Lucinda's Painting

The Dragon's Head Tavern and Inn, Vorland, 1437 ATC

Kari gathered a blanket or two as she walked into the woman's room and gently lied them over her and watched over here until Angel got there.

Ivy the elven merc would blink a few times before she wandered up to the second floor. Her bare feet patting against the wooden panels. Nibbling at her bottom lip as she reached the top of the stairs. Suddenly she'd let out a soft sneeze. She'd drop her hands to her sides as she listened in on the conversation beheld held between the few people whom were present. She'd lift her chin and wandered to the furthest bar stool, placing her hands firmly against her lap, as her bangle made a clinking noise with their moment. Her eyes slowly looked up and out the windows of the tavern and at the open land, sitting quietly, feeling somewhat tired today and felt like people watching.

Angel retrieved what she needed to help a mother, both of which while came to the tavern seeking help. "You may get called several names, but as I said, you don't have to act like one. I know it's hard but the choice is always yours, you can't exactly choose what you are, but you can choose whether or not to live by what people call you, go around and kill, have the blood of others fall on your hands and show them they're right in calling you those things, or you can stand up for yourself and prove them all wrong." She walked back down the hallway with everything and made her way in the door where the boy's mother and Brea was.

The sandy haired barmaid smiled as she nodded to Angel and made her way back in the bar area. Kari walked up the stairs, her boots clicking on each step as she made her way over to a table and sat down, looking around at the others. Brea went and made the kid some sweet tea. "Don't worry about what others think, being hated is a double-edged sword. Trust me I know."

Venser appeared out of a puff of thick red smoke in the middle of the tavern area, holding the hands of his two small children who had just gotten out of play school. Soarin wore a little red leather jacket with dark blue pants and black shoes, while Lucinda wore a black button up jacket, light blue pants, and little black boots. ''Afternoon everyone!'' He said walking with them, the twins let go of his hand and began to run back to their room. ''Hey Lu, have you seen Kari anywhere? We went to her house and she wasn't there.'' He said crossing his arms. Soarin hopped up and down. ''Hi lady! Catch me daddy!''

Ivy would place her palm down against the counter of the bar, her nails would drum down in a row before lifting her leg and crossing it over the other as she blinked a few more times, as she glanced over her shoulder at the boy whom poked at his strew. Her eyes then rolled back over to the area in front of her pulling her hood down and off her head as shereached her fingers under her ravenous locks, they stretching down her back her fingers brushing down her bangs a bit, making sure they weren't a mess.

Brea looked at Ven,"Kari is sitting around her somewhere, just look for her white hair." She chuckled as she looked at the lady at the bar, "Hello dear, what can I get you?"

''Right... I mean we've been with each other for five years I know her hair color."' Venser said looking back to his young old son. ''Go play with your sister! I'll catch you soon.'' He turned to walk over to the railings and sighed. White hair. A lot of patrons with white hair came in all the time. ''Mommy!'' Soarin pipped looking through the railings, he then began to rn down the stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Ivy's eyes would glance up and over at the female who spoke to her, her cheeks lifted up into a smile. "Hello, May I have a ale, please?" Her voice was kind, soothing. Her body wold lean up slightly as she places her forearms on the bar counter. Laying out the silver in which to pay with, along with a tip.

Brea Rowland nodded,"Of course coming right up." She put the silver coins way and brought the lady a mug of ale."Here you are ." She smiled as she walked near the boy. "Kid ignore what theys tell you, there will always be one person out there that loves to hate others just because it makes them happy to see others suffer." … Meanwhile Kari noticed Ven and the twins and smilmed waiting to see how long it would take him to see her.

Ivy would smile as she would take the mug of ale, pulling the scarf from her face, raising the mug to her lips listening as the female wandered back to the boy. Sipping the ale, her eyes rolling closed a soft, "Mmh.." murmuring from her lips of the wonderful taste.

Angel walked out of the room placing everything down upon a table before walking back down the hallway to the bar. She'd place some coin upon the counter before helping herself to one of the bottles off the end of the shelf though having forgotten to restock it she found it was empty. She'd give a slight deep growl before placing the empty bottle upon the counter, making her way to the stairs.

