
Xanadu Weyr - Wanderin' Wherry Tavern
It is often whispered, in the crowds that converge here, that a certain Weyrleader was asked what he wanted in the remodeling of the pub that was not so long ago given a refreshing. He muttered back over the rim of his ever-present mug, "I don't care what you do with the place, just so long as there is plenty of ale." With that in mind, cask after cask of ale lines the walls of the tavern, the remodeler's idea of a jest. As they age, the casks bring a real rustic atmosphere to the pub, along with the deeply wooden flavor that seems to be the theme throughout.
The lighting is dim, as it should be in all good pubs, and the tables and chairs are plentiful. A long mahogany bar, intricately carved with runner beasts, stands vigilant duty at the head of the bar, lined with stools for those patrons that seek the bartender's company. Behind it are drinks for those not inclined toward ale, as well as a door leading to the small kitchen where snacks are made and a back room that probably holds yet more ale.
Early evening means there's probably someone needing to have a drink refilled or something, but if they are, they haven't yelled loud enough to get Rhodelia's attention. The bartender might be marginally working. There's at least a little bit of rag wiping action going on, but mostly in the same spot that she's not even looking at. Nope. Instead, she's staring out the window. At… something. There may or may not be some loud-ish clanging noises coming from out behind the tavern.
Is someone building giant robots around here? Not that D'lei is opposed, exactly, but these things are supposed to go through a review phase. If they don't, how can he know when he should come and watch the awesome battles? So yeah, he's supposed to be waiting for whatever meeting he's having here, but that's far less interesting than the prospect of giant robot battles, so he abandons the small table where he's been tucked and instead heads toward the bar… though it's not to demand a drink, more to try and peer through the same window Rhodelia's being distracted by and see what can be seen to go with what can certainly be heard!
It was NOT Risali behind the Wandering Wherry with the candlestick. It couldn't be, not when the weyrwoman is shouldering her way into the tavern and stopping just by the door to blink and turn her own curious stare onto the window. There's a heartbeat when it seems as if Risali just might considering going back outside, but some kind of self-preservation must kick in (something about paperwork or bearing witness to a potential crime that will mean even more paperwork) and she looks forward - right at Rhodelia and D'lei. Give her a moment, maybe three, and she moves to join the small committee of Window Watchers peering out of it one more time before pressing her shoulder in against D'lei's and ducking her head in close to the Weyrleader and Rhodelia both. "Somebody is having a swordfight out there. I heard it was for somebody's honor." EHHHH? EHHHH? "Do you think maybe you should wipe down that spot just a little more, Rhodelia?" MISCHIEF AND HUMOR: THY NAME IS RISALI.
There would undoubtably be many, many more questions if Risali was out behind the Wherry with a candlestick illuminating D'lei's battling robots, but alas, those questions should not be asked. Rhodelia doesn't quite abandon her rag, but she does tip toe to get a better look out the window when suddenly foot steps behind her have her jumping more than any of those BANGS or CLANGS or the newest sound of RINGADINGDINGDINGDINGDingdingdingdi… She turns a bit red at being called out on her not-effective wiping and swishes the rag behind her back. "I was just being uhhh… thorough." She nods. Yep, thorough. "And I'm not sure if giving them swords would make it more or less dangerous." It's really a tossup as there's another THUNK out behind the window.
Nobody is murdered as far as D'lei knows, and as long as that remains true, he doesn't have to fill out any paperwork on it. He turns his head to glance to Risali, gives her a grin and an arm around before he looks back, and… "Is that a bell?" he asks, a glance to Rhodelia, then Risali. It'd make a very strange sort of sword, after all, but… his brow furrows, more deeply and then… he blinks. "Oh."
"Well, it would certainly make it more exciting," Risali intones, because WHAT IS MORE EXCITING THAN THE POSSIBILITY OF GETTING GORED? Nothing. Lots of things. Shut up. The mention of a bell has Risali tilting her head, as if the fact that there was, indeed, a peculiar kind of ringing heard has only just caught up with her thinky-thoughts. "Thorough is good," she tells Rhodelia, distracted as she shifts one arm around D'lei's hips and blinks up at him. "But was that a bell?" Now her eyes are on Rhody again, as if a double question (though hers is certainly less incredulous and more genuine inquiry) might somehow make the possible-answer more convincing.
The mention of a bell has Rhodelia taking another peek out the window before looking back at the folks that are you know, standing at the bar. "I think it's a bucket. Or a bucket shaped bell?" She shrugs. Definitely not an expert on those things. She may have hidden the bell someone tried to install once to for people to get her attention. "I'm not sure if that's supposed to be there." Another loud BUMP might be agreement. "Should we get like a herder or something?" MOOOOOOOOO. Goring might be a very real possiblity as the sounds move closer. There's also the sound of some young teens yelling as well. They got this covered, right? "Maybe a couple herders?"
