Visiting Clehon (Open)

[Harlequin]

The wooden wall of Clehon rose before him, topped with snow. The planks were rickety, haphazardly strewn with iron spikes and horseshoes, a poor defence against the forest. Nonetheless the trees hadn't encroached on the shaky structure - mortals still resided within it, and they wanted nothing to do with those that had destroyed the peace.

Harlequin, however, had no such qualms.
The iron might have been uncomfortable for a Fae but the Shifter gripped a loose iron spike without hesitation and swung himself over the wall, deciding against trying the gates. It would hardly be well defended but a little climbing never hurt anyone and he didn't want to be marked as a criminal from the start. Landing in an easy crouch, Harlequin stood and brushed the snow from his tattered grey jacket.

Huh. So this was a city?
Harlequin peered down the streets. Just what was the appeal? It wasn't an unpleasant place exactly, but he found it hard to believe his kind had willingly chosen to live in places like this. But it seemed they had - his lilac eyes spotted Shifter children, notable for their grace and athleticism, playing at ease among young mortals in the snow. They were confident here, flakes of white decorating their hair as they ran up to the pirate with curiousity and mischief lighting their eyes. The newcomer gave the children a few pewter trinkets before continuing his exploration of the city, smiling. He liked children. They were lively and amusing.

A thin, cold breeze ruffled the pirate's soft dark hair and he shivered. Harlequin was no stranger to harsh conditions but he was to the snow, which did not fall near the coast or out to sea. Time to find somewhere warm with a supply of drink and some food on offer. First though he would need something to pay with. Mortals, of course, dealt in coins, none of which he possessed. In fact he'd left the ship with nothing more than the clothes he wore and his Hunter abilties to help him. Oh, and those skills that had made him one of the most successful pirate captains on the High Seas.
No time for anything fancy right now though. Harlequin shivered in the bitter wind and immersed himself into a small crowd standing huddled around a vendor selling roasted meats. When he emerged he was flipping through a nice full coin purse. Perfect. It seemed his deft fingers with their inch long black claws, were deft when it came to rifling through pockets.

Harlequin wasn't fussy. He chose the first tavern he spotted, a rough-looking affair named the Hunting Horn, and slumped into a seat at the bar. One hand took off his hat and ruffled his hair to shake the clinging snow from the windswept lengths while the other pushed some coins across the bench. He didn't have the faintest clue what mortals charged for things so the amount was random, but he guessed it would cover it.
"A meal and a glass of wine, my friend, if you don't mind." Oddly polite, for a pirate. Perhaps he was trying not to stand out too much despite the ridiculous nature of his attire. [/color]

[Minx]

It had been a long time since she had last visited Clehon, deciding it was a bad idea to stomp into the nest that had been hunting her for a long time. However, with the deaths of the network, it was safe for her to return. It had taken her a year to return (the memories seemed like they would be too painful, so she had put it off), but here she was, strolling aimlessly down the streets.
The place had not changed much.

Minx examined the people she passed, occasionally catching sight of a familiar face from when she had lived here sixteen years ago. They didn't seem to recognize her, or they didn't say anything, which the woman was grateful for; everyone in Clehon had their own agenda, and everyone knew that, so generally the citizens would stay out of their peers' business. Bad things happened when you dug in too deeply into this kind of town, after all.

Pausing in the streets, the woman placed her hands on her hips and glanced from vendor to vendor, mentally running through a list of anything she could possibly need. The wind suddenly picked up and it felt as it ice had nailed her right in the back. Minx shivered rather violently, pulling her cloak tighter around her. It was lined with the fur of a big cat she had hunted in the forest, and it normally did its job quite well, but today seemed chillier than normal.
Damn.
Oh well. She just needed to find a tavern.