Soarin brushed his messy hair so blonde it looked white out of his eyes as he hopped down the last step and ran across the wooden floorboards, wrapping his arms around one of his mother's legs. Venser appeared about a minute later holding Lucinda's hand, who in turn did the same thing as her brother after letting out a happy squeal. ''How's life going, Kari?'' Venser asked approaching the white haired woman, giving her a soft kiss. Wearing his usual crimson and light blue tunic, with baggy red pants and bright red boots. He really needed a shave and a haircut again. ''Mommy I painted a picture at pway school!'' Their young daughter said looking up to Kari, waving around a paper folded in half.

Malla stood outside the tavern, staring at the closed wooden doors before her. She took a deep breath in and exhaled, patting down the now cloth dress she wore. It felt odd and itchy against her skin, but she wanted to try to close the gap between her and Shin by wearing regular clothes. She put her hand out before her and gave a push on the door, walking through slowly. The chains on her horns jingled softly against her black hair and her boots made soft ticks on the floor. The smell of the old familiar tavern washed over her and she smiled, looking up at the stares. So much had happened here. The scent of familiar people reach her nose and she looked down at her hands, feeling comfortable. As she heads to the bar her thoughts are on her new mate.

Malla was a strange, rare hybrid of demoness and dragon. She stood a little over seven feet tall, with long raven locks and piercing orange eyes. Her twin horns branched from her head, curving upwards. Her legs, thick and powerful, had a reptilian design, as well as her exposed skin, a long tail with a spade on the tip grew from her ass. Plump feminine thighs and wide hips as she walked in.

Kari smiled as she picked up Soarin and accepted the paper from Lucinda. "Did you now? Oh sweetie I love it so much..." She cuddled her while she opened the paper up and looked at it. And smiled at Ven. "Life's been good, what about yours?''

Angel made her way down the stairs and out the door to go for a hunt, having to feed and restock her stashes around the tavern. She turned to her wolf form as she made her way to the door, prancing past the other patrons and ven and his family, slipping through the door as it opened for another being to enter.

Brea sighed as she walked back behind the bar and drank some honey mead she poured earlier.

''Yeah!'' It was a water color painting, childish, of course of Venser and Kari along with the twins holding hands. Venser and Kari stood beside each other, while a yellow woman with black hair stood on one side of Venser, holding his hand while Lucinda held hers. The backround was a house with some trees and grass and a smiling sun. ''It goes well. Tending the bar making coin... Looking at property, going out to explore.'' Venser said pulling up a chair from a nearby table. ''Daddy can we have some smoothies?'' Soarin asked him. He nodded and said, ''In a moment son.''

Ivy would tense up with a bit of a jump as the boy slammed the door. She'd glance over her shoulder ot the hallway which he stormed into. "Hmph.." She'd raise the ale to her lips against taking another sip. Her eyes then suddenly focused on the sounds of children's voices, Her lips curled into a small smile. She leaned forward as her long black hair slipped off her back and to the side of her.

Kari smiled at the picture and folded it back, setting it on the table. "It's lovely Lucinda, I'm proud of you for how good it was." She decided to tease Ven. "It sounds like you were busy with other stuff when you didn't have them."

''Well, I'm the head bartender you know. And an entertainer but... I don't know. I haven't been too happy, oddly enough. Just... A down feeling." Venser said as he reclined lazily in his seat. Lucinda smiled when her mother praised her painting. ''Thank you mommy.'' She raised her arms to Kari. ''Up?'' Soarin moved past his sister and hugged Venser's leg. ''Be happy daddy... Smoothies make me happy!'' Even though Venser had mentioned running the bar about two minutes prior, he looked back to Kari and said, ''Daddy makes money so he can buy toys for me and Lewcinda.''

Angel made her way back to the tavern after having a decent feed, still in her wolf form as she walked. Her snow white pelt covered in blood. She had a small deer carcus that was pretty shredded in her jaws as she made her way back through the tavern doors.

Kari picked Lucinda up and put her on her other knee. "I'm thinking we all might want smoothies and I can understand that. All work and no play with kids makes boring times sometimes."

Malla the dragon demons hybrid saw her old friend Venser with the twins and smiled, hoping to be that happy in the near future with her own recently acquired lover, Shin. She walked up the stairs and over to the bar, a gentle smile on her black lips for once. She sat down and folded her claw tipped hands on the bar top, waiting to get either his attention or the sandy haired barmaid.

Lucinda smiled and rested her head on Kari's arm. ''Mommy I got bit at pway school today.'' She said holding out her left arm, a small bandaid near her elbow. Soarin climbed up on her other knee and said, ''And I pawn gummed!'' He said making a punching motion in the air as Venser went to the kitchen to whip up some smoothies, not noticing Angel nor Malla. Speaking of which, when Angel came through the door with a deer inbetween her teeth, Lucinda began to cry at the sight of the bloody thing. While Soarin had his back to it.

