Black Bear's barmaid (Dante)

[Dante Grixis]

Dante glanced up when he heard yelling. It was like the entire bar had suddenly and simultaneously gone mad. The boy sitting across from Dante got up and left as fast as possible. Dante stood up and sighed. He would end up beating some one up by the time this little brawl was over. He could feel it.

By the time this though was finished passing through his mind he was ducking below a punch from a large drunk man. He quickly brought a hard fist into the stomach of the man and laid him out on the floor. Dante kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold. He made he was across the bar, dodging flying tankards and a few fists, and putting a few people out of commission in the process.

He finally got to where Evie was behind the bar. He leaned casually on the bar as if nothing was going on and called over the din on the battle behind him. "You ok?"

He heard someone pick up a stool behind him and he ducked as it was smashed on the bar where he had stood seconds before. Dante instinctively grabbed a leg from the broken stool and slammed it across the attackers stomach doubling him over. Dante rose and cracked him in the head with it sending him to the floor with an audible thud before dropping the pole and leaning on the bar again. He smiled charmingly at Evie and said, "It's two o'clock you know."

[Evie Perroy]

As soon as the proper fighting broke out, Evie ushered out the younger bargirls into the backroom; she didn't want any of them getting hurt. She saw Mattie cowering under the bar and rolled her eyes- fat lot of help he was being. She ducked as a very skinny man came flying over the counter like an arrow, smashing into the barrels behind her. That was when she saw Dante leaning against the bar, seemingly unperturbed by the madness behind and around him.
"You ok?" he called across to her. In reply, Evie grinned back at him, the calm in the storm, picking her way over the bodies. She watched as Dante ducked when an assailant threw a chair in his direction, grabbing the stool's leg and hitting him with such speed that Evie found it hard to suppress her admiration.

"It's two o'clock you know" he said, leaning on the bar with a charming smile, as if nothing had happened. Evie was already beside him, and mirrored his leaning position, snatching a handy bottle with her spare hand and smashing it over the head of the floored man who was grabbing at her leg in an attempt to pull himself up.

"Is that so?" a playful smile tugged at her lips, he was a good head taller than her, and she had to tilt her head upwards to answer him. "Maybe it's time to leave these people to their quiet drinking?" With both hands she unknotted her apron, throwing it under the bar, where Mattie was pressing himself onto the floor, hands over his head in a brace position.

"I'm done for the night!" she bent over and shouted to make herself heard. Righting herself, she turned back to Dante, a shocked scream escaping her lips as two big tattooed arms pulled her from behind and lifted her clean off the ground, crushing her lungs. She struggled, feet kicking air, but he was too strong for her.

"D..dante..." she gasped.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante's smile faded quickly as he watched the large tattooed man grab Evie. He heard hear gasp for help and he immediately ducked low and sweep kicked him. The large man was sent onto his back and he released Evie, the wind was knocked out of him.

These bar brawlers were easy targets for Dante. He was a trained assassin, he could fight these drunks in his sleep if he had to. As the man stood up Dante punched him with both fists, one connecting with each temple of the man, sending him to the floor again, knocked out cold. He grabbed Evie off the floor and put his arm around her waist and led her out of the bar slamming the door behind them.

He walked a couple steps from the bar, the sounds of the fights emanating from the dark tavern, and he turned to the girl in his arm. "You ok?" He asked. He sounded concerned, he hoped that the man hadn't broken any of her ribs or something.

[Evie Perroy]

Evie suddenly felt the rough arms release her, and the next few minutes were a blur as she reeled forwards, trying to catch her breath. She felt Dante's arm around her waist, and leaned against him, allowing herself to be led out of the bar. When they got outside, she was glad for his body supporting hers as she was suddenly aware of just how wobbly her legs felt. Shock probably. She pressed one hand to her chest, taking a few deep breaths to relax herself.

"You ok?" Dante's voice sounded concerned. She turned to him with a smile, replying shakily "I've had worse! At the most I'll be a bit bruised." She slipped away from his arms, unlacing the corset that cinched her in from waist upwards, it was pressing in on her and making her ribs ache. She turned to Dante with an apologetic smile, "Sorry- it's just digging in a bit." She was wearing a loose white shirt underneath, but the autumn evening was mild- if a bit damp.

"And thank-you, Dante." she said sincerely, turning to face him and pulling up his hood at the same time; he had been so concerned for her he hadn't even considered that someone outside the inn might have recognised him.
"I hear there's a bonfire up at the castle, we could pay Arthur a little visit, as long as you keep that hood up...?"

[Dante Grixis]

Dante let her pull his hood up. She was right, he should probably keep it up outside. The weather this night was nicer than it had been, he wondered how long that would last. From what he had heard winters around here were brutally cold. He was used to warm climates and all this cold weather was bothering him.

"I hear there's a bonfire up at the castle, we could pay Arthur a little visit, as long as you keep that hood up...?" He heard her suggest. It sounded nice, they could probably get some food and drink, maybe he would run into a few people he already knew as well.

"Aww. But with this hood up it's hard to see your beautiful face." Dante charmingly teased and smiled at her. He then gently took her hand and began to lead her towards the castle. He wondered what he would do if he ran into Arthur. His instinct would be to try to kill him, but his logic would tell him he would have to wait. He needed an opportune moment and a place full of people wouldn't be it.

[Evie Perroy]

"Aww. But with this hood up it's hard to see your beautiful face."

"Well maybe you won't have to keep it on all night..." she replied forwardly, squeezing his hand when he took hers with a laugh. Her evening had definitely been a good one, despite the brawl at the end. Evie enjoyed venturing out of the slums, and even though she was venturing into the castle grounds with one of the most wanted men in Avalon- she had never felt safer.

[Sorry it's so short! continue in Harvest thread? ]