Hayden sat in the Dancing dove, eyes mostly closed and his head propped up on one hand. He was so tired, but couldn’t convince himself to stir his body and leave the bar.

He yawned and his hand twitched almost made it to his mouth before he decided it was too much of an effort. Hopefully something to wake him up would arrive soon. He needed sleep that wasn’t in a place where he was likely to be picked clean of all valuables and his body left in the back alley. Although Hayden doubted he would much care.

As Eulia was about to leave she spotted a young man nodding off at a corner table. She could already see quite a few men in the bar eyeing him. Poor man she thought. He must be awfully tired to let himself fall asleep at such an inn. And even stupider, or perhaps drunk. Anyway if he was she could just get him out of the way of the brawny thieves who hung around the Dancing Dove so she wouldn't have to fight for whatever he owned. Walking over she tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. He didn't smell of alcohol. Bother.
"Oi mistress whats this chaps name?" she called to the barmaid
"I believe I've heard him called LaRue" the woman called back.
Shaking him again Eulia spoke.
"Master LaRue, its time to go home now. Can you stand up?"
In for a garnet in for a ruby. Eulia grimanced.

Hayden was mostly asleep. Still slightly aware of his surroundings and the smells and noises were droning the background in the back of his mind, barely registering.

He wasn't worried about anyone lifted anything from him. He had nothing to steal. Hayden knew how it worked. "I can walk, but I can't leave yet. And I'm quite able to leave on my own."

Joelle set down his tankard in front of him. Hayden looked at it and noted it was steaming. "I'm afraid to ask? what is that?"

Stiffening at the mans reply she looked down at him.
" You are stupid you know. If you order something here you must have something to pay for it. And some beggars are deperate enough for a sturdy suit of clothing. Besides you don't look as though you could resist an 80 year old man about to be taken by the black Godmuch less walk."
Turning to the woman who was setting a drink before him she Eulia snapped.
"Make sure whatevers in it tastes nasty, and that he drinks it all down, dregs included."
Turning back to LaRue who was eyeing the drink she puffed out a deep breath.
Now curiosity reigned. She'd have to wake him up though. Stomping up to the bar she asked for some chilled water and marched back over to the man. Slowly she let the tiniest trickle of water drain out of the mug and down the mans neck. All a matter of time she thought as she grinned.

(Eulia, you're power playing. I'll let it go, but please watch out for it in the future)

Hayden raised it to his lips and shuddered as it travelled it down his throat. His shoulder twitched at the cold droplet that slithered down his back.

"Do you have a problem of some sort," Hayden demanded.

OOC: Sorry what am I doing? I'm not exactly sure what it is you mean.

IC:
Ignoring his question she stopped pouring the water.
"What's your name?"

((At the end where you have her pour the water down his neck. You can't really let it happen as it's my character))

"What's yours?" He retorted flippantly.

As she sat down at the seat across from him she chuckled.
"Oh, feisty aren't we? My name is Eulia. Eulia Domasik. What's yours?"
Waving over to the barmaid she yelled
"Warm Mead!"

OOC: Oh sorry. I thought the character could react in any way to anyone elses and then they'd both have to go back and forth. My bad.

“I’m not feisty: you have just awoken me from a nap. A nap that albeit wasn’t restful, but was sleepy time nonetheless.” Hayden was in a bad mood. On the list of how important things was sleep was pretty high and something that he had been short on lately. “And my name is Buddy the Wonder Dog. What’s it to ya?” Hayden arched a brow and raised his mug to his lip. “Damn that’s hot,” he muttered.

Raising her eyebrows Eulia started to talk in a strangled tone of voice,
"Buddy the Wonder Dog?"
Lowering her head to the table Eulia indulged in a long laugh. When she lifted her head again her face was beet red but calm.
"If you're going to sleep here you really ought to buy out a room for the night. Either way I've told you my name.Courtesy and etiquette demand that you do the same."

