Trees in the Sky (ask to join)

[Kenshin]

Kenshin was trying to find enthusiasm for his new home. It bothered him that so soon after their arrival Armaris was planning a trip back to Onise. He had not explained why which was probably wise since if Kenshin had known that Sithra was pregnant he would have struck Armaris in the face with his fist. This once, it was better he remain ignorant.

He'd been all around the Upper Ward with Slug, looking about and seeing what there was to see. He was mostly dismayed by how much magical junk was everywhere. Slug was happy with all the people around but there were more people to be startled by the big beast's appearance and distressed by the way the ground shook when he took a step.

Kenshin played it down as best as he could but the circumstance made him nervous inside. It was wrecking his ego and leaving his stomach in spirals of sick. Where before he would have been placing himself forward as a talented politician/diplomat/warlord and elevating Slug with his own accomplishments, now he was ducking his eyes downward to avoid noticing the alarmed looks that came their way. He even heard the occasional insult hurled his way for bringing such an enormous beast into the city as if he should be shunned for having a bonded creature as gentle and wonderful as Slug. It hurt worse than anything anyone had ever said of Slug alone.

The local politics were completely out of his reach. Not only was he not permitted to take part in them, but they seemed to place a high degree of emphasis on magical learning, something he simply could not do.

He had to fight the rage that started to brew again. He was angry with Armaris for bringing him here. There was truly nothing for him here. It was as if Armaris had sought to ruin him completely and without hope of recovery. It might have been acceptable to him if Armaris had still possessed some emotional attachment to the Osai. Instead Kenshin's memories played back the cruel statements of denial. There was nothing anymore and it hurt so much to even ponder it that Kenshin was uncertain he could tolerate a friendship with the man.

The only light in the tunnel was the friendship he had made with Reno. Kenshin would tolerate Armaris and do this job that had been requested of him and surely he would find something. In the meantime he would find every opportunity to visit with his friend, his real friend once he figured out where he was.

Uncertain of how he would get Slug onto the tram that carried passengers down to Lower City Kenshin stabled his kirin before approaching the machine.

He pondered it wth a strong dose of skepticism as he waited with other potential passengers. He wasn't entirely against technology of this sort since he had seen things similar in Vione, and machines were far more sensible than magic any day. But it still troubled him and he soon had a valid reason to attach to that worry.

The tram moved very fast. Kenshin and the other passengers had to hold onto rails within the device and even then were jostled about on the ancient tracks as it hurtled downhill in a steep curve.

This would not have been so terrifying except it circled around the outside of the city and while it was definitely on its track the entire time, it was possible to see the vast misty distance of water far below and the circular motion of the cart made it feel as if the whole lot of him would spill off out of the city to their doom.

The tram stopped with an unpleasant abruptness that left Kenshin's head spinning and then they had to dismount down another steep staircase, which was, fortunately, well constructed.

Once below he peered back up the stairs to the tram with dismay. He was going to have to go back up that way later and he was already dreading it.

"Damned magic." He muttered as he took off down what looked like a residential street. The buildings were crowded and small here unlike the larger construction in the Aerie Estates. The scent of food wafted toward his nose and he found himself perusing the odd booth that was set up by the path. It was more of a path here than a road and the entire place was very noisy.

But, things were starting to look better already, or at least that was how it seemed to him when his eyes fell upon an Osai-styled sign advertising a Tavern. "The Horned Kirin" sprawled out into the street ahead of him with a fanciful sign depicting a dragon-like hooved creature all in blue with a spiraled horn protruding from its nose. The horn even stuck out of the sign magnificently.

The front of the tavern was styled in an exaggerated Osaian style but Kenshin was in love with it before he'd even entered even though that was most likely because he had been grasping at anything remotely familiar and this was it!!!

He had to stop himself from running inside. It actually took a great deal of willpower to keep his legs steady and at a measured pace as he stepped in through the wide-windowed entrance and caught the light scent of ropchai smoke within.

