Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Trick or Treat: The Longtail Tavern

It had been some time since the Longtail Tavern had been open for business. Reman had been off on adventures in distant lands for several years now, but at long last he'd been able to return to open things back up, and just in time for Halloween, too. Reman had done his best to clean things up for the reopening, but there was still some dust and cobwebs lingering off in the corners of the room. They would only add to the spooky ambience, though. The tavern had been decorated all over with candles and jack-o-lanterns. As for treats, there was no shortage of candies, caramel apples and slices of pie to go around, along with a wide assortment of drinks, both alcoholic and not.

Reman himself had chosen to dress up as Anubis once more this year. It had been several years since the wolf had dressed up as him, and as long as the real god didn't show up, he hoped it would be okay. The doors of the tavern had been thrown wide open. Now all that was left was for Reman to wait behind the bar for the guests to start arriving.

Scylla was feeling deeply self-conscious -- her lower body was crammed into a skirt narrowed at the knees, and then flared into a faux fish tail around her ankles, forcing her to take tiny steps. Her upper body was meant to be clad in only fake clam shells covering the essential bits, but she'd found that simply too awkward and had put the shells on over a shirt at the last moment. In her hand was a wooden trident. She was meant to be a mermaid, but the costume was ill-fitting, and anyway -- she already had a tail with a fin on the end, and adding fins to her legs just made her feel like a freakish two-tailed monster. Still, she was trying, trying to get in the spirit of things and be festive.

Taking those awful, too-restricted tiny steps, she stumbled into the first tavern she came across. She was really feeling desperate for a drink to start off the night. "Err... hello? Trick or treat? Better if the treat is alcoholic in nature."

Hanley wandered through a neighborhood, looking about at all the houses and campers and strange, shapely living devices from other areas. Some peeked out over roofs, some popped out from behind trees. Tents and skeleton bone shacks and UFOs. It was a festive atmosphere, but when she came across a building that looked homey and comfortable, with the smells of pie and caramel apples coming from inside, she knew she wanted to go in. She smiled, hefted her sack, and walked up to the door. "Knock knock! Trick or treat!" The woman sing-songed.

It had been a long road from the far north of the Ettenmoors, and Durian and his horse needed a break. It was nothing a good draught of fine ale wouldn’t cure, and his horse could graze the field for a while.

The Longtail Tavern said the sign over the door. He had been by here before but the place was boarded up. It seemed to show some signs of life this time by. He dismounted and walked to the door, leaving his sword with his horse and only carrying his small blades. One could never be too careful. He stepped inside and looked around as he pushed back the hood of his cloak letting his long dark locks fall free over his shoulders in lazy curls. He sauntered up to the bar and slapped some silver coin down.

“No tricks, and make the treat a flagon of your house ale.” he said as he eyed the woman in a bobble skirt briefly before seeing the apples covered in sticky sugary glaze. There was some sort of harvest festival going on in these parts and Durian seemed to fit in looking like a weathered Ranger of the North.

Reman looked up as the doors to the tavern flew open, and a trio of trick-or-treaters came in. First up was a woman seemingly dressed as a mermaid, and the wolf gave her a friendly smile. "Hello there! No alcoholic treats, I'm afraid," he said to Scylla, shaking his head. "But I've got plenty of drinks on offer. What can I get for you?"

The second woman would be given a smile, as well. "Happy Halloween! Come on in," Reman said to Hanley. "Help yourself to some candy. There's plenty to go around." He gestured a short way down the bar, where there were bowls and trays filled with all sorts of sweets. "Can I get you something to drink?" the wolf asked.

As for Durian, Reman would quickly rise to his feet and fetch a flagon from the shelves. "One flagon of ale, coming right up," he said, as he started to fill up the container, passing it across the bar to the ranger once it was full. "So, how are you all doing this evening?"

Hanley adjusted the rabbit ears on her head and smiled as she walked in. She nodded to the bartender (host? Owner?) and accepted his offer of candy, grabbing a caramel stick from a pretty glass bowl. "Ah, a drink... Hmm, do you have anything with a mulled rum flavor? I'd love something like that, actually. It's chilly out, you know?" She laughed a little, pulling out a chair and making room for one of the people who had come in with her, before adding, "I like the weather, though- it's such a pleasant temperature, and the leaves are crisp and everything. So it's good, for me. How are you this evening, sir?" she chewed on a bit of the caramel, making herself comfortable in her seat.