For the most part, none of the buildings had changed, so it was easy for her to find the closest tavern, the Hunting Horn. It was one of the more rough and tumble sort of taverns, but the woman was confident in her abilities to either avoid a fight or win one if it should escalate to that.
Stepping into the tavern, Minx shook herself out, brushing some snow from her hair.
One quick glance around the place, and her eyes immediately were drawn to a rather oddly dressed man sitting at the bar. It was obvious to her that he didn't care how he was dressed, which made him rather brave. Which made him very much like her. The woman was dressed according to what was practical for her, which meant that she was wearing pants, and for that she had received some rather disapproving looks. A grin formed on her lips as she thought of how she wasn't the only one who would get some disapproving looks tonight.

Strolling silently up to the bar, the hunter sat in the seat next to him, glancing down at the coins he had set there. There were enough coins there to buy a meal for two, which quickly told her that he was probably not from the cities and the mortal currency confused him. Looking to the barmaid, who stared at her with disdain for her clothing and hair, Minx grinned. "I'll take a glass of your strongest." Out of the pouch on her hip, she fished out several coins and laid them onto the counter.
Then, to the shifter (he wasn't a daemon, that was obvious, and a fae wouldn't come into the city; and he wasn't a mortal, since he didn't know their currency, so he had to be a shifter) at her side, she said, "You're not from around here, are you? It shows."

[Harlequin]

If the bartender had found it strange that Harlequin had offered more than double the required payment, he didn't comment. That was the beauty of this town and the very reason Harlequin had been drawn to it - people didn't ask questions and they were used to some more...unusual...visitors. And if anyone qualified as unusual Harlequin did.

Mind you, Harlequin wasn't the only one that could be described as unusual. The Hunter was sipping at a deep maroon glass of the house special - not half bad for a shaky, rough old tavern - when he was joined by a female that was a little odd herself.
"You're not from around here, are you? It shows." Harlequin set the glass down and appraised her for a moment - short cream hair, pants, boots - all in all, not much like the ladies he'd been told resided within the walls. Where was the dress? And the air of pretentiousness? Dresses he had no argument against but the lack of snobby up-her-self attitude was a pleasant surprise.

Harlequin tilted his head, grinning at the woman.
"Does it now? I suppose I'm not your average traveller. But then again, love, you don't blend in that well yourself if you don't mind me saying." His voice was tinted with a subtle accent, not difficult to understand or obvious by any means but a giveaway of exotic origins.
Harlequin knew he stood out, but it hadn't been that long since he'd left the sea, and why should he blend in anyway? His attire was worn and comfortable, heavily decorated, and defined him nicely. It even still smelt of salt and leather and freedom, a comfort for the pirate so far from the waves.

"Name's Harlequin. This your home town, love?" The pirate extended a hand, guessing she wasn't the curtseying type. A handshake would probably fit her better. The other reached out to reclaim the extra coins - odd, this bartender must be an honest type or else he'd seen something in the man that suggested it would be unwise to take advantage of his lack of knowledge.
The latter was probably the most likely.
[/color]

[Minx]

Minx couldn't help but laugh at the way he eyed her, seeming surprised that she wasn't wearing a dress like most of the other women around town - there were a few mortals who vehemently opposed the wearing of a skirt, but not very many. Placing her elbow on the counter and cupping her chin in her hand, she examined the man in front of her carefully, noting the many piercings and feathers and skulls that adorned his outfit which she had not noticed until now.

Love?
Well, she couldn't say she liked being called that.
However, the woman wasn't likely to say anything about it, especially when she was certain she had found some company that would enjoy the same things as she. Grinning, she brushed a strand of hair that had fallen into her face before answering him. "Nope, I guess I really don't. But, honestly, the thought of wearing something like a dress just turns me off. I don't understand how they do it. And those corsets..." The woman shook her head, shuddering at the mere thought of suffocating herself in one of those. She was slender enough, thank you very much, and she prefered to actually have a stomach instead of a twig.

