((This is an open RP thread.  Everyone is welcome, and you can come and go as you wish.  Come and meet Ranae and have some fun ))

She tossed a quick glance over her shoulder as she slipped out the door. Nope, don’t think anyone saw me...

Her slight form moved quickly and silently, for a change, through the dark streets. She had left her heavy armour and weapons in her room this night;  Dressed only in leathers with her knife, as always, hidden, Ranaewen almost danced as she moved, lithe and free.

Gods, she needed this. Fun. Her kind of fun. She had been restless for days, longing for her old ways.  No one around here seemed to know how to find...well, trouble. Her teeth flashed, a bright slash through the darkness as she grinned happily.

She made her way, knowing exactly where to head, weaving through the streets with ease. She never even glanced over her shoulder. The warrior was too caught up in the exhiliration of her plans.

Ah..there now. She approached a dark, seedy tavern at the end of a dank street. She stood outside the door for a moment, almost jumping with excitement. Then, like a curtain dropping, Ranaewen stood composed and relaxed, entering the tavern with a cool, disinterested air.

(<----Liolin)

    Liolin sat in the corner just right of the door.Dealing out another hand of Jesters (Blackjack), he sat relaxed knowingthat the fools who sat at his table with him this eve were too drunk topose any threat to his money. With the pitch black cloak (the one thatgot him his nickname "Cloak") pulled up around his head, making himunrecognizable to any but the keenest of eyes, Liolin took carefulobservation of the room around him.
 
   The bartender seemed calm. The normal hoodlums inthe middle of the room were causing their usual ruckus. The dwarf inthe corner opposite him was sitting there grumpy as usual. The peoplein the... hold on a second. Liolin followed the dwarf's gaze to thedoorway. What an unusual sight. A slender, womenish figure was walkinginto the tavern, and she wasn't a bar wench or your typical lady of thenight, at least she didn't look it. She walked with an unusual sort ofconfidence not held by many of the women found in this "fine"establishment.
 
   This slight distraction caused a yell from one ofthe men at the table, irritating Liolin. The man wished for anothercard, and after staring him down, Liolin gave him one. The man was nowat 18, and signaled he wished to stay, so Liolin gave him yet anothercard, a 6. This caused the man to be quite angry indeed, slamming thetable and standing up, but not before Liolin threw open his cloak andhad his rapier pressed closely to his neck. This caused several staresand silence in the tavern. The human knew his choices, shut up and sitdown, back away and leave, or start something that would only end inbloodshed. He chose the first, and all seemed to calm as both Liolinand the man sat down to continue the game. Liolin continued to deal ashe kept one eye on the table and men at hand, and another on the lovelynew guest at hand.

(GRRR!! sorry for OOC but this my second time posting this since afterthe first it said I wasn't logged in "yet i was" and now i gottaremember what I had down...)
Liolin took in the scene as yet another distraction meandered into thetavern. It was not often that people would draw so much attention juston their arrival, but these last two did just that. This lapse ofattention awarded Liolin yet another complaint from the disgruntled manacross the table from him yet again, and that complaint awarded the mana nod from Liolin, which in turn resulted in the man to his leftelbowing him in the mouth. The shot came with force enough to knock theman from his seat, and as he rose to his elbows to see what happened,blood dripping from his mouth and more than one tooth loose, Liolinstood up and gave yet another nod. The man who hit him and the man tohis right when he was seated at the table stood up, lifted him by hisarms, and brought him to the door. After a toss out into the street,they returned to their seats across from Liolin.
    Back at the table, Liolin was seated comfortablyonce again. Shuffling his cards, Liolin began to speak quietly to hiscomrades. After a bit of conversation and several glances at the newoccupants of the stools in front of the bar, the two men arose andmoved into their positions. One man went to the end of the bar closestthe door, leaned up against the wall and spoke with some of theregulars. The other, he went to the far end of the bar away from thedoor, smoking his pipe and surveying the bar and its inhabitants.Liolin took his place, next to the woman who just arrived. Leaningagainst the bar, Liolin ordered two of the finest drinks the tavernkeephad to offer. As the drinks arrived in front of the guests, Liolinglanced over at them and began to inquire. Facing them directly, hisdark blue elven skin would be evident to the two who he now spoke with."So, what brings you two unlikely guests to this fine establishment?"

Ranaewen swallowed her drink, listening to her companion’s chatter, and noted the three men taking up spots around them with deliberate casualness.  She smiled inwardly at the familiar tactic.   Funny, she hadn’t even planned on using her as bait...

She looked over at the small figure beside her and felt a vague pang of unease.  Maybe she shouldn’t have...but she had insisted on seeing her tonight, and she already had these plans...

The bright, innocent face looked back at her, a complete contrast to Ranae’s own dark and moody presence.  Well.  She would just have to make sure that nothing happened to her.  The warrior started to feel irritated by the complication of it all, unwilling to give up her fun, and unused to the protective feelings stirring in her belly.

The dark elf leaned against the bar, looking completely at home.

Her friend’s pixie face lit up as she turned toward him.  She smiled brightly and was about to respond when Ranaewen placed a hand on her arm.

The half-elf’s dark eyes narrowed as she regarded him.  “Are you the welcoming committee?”  Her voice low and heavy with sarcasm, she arched a brow slightly.

Ranaewen stared at the dark elf for a long moment, assessing, then said matter-of-factly, “I’m accustomed to going about my business without being questioned.”  One eyebrow arched slowly up as her lips curled into a half-smile.  Although she had no intention of bowing to intimidation, she sensed a familiar strength of will in the man, and felt a grudging respect for it.

The robed elf sat, eyes wide, head bobbing back and forth between the two as she took in the situation.  The tension was almost too much for her.  She breathed a sigh, relief written across her face, as Ranae finally nodded slightly and moved to the table.  The small elf hopped down off her stool and almost ran to a chair next to Ranae, pulling it closer to her friend with a  bright smile.

Finally the dark tense atmosphere overcame her best intentions, and she spoke in a soft, high voice, “I’m Keiri!  Nice to meet you!”  As she smiled at the men, they all could feel a ray of peace and calm radiating out from her, making the rest of the tavern seem very dark indeed.