Serene and Minestra followed the nice man who approached them, obviously he was taking them to somewhere they could freshen up and best of all...get a big sturdy drink....

She felt the ashes burn her throat, she urgently needed something to drink.......and preferrably something stronger than tea......

Zeno stepped up to the South Wall Corner Club praying that they were still open even though there a had been the fire. It was and he lead the heroes into the bar.

They all sat down around a table and got settled, "You all looked thirstier than dirty so I decided that a nice drink would lighten the mood" Zeno said as he walked off towards the bar.

"Hey Sedrane! Hows it goin'?" he said to the bartender, "Hey can I get a couple o' drinks?"
Sendran faked a smile, "Sure... If you pay me for those drinks from last night." He said as a he turned around.
Zeno couldn't let his guests down, "Look, I'm just a little short on money right now, give me a couple of days. You know what? Charge intrest, I'll pay that too, just to prove to you I'm a trustworthy kinda guy" Zeno said knowing he wasn't going to actually pay him.
"Ok, ok, you got me, what'll it be?" The bartender said with the thought of even more money on his mind. Zeno ordered 4 large pints of Imperial Brandy and had Sendran send it to the table.

Zeno sat down, "I hope you all like Imperial Brandy, cause I think its the best" He said before chugging a 1/3rd of his glass, "Ah, the good stuff"

He looked over towards the lady's, "Excuse me, I can't believe I was so rude, I haven't even introduced myself, the names Zeno Vitelluis.. err the 3rd" the last part was an attempt to sound sophisticated. "And your's if I may ask?"

"I´m Serene.....Vantinius, and my friend´s name is Minestra" Serene took a sip of the brandy and smiled:

"why this is really nice stuff, normally I have to settle with flin......"

"what´s all this fuzz in Balmora? i thought this was a nice and quiet place....something going on huh?" she continued, as the strong drink began to slightly affect her......

"To tell you the truth, I'm not to sure. See me and a few of my buddy's went out to hunt cliffracers, and when we got back half of Balmora was on fire!" Zeno with excitment, "Never had I felt so good when I helped put the flames out. You all are quite skilled in magic, you know putting out the fire in all."

Zeno noticed that Serene was starting to feel the affects of the brandy and her head seemed to be rocking back and forth, "Serene, you and your friends look tired, maybe you all should rest you've been more than heroes today. Just tell the bartender that Zeno sent you and he should give you a room." Zeno rose to his feet and was walking away when he turned around and ask,"I beg your pardon, what are the names of your friends? Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow I'm sure, maybe for breakfast?" Zeno smiled and walked out the door.

Minestra took a drink, leaning a little back. Was alwasy good with some Brandy, atleast after a trip like this. She scanned around, seemed to be a nice place after all.. Minestra didn't say much, she stayed for the time mostly quiet if not putting in some words of Serene sometimes...
"So.. What started this fire thought?" she said giving a mysterious eye to Taros...

[quote=Fuzzy Knights]Minestra took a drink, leaning a little back. Was alwasy good with some Brandy, atleast after a trip like this. She scanned around, seemed to be a nice place after all.. Minestra didn't say much, she stayed for the time mostly quiet if not putting in some words of Serene sometimes...
"So.. What started this fire thought?" she said giving a mysterious eye to Zeno, his friend and Taros...[/quote]

Taros, who was still missing a good deal of his armor, pulled his helmet off, letting the Morag Tong helmet flop limpy onto the table. He ran a hand through his silvery white hair. "Some Imperial Fetcher slew the entire bar, i tried to bring him down. We fought, and the s'wit lit the place on fire with a fireball."

Serene raised her head, looking the Morag Tong-assassin into the eyes....

"Fireball?" she said solemnly...."Are not intended to destroy cities..."

She closed her eyes, totally worn out and considerably drunk by now.

"I need to get some sleep, Zeno promsed you wold have a bed for me", she addressed the bartender, giving him a faint smile....

Minestra didn't really care what started it, only who started it. Wasn't much to care of either, she had been in the Morag Tong and she trusted Taros well...
"I'll wait a little bit before I go to sleep" she said to Serene before asking for a new beer...

Only a short time after nightfall, Hukai's eyes stiraned open. He lay there, now bathed in sweat. The dreams of his past could still taunt him, even then. Hukai raised a hand to his head. "When will these nightmares end...?" Before he could think further on the subject, he again fell into and uneasy sleep. :paperbag:

[quote=Fuzzy Knights]Minestra didn't really care what started it, only who started it. Wasn't much to care of either, she had been in the Morag Tong and she trusted Taros well...
"I'll wait a little bit before I go to sleep" she said to Serene before asking for a new beer...[/quote]

"You do that" Serene said to Minestra in a low voice, "I´ll go to bed, see you in the morning"

Slightly swaying Serene went up to the room Zeno showed her, despite her obvious intoxication she still pondered of the reason why ther had been such a big fire in the city of Balmora....

