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Titan Breaker The Black Hand is a rugged, busted up, dive of a tavern. Places like this are not uncommon throughout Creation though the particulars may vary considering matters of culture and climate but for many, certain traits are common: Grim music of the black-clad musicians playing in a corner, or the smell and seemingly-infinitely-expanding cloud of tobacco smoke that seems replace breathable air with its presence, the layer of dirt that seems to have gained a life of its own, spreading all across its dark wooden tables and chairs, almost dripping - nay, oozing - down the walls...and perhaps, most importantly, the clientale. Hunters, the lot of them. Thugs, brutes, bruisers hired guards, the lot of them. The type of sub culture well to do society can do without but that this small hamlet can't do without given the business they bring between bounty hunts and with bandits plaguing the roads of The Hundred Kingdoms..there's much work to be done and a hunters board near the back of the bar containing information concerning dangerous creatures, wild animals and several gang names has drawn the attention of a few individuals who spend their time studying it in search of possible work.
Tiziri The sort of place Tiziri has spent some time in the past, and apparently despite looking tiny and innocent? Maybe she just can make herself seem to fit in. The young woman with blue hair walks in with her spear in hand looking confident. Extremely confident. Maybe it's just something with her expression, or maybe it's the predatory grace she moves with. Seasoned fighters can probably tell she knows how to use it, well at that. Others? Well, maybe they just see a small young woman, but those aren't the ones she probably needs to be aware of. The young woman in a rather nondescript traveling garment makes her way over towards the bar to sit down. "Oi! I'll have a jar of wine." She states.
Titan Breaker She is given 'the look' of course..but appraising and trained eyes fall upon the spear and if any were considering challenging her they think the better of it. The Bartender, ol'Blackhand himself,' gives her a long study and then after a non committal grunt, moves to fulfill her request. Only to pause when he notes the glasses on the bar beginning to rattle..

Considering the clients, one can imagine what it takes to rattle their ilk. Something of considerable magnitude no doubt.

The ground rumbles slightly.. Jerking and quaking in a steady ongoing rumble that decries the random jerking of an earthquake but instad speaks of the steady deliberate methodical footsteps of something particularly enormous and heavy...say an approaching yeddim or something else appropriately large. The intensity increases, causing some drinks to rattle on tables and dust to sift and plume up from between floor boards or drop from he ceiling above as whatever is causing these quakes gets closer and closer with subtle *tooms* getting more and more audible and rumbling into the hearing of those who listen and take note of it's approach. The space of a few seconds passes and then a great shadow falls across the entry way of the dive followed by an enormous hand big enough to treat the skull of a large animal like a childs ball, reaching up beneath the lintel of the entry way and then lifting up to grip at it. An immediate cracking and crushing sound occurs as the front door way is literally shoved upwards, crushing up towards the ceiling in a casual display of physical irrerevant power..and still the behemoth must duck his head and turn sideways to enter. Needless to say, his arrival is unsubtle.

Such a presence is not unheard of. In far away Great Forks there is rumor of an exigent of strength of similar proportions and scale but this behemoth of a man seems to lurch in with a heavy, almost grainy texture to his fiberous movements and earth groaning gait. A long black and red jacket sweeps around his body like a curtain and his heavy gaze is shadowed by a wide brim hat of similar colors. The hunters present shrink away as the building shakes under his steps and slow approach towards the bar and the staring bartender.

Tiziri It is weird that somehow, Tiziri doesn't even seem surprised. She doesn't look back like the others, indeed, she doesn't even seem to show a sign of being startled by whatever is happening. That alone is probably noteworthy! Instead, the petite spearwoman at the bar continues to look at the barkeep while she awaits her drink. Strangely, she doesn't even see the need to look back as this new presence arrives. Mostly, she just seems completely nonchalant about the whole thing. Perhaps roadweary?
Titan Breaker The degree of confidence shown by the petite woman is not lost on those present. In fact a war of presence seems to begin to occur. There is, of course, the coat wearing colossus but her surety where others shrink back from the goliath in his passing is such that varied results occur. Some grow embaressed. Others yet more nervous and fearful and other sjust look on in confusion and in anticipation as if waiting to see what will happen when these two variances of immovability meets.

