Hero meets a beautiful, but fierce tiger. [Venir + Hero]

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Convincing Venir to join, and help create a brand new guild was a feat in itself. It had taken sometime for her to join Black Rose after the destruction of Elcipse Soul. Her time in the bounty hunter guild was short, and her own nervousness prevented her from spending much time within the guild despite being a member. Yet it was a request from a good friend, one that she couldn't simply refuse, that had her stumped. As a founding member she couldn't exactly help create a guild, and then simply never be within its halls. "I like bars. They're fun and full of people smiling and drinking. Their a place for people to trade stories and information." Perhaps it was because she had frequented a number of bars that she began to enjoy them, or maybe it was because alcohol had no effect on her, but Venir did enjoy the atmosphere of a good bar. Enough so that it was the sole condition on which Venir was willing to take part in creating a new guild. She'd push aside her own nervousness and fear of destruction if it meant that she could have a chance to create a place full of smiles, and festivities. Unfortunately, frequenting bars and running a bar were two totally different things, thus with permission, Venir had set out to go learn what she needed to in order to run her own bar.



Renowned for sunny skies, warm temperatures, and the best beaches Fiore had to offer. It was a popular place to travel to for vacation, and was filled with all sorts of people. Considering its large number of tourists and travelers, there was a number of bars and taverns on crescent island. Only one of these bars had the pleasure of calling a certain fire mage its bartender.


It was a bar that was famous among mages and constantly received great reviews in Sorcerer's Weekly. Famous for its beach side location, great view, excellent drinks, and attractive servers it was only natural that Venir was incline to apply at this particular bar. After all the bars specialty was hiring talented mages as bartenders, servers, etc. They played a great role in entertaining guests and keeping them under control, which is exactly what Venir needed to learn if she were to run her own bar in a guild full of mages.


She chirped sliding the beverage down to its owner with practiced skill. Venir had been working here for the last few months. It was starting to feel like home, even the ocean that once made her nervous because of its closeness was a sight that she had come to enjoy. Provided that the ocean was only in her vision, and she wasn't actually in or on the water... There was some things that the flame slayer wouldn't get over. The bar was an open one so it let its customers have a view of the ocean, as well as feel the ocean breeze as they enjoyed a cold drink on an otherwise warm day. With warm temperatures and a beach so close by it was only natural that beach-ware was to be worn. Clad in a simple black bikini, with a sash tied about her waist so that only her leg adorned with the mark of Eclipse Soul upon her thigh was visible. Being energetic and cheerful, it was only natural that Venir had gained a number of regulars who knew this and that about her, some catching on more quickly to her identity than others.

She adjusted the tropical flower in her mane of blonde locks before turning to the slurring customer. "I think you've had one too many flaming cocktails don't you think?" She teased, that drink was her specialty, seeing as no other bartender could light up a glass of alcohol with a touch of her finger. Not to mention her flames were black and purple far more unique than a typical flame. The customer slurred and hiccuped, Venir only understanding what he said simply because she was well versed in translating drunken babbling,


A crumpled piece of paper found its way onto the counter before Venir, and she eyed over the article. "Queen of Fighters." Venir read out loud, "Accompanied by the previous reigning King of Fighters Elyx Reiaki..." She gulped now speed reading through the article, "Flame Goddess Slayer..." At the bottom was a picture that was undeniably her but the paper went up into dark flames. "Whoops~!" She laughed scratching at the back of her head, "That was an interesting article! But I think you've got the wrong gal, you really drank too much now go on shoo!" She ushered the drunken male out of the bar, letting him instead stumble down the street still complaining about her burning up the article.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

The bar, as most bars were, was slow paced during the day. There was only a few instances in which it got busy, usually when an unexpected group of customers came in. It was one of these said instances that had Venir bustling back and forth behind the bar counter, preparing an array of drinks. It was this small rush that had caused her to not notice the particularly tall male that had entered the establishment.

Luckily, the rush was a small one, and the orders she received on the simple side. In her short time working as a bartender, Venir had picked up on the art of making drinks, and the speed that was to come with it. Though there were only a few drinks that she actually had to make most of which were fruity cocktails, the rest of which were pitchers of beer that would be emptied about as quickly as she could bring them. At least until the guests were too buzzed to care for more, or another bartender had taken care of them. "Alright a few more pitchers, and a special coming up." Fingers curled about the handles to the pitchers, moving her way towards the side of the bar with the tap for the alcohol. It was as she was filling up said pitchers that a voice had caught her sensitive ears, a request for whiskey on the rocks.


