The little tavern was out of the way, Cinwi had made sure of that. At the outskirts of the city only drifters and regulars would enter, and its distance from the proper civilization is what made it feel safe to her. It was easier to move freely when there were less people, less chance of getting recognized, in fact when she was absolutely alone and could meander about naturally it was incredibly relieving. However she was not the nature type, and despite the fairly blank status of the tavern, she wore her hood and clothes that covered her extremities nonetheless. One too many times had she taken low population for granted, and when it had nearly cost her her life at the hands of a chaser far more skilled than she was, Cinwi knew that chances were not something she was well-stocked with. 

Even still, dragons needed to eat and drink just like everyone else. Well okay maybe that was dependent but still, isolation drove her crazy. She hated being secluded and alone almost as much as she hated...a lot of things, come to think of it. It was hard for her to put the things that angered her in order, the numbers too vast and the degrees too varied. So instead she didn't think about it, instead she walked into the little tavern, took a seat at the counter, and kept her head lowered as the barkeep approached.

[color=2e3192]"Water, no ice,"[/color] she said before he could ask her order. 

Her eyes went around the room to the three or four people --counting the keep-- that inhabited it. One she could tell was Youkai, one was most certainly human, and the other was hard to discern. She'd seen weird looking chasers before, could have been one of them. But then, it could just have easily have been a more humanoid Youkai, like herself. Aside from the claws, scales, and blue skin of course. Okay perhaps not like herself entirely, but the point remained. Often when she entered a place the humans were the first to eye her, but the chaser seemed disinterested. It was the Youkai that looked curious, and as soon as she met his eyes she turned back around to face the counter. A lump formed in her throat but she kept herself in check, panic would only make it worse. 

The keep set her water down and went back to his business. Cinwi had to hold it carefully so as not to scratch it with her claws, but that worry was soon shoved aside when she saw that, upon closing her fingers around it the water had already begun to chill. A deep breath filled her lungs, then another, however many it would take to steady herself. 

[color=2e3192]"Dammit, fuck...come on..."[/color] she muttered, bringing the glass to her lips only to pull it back a moment later. Her breath had nearly formed a thin layer of ice on the top of the drink. [color=2e3192]"Okay that's bullshit, why can't I do that when I fucking [i]want[/i] to do it..."[/color]

Despite her drink, it was the footsteps behind her that brought a chill up her spine. Sure enough, the Youkai man took the seat next to her, his eyes drifting from the chilled glass to her. He wasn't anything too alarming, humanoid like her, with horns on his head and tusks in his mouth. He let out a huff before he spoke, his voice rugged and earthy.

"Looks pretty cold."

[color=2e3192]"Yeah,"[/color] she mumbled in response.

"How'd it get that way with no ice?"

[color=2e3192]"Do I look like a fuckin' mixologist to you?"[/color] Cinwi bit her tongue almost as soon as the words left her mouth, and though an apology might have salvaged the situation, no such thing came forth. Instead she just sat there, wound up tense and tight, waiting. She didn't try and stop him from yanking her hood off, merely shutting her eyes in aggravation. Stupid Cinwi, stupid, stupid, [i]stupid[/i]. 

"Yer Naroth's bitch."

[color=2e3192]"My name is C--"[/color] a surprisingly strong hand gripped her narrow throat, and before she knew it she was hoisted out of the seat and dangling in the air like a rag doll. The Youkai man said something to the barkeep that she didn't hear, and as he began moving them towards the door she dug her claws into his arm. The man let out a roar, and the sweet release of her windpipe was bittered by the pain of slamming through the door and landing on the dirt outside. 

Cinwi scrambled to her feet as the man walked out, behind him the chaser running away towards the city, while the undiscerned patron simply watched from within. She lowered to a hunch, her claws extended and teeth bared, ready to fight. There would be no explanations, whatever she or her father had done to this man long ago was not something that could be talked away. He wanted blood, simple as that. He charged at her like many others did, haymaker aimed down at her head, and many the others he didn't expect her to block it. The blood she'd drawn from his forearm she now drew from his fist, he claws sinking into it and yanking him forward with a strength that clearly caught him off guard. What [i]she[/i] didn't expect was his weight, and when he fell on her she collapsed to the ground beneath him. Before she could defend herself, his unbloodied fist cracked against her cheek and her head smacked against the earth, dizzying her enough that the second blow didn't hurt nearly as much. The taste of blood on her tongue was enough to snap her back into focus however, and one again she grabbed hold of his arm, digging in deep enough that he wouldn't be able to yank away. 

[color=0054a6]"Cinwi you asshole,"[/color] she said, pulling him close and clamping her jaws down on his neck. The skin and muscle yielded easily, and all it took to make the Youkai man go limp was to rip out whatever it was she'd bitten onto. When it was over she shoved him off, rolling onto her stomach to cough up the blood she'd swallowed accidentally. Tasted fucking awful. Still, she had no time to bellyache, nor did she have time to be thankful that this man had not been a trained fighter. The luck of encountering a brute was becoming rare, and some other time she'd have to worry about finding a way to change that, but for now the only thing that mattered was getting away. In the dark she didn't trust the place beyond the city to be any safer than the city itself, at least there there'd be nooks and crannies to hide in. And so, getting to her feet, Cinwi headed down for the city, intent on finding a place to hide again.