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Captain Derk stood with amber eyes staring exhaustedly at the front of the McGizzard Tavern, holding a paper with the witness’ sketch of the woman that left the dragoon’s cavern. It took a day for their spy to work with a local artist to get the details of the woman close enough to their memory, then it was Derk’s responsibility to inquire the towns folk about the woman.
The stories varied depending on whom he spoke with, from stories of how helpful this Celine was around town to snubbed statements from women that preferred to flirt with him than help him with his investigation. The latter situations just grated on his patience as he could honestly care less about the opposite sex and their tiresome desires to live up to their social expectations to wed higher, especially the human females hopeful to wed an elf like himself to obtain the Permitted title.
Eventually he started to notice the commonalities in all the stories, that Celine is the daughter of the owner of the only tavern in the town. Maybe this time he could finally meet this Celine woman and get those answers the Guardian Azezel needs for them to get back to getting that dragoon.
Inhaling deeply to dig into his patience for hopefully his last inquiry, he took a step forward only to quickly jump back in reaction to the front doors bursting open and three individuals getting shoved out.
“You lot drank too much, get to walking off your woes and get your act together!” Said a bald human male with a majestic auburn beard against ivory skin and strong flexing arms that lowered down to rest on the sides of his well-toned form. Derk felt his thoughts fade away and just stood there staring at the man as he berated the three humans that sported sheathed swords on their hips. “You three were thought of our best in our Guard squad that stood to defend our Towne an’ now look at you! Squaloring in your self-pity for getting kicked out ‘cause of some ‘hourly misfortune’. Get your acts together and move on to something more useful!”
“You don’t understand, Tank! We’ve been humiliated in our ranks, we’ve been kicked out to these streets with just this bag of gold to survive on!”
“That’s a bag of gold more than most anyone else in this town, and you know it! You’ve already spent a third of that here this night with your pity party and Miss Ellis is tired of you lot’s woes.”
Derk vaguely connected the trio to be the trio that caused the most damage to the cavern invasion, feeling unsurprised by their current circumstance and further uncaring as he could only stand and admire Tank’s show of strong stance with those strong arms folded in such show of disappointment. What would it be like to feel those arms wrapped around his slender form? To feel those strong hands stroking his soft pink hair and caress his vitiligo umber face?
“Oi, Devnar, I’d saw a flier about some port company looking to hire muscle, maybe we ought to try that? It’d get us outta this backwoods place, you know.” Karen slurred as she leaned on Devnar’s arm, clearly the one that drank more than the men. “Then we’d not have to suffer any more of these humiliations.” She sniffled, wiping at some tears on her face.
Devnar hesitated in continuing his arguing with Tank, looking between the drunken Karen and the buzzed Dick, his two closest friends since childhood. Feeling a mixture of hurt pride and wanting to care for them, he glared up at Tank then huffed and turned with a supporting arm around Karen. “Yeah, let’s leave this place since we can’t be in the Guard or get promoted to the Chosen Order like we dreamed.”
With shattered dreams on their minds, the trio stumbled off into the streets with Derk watching Tank turn to head back inside only to pause and glance over his shoulder at Derk.
‘What lovely marine colors in his gaze.’
“Come on in, Sir, we’ve some good meals and drinks to please your palate this night.” Then Tank entered the tavern with Derk trailing behind.
The buff man went about the tavern taking orders and serving meals with such graceful hustle. The captain took a seat at a small corner table, watching in awe, forgetting entirely why he came to the tavern.
“Sorry it took me a bit to get here, Sir. What would you like to order this eve?” He smiled warmly to him, leaving him to have a moment of admiration and answer honestly.
“I’ll have you, Tank.”
Tank’s eyebrows rose in surprise then his ear tips flushed as he rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly averting his gaze. “I’m afraid I’m not on the menu, Sir, but I am flattered.”
Derk’s face turned red in realization that he voiced his mental answer, “Ah-right, um, w-what do you suggest I have?”
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“Would you like for me to surprise you as you’ve surprised me, Sir?” Tank shyly smiled now, connecting his gaze with the elf’s.
“Sure.”
“It’ll be a silver coin for the meal that I’ll personally choose for you.”
The captain nodded and easily pulled out the coin with the intention of politely setting it on the table but flinched in surprise to those strong hands stroking along his palms as he took the coin, raising his own brows in surprise. Tank then winked and turned to head for the kitchen behind the bar. He could only sit there red in the face as he felt a hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, he really could find out what it’d be like to be in those burly arms.
Captain Derk never wanted to date any of the men within the ranks of the Order, having witnessed how romance often ended in either tragedy or some dramatic ending. He knew the Guardian turned a blind eye to romance amongst same sex, having this focused mindset that partners need to be opposites, and chose to keep his mouth shut on where he stood in his personal preference. This decision turned out for the best as he rose through the ranks to Captain and found himself in a good stable situation with little worry of upsetting Azezel or anyone else in the Order. Sure, it cost him more times of rejecting any chance of romance and kept his quick romps in just a few places of their travel to himself on nights of celebration.
However, he never felt this tingling warmth towards any individual, even his quick romps. Let alone having his senses completely dulled and drowning all his thoughts into just this sense of a warm blanket covering him.
