Just a Drink [Job/Hiro/Plot]

It was an interesting week so far. He had meet an interesting group of people and had, surprisingly, still had interactions with them. Well... one of them. The young girl who he happened to meet named Lestacia sought him out for magic lessons. If not to teach her a different type of magic to utilize, then to expand her understanding of the process of casting the magic that they were becoming known for. Kaveh was starting to become recognized among the Historical Society as a rather established heat mage, but he has yet to draw any major attention to his skill.... other than the cultists of Apep. The other man that he met at the tavern, Hiro. Kaveh had yet to see the red haired man since. He could remember the man being somewhat akin to a mute. He barely spoke to either of the people that were in attendance at their table.

However. The red magician has decided to put these thoughts to the side for now. He was planning on enjoying his day! The man made his way out into town after seeing that his daily chores were done back at home. The man walked out of his house with his cloak, or rather his magic carpet, draped on his shoulders. Today was one of the few days that the man was able to go out and enjoy a drink. And enjoy he shall. He slipped through the doorway to the tavern and sat at a table, signalling for a waitress to come by and give him drink.

The woman came to him, handing him a mug of ale. The frothy liquid pleaded to the long haired man and he did not take long to answer its call. He lifted the mug and brought it to his lips, slowly taking it in and enjoying the slightly bitter aftertaste of the drink. As the magician set the mug down, he lout out a fulfilled sigh.

The magician had engulfed over half of his mug of ale fairly quickly. The man set the mug down slowly, the drink losing its aftertaste. After eyeing the amount of alcohol that was still in his mug, the magician decided that he should just go ahead and finish the rest of the mug. Which, surprisingly, didn't take the man very long. Setting the empty mug down, Kaveh leaned back in his seat. He was going to ask for another glass, but his thoughts began to swell and distract him. His gaze went towards the ceiling of the tavern and his mind began to play "tricks" on him and swirl into different images. The main image being the intertwining snakes forming two figure eights.

What happened next was somewhat, shocking. The man was jerked from his imagination by a thud and body rocking force that cause him to rock forward a bit. The red magician turned to look at the source only to see a man walking around him. The man then sat and, without a word to Kaveh, motioned for the waitress to come forward and bring him a drink as well. Kaveh looked at the man and took a bit longer than he was proud of to recognize the man's face. It was the mute-ish man that he was thinking of not too long ago. It was mere coincidence that they met again in the same tavern that they initially met. The magician gave Hiro a welcoming smile and nodded to him before asking for a refill from the waitress.

When the woman returned with his drink, Kaveh looked to Hiro and raised his glass to him. "Afternoon, Hiro! Its been a while since I last saw you. How are you enjoying your stay here in Heliohapt?" The magician took a drink from his mug as the doors to the tavern flung open once more. The people that entered this time weren't as inconspicuous as Hiro and Kaveh were with their entrance. The woman and two men walked towards tables of people who seemed to look like they were proficient in battle or had some kind of combat experience.

It didn't take long for the foreigners to approach the table that held Hiro and Kaveh. The two men with the woman were dressed in the armor of the Kou army. Kaveh's eyes narrowed as he looked over and quietly analyzed the two of them. What... what are they doing? Why are these soldiers doing? He thought as he looked to the woman between the two of them. Her eyes settled on Hiro before glancing at Kaveh. Her gaze didn't linger on the long haired man for long as she shifted to face the man head on. The woman's eyes seemed to look familiarly at the man.

"Excuse me sir... You aren't from around here are you? May I have a word with you?" Kaveh blinked as he drank from his mug. Well... this just got interesting. He thought to himself. He didn't know what this woman wanted or who she was, but the fact that they were in front of him was enough for him to stay quiet. The man's curiosity got the better of himself as he tried to look uninterested for a minute before his eyes rested on Hiro once more, curious as to how the man would respond... Even though he had an idea of how he would react...

The woman watched as the red haired man only nodded to her. The two men at the table seemed to not care much about her presence, a fact upsetting to the woman.a bit. She was a noble from the land of Kou, here on diplomatic matters. She had just left her meetings with the Pharaoh and his Vizier, but had come to find that members of her guard had disappeared. She heard talk about town that there had been multiple kidnappings throughout Heliohapt recently. Perhaps they fell prey to these kidnappings? No. Couldn't have been. She found traces of blood where her guards were last seen. The kidnappings that normally plagued the city had no such nature. At least, not to that extreme.