The macabre rogue was known to find his way around the globe now and again. He had a prolific job as an assassin, getting from place to place to get the job done. Tonight, he had stopped here as a go-between jobs and locations. But, why enter like a normal, sane person would when he could easily phase right through the walls like some kind of bizarre spectre? The shade demon was just that, a demon, and he enjoyed making people uncomfortable. So it was, from a dark, untended corner of the room, he emerged as if from nothing. Shadows cast by a flickering candle or torch light would reveal him just a little bit more as he stepped free of them, his figure bathed in crimson cloth tailored perfectly to his frame. Either he was feeling dramatic today or on his way to a masquerade, it was hard to say, but the figure of the red death was unmistakable.

Perhaps they had not spoken before, but Chaffen knew the tender, and had likely seen him in passing at some of their other local haunts... Was that to say he trusted him? Not exactly, but a familiar face was always more welcome than others. Steps carried him soundlessly towards the bar, so silent that he might shock others who were there, and slid effortlessly into a seat far from the others, and would wait patiently for the familiar man to spot him before putting in any kind of order.

"I'm doing better now that I have your fine ale in hand." Durian said as he took it and left the coin. He wasn't much for chit chat just yet, wanting time to savour the golden nectar. He grabbed some of the assorted sweets on his way by as he went off to find a table to sit and watch the goings on in the tavern.

Reman smiled at Hanley. "You know what, I think we do," he said to her, before turning towards one of the shelves behind him. "I only just learned this recipe a few days ago, so apologies if it's not the best." He'd pour a mug of the warm beverage and hand it across the bar before taking the time to pour some hard cider for himself. It seemed appropriate, given the season. "I'm doing well," he went on. "I've been away on quite a few adventures these last few years, but it's good to come back here again. I'd forgotten how much I missed this place."

Before Reman could take a sip of his drink, though, he spotted something moving about in the shadows. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but then he realized there was definitely something- or someone- emerging from the shadows. Whoever he was, he'd certainly come dressed for the holiday. As Reman studied the man, he had the vague impression that perhaps they had encountered each other in passing long ago. He was struggling to remember exactly when or where, though.

"Ah... good evening," the wolf said at last, as Chaffen took a seat by the bar. "Happy Halloween. Can I... can I get you anything to drink?" Spooky as this individual was, he was still a guest, and so Reman would certainly try to make him feel welcome.

For the moment, the demon would not remind Reman, quite sure that eventually, the wolf would remember in time, the next time they met up. He remained quiet, making himself comfortable where he sat, pulling long tail around onto his lap so that it was out of the way of passer-by. Large ears fanned away from his spine in a way that made it obvious he was listening, saying nothing to interrupt until Reman offered up those kind sentiments and offer. "Whiskey," the shade offered simply, his voice cold, quiet, deep, carrying a slightly otherworldly quality to it. "All Hallow's Eve... Yes," He said, as if he was only just remembering that it was a holiday, or coming up on one. "A time for treats and scares..." He mused, laughing gently to himself. "You spoke of adventures- anything truly haunting? What have you come up against before?" he asked, wondering what Foe the man had faced off against. "Anything formidable around these parts?" If one didn't know better, he almost sounded like he might be looking for a challenge, or some kind of work. A bounty perhaps? But the enigmatic offered up no reasoning for his questions except to sound interested. Brief glances would be given to the others there gathered with them, and if any met his gaze, small silent nods of greeting as a hand fished into his coat pocket, producing enough coin to pay for the ordered whiskey.

Hanley smiled and sipped the drink, humming at its pleasant taste. It was almost like butterscotch, but with more of a rum flavor, almost like a cordial. With a bit of a punch. She took another drink. While it wasn't warm, it warmed her throat, and a pleasant sense of ease drifted into her bones. "Thanks, mister," she said with a wink. "Do you take cash, credit, or coin? And also, mind if I help myself to a slice of that pie?" she nodded toward a smooth apple pie nearby her on the bar, which exuded a delicious sweet spicy smell and a fair puff of steam. Her stomach growled faintly, having eaten some time before but apparently not filled up.
"It's always good to come back home," she added. "I hope your adventures went well. Not too much danger....."
She glanced around the tavern, seeing various patrons scattered around eating and drinking and, well, making merry, generally. She caught the eye of one dark, shadowy fellow, and nodded back at him in surprise when he did so to her. She gave his outfit a once-over, then nodded agreeably and turned back around.
"It's a really nice place, this! I love what you've done with it. Great atmosphere." She wondered if those were real webs in the corner, then shooed away that thought. It was probably discourteous.
Longtail's costume shone brightly under the candlelight, gleaming as he moved, and Hanley smiled again, listening to his answer.

Scylla blushed again and fell silent, sinking back to the edges of the room as a crowd of other trick or treaters appeared just behind her. She watched them order before attempting her own order again, eventually sidling up near the woman in the bunny ears.