"…it sounded like one…" D'lei muses, then looks to Rhodelia. "I mean, what's the difference, really? Turn a bell upside down, and -" he's not going to finish that, because there's a …herdbeast??? out there. "…for the cattle, or the teenagers?" Because really, he could see it either way. D'lei turns, glancing around the bar to see if there are any herders here. Anyone got a sign saying so? Maybe a convenient cow-shaped mug to show just how beast-capable they are?
"Sounds painful, whatever it is." Risali is looking around too, as if she might spot somebody helpful by way of SCRUTINY but - alas. If there are any herders present, it seems they're either more interested in their drinks, or trying very hard to be more interested in their drinks. "If I die, Dash, I just wanted you to know that I always hated you the most." There's a press of her lips to D'lei's face, a glance for Rhodelia as if to tell her that she's probably going to need about Ninety-Thousand Drinks after she's done, and Risali shifts back away from the now-duo, moving back towards the doors so that she can, of course, get a better handle on whatever it is that's happening outside. She could, of course, just have Leirith look (or, even better: summon a herder), but WHERE IS THE FUN IN THAT? There is none. So she braves the possibility of a goring to get a better look.
Look, this MAGNIFICENT BEAST couldn't let the runners have all the fun with their fancy shoes. And so there may be a cow out there tromping around with a bucket on one foot and a windchime wrapped up around one of his horns. Who knows what all other odds and ends he's accumulated while being trailed by his ADORING FANS (aka the poor inexperienced stablehands that let him slip lose in the first place). Rhodelia has a drink ready. Not for Risali though. One of those probably-not-herders got brave enough to slip his drink over towards her and so, Rhody refills it with something. It's dark and boozy which seems good enough. As she caps the top back on it. She nods. "You could probably make a bucket into a bell, but an upturned bucket wouldn't just be a bell. It's gotta have a clapper thing." She waves a hand demonstrating something. MAGNIFICENT BEAST times a nice big CLINK-CLINK-THUNK. And since Risali is going out there, Rhody will grab her bottle of booze and peek out to try and watch the show. "Try not to die." Success would be preferred.
"It's okay," D'lei assures Risali. "I haven't practiced getting trampled hardly at all, I'm sure I'm terrible at it." Which means… that he won't get trampled? Or does it mean that he's sure to die, and thus won't be around to know anything? Either way… he pauses, as Risali goes off to adventure, and hmms to Rhodelia. "You're right, I suppose. It'd be more of a gong than anything." A sage nod, a grin, and then… hmm. Maybe he should go help with this here metal-clad beast of magnificence. Maybe. But he could also pause, and go, "Huh," and look at it. That works too, right?
That is, indeed, one fantastically MAGNIFICENT BEAST, with an unrivaled, fabulous taste in decor. Hornchimes? Bucketboots? A plus. In fact, Risali is so taken with the bull's wardrobe that it gives her pause, that she has to take a moment even longer when she beholds this MAGNIFICENT BEAST to appreciate this MAGNIFICENT BEAST. "Hello," Risali says, rather intelligently to the MAGNIFICENT BEAST, and then she raises her brows as she shifts her body to make it clear that she's (possibly inadvisably) peering around him towards those stablehands. She doesn't say anything to them, though. Risali just… makes a shooing motion with her hands, then reiterates it with her voice, a, "Shoo. Shoo. Go on," that she hopes will look MORE like the universal sign for GO AWAY, MAGNIFICENT BEAST and a lot less like a bullfighter going TORO! TORO! TORO! Who needs an expert when you've got an amateur, natural herder right here?
Go away? NOBODY PUTS BULL-BY IN A CORNER! The hand flapping and all the folks heading to the door just happen to get the bovine's attention and he lets out another magnificently loud MOOOOO to answer Risali as he lumbers over towards the door and anybody that might be in said doorway. Slowly, but steadily. In true Rhodelia-fashion, Rhody spots the lumbering bull coming closer (since he's kind of hard to miss) and ducks over behind D'lei and a pillar. "A gong would be nice right now. You could use it as a shield." And she'd like as many shields as possible and so she'll just grab a table cloth from an abandoned table. That glass that slides with it was totally already broken. Totally.
Toro! Ai, cattle-rumble! D'lei snerks as the bull refuses to listen, and then he's rude and removes himself from being Rhodelia's shield by moving. He's such a jerk! But apparently, he's intending to pick up a chair, because he thinks (for some crazy reason) that it'll make a better shield than a tablecloth will. He looks to the bull, to Risa - then back to Rhodelia. "Do you have a back room or something? One without anything breakable?" Because while a bull in a china shop may be bad, somehow… a bull in a booze shop seems even worse. So many bottles! So much glass and alcohol. That glass? Blame it on the bull, and it'll even be true! …kinda, sorta, ish.
