RP: What is fun?
Sandy is in a seat! With a plate n front of her that is empty. And a tankard in her hand. Which she is drinking from. She seems to have been here a while.
It's later in the evening, and Aznara hasn't yet had dinner... so into the Fernwood she comes, for that very purpose. She's wearing one of the outfits she just recently purchased at the Prestigious Moon, too.
Sandy doesn't immediately notice Aznara. She's busy imbibing her alcoholic beverage. Then she happens to notice the shadow elf and lifts a pair of fingers towards her in a lazy wave.
"Allo," she offers.
"Hello, again", Aznara says. With a gesture to an empty seat at Sandy's table, she asks, "May I join you?" She makes no move to presume at permission to take a seat, ahead of time.
"Go ahead," says Sandy with a lift of her shoulder. "It's not like anyone else is sitting there." She kicks the chair out for her.
Aznara catches the back of the chair with one hand, then sits herself down in it, just as a server arrives. She places an order for a meal and a glass of wine, then leans back into her chair and crosses one leg over the other at the knee, as a lady would when wearing a skirt -- even though she, herself, is wearing trousers. "While I've not been in town very long, I don't think I've ever seen you outside your place of business. Is this an unusual outing for you, or have I just happened to not be here at the same time as you, before?"
"I do come here frequently. It's relatively close to my shop, though," points out Sandy, leaning back in her chair, though her ankle rests on her knee instead of her legs being crossed. She's comfortable enough in trousers. "Probably just at different times."
"Apparently. Once I found this place, it's become one of the place I regularly visit", Aznara admits. Eying the tankard in Sandy's hand, she wonders, "May I ask what you're drinking?"
"Mead," is what Sandy answers. "Good enough, anyway." She has another sip of it thereafter. Givent he number of mugs on the table, it's not her first. At all. She can pit away the liquor, it seems.
Aznara's meal arrives, with the glass of wine she ordered for herself. "Is there a difference between beer and mead?", she wonders, as she uncrosses her legs to make it easier to scoot herself towards the table a bit, to begin eating.
Sliding her mug over, Sandy laughs. "See for yourself." She waits for the reaction thereafter.
Aznara eyes the tankard. It's clear she's never had -mead- before, which would make sense for someone from her homeland. After a moment, she lifts it and ... sniffs at it. Her eyebrows shoot up and her eyes widen, in surprise. "Honey?", she asks of the drink, looking over at Sandy.
"Honey," agrees Sandy. "It has some in it, yes." She drums her fingers on the table, casually. "Have a drink," she adds.
Aznara seems still hesitant... but she has seen Sandy drinking the stuff, and she seems okay. So, after looking down into the tankard for a moment or two, she lifts it to her mouth to take a cautious sip of it, before setting the tankard back down onto the table. The look on her face, afterwards, is far from 'yuck!'... but it's clearly a surprised sort of look, one of tasting something she's never tasted before and doesn't know what to think of it.
Laughing, Sandy puts one hand behind her head and has another drink, seeming amused. She has another tankard delivered for herself and then takes a LONG drink from it. She is indeed fine seeming.
And, outside, the tromping footsteps of Miriai can be heard as he approaches the pub. He steps through the door and just stops to gaze slowly about the common room, before moving in the direction of His Lady.
Aznara's got a meal in front of herself, which she's eating a little at a time. Looking up, she nods her head as if in greeting to Miriai. "Sandiel... I don't remember if I ever actually introduced you to Miriai, my companion and protector", she says, gesturing to the golem as he approaches.
"You introduced him. We spoke the other night, though," replies Sandy, giving the golem a curious once over.
"Indeed." says the basso voice of Miriai as he steps up beside Aznara. "We spoke at length last night while you were sleeping." But he merely stands there now, regarding the room as a whole in a dispassionate manner.
"Ah. I didn't even notice you'd left", Aznara says to him. "Why don't you have a seat, as well?", she then asks of him. "It does sometimes feel uncomfortable to have you hovering at my shoulder."
"..think the chair can stand it? They ARE pretty sturdy." Sandy snorts. Then has another drink. She's a little tipsy.
Slowly inclining his head, Miriai states, "I am unsure if it can support me. But if you insist My Lady." he states as he steps over and slowly.. gently starts to ease himself into a seat.
"If it doesn't, I'll pay for the damages", Aznara says. "We can but try, after all", she adds, lifting her wineglass for a sip. Then, turning to Sandy, she says, "Oh... why would you offer Miriai a dress, when he's obvious of a male form?", showing one of those typical mul hang-ups about gender roles and clothing -- still a child of her culture, she is.
"Well, so far so good," says Sandy, "And with golems, you never know. Just because they're built one way, they could always 'feel' another."
