered his way among them and plopped himself on a bench, seeing that the stool next to him was open for Cyrus.

The bartender was a slim, female border collie with -- much to Sissmuth's both distress and delight -- rather revealing clothes. He slapped himself inside and forced his slitted, yellow eyes to move farther up her body. She was chewing gum and held a pad in one hand. "Can ah git yew any-thang?".

"I beg your pardon?"

"Yew gonna order some-thang, or yew gonna sit there and gape?"

Sissmuth rattled his head and withdrew back his neck, appalled. "Just give me two ales," he said brusquely. Then he turned to Cyrus. "And what're you going to have?"

"...I'll get you out ma I promise for yours and dads sake once the trials are over" she said and dismissed her parents faces not made at all at Rusty for leaving her but wishing he could have stayed for a couple of mintues. Talking to her parents during the celebration wasn't very good for her as it dulled her mood which could only mean one thing...six-alarm gucamole and beef nachoes along with Ranch Fries topped with Bacon and Fried Cheese. She turned away from the lake and made her way to Hallor's bar where she sat down with her favorite dish and a little liquor to loosen up for the evening.

Dakota sighed and looked around. Apparently this place was much buiser than expected due to the heavy foot traffic in and out. "Well guys to being seventeen and to the luck of our trials" she said taking a sip in a mock presidental speech. It was enough to at least get her going and all of the sudden she started to grab Akari and kissed him lightly on the lips

For a moment he thought to order a Perrier, but imagined the strange look his new aquaintance might give him and decided against it. "An ale please." he replied. She scribbled something down on her pad then looked up. "That it?" she smacked.
"Ya-and put it all under me." he said tapping the table. He turned his head to Sissmuth. "My treat, no biggie."

The girl walked to the shelf and pulled out three glasses. "Sorry boys, the beer's on the flat side tonight." she said with a shrug. The noise from the tap actually sounded above the commotion for a moment, provoking a few curious glances. A few people shot their eyes toward the new guests, specifically Sissmuth. It wasn't common to see lizardfolk in Asper, and Cyrus's white robe didn't necessarily repel attention. The crowd then resumed whatever it was they were doing, as if they hadn't even noticed the odd pair. The bartender turned around and placed the glasses one by one on the table, pushing them towards Cyrus.

"Heere yew go. Two for beady eyes and one for the cat with sunglasses." she said without making eye contact. She was already chewing her gum towards the next customer. Cyrus looked down at the amber liquid in the short glasses. They were flat without a doubt, not a bubble to be seen. A thought popped into his mind.

"Hey, do you know any magic?" he asked Sissmuth excitedly. "I know quite a bit myself actually. This particular trick took forever to figure out." he said motioning for him to watch his hand: now cupped over one of the glasses. He then focused his energy from his core, feeling the familiar rush of cold shoot to his fingers. The air between the liquid and his hand started changing to a visibly white mist. As the pressure built inside the sealed glass, he waited until what he knew was the right moment, then pushed a quick burst of energy out of his hand, sending air straight through the liquid and causing it to suddenly explode into a fizzing froth, rising as he lifted his hand from the brim.

"That should be much better." he said with a wink as he slid the overflowing beer to Sissmuth, foam sloshing onto the table.

"I'm all for that!" Akari exclaimed at Rusty's suggestion to go to Hallor's bar. When they finally got there, the first thing he noticed was the border collie bartender serving up some drinks to a lizard anthro. Well, it's easy to figure out why the bartender caught his attention, but the lizard anthro caught his attention due to his clearly foreign-looking clothing. Akari made a mental note to keep an eye on him, and see what he was up to. He wondered also where he was from, as he knew he for sure was not from anywhere in Astrania.

Akari and Rusty flagged down a waiter and got a table for three, just in case Dakota came by. To Akari's surprise, the table was near where the lizard anthro was sitting! Ok, he thought, try not to stare too much... I don't want to make an awkward situation, here. When the two ordered drinks and were waiting on their burgers, Dakota came in. In the distance, he could hear Z-Stripe change his style of music from Pop to Hip-Hop. "Dakota!" he called out to her, raising his hand, "We've got a seat for ya over here!"

