Fun after the Dance [Lexi]

[shou]

Shou stepped past Lexi into the inn, robes rippling behind him. He felt uncertain about letting a lady hold open the door for him but let the feeling slide. Upon entering he could smell the odours of food and drink hang in the air. There was a clashing mix of conversations and the occasional shot of laughter as well as the clear 'chink's' of silverware and full glasses, not too different from other inns. He spied an empty table close to a half opened window and began to make his way towards it after letting Lexi know the seats he chose.

The wooden seats had a clear view of the inn, not to mention access to any incoming breezes. The table bore a few spills from the previous occupants but that was cleared away immediately by Shou before anyone else could notice. Before taking his own seat he pulled out Lexi's chair, waiting for her to sit first. Old habits were hard to break, let along forget. For now, Shou was content with keeping the values of old times.
"Have a seat," He said. "I'd like to know where you learnt to play a violin like that."

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Lexi followed Shou across the Inn. Some of the patrons noticed her and Lexi politely waved to them. One must keep the fan base happy after all. Lexi loved the Demens Inn, although it had been a while since she had performed here. The owner apparently didn’t like riots in confined spaces…Lexi sat in her chair, sitting forward a bit so as to not crush her wings. “Thank you again. Its nice to see chivalry alive and well.”

Lexi raised a hand, signaling the barkeep to send someone over. “My sisters taught me originally. I spent a long time traveling, though. Picked up all kinds of tricks. Its amazing what you can learn from random beings.” Lexi smiled. “And you? What do you do to occupy your time?”

[shou]

Shou took his seat, taking care not to rumple or crease his clothing. It takes a lot of work to clean and press this clothes. He listened carefully of her short recount and nodded his head in agreement when she talked about traveling. Smoothing out his sleeves, he folded his hands on the table before he spoke.
"I do anything that will keep me busy whenever I'm not attending to patients." He replied. It occurred to him then, that Lexi did not know what he did for a living. Even if he do it for his own satisfaction. Feeling more comfortable he decided that it wouldn't hurt for her to know.

"I'm a physician by the way." He said with a smile. Unconsciously, he brushed back a strand of his hair that became unfixed. The more he talked the more he seemed to be at ease. "But I don't exactly had a large number of patients so I end up too much spare time. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

And there it was. The puzzle, although not complete, was falling into place. A physician; Lexi’s mind spun as she contemplated the possibilities. She enjoyed learning about medical practices, and found them quite useful when applied in a reverse engineering type way that had nothing to do with healing the…victim.

“A physician? Well now, my chosen profession somewhat pales in comparison.” Lexi gave Shou a playful smile. "You help people. Having spare time isn’t a bad thing. I would imagine its more like a reward.”

A thought occurred to her and Lexi paused, thinking of the best way to phrase the question. “This may sound strange, but some of my…fans claim to be from other worlds. That part I believe. Others also claim it makes them immortal. They say that if they die, they will be resurrected. That part I question.” She didn’t really. Lexi had seen the process herself. It frustrated her to no end. “Have you run across anything like that before or is it just beings out to impress?”

A waitress arrived, asking what the two would like to drink. Lexi ordered a bottle of red wine. She raised an eyebrow at Shou, waiting to see if he would care to split the wine.

[shou]

Shou nodded to say that he would split the wine but his thoughts were pondering her question. One could almost see his thoughts racing around his mind. While thinking he fiddled with a dark blue ring on his right hand and reminded silent for a moment before raising his head to answer.
"I am immortal," He said plainly, without flourish. "As long as there is air I will not perish. As for being resurrected, I have seen some cases where I believe it happens."

Shou cocked his head to the side thinking of the best way to phrase his next sentence and wondering if this was what Lexi had meant.
"Once, I saw a heavily injured man disappear only to reappear completely healed two days later. Other times they weren't human and sometimes they weren't creatures that were supposed to be living at all. Is this what you mean?"

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

A wind spirit? A puzzled look crossed Lexi’s face, but she quickly quashed it. That actually explained a bit about Shou’s appearance. Lexi had met other creatures claiming to be wind spirits; they had been childish, immature, almost like fairies. Shou must be quite a bit older. Lexi made a mental note that he was off limits as a meal, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Shou actually could be killed.

“I would imagine that’s what my fans were talking about.” Shou’s description was exactly what Lexi meant. It was good to know she was not the only one to have witness the phenomenon first hand. Again, she filed the information away for a later time.

The waitress returned with the wine, placing it and two empty glasses on the table. Lexi poured the wine and held a glass out to Shou. “That must be a bit tiring, lonely. Being immortal that is. Still, I must admit, I’m a tad jealous.” Lexi picked her glass up as well and held it out. “A toast, to the strange world we live in.”

[shou]

Shou took the glass, blinking twice as he received it. He had never thought being immortal was tiring or lonely before, not that many wind spirits become tired or lonely. By this time he was used to the quick comings and goings of the world around him. He stared into his glass, wondering why Lexi would be jealous. She would live a full and vibrant life where he had to constantly search for events that would unfold themselves in the future. But even so, he preferred his current lifestyle.