At his introduction, the hunter was pleased again when he offered her a handshake instead of bowing and expecting her to curtsy back. Taking his hand in a firm grip, she shook it twice, introducing herself as she did so. "I'm Minx. And, yes, I guess you could say it is my home town. But the forest is my home now; it's so much more free than this town is, that's for sure." Her drink appeared on the counter in front of her, and Minx quickly grabbed it up, taking a deep swig and enjoying the burn of the alcohol as it went down her throat. Setting her glass back down once she was satisfied, the woman glanced back at the other hunter, tilting her head in a curious manner. "So, what brought you to this town of all places?"
From what she saw, he seemed to fit in well with the local residents.
Maybe it wasn't fair for her to make assumptions, but those assumptions often seemed right and they had saved her life before, so she tended to trust them.

[Harlequin]

Harlequin arched a brow as his new companion took a generous swig of the tavern's strongest. He could smell the acrid, burning liquid from here - a seasoned drinker? Perfect.

He chuckled at her undisguised disdain of the traditional attire of women. Even servants normally wore some kind of dress; it was almost refreshing to come across a woman able to think for herself and rebel against convention. Not that he had anything against dresses or corsets; whatever worked, and he appreciated an elegant figure, but of course he was not expected to wear one. And they did look rather uncomfortable...
"Fair enough love. Not that I object to a woman in a dress, you understand, but having one's rib bones and organs distorted does seem like an unappealing notion to me." It was somewhat superfluous anyway - Harlequin was not so vain as to expect proper dress from anyone, woman or man. His interest was far more captured by a lively personality and interesting conversation.

"It's a pleasure Minx." The Hunter's eyes glinted, alive with his customary jovial nature and mischief, and he paused a moment to sip from the dusty wine glass he'd been provided. An interesting choice for a pirate, red wine. It seemed he had somewhat refined tastes although he was certainly not above something stronger. When he'd ordered though he'd been drinking alone; it was far more respectable to order wine in such a situation.

"What brings me to Clehon?" What indeed? Luck? Instinct? Fate? Harlequin put little stock in such ideas but he'd certainly had no preconceived ideas to come here.

"I was, well, wandering I suppose. Stumbled upon the wall. I hadn't seen inside a mortal city before so I figured I'd have a look, and get something decent to drink. Stuff like this is harder to come by in the forest." The pirate raised his glass, swilling the wine around for a moment.
"What of you? You mentioned you live in the forest now; what brings you back?"
[/color]

[Minx]

Of course he wouldn't object to such a thing as a dress and a corset.
He was male, was he not?
"It certainly is. And I highly doubt that's healthy for you." She laughed at her own joke, gripping the edge of the counter with both hands and leaning back in her stool, easily keeping her balance that way. No, no, corsets and dresses and hoops were not for her. They were too impractical; they rode up when you jumped and everyone could see up it if you climbed; and they were easily caught on objects around you.

Glancing back toward him, she caught the glint in his eyes, recognizing it immediately. Oh yes, they were certainly alike if that look told her anything. The same mischievious look had often passed over her face, and the woman felt a smirk tug at the corners of her lips.
Listening to his little story, Minx laughed.
"Isn't that the truth?" she stated, shaking her head.
He had never been in a mortal city before now? Well, that was certainly odd. Minx had been certain that every shifter, at some point, had entered a city considering so many lived in them now. Had Harlequin no family who lived in the city? A question for another time, perhaps.

Watching him swirl the glass of wine for a few moments, Minx smiled playfully at the other hunter. "I wanted to see if this town had changed at all; and, like I expected, it really hasn't. The people are still the same backstabbers and tricksters." The bartender eyed her for that comment, and Minx grinned wickedly at him. It's not like she was lying or anything.
"I'd tell you to watch yourself here, but you seem capable of handling anything the citizens of Clehon throw at you."

[Harlequin]

When Minx laughed, Harlequin chuckled along with her. He was of a lively, playful nature and thus pleasant company so long as you were not the target of a clever trick or deft theiving fingers. And Minx had stumbled across him at exactly the right time - alone at the bar, open to the prospect of company, and amply supplied with mortal coin already therefore uninterested in pulling tricks or pick-pocketing. He had a feeling Minx might be a little more difficult to work with than your average mortal, anyway. While intelligence and bravery would not protect against a seasoned trickster being streetwise and savvy would, at least to some extent.

