Papoa Lake

Kel walked out to the garden behind his tavern, The Tiger's Brew. There hadn't been a lot of customers lately, but he hoped that would change soon. Cire was right at his side as he walked out the door, rubbing his head against Kel's legs and purring.

"Hey there little guy. You gonna help me pick some herbs for today." He smiled down at the small tiger. He let out a playful growl in response as if he didn't want Kel to be doing work, but wanted him to play instead.

"Well, it is a nice day out and business is slow. After I throw these herbs into the drying oven we can go play in the lake, does that sound fun?" Cire began anxiously pacing back and forth between the front door of the tavern and the gate to the garden in excitement.

Kel went through the garden finding the ripest and most fragrant herbs and those that he was lowest on in the tavern. After picking a full basket of herbs he went to the side of the tavern where he had a very unique herb drying oven. The oven looked like a glass igloo on a brick pedestal with several grate style shelves in it. He slid open the ventilated door and put the herbs on various shelves. He then opened a small door at the bottom of the brick pedestal and got a fire started before closing the door. He then poured a small bucket of water into a spout on the side of the pedestal. The oven worked like a green house by magnifying the sun's heat, while inside the pedestal, the fire boiled the water he added and channeled the steam to spin a fan that helped to circulate the hot air and blow excess moisture out the ventilation holes, while the steam was then channeled into a condensing tube and fed back to the boiling chamber.

After putting the herbs in the drying oven, he went into the tavern to the and went upstairs to his living quarters. The door to the stairs was always locked and he was the only one with the key, in addition there was a sign on the door that read "Do not enter." He got changed into a pair of shorts, grabbed a small wooden ball and went outside.

"I got the ball, Cire, you wanna play fetch?" Kel asked as he walked from the tavern to the lakefront. Cire started jumping around excitedly before Kel threw the ball toward the lake. Cire took off after it, barely letting bounce once before grabbing it and running back to Kel who was now about half way to the lake. He could see that there was no one at the water front which he thought was a little odd given the heat. He threw the ball once more, this time into the water, and Cire went jumping into the water after it. While most cats didn't like the water that much, tigers, even the micro breeds, always seemed to be the exception. He walked out onto the dock as Cire swam up to it and pulled himself out of the water and dropped the ball at Kel's feet. He picked it up and threw it out into the lake as far as he could.

"Race ya!" he challenged Cire before they both jumped in racing to see who could get to the ball first.

Kel continued to play fetch with Cire, but the hot sun had a way leeching the energy out of him. He noticed a young woman running to the lake front and then perch herself on one of the larger rocks near the shore and look out over the lake. It was then that he realized that, in his rush to get to the lake, he forgot to bring a towel. It was no big deal, though, it was hot enough that he could air-dry without needing a towel.

After playing for about an hour, Cire brought back the wooden ball one last time before they climbed out onto the dock and walked back to the shore. As they got onto dry land, Cire shook himself dry, flinging water all over Kel and he looked like a giant puff ball after doing so.

"Hey you, I didn't bring a towel you know." Kel scolded. Cire just looked up at him with a big grin and shrugged. "You crazy tiger. I guess it's time to dry out, go find a good spot." And with that Cire went and curled up at the base of a small maple tree in the shade. It was still warm enough to dry out from the heat, but not in direct sun light so Kel wouldn't get sunburned, he burned easily. Kel went over and laid down next to Cire using the small tiger as a pillow. Cire began to purr and Kel smiled. This was the life, so much better than what he had left behind. He had few cares and nothing to worry about and he was finally happy. He turned to look at the girl sitting on the rock, she looked exhausted, as though she had been working all day. He wished he had that problem, but the tavern wasn't very busy the last few days. It was mostly adventurers that came into his bar on their way to explore the shrines and caves of the outer islands, but the summer time was more the weather for monster hunting and exploring the other lakes of the islands. This time of year he usually only got the people who wanted to unwind after a hard day of work, those that had heard about his specialty brews or just the occasional tourist visiting the lake that noticed the tavern just up the path. He glanced back up at the tavern to see if he was missing any customers and he wasn't. He had left a sign saying he'd be back at dusk for the evening customers. He relaxed and closed his eyes resting against Cire's tummy as the tiger continued to purr.

