2017-07-09: Nothing Like the Poster

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==================================<* Gounon *>===================================

The port town of Gounon is renowned throughout Ignas and even beyond for the quality of its wineries -- and even moreso for the rarity of its product thanks to the Veruni stranglehold over the region. Gounon is one of the few ports that allow trade routes between Ignas and the Veruni Control Zones due to how highly prized their apple wines are amongst Veruni nobility.

Because of their trade, Gounon may be one of the few truly prosperous human settlements of Ignas -- and certainly one of the only ones ostensibly under Veruni control. Stone paved roads wind through beautifully homey brick buildings and bending waterways, beset on either side by high, rocky cliffsides that protect and buffer it from the outside world. Things are serene in Gounon, and the rich smell of fermenting apple pervades the town -- especially as one gets closer to the sprawling Johnny Appleseed Distillery, one of Gounon's most famous brands and their chief export to the Control Zones.

Though Veruni are so rare as to almost be myth here, their presence is always felt in the underlying tension that never quite escapes this place, no matter how peaceful it may be.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u9eNGFqGpU
<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

There's no shortage of taverns around the fair city of Lacour, and many of them are quite crowded, owing to the massive crowds being lured in by the ongoing Tournament of Arms. At any given time, fine drinking establishments are crammed with revelers from far and wide, relaxing before or after another bout in the massive tourney. This tavern - somewhere in town - is no different.

Or at least, it's different in one respect: It's the one Talise chose to go to after watching her friend go down in defeat to another friend.

Pushing through the tavern doors, the blonde - in her short shorts and a tank top - heads for the bar straight away. She tosses a few gella on the bartop as she swings herself onto a stool, unslinging her plain two-handed sword from her shoulder and leaning it beside her. With a wave of a hand she gestures to the server.

"Barkeep," she calls. "Slide a tall mug of mead down here for a thirsty lady!"

GAME> Jennifer Braddock looked at you.

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

Seems there's more than one blonde around here, bottle blonde anyways. The mention of a tournament explains why there's so much hubbub around. Jennifer muses how she should've gone and signed up for it internally, as she stares at the -huge- lady with the sword. "Hnnnf." The coat and hat clad drinker glances Talise's way, eyes slightly closed as she flags down the bartender. "Oi, another round for me. I think I'm sobering up already..." She mutters. Lady looks like she's been hitting the hard stuff, 'cause the bartender just reluctantly hands her a bottle of whiskey. "Last one, you've had enough for one night."

"Hnnnf. Everyone's a doctor."

Jennifer Braddock

This lady is as far from a pale and vulnerable, country flower as you can get. A pair of grayish-blue eyes reflect a lifetime of suffering and pain in them. Jennifer's in her early twenties, fresh-faced and ready to bear the roughness of the greater world around her with a steely eye. Her hair is slicked back into a pixie cut, dyed blonde as strands of dark can still be spotted at the roots. She has a scar on her right cheek that's faded over time. Judging by her hawkish features, Jen's clearly a fighter, with a rough air to her as you see her. All of this is hidden underneath a wide brimmed cowboy hat, to keep the sun out of her eyes. Around her neck is a red scarf with Baskar sigils sewn into it.

The woman's figure is less feminine and more slenderly toned, as well as tanned for the summer season with a deep sheen. Jennifer measures out at 5'10", with a lithe and athletic build that bears very little fat to it after a long period of training that's definitely left its impression on her. Jennifer's in incredible shape from the punishment the wild lands and her training put her through, with an modestly average sized bust and a trim stomach as well as lean arms and legs. Really one of the few things she's got going is a nice rear, but she'd rather that not be the one thing focused on. Her arms and legs are extremely powerful looking, like a fighter or an intensive fighter, and her midriff shows quite a bit of definition to her shape.

She wears a dark brown duster that runs down to her knees, acting as a protection from the dust storms as well as cutting an intimidating figure, the tails swaying in the winds. Underneath her coat is a white shirt, but it's more of a faded gray with sandy bits now from years of weathering, and a black waistcoat. Around her waist is a gun belt carrying her revolver, spare ammo, and a sizable bowie knife. Every step she takes is usually announced with the stamping of cowboy rawhide boots, inherited from her dad, bearing sharp silver spurs.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise didn't sign up for the tournament, either. On an unrelated note, she's never met Lady Chloe Alexandre in her life.

