Nothing bad happens at a tavern, right?

It was just after lunch hour ended over a nice day in Clover Town, and the "Red Oak" Tavern was sparsely populated for a number of reasons, mostly cause Clover Town was one of the most out of the way towns in Fiore, there were two other more popular Taverns, and most bachelors feared the owner. The Owner, Gladys, happened to also be the bartender, a lady in her late fifties but still looked pretty strong. She used to serve in the Fiore Military for decades, until she suffered severe damage to her leg nearly a decade ago but since then worked at and then inherited her father's bar. While not as spry as her youth, she was still a force to be reckoned with and has been known to throw out men twice her weight when they can't respond well to the word 'no'.

Fantastico was a regular here, and while he can be persistent if he is in the mood, his moral compass and views on loyalty prevent him from actually doing something outside of talk without first winning over someone, and he didn't bring anything less then legal to the tavern so she was alright with him.

The tavern was of a simple yet elegant design. The large room was of an octagon shape, with the bar at the opposite end of the door with doors to the backroom, kitchen, and stairwells on either side. There were plenty of tables in the center, however the center of the room is lower then the area surrounding it. The outer rim consisted of fenced off areas with booths if someone wanted, and each booth area had a small three foot high fence blocking them off from the others. In the dead center of the room was a currently inactive fireplace that had a metal fence around it in case anyone needs to warm up during the cold or dry off during the rain. There were six skylights in the ceiling around the pipe being used as a chimney. There were a few lanterns hanging and a few mounted candles lighting the room, but there were plenty of shadows in the room.

Fantastico was sitting at a table across from an elderly man, dressed in a grey Kosode and Hakama, there was a Katana and a Wakaba sheathed at his side. There was a clear tension between the two in the sparsely populated Taver. "Be reasonable, even you said her death wasn't my fault! I did everything I could but your stubborn pride got in the way, and I forgive you. But you can't force me out of my daughter's life."  He said to the man, however the elder was not exactly pleased with what was being said. "You dishonored my family enough, my daughter bore your child and you could not take her as your bride! Then you tried to rip her from our lives still unwed, and you have the audacity to infect my granddaughter with your filth?"

The man stood up, and walked towards the door. Fantastico finished his drink before pulling out the Pirate Key, he flicked the idol revealing the key, Gladys was watching and she slowly reached for her crossbow however Fantastico sighed and flicked the key again, lowering the flipped half of the idol back down. He knew that violence was not going to solve this problem, nor would his smooth tongue. Gladys brought over another mug of beer for the annoyed pirate. "He seems like a real piece of work, to be honest he just doesn't get that you genuinely weren't in love with his daughter and it was a one time event. He is too, rigid with tradition while you barely even follow common decency on your worst day."

Fantastico sighed, before taking a sip of his next drink as Gladys headed back to the bar. This was not the first time the red pirate sought to meet the elder man here, to much less success in the past. "I got six kids, I can tell you where three of them are, two at my uncle's ranch and one at my own, which happens to be next door. I get to see five of them, and all their families are at the very least understanding I am not a bad guy, but the problem is he lives by an absurdly strict moral code..." He said before pulling out his iLac and scrolled through messages. "Huh, I see..."

WC 746

Tick-a Tack-a Tick-a Tack-a. The train rattled and rumbled along the rails on its way in to the town. With her head pressed to the cushioned seat of her little half sofa on the train, Iris sat with a smile on her face and her eyes closed. Most people watched the scenery go by, she didn't, she couldn't. Being blind, she just listened to the world going by, perceiving it as a blur of colors like a lovely water color painting given a splash of water multiple times. It was like a muddled flurry of colors to her perception, having a unique disability, as some would call it, known as Synesthesia.

When the train finally came to a halt, thrumming to a stop, and let out a powerful hiss of hydraulics, iris got the chills. A rush over her body as she perceived a cloud of fluff running over her ears. Sitting up, she would palm around for her luggage, grabbing on to the handle while she was ready to step off and begin her adventure out in Fiore after leaving Enca. What was she doing here? SHe wouldn't say, why Fiore? SHe would indicate it seemed like the best place to go. Like it was written to be the main land to explore being one of the central countries of Earth Land.

