Private Tales The Most Ridiculous Thief

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
He heard a cough and his gaze flitted to the source, his patented grin gracing his features as he focused briefly on her. "In the town of Elbion, there was a vagabond named Crohn. He neither murdered nor stole.." his voice took on a light sing-song tone.

A member of the crowd would yell out. "Then what did he do, eh?"

"He cuddled." A strum of the lute. "Serially." There were some soft chortles. "He would scale the sides of houses and walls, crawling through windows and stalls.." another strum. "..to cuddle."

Ellory Ashford
 
She felt heat rise into her cheeks when his gaze found her. She did not think she had coughed that loudly but apparently she had.

Ellory just shook her head and chuckled as he sang. This song was even more ridiculous than the story itself and she found herself enjoying it.

The crowd did not seem to mind the change of tempo either. Apparently if the story itself was this compelling, they could not help but be enamored by it. She just took another drink of her ale and enjoyed the show.

Ryder
 
When she noticed him, noticing her, he would shoot her with a wink. It would almost seem that everytime she looked his way, he was staring at her, or perhaps she imagined that part.

The story would grow and weave into the most ridiculous tale she ever heard. Crohn would embark on this harrowing quest to discover one thing: which race cuddled better. Elves, Giants, Nagai, bearded Dwarven women, dragons, and so much more.

The princess, a human, would be the cuddle that meant the most to him, so by the end of the tale, Crohn was cuddling his way back to her.

Ellory Ashford
 
Ellory just shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest. She wondered idly if the scar near his eye was from someone getting tired of his winking because she wanted to punch him at the moment. It would be a lighter punch though.

How on earth the story got more ridiculous was beyond her. There was no way Crohn would not have been killed if he was out cuddles a bunch of different races.

Ryder
 
Alas, reaching the stories completion, the playing of the lute would slow some. "Crohn.. the.. Chronic, Cuddler.." he would sing softly, causing the bar to repeat it, even quieter. "Would finally reach his Maidens hallowed walls, clambor over those familiar stalls..."

He strummed the lute a bit before sighing. "But.. he had made the mistake of cuddling her step-mother and a mighty witch was she.. so lustful of Crohn who had made his feelings known.. that she drove a dagger into he.." more sojourn strumming. "..he staggered and fell from the window... and died, on his own."

The people of the bar had spent much of the time laughing at the tale that upon its conclusion, Ellory would see many drunken tears shed.

Ryder finished playing and lifted a hand to the audience. "Thank you, thank you. You ladies and gentlemen have a good night." He would then hop down from the table he had sat on and stretch a bit.

Some of the crowd clapped, some of the crowd cheered, and some grumbled at the fate of poor Crohn the Chronic Cuddler.

Ellory Ashford
 
Ellory clapped when the tale was complete. It was ridiculous but it was actually pretty entertaining as well. She hated to admit such things especially to Finnick. She couldn't help but roll her eyes thinking about how insufferable he would be if she did admit it.

She smiled at the bard as he headed in her direction. The look on his face softened her smile into a genuine thing but she held up her empty tankard to tell him to get her another. She wouldn't make it that easy for him.

Ryder
 
Reaching Ellory, he smirked at the tankard and took it from her holding it over his head. The waitress would rush over with two more tankards and another waitress would reach the table with a mug full of tips from the performance.

Sitting at the table and sliding in beside Ellory, she could already tell that the coins in the mug would be at least two months pay for her position. Finnick pulled 6 pieces out and slipped them into the hand of a waitress. "Tips for you hard working girls."

When they had both left, he looked over at Ellory. "Hopefully the shift in tone made it more your scene, my dear."

Ellory Ashford
 
Ellory smiled and took the tankard from Finnick with a thank you. She took a drink from it and almost choked when she saw the amount of coins in the tip mug. Holy shit, she thought.

"It was, I enjoyed that one very much, Finnick," she set her mug on the table. "I guess I am just too old and boring to deal with yelling drunks," Ellory laughed out.

She then nodded to his tips. "I will say that it seems rather lucrative to entertain drunk people all night though. I work my ass off for a fraction of that..." The last sentence was quieter than the first.

Ryder
 
Her cough was noted and the grin in response was hidden with a tilt of his head. "Good, I'm glad to have been of service. I prefer something that you get to endure as well." He added warmly.

He laughed after her remark. "Indeed it is. Someone has to entertain the unwashed masses." He joked lightly. "Its good for if I ever drcide to stop moving around." He offered with a sidelong glance.

Ellory Ashford
 
"I do not know why since you could have any woman in this tavern. They would warm your bed with no issue while I will likely send you on your way again tonight," Ellory smiled sweetly at him.

Finnick was so smooth and she knew this was all part of his game but fuck he was good at it. He knew what people wanted to hear and he played to it like an expert wordsmith. She knew she needed to keep her guard up. So why was she having to remind herself of that? It wasn't hard.

His words and that glance sent a tingle down her spine. "I am sure you would still have plenty of work at a local tavern, Finnick."

Ryder
 
"And that.. is the point. If I were blind, I could land every other girl in this tavern, same thing goes for if I was deaf, or even had a third arm to match my third leg." He said with that joking grin. He offered a shrug. "Oh no, whatever will I do, if you turn me away? Crohn had zero quit, so perhaps ill take after him." another tease, another laugh.

He shifted so he could get a real look at her and took a moment to tuck a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips would trace down behind her ear and tease along her neck, before dropping down to rest atop her thigh.

"Yes, I do think i would have adequate work, maybe make a moderate living. Who knows.. lay down some roots here in Vel Anir."

Ellory Ashford
 
The third leg comment was not lost on Ellory but she chose to not comment on it. He did not need any kind of ego boost. He was a pain in her ass already.