[quote=minque]Serene raised her head, looking the Morag Tong-assassin into the eyes....

"Fireball?" she said solemnly...."Are not intended to destroy cities..."
[/quote]

"Fire burns wood..." Taros comment idly, Watching Serene head off to her room. "Wood was nice 'n dry. Caught fire easily."

Zeno lay his little shack of a house in Balmora, nothing but four walls and a bed.. and don't forget the roof. The only thing racing through his mind was Serena, or at least it was for the moment.

"What started that fire.." He said to himself, "Well whatever it is, next time I'll be ready, I'll be the hero.." He said as a he drifted off to sleep..

It was a restless night, on part because so many exciting (If you can call a fire exciting) events happening lately.

The sun shone through the dusty blinds on his only window, Zeno judged that it must be about seven AM.

"Time for breakfest" he thought to himself, more eagerly awaiting to see Serena then actually filling his earthly needs. On the way to the inn he noticed two guards talking, one he recognized as Ninimilk, a local gaurd. The other he hadn't a clue, but had an eastern look to him.

"How's it goin' Ninimilk?" Asked Zeno cheerfully, seeing that both of the guards were in a bit of a hizzy.
"Well friend, after you pay me back those 100 septims I might be a bit better.." Ninimilk said with a raised brow, Zeno started to come up with an excuse but the gaurd cut him off,
"Forget about that. It seems that there are more.. pressing issue's at the matter here. In the north east, the land of the Ashlanders, a mighty force has been been gathered and released upon Vvardenfell. It seems as though they have already made it as far as Red Mountain.. We can only wonder where they will be heading next." Ninimilk rambled on but Zeno paid no heed, for his mind was on Sere.. err breakfast.
"Well good luck with that" Zeno said with a smile, "If you need anything let me know!" He said as he walked off. Ninimilk shook his head and continued converstating to the gaurd.

Smoke was rising on the far side of the Red Mountain, and soon the fog of war would be revealed over Balmora.

Minestra stood up from her bed, she stayed up long yesterday just talking a little bit with Taros. She took her sack and walked out and up to the tavern where she threw a couple of septims to the owner asking for some drink and breakfast as she sat down by the window... Looking out she could see smoke rising from Red Moutains, she leaned back before rubbing her hands in her eyes totally confused before ignoring it...

Taros was awakened when he accidently rolled off his bed while sleeping, ending his dream and giving his head quite the temporafry heacache. The Dunmer cursed, and left his room in the Morag Tong Guildhall, stopping briefly in Meldor's armory to get his armor repaired, before heading to the South Wall Corner club for breakfast. Sure, there was the Lucky Lockup, or the Council club, but the lockup was too close to the Council Club, and Taros hated the Council Club. He had a great dislike for the Cammona Tong, they disgraced the sacred art of murder, and not only that, were wild radicals.

Someone ought to deal with them sometime. He did so hope someone would write up a writ for them.

Serene woke up with a slight headache. "I shouldn´t have taken those drinks yesterday" she thought as she washed her face in the small bucket in the corner. She went to the tavern to look for Minestra....."quite a nice aquaintance" she said to herself.

Making her way to the tavern she felt a faint smell of something burning...then she saw smoke rising from behind Red mountain.....She looked once more, rubbing her face and looked again...then she started running......

(Ooc: Oops, I forgot to start the morning thing...thanks for covering Channler.)

Hukai turned in his bed, slowly drifting back from the nightmarish dreamworld and to harsh reality. He didn't view life this way, of course, but merely knew such was life. Hukai's eyes flickered open and he took a deep breath. He was not in a buring building, but his own rented-room in Balmora. "Ugh, what have I been doing? Calling the herder..." Hukai spoke with no real emotion at this time, but merely repeated a small peice from his past. He crawled dismally out of his shaby bed and glanced around for his belongings. After a quick check to make sure everything was accounted for, the wood elf donned his armor, sheathed his weapon, and headed out the door. On his way out, he stopped by the bar and bought a small bottle of matze, and new lockpick, and then procced to make his way into town.

Hukai knew that something was wrong the minute he stepped outside. Before the boy even saw the dark cloud billowing from Red Mountain, he noticed that few animals moved about and even fewer sung for the early morning. Then he saw it, a great warning from the mountain itself. Smoke poured out of the volcanic gaint's mouth and spead over the counrtyside. Being careful was always one of his strong points, but that morning, Hukai kept glancing over his shoulder.