For his part, the giant seems to not notice or care. Instead, he looms up behind Tiziri, great shadow falling across her but not looking directly at her but instead leveling his gaze upon the bartender while continuing to remain silent. The bartender looks on in confusion between the two, then back at the ruined door, then back to the giant and then back to Tiziri and then finally grunts out. "Oh, right, right. Wine. Wine.."

And he begins to fetch said bottle of wine for the spear wielding woman. She was first in line after all.

As this occurs, the giant reaches to his side and begins pulling from a harness against his waist, a massive kegger sized container. He lifts it up, popping the spout open with a flick of his thumb, and then proceeds to drain the rest of its contents while he waits his turn, just behind the huntress.

Tiziri Tiziri continues to sit there patiently... at least mostly patient if nothing else as she awaits her order. When it finally comes she says, "Good, thank you." Only mildly annoyed by how long it took. At least she does pull out a string of currency to pay for it, setting it on the table in front of herself before she unstops the jar and lifts it to her mouth to take a long sip from it. Only then does she seem to shift enough to look behind her and start even caring to take stock of the others present. Mostly? Seeming unimpressed.
Titan Breaker The bar shakes as the heavy keg is set down upon it, thudding just besides Tiziri as the huge man reaches over her now and sets it upon the counter, barely giving her enough time to turn and begin her survey of the room.

"Wha.." begins the bartender before he's interrupted by the giants bass voice.

"Fill." he says simply enough, not adding any more context to that before he then says, after a moment or reflection. "The same." while pointing at Tiziri with a finger possibly as thick as the petite wanderers wrist.

"All the way."

He concludes, despite the fact that he's asking for what would amount to a hundred pounds or so of fluid.

"Ahh...augh..." mutters the bartender, looking around for help..and finding none..begins to get to work to attempt to at least pacify the request. "Bloody hell.." he mutters.

As this begins, the giant settles the weight of his gaze on Tiziri finally and then looks past her to study the bar..then back to her again. The contrast isnt' lost on him and he ends up looking at her once more, staring silently as her furrows his brow in thought.

Tiziri "Nice payday if nothing else." Tiziri quips towards the bartender before she takes another sip of her drink. Small or not, she seems to at least do a good show at being a traveling drunk or something! Noticing the giant looking at her she ends up gesturing with her free hand towards the hunting board. "Jobs are over there. Probably a good place to start. Guessing there won't be much there to give you pause, and you're going to need it to pay that tab off." There's an impish air to the girl's tone.
Titan Breaker His gaze remains on her even as she finishes speaking. Long, perhaps uncomfortably long. The board seems to hold no interest for him, or at the least..it doesn't any longer as he's found something else more curious, and perhaps confusing.

"You're not like them." he concludes finally, deep heavy voice rumbling out with a heavy rumble. "Not from around here." he adds to that. "..Confident." He lets that hang in the air and then adds, "..Or drunk. Or both. Both."

At the last he drifts his eyes away from her towards the board and then says simply, "Bandits plauging the area. I will deal with them. Already saved one town...."

Saved is, perhaps too strong a word. A nearby traveller, having passed through the ruins in that town from the behemoths visit, recognizing him, seems to tense up abit overhearing that, biting his mouth to avoid saying anything more.

The bartender continues laboring to fill the kegger.

Tiziri "Me?" Tiziri shrugs a little bit. "I'm a caravan guard. So I've seen my share of bandits." The young woman says like she doesn't care. "If they come after my charge, I'll deal with it. A bit hard to be proactive about such things, but still." Then she sips her drink again and adds, "Not drunk yet. I'm working at it." Another sip follows.
Titan Breaker "That is not what I'm talking about..." rumbles the behemoth slowly and neutrally. There is no change to his body posture but still the bartender slows and looks over with some cautiousness in his gaze.

"...Legionnaires have quaked and shakeni in their boots around me. You, however, are unmoved. That is not the attitude of a 'mere' caravan guard..."

He inclines his head, massive neck flaring as thick as some peoples waists he inclines his head and tilts it to the side in a gesture she might find an odd mirror of one of her own though hardly as extreme.

"Who are you?" he asks bluntly and boldly. "...Where do you come from?"