Dakota did come over to their table. Akari soon got the impression that she was either somewhat drunk or really riled up by the party, because she did something extremely unexpected: She pulled Akari over to her, causing him to yelp a bit, then she started to kiss him on the lips! What the freak is this? he thought, I thought Rusty was her date! Given that this was in essence Akari's first kiss, he decided to try to make the most of it without being really awkward in front of his best friend, who in Akari's mind, Dakota should be kissing, and he kissed back for a split second, and then pulled away. He was a bit shocked, and had a hard time getting his mouth to say what he wanted, but he did manage to say, "Uh... Thanks, but... uh, isn't Rusty your date...?" He was, in essence, very confused at the moment, but he decided to just think that she was being a bit crazy with the whole party and everything else. "I, uh... need to splash my face with water... I'll be right back," he added, and headed off to the restroom.

He stood in front of the sink, looking at his reflection, much like the Mayor did when he found out that Desdon fell. "I really hope that Rusty doesn't take that the wrong way..." he said to himself. With that, he quickly turned on the cold water, cupped his hands under it, and splashed his face with it. He shook his head rapidly to get the water off, let out a bunch of air that seemed to be pent up in his lungs, and walked out. He hoped that Rusty wouldn't be in a bad mood.

(Wait a second... did we order beer or ale? XDDD I'll just say beer.)

Sissmuth couldn't help but smile at Cyrus' trick. An aerokinetic, he thought slyly. And with his grin widening, he added to the thought, An aerokinetic who can carbonate beer... I've DEFINITELY made myself a friend tonight.

"Well displayed," he said, flicking his tongue in amusement as he took the drink -- Sissmuth now had three glasses on his side. He'd never had a real taste of beer before, but after a good, long continuous chug, he decided this was much better than the second-rate ale he was having. He bottom'ed-up, and downed the whole glass without stopping. This only attracted more attention from the curious onlookers.

"Is that guy gonna be alright," one of the customers whispered to the bartender.

The beer flooded Sissmuth's senses and when he finished, he slammed the empty glass on the counter and flicked his tongue at the corners of his mouth. "Truly splendid," he exclaimed. "I thank you for that. It's been a while since I had anything of the sort." Pushing the empty mug aside, he pulled forward his two ales as if he were collecting his winnings to a round of Poker.

"A magician, I take it," Sissmuth concluded, scanning over Cyrus' attire. "A noteworthy profession in the Anthropomorphic community." He hiccuped slightly. "You're skilled, I attribute you that much. But you can't really compare two elements of different natures -- yours is air while mine just happens to be earth; its polar opposite."

He rimmed his fingers around the edge of his glass before taking another swig. He didn't mean to down the whole thing in one gulp, but he did anyway. He pushed his second empty glass aside. "For us lizardfolk of Valter, magic is just like another muscle we train endlessly at until the day of our trials. But since I've already passed mine, well... lets just say things have gotten a little boring after that. I'm aware I don't know all there is to know, but I've picked up a few skills of my own since then." He eyed his last glass of ale. "I'm only supposed to use it when I need it, though. Lizardfolk tradition, I'm sure you understand. We're a humble race that don't show off what we have."

With one hand, Sissmuth pulled his cloak tighter while the other was used to lift the glass to his snout. When he put it down, a motion he caught behind him made his head snap to the side just as he saw two wolves at a nearby table engaged in a short liplock. There was a fox sitting there too -- he seemed to be sharing the same surprise.

Sissmuth gestured with a nod to Cyrus at the table of three anthros... two, now that one of them had scurried off, probably to hurl in the restroom. "You see what I mean?"

( I figured they were the same thing... I hear beer referred to as ale all the time, but maybe I've been mislead. Sorry for the confusion )

When Sissmuth cranked his head to face the new commotion, Cyrus followed suit, seeing the kiss in action. A new awkwardness consumed the air, clearly visible on the fox's face. He didn't envy him. His expression revealed that there was a sort of betrayal afoot. "Yes I do." Cyrus replied softly. Turning his thoughts from the strangers, Cyrus looked at Sissmuth's cloak. He had pulled it closer as if to conceal something. Cyrus guessed that like most lizardfolk he was decorated with numerous tattoos.

