<div class="floatright">(http://puu.sh/o69Lc.jpg)</div>The fiery woman obviously didn't mind the looks, though she made no move to seduce or even step closer to the lad. Her tastes for burly, powerful men were well established and Ayca's cousin was far from that -- the same fair skin and soft features that pleased her on the Storm's favorite daughter made an evening with her a nigh impossible proposition for the boy. Unless, of course, she somehow drank herself into a stupor despite her unnatural tolerance for alcohol. In which case one could only hope that he would survive the night -- even the best horses fell over from exhaustion if rode too long and hard.<br/><br/>Well, at least he warranted a small gesture of appreciation, so she moved to ruffle his short hair. "I'll try not to drink you bankrupt," she chuckled as she passed him by. "The suite sounds nice," she mused, then, more to herself but still close enough that the redhead could hear, the swagger in her step making a particularly fetching sight of her heart-shaped ass. "Maybe I'll invite the rest of the guard."<br/><br/>She ran a finger over the side of her arm to idly play with the slippery mud, weighing the benefits of a bath in her mind versus the irksome feeling of being surrounded by her opposed element when the draconian approached her. She gave him a look that was somewhere between quizzical and daring -- both curious what the lizard-like humanoid might want and challenging him to try something. Try what? Anything, really. Now that the action was over she was starting to get bored.<br/><br/>She gave him a quick nod when he bowed to her, almost as if the gesture had offended her in some way -- it hadn't really, but the way the draconian held himself was setting off some alarms in her head. It came with a bad taste, with the taste of her past …<br/><br/><em>"I am Seeker Narkax Flamebeard of the Third Order."</em><br/><br/>She nodded again, this time lifting an eyebrow at him in the 'should I know what that means' sort of way, but then he continued and …<br/><br/><em>Should you wish to discuss the ways of the flame, I would make myself very much at your disposal."</em><br/><br/>… yeah, there it was. He probably wasn't a part of the Cult of the Living Flame, being a draconian, but it still brought that bad taste to the back of her throat, of bile and ashes and blood. She quickly ran her fingers along her throat as if to brush the taste away , then realized what she was doing and proceeded to trace her choker instead.<br/><br/>"I've had more than my fill of talking about fire, old dragon," she said, her tone tetchy as her eyes suddenly burst aflame and kept burning, seemingly without end. Her more worldly manner of speaking appeared to burn away at the same time, her voice resonating with unearthly power. "I am no mageling or acolyte. I hold no affinity." She reached out with her hand to touch against the red scales  of his cheek. Suddenly, she seemed almost kind, her touch gentle. Loving. And so very, very hot, enough to scorch flesh. Perhaps even to blacken his scale.<br/><br/>Fire, she said, is what I am. The way she said it conveyed many things at once -- conviction, threat, passion, even a hint of sadness as she pulled back, leaving the draconian to wonder at her words -- or, perhaps if he was less tolerant of flame than she had assumed (not that the possibility had stopped her), to his pain.<br/><br/>And then she was gone, sashaying her mud-caked form right into the tavern. The perceived unpleasantness of the encounter washed off of her as the crowd opened up before her and she felt again like herself. Not her old self, the one that had watched all she knew sacrificed and cried as the humanity was burned out of her, but who she had become since. And a wide smile appeared on her full lips as she stole a drink right from a table she walked by. "I drink free, just tell 'em and you'll get a new one," she laughed at the complaints behind her and took a big gulp from whatever it was -- beer, as it turned out. Whilst Nuria usually preferred stronger stuff, she drank deep, foam covering her lips when she was done and sighed in satisfaction as she wiped it off again.<br/><br/>She raised the mug and proudly declared: "I get the King's Suit this night! The four strongest men get to join me, once the party is done!" She took another big gulp, carelessly threw the mug behind her and raised her arms to release a triumphant cry -- only for Ayca's announcement to interrupt her jubilations, causing the grin on her face to widen even further.<br/><br/>"And whoever beats me at this one gets to join in, too!" she added, already moving towards the alchemical assortment. She gave Aya a lurid smile as she came close, then whispered perhaps a little too loudly, her expression a rare occasion as she actually looked apologetic: "Sorry firehair, my blood's running too hot. I need something hard tonight."<br/><br/>