Elizabeth York's Story

Achaeos laughed, nodding his head. "I've never known alleyways to be that sneaky, but there is a first time for everything." he said, "And I could not possibly refuse, since you're asking. I have nowhere pressing to be, and good company is its own reward. To where do you travel, Miss Elizabeth?"

The kitsune held out his free arm in offering for Elizabeth to take, should she wish to. "You are a waitress, then? At what establishment?"

"I have always figured them for sneaky. Dark, cramped, potentially sound stifling and unlikely to be walked in on..." Her hand rose, fingers waggling in ominous movement. "To be honest, I did not have anywhere pressing to be either. A night walk is a night walk, and goes wherever the moon decides."

Elizabeth curtsied again, gracefully taking the kitsune's arm. "Well, I must accept. Walk with me then. I work at the Tauvyr Tavern. Perhaps you have heard of it?"

"I have, as it happens. I have been spending many of my days at Verinotte Hollow as of late. It is a pleasant little town, once one gets past the pervasiveness of vampires and other such beings." Achaeos said as they began to walk. His expression became thoughtful. "I have never known so many of them to be... amiable. Most vampires and other supernatural entities that border the line between life and death that I have encountered before have been malicious, or even savage." he added with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But there is much here that is different to I have known it to be in the past. That is one of the more pleasant things that I have begun to grow accustomed to. There has been such change in the years I have been dormant, it is difficult to get my head around many of them. Cars, for example, baffle me entirely. I can see what they do, and indeed how to get them to do it, but ... the very concept of placing oneself in such a metallic beast is inherently alarming to me."

Check.

It was not a busy night at the Tauvyr Tavern. There were a few regulars sitting at a corner booth, enjoying a few drinks around a game of dice. Aside from them, stragglers dotted the bar counter, each with a glass sitting in front of them. Behind the counter was a fairly beautiful blonde in a black dress matched with a maid apron, both pieces of clothing loosely Victorian. She sat with her legs crossed on a stool, with her nose buried in a book.

At the sound of the door and lots of exicted chatter, Elizabeth stood, delicately inserted a bookmark in her novel and placed it on the counter. In a few brisk strides, she crossed the room to greet the lavish woman and her bodyguard with a polite curtsy.

"Hello sir and miss, welcome to the Tauvyr Tavern. My name is Elizabeth and I will be your bartender and waitress today. Pleaes seat yourself, and whilst you do, can I perhaps get either of you something to drink or a menu? We have a wonderful selection if I do say so myself." She swept a hand past the booths and the counter, ending at the racks of bottles behind their wooden barrier.

A professional smile was plastered across her face as she observed the pair. A monster the girl may have been, but monsters were common patrons and they were all pleasant enough. Most of the time, that is. The waitress was not intimidated by Alcina's demeanor, nor by Duke's weapons, though she did internally question the girl's revealing choice in clothing.

In fact, the girl reminded her of a particularly bratty child. Why, if Elizabeth was her mother, she wouldn't have allowed such...anyway, this girl wasn't her daughter. And the mother in question considered herself too young to be one.

And the daughter in question was probably a bit older than the mother. She was certainly taller. A good 5'10" with her heels on, the woman towered over the girl. Her eyes angled down at her.

"Do hurry and get this lady some white wine? Perhaps this isn't the right place-" She glanced around at the rougher customers drinking away, "-but it's the nearest, and I don't fancy having to walk too far!" She slipped her fan from her thin belt and began to breeze herself, leaning against the table pitifully. "You wouldn't understand the woes of a woman who has to walk in expensive footwear, dear. It's awful, it is."

Duke tried to exchange glances with the young barmaid, rolling his eyes at Alcina.

They all grow up so fast. Elizabeth bowed slightly to high heeled "princess" before bringing her gaze up to firmly meet the other woman's without a flinch in her smile.

Her eyes flickered to Duke, and her mouth contorted slightly in understanding. "We're glad to have your patronage and hope you enjoy your stay," was her steady reply to the arrogant comment. Backing away, she turned and headed for the counter again. "No, miss. I'm sure being wealthy is a huge burden. It must be terrible to deal with so many issues," she said sweetly while her lips, turned away, turned into a sardonic smirk.

