Random Encounter: Drunks Pay (CLOSED, DATED)

[Tisis Antony]

November 20th, Year 4: Late

The path was old brick worn down from use to a dust and mud consistency. It was late in the evening- and the gaslights hovering over the path beamed a yellowish light over the area.

The bar was a squat building sitting on the literal edge of town. Stuck on the bars side, was a little cast iron sign reading, "Welcome to Manehattan". The path ended here, terminating into dirt and and asphalt mishmash that seemed to wind in various different directions.

The outside of the building was open to the public, though the only marking that it was a business of any sort was the sign reading "Open" hanging right next to its door.

A stallion, presumably its doorman, sat on a stool with a hat over his face...

[Devela]

Fallen walked down the path carrying a crossbow on her back and the rest of her worldly possessions in her bag at her side. She needed something to get rid of this empty feeling in her chest after what happened that day. She had been walking most of the day since the fight that morning. Fallen saw the bar and walked over with a smile but frowned seeing the doorman was asleep so she kick the chair out from under him to help him stay awake.

[Tisis Antony]

The stallion fell over into a heap, and looked about like he was about to stab something. His glance danced over the scene until it settled on Fallen. "What in the great-" he paused, noticing the crossbow on her back. "Sorry ma'am, didn't notice your, uh, sign of rank."

He stood up, dusting himself off and making submissive postures towards Fallen. "Just, uh, go on in," he said, standing his stool back up. He raced over, pawing the door open and racing back to his chair.


The insides of the bar roared with activity. The floor was sunken about five feet below the entrance, and you walked down a ramp to get to the tables. The unique arrangement of the floor space allowed them to stack two functional stories in what was really only a single story building.

The ponies inside failed to notice the newcomer, and as such, didn't respond to her entrance.

[Devela]

Fallen slowly walked inside the bar with a bit of confusion from how the stallion had reacted to her. She just shrugged it off walking down the ramp and looking around. She was rather thirsty from the long dya she had and wanted to quench the thirst fast.

So she headed to the front of the bar to the order a drink. She sat down and thumped her talon on the bar "I want a drink." She said looking for the owner.

[Tisis Antony]

The owner had a perplexed look on his face, like he had just been asked to serve "food" at a fancy dining restaurant. "Any particular type of drink ye be lookin' for?"

[Devela]

Fallen looked at him with a raised brow then shrugged "Give me your strongest, I have something I want to drink away." She set down a few bits to pay for the first drink and mentioned "Keep them coming."

[Tisis Antony]

The bartender slid her a shot glass of distilled grain alcohol, the most powerful drink there was in his reckoning. He nodded at her request. "Sorry ma'am, we pay up front for drinks in Manehattan. Or at least my establishment."

He looked at her leerily, as if expecting her to lunge at him at any moment.

[Devela]

Fallen frowned and simply downed her drink slamming the glass back down ono the counter with a loud clang "Just keep them coming sir or I will put a bolt into each of your eyes by talon then slwoly pull them out."

[Tisis Antony]

The bartender scurried off, producing for Devela what only could be called a perilous amount of alcohol from some stash behind the counter. He scampered about, trying to keep a glass full at all times, whilst still tending to the various other ponies who had needs to be met.

One of the ponies, a Clydesdale in what only could be called an orange jumpsuit, he felt he was being neglected in his service. Raising a complaint to the bartender, he couldn't help but see Devela receiving more service than anyone else. Resenting this, he rose from his seat, and quietly moved to a seat next to her.

"You look like your from out of town."

[Devela]

Devela looks up from her drink slowly sipping it as she slid her crossbow off her back setting it on the ground and setting her drink down looking a the pony with a frown "That is none of your concern at all." She didn't want to deal with this.

She turned back pickign up her drinking whisepring under her breath "The jumpsuit makes me think of hot sauce." She licked her lips looking the pony over as she talked aloud "Great night to eat."

[Tisis Antony]

The bartender, only hearing glimmers of a conversation and far too busy to stop working, quickly supplied Devela with a jar of hot sauce and what looked like a supper burrito.