Kari tried to calm Lucinda down and cover her eyes to keep her from looking at the heavily torn deer corpse again. Brea finished her honeymead and looked over at the commotion.

Angel lowered her head making her way into the kitchen with the deer. before placing it down and turning back to her human form. She wandered around getting some empty bottles as venser made smoothies, her eyes were a lighter blue than normal and her skin a paler complexion. Filling the bottles with the blood of her kill and paying no nevermind to everything around her.

The smell of blood hit Malla's sensitive nose and she turned to look at the stairs, her dragon side of her growing hungry. Her pupils dilated and she liked her lips, but then shook her head and turned back to the bar. "Excuse me? Can I have some ale with blood mixed in please? From the deer." She asks, her fingers tapping the bar top as her hunger increased.
Brea raised a brow and nodded as she made the lady a mix of blood and ale and handed it to her. "Here you go Miss. Three silvers please."

''Dead deer it looked so bad...'' Lucinda murmered wiping the tears off her face. As Venser cranked ice in a machine he looked to Angel as she morphed into her human form, grimacing a bit watching the transformation before his eyes. ''By the void, you know my kids are out there right? And they love animals.'' He sighed and watched as she filled the bottles with blood. ''Mommy.'' Soarin said hugging Kari close.

Malla nodded back and clungs to her strange drink, pulling it up to her lips and taking a small sip, breathing deeply as her hunger fades. She placed five silver coins on the bar without taking the cup from her lips, relishing in the taste.
Kari sighed. "It was dead." She cuddled her twins to try and keep them calm.

Ivy would rise from her seat, as she took her last sip of ale and wandered to the window next to the bar, leaning forward as her elbows placed on the windowsill, looking out at the nature as she exhaled slowly with a smile. Blinking a few times as she rolled her shoulders back as her smile rolled from her lips she turned her head looking to the door she sensing a great power lurking not far from the tavern.

"I do apologize for that, and I would rather not have them on my main diet but feeding on human blood doesn't exactly go down with myself or others either. I'm the complete opposite of what I used to be. I once helped animals and now I kill and feed upon them in order to survive. It's not exactly my ideal lifestyle. Starving myself gets me nowhere, it only tends to make me more hostile." The young hybrid would sigh putting a cork on a couple of the bottles.

''Poor deerie...'' Soarin said with a sigh, both twins fell silent as they were comforted by their mother's embrace. ''We have a back door ya know but...'' He shook his head. ''You didn't know they were here.'' Venser clapped his hands twice and instructed the shadow tendrils to finish the smoothies. He walked over to the deer and kicked it lightly. ''And I could have made you dinner. A nice, juicy steak... Or fish and chips. You name it Angel. But we'll get this out of sight and have some venison. The kids, they eat meat. They just don't like seeing... Ya know.''

Kari got up with the kids in her hands and moved to a corner of the room there they could see anymore dead animals that might be around.

''Poor deerie...'' Soarin said with a sigh, both twins fell silent as they were comforted by their mother's embrace. ''We have a back door ya know but...'' He shook his head. ''You didn't know they were here.'' Venser clapped his hands twice and instructed the shadow tendrils to finish the smoothies. He walked over to the deer and kicked it lightly. ''And I could have made you dinner. A nice, juicy steak... Or fish and chips. You name it Angel.'' He said as the shadow tendrils began to pour the smoothies into glasses. ''Mommy why do my litte ball things hurt when I squeeze them?'' Soarin asked as Venser emerged from the kitchen with a tray of orange smoothies. ''Oh. Jwa- What?'' He blinked a few times hearing his son ask that.

Kari blinked her icy blue eyes for a new moments, "That's something you would need to ask daddy about."

"Unfortunately that doesn't satisfy my hunger for very long anymore." Angel Nightengale would sigh again, as he walked back out looking back down at the deer. "Oh how I wish I would." She pondered a bit as to where to store the remains for later, giving a slight deep growl and frowning as she looked down at the severly mangled corpse.

''Because they aren't for squeezing. And you shouldn't touch them.'' Venser said walking over to the three, offering the tray of smoothies. The twins cheered and took a glass. ''Thank you daddy.'' They both said in unison, sipping the orange smoothies through the straws. ''Freshly made Kari. You're gonna love this.'' He said with a smile.