"I was never one for Courtsey or Etiquette. I've never met either, so they have little bearing in what I decide to do with my life." Hayden stared at the mug somemore. "And why do you care what happens to me? I am quite aware of how to take care of myself. Even my mother realized that years ago and let me live my life."

Sipping at her mead Eulia drawled out her words, "Sleeping in the middle of a notoriously thief strewn inn isn't my idea of taking care of ones-self. I was only interested in you because you were obviously either silly or drunk. If it had been the latter I would have just left you for the rest of them to kill. However, I can't let someone die for being silly. Besides if I were your mother I would have let you take care of yourself as soon as you could talk. Maybe earlier. You couldn't have been a pleasant baby. Not when your putting a poor lass through all this just to keep your name from her."
Inspecting him more closely Eulia revised her opinion of him. He looked exhausted, but anyone who had such a delightful sense of humor couldn't be stupid. No, she decided. He was silly like she said. She was the first to admit she liked odd characters. They were to much fun to ignore.

"I doubt anyone would pickpocket me. Most of them have found I have little enough as is to take." That and he and Lasser had come to a friendly agreement. Information for information, and no one wise enough to the way of the Rogue would pick pocket one of Lasser's favorite imformants.

He took another drink and tilted his head back to let it slid down his throat rather than actually swallow the stuff. "All right, most clever one. A riddle for my name. Take what a horse eats and put it together with where a bear sleeps."

Eulia started to stare at the knot on the table. Bear sleeps, obviously a den, no one she knew had a name with cave in it. So, Oatden, nah. Carrotden. Eulia giggled. Strawden. if that was it he and Strawberry should meet each other. But Eulia doubted it.Sugarden.No. Hayden. Well that was a little more believable than the others.

"Is it Hayden?",not bothering to wait for an answer she turned the name over in her mouth, "Hayden LaRue.Hmmm... Alright Hayden nice to meet you." she said sticking out her hand.

"I'd say nice to meet you too, but that would be a lie." Hayden said taking her hand.

Eulia smiled. The man was brutally honest and she was begining to believe him about courtesy and etiquette. Still, she had seen him at the Inn before and she wanted to know who he was.
"Your name's all well and good, but now I'm wonderin' who you are to the Rogue. I'm closely affiliated you see. I like to know who's around."
Resting her chin on a hand she watched him closely. Very few peope could lie to Eulia. She was too good at it.

Hayden finished whatever was steaming in the mug and called for another. "I'm a jack of all trades, Eulia." He shrugged. "I do what needs to be done."

" That can mean many things Master LaRue" Eulia mused. "Well if you won't tell me straight with thta, then why the Dove? Why not another tavern? Many have said the grub here isn't good. I can't tell anymore."

“The Dove has the most interesting ensemble of characters and people in general,” Hayden shrugged. “Are you going to quiz me the rest of the night?” He demanded, picking up the new mug plunked down in front of him. “Aw, thank you.”

"Only if your up for it" she jibed. " Am I included in the interesting ensemble of people?"

"For some strange reason, even if I say 'no'; you won't go away. You'll spend the rest of the night bothering me so you would be lumped in with the rest." Hayden sighed.

"You mistake me entirely Master LaRue! If I'm different from the rest even if it means I'm not interesting I'll be happy, and if you classify me as interesting I'll be just as happy as I am now. You see? Either way it doesn't matter. This way we can move on to something more interesting. Monotony is SO trying." cocking her head she began to stare at him. "And I never said you couldn't ask me something if you wanted to."Laughing a bit she started up again "I'm sure you'd like to be the annoyer instead of the annoyed for a change. Although I dare say I shouldn't mind any question of yours."

OOC: sorry!!! I forgot to switch accounts!!

“Asking questions would be implying that I care,” he retorted with a shake of his head. “And quit calling me Master. It makes me feel old.”

"But you are old compared to me Master. To me you look as though you have all the age in the world. Especially since you look exhausted as well as old. And besides you seem to care very much about being annoyed. I was just trying to accomodate you."