The woman turned towards her soldiers and they, in return, turned their backs to the three. "Excuse me, sir. Would you mind it if I sat here?" Her face turned towards Kaveh from Hiro. She figured that the man didn't want much conversation. At least, not to anyone that she did not know. Kaveh glanced at his acquaintance for a moment before returning his gaze to the woman with a smile. "Why of course! Men find no greater joy than the company of a beautiful woman. We would be honored if you made our day joyous." The woman smiled and sat between the two of them.

Kaveh lifted his mug to his lips once more. Before he knew it, the woman began to speak again. "You two seem different from the others in this tavern. Though YOU don't look like much of a fighter..." The woman's gaze moved from Kaveh back to Hiro. You, on the other hand have the aura of a man who has seen many battles. Overcome many foes. I would like a favor of you." The woman sat back in her seat and crossed her legs beneath the table. Her silk robes moved ever so slightly as she extended her arm on the table, tracing her fingers along the emptied mugs.

Kaveh's eyebrow lifted as he watched the woman's attempts to sway Hiro with her body language. Even though Kaveh did not have much experience with women, his eye for people's mannerisms was never any weaker. A short chuckle escaped his lips just as the liquid in his mug flowed into his mouth and down his throat. The woman did not even give the magician a glance. Instead, she attempted to draw Hiro's attention back onto her if the long haired man stole it for a moment. "I am in need of a couple of experienced travel assistants. Men who are well versed in the area and are able to handle any opponent who comes their way. I journey towards a port town Three days north of this city. Once we arrive there, you will receive ample reimbursement and reward for your deeds and assistance."

The woman's offer spurred more curiosity from the man. The idea of Hiro being hired to escort this woman to the port north of Heliohapt. Kaveh blinked for a moment and drank more of his ale from his mug. What will you do, Hiro? Do you know the area well enough to take on such an assignment? I wonder how you will go about this.... 'deal.' Kaveh's thoughts rattled for a moment. His curiosity hungered for the conclusion of this discussion. The magician's eyes shifted quickly to the two soldiers in armor befitting Kou. His eyes then went back to the woman, remembering how easy it was for her to command them to stand guard. Kaveh evaluated the silk that draped her form, taking note of the quality of the fibers. ...She is no commoner.

The woman froze for a moment. She did not expect for the man to be so agreeable. The man who Hiro reminded her of would never had been so quick to take such a cheap offer. Her starting offer, had she had the time to make one, would have been fifty thousand huang. The price that she was presented with was much easier for her to deal with. The surprised look slowly faded from her and was replaced with a coy smile. The woman closed her eyes slowly and nodded graciously at the man. It was only after that, that her mind settled on the fact that Hiro invited the long haired magician along for a ride. She turned her head to look at Kaveh and was greeted by a man smiling and toasting his glass in her direction before taking another drink. Kaveh was laughing in his mind and she could hear it as though they shared a thought.

The man seemed to have made up his mind, however. The lady sighed and stood, knowing better than to argue with the man. She moved behind the red head and placed her hands gently on his shoulders. She slowly slid them down his chest a bit and wrapped them around him in a hug. Kaveh raised his eyebrow and stifled a chuckle. He wasn't sure if the woman was trying to hire him to help her reach the port or to bed him. Either way, he now found himself thrown into this situation. The woman whispered a thank you into Hiro's ear before standing again. "Whenever you two are finished here, I'll meet you at the main entrance for Heliohapt. I wish to leave as soon as possible. I'll notify the Vizier of your escorting me to the port... don't want you boys to get in trouble." The woman turned and was about to head out of the tavern before stopping in her tracks, the look on her face was that of someone who forgot an item of vital importance. "Oh yes... It's a pleasure to work with you once again, Artemus." With that, the woman and her guards left the tavern.