She gave a small smile, having not yet really gotten a good look at the customer. As the pitchers steadily filled up with beer, the young woman had retrieved two glasses, one for a cocktail of sorts and the other was evidently for the males whiskey. "We only have one brand I hope that's okay." Her violet gaze was not on the customer but rather the sole bottle of whiskey they had, on the top most shelf. Provided that the brand wasn't to his disliking, Venir would pull a stool out, stepping up onto it so that she could retrieve the bottle of liquor, and returning back to the counter in just enough time to stop the pitchers from overflowing. Sliding back a metal cover, a bin filled to the brim with ice was revealed, and Venir hesitated for only a moment before scooping it into the cup, nose instinctively scrunching up in dislike from the feeling of the cold upon her fingertips. "Annnnnnd...." She popped open the bottle of whisker with relative ease, and poured the amber liquid into the cup, "One whiskey on the rocks!" She chirped pleased with herself as she slid the cup across the counter to the man who had ordered it, finally giving him a good look. A smile had once again adorned her features and it took a few moments for her to finally process that she was craning her neck slightly to look at him.

It was normal for customers to be taller than her, even sitting at the stools at the bar. Yet this male was significantly taller than her while in a sitting position, more so than any other customer had been prior to his coming here. It wasn't just his height that made him different but the scars that had adorned his body. He made for an almost fearsome sight, though Venir wasn't backing down. Why should she? The young woman had the pleasure of taking on far larger and more fearsome opponents, and the male before her certainly wasn't an opponent but rather a customer. Besides after a closer look, he was far less fearsome, especially after taking into consideration his prior politeness. "Well, I hope it's to your liking." Venir mused, already beginning to make the other drink, a special cocktail of her own creation, "Whiskey isn't a popular order in such a tropical region." Venir was known to ramble but at the least she was good for conversation, "I don't mind whiskey all that much." Having mixed a few different alcohols together she shook it up in a metal container before pouring into the glass, "Personally I like the taste of-" Her finger circled about the rim of the glass, leaving a trail of black and purple flames in its wake, "Fireball." With the final drink prepared, she held it delicately in one hand while her other looped about all three handles of the pitchers of beer lifting them with such ease that it seemed to weigh no more than a feather would to her.

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

She raised a brow in question though she herself shouldn't be talking. Venir never went on "vacations" she took short breaks from job going, but those were to rest, and most her days were sleep filled. Even if she wasn't on a job or adventuring she often times had some sort of purpose or quest to fill. Her time in Crescent Island was not to relax but to learn how to be a bartender, so though her days were almost vacation like they weren't what one would typically call a true vacation.

The blonde was about to move away, to carry the drinks over to the other awaiting customer when the odd male who ordered a simple whiskey pulled out something that immediately had her attention. She damn near spilled all of the drinks in her hands because there was simply no way that this stranger had a bottle filled with such a liquid. Heat radiated from the bottle, despite the confines of the heat proof glass Venir could still sense the warmth that lay within it, and it made her lick her lips in anticipation. In her ears she could hear his voice, she registered what he was saying mind already coming up with a response, but her violet hues remained planted on that bottle. "Take these..." She offered up the drinks to another bartender who had come in for their mid-shift, the other woman giving Venir a strange look before claiming that she'd be taking Venir's tip. The jewels were insignificant before the bottle that lay before her.

Resisting the urge to simply snatch the bottle, feeling the smooth glass against her fingertips, and more importantly tasting the fiery substance within, Venir let out a small sigh. "Elyx Reiaki sent ya huh?" Her tone gave no indication on whether or not she actually knew the male but internally she jumped for joy. So he hadn't forgotten her request for lava after all! She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes closed in contemplation at the man's offer. For a moment it seemed as if she wasn't going to say anything else, and perhaps just leave. That was until her features lit up, eyes sparkling with mischief, and a smile that neared a cocky smirk had found itself on her lips.


He wanted her most fiery personally-made beverage? There were only a few who had asked that of her before, and Venir was more than willing to oblige, not taking much to get a rise out of her competitive nature. A pristine glass was produced from beneath the counter, and the young woman went about her work, collecting a variety of bottles. Each liquor was poured into a mixer by deft very heated hands. Like a witch creating her special brew, Venir set about her task with an air of seriousness. The metal container itself was only shaken up and then down a few times before it was set upon the counter. With its cap unscrewed, steam escaped the metal confines. From her hands alone she had managed to heat up the previously room temperature alcohol, putting it close to its boiling point even through the metal mixer. "Not done yet." She warned as she poured it into the glass, the mixture a swirling pool of fiery colors not unlike the lava in the bottle. This time she cupped her hands over the top of the glass, brow scrunching up in concentration before she released it.


She slid the warm glass over to the male, almost smug with her handiwork. Covering the entirety of the liquor was black flames, no hint of her other purple glimmer to be seen. "Let this be a lesson not play with fire okay kid?" She teased, confident in her own drink making abilities. Though she hadn't really taken in consideration his build when preparing the drink. Surely if this concoction had knocked grown men off of their feet, it could knock over a man who looked like two grown men put together?