River was relieved when her shift at the inn ended. She had finished her book and was halfway through another one by the time she was free. The heat throughout the day had been killing her. For some reason, the hottest of days made her feel the most adventurous. She quickly tidied up the front desk before leaving it to the next shift. Once relieved, she quickly grabbed her books and ran home to change.

The Jensen household wasn't very large, but it was plenty for her and her father. It contained a small kitchen attached to a dining area. There was a small living room with two couches and a coffee table in the center. Then there was a small hall, which lead to River's bedroom a bathroom in the middle, and then further down, her father's bedroom. The house itself was fairly plain. It didn't bother River much since she really didn't like spending much time at home. Her room didn't really have much decoration to it either.

It didn't take River long to locate her favorite bikini and throw her shorts and a green v-neck on over it. Then she was out the door again. Her entire shift at the inn that day had given her plenty of time to figure out exactly where she would go when she was off. The lake was a bit of a distance, but she didn't care. She had to make her way back toward town and then turn just before reaching it. The walk was well worth it. There only appeared to be one person headed to the lake. From a distance, he appeared to be running with a dog of some sort. She picked up her own pace and began running toward the lake as well. When she got there, they were both swimming further into the lake. 'I hope me being here doesn't bother them.' River was glad to see that there were not many people there. The large rock she liked to sit on was unoccupied, so she gratefully climbed to the top of it and looked over the view the lake offered.

Kel saw that the shop was getting ready to close. He wished he could come back later to see what the evening events had in store, but he had to run the tavern. Or did he? The tavern had been rather slow lately, so being closed for one night wouldn't hurt anything. Also it seemed like it had been ages since he had the chance to socialize with his peers as his uncontrolled muttering had illustrated. That was it, he had decided. He was going to come back tonight to try and meet some new people. He finished the last bite of the cheesecake he was eating and the last few sips of coffee before he stood up and left the small cafe.

Kel walked down the road to the market and began searching through the fresh produce. He picked out a few onions and potatoes that looked exceptional in quality before he made his way to the dairy section of the market and found some sharp cheddar cheese and eggs. He remembered that he promised to buy Cire a treat, so he stopped at the meat section and grabbed a small steak. He paid for everything and began his trip back home.

He got home just as the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Cire began jumping up with excitement when he saw Kel and ran up to greet him.

"Were you a good kitty while I was gone?" He asked as he dangled the steak. Cire sat down and was attentive waiting patiently for Kel to give him the steak. He let out a small happy growl as if answering the question.
"Okay, well you're gonna have to watch the house again later tonight so consider this incentive to do a good job tonight too." Kel smiled as he gave Cire the steak. He took the rest of his groceries into the tavern and put his closed sign in the window. He put the food away in the kitchen before going upstairs to his room to get changed.

He stood in front of a full length floor mirror and began trying to decide on what he should wear. He went through a few different outfits before he decided on something casual. He had a black button down short sleeve shirt under a blue satin vest and a pair of black slacks that matched the shirt. He put on a pair of black shoes and the outfit looked complete.

He looked at the time and realized that he had no idea what time the cafe re-opened or if they continued to serve any food at night. He really should have talked to the guy that worked there rather than eaves dropping. "Wow, my social skills are terrible." He said to himself in the mirror. "I need this worse than I thought."

He decided to wait for a little while before going out, just to be sure he didn't get there too early. He grabbed a book off the shelf and began reading to pass the time while he waited.

Kel finished off his iced tea and cake. He continued reading the book about herbs, not realizing just how many of the herbs he had growing in his garden were rare. He finally looked up from the book to see that the cafe was nearly empty. He let out a sigh before returning the book.

He got up and left the cafe. When he got home Cire was already sleeping by the gate to the garden. He unlocked the door and went inside the tavern, flipping the sign to open before walking behind the bar and throwing on an apron.

"I might as well open up, not that it really matters." He said to nobody. "I don't get it. When I first moved here and opened this tavern it was always packed. Now it's rarely got anyone here . I need to find a way to drum up some business."

He poured himself a shot of whiskey infused with coriander. It had a very unique flavor and it had a smoother finish than traditional whiskey.

---

Roshia stomped over towards the tavern that was east of the dragon farm. She wasn't much of a drinker, but she needed to get away from her family. She knew what she did... it was taboo and forbidden, but she couldn't help the feelings she had for Nasir and Elwin didn't help anything, if anything he made them worse. She wiped her eyes and tried to look decent before going in.
"I don't drink, but give me something... not strong, please." She order while sitting in front of the bartender or what she hoped was the bartender.