"I'll have the same. The mulled rum thing and the pie," she ventured, casting her red eyes back and forth between Reman and Hanley as if asking if that was okay.

((Definitely! Just pick a character and you can hop in. Unless the topic starter says they're closing the thread, it's open until the end of the event.

Living on the ground after being thrown from home was hard, especially with it getting darker and colder. Pulling the cloak closer to his chest, he ducked into an alley to avoid children and others in what they called costumes. The cloak he wore was found on the side of the road, possibly left by some traveler. Other than that, the little elf didn't have a costume, being too busy trying to stay alive.

Seeing a building, he noticed other beings going in and out. With a nervous whimper, he followed, pushing the door open with effort, he entered the warm building. Seeing a fire he cautiously edged towards it, huddling next to it. He sighed as the chill left his skinny body.

((I'm just in the mood for playing this guy, let me know if I go too far for the post.))

Reman gave Chaffen a quick nod, opening up a bottle of whiskey and pouring a glass before handing it to the shadowy figure. As for Scylla, he'd go ahead and pour another glass of the mulled rum for her. "Help yourself," he said, gesturing towards the pies next to him. "There's plenty to choose from." Indeed, there were apple, cherry, pecan and peach pies to choose from, along with all the plates and utensils one would need.

With everyone seemingly taken care of for the moment, Reman would take a seat across the bar from the guests. "Adventures? Oh, quite a few," he said to Hanley. "Some went better than others, of course. There was this one time where the ship I was on got stuck in the ice and was attacked by a kraken. That thing was not easy to deal with, let me tell you, but we escaped in the end. And then..." He paused for a moment. It was clear whatever he was about to bring up wasn't a pleasant memory. "There was this one city I spent a while in," he said to Chaffen. "Where for a whole week there was this weird eclipse. Everyone was on edge, magic didn't work properly, the dead were walking the streets... I'm still not sure how we survived that. I still get nightmares about that week."

As he took a long gulp of his drink, he noticed that the tavern doors had opened again and an elf slipped into the room, shivering from the cold outside. "Hello," Reman said. "Happy Halloween. Come on in, there's plenty of food and drinks to go around. Can I get you anything?"

Lith jumped abit when Reman spoke. It took some effort, but the elf wheezed out,
"Something warm, sir?" Before coughing a bit. He knew common, all servants of the wind elf kingdom were forced to learn it. However, he wasn't used to speaking and his vocal cords were quite damaged. "No money i have. Can offer service."

Smiling at the girl nearby her, Hanley took a pie server and helped herself to a piece of the dessert. Then she said "Thank you", moved out of the way, and sat back to listen to the rest of the bartender's story.

Hanley took a bite of her pecan pie and thought about the kraken Longtail mentioned.
"Huh." she said. "There was this one time... I was, uh, I was with my ship and we got a little stranded... Not bad, we were just low on sailing power, you know? And, well, there was this thing that came at us.... It was like a whale, with a hundred or so tentacles, I guess, and it just- well. Whaled on us, a little. Had us for a while, heh. It was out of the area, though. I mean really, it was out of this world." She smirked a little, savoring the nutty taste of the pie and the sweet, syrupy juices. It was creamy, crunchy, and crispy, and delicious. She had actually wanted the peach pie, but it was a traditional thing to eat the pecan pie around this season, so she'd chosen that instead. And she wasn't disappointed. The pungent peach aroma wafted at her from another plate, though.....

Looking around, she saw a kid just about half her height, maybe, who looked abominably cold and hungry and- and injured, possibly? She tried not to let her face fall too dramatically. This poor kid..... When she was off-shore, as she put it, there were plenty of other species who weren't comfortable with her concern, let alone her trying to help. Someone might help him, but maybe he would refuse. Maybe he was more dangerous than he looked. There was no telling.....
Not to mention, she could see herself being attacked for less than asking a child if they wanted food. It wasn't unusual in some offworld areas, but he looked to be an elf, so maybe he wouldn't get too offended.
She scooted aside from the pie, and attempted a smile.
"Hey, Reman," she said somewhat quietly, "this kid look old enough to drink, to you?"
She had no idea if they had a large stock of child-friendly drinks, but she certainly hoped they had something.

((Technically he's a young adult. I just get confused with any elf age counter. If anyone knows a simple one to use, shoot it my way.))

The elf looked nervous at the beings around him. His eyes wandered to the drinks being served. The only alcohol he had was some wine the king didn't want, due to it being the wrong date. However, the pies caught his eye, particularly what.looked like a meat pie. The young elf wouldn't speak though, not that his throat would allow him to.

Scylla quickly downed her rum, and helped herself to a slice of apple pie. She ate more slowly, casting her gaze around to the various speakers around her, taking in the conversations.