#; beyond

[housesharil]

Cline,what do you wish for in this Christmas?

                          “Christmas?”

A holiday already well-anticipated by the manor with the sudden appearance of festive decorations and whispers among the staff about potential celebrations, it takes a moment before he realizes what is being asked of him.

"A wish… Perhaps for the well-being of the city — of all Rashugal." Though even as he says the words, they sound somewhat insincere, despite the genuine sentiment behind them. How magnanimous it seemed, even condescendingly so.

     ”I suppose I’d like to have things settle down, even for a little while. I’ve hardly had the chance to see much of my home recently. And Driselle. It would be nice to be able to spend more time with her, I think.”

[housesharil]

The air is brisk, still untouched by the sun's warm rays. Early days are not uncommon, but biting mornings like these were a sign that the cooler days of the year were fast approaching. That so much time had passed sends a prickle of goosebumps across his arms, as much a product of the cold as the notion it carried with it. Few other souls seemed ready to tackle the day at it's beginning, only the occasional pass of a figure through streets made wide in the absence of bodies to populate them. The young man wandering through the streets was made all the more conspicuous in their absence.

Like a ghost out of the mists of the morning, the silhouette seems to resolve itself slowly into an individual more familiar to him. Surely it couldn't have been -- for him to arrive without letting him know beforehand... though who was he to make such blatant assumptions? Descending the stairs slowly, the soles of his shoes echoing softly against the manor's face, Cline approaches.

                  "-- Jude?"

[housesharil]

Duval was a sprawling city, all back roads and alleyways twisting and turning in on themselves. Bars hidden in the walls, restaurants nestled in the corners, the occasional person reclined against the wall; it was built like a maze, unfriendly to those unaccustomed to the frequent turns and towering walls. Perhaps it had been a mistake, trying to maneuver the streets without a proper guide, though it seemed it was too late for that. So much for a walk to clear his head, what with the way everything seemed to crowd into the sky above him. It wasn't often that Cline ventured into bars, though he was certain he'd passed by the "Film Noir" more than four times at this point.

He stood dumbly at the door for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the low-hanging lamps and their warm light. It was a place to be taken in with a single sweep, small and intimate, not likely to be the sort of place many visitors happened upon. Dwelling not on how out of place he must have seemed, Cline slipped into an empty seat at the bar, relaxing into the hollow of the seat.

"Something to drink?" The bartender prompted. He realized then, that his knowledge of Elympion spirits was near non-existent.

"-- Anything you recommend?"