"It's'an exotic instrument, from across the sea. An ambassador brought it as a peace offerin' ta tha Western Elven Navy... which my mother represents. She had no use for it, so she passed it off to me. I took ta' it like a fish ta' water." Mai'dre rested his instrument case up against one of the stable's posts. "Might've been what started me towards bein' a bard. I mean, I hadn't played beyond a piano before then, but strings... well, actually plucking the things, rather than pressing keys, just resonated with me."

Mai'dre watched the cat's approach. "Ah, darling." Mai'dre turned his affections toward the cat. "It's alright. She must know I have a way with animals of all sorts." He crouched down, laying his hands against the tiger's jawline, fingers ruffling the fur around her ears. "Hunting animal? Exotic. I like it." He smiled up at Lathrine. "Definitely not tame, huh? I still got a little wood elf in me I guess. Can't completely separate the breeds." Mai'dre sighed, looking back at Rose. "Rose, huh? Not sure if she means the flower or the thorns, does she?"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rose tipped her head back, allowing Mai'dre better access to scratch her ears. As she twisted around for the best scratching spot, there was a deep, rough almosting growling sound-- like something really wanted to be a purr, but couldn't quite make it the whole way. When Mai'dre looked up and offered a smile, Lathrine returned the gesture with a small one of her own. "Not tame, but not exactly wild either. I've had her since she was a kitten. Guess you could say... gettin' her was kinda like my sitar moment." She folded her arms over her chest, holding the horse's reins very loosely in her hand. "She's not just a hunting animal, either. She's very intelligent-- understands common as well as you or I do. Figure it's not too long before she starts speaking it."

In fact, Mai'dre turning his attention back to Rose and addressing her directly seemed to please her. With another loud 'purr' Rose bumped her head against Mai'dre's chin, dropping her front paws (and her weight) on his shoulders to more effectively rub against the side of his head.

Mai'dre pushed back the best he could. He shortly gave up and fell back against the stable floor, wind rushing out of him. "Rose, please." He inhaled deeply, feeling his shoulders pushing into straw and wood and gods know what else. "Understanding, maybe, but not speaking. Not with this mouth." He ran his hand down the side of her jaw. "No way she k'in make the noises necessary to speak common. Magical intervention k'in do a lot, but... Rose please." Mai'dre pushed on Rose's chest. "I know, I know, I'm lovely, but I need my shoulders, darling."

Lathrine shrugged a little, watching Rose carefully as she rubbed into Mai'dre. "You'd be surprised. For a while there, I travelled with a wolf that could speak both common. There was definitely somethin' fishy going on with him, but y'never know. Rose." Lathrine dropped the reins and stepped towards Mai'dre and Rose. As she spoke, something in her voice changed, just a little, and Rose looked over as her ears pricked up. "C'mon now, he asked nice. Let him up."

Rose purred again, bumping into Mai'dre's cheek one last time before she slid back off his front, padding around to rub against Lathrine's leg. Lathrine disregarded her, bending over to offer Mai'dre a hand up with a slight, apologetic smile. "Sorry. She doesn't usually jump on people like that. You okay?"

Mai'dre kipped himself up, pulling down on Lathrine's hand for leverage. He flicked his hands across the front of his vest, brushing invisible dust and hay from the embroidery. He tugged on the tails on the back of his vest in an attempt to dislodge the straw that was actually attached to him. "Fine. Like I said, I have a way with animals. Sometimes too much o'one. Gets me into trouble sometimes. But... Nothin' can resist a nice magic infused lullaby." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted every one of them. With a grimace, he ducked back down to pay attention to Rose. "No matter how smart they are." He finished, digging himself a few extra feet into the proverbial hole.

Mai'dre was careful to brace himself as he knelt down on one knee next to Rose, running his hands through the fur ridge that ran along the back of her jaw. "Not that I need to help a cat to sleep." Just thinking of the idea rewarded him with a single, deep yawn. "Ah, pardon. Long day. Not enough food." He wiped a tear from his eye with the back of his wrist. Mai'dre stood up once again, all too suddenly extremely close to Lathrine. He slipped away, leading his retreat with one foot directly to the side, then matching with the other, like some dance step only he was privy to. He bowed awkwardly, gesturing to the stable door. "Shall we?"