The walls of the building were dancing with artwork from the deserts and various Osai craftworks. It was absolutely breathtaking.

"Good day." A pleasant masculine voice greeted him cheerfully.

Kenshin's heart danced as his eyes took in a truly splendid-looking Osai man. Now he was peculiarly fair-haired but Kenshin was not one to judge him poorly for that since he himself had been born light. It was not taken favorably among the Osai to be quite so light since it implied Ethian bloodlines somewhere along the way.

The former warlord was all aflutter though. He supposed that the man might have been quite a catch maybe a decade ago. He was looking a bit wrinkled around the eyes, but it made him more distinctive rather than just old. And, the only truly worrying thing was that it seemed as if he'd gotten on the wrong end of a Mea'lan with a piercing fetish. The older Osai had a fair number of unfortunate piercings in his ears. It reminded him of Reno though and brought a smile to Kenshin. He doubted he would ever want to be pierced like that but it did send his thoughts into swirls of fantasies.

The Osai tavern keeper shifted in place and gave him a curious look. "Can I get you something? I've got some Kelobara in the back. They don't let me import it but I make my own from an old family recipe."

Kenshin smiled wistfully. "Yes. Yes please." Crossing to the bar he made sure to sit near the man so he could soak in his presence for awhile.

The Osai tavern keep chuckled. "It's so strange, not many Osai come up here to Aganthis, but I would bet everyone that has came straight in that door. Is this your first time here?"

Kenshin nodded. "It's pure madness."

"Madness makes the world go my friend." The older Osai replied. "One moment, I'll get your drink from the back."

Kenshin may as well have been swooning. There were very few things about this man that he didn't like. If there was anyway he could charm this man into a more intimate social circumstance he most definitely would.

The man returned with a large mug of alcoholic nostalgia. He set it down in front of Kenshin with the same friendly smile he'd offered with his greeting.

"So are you from the desert?" Kenshin asked, shifting the drink closer so that he could take in its fragrance.

"Yes and no." The older man said. He didn't have a great many customers at this hour so he could afford to chat for now. "I traveled quite a bit. I'm from the Yataro tribe originally but I didn't bond so I got traded around quite a lot."

Kenshin tried not to wince. It wasn't good for a man not to bond with a kirin. In some of the tribes it assured a life of servitude.

"It wasn't bad though. I'm a performer." The man said with a chuckle as he took in Kenshin's reaction. "I got to see a lot more than the average unbonded osai man. I had more than my fair share of carousing and incredibly beautiful women as well."

Kenshin's wince turned into a faint frown, but before he could react a second figure streaked into sight. "Oh I hope you're not boasting about all the women you slept with before you met mom."

The voice shocked the ears and drew Kenshin's eyes to the figure of a young woman, scarcely out of her teens but all-too womanly all the same. She was, very obviously Mea'lan with long corded blue-black hair and sharply blue eyes. Her features were narrow and graceful which Kenshin found appealing much in the same way her father's features drew him in. It was, strangely familiar.

The Osai tavern keeper chuckled. "My daughter, Eska. She hates it when I talk about my life in the tribes."

She rolled her eyes then fixed her gaze on Kenshin. "Savages. The Osai are savages."

"Did your father teach you that?" Kenshin asked her, wondering what sort of establishment would invite its guests to be insulted... oh yes, an Osai one.

"Yes." She said and then smirked at him as if insisting that he try to argue with her on that point.

"The Osai did sign a peace accord with the Ethians." He offered.

"Exactly. Who is more savage than the Ethians?" She asserted.

Kenshin couldn't argue with her there. He instead glanced at the tavern keeper who clearly had not gone out of his way to teach his daughter to be meek like a proper Osai woman.

"I am sorry, she takes after her mother." He laughed. "I hope she hasn't upset you."

Kenshin shook his head. He wasn't upset. Surprised maybe.

Eska wasn't done though. She sat down in the seat next to Kenshin and across from her father. "Good, then you'll do fine in Aganthis." She said. "What is your name?"