"I'm twenty-one! And you're what? Fifteen? Sixteen?" Hayden objected. He knew he must have looked like hell. His hair was probably sticking up at all angles and he could feel some stubble on his face. And the dark circles. And the . . . "All right so maybe I look the little worse for wear."

"Sixteen master. See you did have a question! Besides 21 is 5 years older than me. Quite a lot more. A 1/3 of my life and a 1/4 of yours. Really Master Hayden you ought to treat time with more respect even if it doesn't treat you so. I suspect I'm not even done growing yet. But I don't suppose I have more than two inches left in me. Not that I need it. I'm too tall as it is " Eyeing his hair Eulia reached under her skirts and pulled out her recently pilfered comb.
"You can use it if you like" she said thinking contentedly of her own blessedly neat hair.

"Seriously, quit calling me master." Hayden sighed. "Twenty-one is not old. In five years, you'll realize that." He looked at the comb. "NO thank you. I don't know where it came from."

Hayden yawned.

Frowning at the man Eulia began to lecture him, "It hardly matters where it came from. Right now your drinking stolen goods Hayden. The proprietor of this inn doesn't come by his money through honest means. Very few people in this inn come through anything honestly. It should hardly matter to you if you brush your hair with a stolen comb. Especially when its second hand. No one could blame you for that. Don't tell me you haven't met courtesy and etiquette, but chivalry managed to stumble across you." Eulia smiled at the notion.

"That's not what I meant," Hayden sighed. "I don't care if you stole it, but I don't know where you've been rather not put it on my head. I don't know where you've been or who had it before." He shook his head. "thank you, I'll keep it as is, thank you."

Eulia snorted.
"As though I'm the dirty one! Besides I wouldn't use anything I didn't know was clean."
Repocketing the combshe turned on him again.
"And how long has it been since you've slept in a proper bed?"

Hayden bent over his mug and began counting, his fingers coming up in sequence. "Eh, what comes after three he asked."

Shock encompassed her face
"Bloody Hell!!! What've you been doin' for the last four days?!?!? I know what its like to sleep in the streets! You wouldn't do that through choice would you? I mean it's not your idea of fun, is it? Why haven't you asked someone for a room? Or gone to the temples or something! When was the last time you ate?"
she continued to splutter as memories of nights spent in alleys with rats with no one but the little brother flooded her mind. "I mean... you don't need help do you?" unbidden an old saying of hers came to mind. In for a garnet in for a ruby.

Hayden laughed. "No, no. I was riding for two days and the other two I was in the house with a week old baby who woke every fifteen minutes. The moment I might slip off it was up again. Really, I'm fine. Well taken care of, but sleep depraved." Hayden laughed a little at her over concern.

"oh" Eulia looked down at the knot again. She quickly brightened.
"Did you just laugh? Well knock me over with a feather Hayden! Maybe your just in a mood but thats the first time you've so much as smiled! Huh! She decided she liked Hayden better when he looked happy.
"So do you intend to sleep here anyway? I doubt they'll let you stay in the common room over night."

Hayden's laughter slowed to a finish but a grin still remained. "I'm waiting for someone," Hayden responded. "I can't haul my much too tired body off this stool and down the street until she gets here."

"Well she's awfully rude to keep you waiting this long." Eulia stated. Thinking of her own introduction she grinned sheepishly. "Well, maybe not. What's so important that it couldn't wait until you got your rest back?"

"Something that to be frank, is none of your business," Hayden retorted.

"Well, sorry. I was just asking!"
As Eulia finished off her mead she began thinking about Hayden's proffesion again.
"This wouldn't have to do with being a jack of all trades would it?" she inquired with a coy look on her face.

"No, my personal life, thankyouverymuch. Miss Nosey. Which is definitely none of your business," Hayden responded. He finished the steamy concotion and pushed the mug away.

"Well be that way if you like" she said nettling a bit "And it's Miss Domasik, not Nosey. I told you that already." fully aware she was inquiring about his personal life she went on "Who is she? I'd prefer not to go through another set of antics to figure out her name."