"Wine for the miss." The waitress busied herself with finding the right drink, tutting and clucking until she spotted the bottle she was looking for. With a flourish, she balanced a wineglass in one hand and two bottles in the other. Setting the glass on the table, she poured the alcohol with a flourish. "Sauvignon Blanc, six years old. It should be to your tastes." The wine also had one of the highest alcohol contents, but Elizabeth deigned to mention that part.

"And an ale for the sir." She slid the bottle towards Duke with a sympathetic nod.

Alcina sat down in her chair with a huff, pointing the fan at the waitress. "You're a dear, you are. Look at her! Pouring and all. Perhaps this place isn't as trash as I first thought." She glanced around it a second time. "Or...in any case...the staff, at least, are competent!" She took the wineglass up and sipped. "As is the wine." She fished in her little purse for money. Funnily, she had just enough. Only. Just. Enough. She passed a glance between Duke and Elizabeth.

She took the money out and held it toward the girl. There would be no tip. "Just one wine for tonight. A lady has to be modest, after all!"

Duke nodded to the waitress as she gave him the ale, and almost smirked. He gave Elizabeth the, "Can you believe this?" look.

"Oh, well thank you, miss," Elizabeth replied with an incline of her head. "We strive for service here, though the building itself may seem gloomy. We find that some of our patrons prefer this atmosphere. If our tavern was different, it would certainly lose its homely feeling."

The bartender eyed the payment, noting the exact change. A few thoughts ran through her head, but they were mainly impolite and she refrained from saying anything. After all, there were customers who did not or could not pay tips, though if the latter was the case then Alcina was putting on a bigger show than she could really run.

Lightly palming the cash and dropping it safely into a pocket, Elizabeth met Duke's gaze again, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. She covered her mouth, returning with "I have no idea what you're talking about" look.

"So if I may ask, what brings the miss and sir in today?"

The young woman rose a hand into the air and flapped it about. "Oh! The obvious, dear, the obvious! Drink, some time out of the Carroll Manor, away from being indoors!"

That was a new place that had been finished with construction recently, and had become occupied in the last month by the Carroll family, who were incredibly wealthy. Their name had gone around a bit, but not too well. They liked to keep to themselves, mostly. Or so it seemed. There had been rumors of one daughter escaping quite frequently to wander into town.

"Of course, even in such a drab little place, a woman always goes out to show herself off, meet the eyes of some dashing, incredibly wealthy noble man. Someone of high status. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anywhere else close enough, and I severely doubt I'll find one here...oh, I doubt anyone could!"

The man twisted his mug on the table, stifling a chuckle.

"Oh, of course. How could I have missed such an obvious thing? Quite silly of me," Elizabeth conceded with another curtsy, leaning back against the table.

As both a bartender and waitress, Elizabeth had picked up on rumours of the mansion; she had heard about the wealthy family who lived there. Now the woman in front of her finally registered as a daughter of the family - she was still too young to be the mistress of the house. Alcina's attitude began to make sense.

"Ah, of course. A wonderful dream, finding a husband with money," the blonde agreed, though her tone was barely caustic. Her mouth twisted slightly and she nodded her head. "Yes, I will quite agree with you. While the service here may be acceptable," she paused, regaining a proper demeanor and giggling, "this is not the place to find someone like that."

Her eyes landed on Duke again. "But who might the gentleman be?"

"We can have hopes and dreams," said Alcina. "But a place like Aslund destroys them. Hell! Terra destroys them. I can't believe we moved from Pramia!"

She drank sourly, leaning back in her chair. "I do hope that distinguished men live in Terra at all. At least some of the women are just fine." She tilted her glass in the direction of Elizabeth. "But men!" She eyed the man lividly. He returned the glare.

"His name is Duke. He's nothing special, just a bodyguard, is all, and a ruffian that I pay. No real interest to you, dear."

Duke shook his head, then mocked Alcina and mouthed, "She's just a bitch that pays me. No real interest to you, dear."

"Oh, I very well understand what you mean," Elizabeth said, getting lost in her thoughts for a few seconds before snapping back to the conversation.