"Y--K--" He hesitated, not sure how far his notoriety had spread. He reminded himself inwardly no last names. "Kenshin."

She smiled. "Not a bad name. Are you staying in Aganthis for awhile?"

"I'm sure there's something." He said and glanced at her father. He couldn't imagine the older man was OK with his daughter picking up on random customers like that. And she was most assuredly flirting with him. It didn't especially bother him. She was pretty and he wondered if bedding her might cure him of his unrequited desire for Reno.

"Well, where are you staying? Are you looking for work?" She asked.

"The Glass Vista Inn." He said.

"Mmm." She said with slight interest. The Glass Vista was expensive. Mentioning it tended to put him in the 'rich' category. "So you are a well-to-do Osai man." She said.

"You could say that I suppose." Kenshin replied taking a sip from his drink. He wondered if she would sleep with him just for having money. He'd seen crazier things.

"This tavern is absolutely beautiful." He remarked. "I would love to purchase artwork like what is here, on the walls. It reminds me of where I grew up. Who is the artist?"

Eska laughed. "Not me, that's sure. Mom was an amazing artist. She taught dad to mix colors and he did most of the art for the kirin."

The bartender chuckled, waving a hand at her. "I appreciate the praise, but I don't paint professionally. I just needed to decorate on a budget."

"I'm dead serious. I would buy paintings from you." Kenshin said intently.

"We can talk about it later if you like." He said. I might find the time to do more of that sort of thing. My talent is more with music, and words."

"Daddy's a minstrel." Eska said.

"You play an instrument?" Kenshin asked.

The tavern keeper nodded with a chuckle. "I play a few. It came in quite handy when I was younger. Charmed more than a few ladies in my day just by playing the right notes."

He smiled and hunted around behind the bar, finding a worn-looking stringed instrument. He moved around the bar and sat. After checking that his strings were in tune he started into a melody singing along with it in a clear, beautiful voice.

Kenshin was beguiled by it. He had heard the same song before probably countless times, but it seemed perfect on this man's lips. On the last refrain he gestured for the others to join in. Kenshin smiled and picked up the words with him as did Eska. Their voices blended easily, almost uncannily, but Kenshin was not thinking overly much on that.

"You have a fair set of pipes there yourself." The tavernkeep announced as he had finished his song and started carrying his instrument back behind the bar. "Have you ever been a singer?"

Kenshin laughed. "No that is more for myself, and my kirin."

The girl brightened. "Oh a kirin! I'd love to see him. Can I see him with you sometime? Does he fly?"

Kenshin shrank inwardly. He hadn't wanted to bring Slug into this but there were worse things of course. It didn't help that he was making better progress with the girl rather than her father.

"Yeah, I guess." He said.

"I love you forever then." She said with a laugh. "You know you should get your ears pierced. I can do it for you."

Kenshin cringed outwardly. "N-no that's all right."

"It's not really that bad." The tavern keeper said with amusement. "No worse than getting stabbed." He laughed at that.

"I'm glad you find it funny." Kenshin responded.

"You would look good with piercings." Eska persisted. "I don't lie."

"Yes well, I don't want them." Kenshin said thinly. "I've got enough unwanted marks from bad circumstances I don't need to invent new ones."

"You'd be amazed how often she talks people into it." The tavern keeper observed.

The girl grimaced at her dad playfully then said. "You must be from the tribes too then huh? The ones from the city are usually easier sells."

Kenshin nodded. "I was raised in a tribe, trained up and then went to live in Yangon province for a time. It was hit hard by the plague."

"I heard that." The girl said soberly. "We didn't have as much trouble with sickness here for some reason. Did you know anyone who died to it?"

He nodded again, somberly. "And I nearly died to it."

"Seriously?" She asked, even more hooked on him than before. He could tell by the way she was leaning ever so slightly toward him. He could see down her shirt.

Kenshin realized he had a rapt audience then and shied away from it a bit. He hadn't wanted to talk about himself so much. He'd lived a weird, wrecked life and it was unlikely they would relate to him if he said too much of it.