The blind girl was here in the country to join a guild, make something of herself, overcome her fear of combat and fighting, be a better person, find a way to make money for her own reasons. She was going to start off as a guild fighter, that much was certain, but, what she would do when she had enough money? She'd become a dungeon diver, an individual adventurer, try to run a secondary job. Of course, not many would take a blind girl. She would walk off of the train with a cane, tapping it left and right as she made her way down from the platform. Using the clicks of the cane as echo location of sorts.

Eventually, she would make her way to the tavern, that same tavern that a debonair member of that Fairy Tail guild was in. The very same one, as if by the means of the story leading them together, like the divine powers outside of their comprehension wrote them together. Funny how that works, happenstance planned? The laughable thought of it was absurd!

And of course, when she entered in to the tavern, she would meander her way through the crowd, cane tipping and tapping its way in between every patron, small meek little 'sorry's and 'excuse me's coming from the girl. Up to the bar she would get, looking to get something to eat and something to drink. "Hello, I was wondering, do you have anything made with mushrooms?" SHe would ask the worker, while taking out money from Enca, folded in different configurations. Having to make sure she didn't give something too big, she made sure the money was folded the right way to be the right amount, "Do you take Encan currency?"

WC: 533

Fantastico heard the consistent tapping on the floor, his gaze drifted towards the door as he whistled under his breath at the sight. "Damn, prettiest thing that walked through those doors all day, quite a shame she can't see it." He recognized the unfocused gaze, the tapping cane, and her slow and clumsy pace as blindness. He said nothing as she passed, merely glancing at her, stricken by the beauty of her eyes for a moment before all he could see was her back as she approached the bar. "Not bad all around, clearly she gets a lot of physical activity to remain so lean. heck if she had a pair of eyes I'd be more certain she's a wizard. Not ruling it out though, however a bit concerning that she came into a tavern alone."


However, Fantastico soon noted the other patrons of the Tavern, notably the few other single men. He knew most of them wouldn't dare make a move, as there were plenty of old or shy men. However there was one that always pissed off Fantastico whenever he came here, a man by the name of Rex. A rather large man, with a black pompadour and a smug attitude. He always had a story of an epic adventure, however Fantastico had a feeling in his gut that nothing he said was actually true. Local gossip whispered that he seemed to be kicked or banned from nearly every bar or tavern in town. "Son of a bitch."

Gladys noted the girl's entrance, and the excited look in the eyes of a few men, and then the girls eyes, figuring the that she needed to look out for the girl. The mention of foreign currency seemed to make the matter worse. "Sure, I accept all currency, so long as you pay the difference in exchange rate, what's the Enca exchange rate again?" Hearing the question, Fantastico spoke up. "1.25 Enca is worth 1 Fiore Jewel!" Gladys nodded, however she didn't really want to inconvenience the girl. "I can fry up some vegetables in the back, free of charge. I'll be quick."  

She proceeded to walk out of the room, but almost immediately Rex stood up, before walking over towards the girl. Fantastico saw, and simply adjusted his concealed Elemental Flintlock, preparing it to be ready should he need to use it. He watched as Rex approached the girl from behind, towering over her. He leaned down, resting one hand on the bar as he was uncomfortably close, pressing his back against hers before his other hand would reach for her thigh. "Hey there beautiful, how'd you like a shot at the biggest stud in town?"

WC 447
TWC 1193

Iris was not really aware of anyone eyeing her up, until they started to approach her. There was no way she could tell she was being watched in a public place like this. But, when someone came toward her with purpose, she could feel it. The way their body touched the ground with a direction of weight toward her, the way they seemed to lumber in toward her. SHe just happily waited for her stuff to be cooked while she would insist, "Oh, no, Ma'am please. I want to pay, please? I wouldn't feel...well, if you insist." She had the smile of a miser on her face, as if she was glad she wasn't being charged for the vegetables that were being sauteed for her. It was more money in her pocket, and food in her belly.