Cyrus was glad for the respect he was being given by his new friend. Through his studies he had gained a decent understanding of Valterian culture, and he was pleased that Sissmuth didn't automatically assume otherwise. Maybe he can tell I'm the scholarly type. he thought fancifully. Cyrus held the virtues of the lizardfolk in high esteem, and admired the discipline that seemed to flow through every Valterian's veins. "I really respect such humility." he said, returning to the previous topic of conversation. "I do know a good amount about Valter and find your culture intriguing. And you're right about my field. When it comes to magic, I suppose you could say I am rather... hooked." he said with a grin. "I'm curious though. What is it that you are most interested in? And I don't just mean in the present moment." He motioned jokingly towards the empty glasses.

Sissmuth guiltily twiddled his claws around his last -- now empty -- glass of ale. He wasn't going to lie to himself when he said he wanted more, but at the same time, he didn't want to take advantage of his new accomplice. His tail was coiled around his stool and seemed to twitch with a longing of its own. Finally, with a shake of his head he held up a hand. "No need. This next one's completely on me." Sliding the glass down the counter toward the border collie bartender, he ordered for three more drinks; two, naturally, for him.

The bartender gave him a look, her eyes scrunched in a frown. "Yew shore?"

"What, did I stutter or something?" Sissmuth tilted his head.

She help up her paws in surrender. "Hey, as long as yew can pay fer it." She took Sissmth's pile of empty glasses and began to refill them.

It wasn't like him at all to be rude... but one sure way to make a lizardfolk snappy is to deny him his spirits. Besides, he could handle it more than others, being a lizard with little need for water and a build to tolerate its effects.

Or so he thought.

He hiccuped again, one hand digging into a fold in his cloak for money. His breathing suddenly stopped. He stole a glance down to see he was short. By 400 Drops [$4]. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes wearily. The Elder would not be so pleased to see him now. In that moment, he felt all the effects of his previous drinks wear off. He felt... disgraced.

Teeth gritted, there was a rattling migraine in his head that positively ached. His eyes snapped open and closed, then open again as he took in a deep breath. He held a finger up to Cyrus. "Excuse me... for one moment, please." He pushed away from his stool and staggered away towards the bathroom, holding one hand over his snout.

Bursting through the door, he literally flew over to one of the sinks and retched. He coughed and ran the cold water at full blast. He stuck his tongue out and lapped up the water, spit it out, then did it again, as if to wash his irrational behavior down with it. When he felt slightly better, he turned off the water and stood panting at himself in the mirror.

It was then he finally was able to register that he wasn't alone. The timber wolf he saw that was kissing the white wolf earlier was there too -- he was staring at him. Sissmuth regarded him for a moment before standing up straight, though on wobbly feet. "What," he snapped at him. And wiping his snout on the back of his hand, in doing so, one of the topazes fixed into his armband began to sparkle again, brighter this time. He quickly hid it from view as he narrowed his eyes and hissed callously at the timber wolf before quitting the restroom.

Akari looked over at the lizard anthro. "Kaluga manthae... das nago," he replied to him, inadvertently in the language of the wolves, which Akari realized the lizard wouldn't understand, but only after he left the bathroom. He had meant to say "Nothing... just a little dazed," but he couldn't correct himself now that the lizard had left. Akari decided to leave too, because he needed to get back to Rusty, and also because the lizard's upchucked substances were smelling really bad. He opened the door in time to see the lizard anthro sit back down where he had seen him sitting earlier, and then headed towards the table Rusty, Dakota, and he were sitting, hoping that all this mess with the kissing was resolved.

T_T nothing much Nero can do right now so yea i'll just wait XD.

Cyrus was surprised by Sissmuth's sudden departure. With his questions unanswered, he turned to face the table where the kissing episode had taken place. The fox was still in stunned silence, and with due reason. Fearing that he appeared to be eavesdropping, Cyrus went back to staring at his glass. After a few moments of tapping his fingers to the song on the radio, he heard the bathroom door creak open, and out walked his aquaintance. He seemed unwell, his color had drained from his face somewhat. Aside from this, the stout lizard anthro now had a slightly more humble air about him than before. Cyrus was concerned. "You ok?" he asked once Sissmuth got within a few yards. He wasn't paying attention to the wolf that was making his way back to the awkward scene at the table.

