And You Are?

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie was behind the bar, cleaning cups. She had her eye in the back. He seemed to be getting just a little too drunk. She made a not to herself that she wouldn't serve him any more drinks. She didn't need a drunken maniac running around. Just at that moment, he came up to her, well, staggered. The guy couldn't even walk straight, and threw down a gold coin. "Gimme another beer sweet thing." Nellie got a disgusted look on her face. "I'm sorry.. but no. You've had enough sir." His face got angry, just as she expected. He grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip. She looked at his hand, than at him, a dangerous look in her eye. "I suggest you let go right now, sir." He was too drunk to notice that he was about to get pummeled. All he did was smile and pulled her closer to him. She grabbed his arm, threw his face on the counter, and pinned his arm behind his back. He yelled and moaned in pain, asking her to stop. "Now! I told you to let me go! Now get your fleabitten trousers outof here, and don't come back." She let him go and pushed him away. He stumbled back and half ran, and half fell out of the door. The bar was silent and they were all looking at her. She looked down and continued cleaning the cups.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

Tristan had been in the Ram for some hours now, yet only three quarters of the way through his first tankard of ale. Every now and again he would take a sip, then placed it gently back onto the table, it contents slowly but steadily disappearing. Tristan never allowed himself to get drunk, no matter how tempting. Being drunk did so many things to the senses and impaired rational thoughts and views which could make any man or women vulnerable, which he certainly wasn't up for doing. Plus under the influence of the so called 'devil's drink' he saw many a man make a fool of themselves. Not being able to walk in a single straight line, their normal intellellctual words mushed into a series of unaudible groans and mumbles.

Tristan swung his head round when he heard a disturbance sound from behind him. It was instinct that he hovered a single hand over his sword but it looked like the bartender could handle the situation. He watched with suspicious eyes ready to step in should the situation go out of control. Luckily his assistance was not needed and he could carry on the rest of his night in peace. He had already finished the days training and instead of returning to his quarters instead he decided a change of scenery was in order. The Ram had always been a great place to go should one need some time to themselves. Plus the lively atmosphere was a welcome sight in his view.

He downed the rest of his drink with one swift gulp and set it back down on the table. He wondered whether having another drink would be such a good idea, but as he had only had one so far he didn't see a second one as much of a crime. He stood up with a certain amount of grace and made his way to the bar to order another drink. Tristan placed his tankard on the bar's surface and signalled for some assitance. "Excuse me. Another tankard of ale if you please Madam." He said with a smile, perching on the edge of one of the bars tall stools and balancing on it precariously.

[Nellie Bell]

As she was cleaning, Nellie was mumbling to herself about how a jerk that guy was. She served a few people drink when she hear a new set of footsteps coming toward her. She glanced up to see a fairly attractive soldier walking up. When he asked for a drink, she looked at him carefully. From the way he was perching on the stool, and the alertness in his eyes, he seemed sober enough. She narrowed her eyes a bit, but smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Brave to come up here after seeing that, huh?" She turned her back and took one of the cups she just cleaned and filled it with ale. She turned back around and sat it on the bar, leaning down on it. There ya go? Pay up. She put out her hand, curling and uncurling her fingers, for the money.

(OOC: Sorry, low on muse, XD)

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

Tristan could see that the bar women was assessing him to see if he was drunk to see if it was appropriate to issue him another drink. This would be an incredibly rare site. Rather than coming down to the Ram for the sole purpose of getting 'bladdered' he simply came here for a change of scenery and a chance to relax on his own away from the other members of the army. If he wanted to get drunk, which he very rarely did, he preferred to do it in solitary confinement where no one would spot his vulnerability or take advantage of his state. As he was a soldier he could not allow anyone to spot his temporary weakness as it could be of an attraction to anyone who opposed the pendragons. He held a certain amount of secrets and knew of information that was best kept to himself.

"Brave to come up here after seeing that, huh?"

Tristan couldn't help but emit a laugh. He supposed brave was one word for it, but he knew that he was no match for a drunken excuse of a man. With a swift movement of his sword he could have him running out of the Ram like a screaming girl. In all fairness Tristan was fairly egotistical and arrogant, but still he was of a much higher level in fighting than most of the men who were currently subsiding in the Ram. Given that they were mostly peasants who had never weilded a weapon in their lives.
"Brave, I don't know, men like that don't phase me; I've fought with worse. You handled him well though I don't know if we'll be seeing him in here again" He said with a smirk.

Tristan's eyes dropped to the fresh cup of ale that she placed in front of him. He pulled the Tankard closer to him and sent a hand in his pocket to ruffle through his change. After a short rummage, he pulled out several coins and placed them on the counter.
"There you go. Keep the change, I'm Tristan by the way" He said with a swift wink; he always was a 'ladies man'. Rather than return to his seat in the corner of the room, he decided he might as well stay put and strike up a conversation. He took a small sip before talking to her again.