Her ale arrives; she takes a long drag from it, putting away a good half the drink in one determined swig. With a thump she sets the mug back down on the bar. She's about to say something to the bartender, but the exchange with the woman leaning on the bar beside her diverts her attention.

She catches Jen staring at her, flashing a light grin back at her and reaching out to give her a brisk pat on the shoulder with one firm hand. She's got a couple of inches on Jen, but it's not all that bad. "Hey now! Don't go putting yourself under the table just yet. Still plenty of night to kill," she says good-naturedly. "In town for the tournament?"

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"Hnnh, nah. Turnin' in a bounty. Some farmhand who ran off with his boss's daughter. Still not sure where she went, and I'm outta ideas." Jen answers, slurring. "And when I'm outta options, I drink. Sometimes, you get inspired." She says with a lazy grin. "Probably skipped town and robbed the poor bastard blind, gotta be in the next town over by now...Hmm." She takes a shot, before pouring another and offering it to Talise. "What about you? You seem like the Prize Fighter sort t'me..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Oh yeah?" Talise glances to one side, not letting on just how wary that admission makes her. Her own bounty isn't insubstantial but she looks nothing like her wanted poster, at least.

Then she looks back to Jen, curling her hands around her mug with a rueful smile. "Might've. I dunno, might as well just let 'em be in that case. Who's gonna complain about a couple of folks running off and getting married? That's just love." Shrugging, she takes the offered drink.

She downs it in one go, then slams the glass down without so much as batting an eyelash. Girl can hold her drinks, it seems.

She laughs richly at the observation. "Nah, not me! I just came to town to cheer on a friend," she explains, gesturing to a fight poster on the wall. It depicts another tan swordswoman and is labeled 'TETHELLE CIRDIAN'.

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"Somethin' 'bout inheritance. Listenin' to that blowhard's enough to drive me to drink, so here I am trying to forget about that." Jen answers, before she glances toward the BOARD of wanted posters. Hmmmm. HMMMMMMM.

Nah. Too drunk to fuck with a lady packing a sword this big. The bounty hunter just glances her eye toward the poster of Tethelle, cocking an eyebrow. "...huh, ain't she from the Baskar territories?" She wonders aloud. "'member hearing' somethin' about that when I got here."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

There's a wanted poster depicting Talise up there but it looks nothing like her. For one thing, the poster has brown hair. For another, the poster has huge elf ears and a horn.

Crossing a leg over the opposite, Talise smiles and scratches at her cheek. "Yeah, she's Aquvy Baskar. Really good fighter. She's done real well so far." Nevermind that she just lost to Hiro; Talise doesn't want to dwell on it." Picking her drink up, she swirls it around her mug, then sends a mellow smile Jen's way. "Surprised you haven't seen any of the matches. The tournament's been the biggest thing in town for a couple weeks now."

She holds a hand out to Jen. "Tal."

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"No shit. My ma's a shamans to Noua Shax." Jen grins a bit. "Still unsure if I got her thunder powers, but plenty o'time to figure that out." She takes another shot, before taking that hand and shaking firmly, despite being clearly shitfaced. She removes her hat, and Talise can say she's honestly quite pretty in a rugged, butch way. "Jen Braddock. M'pa's Johnny Deadeye Braddock, tho if you meet 'I'm, I wouldn't go on about that matter. He ain't that guy 'anymore."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"No kidding," Talise echoes with a blink, not entirely sure what Noua Shax is, but able to at keast sound convincingly interested.

She clasps Jen's hand and shakes vigorously, flashing her a broad, slightly wolfish grin. "Nice to meet you, Jen. Sounds like you've got quite a few stories to tell!" She gives her head a light toss, strands of bleached hair tossed back from her face. "And I'm sure you've got plenty of neat powers, even if they're just punching folks in the face. That's what I've got, anyway. And stabbing, of course."

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"Shootin' actually. I wanted to be just like daddy, so I convinced him to let me shoot." Jen grins, opening up her coat to reveal her revolver. THe gun's a pretty rugged looking piece, with ivory grips and engravings. "Little family heirloom. Shame I'm uh...pretty fuckin' trashed, right now, 'cause if I were sober...I'd be rarin' to show off for ya." She chuckles, actually it's more like a giggle...her swaying seems to mean that yes, she is shitfaced.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise blinks as Jen reveals her ARM. "Oh yeah? I've got a friend who knows a thing or two about ARMs."

Her own shotgun has been left back at home. She doesn't need it right now.