Tiziri "Are you sure?" Tiziri asks as she looks towards the giant, rather blase. "I'm the Ardent Vagabond. Though." She introduces. "I think the real issue here is I've traveled a lot, as my name implies, and I've seen a lot. Size alone is not the judge of a man, or a warrior. At least not solely." She looks over towards the rest of the room. "But I've long learned that showing you are nonplused in front of the biggest in the area will make others more afraid of you, whether or not you are in truth. I leave that to you to decide the veracity of. Truly, the point is you've given me no reason to be afraid of you, whether you're tremendous or a mouse. Nor I you, despite me being barely more than a mouse."
Titan Breaker "I am sure." says the giant without hesitation as she finishes speaking. "I have travelled as well. People are afraid of those that seem to have power over them. They only have their eyes to judge with. Most people...they do not take the time to consider more then what is right infront of them. Even those trained to be more observant. Such people do not often frequent places like this."

His gaze flickers around as he speaks, looking over those present who listen to the two converse but dare not intervene.

"Fear." he continues, "It keeps them from risk and from greatness.. But, perhaps, it also keeps them alive."

The bartender clears his throat, his keg filling complete and he seems ready to be rid of them both.

The giant continues eyeing her but then turns and begin to slowly reach into the depths of his heavy large jacket. The sleeves are torn, his veined pillar dwarfing limbs exposed, but the jacket does much to hide the particulars of his wear aside from him appearing bare chested. Still, it moves with a flourish as he reaches in for his finances--

Tiziri "A drink's a drink." Tiziri responds matter of factly from where she sits. "I'm not one to complain after a long, hot day on the road constantly on the alert for bandits. This is the sort of place more genuine than most in the world. The sort of place you hear the best stories, meet the most... unique people." The young woman responds as she regards the large man. Still more casual than anything else.
Titan Breaker "Hmm..."

The huge man listens thoughtfully to her words before nodding in agreement. This place is...sincere at least. That much is true. What you see is what you get. It lacks even the clandestine back alley dealings of other dives. Instead the grizzled hunters here value straight forwardness, for better or for worse.

It doesn't make them any more comfortable in the giants presence, however, and possible her own, given how casually she converses with him.

A gesture from his massive hand sends a pile of cash scattering into a bulk of coinage and paper upon the bar. It's more then enough. Perhaps too much. It will cover the cost of the keg and also her own.

"Volken.." he says finally, "Volken the Titan Breaker... I broke the familiar of a Deathknight in Thorns, when it fell."

his nose wrinkles with the memory of it. She didn't ask but it seems appropriate to explain his name.

"If you tire of bandits.." he explains, "You should help me. We split rewards for bringing them down. There is a dynast I know in Greyfalls. He will pay.."

Tiziri "Ardent Vagabond." The girl says, introducing herself again, though this time more formally as she at least holds up her fist with her palm in a gesture of respect in the martial world. "I cannot say my feats are to such an extent." She says easily, as though she doesn't care about that. "As my name implies though, I care less for the money than for the journey. Guarding from bandits is what helps me see a new city and all the new vistas along the way." She finishes her jug then, really almost impressive she's drank that fast! "So I will have to pass on that offer. Deathknights are something a wise person avoids, even as they are glad for those who can challenge them." Far more notable is that she doesn't seem to have the sort of shiver reaction most might at speaking of those of the dead. "But? Perhaps the night's light will cast a shadow sometime. I fear my caravan will be moving on shortly. It was nice to make your acquaintance."
Titan Breaker "I did not say fight a Deathknight, I said bandits." corrects Volken, "It was in Thorns that...." his voice trails and then he seems to think better of going further, especially as she is passing overall.

At her lack of reaction, he simply hoods his eyes even further and he gives a low throated rumble of discontent but otherwise makes no move to stop her from leaving or change her mind.

"Very well..." he rumbles at the last. "Suit yourself..."

The keg is curled up into a massive hand now and held in a single palm despite its weight as he turns away from the bar to face Ardent Vagabond. "Goodbye then. Enjoy your journey..." he rumbles before turning and starting to take several heavy room quaking steps in the direction of the hunts board to get to work. For now, it would seem, the encounter is over.

Tiziri "But you did say you fought one's familiar, which is close enough." The young woman says as she makes her leave, adding a final quick bow before taking her spear and then slipping outside of the bar. Refreshments taken. then to the caravan she was working for, along with a group of other spear wielders in robes.