Kel heard the bell above the door jingle as a disheveled young elf came into the tavern. She took a seat right at the bar in front of him.

"Hi there. Well if you aren't much for drinking I think I got just the thing for ya." He spoke as he went behind the bar and got a few ingredients. He mixed them up in a shaker before pouring the mixture into a stein.

"Here you go. It's a mixture of chamomile, jasmine and just a little bit of vodka. It'll help you relax and it looks like you could use it."

Rowan fished for a while, but the fish werent biting. He had, had, quite the day and decided to stop into the tavern for a drink before heading back home to bed. He got up and folded his fishing pole up and tied it to his backpack and put his lures away as well. He walked over to the bar and opened up the door, walking in and sitting about a seat away from a young woman who seemed to be having a bad day by the looks of her. "I'll have whatever you feel like making" He said after he greeted the bar tender.

Kel was thrilled to finally have some business in the tavern, even if it was only two people. He mixed up a drink with some of his infused whiskey and some lemonade. He set it in front of the young man.

"Here ya go. Oh hey, aren't you the Mayor's son?" He asked. He wasn't a hundred percent sure it was him. "You must be looking for vendors for the upcoming festival, huh?"

---

Roshia looked at the drink in front of her, before turning her gaze to the guy who walked in. He was a bit taller than her with white hair, but it was his eyes that caught her eyes. His were a strawberry red color. She had never seen eyes like those before, but she soon turned her head to her drink. "Thanks." She said softly before taking a sip. It wasn't strong, but it was different. She liked it and before she knew it she downed it. "Another, please.."

"Ah thanks" Rowan said. He took a sip. "Wow that strong. Good as hell, but strong" He said and then took another sip. "Yes, I am the Mayors son, and i was just going to talk to you about the festival. Currently we dont have a vendor that deals with alcoholic beverages set in stone for the festival, so i came to ask if you'd like to open up a booth and sell your brews there." Rowan explained. "The man who usually does it will be out of town this year, so it would be a good opportunity to get your Taverns name out there and have people try your drinks" He said taking another sip of the drink he had. He pulled out his wallet and paid for his drink and nodded to the woman next to him as he did, signalling that hed pay for her drink as well. She seemed to be having a rough day and Rowan wanted to do her a small kindness.

Kel was a bit in shock as he mixed another drink for the girl.

"I'd love to work the festival! Is there a theme I should adhere to, or will just my normal drinks work?" He excitedly asked. As he saw him pull out his wallet he raised a hand to stop him. "No charge tonight, these are on the house." He couldn't see charging either of them when one brought such good news and the other was far too depressed for him to charge.

"So, what's got you down, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked as he turned to the young lady in front of him and set her second drink down.

---

Roshia patted her white gown. "Shit..." She whispered, but then the strawberry eyed guy was going to pay for her drink and then the actual bartender said it was on the house. "Thanks...means a lot." She shipped her drink, listening in on the conversation. She had totally forgot about the festival that was suppose to happen. "My little brother loves the festival. Thank god he has bright-curly-bouncy hair or we would always lose him." She laughed.

"Well it is the summer festival so i do suggest having a couple "summer" themed drinks since the tourists seem to like things like that. Otherwise just do your normal drinks and that would be fine." Rowan said as he took a few drinks of his liquor. He pulled out a sheet of paper on a clip board. "We should be able to put you a little ways away from the stage in the center of the city just past the big water fountain" He said and he checked something off on the clip board. "Do you like the festivals miss..?" He asked, He didnt know her name. "I'm Rowan by the way, I manage the festivals and big events for the city" He said.

"Damn! That's like the best spot for the alcoholic beverage booth. I don't know what to say. Thank you so much, the tavern's been a bit slow this summer, so this means a lot. We usually get a lot of adventurers through here in the summer and the occasional tourist, but this year it's like nobody's ever heard of The Tiger's Brew." Kel was getting excited and was already planning summertime drinks to serve.

He turned back to see how the young lady was doing. She was being very quiet and he was genuinely starting to worry about her.