Even as Mai'dre braced himself, Rose tried to butt her head under his chin, placing a paw on his knee with a purr. As if some extra-forceful affection and purring would get him to register whatever point she was trying to get across. Whatever it was, Lathrine was at a loss-- given her status as a hunter companion Rose wasn't the most affectionate of animals, so this behavior was odd enough it had to mean something. But it couldn't have been too terrible important, because when Mai'dre tried to stand up, Rose slid her paw off and inched back to let him stand up-- nearly into Lathrine, as it would turn out.

Lathrine stepped back as Mai'dre stepped to the side, opening the space between them quick as you like and letting the brief closeness die in a professional manner. His hole digging had gone over her head, she was so distracted by Rose's unusual affection, and Lathrine nodded absentmindedly. "The evening's only gonna get longer, best stay ahead of the fatigue until we've found some place." She clicked at the horse, and without pause both mount and companion followed her out the stables. As she passed ahead of him, Lathrine clapped a hand to Mai'dre's shoulder and offered a slight smile. "And we'll see about getting some food in you. I did promise, after all. C'mon, I think I saw a place earlier-- so long as you don't mind a bit of a walk."

--

The second inn was maybe a half an hour from the first, and while it wasn't exactly upscale-- it was clean, which showed at the worn edges that betrayed harsh scrubbings, and quiet enough that the volume of general conversation didn't grate on the ears or exceed loud murmur. The customers seemed to be a more mellow lot, but that was just going off the fact that no one was taking shots at the bar maids or throwing mugs about. Looks could be deceiving, and the night was still young.

Having already passed Rose and her horse off to a stablehand, Lathrine led the way inside, forging past several tables in favor of one a bit more central back and closer to the fire. Judging by the occupied tables she passed by, the food definitely looked edible, at the very least. As Lathrine found an acceptable table and was dropping her bag in a chair, she spun around to make sure Mai'dre had followed her path through the room. "I'm thinkin' this looks better than the last place. Thoughts?"

Mai'dre lurched slightly at the sudden contact. He nervously licked his lower lip with the tip of his tongue, then bit down softly, rolling his lip between his teeth. "Ah well," he came out of his sudden stupor. "People travel all o'er the world fer th' finer things. Not sure how long a 'bit o'a walk' is ta you ranger-y types, but," and he shrugged, falling into step behind Lathrine, "'m sure I kin take it." Mai'dre finished with a smirk. His face fell once he noted that Lathrine's cloak was much more voluminous than he had originally anticipated, especially when she walked. Still, he walked, lengthening his stride to match Lathrine's pace and walk alongside her instead, and he talked.

--

Mai'dre continued talking all the way into the next tavern, wittering on and on about inane, pointless things, only once or twice broaching a subject that could have been interesting had he been any other person. Mai'dre stripped off his cloak and leather pauldrons once he approached the table Lathrine indicated. Too warm, too dry, but he was never one to complain. Out loud. Where anyone could hear him. "Nice." He made sure not to sound too impressed. Casually, he added, "little warm for me, but hey. Whatever suits ya."

Mai'dre didn't sound overly impressed by the tavern, but he really didn't need to be. If he didn't like it, he could buy his own dinner; Lathrine wasn't walking to yet another inn. Not tonight. "A little," she conceded, "but it's nice." Lathrine spent a moment fiddling with the buckles on her bag, making sure everything was secure, and after using that moment to deliberate she undid the clasp on her cloak. She shrugged it off her shoulders, showing off her studded leather and revealing the beautiful bow strapped to her back, before tossing the cloak over her bag and dropping into a chair in a very final sort of manner.

Lathrine gingerly leaned back in her chair, draping one arm over the back and massaging her neck with the other hand. "'Sides, nothin' wrong with being a little extra warm when you're startin' to wind down for the night. Makes it easier to get to sleep." So did being drunk off your mind, but for any number of reasons-- tonight didn't seem like it'd be going that way. Without her usual sleep aid in the picture, she'd take all the help she could get.

Mai'dre smirked. "Aye, but, like mos' bards, I am a creature of the night. Wasn't plannin' on winding down for another few hours." Mai'dre half-attempted to stifle a yawn with the back of his wrist and failed spectacularly. Instead, he flicked his hand up and beckoned a waitress to their table, glancing around at the nearby tables for something that looked particularly appetizing. Well, appetizing and not too generous. It was on her purse, after all, and, while her tip had been generous, it was nothing compared to what he made adventuring. Tight purse or... Mai'dre paused. Hard times. Probably. Much like himself. "Lamb, potatoes, extra gravy... nice pint of something decent, anythin' but dwarven. I don' like drinkin' dust, to be quite honest." He flashed the barmaid a toothy, lopsided and all-too-endearing grin. After a long moment of taking her in, a decent human, maybe a strain of elf in her, not enough to actually change anything but her overall complexion, he turned his attention back to Lathrine. "Bein' warm is, honestly, one of m'favorite things though. Long, lonely nights on the road don't cut it for a socialite like m'self. Society is where it's at." He raised his head to look around the tavern, smiling wistfully. "Always."