"Crohn also isn't real and he was killed by his loves mother. My mother can be quite ruthless, you know..."

Was she suggesting that he would perhaps meet her mother someday...no...of course not. Her thoughts were interrupted as he pushed the hair behind her ear and took his sweet time retreating from the sensitive skin of her neck.

She made a mental note that his hand on her thigh did not help matters either.

"Why would you want to lay down roots here?"


Ryder
 
Ryder would smirk as she spoke. "Is she now? So ill be wary of crawling through the window of any home she resides in." He said with a laugh, his hand brushing along her thigh before it joined his other hand and clasped on the table.

"Mmmmm.. " he would begin with some thought. "The road is getting deadlier and I may have found something worth sticking around for." He gave her some side eye as he spoke the last. "Been a long time since I owned a house, stayed in one place for a time."

Ellory Ashford
 
"Oh? And what is that?" Ellory pushed as she studied his face before taking another drink of her ale.

She was not sure why but she wanted his hand on her thigh again. She liked when he was touching her. What an absolute juxtaposition from the previous night.

She obviously knew that he was teasing her with the hint that she was the reason but she was actually curious what would have him give up his like on the road as a famous, loved bard.

Ryder
 
"Well, when you start out as a bard, you need to travel get some stories to tell. Staying in a city at the start ruins your chances at that. So, I traveled. Got renown, stories, wealth. Road is long, however." He would say with a shrug.

As if he could read her mind, his hand returned to her thigh, though this time it didn't stay static. It would begin to gently caress up and down her thigh. It was subtle enough that it wouldn't be seen by onlookers, but it was more than enough for her to feel his attentions.

Ellory Ashford
 
Ellory was unaware that Finnick was a mind reader but here he was with his hand on her thigh again and she did not want him to stop. Each movement sent shivers through her.

"When do you head out of town this time?" She asked him as she slipped her hand under the table and set it on top of his.

How had he weaseled his way into her life so quickly? She was never like this but his quick tongue had ensnared her.


Ryder
 
He kept his hand mobile, even when hers rested atop it. Caressing her thigh and edging higher up and shifting to her inner thigh. "Hmmm... well, it was to be in two days.. but I could extend my time here for a bit.. but only if I would be so graced with more time with you." He said with that devilish grin.

His gaze would break off from her for a moment as his hand continued to tease her. He then took his tankard and took a decent sized pull from it.

Ellory Ashford
 
The chills ran through her body at the combination of his touch on her thigh and his words. Two days. He was only to be here for two more days.

“Would you like to go for a walk? Perhaps you can convince me on why I should spend more time with you.”

She had so much work to do with that damn thief in the city but those thoughts were far from her mind as she smiled at Finnik.


Ryder
 
He would shoot her a wry smile, just as his fingers teased closer then they ever had, the look in his eyes letting her know exactly what was on his mind. At her question, the hand slowly withdrew. "I would love to go for a walk with you." sliding from the booth, he paused just long enough to drain his tankard.

Setting down payment with a generous tip, he would offer her his arm. "Shall we, my dear?"

Ellory Ashford
 
Ellory was so close to kissing the bard that she almost let out an audible breath of relief when he removed his hand from her thigh.

What the fuck was this man doing to her?! She did not have time for him or anyone else. She had her booty call who was happy to show up and leave. She was always happy to see him leave and not try to stay or talk to her.

But with Finnick...she wanted to spend time with him.

Ellory scooted out of the booth and linked her arm in him.

"Yes, we shall. Now back to why I should spent time with you..."


Ryder
 
She took his arm and he offered her a smile before guiding her to the door. He knew everything he was doing to her, after all, she was a mark. One that happened to be hunting him. Which meant that any association with her would be even more exhilarating.

"Beyond the fact you already want to?" He asked with a sly side-eye as he opened the door for her. They would then exit out into the street. "For starters, you want to know if that tingle in your thigh could lead to something far more... exciting. Naturally, you'll deny it. Another reason, is you love a good mystery, so you'll spend time with me just to see if you can crack through the facade and see what I'm hiding."

Ellory Ashford
 
Ellory did not like how well Ryder could read her already. It was her job to read others and for this bard to practically be able to read her mind so quickly really drove her insane.

She needed to crack him because he was hiding something or multiple somethings.

"Since you know me so well...how is the rest of this night going to go?" Ellory looked up at Finnick with a sly smile.

She did not even waste her breath trying to deny that other things he had said. There was no point.


Ryder
 
His free hand would move to take her hand that had looped in his arm, freeing the limb just long enough for it to slide seamlessly around her waist, and pull her side against his. His hidden smile could only imagine the inner battle waging right now.

"Well, we are going to go back to your place, despite your best efforts to try to convince me to show you my temporary place, which I won't because I can't lose my mystique yet. So we will go to your place and you will do all those things to me that flew around in your head while we were in the bar." He growled the last bit into her ear while the hand at her waist teased along her hips.
 
Ellory wanted to stab him and his smug ass.

"That is very presumptuous of you, Finnick. Perhaps I will tell you goodnight at the door and never see you again," she said with a sly smile.

He was right though. He knew her. Damn it all!


Ryder
 
With her door in sight, he would pause, lifting the hand he held to his lips to place a kiss on her palm, and then a lingering kiss on her wrist. That hand and her hips teased ever more.

"Then if that is your decision, my dear, I will honor it." He would then lean forward, pressing his lips against hers in the lamplight of the street, below the glow of the moon. Gentle at a first glance, but she could feel the heat that lay beneath. He would allow the kiss to linger for a few heartbeats before he broke off. "I couldn't leave without sharing but one such kiss with you."

Ellory Ashford