Welp. At least he's not charging the door, right? So he's kind of polite. Just a little bit of polite. Okay, he's not polite at all, he's rude. And Risali is many things, but stupid (CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF) is not one of them. So she gives it a second, attempts the shoo antic a few more times, and then gives up the ghost when he just keeps coming. STUBBORN AS A BULL, ONE MIGHT SAY. That's why Risali's shouldering back inside (with a quickness) and a, "Nope! Nope, nope, nope. He's still coming!" And while Risali takes in Rhodelia with her table cloth (and the mess of SUSPECT GLASS at her feet), to D'lei, with her chair, Risali turns to a table that she starts trying to muscle across the floor towards the door. WHAT? MAYBE HE WON'T BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PUSH OPEN THE DOOR IF IT'S THERE. But let's be realistic: she probably isn't fast enough. And if she's not? Well, she will just give up and head for D'lei and Rhody of course, to cheer them on from behind as they distract the bull.
Rhodelia blinks at D'lei's question. "This is a bar." And after a moment of pause as if that should explain everything, she will tack on, "Our store room is filled with pretty much only glass." And some barrels, but that's a technicality. Meanwhile, the Bull may be many things. Fancy, yes. Stubborn, Definitely. Fast is not one of them, but he still beats the table to the door however, once he gets there, he stops. Backs up. Steps forward again. FAIL. Those dang long horns jingle and jangle but he can't figure out how to get through that doorway that was so RUDELY designed only with people in mind and not bovine-kind. Rhody watches him struggle for a moment when inspiration strikes. she crouches down to try and mostly stay below that upended table before tossing the blanket at the bull's face. WILL IT WORK? Or maybe she'll just end up being a ghost. Who knows?
"No drunk tank, then." D'lei nods to Rhodelia, then grins, giving his head a bit of a shake. He's got the chair! Risali's got… a larger shield, in the form of a table! The bull has… not been able to figure out how to get past the doorway, which is probably for the best. Various patrons are edging back from the door, if they happen to be too near it, because this new fellow seems like he's maybe a bit of a brawler, and nobody wants trouble tonight. And then the toss! The bull startles as the tablecloth flutters, caught in a moment of uncertainty. Is it a threat? If so, should he gore it or run from it? He starts forward, only to be once more interrupted by that ever-so-rude doorway. The chimes ring against each other - and thunk dully at the doorframe - and then… success! …such as it is, which is to say, the cloth lands over the bull's head, draping in between horns and over his muzzle. He's a ghost! A spooky, spooky, rather confused ghost who tries to back up and discovers that it's still dark out. WHAT. EVEN. …at least it's given his entourage some time to catch up?
Risa gave up the table because the bull was coming in. Or, at least, he was until those conveniently inconvenient horns ensured that his advance could not persist. So Risali joined the crowd by backing away, and then went even further by standing behind D'lei and Rhodelia. That's probably why, when Rhody tosses that sheet and Ghost-Bull is ghosted, Risali catches at the back of D'lei's arm somewhere near the elbow in excited-anticipation and whispers, "I think you got him," to Rhodelia, with a gentle push to her arm that says YOU A BADASS, YOU DID A GOOD. GOOD JOB.
When miraculously the whole sheet throwing thing actually works, Rhodelia jumps up with a celebratory fist pump to the sky. "Yeeee-ah!" She's not even going to bother to hide that grin as Ghost-bull wanders off to new haunts. Will they see his magnificence again? Who knows. The stablehand boys seem to be trailing after him and are down one. Hopefully he ran off to get a professional or something and didn't fall victim to a murderous sheet-clad beast. And then her eyes fall on the glass The Bull (and totally not Rhody) broke. "Let me go get a broom…" And to the glass filled storeroom she vanishes.
It's hard to tell, sometimes. Has Rhodelia ameliorated the threat by enghostifying the bull, or just given him new spectral powers? Is Xanadu going to be haunted forevermore because of this, doomed to vengeful mooing whenever roast beast is served? …maybe. But that's a risk they'll just have to take! D'lei arches brows, watching the bull as if he expects something else to go wrong - or maybe for the magnificent creature to find a way to collect yet more adornments - then gives his head a shake. "If that one doesn't show up on our desks, I will be disappointed," he says to Risali. The least the reporters-of-things can do is make sure that their leaders get some interesting stories, right? Rhodelia's plan to broom it up gets a nod from him, a "Good idea," and glance before he looks back to see the bull … stumbling in the direction of the flower shop. Welp.
Risali leans into D'lei, watches Rhodelia go and… laughs. "The herdbeast, or paperwork regarding the shenanigans of said herdbeast?" BECAUSE LISTEN. It is an important distinction. Still, grey eyes jump from weyrleader to wayward beastie and - "You should go ride him." Risa tucks herself in against D'lei's side, hooking her thumb in belt loops as she smiles her best (worst) smile up at him and snuggles in extra tight against his side. "He's probably just lonely and looking for a friend. You could be his friend. Trade in Garouth for the beast and I don't even think Garouth would blame you for it. He doesn't have horns you can hang wind chimes from." EHHH? EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH? And then… a sigh. "We should probably go make sure nobody and nothing gets hurt until somebody reasonable can get here. Or one of the dragons gets hungry enough to take care of the problem for us." One that isn't Leirith, who is, at present, cheering for the bull. Go figure. But whether or not D'lei follows, Risali is breaking away to head for the door.