"Aganthis can be a good place for Osai." The tavern keep said amusedly. "I've had some say it's like heaven and hell all rolled into one. One asked me why I was insane enough to build my tavern up here. I just told him I'm half Vpera, well that could be true, but who knows." He laughed. "That's why my hair's so light you know."

"Oh not that one." Eska grumbled.

The tavern keep grinned. "I bet you didn't know that about the Osai." He was talking to Kenshin.

"What?" Kenshin inquired.

"Some of the tribes captured Vperan women several generations back. They thought they were so very smart. They would breed super-warriors out of them. They wanted Osai who could heal like the Vpera. They ended up with a lot of flimsy winged babies many of whom were killed just for not being 'Osai' enough."

"That's absurd." Kenshin retorted.

"Is it?" The tavern keeper inquired.

Kenshin considered it more. "That's very absurd."

"It's true though. My mother had small wings. I don't know if she was half or whole Vpera but I was told once that if I had been born like my mother I would have been left in the desert to fend for myself. You see, that's why some Osai have light colored hair."

Kenshin was insulted then. "I am not part Vpera."

"Maybe so, maybe not." The tavern keeper uttered.

"I am from the Marsin family. I highly doubt the pale hair of Fayt Marsin's line could be attributed to Vpera. They've had it for many generations."

The tavern keeper's eyes alit. "Marsin. Oh I know that family well."

"Oh no you've gotten him started now." Eska said dismally and folded her arms. "You won't get him to shut up. Marsin was the Warlord that banished you, right?"

The tavern keep smirked. "Yes, yes, that was the one. At the time I thought it was the end, but I never would have met Eska's mother if I had not left the tribes then. It was fortuitous in the end."

"What were you banished for?" Kenshin asked, his curiosity having been piqued.

"Well, that is sort of a long story. You see, I had been traded around between the Marsin holdings and the Tolshor tribe. Prior to that I had been moved around quite a lot in some of the smaller tribes and had had to get used to new people every single time."

"Well yes, the Marsin Tribe did trade often with Tolshor. They were long-time allies. Many families had members in both tribes. My mother was Tolshor originally." Kenshin interrupted.

The bartender nodded. "But, I had gained something of a reputation with the women of both tribes. At first it had simply been a little flirting here and there, but then it turned into sneaking around. I was traded back and forth enough times that some of the higher ranking women were trying to sneak me into their homes. For me it was all fun and games until I was captivated by this one woman. She was absolutely stunning."

"She was probably married." Kenshin asserted.

"Oh she was." The tavern keeper replied. "I employed every tiny ounce of my charm to win her attention and was eventually rewarded. I think that she cared for me as well, but I don't suppose I will ever know. She was one of the Warlord's wives, the mother of his first son, Aina."

At this point Kenshin went white-faced but otherwise said nothing. The man was speaking of his mother and that was reason enough to strike him dead for dishonoring his family. Except... Kenshin was a bastard and... that implied. Or rather, this was possibly the man that his mother had once spoken of in a letter.

"I was traded back and forth a few more times, but as far as I was concerned I belonged only to her. When I was in the Marsin holdings I stole every single moment I could to be with her. Unfortunately the other women grew jealous. My behavior was brought to the attention of the warlord and I was punished, direly for it. I was banished, never to be offered shelter within the tribes ever again."

He turned sideways, pulling up his sleeve to show a mark tattooed into his flesh. It was a mark of dishonor informing any and all that he was not to be welcomed. Of course, it was hardly meaningful beyond the territories of the Osai.

"So while I was wandering the deserts I was captured by Mea'lan who tormented me for days on end. They nearly killed me with their cruelty before coming to understand that I was as hated by the Osai as I was by them. Eventually they freed me and I performed for them."

"But that's where he met mother." Eska said brightly.

"Yes, and we had you, my lovely Eska." The bartender said with a smile.