Malla looks over at the dead deer and shivers, having been hungry for fresh meat for a very long time. When she rests in the void, her hunger seems to be satisfied for quite a while as though it fulfilled her appitite somehow. Now that she spent more time out of the void she had to fight the hunger more, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore. Soon, if she didnt find a solution, she could revert to a feral form and eat anything within sight that has a heartbeat. The thought made her shake her head and curse herself, not wanting to think of herself as an evil creature like that. She knew it'd be fine to hunt for survival though.

Kari smiled as she took and sip and watched the twins sipping as well, "It is good."

''I know right?'' Venser said setting the tray down, picking up the last glass and taking a sip. ''Can you watch the kids while I go socialize?'' He asked messing up Soarin's hair, he giggled and raised one hand up, messing it up too so that his hair was spiky now. ''Let you have the kids for now.''

Kari nodded,"Just don't get in too much trouble." She winked as she cuddled the twins.

''Ya know... We all need to do something together sometime. As a family, since you've been so busy with the village.'' He said wrapping his arms around their children and Kari, hugging them affectionetly before teleporting away. ''How's the lover?'' Venser asked Malla appearing out of a puff of thick red smoke behind the bar.

Malla lets out a sigh and looks up to the spot Venser, her old flame was about to appear and smiles when she was right at he did. She takes another drink and relaxes. "He isn't just a lover Ven, we are going to be joined together as soon as we settle on where we will live." She chuckled and put her cup down."How is the family? I still haven't met them you know?" She said, tilting her head at him and giving a small toothy grin.

Angel sighed disposing of the remains in her own manner back in her wolf form before returning to her human form and cleaning up after herself. wiping the blood from her face and cleaning herself up before heading back out with bottles in hand and making her way up the stairs with them as she glanced around at the other patrons.

''Right right... Fiance!'' He made awkward hand gestures and then gripped the bar with both hands, thrusting his pelvis into it. ''I remember when you were looking for a mate. We mated a few times but never managed to knock ya up.'' He humped the bar several more times. ''Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!'' Venser ignored the part about his own family and went on for a bit longer, until Angel came into view. ''Oh.'' He stopped and placed his hands on his hips, pretending it never happened. ''Really? My kids are almost five, I have a baby daughter, named Rowena whose only a few months, and more kids on the way... and you've never met them in the years they've been alive?''

The sandy blonde barmaid Brea watched the two while also watching the chaos that was happening as well as she stood there,"I see now why you didn't want to come into the tavern. That would get messy." She smiled with her bright hazel eyes shinning in an amused way.

The overwhelming presance made Malla stiffen a bit. She looked at Venser and faked a smile, trying to ignore the feeling outside as it made her skin crawl. "N-no, I have never met your family. And our labor bore no fuit because we did not bond. Dragons mate for life and I thought I wouldn't be effected being as I am only half. Alas, it did anyway. And we are fine, me and him." She looked genuinely happy, excluding what she was reacting to from outside. Her tail twitched around with aggravation.

''Tell that to my dragon lover Nivarah. Or any of my other... Like, Nivarah is fine with it. We're still going to be together always along with...'' The bearded bartender looked over to the blonde hybrid woman.

''Oh don't stop on my behalf Ven, I know approximately how many women you've screwed around with, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm a hybrid, literally a bitch, we come in heat every once in a while. I'm used to you sleeping around." Angel placed the bottles upon the counter, opening one and taking a sip. "And once again I have an emergency stash to hopefully prevent me going completely rabid dog again.''

There were three women in his dojo right now. And he screwed with all three of them. He remember Brea was in there too. ''Oh!'' He slammed his fist down on the bar and pointed up at the ceiling with his mouth open, ready to speak. But nothing came out. ''Uhhh... The kids ar downstairs... Um... Er, smoke break!'' He then disappeared in a puff of thick red smoke.

Angel rolled her eyes chuckling slightly as she licked the blood from her lovely lips. "Typical Venser" She got to her feet and placed a couple of the bottles upon the shelf behing the bar and was still thinking of places to store the others.

Malla chuckled as well and leaned back in her stool, watching the other female messing with the bottles. "So you are the one who braught that deer in?" She asks with a small smile on her lips, her head tilted curiously. ''You must be a strong one. Hmmm... Werewolf, and a few other things, strangely.'' She could easily tell from Angel's scent.