"And you? Might I inquire as to what your name might be?"

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie watched him carefully. He was obviously a soldier. By the way he carried himself, the sword on his belt, and his clothing, it was apparant. If a fight broke out, she was sure she could take care of herself for a little bit. At least enough for him to stop. she nonchalantly reached her hand under the bar and simply brushed her hand over the hilt of her sword, just making sure it was still there. She smiled at him, a slight smirk on her face. "I didn't mean the guy". She realized that he thought she had been talking about the guy. But she had meant brave to face her.

When he dropped the money on the table, she widened her eyes. You know that's, well, very generous? But when he winked, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Hello Tristan. I'm Nellie. She was waiting for him to go back to his table, but it didn't look like he was going to. And what is it to you? She couldn't help it. When a guy tried to be cool, or a ladies man of that sort, her jerk side came out. Sure, she had to admit he was cute, handsome even, but when he did that, it comepletely turned her off. Even if he handn't, she knew nothing would ever have happened. She couldn't trust anyone enough.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

Tristan was beginning to like the strong-willed nature that the barmaid had. He didn't often get a chance to go out and converse with people and as much as he enjoyed spending time with some of his army friends such as Agron, meeting new people was something he liked to do. That couldn't exactly be said for the barmaid though. From the look on her face Tristan could see that he was somewhat of an annoyance yet he didn't much mind. He had never bothered over what others had thought of him, being content that he was happy enough with himself was what mattered.

"Nice to meet you Nellie." He said with a small pause. "I'm just making coversation. As you can see I don't get out much..." He took another small sip of his drink. "but now trainings finished for the 'holidays'... It's nearly Christmas lighten up!" He said playfully responding to her more raunchy side.

Tristan knew that she must get a lot of men hitting on her so he wasn't surprised at all to her to see her rolling her eyes. It egged him on more to talk to her and knew they weren't exactly going to be interupted much as it was one of the more quiter hours in the Ram. Most people had turned in for the night and returned to their families yet his family were too far away to even think about. Whenever the thought of family entered his mind, it always got him down so he often delayed reading their letters or sending them in return. One thing that had got him down though were most of the soldiers had gone home for christmas to spend it with their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and other relatives. His family had made it incredibly clear he was not allowed home for christmas as they believed it would interupt his training. The mere thought of it angered him and upset him yet he could do nothing about it.

Tristan shook off his looming emotions not knowing where it had come from. He took a generous sip from his tankard and rested his head gruffly in his hand. He had not come to drink his sorrows away yet the thought was beginning to sound more and more appealing. "So Nellie. You doing anything interesting for Christmas?" He asked trying to sound as upbeat as he could muster.

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie could tell that this guy wasn't leaving anytime soon, and it didn't exactly warm the cockles of her heart. Actually, he had begun to get on her nerves, and when that happened, it was difficult for her to be hospitable. But he didn't seem the kind of guy to leave if she told him he was annoying her.

When he told her to lighten up, she narrowed her eyes. "I am lightened up." She mumbled, not really meant for him to hear. Of course, it wasn't necessarily true, but she didn't like people telling her to lighten up. Not only that, but she hated Christmas. It always brought her back memories of her former life. Her Christmases were always extravagent when she was a Princess. Huge trees all over the castle, and in the center of the main hall was the biggest, with almost mountains of presents underneath. For Christmas dinner, the feast would be so big, she could never get a bit of everything on the table. Since her life here, she had celebrated Christmas once, the first year she was here. It depressed her so much, she knew she couldn't again, so she hadn't. Not for four years.

She brought herself back to the present, and looked at him, still a trace of sadness in her eyes. "No. Christmas is a pointless holiday," she said simply. "I haven't celebrated it in years." And her tone made it clear that that would be all she would say on that matter. Christmas was a tender subject for her. One she didn't want to discuss with an arrogant soldier.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

Tristan was surprised to hear that her view on Christmas was somewhat negative. Normally it was the festive period that everyone looked forward to yet not in this case. He smiled at her response and believed half and half that Christmas was a fairly pointless holiday, well it was this year anyway. Had he have been spending it with his family, his outlook would have been completely different. He normally loved Christmas and looked forward to it emmensely as it was set apart from any other holiday and was truly unique. In his Kingdom of Cornwall, they celebrated it slightly different than other Kingdoms.

It was a time of unity and peace, where all conflict and disputes were put aside. A large ball and banquet were put on every year, where all members of the community were invited to attend. That was one of the bits he loved the most, as it gave him the chance to get to know and meet the citizens and nobles that lived in Cornwall. It was also traditional for the Son of the King to sacriface half a dozen turkey's, but as the King as of yet, had no son and no heir, he did it instead. The whole city would gather round to witness this sacriface and three quarters of the meat would be distributed to the poor. They were strong believers that no one should go without at Christmas and should be able to enjoy it with a full stomach and plenty of ale flowing through their bloodstream. The festive season also held the start of jousting season which he also didn't want to miss.