Kaveh's gaze went from the woman back to the man sitting across from him. He blinked a bit as he finished his second mug of ale. Artemus?.... is she referring to Hiro? The magician's confusion was all over his face. He was wanting to ask the man, but he knew that Hiro would refuse to answer the question. He didn't seem to be the type of man that would share his information so willy-nilly. After a brief moment a silence, Kaveh yawned slowly. His gaze relaxing on Hiro as he leaned back in his chair. "Well that was something... I'd be honored to help you guys out. I can't have a couple of guests getting lost in the desert." The magician stood and set enough Huang down to cover both of the men's drinks. "My gratitude for sending some extra Huang my way. I'll meet you at the gate in an hour or so." With that, the magician walked out of the door and headed towards his home, preparing a tent and thing he would need for their journey.

It didn't take long before Hiro approached the gates of Heliohapt. The noblewoman and her two military guards already stood there, waiting. The woman even looked as though she had been waiting there for a good while until one of them showed up. One of the guards was holding a parasol, angling it so that it blocked the sun's rays from the woman's seemingly "delicate" skin. The other guard acted as a sentry. His eyes scanning all directions to ensure that no unwanted visitors interrupted the woman's rest. He placed his hand on the butt of his sword and cleared his throat as he was trying to figure out the lack of people lately.

The three were snatched from their thoughts, however, with the arrival of Hiro. The woman was the first to react. She smiled and crossed her legs. She was glad to see the ex soldier coming her way. It had been a long time since she saw the Red Star of the North Eastern army in action. This would be a sight that she could not have passed up. It was the sole reason she approached the two at the tavern. Hiro was a familiar face. She didn't completely trust the people of Heliohapt, even though she was there on for diplomatic affairs with the Pharaoh and Vizier of Heliohapt. Due to their diplomatic presence, the woman was offered protection by guards of the Golden Palace, but she preferred her own men.

"Artemus! I'm so glad to see you so soon! Where is your little friend? The Heliohaptian." As the woman's question left her lips, Kaveh began to come into view, a smile on his face "I'm here. Were you worried?" The red magician seemed to not have a care in the world. He was wearing his cloak, red pants, and sandals, as usual. However, he did have a bag strewn across his shoulders as well. If the port truly was three days away, he would need his own sleeping arrangements.

The long haired magician nodded towards the red haired man across from him and then looked back to the woman and her two guards. "So. Which port are you going to again?" The noblewoman was a little taken aback by the formality that the man addressed her. She was on nobility. This man seemed poorer than the commoners of Kou. His attire was so bland and base. She could barely take the man seriously. However, Hiro seemed rather attached to the man. He was the one that he recommended to come along. So, if only for his sake, she would deal with the man. "Port Gyrna."

The woman's short answered transferred much more information to Kaveh than she potentially wanted. He could feel the annoyance from her towards him. It made the man want to laugh, but he resisted the urge. Instead he nodded and thought for a moment. "Alright then. Good news: Port Gyrna is not a three day trek. If we leave now and make good time, we should be able to get there tomorrow evening." Without another word, Kaveh began walking towards the gate and exiting the city of Heliohapt.

Kaveh was glad to see that the other four followed him out of the city. When the guards gave Kaveh a suspicious look, the woman flashed them a slip that excused the magician's temporary leave from the city. He was surprised at how well his name was known by the guards. His work with the Historical Society seemed to have brought him a bit of attention. Either way, the man was allowed to leave the city without much prosecution. I guess I owe her a little bit of something... I'll help keep her safe. He thought to himself. As far as he knew, he was the only one in the group with past experience of the cultists that began to rise and become a plague on the desert country. He knew what they were capable of and was prepared to act against them.

Putting the thoughts of danger behind him, the magician kept his eyes sharp ahead of him. He didn't want to get blindsided by whatever may have shown up. While the red magician led the way with the two soldiers behind him, forming a triangle, the noblewoman slowed her pace to walk alongside the other man that was hired as her temporary body guard. She walked with her fingers wrapped around a small parasol. She kept her eyes on the three men ahead of them and cleared her throat a bit, trying to draw Hiro's attention to her. "So, Artemus. Did you truly leave our military for such a shoddy life as this? Working as a mercenary amidst these dreadful sand dunes? Its such a shame! You could have quickly been promoted with your skills. What made you want to leave?" The woman looked out of the corner of her eyes at the taller man. She was truly confused as to why he wanted to leave in the first place, and she was hopeful that he wouldn't be as shut in as he was before. If Hiro remained the silent titan that he had been before, the woman would huff dramatically and pout the rest of the way until the group set up camp.