Harlequin graciously thanked the barman when his meal arrived. He had been deliberately vague when ordering, having no clue what the standard fare was within a city (Harlequin was accustomed to hunting and foraging for himself within the forest, or else tricking food and drink out of unwary travellers he stumbled across among the trees), so he'd been given a selection of cold meats and breads. Indicating that Minx should help herself if she wished to, the meal being more suited in portion to the burly workman than an elegant pirate, he selected a crust of bread and chewed on it thoughtfully as he appraised his new companion.

"Backstabbers and tricksters, you say?" Harlequin grinned wickedly; no wonder Clehon had appealed to him.
"I think I'll fit in just fine here. And I'd say you're right, love - the citizens of Clehon will be sorely disappointed if they try to take on a master at his own games." Harlequin chuckled, washing the bread down with a further swig of wine while absently rolling a coin in the fingers of his free hand. The chunk of silver disappeared and reappeared with apparant magic, his hand impossibly empty one moment then rolling the coin over elegant fingers the next.

"You grew up here? You seem well versed in the ways of this town, and at least to my eye savvy to the potential pitfalls. What could have imbued a lovely lady such as yourself with the required cynicism to survive so successfully here?" Harlequin was unashamedly curious and although in some places such questions might have been considered uncouth, he clearly paid little mind to social convention. Why should he? He didn't belong here. He didn't need to ascribe to their rules.[/color]

[Minx]

Had Harlequin even considered pilfering her coin or trying to trick her, he would have, like he expected, found it far more difficult than others. She was well-versed in the art of trickery herself, and while she rarely resorted to thievery, Minx did have the ability to do so. She wasn't a master at pick-pocketing, but she was decent enough to snatch a few coins should she so choose to and also to catch potential thieves in the act.

Her eyes flicked to his food as he gestured toward it.
Hmm... she was a bit hungry.
Might as well share with Harlequin, especially since he had offered. Taking a chunk of bread from the plate, she carefully pulled it apart down the center into two length-wise strips. The woman then reached for a slab of meat and laid it on one of the pieces, setting the other on top to create a nice, albeit bland, sandwich. While she worked on creating her meal, Minx replied to Harlequin's statement. "A master? Hm, that's interesting. I'm pretty good at trickery myself. I wouldn't call myself a master, but..." Here, she stopped to grin at the other hunter, leaving the statement hanging in the air.

The silver caught her eye.
Minx watched him perform the trick for a few moments, interested in how he did it. She herself had never quite been able to master that trick, and she didn't know why. The basics were known to her, but for some reason she had never been able to pull it off.
Maybe she'd ask him one day.

His question caught her attention, and she smirked at Harlequin. "Well, aren't you a curious one?" Here she laughed again, taking a bite of her sandwich and chewing thoughtfully for a moment before she swallowed and looked back to him.
How to answer this question?
Minx tended to avoid telling others of her past - most people didn't like the company of a former assassin, after all. However, Harlequin seemed like he wouldn't mind nearly as much as your average person. That wasn't enough to convince her, however.
"I did, I did. The key words there are "I grew up here". When one is forced to learn the skills to survive, they either learn them or they die. Survival of the fittest, right?" Taking another bite of her sandwich, Minx tilted her head, eyeing Harlequin curiously for a moment. "If they can pretend to be my friend, I can just as easily pretend to be theirs." She winked playfully at that.

[Harlequin]

Cured ham? Harlequin examined a piece of bizarrely curly meat, holding it delicately between inch long black claws and staring quizzically at it before popping it in his mouth.
Not bad. These mortals knew a thing or two about food, although somehow he doubted the fare from this particular tavern was the high end of the market. Harlequin wasn't picky. He'd been a pirate after all, and one didn't live successfully as a thief of the high seas by being fussy over food. Raw fish, octopus, obscure shelled creatures and rats had all found themselves on his menu over the years.