Kenshin was still white-faced. He was feeling embarrassed. It made sense now. He found the man, and his daughter attractive because of their resemblance to him. He could see it now that he was looking. It was so awful. If he had bedded the daughter he would have been even more embarrassed.

She leaned close. "You don't look so well. Do you need to lay down?"

"N-no. I think I need to go home--er, back to my hotel. I'll be by again another time." Kenshin said, blithely trying to keep some space between himself and Eska. Sister, she could be his half-sister.

"Oh, may I inquire as to your name, sir?" He asked the bartender.

The man nodded with his persistant smile. "I'm Jirou, Jirou Inouye. It's always good to meet another Osai in Aganthis."

"What are the odds." Kenshin said shaking his head to clear it. "I'll be back." He left pay for his drink and hurried out.

[Kenshin]

Kenshin turned the wrong way upon leaving the Horned Kirin, his feet carrying him deeper into the streets of Rock Run and a bit beyond. And then he became mesmerized by what was truly a horrifying landscape. What possessed people to want to fly around such a place? There were Vpera and others floating around in the skies above and beyond them, a great chasm. If this man, this tavern keeper was Kenshin's true father, then what had possessed him to settle here of all places? It was a nightmare for a man of Osai descent. The ground beneath their feet was shattered and breaking and there was nothing to catch them if they fell.

Absent-mindedly he set a hand against a bit of rock wall that jutted out from a nearby building. He was feeling unsettled and more than a little queasy as he looked out in the direction of Vpera Town. Where the cliff wall to one side which marked the higher elevation of the Upper Ward should have offered some sense of security Kenshin could not help but imagine that the entire land mass was tilting and determined to shrug its many denizens off into the sea below.

"Amazing isn't it?" A friendly voice remarked nearby.

He turned and looked to see a man who may well have been Osai descent. He was carrying several large baskets piled one atop the other.

"Horrible." Kenshin countered. "But breathtaking as well."

"You get used to it." The man said. "Just don't walk too close to the edge unless you've got a pal who can fly."

Kenshin noted that he didn't really have any pals, let alone any who could fly. Well, that was probably an exaggeration. He expected that the people of the Horned Kirin might actually turn out to be friendly in the end and there was Reno too, of course. He didn't know if he could consider Armaris a friend. There was too much pain and confusion there.

"Do you have a business here in the Lower Ward?" Kenshin inquired, figuring that he might as well make this into an official inquiry since he would need to have something to say to Armaris when he came back.

"Certainly. My son is in the wardens so I moved here with him. I run a general goods service here in the market. Do you have need of anything? I can get my hands on almost anything given a little bit of time. I've got some connections."

"That sounds useful." Kenshin agreed. "I oversee business investments for Armaris Le--Harper." He still hated to use Armaris's chosen name. It inspired violence in him that could see no satisfaction. No amount of friendliness on Kai's part could change his feelings there.

The Osai's outward friendliness promptly shifted into prickly disdain. "Armaris." He said it mockingly. "I had heard a rumor the Ethian Prince had come to Aganthis. You work for him?"

Kenshin tried to play down his distress at finding such a chilly reception. Armaris was not well-liked by all and he did not need to own up for those sins as well as those of the doppelganger who had spoiled his own reputation.

"Yes, but he has changed." He said, hating those words as well since they seemed like utter nonsense. "And he is investing in Aganthis. He intends to have a positive influence here."

"The road to ruin is paved with good intentions." The man said. The hardened nature of his outward demeanor had failed to shift. "I remember New Ethus. I remember what happened there. My son and I left after we saw what was happening there."

"It will never happen again." Kenshin said, trying not to freak out himself. He was becoming increasingly unnerved by the situation and having to relive what was probably one of the lowest points in his life. "We learn from our mistakes."

"He wasn't alone either." The man said. "I doubt things would have been quite as bad as they were without that Osai traitor Kenshin Marsin."

The words stung pretty hard. He was no traitor. He had always tried ot keep the good of the people at heart.

