Of all the inns Fae had limped into, The Quicksand’s candle lit interior stood out to him with an undeniable and unique charm. And after the blistering trek that had taken him from Limsa Lominsa to Ul’dah, that charm was an unbelievably welcome sight. So while it seemed impossible, the Elezean somehow managed to slump even further forward as the relative comfort of the room washed over him, bringing him dangerously close to just curling up right there on the floor and calling it a day.
Reason won out in the end though, as getting a bed to collapse in was far more motivating.
It only took a glance for Fae to pick out the establishment’s proprietor standing behind a counter, a mountain of a Highlander with dark hair and clear no-nonsense attitude. So with a swagger that should have been impossible for one so run down and sweaty, the young man made his way past the scant few patrons that had come in with the early morning. As he approached his target, Fae could feel the stony faced Hyur sizing him up. It was impossible to tell what kind of conclusion he had reached, as the man merely nodded at Fae when he finally reached him, his expression giving away nothing.
"An awfully fine establishment you have here.” Fae’s voice dripped with genuine awe and he wore the most disarming smile he could muster.
"The cozy feel of the place can almost draw one right in.” There was an unspoken insinuation in the Eleazen’s tone, one that the owner thankfully picked up on, as evidenced by his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"You trying to say this place is missing something?” the Hyur replied rather pointedly, his dark eyes growing a shade darker. And it was there Fae saw just how much the man valued his establishment. Not to mention it also showed him exactly how he was going to get that room.
"Oh, I must apologize. I assure you I meant no disrespect.” But even as he said it, Fae couldn’t quite stop his smile from widening. With a small flourish, he produced his lute.
"It’s just that a little music can go a long way in keeping a crowd spending their money,” strumming a bright chord for emphasis.
Fae kept the Hyur’s steely gaze for several long moments, showing neither fear nor remorse. The silence dragged on, the owner’s face a stone mask that refused to give Fae anything to work with. No, really, the guy was doing an impressive job selling his whole stare-you-down-till-you-look-away thing. Fae found it awfully difficult to resist the urge to hum in response.
Eventually, the grizzled man relented and with a labored sigh he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I’ve been thinking the same damn thing lately. Problem is you musician types always end up rubbing me the wrong way.” He punctuated his statement with a slight grunt of distaste.
“So here’s the deal, you have the look of a guy that is in need of a room. So you’re gonna play through the afternoon and if I like what I hear, we’ll talk about getting you a reduced rate and maybe a meal out of this.” The man extended one of his mighty paws in Fae’s direction.
“No guarantees though, got it?”Fae didn’t hesitate to shake the man’s hand with an impish glint in his eyes. There was little doubt in his mind that by the end of the day not only would he have that free meal, but a free room to boot.
The early morning had gone by peaceful enough, with Fae situated in off to the side of the main tables.
The sound of his lute lightly danced throughout The Quicksand, competing with the overall din of its growing number of patrons. The acoustics of the locale left a good deal to be desired, but Fae had worked with much less before so he wasn’t terribly concerned about it. After all, the true appeal of this job was the people watching.
Adventurers had always been a rather fascinating group to Fae, as he felt like he could relate to their rather free lifestyle. Well, that and the fact that he was a complete sucker for their absolutely outrageous tales. His blue eyes caught a sight of one group as they raised their glasses to celebrate some victory and Fae couldn’t help but wonder what it may be like. The fingers that were plucking away at his lute were no strangers to the drawstring of the bow that rested beside him, so it wasn’t like he lacked the talent. In fact, more than anything it simply came down to the opportunity never really presenting itself, what with him almost always on the road or performing.
A sharp series of movements ripped Fae away from his idle musings and he looked just in time to see a member from the group he had noticed earlier get slugged by a Hyur. Fae blinked several times as the next series of events unfolded quickly, his face shifting from startled to outright bewildered. It was hardly the first time he had gotten front row seats to a bar fight, but this one had started so quickly that it had caught him completely off guard. But when he saw the Highlander that threw the first punch hit a dark haired woman, Fae knew he had to do something.
So the musician did what any responsible person would do in his shoes. He stood up and started to
play something more appropriate.
Lord Zee