"Thank the gods it's over." With a sigh of relief, he plopped down into a chair with a tankard of honey mead in his hand. It had been a long day, and finally things were right again. And to think it was all due to a little spirit creature who wanted to meet its soul partner. It was a good excuse to drink, especially to wash away all the stress. He needed something strong to calm himself down after what had happened. Fortunately for him, the drinks served here were far better than anything he had tasted elsewhere. There were mixtures of flavors he felt dancing on his tongue, and it was hard to restrain himself from taking it by the mouthful. Holding it in his mouth for as long as he could, Walter was trying to make it last. As enjoyable as it was, too much would still make the wolf tip over. There was a small fox that had snuck in the merriment, and it had been following the tracker for a while already. And when he finally sat down for a drink, it sprang on him.

"Oof!" Something with a furry coat smothered the top half of his face. It was hard to breathe, but he was picking up a scent he remembered. Slightly musky but not pungent…a woodchuck? No, too small. A badger? Not likely. It wasn't a skunk, nor was it a wildcat. Putting his tankard down so he could get a better hold on the thing, his hand caught the tip of a fluffy tail. With a yelp, it was pulled off and dangled before him. "How'd you get in here? This isn't a place for you to go running about." The fox whined as it swung back and forth, eyeing the cups and tankards. "You're an odd one, you know that? I've never heard of animals taking a shine to strong drinks. I wouldn't suggest taking any–it tastes worse than it smells."

The door to the tavern opened once more, introducing Eden to the sounds of celebration and relaxation. However, the more she stepped in and the more her presence was acknowledged, the more silent the tavern became. It was not because of the beastkin clothed in torn and tattered kimono from the fierce battle just moments ago. It was not because of the weapon that rested upon her shoulder that should have been meant to hold the tavern up. It was also not the metal collar around her neck that had brought her so much trouble in the past.

None of that really mattered when a ghostly image of a manticore followed her in with massive paws, chest, and wings simply phasing through the wall nonchalantly and kept close to the female's tail!

However, she did not care if it was noisy or quiet. All she wanted was to not be agitated as she rested, catching her breath. She burned so much energy on a single rabbit that she was dripping with sweat, not caring how others reacted when she took off the kimono top, exposing the tight clother underneath as she wiped the sweat away before taking a seat at the bar. "H-How can I h-help you?" the bartender asked nervously as the large manticore settled down on his paws as if it was simply a large house cat… with a lion's mane and demon wings.

Resting her weapon on the floor via its "tip", Eden dug through her pockets and pulled out several silver coins and dropped them on the table. That's how it worked, right? Trade in these disks for services? She still didn't get an entire grasp on the situation, but she had seen it enough… hopefully…

The sudden hush was enough to pull his attention away and for the small fox to wriggle out of his grasp. Both lycanthorpe and beast turned to see what was causing the unexpected quiet, and were met with a spectacular sight. Walter recognized the tiger woman from earlier, dragging along her weapon like it was nothing. But what truly stole the show was the massive chimeric creature behind. It had the body of a lion, and wings of a bat. Blinking to make sure it wasn't the drink going straight to his head, he was sure he did indeed see the beast. The fox even stopped fussing at the sight of the large lion-bat hybrid. It wasn't causing a commotion, so it must be another of those peculiar spirit animals following everyone these days. Now that he noticed, the fox itself seemed to be one as well.

Taking another drink from his tankard, he eyed the beastkin's actions following her arrival. A handful of coins clattered on the tabletop. He had figured out that she herself could not make her voice heard physically, being mute outside of speaking to the spirits of beasts through a god's blessing. The bartender was still shaken by the large hybrid beast, and wasn't sure what she wanted. The man chose to pick a drink for her based on the amount of money she had put down, and handed it to her in a tankard in exchange. The conversation in the tavern slowly resumed as the numbing effects of the strong drink was smoothing over any strangeness seen by the patrons. 

The fox, being the size of a large housecat, was back to its antics. It was now poking out from underneath the table, pushing its nose towards Walter's tankard. It was still very much interested in tasting what the man was partaking in, and Walter was just as careful to keep it out of the animal's reach. Whines of begging came from the little white-furred creature, its face and body marked with stray strands of darker grey. Its brown eyes were like glass beads, eagerly roving about for any unnoticed scraps for it to lap up.