That was when someone came up to her. SOmeone that wanted to speak to her about, a stud? SHe turned on her stool, unaware of what he wanted. SHe looked up at him with no way of seeing him, those blank eyes locked to his own. "Sorry sir, did you want to talk about lode bearing nails in walls?" WHat, no, Iris, that isn't what he meant by a stud. "Regardless of the size of it, I do not think I would like to try and remove it from whatever house has the stud, at the risk of making the house come down around me, I wouldn't want to do anything with it." SHe tapped her chin in thought, while looking up to the ceiling in thought.

"Oh, did you mean horses? They call big male horses studs. Is there a really big stud in the town?" SHe would ask, missing the point, yet again. "I'm very interested in horses, though, I cannot ride them. Because I can't really see anything without my feet on the ground you see. I would just fall off the horse and hit the ground. ANd it would be painful, those things are tall." SHe was so innocent, or, was she just toying with him? Hard to say, with her Encan accent, it was hard to tell if she was being serious or not. Was she really that oblivious to it?

It was then that the plate of mushrooms and other vegetables slid across the counter toward her. Like a river of marble rushing down the polished wood. Her hand would slip out to catch it, without even turning to face the plate, and she would stop it from going over the edge. Bringing her fork around as she turned to start enjoying her meal in peace. Of course, when that hand came down to her, she would trace her finger in the air, writing the word PUSH in very clear thick letters, and out came a series of hands formed out of the letters, looking to gently push the man away from her position so she could, actually, enjoy her meal in peace.

WC: 519
TWC: 1052

In response to the various misinterpretations of what he implied by the word stud, the man seemed to grin. Fantastico put down his drink as his gaze was now that of annoyance. The man seemed to struggle but his weight seemed to push back on the hands. While not as strong as he claims, he did have some muscles. "Blind and mentally disabled? Why am I trying so hard? Let's go, I'll make you feel somethin' to die fo-"

In that moment he felt a cold liquid splash him on the back, and he could instantly recognize the scent of alcohol. He stood up and looked around "Who dares to-" However as he looked at Fantastico, he could clearly see Fantastico with his Elemental Flintlock in his mug of beer, pulling back the hammer. Fantastico stood up slowly, walking over to the man. "That ain't the right way to treat a lady." While the man seemed to be a close height, he did have more mass then the pirate. "Oi! Watch it, I already called dibs so g-" Fantastico kept walking, grabbing the man by the collar, and threw him over his shoulder, causing him to land on his face sliding, before hitting the divide.

"She doesn't want scum like you, I've seen your type, alpha dog, packing small in both heads. Back off buddy." The man scowled, getting up, he pulled a knife as he charged at Fantastico. However Fantastico shot the man with yet another blast of beer, flicking his other wrist causing his lighter to fall out, before flicking it again revealing the flame. The man, aware of the danger barely stopped himself in time, before looking terrified at the Pirate who just had his charming smile. "Yo, you're crazy man! Who lights a man on fire for hitting on a chick fair and square?"

Fantasico lightly tossed the lighter at him causing the man to back up, Fantastico caught the lighter and repeated as he slowly edged out towards the door. "Bull, what kind of man lays eyes on a beautiful woman and thinks it's okay to just lay their hands on them. I might get around town with ladies, but unlike you, I can swoon over their affection without feeling them up or assuming anything about them. Also crazy? I like to call it giving karma a helping hand, since you decided to play with fire." The man tripped out the door, landing on his back terrified. Fantastico closed his lighter. He gave
a smug smile to the man. "I think it's safe to say you're banned from this place, never come back again, and pray I never see you."

The man started to crawl away, scared. "A-, alright..." Before Fantastico knelled down, and quickly lit the man on fire before getting up and walking away, listening to the man scream as he ran away. Fantastico nodded to Gladys, who was not pleased a burning man ran away, but she did enjoy knowing that the man got what he deserved. He snapped his fingers, discretely letting her know he used up all his beer lighting him on fire.

Fantastico slowly approached the girl's table. He stood a short distance to her side, not wanting to sit next to her if she didn't want another man nearby, and spoke in a gentle tone as opposed to his aggressive one earlier. He made sure to make his last few steps deliberately loud so she would be aware of his presence, not wanting to intrude like the last guy. "Don't worry miss, that moron won't bother you any time soon. I can't stand jerks like them. My name is Fantastico, are you alright?"

