behind the cellar door

It’s a strange feeling, being in a tavern surrounded by people. All of whom had friends and companions to chat with – yet there was Kiada, alone and bundled in leathers and furs with a sharp eye that scanned every face that entered and left. Perhaps that’s why they had left her well alone, stepping far from her to reorder drinks and avoid eye contact. Was she that intimidating? She snorted at the thought, sipping at her drink and enjoying the burn that raced down her throat. She had nothing else to do, no one to talk to, even the bartender seemed inclined to ignore the pale girl with the iceberg eyes. But another arrived, stepping into the tavern. They were the same height, and her eyes shifted toward him immediately. He didn’t look like he belonged – not like Kiada had any real information to go off of but based off the furs and bundles of clothes everyone else here wore she could only assume he was new. Perhaps he had fallen through like her, losing everything of old lives behind her aside from her mind and the memories. It wasn’t lost on her when his pace slowed and he seemed less inclined to step toward the bar that she seemed to be watching over like some kind of alcohol guardian. Oh, how she wished Khairi was here. She turned to him then, offering a kind smile (though not too kind after all) and made room. Gathering the bartenders attention, she ordered a drink for him. “One for my friend, please.” She called over to the man who rushed to bring one for him as Kiada turned back to look at Seiji. “I’m Kiada.” She hummed to him, raising her glass in a mock toast and a wink as if they were old friends celebrating something important. “You new here?” She questioned after, lowering the glass but keeping it close to her side as she glanced back around the tavern a brief moment. KiadA and here you come, with a shield for a heart, and a sword for a tongue.

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