Looking for disturbance
He swept through the short hallway, careful to keep his pace slow enough that he wouldn't bar himself from hearing anything out of the ordinary. He paused momentarily at each hall and door, waiting for something odd. Nothing stirred as he wound his way to the tavern. Before he turned the corner, he could hear ambient noises and see the light flickering from the candles in the room beyond.
He crouched at the corner for several minutes trying to observe the room beyond, using his sense of sound only. The conversations could not be made out, but he concentrated on voices. By the sound of the voices, he discerned about five different individuals, and most all of them were calm. Most of them.
His muscles started to coil out of instinct, but before he could act he heard the sound of some of the wood on his ship giving way to a flying body.
He instantly decided to give up on stealth due to the more immediate nature of the problem. The direction of the sound seemed as though it was his main entrance door collapsing. As he started to run through the tavern, he saw that indeed his most heavily fortified doorway was in fact, missing. As he regarded what was left of it as he dashed through the room, he glanced back at his bartender.
"Ralgo! What in the blazes...."
The semi-large man behind the bar had a look of awareness on his face, but not of any sort of panic. He was of a fairly large build, with good musculature and only a fair amount of fat to go along. His eyes glared intelligence back at him, but his feelings and intent always seemed hidden beneath, even after nine months.
"Sorry, boss... small disturbance really. The lady refused the drink from the group of mercs."
His pace slowed slightly so he could get a little more information before heading into the black space outside - and into a fight between peoples unknown to him.
He glared at his compatriot. "They threw her through my door simply because she wasn't interested? They probably smelled of trough!"
The larger man's humor was obvious, even though he tried to hide it.
"Well, sir... actually, it was the girl who threw the man out. He didn't seem to be too satisfied with her response to him. She really kind of ignored him right out, actually.
Anyway, he pressed on and just while I turned to grab a glass from the wall rack, she had him entirely twisted and then threw him out the door. She had...."
He took off without any further regard to his friend. He realized that someone was probably already in some sort of serious situation. As he cleared the portal to the shore, he could hear the sounds of a struggle. Before he was able to make it to the end of the plank; the sounds were gone, with the exception of the sounds of breathing.
In the dim moonlight, he could make out the slim figure of a woman, with small clouds of breath slowly creeping upwards in the frosty air.
He crouched at the corner for several minutes trying to observe the room beyond, using his sense of sound only. The conversations could not be made out, but he concentrated on voices. By the sound of the voices, he discerned about five different individuals, and most all of them were calm. Most of them.
His muscles started to coil out of instinct, but before he could act he heard the sound of some of the wood on his ship giving way to a flying body.
He instantly decided to give up on stealth due to the more immediate nature of the problem. The direction of the sound seemed as though it was his main entrance door collapsing. As he started to run through the tavern, he saw that indeed his most heavily fortified doorway was in fact, missing. As he regarded what was left of it as he dashed through the room, he glanced back at his bartender.
"Ralgo! What in the blazes...."
The semi-large man behind the bar had a look of awareness on his face, but not of any sort of panic. He was of a fairly large build, with good musculature and only a fair amount of fat to go along. His eyes glared intelligence back at him, but his feelings and intent always seemed hidden beneath, even after nine months.
"Sorry, boss... small disturbance really. The lady refused the drink from the group of mercs."
His pace slowed slightly so he could get a little more information before heading into the black space outside - and into a fight between peoples unknown to him.
He glared at his compatriot. "They threw her through my door simply because she wasn't interested? They probably smelled of trough!"
The larger man's humor was obvious, even though he tried to hide it.
"Well, sir... actually, it was the girl who threw the man out. He didn't seem to be too satisfied with her response to him. She really kind of ignored him right out, actually.
Anyway, he pressed on and just while I turned to grab a glass from the wall rack, she had him entirely twisted and then threw him out the door. She had...."
He took off without any further regard to his friend. He realized that someone was probably already in some sort of serious situation. As he cleared the portal to the shore, he could hear the sounds of a struggle. Before he was able to make it to the end of the plank; the sounds were gone, with the exception of the sounds of breathing.
In the dim moonlight, he could make out the slim figure of a woman, with small clouds of breath slowly creeping upwards in the frosty air.
posted by Erik at 8:39 PM
4 Comments:
Good hook. I'm in.
me too i cant wait for more.
Me too! Woman Power!
I'm having trouble imagining the scenery, mostly the door part. I'm thinking he is a captain on a ship, that includes a tavern, but outside people are allowed in? That would be my only critisism. Otherwise, very nice. ;)
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