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

She gave him her signature grin accompanied with her signature words that were often times uttered before jobs. In turn she offered her hand so that they could shake upon their deal. Truth be told he didn't have much to fear when it came to request from Venir, unlike a certain half-sibling Venir's pranks and teasing were on the light hearted side. Being malicious wasn't her style and the male had yet to do anything to warrant a mean request. At the most she'd have him clean the entire bar for her and maybe do something embarrassing? That would teach him a lesson when it came to challenging a complete stranger to a bet. Though those exact words could have easily been applied to herself, as she was the idiot who had eagerly accepted his challenge. Nor did she really consider what requests he'd have in mind, she trusted the man not to ask her to do something completely ridiculous or illegal... Nice and trusting, Venir was going to realize her mistake soon enough.



She held up the now opened bottle of lava, at what point she had snatched it was something that only the gods could know, but still she waited for him to clink his glass with her bottle. It wasn't as if she could pour lava into any of the glasses at the bar so straight out of the bottle it was! The bottles contents were thicker than normal liquor, but it went down smooth, the taste hard to describe but- Delicious! One big gulp and a second big gulp, Venir resealed the bottle less she drink it all right there. "Ahhhhh!" She gave a soft exhale, already feeling a natural blush rise to her cheeks from the drink though she was far from drunk, "Remind me to thank Elyx for this!" Only a few sips and she knew that it was far more potent against her than any liquor. Lava left a pleasant taste upon her tongue, a pleasurable burn in her throat, and pooled in her belly warming her from the inside. Unlike alcohol it was something that her body couldn't simply burn off, meaning that she could become intoxicated...If she had the desire to. With a smug grin the woman spoke up already beginning her teasing,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

He had downed the drink all at once, with not an ounce of hesitation. For that he had her respect. Yet her respect did not stop there, though now surprise accompanied it. She had pulled herself up onto the counter, to get a good view of him walking around the bar to make sure that he held true to the bet. Miraculously enough, he had made not one but two laps around the entirety of the bar without so much as a sway to his step. "No way." Her once almost smug expression fell, unable to understand how he wasn't at least tipsy from her most powerful beverage. To make matters worse, on his third trip around the bar the male had the audacity to make the trip not on his feet but on his hands.


She grumbled, arms crossing over her chest as she realized that her drink had failed her. So much for getting someone else to do all the cleaning of the bar. His third trip around took longer than the rest as it was more difficult but he completed it nonetheless. Once had approached Venir gave him well-deserved praise albeit begrudgingly, "Not bad. I guess ya passed-" Her expression paled, a bead of sweat rolling down her face as his words hit her ears. Wait she was supposed to drink and do the challenge as well? Having been under the impression that only he was to partake in the challenge, Venir glanced at the bottle of lava warily, then back to the stranger. She had been hoping to enjoy the bottle in the peace and quiet of her own room, especially considering its already visible effects on her. Still, she wasn't one to back down from a challenge.


She slipped down from the counter, no longer behind the bar but out on the other side of the counter where customers usually were. Once more the cork came off of the bottle, and with only a brief moment of hesitation she tipped the warmed glass to her lips. Eyes closed in concentration, she downed the whole thing in one go, taking large gulps of the lava in a vain attempt to make it less potent. Had it been a drinking contest with any liquor, Venir would have won with ease, her body burning capable of burning off any alcohol. Lava on the other hand did to her what liquor could not... Not to mention she was at a severe disadvantage, she realized as she slammed the bottle down onto the counter with a loud thud. He had a relatively small glass to drink but a large frame, and she a whole bottle to drink but a small frame? How was that fair?


Though she drank the whole bottle as quickly as possible, the lava was quicker. Her cheeks were flushed, no, her whole body felt hot causing her breath to come out in short pants, chest rising and falling with each short breath. Her vision was a little blurred but with some concentration she focused it, planting one foot before her, and then another. Carefully, she walked, arms on either side of her for balance. It took her longer to make two laps around the bar than her competitor, and it clearly took more effort but her determination was deplorable. "I'm an S-Ranked mage, I should have mastered control over my body by now." Halfway around her third lap of the bar, the young woman would not being any handstands, nor would she be finishing her lap.