But of course he wasn't going to see any of that this year. This was his first christmas spent alone in Camelot; well it was his very first Christmas alone from his family at all. "I'll drink to that" He said raising his glass and speaking in response to her remark. "I won't be celebrating it either. Mind you I have no one to celebrate it with anyway even if I was going to." His comment was directed more in the direction of his family, as he blamed it all on them of his misfortune this christmas.

He didn't normally make a habit of talking to the first person he saw, but he was in truth lonely. Even if she was somewhat reluctant to accept his company, it still gave him the opportunity to converse with her. He smiled, knowing that he was about to push the boundaries. "So if your not celebrating Christmas, what will you be doing instead?" His natural inquisitive nature was beginning to reveal itself, and he wanted to stay on the topic so he could find out why she hated Christmas so much.

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie could tell he was surprised by her response, and she couldn't blame him. Most people were. A lot of times, people would respond with a cheerful smile and tales of what they do each Christmas. That's what Nellie always saw happening in the bar and she saw other people meeting old acquaintences. It would then usually end in an invitation to spend Christmas with them and their family. From drunken men, she had gotten many Christmas invitations, but to spend in a different way than a friend would ask a friend. And of course, Nellie would always decline and turn away to a new customer. But something told her if she were to turn away from Tristan, he would just follow her and continue with his persistence that seemed she couldn't get away from.

Nellie couldn't help the little bit of the smile that pulled at her lips when he looked to feel the same way about Christmas as she did. She nodded her head when he said he had no one to celebrate with. She knew that feeling well. The feeling of lonliness when everyone around you was celebrating with their loved ones, trading love and presents, and eating to a fill at their tables. It was the same feeling she'd felt for 5 years. But her smile quickly fell when he asked his next question. She sighed in annoyance and ran her hand through her puffy hair. "Nothing. I'll be here, serving alchohal to drunks like any other night." She said, her tone clearly portraying her annoyance. There would be something about him that would make him seem like she could be around him without him annoying the crap out of her. But then he would go and mess it up again, asking her a question she deemed too personal, which were most, and make her close off all over again. He obviously didn't understand her well. But, it made sense, considering they had met a mere few minutes ago.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

From the annoyed tone that Nellie was using he guessed he had touched on a sore topic or just that she was getting incredibly frustrated with his mere presence. He was yet to deter which one it was but decided he'd give her what he wanted and decided just to drop it and get on with his drink. He was glad to hear that Nellie would still be in the Ram on Christmas day, because that gave him something to do. Rather than sitting on his own in his soldiers quarters missing what he could have had, maybe he could just pop down and take a swift drink and wish her a Merry Christmas on the way.

He dropped his eyes towards his drink and saw that he was only half way through his tankard. Rather than hurry himself he made a silent promise to himself that he would leave after this one and grant Nellie the peace and quite she obviously wanted. He was slightly more reluctant to leave than he usually was, as this was probably the only interaction he would get for a while until after Christmas. He had decided he would prefer to lock himself away for the short festive period, as seeing people laughing happily in the company of their family was sure to upset him and direct his mind into terrortories he didn't want to pass again.

"I'll leave you alone after this drink I promise. Then you'll be rid of my annoying questions and can tend to your other more pressing matters" He said with a smile, moving over slightly as a small group of men came up to order some more drinks. It was not his intention to come over and annoy her, yet this was seemingly what he was sub-consciously doing. The thought rather amused him as he had never had this affect on a women before. They normally threw themselves at him because of his 'position' yet he preferred to be treated like any other punter she would have come across in the bar. After a large gulp of his drink, the contents were slowly disappearing yet not yet completely empty. He wasn't ready to leave just yet.

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie felt herself relax perceptibly when it seemed like he was finally dropping the subject. She didn't cry at Christmas, anymore, but it sitll hurt. When she looked closer she thought that she saw a joy, or happiness of some sort? She couldn't be sure, and it didn't make sense, so she disregarded it, feeling it probably didn't have anything to with her anyway.

Nellie looked down at his drink and saw that it half-way empty. She wasn't sure if he would want more. He didn't seem like a guy to get drunk in public though, so she doubted it. Her annoyance subsided a bit and she actually felt kind of bad for how she was acting. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair again. "Hey, it's ok. You don't have to go. Customers always right." She flashed him a smile. Before he or she could say anything else, a group of men came up and she served them their drinks. When she returned, she waited for him to say something, or leave, if that's what he was going to do.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

"Hey, it's ok. You don't have to go. Customers always right."