With Jen swaying in the seat before her, Talise reaches out to grip her shoulder, keeping her from falling off the stool. "Am I gonna have to toss you in the river? You've had a hell of a lot to drink, huh?" she asks with a teasing grin.

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"Y'yeah...forgot I don't even have a room rented." Jen says slurred, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Mebbe...how 'bout you, doll? Y'stayin' in town or just waiting for the last match?" She asks, brow cocked.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Really? It'll be hard to get a room tonight," Talise points out with a cant of her head. "The inns are pretty booked up with people coming here to see the tournament."

She smiles crookedly at the last question and pushes a hand through her hair. Bleached locks spill through her fingers. "I'm staying with some friends in a bunch of rooms over at the Ram's Head. We've sort of been traveling together."

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"What, like a traveling' band? I mean, I usually work alone, but sounds like havin' a posse looking' after ya would be pretty good far as deals go." Jen nods, before she rubs her nose. "How far is it? I mean, I know I'm pretty pissed up, so if you and yours would rather not let a drunk gunslinger on the couch, I don't blame ya." Shrug.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Yeah, there's a group of us who've been travelling together for awhile now. Sort of a bunch of academics and fighters. I'm more of a singer, myself, but what can you do." Talise shrugs easily, then leans back against the bar, propping her weight up on one elbow and smiling crookedly. "It's a couple of blocks from here," she explains.

"I've got a room of my own. If you need a place to crash for the night, well, hell, I'm not gonna throw you out or anything."

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"I play guitar." Jen mutters. "Outta practice tho...had to use it to fight someone off, wound up getting a knife stuck in it th'process." She says mournfully. "But yeah, I appreciate it. Beats having to sleep in someone's stables for the night."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Lute," Talise reveals with a crooked smile. "If you need a hand fixing it...."

The tall half-Beastwoman eases off of the stool, moving to stand by Jen. Again she reaches out to clap a hand against the woman's shoulder, as if to try and prop her up a little. "We can definitely do better for ya than snoozing with a horse," she assures. "My couch ain't a lot - it's even a rental - but if you wanna snooze on it, you can snooze on it."

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"I'll take it." Jen says. She wraps an arm around Talise, humming a few bars from some tune Talise won't know. "God...you're -really-, really tall. Not many girls can make me pretty short...I like it." She winks at Talise, leaning on the strong Beastman girl, holding onto her hat.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Laughing, Talise slides her arm around Jen's midsection to prop her up. "What can I say? My mother was a Beastwoman. You end up a little taller with those bloodlines in you."

She bumps Jen lightly with her elbow, but keeps her propped up as she guides her towards the door and out into the street. For her part she's basically sober - perhaps a little buzzed, but not enough to impede her. "You really are a little shaken up, huh," she murmurs as she guides the half-Baskar woman along, through streets beginning to thin out as the hour grows increasingly late.

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"May have drank tougher stuff than I'm used to. That whiskey hits you like a train." Jen says, nodding. "So how long ya been at the...traveling' thing? There a term for us? I never actually bothered to ask..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"They're called Drifters," Talise explains as she guides Jen along, circling to avoid a crowd of fight lovers. "But I've been traveling for about five months now - actually longer than that, but that's when I arrived in the region." She figures she'll save broaching the concept of Lunar to Jen later on, when she's not drunk as a skunk.

She turns a corner, moving past a row of vendors and supporting Jen with that strong arm. "So do you think you'll get to Drifting too? Seems like there's a lot to see out there."

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

"Eh, I'll be fine. Hung over, but I've Drifted before after a long night of drinking. I won't slow y'all down." Jen nods with a grin, leaning on Talise. "You're...you're nice. Not many folks out here are like that..." She allows a smile, content to lean against her big new friend.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Hey, there are more nice folk around than you think. If you stay Drifting long enough, you'll meet a few of them." Talise smiles with an easy cheer, her eyebrows coming up in an arch. As Jen leans into her, the taller woman tightens that arm around her, hand coming up to pat her shoulder brusquely. "Don't get too cuddly on me, though!" she laughs, her grin holding a teasing note to it.

She pushes open the door of a broad stone building. "Here we are! I'm staying here." With care, she begins to guide Jen up the stairs.

<Pose Tracker> Jennifer Braddock has posed.

Jen doesn't mind stairs, as she tries to make her way up them. "Naw, I'm just a sweetie when I'm drunk...don't mind me." She winks, blowing Talise a kiss before they head up. "Y'got water, right? I'mma need a bath."