"A toast." Shou raised his glass and tapped it lightly against Lexi's, smiling before he took a sip.
"The world is strange. Even after all these years I still learn something new almost every day." He took another sip of the wine. The smell and taste was strong to him but he felt that he would like it after a while.

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Lexi tapped her glass against Shou’s and proceeded to drain half of it. She gave him a sly smile. Wine wasn’t usually Lexi’s drink of choice; she preferred her drinks to have a higher alcohol content. The taste was pleasant, though.

“I would imagine you get to see all sorts of interesting things in your line of work. Do you have a shop here in Demens? Or are you more the ‘wandering apothecary’ type?” Lexi finished her wine and poured another glass. Lexi’s interested extended beyond mere politeness. A physician meant injured beings; and injured beings meant a quick meal if need be.

[shou]

"I'm a little bit of both." Shou looked out the window towards the plains where an old building stood unseen from where he sat. "I have a clinic in that building on the plains. If you ever need me you can find me there. It's a big place but my clinic is hard to miss."

Shou had decorated his spotless clinic with a variety of wind chimes for his own amusement, but it provided his patients the ability to know if he was there or not. Physician or not, he was never able to stay on one place for very long. He swirled the remaining wine around his cup and said, "But like I said before, I don't have many patients so I'm usually wandering around."

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Lexi followed Shou’s gaze out the window. She knew the building he was referring to, although she had never explored it much. The place made her uneasy, which was a rare feeling for Lexi. She had even heard rumors ghosts walked its ruined halls. “Thought that building was haunted. Guess it was just you, huh?”

Lexi took another sip of wine. “So now we know the who, what, when, and where, but not the why. There must be a story behind why you are a physician. I imagine it goes deeper than a thirst for knowledge.” Her inquiry was quite personal, but Lexi wanted to see how Shou would react. Would he surprise her again by answering or dodge the query? It was all part of the game.

[shou]

Shou raised his cup to take another drink, not because he was thirsty but to hide some of his bashfulness. This wasn't the first time he was mistaken as some kind of ghost. He could hardly blame them, although ghosts and wind spirits are completely different they share similarities in appearance, when of course they chose to be visible.

“So now we know the who, what, when, and where, but not the why. There must be a story behind why you are a physician. I imagine it goes deeper than a thirst for knowledge.”
Lexi's inquiry made Shou fiddle with his ring again. Old memories the thought he had forgotten were dragged into his consciousness making him relive the moment again. He was not entirely comfortable with speaking about how he began his life as a physiacian as it was the moment where he felt fear for the first time, and hopefully the last.

"It happened a long time ago..." Damn his inability to lie. It sounded as if he had more to say but shou did not speak a word after that.

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Ah well. She had pushed the poor man enough. Giving Shou an apologetic smile, Lexi said, “Sounds like there’s a story there, which just makes me more curious. You’ll have to let me in on it someday.”

Lexi waved her glass, symbolically brushing the conversation aside. “So tell me about your taste in music. From your dancing earlier, you seem to enjoy a fast pace. Perhaps I can work something into next week’s concert that’d be to your liking.”

Lexi downed her glass again and giggled at Shou. In truth, this wasn’t near enough alcohol to have an effect on her but there was no harm in pretending. She refilled her glass then held the bottle out towards Shou. “Not going to make me finish this on my own, are you?”

[shou]

Shou's ears perked up at the mention of a story then settles back down again as it turned out it was his story she was referring to. Wordlessly, he extended his glass out to her letting her pour in some more wine. Shou was not sure if he could get drunk or not but he did not want to be responsible for getting a lady drunk.

"I enjoy fast paced music, yes." He took a sip to lessen the amount in his cup, "It makes me feel... uplifted. But sometimes, as long as the music is happy, a slow paced song if good too."

((Sorry it's short Dx I'm in a rush today.))

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Lexi bit her lip, contemplating Shou’s taste. Without thinking, she drained her entire glass and filled it again, emptying the bottle. She absently signaled the bartender to bring another bottle. Her mind was lost, contemplating songs she could use for the concert.

“You know,” Lexi half looked at Shou, mind still else where, “I may know the perfect song for you. Uplifting, pace is moderate, need a guitar though, hrm.” Lexi drank half her glass again, finally snapping out of her trance. “Can you play an instrument? Or sing? I bet you have a unique singing voice.”


(( No worries ))

[shou]

Shou vaguely remembered playing a bamboo flute a long time ago but, that was probably the only time the music he played sounded good. He certainly could not sing, or at least never tried to. He knew of other wind spirits who could sing beautifully but, all Shou ever did was howl whenever he flew fast enough. These days the only kind of music anyone heard from Shou was when he brushes against his wind chimes at his clinic. He had not realized that Lexi finished the bottle until the next one was brought.

"I don't have much of a singing voice but, I can play the flute. Although, I haven't tried to play one in over, " Shou stretched his memory back but found that he was unable to judge the time. Was it a couple of decades? Maybe even a century? Whatever it was Shou moved on quickly, "A very long time." He finished. For some reason or another he thought ahead to where this might be headed and quickly added, "I don't intend to play the flute for another decade or so either."
Feeling a little flustered he poured himself another glass of wine.