"It might be a good idea," He said, turning away from the spectacle, "To have breakfast in a tavern today." With that, Vexx Hukai made his way to the wealthy side of town, looking for a place to eat.

Since the blight had been ridden from Vvardenfell the Ghost Gate was no longer of much use, just a mere fort in the still desolate regions. Yet still there was an immence(SP) amount of soldiers in the area, so much as though it confused even Xavier the Ruthless One.

Xavier crawled up to a ledge overlooking the once grand protection of Vvardenfell and noticed countless rows of archers, foot soldiers, and shock troopers.
"This is odd, this old fort shouldn't require this much attention." He solomly exclamed peering over into the mass of body's. He jumped down into the fray.

"HALT! In the name of the General, we can not let you pass. If you--" The blood spurted out of the mer's neck. Xavier's blade was warm with blood already. In an instant hundreds of soldiers, thousands of arrows, and many javelins seemed to shower upon The Ruthless One. But they died like normal men and mer, still no pity or feeling for the lost.

Slash, hack, parry. Slash, hack, parry. There seemed no end, yet Xavier killed them, untill all he could see was the inside of his eyelids.

----

Zeno walked into the tavern with a smile on his face, he didn't think anything of the smoke from Red Mountain. He saw Serena and Minestra sitting at the table. He went and joined them.

He saw the distracted looks on their faces, "Whats the matter? Why would such to beautiful lady's such as yourselfs care to have yout face downcasts?" He truly was clueless.

"Mountain's smoking 'gain," Taros commented, walked past Zeno, holding in his hands a odd piece of food. It was two slices of bread, with some fried Kwama eggs and Nix-hound meat in the center. "Lotsa people get grumpy went that happens. Don't blame 'em. Can see that damn thing from freakin' Almalexia."

"Real mood killer."

Hukai made his way to the only town tavern. In fact there were two taverns and the Council club, but one had burnt to a crisp the day before and Hukai really didn't feel like being stared at by some snobby merchants at the Council Club. So, in the simple mindedness that followed hunger, Hukai found his feet carrying him to The lucky Lockup. The wood elf opened the door and a momentary silence feel over the occupents(sp) of the table closest to him. He walked inside and ordered a Shein and some scrib jelly from the bartender before settling down into an empty table in the middle of the room.

Zeno got up and walked over to where Hukai was sitting,
"Hukai! What's up buddy, I haven't seen you around in a while.. You look like you have something on your mind. Whats the matter?"

Hukai looked up. He had barely sat down when some stranger walked up to him. He was, as he had been that morning, being cautious, but he felt it best to not be rude. "Uh, hey! I'm fine, just a little shaken over the whole smoke coming off Red Mountian, that's all. Heh heh...." Hukai smiled politly but could feel it looked forced. He quickly cleared his troat(SP?) and motioned for the newcomer to sit down. "So, how are you?"

*Hint* *Hint*

"Hukai, you upset me. It wasn't that long ago that we were at odds over that girl somewhere here in Balmora. You don't remeber?" Said Zeno

Hukai looked down at his bottle. He could only guess what urged the strange man to talk to him like they were old friends, but he kept himself in check and replied. "How is she?" He inquried, his real objective in being how this never-before-seen warrior knew his name.

Is he some kind of telepath? Hukai thought, trying to keep his mind on something else, lest this man try and read it. "Wait..." Hukai looked up thoughtfully for a moment, staring into the stranger's face with awe. Is he? Hukai broke his stare and closed his eyes with a sigh. He hadn't seen it before, but he did know this Imperial, for he was one of Hukai's oldest friends.

"Huh, I almost didn't see you through all the years, Zeno." Hukai opened his eyes and smiled his first real smile since he came to Balmora. "You know what?! I'm ordering you a drink!" Hukai shot a hand through the air and whistled to the barkeeper. "Hey! Barkeep! Get my friend here your strongest beer, on me!"

"Hey! It's about time you recognized me. How have you been? Me? Pretty good." Zeno put on a frown, "Oh yea, sorry about that girl. I knew you and her had somehting going on, but man was she gorgueous(SP)." He said with dreamy eyes.

"Forget about the beer, I think it might be a little to early for that. But please, join me and my friends over at the other table." Zeno led Hukai over to the table and they both sat down.

Serene watched Zeno walk away to another table where another man was sitting, then both men started talking in rather loud voices..it was about some girl in Balmora. Serene didn´t pay that close attention to the conversation, she concentrated on her breafast.

Then she heard the strange man at the other table yell at the barkeep for a beer,...she shrugged, beer at this time of day? Disgusting really she thought. Anyway she hoped Zeno would come back soon, he was a nice guy and she neede friends badly. Minestra did not say much, Serene couldn´t really figure out what she really was up to, so she shook her head and went to the bar for another cup of tea.....