---

Roshia was sipping her drink and listening. The excitement in the bartender's voice made her smile or it could have been the drinks. She really couldn't tell which was which. She got lost in the conversation and when she looked up from her drink both men were staring at her. She cleared her throat, "Oh sorry, I am Roshia, Huntress at the Keavaris Village just down towards the dragon farm. She pointed her thumb past her shoulder. "As for the summer festival, I enjoy them. Though honestly I never like being around big crowds for too long. I can stay in the woods for hours, but put me in the crowd for too long and I start getting a bit... annoyed. She laughed a bit before looking at the bartender."What about you? What is your name?"

"Well its nice to meet you Roshia, I hope you'll enjoy this years festival as well, I'm planning out new activities so that the main area wont be as crowded as usual, more activities equals less people just standing around. I hope anyways." He smiled at Roshia. " Well I'm glad you like your spot! We're looking forward to getting different businesses names out there for the better of Veritas Isle as a whole. It might be that people just dont know youre here, since the beach is still closed this time a year, not many venture this far off the main Island" He explained to Kelvhan.

---

She smiled, "Same to you, Rowan. Her eyes stayed on the man a bit longer before looking away. I wonder if he is gay... he kind of looks like a pretty boy. Ugh, don't be thinking about how hot guys are right now, Roshia. She downed the rest of her drink before placing the glass carefully down. "Never met a straight man to do party planning." She looked him in the eye and straight out asked, "Are you gay?"

Rowan listened as the woman spoke and couldnt help but bust out in laughter. "I may look like it, but i assure you, I only court women" He said with a laugh. "Are YOU gay?" He asked teasingly. He finished his drink and asked for another. "Why are you here so late? Its dangerous for women to be out alone at this time of the night, though im sure you can handle youself" He asked the woman.

---

Roshia smirked, this guy had a sense of humor. "I am 95% sure I am." She looked at her empty glass and thought against another. She didn't need to continue making mistakes tonight. She looked back at him, "I was trained to hunt since I could walk. I am pretty sure men should fear me if I was out on the prowl." She thought about what brought her there and the smile that was once there disappeared. "Complications at home, I made some... not so smart decisions tonight and got caught."

"What!? Tis a crying shame i cant court such a lovely lady as she bats for the other team!" he said, jokingly. "Ah, family issues, that is definitely something i drink about, often enough" He chucked slightly. "But, we all make mistakes, keeps us mortal, you know? We all slip up and do things others might not like" He said with a smile. "I piss off my dad plenty with the crap I pull!" He said rather proudly. Rowan received his next drink and took a swig of it. He gasped "Oh a huntress you say? Well you better not be prowlin around me, im about as quick as a two legged cat, wouldnt be much of a hunt at all!" He joked.

---

Roshia groaned the word moral. She lost all that when she slept with her brother, but she couldn't stop laughing at the man who sat near her. "Now I am interest in seeing you run like a two legged cat." She laughed. "I am a daddy's girl, though I know for a fact I have disappointed him a couple times. I guess it is just a thing we do, Mr. Two Legged Cat." Roshia was flirting or maybe she wasn't. Those two drinks made her loopy and also a bit brave. Her first were all happening in one night.

Rowan got up, stood on his hands and started walking around on them "See? Pretty darn slow huh?" He flipped back over and sat back down. " I suppose it is, but i stopped giving a hoot a while ago. Its always "Get married, have kids, be the new mayor"" Rowan said, giving his father a funny voice. " Im not opposed to two of those things, but i dont think i want to be mayor, its a job for a boring ol' stiff" He said scoffing at the very thought of being mayor. " I just wanna do what I like to do."

---

Roshia's eyebrow went up, "That would make me hunting you very easy, indeed." She gave a small giggled before clearing her throat. "My parents never forced anything on us, except to always work for what we wanted and how to live off the land. If we wanted to learn how to do things we were allowed. So what is it that you want to do? Please don't tell me it is becoming a two legged cat. I would be so sad." She smiled.

"Well im already a two legged cat! But Id like to continue what i do now, I like it. That and fishing, i could fish for weeks on end without getting sick of it. Just fish, and cook out under the open sky, now that seems like the life for me. " Rowan said, he sipped his drink some more and chuckled. "What yould you want to do, miss huntress lady?" He asked her as he looked at her. "Lemme guess...You want to be a two legged dragon!?"