He had to close his eyes and rub his face in his palms, mentally scolding himself now as his senses started to edge back into reality while Tank remained out of his observations.
Thunk!
Derk dropped his hands quickly and tensed in ready to defend himself at the sudden sound in front of him only to stop and realize Tank had just set a plate full of such delicious scents and aesthetic. “Oh.”
“Sorry, Sir, but I thought you might enjoy our chicken apple sausage atop a pile of chopped seasoned squash and a side of roasted asparagus. This goes well with our local Po’dka, a drink made from fermented potatoes.” Derk saw the soft flush of pink on Tank’s cheeks, lowering his gaze to the thick sausage on his plate. “Enjoy the meal, Sir. I’ll be back to check on you.”
“Derk.”
“Mm?”
“My name is Derk, Captain to Gaurdian Azezel of the Chosen Order.”
Tank smiled and nodded, softly saying, “Enjoy, Derk.” Before shuffling off to serve the other patrons in the tavern’s evening rush.
He practically melted to the succulent juices spilling into his mouth as he took a bite of the sausage. It could have been the months of eating necessary unflavored meals or that warm smile lingering in his thoughts, but the meal he was served tasted like nothing he’s ever had in years of his Order service. He couldn’t stop himself from letting out a low moan in response to the flavors of his meal, it was all just so good and even warmed his belly.
Miss Ellis came around to his table to find the captain’s expression had softened from the stern and attentive expression of a man ready to go to battle to one of relaxed and content. This made her smile in pride. “Gilravage th' meal?”
Derk squinted at Miss Ellis’ thick accent. “Come again?”
“Gilravage th' meal?”
“Um… yes?”
“Och guid, then be sure tae let th' rest o` yer fowk ken o' mah tavern. A'd lik' tae serve th' Chosen Order while yer a' 'ere.”
Derk stared confusingly at Miss Ellis.
“She’s asking you to encourage the Chosen Order to come eat here while you’re all staying in that camp outside our town.” Tank stepped in as he noticed Derk confused by Miss Ellis.
“Oh.” Then he remembered his purpose of being in the tavern in the first place at mention of the Order. “I can do that but in exchange from some information. I’m looking for Miss Ellis, I’ve heard she owns this McGizzard Tavern.”
“Aye, a'm lassy Ellis. Whit dae yi'll waant tae ken?
“She’s the one you’re looking for, Derk. What do you want to know?”
Miss Ellis gave Tank a side glancing frown, “Let th' laddie figure oot whit a'm saying. Surely he's wordly enough tae ken mah accent.”
“Pardon, Miss Ellis, I just mean to help. You know you’re one of the few that have sailed from Bel’Isles to this continent. Your island accent can be confusing even to those that have travelled around La’an.”
“Sure bit ah'ament sae seendle that he hasn't met yin or twa at merchant toons. Mah fowk ur travelers, ye ken.”
“Have you met anyone from the Bel’Isles, Derk?”
“No, she’s from the Bel’Isles? I thought only a few breeds of the Hu’Avi could travel to the continents while Elves and Humans have struggled to sail the oceans between.”
“A'm fae th' isles 'n' we've an island that produces pure tough woods fur building pure tough ships that kin sail th' wild oceans noo. Juist a tae decades ago did we build th' foremaist ever ship that successfully flought the baoot tae this continent 'n' ah wis oan that foremaist ship.”
“Aye, Miss Ellis was a part of the first ship built strong enough to sail the oceans to La’an. She and her partner stayed and came to settle here in Towne Fat Duck.”
“Were you pregnant with Celine when you came to La’an?”
Her eyebrows shot up at the question then she shook her head, “Celine wis a wee bairn left at oor doorstep. We raised her as oor ain 'n' noo she's aff tae some contest in Sa'Cardo Cove. A've na doubt she'll win that contest 'n' shaw thaim PCs that they're nae th' ainlie ones able tae win!” Resting her fists on her hips as she stood in parental pride over her daughter.
“Celine was adopted by Miss Ellis and her partner, they raised her here in our town. Now she’s-“
“Gone to Sa’Cardo Cove.” Derk finished, smiling to the pair as he finally got an answer to take back to Azezel. Then focused on Tank as he realized that this means he’ll have to leave him. Maybe… “Thank you, Miss Ellis, I will be sure to tell my squadron about your tavern.”
“Ta. Noo, a'm needin' tae git back tae mah wirk. Dae gilravage th' rest o` yer time 'ere.” Miss Ellis nodded in satisfaction then headed off to talk with other patrons in the tavern.
“Thank you, Tank, for helping me understand Miss Ellis. Perhaps I could have a drink of Coff’ry with you in the morning? I think my squadron will be here for just a few more days and, if it is fine with you, I’d like to spend more time getting to know you.”
“I’d like that as well, Derk. We serve some good Coff’ry here and I’ll enjoy sitting with you, we’ve but a few patrons that come ‘round so I’ll have time.” Tank leaned in close, lowering his voice for just Derk’s ears, “You’ve made me glad I agreed to help Miss Ellis with the McGizzard now that Celine’s off to that cooking competition.”
Derk flushed and smiled sheepishly to Tank, then watched wistfully as the big burly man sauntered off to his job. A question bubbled in his thoughts and whispered from his lips, “Is this love?”