"Eden, here to take a well-deserved rest from the fighting? How are your friends?" He was referring to the animals and beasts she had called to her aid while engaging the rampaging rabbit.

Eden watched as the man look down at the coins before him, as if she was such a commoner that he would know her order by memory. No, she was a random folk visiting for the first time with the spirit of a manticore tailing behind her, yawning as if some bored lion. It was not trashing the place, so it was fine… right? Still, the man decided to go on and count the coin before resting the drink in front of the woman along with a small cloth so she would not need to strip to wipe away her sweat.

"… Tired," was her reply as she curled the drink into her fingers, bringing it up to her nose to sniff its contents. "Hari sad for no meal, but enjoyed fight to spare. Others simply went home."

Everyone else were taking in the contents of this drink, which translated in her head that it was safe to drink before taking a large swallow of it, but only one before she began to choke and cough on it, ale dripping from the sides of her mouth as she gasped her air and being the most verbal she has ever been in front of Walter via a growling hiss at the mug. Her ears laid flat on her head as her tail stuck out high and frilled to a poofy state. "WHY YOU HURT?!" she yelled at the drink. "WHY MAKE THROAT LIKE HEAT BALL?!" It wasn't even as warm as a heat ball, but it hurt just the same!

He nodded in agreement. That was the best way to sum up how they all felt after the fight. Tired. He figured after this a nice soak in those local hot springs would help melt the soreness in his body away. Walter knew the way, having explored the forest and mountainside some while taking a reprieve. He had even found a few more secluded pools for some well-needed peace and quiet. The wolf was tired too, and with the bottom of his tankard in sight he would soon be heading there. The spirit fox gave a disappointed grunt as it was no longer able to sneak a sip from the tracker's vessel. Its ears perked up when the bartender set down a full mug of something else nearby. A perfect opportunity to take a few licks before running off. Everybody else was tasting this liquid, so it must be delicious.

Seeing Eden's reaction to the drink made Walter choke on his mead a little. It wasn't nice to laugh, but he could tell she probably hadn't tasted alcohol before. The tiger woman ordered something, shown by her putting money down. But as she was mute to all except beasts, she couldn't tell the bartender to give her something else. He stifled a chuckle and looked aside after seeing the fur on her tail stand on end. With his tankard empty, he gave himself a few moments to keep his mild amusement to himself. Nobody else could hear her, so he did his best to explain the situation.

"Eden, let me see what you have in there." Pulling the mug close, he took a whiff. Pushing it back, he coughed and fanned his nose. Not the best idea, but it did help him understand what she'd been given. It was something he'd smelled before, but thankfully steered clear of. "Ale…mixed with some other things. Strong stuff even when they water it down. No wonder it hurt like embers." When his nose recovered, he caught the fox sticking its face into it. Lapping up a few mouthfuls, it twitched and shook as it didn't like the taste either. Hacking and gagging, the little creature ducked back under the counter where it tried to get the horrible taste off its tongue. "That's what you get for being too nosy for your own good." He sighed, before returning to the beastkin.

Neither of them would be drinking it anytime soon, so he took the chance to teach her about alcohol. "Feeling a little better? It stings bad when you first take it in, but after a while it stops unless you drink another mouthful. Sometimes you will see people drinking something from mugs and containers like these here." He motioned to the tankard and mug. "What they're drinking is called 'alcohol'. It has a lot of different types and names–ale, beer, gin, wine–to name a few. They all taste like this, and have a similar smell. If you notice, it's…almost stinging and makes your nose feel uncomfortable. It doesn't stink but it hurts if you smell it too long. Try sniffing it a little, so you can remember it. When you buy a drink, if it smells like this you know it will burn your throat."

That was a mistake he himself had learned from, many times. His first taste of ale sent him down on the floor, feeling like he was drinking some kind of noxious brew. He still didn't like it after all these years, but most places thinned it out  enough so it wasn't as painful. And places that sold better drinks didn't have ones that burned so bad either.