After his moment of distraction the Hunter returned to watching Minx. He traced her gaze to his hands, where elegant fingers manipulated the coin with apparant ease. He smiled, and with a flourish of his deft hand the coin disappeared.
"Curious? I suppose that's a fair assessment, love, but then I do have such interesting company. Who wouldn't want to know more?" He grinned, a flash of silver visible among his slightly pointed teeth. Hey, every pirate had to have one or two flashy additions to their natural molars and it provided a neat repair for a tooth chipped somewhere along the path of hazards provided by his life.

"Survival of the fittest indeed," Harlequin replied, appraising her for a moment. Yes, her attitude and appearance both hinted at someone streetwise and cunning. He suspected one wouldn't be happy in Clehon for very long if they did not possess some measure of these qualities. Minx, it seemed, was hardened and good at surviving. Like him she had been required to adapt or die. His mind flashed briefly to that choice all those decades ago - become one of the most hated and feared sea-farers in existance, or die among the smell of rotting fish and the cold of the sea? Somehow he couldn't bring himself to regret the choice he'd made even after all the lives taken or ruined, all the years stolen from Illinor. 'Pirate' had come to define him, to mean something to him. These days he wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Harlequin chuckled softly at the wink, finishing the wine and setting his glass down with a clink.
"Nothing wrong with a little make-believe, love. We all need a little entertainment now and then." The pirate tilted his head, clearly intrigued by this confident, sassy Hunter.
"You seem free to wander at will. I would venture to guess you are a Shifter; you seem very unlike the mortals I have thus far come across and I've been led to believe the Fae and Daemons avoid towns. And yet you spend much of your time in the forest? I have been away from Illinor for many years you see. I though the Shifter's lived within these walls nowadays?" The Hunter quirked a brow, burningly curious. What could have brought such a thing about? Was it true that the Shifters were now faithfully allied with the Mortals? Very few of his questions had been answered since his return to the mainland to find the forest largely empty of Shifters and rumours of a new alliance.

[Minx]

So she was interesting company, eh?
Harlequin was rather interesting himself.
As he smiled, she noticed the silver covering one of his teeth. Minx had never met anyone with a silver replacement for their teeth, so that definitely caught her interest and brought up questions about what exactly he did for a living in order to pay for that. Or maybe he didn't pay for it at all?

At his statement, she laughed again. Laughter seemed to be a theme for her tonight. "Entertainment, of course." As he tilted his head, she quirked an eyebrow at him and smiled, noticing his intrigue. Well, that could be fun.

Away for many years?
Ah, that explained some things.
Here, the hunter snorted slightly and downed the last bite of her sandwich before taking a drink of her neglected glass. Only then did she answer. "Yeah, they do. Well, most of them do. About ten years ago the 'Alpha' decided to ally us with the mortals, and most of the shifters went along with it. There were a few who sided with the fae. And then there are the few like me who avoided taking sides either way." That didn't mean she wouldn't help either side if they asked her to, since she was generally a good person, but Minx had decided ten years ago to not take sides.
Rolling her shoulders to get rid of a bit of tension, Minx eyed Harlequin for a moment.
"You said you hadn't been to Illinor for a long time. Where were you?"
She was guilty of being curious as well, it seemed.
Hey, she couldn't help it.

[Harlequin]

The bartender did not neglect Harlequin, brandishing the remainder of the wine in the air in question. A man of few words, it seemed. Harlequin declined, lilac eyes examining his shelves.
"Rum, my good man, would be the preferred option if you have it." His question was met with an affirming grunt and, without bothering to get him a new glass, a generous measure was splashed into the dusty flute. Golden brown, richly scented; Harlequin took a moment to appreciate the heady fumes. It was a cliche, he knew, but he cared little. Rum was one of the few reliable drinks on the high seas as it was often made outside of Illinor and thus carried on the ships plundered by pirates.