The sun began to set, prompting Kaveh to find a place for the group to set up tents. He passed out food that he prepared beforehand and began setting up tents as the group ate. He didn't feel it was very important to have them worry about those things. He WAS their guide after all. The noblewoman scoffed at, what she thought were, the attempts to bribe her and win her favor. One of her guards "tasted" the meal in order to soothe her suspicions of the man. Although she was in Heliohapt for diplomatic procedures, she did not trust the desert country. Kaveh quickly and quietly ate his helping of dinner and looked to Hiro briefly, "I guess it'd be best if we stayed and took watch. I took a short nap after we left the bar, so I'll be fine for a while. Take some rest if you need to."

---

When the sun would rise again, Kaveh would rise with it. He took a couple of naps during the night, trying to keep them short enough to where he wouldn't leave a huge opening for the group, but long enough to where his body felt rejuvenated. He made quick work of the camp, striking the tents and packing them back up. "We're not far now. We'll get there a little sooner than I predicted. Hopefully we won't have to sleep in the sands again, haha!" The two guards were silent, and the noblewoman was being quite diva-ish. Even more so than usual. I guess no one's a morning person.. He thought to himself as he turned back towards their route and began to walk again.

It wasn't long before things stared to go astray. As Kaveh was leading them towards the Port City, two forms appeared a ways ahead of them. Kaveh's eyes narrowed at the sight and his suspicion began to grow. ...This can't be good. He thought to himself as he took the likelihood of running into random travelers on this route. As the two figured got closer, they vanished. This caused Kaveh to stop in his tracks, the group behind him following suit. The magician looked from side to side, feeling as though he was hallucinating what had just happened. When his mind began to ease, the magician took a step and the two figures reappeared. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to see them until it was too late. One assassin's dagger found its way into the throat of one of the guards. Kaveh turned to see what happened, but was unable to see the assassin appear behind him.

The assassin slashed at Kaveh, but the rukh swarmed to protect the magician too fast for the assassin's attack. The feeling of the concentrated rukh drew the magician's attention. Another one. Salamander's breath! Kaveh's grip on his wand tightened as the magoi rushed from it to his mouth while he was turning around. The borg that surrounded him, revealing to those who could see it that he was a magician, shattered. The moment it did, flames rushed from Kaveh's mouth and engulfed his attacker. The body was surrounded in flames and struggled for a moment before forfeiting its fight for life.

The other assassin made his way towards the noblewoman and the fanalis. His attention seemed to be on the woman, though...

Kaveh's eyes darted to the side as he heard a thud. The sound of the assassin's body hitting the sand was louder than it should have been. Is Hiro really that strong? The magician thought to himself. He then thought about what happened. What the people around him just witnessed. Granted, three of those people are no longer alive, but the others... Kaveh cleared his throat and adjusted his cloak a bit. He didn't want to bring too much attention or give the others too much time to say anything about his being a magician. The long haired red magician stood straight again and looked at the people still standing. One guard down... two assassins.. What is this woman's actual purpose here? He thought to himself before smiling at the group.

"Well, we're all okay? Good. We should get to moving again. We're not that far from the port." Kaveh turned around from them and started to walk again. His eyes were set on the destination. Just gotta get her there... then we will be fine. He thought to himself. He was attempting to convince himself that his journey was almost over and that he would be able to relax soon. He knew it was a lie... but it was still nice to assure himself of it.

He wasn't completely wrong, though. The group would soon find themselves in a smaller town. At least, it was small in comparison to the capitol of Heliohapt. The city itself wasn't very small. It was second only to Heliohapt in the vast desert. The port was the main reason. Its income was enough to keep up with the capitol due to them dealing with the outside traders often. Despite the size of the port, Kaveh walked among the streets as if he was raised there as well. It didn't take the magician long at all to reach the port and to begin speaking with the bargemen and finding the man in charge of schedules for boats going in and out.