Its amazing what can happen when an imposing figure enters the scene. Eyes are drawn to it, captivating their view and making people question their next actions. However, once it shows no form of real malice or threat, the effect fades away and start to meld with the background. Kind of hard for a manticore to blend in with humanoids, but it showing a tranquil nature was certainly something to bring peace to mind. It showed no real threat. No danger unless you provoked it…

Or the one it followed.

As the peace melded together, the bartender could not help but watch the show that was before him: a beastkin choking on ale she bought, now hissing at the drink while a barmate tried to comfort her. She clearly had no idea what she ordered as he had no idea what she wanted. Not a word left her lips stating her interests or pointing to anything in particular. She just dropped coin and looked at him as if expecting him to follow up… and that metal collar…

"I am sure everything would have been fine if her Master was with her, wouldn't you say?" the bartender stated boldly, Eden's ears flicking to his words. Master and slave… two words she heard often with her. Words she not knew the meaning of until fairly recently, and thus could anchor faces to. Still, her hand was drawn to the emblem that resided on the cast metal. "Still, I bet he is a bold man, letting her move around so freely and handling her own silver when she understands so little of its value. Makes you wonder what he has to keep her from running awa–"

"HE HOLD ME NO LONGER!" were words that he wanted to shout out, but knew she lacked the ability to properly tell it. Still, her eyes shifted from hatred to the drink to damnation at the bartender as the manticore made its presence known once more. It took a mere flap of its wings to draw attention to it once more before standing up.

"I-I see… Yes… this must be his lea–" the manticore's roar was plenty enough to strip the nervous voice away. Eden's breath was getting rough as she stared daggers into his eyes before her hand began to move upwards, reaching out for the latch to the collar that resided around her neck before pulling it open, leaving enough room for her throat to take in more air while also showing the scars that developed from wearing it for so long in its original form… when it was essentially forged around her.

"Nnn… Nnnnn…" Sounds were escaping her lips, clearly strained as she fought to get it out. Her voice was cracked as it ached a single word: "No…"

The elf made the one mistake every beast knew not to do–challenge another's freedom. Among beasts there were no laws, but there was order. You acknowledged that order, whether it be rank or seniority. And if one did not agree with how the order was arranged, they would prove their position through strength or other means. But regardless, a beast's actions were their own. They were no one's slave. Even when they followed the pack hierarchy it was out of freedom. Nobody else but Walter picked up on that near-fatal mistake until the manticore was reacting along with Eden. 

He could see her tail bristle, and could feel the hackles rise. If she had been a beast instead of a beastkin, that high elf wouldn't be standing anymore. The man kept digging himself deeper, failing to realize how thin the ice was underneath. Walter didn't know much about Eden having only met her recently. He himself didn't hang around highly populated places with people, for his own reasons. Enslavement, being forced to fight as a gladiator, and the abuse that entailed in her earlier years were unknown to him. The elf's carelessness informed the lycanthorpe of something very important, and he quickly realized what was going on. If that was a slave collar and not some form of weighty restraint, then that meant Eden herself had been subjected to a life worse than an animal. There was nothing more dangerous than a cornered beast.

The manticore cut the man off and drew everyone's attention. She was angry, provoked. Right now was a terrible time to agitate her. Leaning over, he looked at the terrified elf with begrudging pity. "So maybe she used to be a slave. Is there a problem with that? If she was a slave, then she wouldn't be walking in and paying for her own drink without complaining, would she? Oh and by the look on her face, I think she'd like a drink with a little less venom in it. It's the least you can do after we helped deal with the rabbit." He was well aware that the elves held magic in high regard and the fact that left them near-helpless to defend against something that interfered with it. They had left the brunt of the fighting to outsiders, and if they hadn't turned things around their city wouldn't still be standing. Even personal pride had its limits.

"Something sweet with less alcohol would do nicely. She's probably paid you plenty for fixing her order." He left the mug of spiced ale for the spirit fox which decided it wanted to have another go at the drink again. Climbing up onto the counter, the creature stuck its muzzle into the mug drinking greedily. With the manticore in the room, nobody dared to say anything. Walter pulled the ale away for a moment to take a swig for himself before handing it back to his fox.