"Ah yes, I'd heard rumours of an alliance. You can imagine my shock when I returned after forty or so years away only to find a forest empty of Shifters...I had never been close to any of my kind so I was confused more than anything." He frowned for a moment. Why the alliance? Harlequin's experience of mortals did not shine them in a particularly impressive light, and yet his experience with the Fae and the forest had proved them dangerous and angry. Perhaps Clehon did not lend itself to the kind of mortals the Shifters had been prompted to ally with. Perhaps their armies he had yet to come across. Either way he rather liked Minx's attitude and certainly wouldn't be taking sides himself, either. He wanted nothing to do with a war.

Harlequin sipped his new drink, rolling the rich liquid over his tongue for a moment before swallowing. He'd expected the question to come up, of course, but he had no qualms about answering it. Piracy was technically illegal in the mortal world and it had been mortal ships he'd preyed upon; indeed, it was mostly mortals that made up the pirating crews, but somehow he figured Minx wouldn't go turning him in. Besides which he was confident of his ability to escape back to the trees where petty trifles such as laws were grey and not concerned with thievery.
"I have been at sea, captaining a vessel known as The Silver Phoenix. I'm a pirate you see, love. Some would call that simply a fancy name for thief but I like to think our lives held some kind of glamour beyond that." Harlequin grinned, stubbornly unapologetic about his profession. Or at least, his past profession. He had no regrets. Hadn't it given him a life, a home, on the sea?[/color]

[Minx]

Ahh, rum…
She hadn’t had rum in quite a while. Of course, Minx was happy with her current drink, but Harlequin ordering the sweet alcohol had brought the drink to her attention. She watched him as he brought the glass up to his nose for a moment before taking a sip of her own drink. Swirling the contents around in her glass, Minx stared at the liquid.

Forty years?
Well, Harlequin was by far older than her then. She was only 32. With shifters, however, that was a common theme, considering they lived until an average of 400 years old. It was baffling to think that, at those numbers, they were not the oldest race. Of course, maybe that was just her. ”Personally, I think that we shouldn’t have allied with the mortals; they don’t even like shifters all that much. Besides, from what I’ve witnessed, humans have a destructive nature. If the fae don’t get them, they’ll end up destroying themselves.” Leaning back in her stool again, Minx shrugged and grinned at Harlequin. ”But what happens happens, eh?”

At the other hunter’s confession to his career, she leaned forward again, staring at him for a few long moments. A pirate? She knew there was something she liked about him! Grinning pleasantly, the woman tossed her head slightly, her short hair brushing against her forehead.
”A pirate? How exciting! I’m sure you have plenty of stories about that. Maybe some time you can share them with me, if you’re ever so inclined. I can’t say I’ve ever met a pirate before.” She had heard the stories, sure, and in her newfound freedom it had seemed to her that a pirate’s life might appeal to her. After all, they were free to do as they pleased, yes?

Well, wasn’t this lovely?
She had come to Clehon with the thought that she would leave disappointed, and she had managed to find herself an interesting, pirate companion.

[Harlequin]

Harlequin tilted his head at her words, one brow arched. Yes, that fitted with his observations.
"So it's not just me then," the pirate laughed good-humouredly. "Here I am thinking I offended all of the mortal's delicate sensibilities with the looks I was given walking among them, and yet it is all Shifters that they do not like." Harlequin grinned, amused.
"Of course, it could still be me." He examined his heavily adorned clothing for a moment, and the faint smoky, shifting quality of his skin. His appearance and mannerisms screamed 'outsider', 'stranger', 'untrustworthy'. He didn't mind. Those that couldn't see beyond the surface were not worth his time.
"I don't think I fit in all that well." Not that this seemed to bother the Hunter. Indeed, he almost went out of his way to remain blatantly individual.

"What happens happens. Indeed," Harlequin echoed, eyes distant for a moment. What kind of Illinor had he returned to? It was not the mystical, beautiful place he remembered. Minx spoke the truth - a large part of his success as a Captain was the foresight gifted to him as a Shifter. Mortals were angry and unpredictable, they acted without thinking and were always in a hurry. There was a reason that the only pirate crew captained by a Shifter was far and away the most successful. He had worked closely with Mortals over the years but he didn't trust them.