Sissmuth didn't stop walking. "You know, on second thought, maybe we should just hit the trail now," he brusquely answered, swiping past Sirus and grabbing his staff on the way. He completely bypassed his stool and suddenly realized it took an even bigger effort to walk away from two full glasses of ale. The two wolves and the fox in the nearby table were still around. He then looked back to gesture with a quick tilt of his head for Sirus to follow him out the door. "We're leaving now," he called. "This way. Hurry!"

Somewhere along the lines of Sissmuth's heritage, he found that his respectable level of humbleness was only in spite of his extremely lacking sense of honor. Stealing ale?! Since when was this a part of his persona? Of course, he was somewhat drunk and only sober enough to subconsciously know it. It was as if the mind he was acting on wasn't his; like some other person was controlling him, telling him -- commanding him -- to leave without paying. His bare feet on auto-pilot, he tried to force himself to turn around and explain to Sirus what was going on, but right now, all he wanted was to be out the door and lost in a crowd.

He instantly brushed the distracting thoughts aside and cursed silently to himself at the multitude of people blocking his way to the exit.

"Hey!! Hey yew!!"

Just keep walking... just keep walking... just keep walking...

"Hey yew there!! You gonna pay or whut?"

Just keep RUNNING... just keep RUNNING... just keep RUNNING...

"HEY!! Stop, yew!! Git back here!!"

Heads turned. Stared. And someone stepped in his path. Sissmuth spun around, only meaning to push the bystander aside with his tail, but his mind was still too woozy to judge the necessary strength and he ended up knocking him flat to the floor.

Conversations stopped, and suddenly, Sissmuth wished he didn't have such a big and bulky build to accommodate all the attention he was getting. Unfortunately, at this point, Sissmuth's mind suddenly switched from "jumbled" to "panicked" and "panicked" to "defensive" as he saw others approaching to seize him. He turned his head around only long enough to see Sirus's completely bemused expression. A glimpse at the table with the two wolves and fox revealed that they were even more astonished [the fox in particular].

--------NOTE:--------
Sissmuth's flighty behavior is more attributed to his character/species as a lizardfolk; NOT his drinking problem, as most reptiles are very easy to scare and can automatically and very suddenly switch to defensive mode. It wasn't my intention to promote the consumption of alcohol in any way, so if that's the impression you were getting from my character, a thousand and one apologies for that. At this point, I know I'm not exactly following the personality I outlined for Sissmuth in my opening post [as a more perplexed and controlled character who can stay calm in the face of danger], but the influence of his drinking is currently causing him to temporarily act in this irrational way. Just wanted to clarify that up. ;D
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Someone slung an arm around Sissmuth's neck. With an irate hiss, he tumbled forward, loosening the stranglehold, then flipping back on his feet to literally broom the assailant lying on the floor away with his tail. More people were coming. He flung his cloak in a circle, batting back two humans away for just enough time to slink past them. His chest, tribal tattoos, and gleaming wristbands in plain sight, he ducked to narrowly avoid a fist that would've slammed into the tip of his snout and swept his staff along the floor to trip the two humans. With the path temporarily clear, Sissmuth jumped over the moaning bodies and shoved the doors open, feeling the rush of cold night air breeze over him.

He was panting. What am I doing? What have I done? What am I doing? What have I done? Not waiting for the mob of people and even a few Anthros rushing out of Hallor's Bar to stop him, he quickly merged with the crowd, swiftly making his way back to the outskirts in where he'd first met Sirus. Perhaps he'd wait for him there...

That is...IF he still trusted him.

((I think we should wait for Rusty to post. He PMed me saying that he's bogged down with a lot of stuff right now, and I think we should allow the storyline at Dakota, Rusty, and Akari's table can progress somewhat.))

(Yep. He's been extremely busy. He told me today that he would try to post, so it's a possibility, but if not it might be till saturday that he finds time cuz tomorrow's pretty hectic for us. (Marching Band) Just thought I'd update everyone even further since it's been a couple days.)

((Thanks for waiting. We are back from our little trip, but I'm afraid that doesn't free much time for me; SAT and school stuff from Friday and yesterday still linger over me. My focus will be on those for the next week or so, making it hard to post quality work here.
The SAT is scheduled for the 4th of October, by that time all of the school stuff should be sorted out. After that date I should be able to return to my normal routine.

I will post my long awaited post later today as I never did say I wouldn't be able to post, they'll just come at a much slower pace from me if at all for the time being.

I'll update you all on how things went with the trip as soon as I can. XD))