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Lexi laughed and gave Shou a broad smile. “Pity. I could use an accompanist every now and again. I haven’t had a worthy student for a long time either.” Unfortunate and true. The last couple apprentices Lexi had proved to be disappointingly unworthy. Tasty, though.

She drained her glass again, finally feeling the warmth of a buzz wash over her. She let out a sigh of contentment. It was nice just sitting and talking for once. She was still on a bit of an adrenaline high from the dance but the alcohol was doing a fine job of curbing the feeling. It didn't quite dull the need to hunt that was always clawing at the back of her mind though.

“Are you affected….effected….” Lexi giggled again, taking another drink. She made a mental note to cut herself off after the bottle was empty and go home, maybe “…by alcohol? You must have one fascinating physiology.” and taste. Could she even kill and eat a spirit? Would he taste like air? Lexi laughed at the thought. “Now that I think about it, can you shape shift?”

[shou]

Shou drank deeply from him cup, draining half. He felt that he was beginning to get used to the taste.

"I think I am effected by alcohol, but not quite the same way as most people." Last time Shou became 'drunk' he nearly caused a tornado, much to the irritation of the bartender and fellow drinkers.
"I tend to loose some control over my form and become over energized." As he was speaking the breeze outside had noticeably picked up it's speed though it did not become any faster after that. At the mention of his physiology he looked at the siren sideways. He was well aware of what she was and that should she ever try to bite him, would only get a mouthful of air. Returning his gaze forward he moved on to answer her next question.

"I prefer to stay in one form instead of shifting. It's much more simpler that way, and I don't really have the need for any other form besides this one. After all, if i were to change into a bird I would have no way to talk to you." Smiling at Lexi, Shou thought that if he were to change forms he would have no need for his pretty clothes either.

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

Lexi’s raised an eyebrow. “You become over energized?” The thought of a tornado ripping through the bar, throwing patrons left and right, almost made Lexi laugh. She covered it by taking another sip of wine.

“I think it would be fascinating to be able to shapeshift. I’d be changing all the time just to see how people would react.” Lexi chuckled, ”And how do you know I can’t speak bird? Its just a different form of music after all.” She ran her eyes over Shou’s clothing. ”I would imagine it would hamper one’s clothing choices, though. You carry the look quite well, if I may say so; a trait which few beings seem to possess any more.”

Lexi drained her glass again and quickly refilled it. About half a glass remained in the bottle, which she offered to Shou. ”And now I’m drunk. I tend to get kicked out of here when that happens.” she gave Shou a teasing smile and held her glass up. ”Last glass. Your turn to make a toast.”

[shou]

"If I get 'drunk' I may have to kick myself out." Shou took the glass with a smile and a merry twinkle in his eyes. He was obviously loosening up, the energizing effects of the wine were making him elated and light headed, which was not so good when his control over himself was slipping.

"A toast," Shou raised his glass, his form blurring slightly than focusing as he did. He paused for a moment considering what he could toast. "What should I toast?" He asked to himself. His glass was lowered an inch only to be brought back up immediately after. "Ah yes! A toast to a day of music, dancing and a bottle of wine."

Smiling broadly, the spirit took a hearty drink and placed the cup gently on the table almost glowing with pleasure.

[Thelxiepeia Doxiadis]

“Two bottles of wine. And cheers to that!” Lexi smiled and drained her glass. She slammed it down on the table, almost breaking it in the process. This warranted a look from the bartender, whom Lexi ignored. She removed five shiny objects from her pouch and placed them on the table. That wiped the look off the bartender’s face.

“You should kick us out of here, literally. What a glorious exit that would be.” Lexi unfurled her wings imagining the scene. Shou and she would be carried through the Inn on a current of wind, the door would burst open, and the two would fly into the evening sky. It would be talked about for days. On the down side, they would both probably be banned for about a week if not more. Lexi put another shiny object on the table, just in case.

Well, it was a nice thought anyways. Lexi stood, giving Shou a sarcastic smile. She neglected to fold her wings up and bumped into someone behind her. Luckily, the person was too drunk to notice. “Thank you for joining me. I had a wonderful time.” She gave Shou a half bow. “Same time next week then?”

[shou]

Shou stood when Lexi stood and bowed his head to her, a pleased smile stuck to his face when he rose. His many robes rustled as he stood and brushed them off for any dirt that might have settled on them, not that there was. There was not a single smudge on the ivory fabric nor was it creased.

"I'd join you for a drink any time." Shou stepped lightly to the side out of his chair. "But next time I'll pay." Reaching his hand into the depths of his sleeve he pulled out a single coin and placed it on the table next to the shiny objects. It was both a tip and an apology as his exits usually caused some kind of fuss, or so he heard. His form became more blurred and distored as the wind pulled at him. This time he gave lexi and friendly wave and a smile before leaving.

'Until next time." With that he let himself disappear with a flurry of fabric and a strong gust of wind.