Harlequin's momentary melancholy was quickly forgotten at Minx's response to his confession.
"Exciting? Yes, I suppose it was. Not an easy life, but never a dull one either." Harlequin grinned, flattered by her interest. The few people he'd told up until now had reacted with fear, disgust or disbelief.
"Stories? Those, love, are endless. The life of a pirate is fraught with interesting tales," he chuckled, brushing a stray lock of dark hair from his eyes.
"I fear it would take much longer than a single night, however. Perhaps you would allow me to accompany you for a time when you return to the forest? I could use a guide; I can survive fine but I don't know my way around. And in return I'll tell you as much as you care to know about pirates." Harlequin grinned again, head tilted in question. A companion, even for a short while, would be appreciated. He would like to visit Illinor City one day, and perhaps some other mortal cities too. And he would quite like to avoid stumbling unwarily into the more dangerous regions of the forest. His expertise lay on the waves and in the currents of the sea and some teaching in regards to the forest would aid him greatly.

[Minx]

Grinning broadly, Minx folded her arms over her chest. ”You fit in about as well as I do,” the woman stated playfully, gesturing to the pants she wore and then to her short hair. Women who dressed like she did were considered outcasts in the mortal society, which Minx had come to learn was practically like a death sentence for them. In their society, the women were only there to marry off to some man, where she then proceeded to clean and make babies.
The thought made her snort.
Ha. Allowing a man to tell her what to do?
Not likely. Not anymore.

She nodded. She couldn’t imagine it being an easy life at all. From what the stories she had heard said, the storms on the seas could be quite awful, sometimes destroying entire ships which were then swallowed up by the waters. Plus, there was always the fact that pirates were always on the horizon, searching for ships to ransack.

Twisting around in her seat so that her back was to the counter, the bartender, and the shelf of alcohol, Minx leaned back against the counter with her elbows resting on top of the bar. Tilting her head to the side, the woman glanced at Harlequin out of the corner of her eye.
He wanted to accompany her?
Well, she could always use another companion. Traveling through the forest alone could be very lonely at times. Plus, there was the appeal to her sense of curiosity. Grinning, the woman crossed her legs and turned her head toward him. ”That would be good, yes. I can get you pretty much anywhere you want. Plus, the conversation would be welcomed. You have no idea how boring it is walking through the forest by yourself.” As if to show just how boring it was, Minx yawned, covering her mouth with one hand in a lady-like manner. Hey, she wasn’t completely masculine.

[Harlequin]

Harlequin appraised the woman once more. Indeed, although a few mortals (generally lower in class) bucked the trend of dresses and corsets, few took it to the lengths Minx had.
"Isn't that the truth," the pirate chuckled, rolling another mouthful of rich alcohol over his tongue before swallowing. He rested his elbows on the bar, head in one hand and gaze directed curiously at his interesting new companion as she spoke.

"You have no idea how boring it is walking through the forest by yourself." Harlequin snorted, shaking his head.
"Sure I do. I confess the only part of the forest I know is the fringe close to the sea, where I grew up. Since I returned to Illinor some months ago I basically wandered at random, and stumbled across very few other souls. It was most tedious." The pirate downed the last of his drink before setting the glass down with a resonant clink.

An elegant wave of his clawed, heavily ringed hand was enough to bring the bartender over to dispense a second measure of the rich brew, before Harlequin returned his attention to the conversation.
"I'd like to see Illinor City, someday. I hear there are far greater riches to prey upon in those gilded streets than one might find here. I'm afraid pilfering the coin of these poor souls is hardly worth the effort, as I'm sure you already know." Harlequin smirked, unashamed of his less-than-virtuous employ. If the bartender heard he made no objection - Clehon, it seemed, was not a place of upstanding citizens looking out for their neighbours.

"How long were you planning on visiting Clehon, love? I should think I have enough of this mortal coin to last me a couple of nights, if that was your plan." Harlequin was unworried about either staying or leaving. It wasn't like he had to be somewhere. He was rather enjoying this more grounded, less risky freedom of life on land - at least for now.