This time of day, the usually boisterous Firelizard is quite subdued, with the fires crackling merrily to add some sound to the very empty air. It would be the perfect time for a handyman to slip in and do some needed repairs, and indeed Japh is here - but he's not handymaning, at least not at first glance. Instead, he's in a comfortable-looking chair by the corner window, a tankard by his right side as he leans on an elbow and stares sightlessly out the window.
Malthace slips through the door of the Drunken Firelizard smoothly--a characteristic not currently mirrored in her countenance. Her features obviously display her weariness as she eases toward the bar. Leaning tiredly against the counter, the young woman mutters her order to the bartender and awaits delivery. After a long moment, he hands her a mug and her eyes scan the room disheartenedly at the lack of decent seating. With a bit more effort, the girl eyes a few empty seats near a window and makes her way over, in no obvious hurry. As she takes her seat, she glances over in surprise. "You again," she says in surprise, and not unkindly.
Japh hmmmms? absently, raising his mug to his lips and halfway to a sip before he realizes he was actually spoken to and the voice is familiar. He straightens in his seat, putting the tankard aside before even looking to see it's Malthace. He's on his feet immediately, bobbing just slightly - it's polite to rise when a woman enters the room, after all. But since Malthace has seated herself already, he eases down as well, much more alert. "Again," he confirms, a touch glumly and his gaze downcast before he can wrench it back up to her face again.
Malthace smiles sweetly (a rare occurence for her) as he stands politely, nodding her head in return. However, at the note of his tone, she sets her drink down and her face twists in uncertainty. "Um, is everything okay?" She leans forward a bit and looks on with genuine concern. Pushing her hair from her eyes, she waves Dorian from her shoulder to stop his tugging on her hair himself. Begrudgingly, he flits to the windowsill and peers out.
Japh barely notices the little brown's movements, let alone flinches at them as per usual (although he has been slowly getting used to the bundle of trouble). He sees the concern in Thacia's eyes and smiles a bit despite himself. "Could say no, save y' some trouble, but don' think y'd believe me, would ya?" His mild brown gaze searches her face and he shakes his head, grinning ruefully. "Too smart f' that, y'are."
Malthace looks a bit relieved at the smile, and his comment cause the corners of her mouth to quirk upwards, despite herself. "I don't know about smart, but I will say I wouldn't believe you if you said 'no'." She quirks her head to one side and raises her eyebrows in a friendly, expectant way. "If something's bothering you, you're welcome to tell me about it." She almost looks surprised at herself--this type of attitude is unusual for her, and she knows it.
Japh bahs and waves a hand, leaning back and taking a slug of whatever he's drinking in an overtly offhand manner. "Nothin' bad, nothin' bad," he insists, only to abruptly shift his posture and hunch over in the seat conspiratorially, eyes darting this and that to make sure nobody's listening. "Only - d'ya feel it? C'n ya tell? Tense, all over." He gestures with his free hand, a circle that encompasses the whole of the Hold. "Lord Bihl and his folk aren't happy." The man speaks of his former Lord with consummate respect, yet without a smidge of slur for Torikan. It's a fine line he's walking.
Malthace leans forward so as to hear better as he hunches in his seat. Eyebrows raised like a child hearing a huge secret. "I /was/ wondering why everyone was so stiff..." Trailing off, the girl takes a distract sip from the mug formerly forgotten on the table. Setting it back down, she brushes her hair back and purses her lips. "What do you think will happen?"
Japh lifts one shoulder eloquently. "Don' think even th' Harpers know," he says flatly, his dislike of /that/ type very evident. "Had it from one a th' guards that there've been threats, y'know. To both Lords. No ideas where they're from, who they're from, what they are. But threats...." His moderate voice trails off as he shakes his head in concern. "'F they're from th' dragonmen, there'll be trouble f' sure. Big trouble."
Malthace smirks at his obvious opinion of the musical types. "That's... not good." Another sip of the mug and its back on the table, girl oblivious as it sloshes on her hand. "What do you think the dragonmen would want to threaten the Lords for?" Her features twist into a pondering countenance, and her fist comes under her chin to prop her head on as she thinks. "What do you think will happen?" Quite the inquisitive little Hold girl.
Japh raps a knuckle on the table. "Use that bright head, girl," he chides, his smile rather mentorly and yet cunning at the same time. "S'been no Thread for over eight hundred Turns. We're gettin'-" Pause; he starts again, more carefully: "-the Holds are gettin' grumpy 'bout feedin' the Weyrs, who don' do much but cause trouble, from what ya hear down my way. Now they say Thread's comin' back. S' that just a threat t'keep us down? If it ain't, an' it comes back, they say there ain't enough riders to save 'r shells anyway. Either way, th' riders 'r in a tight spot, one that'd be a far sight less tight wit'out canny ol' Holders like Bihl who can see through tha' sorta thing." The normally taciturn man has loosed a veritable torrent of verbage, and with an eagerness that implies that while gossip is impolite and improper, speculation on current events is not.
Malthace hrms quietly, and finally nods her head. "Makes sense. Its all so complicated though..." Sighing, Thacia grabs her mug and downs the remainder of the contents quickly and cleanly. "I suppose you can't really have a big problem like that /without/ it being complicated." Shaking her head, the girl calls her little brown back over and strokes his head gently. "What's your take on this?" Searching his face thoroughly, she quirks a brow.
Japh watches Malthace pet her friend with something akin to - could that be - envy? "Don't know," he admits grudgingly. "Hard t' say. From Keroon, y'know. Lord Bihl's a good man, good Holder. His little girl Namyste- " nevermind that she's not much younger than Japh himself "- she's a good worker. Useful, and pretty like a Lady should be." Apparently it's okay for Lady Holders to be beautiful. So long as they're useful. "Make a good wife for Torikan. Him... don't know. Don't know him long, haven't seen him working. If he's holding Bihl by force... well, that speaks volumes. 'd have to leave, if that're the case. Won't stay with a man like that."
Malthace misses the envy in his eyes--Thace tends to be oblivious to those sort of things. However, her eyebrow manages to twitch a bit on his compliments of the Lady Holder--Thace has never considered herself pretty and, on occasion, she is sensitive about it. She manages a quick recovery, though, and nods on his opinions. "Yeah, I don't know all that much 'bout Torikan myself." Glancing through the window, Thacia assesses the light and frowns in disappointment. "I'm afraid I offered to help out one of the Hold girls... Guess we'll have to continue this discussion later?" The girl ends her question with a faint hint of hopefulness in her voice.
The nudge makes Japh recall himself, and he looks around furtively. "Dunno, could be dangerous t' talk too much, y'know. Might be heard by the wrong people. Might be dangerous." Could it be? Level-headed, amiable, polite Japh a conspiracy theorist? Studying Malthace carefully for a long moment, he finally nods. "But more dangerous not t' have it all planned out. A'right. Talk again later - maybe somewhere less public. 'll look int' it." He rises again, apparently in anticipation of her departure, bobbing politely once more.
Malthace purses her lips in disappointment as he first denies her request, but brightens faintly as he concedes. With a nod, she manages a faint smile. "Well, I'll see you later then." She nods her head politely in return, then turns and swiftly exits the tavern, a look of embarrassment crossing her features once she turns away from the man she was speaking to.