Tristan was surprised by what Nellie said next. Out of everything he thought he would hear her say, he never thought she would say it was okay for him to stay. Maybe she was feeling slightly guilty about the way she was acting although he wasn't sure. He had only known her for a short while, but he liked to think he could build up a pretty could idea of any person within minutes of meeting them. Although he had found this women was particularly hard to work out and he hated things he couldn't quite get to the bottom of.

"Well if your so eager for me to stay..." He joked before drinking the rest of his drink so his tankard was now empty. Instead of having another alcoholic beverage, he decided to go for something that would not comprimise his state of mind and wind up the evening nicely. He waited for the small band of men to order their drinks and go, before ordering his next drink to avoid himself of the embarrassment.

"Just a drink of water for me please." He asked, wondering how many people before him must have asked for a drink of 'water'. Not many he invisioned. He once again sent his hand into his pocket and drew out the correct amount of change this time and placed it onto the bar. "You'll have to forgive me for not tipping. Being a soldier doesn't exactly line my pockets with gold" He laughed, awaiting to recieve his drink.

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie actually laughed a little bit at his shocked expression. It was obvious he hadn't expected her to say that. She was a confusing girl, and she knew it. She rolled her eyes, but this time in a more playful manner. "Oh yes, I'm just dying for you to stay and keep me company," she said sarcastically. Her sudden change in emotion was due to the fact that she was being rude to a customer and that wasn't right. It's just when guys tried to hit on her, and made her act rude. It was apart of who she was.

Nellie smiled at Tristan when he ordered water. "Oh, heavy drinker I see." She turned and filled up a cup with water, then turned back. She shrugged when she picked up the gold coins. "Don't worry about it. I understand completely." A little pouch of gold coins doesn't stretch too far in five years. She pocketed the coins in a little pouch she carried on her waist. She wasn't stealing the money, she just felt it was more safe for her to keep it there and put it in the bar's pouch later than risk it getting stolen while she's on duty. It made more sense, because if someone tried to rob her, she could usually incapacitate them before they could get anywhere.

[Sir Tristan de Braose]

"Oh yes, I'm just dying for you to stay and keep me company,"

Tristan summoned another laugh at her sarcasm and could see that she had a sudden change of tone. He liked that he had got past her more challenging exterior and could now converse with her without having his head bitten off. He, however, had not put it down to the fact that he was just simply the customer and perhaps speaking to himself like that could maybe lose his custom. He was glad now that he had stayed for this last drink, even if it was water, she didn't seem to have a problem that it wasn't the most manly of drinks that they had on offer. He just feared if he had one more it would go straight to his head. Two was normal his limit if he was playing it safe. "Well now you've said that you'll never get rid of me" He laughed as he was given his drink.

"Thanks" He could feel the cold, icy water against his hands as he took hold and took a small sip to acclimitise himself to the temperature. He could feel chilling water pass down his throat but soon got used to it. He reminded himself to come here after future training sessions, as he would work up quite a sweat, a chilling glass of water like this would be more than enough to bring his temperature back down to 'normal' measures. Although he betted Nellie would have something to say about that.

Tristan took another careful sip and then placed his glass back onto the bar again, thinking of his next point of conversation without trying to get on her nerves; a hard thing to try and do without knowing what it was that seemed to annoy her so much. "What's it like working here?" He questioned, not knowing what it was like to be anything other than his soldier. He had been raised for this purpose, always carried out actions with the thought of fulfilling his dream of being a knight in mind. Being anything other than a night was a strange prospect for him and he was eager to hear what she thought of her current job.

[Nellie Bell]

Nellie was beginning to be more comfortable with Tristan. She wasn't about to start snogging him, but she was able to talk and be a little bit hospitable. It also looked like he was happy she wans't being a total shrew anymore either. She laughed again, shaking her head. "Hey, I never said I wouldn't get rid of you. You might wnat to watch your back. I could attack any minute. For all you know, I could have sword right under this counter." She smiled at him, looking a bit smug. Of course, she did have a sword under the counter, but she made her statement sound like joke so he wouldn't actually think she did.

She began to wonder if Nellie would be seeing more Tristan around. Or if he had been coming around a lot, and this was the first she'd actually noticed him. That last one was very likely, because she rarely takes specific notice to a person in the bar. It wasn't really any interest to her. Then he asked her a question that sort of took her off guard. It didn't make her angry though, which could have happened. "Umm.. well. How interesting could it be to work at bar," she said at first, smiling. Then she was a little more serious. "It's ok. The pay isn't great and I'm constantly getting hit on, but there isn't much I can do. I enjoy the fights though." This time she smiled to herself, remember the many fights she'd been in at the bar. That's what was mainly keeping her going and not trying to find a job somewhere else. That, and she didn't want to go living around the slums becuase she had no money for a home.

(ooc: lol, he could probably think she's talking about fights between other people.)