However he soon remembered the Girl's origins, and pondered on his status in that country, he was not sure if he was a wanted man, but he doubted the girl would know of his exploits in Enca.

WC  652
|TWC 1845

SHe had no problems mentally, she was actually quite well learned. But, she wasn't sure what type of stud he meant, because she couldn't see he was trying to talk about himself. Of course, with the brute pushed back and chased out swiftly after that, she would happily return to her meal with a smile on her face as she heard the altercation taking place. This other man might want something from her? This other man want to take some sort of a shot at her himself? SHe would turn to him as he introduced himself. "I'm Iris, Iris DuPage. It's nice to meet you."

SHe indeed had not heard of him. She would, however turn toward her food while speaking to him. It was awkward making eye contact when you can't see the eyes of the person. She would continue to speak to him thought, "I'm fine, I wasn't expecting one of the first people I bump in to in this Country to be like that, but, I am fine none the less. Thank you for your concern. Is everyone in Fiore like that? I would hope not."

Fantastico was glad to see that the girl was not too bothered by the unpleasant man, relatively speaking. However he could tell eye contact was awkward for the girl, considering that if he would follow her line of sight she would appear to be staring right at his collarbone. However he looked deeper into her eyes concernedly, not saying something. "Blind and still retaining their normal condition, relatively speaking, what's that?" As the girl was about to turn, Fantastico did his best to study them in an instant, and didn't like what he found. He found a somewhat familiar shadow like dark spot in the back of each eye, something that blocks light in one of the most delicate places of the eye, one of the main indicators of magical intervention. While not a doctor, Fantastico was greatly familiar with the physical signs of magic curses, but figured there could also be a medical reason as well.

When she turned around, Fantastico tapped the bar as he sat down beside her, signalling Gladys he wants another drink. He kept his cavalier charm as he talked to the girl. "Actually I'm not a native to Fiore, but from what I gather one in twenty are like that jerk, but normally not as bad. I hate jerks who believe strength entitles them to others. To be honest, I hate jerks like that. I don't believe a person should be forcefully coerced, trust and loyalty are things that no one is entitled to in this world, no matter who they are."

Fantastico took a quick swig of his beer the second it came to him, the man quickly gazed at the elegant form of the woman. He wanted to test her responses, get to know her story before he would try flirting with the girl. More importantly, better to see a glimpse of how she saw herself."If I may ask, what brings the most beautiful woman of Enca to a place like this? It's mostly the old that come here or those on a business meeting. Others like that burnt toast that just ran out are banned from every other bar or tavern but they are few and far between."

It was not magic that blinded Iris, it was nothing magical or fantastic about the majesty of her blindness. It was sinister, dark, hard to grasp, other worldly. It was like she was cursed with something beyond natural. SUre, there were temporary remedies, but, whenever she was gifted sight, the girl had panic attacks, like she could see things that weren't there. A part of the condition of that damnable curse that robbed her of her sight.

"Strength does entitle one to many privleges. SUch is the law of the wild. A lion will not get any mates or meat should he not exert his utmost strength. A peacock will not attract a partner without the strength to flaunt their colors properly. A monster with the strength to destroy a town has the right to earn itself a name. We're the odd ones out for nature's perspective. We have a sense of courtesy, decency, and free will on the matter." SHe said, a very poignant thing to say at that. SHe would turn her gaze back to Fantastico.

"Were humans more like animals, he may well have a retinue of partners, but, thankfully, we aren't all like him." She would say with the sweetest smile despite the dark thing she had just said. "I am not the most beautiful in Enca, that's the princess. I am not the princess." She went back to being blunt.

"I--came to Fiore from Enca, to get away from something, to find myself. And, I'm looking to do work. But, I can't do anything for the most part, I'm blind you see--so I can't handle stuff that I have tried, thirteen jobs have fired me within two weeks because of my clumsiness. I'm naturally clumsy, my blindness only worsens it."

"So, I came to Fiore to join a guild. I heard one that researches the mysteries of magic resides in this country, and, I had to give it a shot." She beamed a smile to him, shutting her eyes this time. She had a cute face when she wasn't looking with those blank eyes off in to space.