"I just can't understand it, Bracken. Why are all the men in my life so weak?" a lithe, attractive female specimen of the Nightvar race complains to the fellow noblewoman across from her, the two having just finished receiving the drinks they had ordered not long ago from the small cafe they decided to meet at, "It's like no one can actually throw a good punch anymore! I swear, my brother is the only one who can actually beat me in a spar so far! Kura doesn't count, she has to use her little rodent and that creepy psychopath to stand a chance."
Rolling her eyes, the petite Nightvar noble takes a sip of her coffee, and she gives her friend a soft deadpan expression, "Honestly, Teilun. You would think that strength is all that mattered in a partner. Have you forgotten your history lessons, hm?" Bracken asks with a sigh, placing her cup back on the table, "Besides, have you considered that you and your family may just be freakishly strong? I have. No one your size should be able to bend a steel beam with a punch, and Riktor can just walk through walls as if they were made of paper. You're all terrifying, frankly."
"Oh come on, we're not that bad. Kura's husband can actually throw her, and she's one big bitch," Teilun rebuffs with a small scoff, leaning back in her seat before taking a large gulp of her drink, making Bracken wince softly at the audible noises she produces.
"Yes, well...he is the upcoming Chief of the Warstorm Clan, and also a Direvar. It makes sense that he could do so, given his propensity towards feats of physical strength. Be assured, your family are the odd ones," Bracken explains with a neutral tone, sipping at her coffee again to try and take some of the edge off of this conversation, "Frankly, Corlo is the closest one to normal, but he is exceptional in his own ways. That Var can concoct some wonderful culinary creations."
"He can sing, too. Sucks for you that he's gay, huh?" the whiny Nightvar says with a chuckle, slugging back another couple of gulps from her oversized cup that she somehow convinced the bartender to fill with Fury Brew, a brewed liquor made from fermented coffee beans and spices, the strong smell on Teilun's breath.
Bracken's eye twitches softly as a single drop of the alcoholic coffee lands on Teilun's yukata. The expensive pink and black cloth patterned with red spider lily flowers is likely to stain from the darkly colored beverage. She averts her eyes, taking another sip of her coffee, and debating if she should order a glass of Fury Brew for herself, "I don't know what you might be insinuating. He's attractive, but I will not pursue someone who is clearly not interested. Frankly, I'm more interested in Riktor, but he is taken. Ah well, I suppose I shall just have to settle for some other, more normal, Var family."
"You know, I can tell when you're being sarcastic," Teilun replies with a raised brow, then gives a teasing grin to the woman across from her, leaning in and resting her elbows on the table, "Did you not hear, Bracken? They're in an open relationship."
"T-truly?" Bracken questions with a soft, growing blush, her teenage fantasies coming back to the forefront of her mind and flooding it with images of Riktor pleasuring her in every way she can imagine, "Well, p-perhaps I could ask him about this the next time I see him. I think he may see the value in a relationship between us."
"Ha! Don't get your hopes up, he's extremely picky about who he sleeps with, turned down more than a few suitors," Teilun says, shrugging and leaning back again before drinking more of her brew, "Though I don't think you have no chance. I mean, I've hyped you up to him more than once. You've been a good friend, after all."
"It...is actually nice to hear that, I admit. Well, as thanks, I shall go against my better judgment and share some information I believe you would be interested in knowing," the refined Nightvar says, her blush dying down as the topic shifts, "There is a Mating Tournament being hosted tomorrow in Dark Marsh tomorrow, they use the usual ruleset that you practice with. I hear it is going to be a large one too, with very rigorous qualifying conditions."
"Oh yeah? Huh, I hadn't heard anything about that until just now. How did this one escape my radar until now, if it's so large?" she asks, leaning close again and giving an interested grin, "You better not be messing with me, Bracken. It's been a while since I've been in a tourny, and I'm excited to fight again, mate or not."
"Unless three of my close friends lied to me, I would say that the information is reliable. Well, I must be off soon, unfortunately. Shall we meet at the same time, next week?"
"For sure, wouldn't miss it for the world," the lithe Nightvar says with a chuckle, standing before placing a few Howlers on the table and gesturing for the door, her large glass still in hand, "We can get going together, at least until you get to your carriage. It's my turn to cover the bill this week, so we can head out now."
"Thank you, I appreciate that," the shorter of the two says with a grateful smile, downing the rest of her coffee before taking Teilun's offered hand and letting her lift Bracken to her feet, "Yes, let us be off. Oh, have you heard about the new goldsmith who has opened shop in your father's city?"
"No, I haven't. What kind of work do they make?" Teilun asks as the two make their way to the door, Teilun opening it for Bracken before they step outside and onto the stone sidewalk, "If they make anything that isn't just fancy, frilly crap, then I'm interested."
Raising a brow at the taller woman's words, Bracken glances upwards and holds up a hand to inspect the golden rings adorning her digits, and hums softly as her eyes look over the gems, "Hmm, I could almost swear you were talking about what I like to wear."
"Hehe, exactly!" Teilun replies with a playful grin, her red-tipped canines visible even in the lower light of the late afternoon, "She's learning, everybody! Bracken is learning!"
Walking in silence for a moment, Bracken can not keep a straight face for even a second longer, her laughs heard clear down the streets around them, "I c-can't believe you can joke like that! Honestly, I can understand that your tastes are different from mine, but I hear he makes intricate works that feature magical creatures."
"Sounds like fun, hehe. I'll pay him a visit after my next paycheck, maybe pick up a ring of my own," she says with a smile, seeming to be genuine in her words, "Besides, I still owe Riktor some money for a favor he did for me. I can't wait for payday!"
"I could pay that cost, I'm sure. You know this, right?" Bracken offers with a tilt of her head, unsure of why her friend is being so stubborn, sighing a moment later, "Though I know you're going to decline again. Why must you refuse my help?"
"That would be because it is a very large sum, and even you would not be able to afford much for a while if you did pay it off," the brew-guzzling Nightvar says with a shrug, taking another gulp of her drink.
"Mm...well, the offer is still there. Unfortunately, we have reached my carriage and I must say goodbye," Bracken says with a soft, sad smile, grasping the door of the vehicle and opening it. Stepping just inside of the cart, she gestures for the Thelgen coachman to wait a moment by raising a hand, "Take care, Tei. I look forward to our next meeting."