Ah, good- Mai'dre was one step ahead of her. She'd planned on summoning a waitress soon as Mai'dre had sat down, but the sooner they got their food ordered the better. "Same as him for food, but..." Lathrine lolled her head to one side, thinking for a moment, "Something lighter than whatever he gets. Maybe wine, if you have any, but for gods' sake nothing Elven." Too expensive for one-- besides which, it was unlikely a place like this would have any-- but it could get just as strong as the most renowned Dwarven stuff. Eugh.

The waitress-- pretty enough in her own right, but not really up Lathrine's alley-- promised only a moment's wait before leaving with their orders. Catching the tail-end of Mai'dre's ogling, Lathrine rolled her eyes dramatically with a lighthearted smirk-- but didn't comment. "Mm. I tried rubbin' elbows with the socialites, but 's just not for me. I don't do society that well, I guess, we just don't mix. Give me the long nights on the road any day-- it's easier, so long as you have a party." She paused again, eyes trained on his wistful smile for a moment before following his lead and flicking out over the tavern. "... That said, I can see the attraction."

Mai'dre watched the waitress go, then turned his devillish smirk to Lathrine. "Somethin' lighter, huh?" He instantly keyed to Lathrine's change of pace, latching on and teasing mercilessly. "What was that back at the other place then? Puttin' on a big show for the dirty tripe, then we come somewhere a bit nicer and yer not so interested in drinkin'? Why the change of heart?" He drilled, stacking his hands one on the other on the table in front of him, quirking his head to the side slightly. "Or are ya a little more fond of the attention and wann'a enjoy it a bit longer?" Mai'dre finished smoothly and folded his fingers together, never once letting his smirk drop.

Lathrine snorted, wishing she had something to sip at, and crossed her ankle over her knee. "Please. I told you back at th' other place, I don't drink myself into a stupor when I'm drinkin' with people I don't know. 'Sides, it's not pretty when I do. I'll still drink, but not to that extent, and I don't trust myself with anything stronger. Besides--" Without standing up, Lathrine imitated his smirk and offered a flourishing bow that was only half mocking and sent a spray of long blue hair tumbling over her face. She straightened after a moment and wove her fingers together, letting her hair do what it wished as it fell back into place. "Think of how hard it'd be to enjoy your company and attention, if I was drinkin' my way to oblivion. And regardless," she said rather absentmindedly, "you're complainin' an awful lot for someone getting a free meal. What's it to you, anyways?"

"What it is to me," Mai'dre responded with equal parts sudden eloquence and sustained sardonicism. He even pulled the band from his long blond hair and shook it loose, actually unsure of how to respond to Lathrine's body language. He reciprocated, combing his fingers through his hair, shaking out the pinch where the bow had rested against the back of his skull. "Is a conversation. You can get just as drunk on weak alcohol as you can on strong. It just takes significantly more time, coin, and trips to the outhouse." Mai'dre had lost most, if not all, of his accent, speaking perfect Elven with no hint of dialect, drawl, or slur, countering Lathrine's sudden flippant nature. "As for complainin'," he dropped his eloquence before he overdid it, "now that's just in my nature. Nothin' ta do with present company or the nature of our bill."

The sudden switch to perfect, eloquent Elven-- combined with Mai'dre shaking out his, quite frankly, beautiful hair-- threw Lathrine for a loop, and she wasn't entirely sure how to respond. In that moment, Mai'dre probably could've passed for someone higher in the social class. Had her-- had her joking prod at all his talk of socialites and how she was seeking more attention from him...? Well, it pretty clearly didn't hit home. Damn. Untangling her fingers, Lathrine ran a hand through her hair, shaking it out and calming it down from the wildness the failed joke had caused.

After a moment she disguised as thinking, Lathrine responded with her own smooth Elven. "That's fair. But that's also the point of drinkin' wine instead of something stronger-- to me, at least. It takes more effort and more money to get drunk off it. 'S just not worth it, and makes a better social drink than anything else. Doesn't even taste that good."