"If you speak of gender.. I -have- no feelings one way or another. I was built as I am. So long as what I wear is both protective and unencumbering, then I am happy with it." offers Miriai in a slow and deliberate voice as he eases into the chair... which remarkably supports his weight... not without protest though.
"I suppose that's true enough... the same -can- be said of anyone else, after all", Aznara agrees. She watches Miriai sit, seeming to tense just a little at the way the chair gives one groaning little creak... and relaxes a few heartbeats later, when it hasn't immediately been crushed by Miriai's weight.
"We do speak of gender, yes," says Sandy. "Some golems are built to have a particular conception of identity, but given that they're free willed individuals, they can choose and feel however they like. Shaped by their experiences, I suppose." She gives a shrug.
"Gender I imagine, was assigned to a golem based on what duties they would be performing, and the idea that one gender or another would be more... typically assumed to be performing the task that said golem would be performing." suggests Miriai. "Right or wrong, it was what it was. My job is to guard others."
"One at which he excels thus far, in my regard", Aznara says, as she dines.
"So far," agrees Sandy, amused, by Aznara's response. She has another drink. "That's one possibility. The other is that not much thought was given to aesthetic in that sense. Function over form. Why assign a gender at all to something that isn't going to need one if it's made to function?" She shrugs her shoulders.
"I believe it had more to do with the gender of the particular craftsperson, or the gender which was assumed to be more readily accepted in the location and task assigned." offers Miriai. "But I do not remember the details of the time, only the principles of crafting."
"Whatever the case, he's done well in his role... and it's appreciated, even if I do sometimes do things that I swear almost upset him...", Aznara comments, before lifting her wineglass for a drink.
"Like endagering your life?" says Sandy to Aznara with a snort.
"Such as coming down from a safe perch when there is still a potential for danger. A perch I might add, which I placed her upon in the first place", offers Miriai. "The situation -was- well in hand." Nope, no real big emotional reaction other than the words.
"I didn't even get touched", Aznara says, actually rolling her eyes. "And I helped kill the thing, too!", she adds.
"You are well aware..." begins Miriai in his deep voice, "That the fact that you did not get harmed does not negate the fact that you were potentially in harm's way."
"She's going to be in harms way fairly frequently if she's doing Guild work, you know," says Sandy, dryly, to the golem.
Aznara grumblingly just focuses on eating her food, having apparently had this argument with the golem, before. At the very least, Sandy's making a good point on her behalf.
"A fact that I have reminded her of repeatedly. Suggesting that she find other work. But she insists on such employment. So, I am relegated to doing what I can to make her as safe as possible during such work."
"The wonderful life of a bodyguard, I suppose. I've never had one." Sandy muses, "Maybe I should fix that." She seems more amused by the idea than anything else.
"... /sometimes/....", Aznara says to Sandy, "... they're no fun. But I know he's just trying to keep me from getting hurt... which is why I -did- stay up in the tree for as long as I did, after all."
"Fun is not why I perform my duty. Duty is why I perform it." offers Miriai. "I will simply do the best that I am able in any given circumstance." It sounds almost like he is.. sulking. But naw.. he wouldn't do that, would he?
"Do you even know how to /have/ fun?" queries Sandy of the golem.
"... I've never even thought to ask him that!", Aznara says, suddenly, looking over at Miriai for his answer to the qeustion.
Ember-eyes swiveling between the two of you, Miriai doesn't answer right away. His mouth opens, and then shuts. Then he shakes his head, "I do not even know what I would -consider- fun." he admits.
"Well, then," says Sandy, thoughtfully, "I think you have some things to teach your companion. Like what 'fun' is." Another sip of her mead.
"I guess we need to figure out what you consider to be fun, then", Aznara says to Miriai. Her meal's done, now, and she's just sipping at the last of her wine.
"How would you suggest we do that?" asks Miriai. He really is curious about this, and his head turns from one of you to the other. He also... may be just a bit worried about what he is about to experience.
"Well, let's see," says Sandy, thoughtfully. "I bet I can figure something out. Leave him with me?" She gets ad evilish smile.
"Let me get her to her quarters and then I shall return." offers Miriai as he stands up slowly, not wanting to suddenly change the stress to the chair.
"That's up to him", Aznara says. "He knows he doesn't have to stay right next to me all the time when we're in the city... it's safe enough here, after all. ... and I'm just going to go back to my room for some sleep, anyway. You can stay here with Lady Sandiel", she adds, as she gets to her feet, making sure to leave a few coppers as a tip for the server.
Nodding slowly, Miriai looks back to Sandy then. "Very well. You may attempt to teach me what is fun." he states, not even realizing how silly or dangerous that sounds.