The interaction between Alcina and Duke brought a wry grin to her face. "Well, I can't speak for all of the men, but some of them are fine. I can't speak for their wealth either, but I'm sure you'll find someone who suits you."

She directed a wink towards the bodyguard. "And I'm sure your shield deserves some more credit than you give him."

"In any case, my patrons are always a real interest to me, miss. A pleasure, Duke."

"I think you're too used to hungry Supernaturals. If you came to the presence of higher company, you would see what you're missing!" She finished her wine, to the very drop. "Oh, that was excellent. I'll have another."

That bodyguard gave the smallest, slightest smirk back to Elizabeth. More of that humor showed in his eyes. "Likewise," he replied in a very deep, rumbling voice. It was the first he'd spoken the whole time.

"You really should come to the Carroll manor sometime, Miss...oh, what was your name again?"

"Oh, perhaps, but I do so enjoy those hungry Supernaturals, as you say. Things are always more interesting with them around. And I would so hate to be bored. But if I am ever invited into this "higher company" then I certainly will not decline.

Elizabeth smiled, but ambiguously directed it at both customers. "Oh, of course. And you didn't ask, miss, but it's Elizabeth. Elizabeth York. I'll be right back with another ale."

With a twirl, her skirt fluttering, she made again for the counter with large but quiet steps. "Hey darlin', another beer for me too!" A grinning man at the dice table waved at her before turning back to his game.

The waitress beamed at him, nodding. She disappeared into the storage room and reappeared with two bottles. Almost dancing back over, she placed one next to the man. His smile grew and he made a swat at her.

Elizabeth slipped away, clucking her tongue and shaking her head. She returned to Alcina and Duke, sliding the other bottle across the wood and deftly poured another glass for the 'princess.'

"What were discussing again?"

"Elizabeth York. I see. That's not a poor girl's name. I wonder what your story is." Of course, she would only ever be half listening to it. Alcina only ever cared about herself.

She took the next glass and started to drink right away. She pulled out her fan and started to flutter it. "Is it me, or is it getting a tad warm? I think it's getting warm."

Duke stared at Elizabeth knowingly.

"No, I suppose it is not," Elizabeth cheerfully replied, nodding. Alcina wouldn't have much to listen to anyway; Elizabeth deigned to follow up on the prompt.

She glanced around the room, then touched the back of her hand to her forehead. "Warm? I don't suppose so. Perhaps a bit, but not noticeably. You may just be drinking too quickly, miss," she told the other woman.

At this point, she felt comfortable enough to sit down, quietly sliding back a chair and properly orienting herself in it.

"But I don't believe I caught your name either, miss."

She waved Elizabeth away. "I'm completely fine. I can hold my liquor nearly as much as any dwarf!" Which was a complete lie. She took a few sips of the second bottle, then placed it down onto the table.

"My name-" she began, "Is Alciiina. Alcina B-" She paused, "Carroll. Alcina Carroll. I suppose the liquor really is getting to me!" Leaning back, and crossed her legs beneath her large, poofy dress. "And you are Elizabeth. Do you enjoy working here? I doubt you do, but might as well ask. You seem far too cheery."

"As you say, miss. As you say," Elizabeth readily agreed with the woman. She wasn't one to argue with patrons, especially if they were actually paying - though Alcina's second payment had yet to show up.

"A pleasure, Miss Carroll." Her eyebrow rose ever so slightly, and she mentally took note of the slip of the tongue. Not that it mattered very much, but perhaps it would be something worth asking. "Yes, I am. And yes, I do. It is quite distinct from other jobs, but I find it very rewarding. On busy days, it can be a lot of work but even that is not hateful. And as to my cheer, well, I personally believe that our customers would prefer it to somber service. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked.

"I believe that people should be satisfied with bluntness and honesty," stated Alcina slapping her hand down onto the table. She gave Elizabeth a nod to affirm that statement. "Because, really, so many people are incredibly sensitive these days. All the days! Long gone am I from the place where people had a backbone."

Another long sip. Alcina's eyes drooped. "It's hopeless, though. I'm going to have to cherry pick and actually try something fierce to find people who are-" She rose up in her chair, looked as though she was about to say more, then sat back down.