He'd thrown a burning coal into the elf's hands, figuratively speaking. He could either eat his own words and take the blow to his pride, or risk tarnishing his people's already less-than-stellar reputation. Did he really want people to think of Sidhiel as an island of ungrateful wretches? 

The bartender's heart was pounding when the barmate made him an offer with some decorative words attached to them, but the decoration was not exactly fluff. They were outsiders, yes, but strong ones indeed. The near-impossible weapon that rested on the floor next to the beastkin's seat, the scars that had decorated her body from years of physical combat, and… was that… fur growing on the back of her hands? Either way, she looked like she was ready to pounce and take out his own throat. "Y-Yes sir. Not a problem. I will get on it right away. We don't want conflict here." He scrambled back to his feet to work on it immediately.

Once he was distracted, Eden felt something rest on her back, though in her rage, she was quick to jump. However, it was Walter who touched her who had no aura of malice or conflict on him. More it was that of comfort, trying to calm the girl down. While her breathing was still heavy, she was quick to work her nerves to let her tail loosen up before taking her seat once more. She sat in silence to calm herself before once again latching the collar back closed once more. However, it did not settle the itch that irritated her throat. So much strain she placed on her voice… one that she had not used in so long, it burned worse than the ale.

The moment the glass was set in front of her, Eden was quick to pick it up and swallowing it all down, using it to fight off whatever feeling of irritation that lingered there, before slamming it down on the counter and looking up at the bartender. "Oh, uh right. Another one. T-This one will be on the house," he told her before getting a new mixture going.

"… He hold me no longer," escaped her as her fingers traced the emblem on the collar once more.

"Easy now…you don't belong to anybody anymore. People out there will judge you before they even know what kind of person you really are. But you don't need to listen." While the bartender was away, he took the return to normalcy in the tavern as a chance to share some personal experience. "I've dealt with it too–having people talk me down and sometimes give me death threats. It wasn't fair, but it's not even close to what you've been through. I'm something they call a lycanthorpe–some places use different words for it. 'Shifter', 'skin-walker', 'werewolf'…" The last one was said with hesitation. "It means I'm both man and beast, together." When the elf returned with a new drink, he waited until he went to attend to other patrons.

"People get scared when they hear that word. But not everybody who can turn into an animal acts the same way. My father was born with this, and the same goes for me. We walk in the middle between the two sides. It's different from something that looks more like a wolf on two legs. We don't attack everything in madness. We're a touch closer to people like you." Thinking about the fight, he figured that was why he could hear Eden like the hari and the other animals that helped her. With a chuckle, he scratched the ears of the now sleepy fox familiar on the counter. "So that's how I can hear you, even when others can't." The wolf heard her voice, even when it didn't make a sound. Animals didn't always have to vocalize to communicate. Using scent and body language, they already had plenty to say.

He didn't pry further into asking Eden how it all happened. She would tell him if she felt comfortable doing so, just as he told her about what he was. 

Eden blinked as he tanked about who he was, and what threats came attached to it. While the threats were never on that end, she did understand the other half: walking the line of the animals and humans as if it was a normal thing to do… At least should have been normal, as the metal collar did not really help much. Still, after taking another drink, her hand went up to feel the fur in her ear. It was strange how he said he walked the line, yet did not look any different from many other two legs. Well, except the ears compared to the rest of the folk in the area. "So… I lycanthrope?" she asked, as if completely oblivious on what her own race was even called.

"Life spent fighting," would have been her next response after a moment of silence, mulling over her own thoughts. "Each day, fight for food. Fight for comfort. Do good, get scraps. Do bad, get none." She took another drink in, and her cheeks were already starting to glow. "Fang man always tell voice useless. Fight instead. Punished for words… One night, Eden lost it. Eden break free. Take weapon. Take life…" It was a natural instinct for her to remove the discomfort, but it was the only time she had actually fought someone for their life. Every match before then it was looked down upon. Talk about "losing money" for doing so, like the slave owners had deals with each other or whatever.

Another drink was downed as she kept going. "Ran way from cage. Into trees. Not safe though. Others gave chase. Rizka come save. Rizka brought to man who smelled bear. He touch head, and this happen…" It was clear her thoughts were beginning to ramble now as her face stayed red, her head hanging low.