The waitress reappeared, juggling their plates and drinks. It only took her a moment to situate everything, and as she left Lathrine switched back to Common with a polite incline of her head. "-- Thank you."

Mai'dre swept his hair back, letting the front most sections drape over his shoulders as he reclined, satisfied with whatever had just happened. Lathrine hadn't taken her first opportunity to splash the wine all over his nice clothes, so that was good. One fewer trip to the tailor for a bleaching and embroidery.

"Thank'ya." Mai'dre's Common wasn't as strange as his Elven when he spoke. The human trade tongue was made for all sorts of dialects, including his western accent. "Guess the point o'drinkin' isn't always ta get drunk?" Mai'dre smirked condescendingly. He lifted his pint for a aimless toast.

Lathrine rolled her eyes at his smirk, but raised her glass nonetheless. "Well, that's usually my intended purpose when drinking. But there's always an exception." She leaned forward slightly to clink her glass to Mai'dre's mug, settling back into her chair afterwards. "In my experience, drunkards don't often make good conversational partners. When they do, it's usually a sign that you're just as drunk as they are."

After just a sip of the wine-- still as unsatisfying as she remembered it to be-- Lathrine set it down in favor of nibbling at one of the potatoes. Which weren't bad, but weren't quite what she had wanted. Damn. Should've asked for greens instead. "Where are you from, anyways? Never met an elf quite like you before."

"Me? 'M from the west. I mean, West west. Not quite o'er the sea, but damn near close. 'M a coastal elf, historically o'th'High Navy. 'M father, head o'm'house, is an Admiral or somethin' o'er there. Siblings are all officers at this point. Honestly couldn't care less. I don' fancy a life at sea. Not m'style. Too much bein' told where ta go and not enough choice in any matter. 'Mai'dre, go here. Mai'dre rig that sail. Mai'dre, why are you sleeping? Get back ta yer post!' Couldn't stand it long enough to make rank. So I left an' went ta college. Learned to sing an' play instruments an' write songs. Be a chronicler of some kind. What's a brave Navy officer without a good story, huh? But yanno, when you close a proverbial door in someone's literal face, they ain't so keen on openin' it back up ta ya the second time." Mai'dre smiled, casting his gaze into his beer. "So I'm out here, eekin' out a livin' as best I can."

"Mmm." Lathrine sat back and cradled her wine, listening to Mai'dre as he started to ramble on, not even trying to get a word in edgewise. As he started to slow down, she spoke up. "Military doesn't sound too bad, but I could never do Navy. Ocean life is too restricting for me-- just in terms of how little of anything there is when you're not at port. But-- wood elf versus coastal elf, I guess. Still, I don't blame ya for gettin' out. College 's a better use of time."

She sipped at the wine again, making herself go back to the potatoes right after, and shrugged. "'Sides, this isn't a bad living. Not great, but-- could be worse, eh?"

"Could be livin' on the street." Mai'dre barked out a laugh that came across as far too confident and self-serving. "Eh, rather, could be unable ta get a room by any means. Workin' fer room and board in that kind'a bar isn't far off from livin' on the street. But hey, I could be tryin' ta duel off wi'tha' bard you kept goin' on about." Mai'dre put down his beer and set about cutting a chunk his lamb. He pushed it into his potatoes, getting a good mix of his dinner going already. He jabbed the loaded fork at Lathrine before continuing. "But that's all in tha' past." And he shoved the food in his mouth to have an excuse to stop talking.

Mai'dre's comment brought an imagine to mind, and Lathrine couldn't help but snort out a laugh at it. This pretty, bardic elf going toe to toe with that lustful drunkard dwarf she had called a party member... For just a moment she bent over her plate, resting her forehead on her wrist as a grin spread across her face. "Gods above, please don't duel that bard. I don't care that he's dead-- he was absolutely disgusting, and no one should've been touchin' 'im as much as they did. You don't deserve that."

Following suit, Lathrine shoved a forkful of food into her mouth to shut herself up, washing it down with a slosh of wine that was more a punishment than anything else. She swallowed hard. "-- But, you aren't livin' on the streets, aren't wastin' your life in the Navy, and you get to do somethin' you love for a living. Could be better--" Lathrine tipped her head to the side and sipped at her wine again, as if drinking enough of it would make it palpable to her. ".. But, like you said, could be a lot worse. When there's work, doesn't sound like it'd be half bad. Guess you could say that about anythin', though."