It had all happened to fast, a poor waitress, one of the clumsy ones that Venir usually teased, had bumped into the blonde. Like a deck of cards, Venir fell down none too gracefully. Her arms flailed desperately attempting to retain her balance. Had she not been completely sober, the small wouldn't have phased her but now? Well, now mage or not Venir hit the floor, bottom first. "Uggh!" She groaned not from the pain of the fall but rather of humiliation. She had lost it all when she was so close to victory...Not yet turning to face her competitor or even get up from the floor another sigh had escaped her lips,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Her impending fall never arrived, though she had braced herself for it. Instead of cold hard, floor, her back instead met with a pair of arms. Slowly, her violet orbs opened as her body was lifted. "Eh?" She blinked once and then twice, glancing down to the floor that was farther away from her than she had last recalled, and then up to the male who had caught her. "T-Thanks..." She grumbled out, puffing out her cheeks in defiance. Normally, she was one to always be grateful, but her slight intoxication made her less amiable than usual though that was probably because she was coping with the fact that she lost to him. Once her feet touched the floor, she stumbled a little, grasping onto a nearby table for support. Stabilizing her balance took only a moment, and she turned her attention towards the victor of the drinking competition. His words did not register in her ears at first, her lava ridden brain processing much slower than it did. However, her expression brightened almost instantly,

"Another competition!?" Violet orbs widened, her pouting lips have turned into a grin, "Good because I'm not gonna lose next time!" The other bartender who had now recovered and was attempting to leave, was pulled in by the arm by Venir, "Come on tell her Candela! I'm this bars champion when it comes to drinking competitions!" All the poor bartender could manage was a squeak of agreement, her shy nature making her flush and flee before Ven drag her into further trouble. Absorbed in her joy Venir did not notice the male lift and throw one of the patrons out of the bar. "Though..." She scratched at the back of her neck, "I do have to request that you give me a day to recover from this loss. Then we'll go out drinking!" Her voice implied that it was a promise, and carefully she listened to his next request, expecting something more difficult to fulfill.


Her voice filled with skepticism, and a certain naivety echoed through the air. Turning around so that she completely face the tall male, she hesitated only for a moment before she shut her eyes. Dark lashes fluttering against flushed cheeks until they remain flat. Motionless, and breaths somewhat steady, it was almost as if she was asleep though the small sigh that escaped her lips suggested otherwise,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

Internally she inquired, but externally she only signed in acknowledgement. What sort of request needed her eyes to be closed and for them to be outside? Just as she was about to inquire as to how she was supposed to navigate her way outside with her eyes closed, her weight was lifted off of the ground. "Oh." She gasped, if she were in a completely sober state she could have navigated her way outside with her eyes closed no problem. However, more than a little tipsy the fire slayer was somewhat thankful that he assisted her. Holding true to his request her eyes remained closed for the short time it took him to travel outside of the bar. Once she was set upon her feet, the blonde swayed a little but she had yet to fall again. Judging by the slight breeze from the ocean the two were certainly outside. Half-tempted to inquire as to what he was up to Venir was stopped when a pair of hands had cupped her face, and something pressed against her forehead. She had all but stilled, trying to discern just what it was he was doing. All too soon she was released from his hold, and her violet orbs opened only to see his back. Unsure of what had just occurred she listened to his words, sobering up some. Only when he fell silent did a small burst of giggles escape her lips,


She teased but there was not a hint of maliciousness in her voice, "But since you're Elyx's cousin that explains your weirdness." She had suspected that he knew Elyx since Elyx was the one who had promised her a bottle of lava, but she never would have guessed the two bore some sort of relation, "Well, I suppose I ought to introduce myself too." There was still a slight flush to her cheeks from the lava but it was evident that she was becoming more sober, "I'm Venir RuLush!" Her hands were placed firmly on her hips, a sign of confidence, "I guess you could say I'm a friend of Elyx's. We go waaaaaaaay back." After all she had known him back when Eclipse Soul was still around, "Started off as job partners, now we're close friends. Or at least close enough for me to be one of the co-founders of his guild." With that she grinned again, "So I guess I'll be seeing ya around more! I am training to be Golden Phoenix's bartender so be sure to stop by the guild's bar once it's complete, we'll have another drinking contest then!" She was aiming to be a lot of things for Golden Phoenix but he didn't need to know that. Offering him a warm hand to shake Venir gave him one last smile,

Heat cannot be separated from fire, or beauty from The finite.

"Ah just Ven or Veni is fine!" She remarked, rubbing at the back of her head, "Venir is sorta formal to me." If he was anyone but a guild mate than perhaps just Venir would have been fine, but guild members and close friends typically shortened her name to simply Ven or Veni. Though still somewhat tipsy the young woman did have to go back to tending the bar though there was plenty of servers there already. However, before she could depart and end their meeting there, Hero spoke up once more.


Was her initial response to his request that the date happen right then and there. While, she had promised him a date, she had assumed he would prefer to wait. Not to mention she was in the middle of a shift, however, his next words had her almost readily agreeing. "A dark guild?" Her eyes narrowed, completely sober from those words alone. Dark guild activity on the island was reason enough to warrant Venir leaving her shift early. "Alright just give me a few moments then. I can't just leave the bar without informing someone. Plus I have to grab a few things. I'll be back as quickly as possible!" With that she gave a departing wave of her hand, and rushed back to the bar to explain the situation to her boss.