"I think I'd better go." Kenshin said, feeling awkward and exposed. He had hoped to escape that reputation here, but it had found him anyway.

"That's who you are isn't it?" The man asked. "It wasn't good enough to leave Aganthis alone. You had to come here to poison the waters."

"No, you don't understand." He countered, retreating up the street but it did no good since the man was advancing on him too.

"I don't understand. Please tell me why you would do such horrible things? You had people who trusted you."

"I wasn't there." Kenshin said thinly. "Look, I have already spent time in prison. I am trying to start over here."

"Foolish excuse. You could at least own up for the terrible things you did. People are no doubt screaming for justice. Did that worthless Ethian court set you free?"

"I wasn't there." Kenshin said again. "The man who did those things was an Ethian. He was posing as me."

The Osai man laughed cruelly. "You expect people to believe that?"

"It is the truth." Kenshin said, feeling emotional pain over the other man's disbelief. "He took command when I fell ill with the plague. I was too sick to get out of bed."

"That has got to be the most absurd explanation I could have ever heard." The man said with disgust. "Admit to your folly or you will find your life very hard here."

The man stopped advancing on Kenshin, veering to the left to place his baskets down in front of a wooden booth.

"I won't admit to something I did not do." Kenshin said flatly as he watched the man begin sorting things out of his baskets seeming to ignore him.

"You may ask Armaris himself. He would tell you that I do not lie."

"I would kill your Prince if he was in my presence." The man said. "We've no need for him in Aganthis."

Kenshin did not even know why it was all that important to him that this man believe in him but he also felt that he could not walk away like this. Walking away would be akin to admitting that this merchant had been right all along.

"I doubt the wardens would think kindly on a murderer." Kenshin said lightly. "We are citizens here too."

"Then the neighborhood is going to shit." The man said and threw a glare over his shoulder. "Get away from my booth."

Kenshin took several steps back. "You've got me wrong. I am not who you think I am." He said.

"I know one thing. We here in Rock Run don't think too kindly on murderers either. Watch your back, warlord. Get gone before I make you gone."

Kenshin gave him a hurt look, but realized it was not going to help him any, then retreated. All the while his mind played over what had started as a pleasant conversation. He felt crushed. He could not escape his past even here and that troubled him, immensely.

[Kasir]

Kasir was feeling restless. He always seemed to get that way shortly before that time of the month when it was patently obvious that he wasn't a real man. Normally, he'd have taken Miret riding, because they both enjoyed the exercise. But he'd only found a few places where that was practical, and tonight he just didn't want to bother.

Swords ever-present and strapped to a belt at his hips, Kasir began to wander, not really sure where he was headed. At least the weather was pleasant, he mused, even if the city did smell too much of too many bodies packed so close together. That was the part he disliked. At least in the tribes there was room to move around, and you weren't always forced to deal with other people's refuse.

Turning onto the street that looked out over Vpera Town, Kasir noticed an altercation. A pretty young man who obviously appeared to be Osai was fleeing from a merchant, who was looking after him with an angry expression.

Kasir didn't know what prodded him to speak as the young man hurried past him. "Word of advice, friend. Maybe next time you should just pay and have done with it." He hadn't heard the conversation, or he probably wouldn't have addressed a warlord quite so familliarly. Though Kasir spoke from his chest, his voice still came out too high-pitched to truly be considered masculine, much to his chagrin. He might not have addressed the young man at all, except that there was only so much self-imposed isolation a person could take, and though the deserts hadn't particularly done Kasir many favors, seeing a countryman in distress made him at least want to help out, or, failing that, buy him a drink.

[Kenshin]

Kenshin had been having a difficult day. If it weren't one thing, it was another. He was upset with the merchant he'd just dealt with, and unbalanced from his encounter with the tavern keeper just a few minutes before so he was verging on livid when the Osai dared suggest he was a thief.