It was then that the woman took over. Kaveh blinked as she stepped passed him and began speaking with the official. Her tone was partly seductive and condescending all in one. Kaveh sighed and shook his head, chuckling a bit. He walked out of the office and found his way back to Hiro. He figured that the man wouldn't have been far. He was still under contract, but he wasn't one for the crowded rooms. Kaveh attempted a bit of small talk with the man, nothing personal. "The smell of the air here is a bit better than in Heliohapt. Must be because of the ocean. What do you think?"

A few minutes passed, giving Kaveh and Hiro a bit of time to talk about random things. Then the woman came out of the building in a huff. She was obviously upset about her conversation, but Kaveh didn't speak up to her to inquire as to what the cause of her frustration was. He didn't need to. She dramatically leaned against Hiro, seeking, begging, for his attention and sympathy. "Oh Artemus! He said that our boat wouldn't be here until the morning! Please stay with us one more night. I wouldn't be able to sleep easy without someone of your prowess with me. I've already lost a guard to these merciless sands. I would hate to lose another and then my life!"

Kaveh sighed and watched the woman cling to the fanalis he was attempting to have a conversation with. Of course. She's so needy for some reason. He thought to himself as his eyes drifted from the two for only a moment. The red magician lifted his pipe up to his mouth and started to focus his magoi, lighting the tobacco that was packed into the bowl of it. He sighed out a cloud of smoke, beginning to tune the woman's words out. He leaned his back against the building, scolding himself at how much information about himself the group knew. Hiro now knew that Kaveh was a magician. Whether he had an idea of Kaveh's competency with magic or not was still to be seen, but it puts Kaveh in a position that he wouldn't be able to take the man by surprise if necessary.

There wasn't much more to the situation going on next to him until Hiro's voice raised, something that Kaveh definitely was not used to. The magician's eyes bolted over to Hiro as he pummeled the face of another assassin. How... How did he know that he was near? What are you Hiro? The magician inquired to himself. The warning coming from Hiro put Kaveh on high alert. He looked around for any sign of an attack, but couldn't see anything immediately. Maybe... maybe he was just imagining.. A shriek from the woman rung out as the guard clashed swords with another assailant. "There! Clamp!"

Kaveh's quick command gave sudden life to the rukh of fire within the air. Two large jets of flames, in the shape of arms, appeared on either side of the assassin. The arms then proceeded to close in on him, while the guard leapt backwards to a safe distance. The assassin fell to the ground, covered in flames. This sight was starting to become more and more familiar to the magician. The talent of his magic going more towards eliminating another, moreso than helping his life be made easier. Before his thoughts became too dark, the magician shook himself free of them.

"Well. That was exciting, huh? How about... we get some rest. We'll see you in the morning, m'lady." Kaveh didn't give the woman much time to respond as he nodded towards the guard. The man escorted his employer up to a room in a nearby inn. Kaveh sighed and looked to Hiro. "We should keep watch tonight. To make sure nothing else happens.."

---

The night went by surprisingly quickly. The group was no longer plagued by any attempts on the woman's life. When the sun rose, the noblewoman rose with it. She seemed giddy, down right elated! She would be leaving soon. Away from this hot hell hole that she had come to know as Heliohapt. She didn't waste any time either. With her escorts behind her, the woman quickly made her way to the port and onto the ship heading back to the Kou homeland.

Back on shore, Kaveh was holding a small bag filled with Huang and Hiro with another. Kaveh chuckled and tucked the bag away into his pocket. "I guess we should head back now, huh?"

Hiro nodded back towards Kaveh and the magician grinned. He unfastened the cloak from his shoulders and fed a bit of his magoi into the cloth. Once it received the red magician's energy, the fabric stiffened and began to levitate in front of the two. Hiro looked to Kaveh a bit bewildered about what was going on. "Well... its my flying carpet." Kaveh smiled at the fanalis and leapt onto the floating carpet and motioned for Hiro to join him. The fanalis followed suit hesitantly, and before he could speak to Kaveh, the carpet began to fly towards Heliohapt with blazing speed.