"I do not steal." Kenshin countered sharply. His eyes narrowed, his hand went to his blade. It was a grave insult to him that someone would laugh it off so lighty. It was ironic for him to say that when the sword at his side had been taken from a dead man, but Kenshin had taken it with the intention of discovering the truth about the man or giving it to his family of proof of his demise.

The merchant meanwhile was smirking at his back, perhaps thinking Kenshin was going to get some sort of come-uppance.

He gave Kasir a stern look expecting an apology or a fight. He would defend his honor in this matter though. He would not have his reputation further ruined unjustly.

[Kasir]

Kasir's hand went to his own sword, in a stance that wasn't combative as much as it was ready.

"Well, what was I to think?" he inquired. "I wouldn't impune your honor unjustly, but you both looked as if you'd had harsh words. It's none of my concern, though and I don't have a quarrel with you."

[Kenshin]

Kenshin thought of what had transpired and paused, the tension slowly dissipating from his posture.

"I see your point." He said feeling a little dull-witted over it all. He glanced over his shoulder at the merchant who'd lost interest in the pair upon realizing that Kenshin was not going to get bloodied.

"But that argument had nothing to do with misplaced goods. That man thought he knew me from somewhere." He was lying now but it felt better than trying to explain his confused past. He slid his hand away from his sword, dissolving the remainder of the threat he had started to build.

"I'm new here. This is my first visit to the lower ward." He glanced back toward the merchant feeling uncomfortable to still be so close.

[Kasir]

"Of course." Kasir accepted Kenshin's words on face value, because he had no particular reason not to. He did, however, notice the man's gaze going nervously back to the merchant.

"Well, welcome to Aganthis," he said, relaxing in his own right and allowing himself a smile. "Could I buy you a drink? Seems the least I can do after impuning your honor. There's a place not too far from here which is Osai run and doesn't ask for your first-born child in payment." Of course, Kasir had no idea that Kenshin had just come from the Horned Kirin.

[Kenshin]

"Oh, I've just eh... been there." Kenshin said trying to remain amiable. "The prices are fair and the drinks are strong. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go back for a drink."

He felt guilty though, wondering if he should explain what he believed to be true to the tavern keeper of the place, and a little worried his potential half-sister might drape herself on him or something. Yes, that would be unfortunate.

But it had been the best tavern he had been inside in a very long while. He supposed he could take pride in the fact that his family knew how to do things right even if they were a bit odd and fragmented. "I could use a drink." He added as an afterthought. That much was true. Events of late, his fight with Armaris in particular, had given him a zeal for the drink.

[Kasir]

Kasir nodded, turning back in the fdirection of the tavern. He'd been there often since his arrival, because the barkeep was friendly, even if his daughter was a bit more... demonstrative... than Kasir would have preferred. It was a slice of home, though, and so he liked it.

He pushed open the door, holding it for his still unnamed new acquaintance. "I suppose if I'm buying the drinks I should introduce myself," he offered. "I'm Kasir."

[Kenshin]

Kenshin was a little apprehensive about stepping back inside the Horned Kirin. He suppose it would make sense to the proprietor when it was obvious that he was the receiver of an offered drink. Kasir sounded like a good strong name and fit well with the dark haired Osai who wore it. His mind had not grasped that Kasir might be anything other than an Osai man. He wasn't exactly Kenshin's type since he favored taller men with thicker waists but there was something appealing about sitting down with a man for a drink. It would help to take his mind off of everything else that had happened that day, especially since Kasir seemed to want to be friendly.

"Kenshin." He said, offering his name freely and with a faint smile. He was more at ease now. He glanced around the tavern after they stepped inside and was relieved to see that Eska had gone. The last thing he wanted was to have her start flirting with him again when he was feeling uncomfortably certain that she was his half-sister.

He gave the tavern keeper a curt wave then made a move toward one of the tables in the room well away from the bar where the tavern keeper stationed himself. It would be easier for Kenshin if he didn't have to stay overly long in the man's presence analyzing his every feature and wondering if they were of the same blood.

Jirou flashed Kasir a warm smile. "New friend Kasir? Welcome again."