The pony sitting beside her just frowned more, gaining a bit more resentment from the fact that he, himself had asked for a Burrito earlier and speculated that the one being served to Devela was intended for him.

The pony reached over, as if trying to nab the plate from Develas side before she noticed it.

[Devela]

Devela looked at the burrito with a lick of her beak setting the cup down. She looked at the little pony out of the corner of her eyes and frowned. She took her tail and tapped his shoulder getting him to look away. She didn't want to have to punch the little twerp but she closed a talon just in case.

[Tisis Antony]

The pony dripped sweat from his brow in total concentration, slowly inching his hoof to the steaming plate. He hardly noticed the griffon, or even anything at all- his mind was in a flow, the flow that only Burrito Aspirants could achieve.

As his hoof neared the plate, the room began to slow, and time itself reached a standstill. He was in perfect harmony, him, and his hoof inches from the plate, a sorta, Burrito pilfering Zen if you would. His soul was in harmony with his mind, which in turn was in harmony with his gastrointestinal tract. All was right with the world.

He felt a rush as his hoof finally touched the plate, a sensation not unlike an a Pentathlon victory racing through his mind. He was so close! His hoof lingered over the edge, just moments from stealing the delicious refried flavor.

[Devela]

Devela let out a low growl seeing the pony dare to even try to touch her food and let alone steal it. As soon as the poor sap touched her late she turned on her talons and closed talon punched the poor sucker in the face.

[Tisis Antony]

The pony went sprawling across the floor and the bar went silent. All eyes were on Devella, and for many it was the first time they had noticed her presence in the bar. Some of them did not take kindly to it.

The ponies at the end of the bar suddenly noticed their friend on the floor, and though they knew not of his burrito-based shenanigans, the sprawled image of him on the floor was more than enough to give them reason to stand.

All eyes were on Devela, and a faint "You should leave now," came from the rear of the crowd.

[Devela]

Devela took up her burrito and dipped it into the hot sauce before taking a bite and setting it back down. As she chowed on her food she wrapped her tail around the crossbow under the bar counter beside her as a talon grabbed the hot sauce. She looked at the bar tender with a frown "I have every right to my food, and I deserve not to have a piece of pony filth try to steal it from me." She kept her body relaxed thinking who would attack first, the friends of this idiot or the other ponies in the bar.

[Tisis Antony]

The ponies all hesitated. Devela was a Griffon, and though as unwelcome as she may be, Griffons were untouchable to anyone with a lick of sense to them. They had kids, wives, families to think about- and though heavily liquored up, they had enough wits about them to collectively back off.

The ponies scampered over and dragged away their friend, who seemed to be in a daze. The barkeep retrieved an ice-pack from behind the counter and slid it over to the group, who had begun trying to get their pal lucid again.

Gradually ponies stopped caring and returned to their drinks, though there was a group, a minority, who had seen Devela strike the pony, and who resented it. They rose, and made their way to the bathrooms, slowly, in a small group at a time.

In the meanwhile, the barkeep topped off Devela's glass and asked her if she wanted another Burrito.

[Devela]

Devela looked down at the pony as he was dragged away thinking of how much of an idiot he had to be. She watched as the rest of the ponies in the bar were silent for a few before they returned to their own drinks and food. She kept her tail wrapped around the crossbow not being quite so drink as to not pay attention to a group moving to the bathroom. She turned back to the tender with a smile "I would love to have one."

She turned to look at the rest of the bar looking for any pegasus or griffins in there that may prefer her company to those of regular ponies.

[Tisis Antony]

The bar began filling up as ponies milling into town from work camps gradually made their way into the city. Many of them, working ponies and Griffons in poor fortune, were of drinking disposition, and some of them found their way into this part of town.

It was in this spirit that a small group of Griffon tercels entered the bar, weary and thirsty, and they came to a seat at the bar next to Devela. Without even noticing her there, they began ordering drinks and putting down their work jackets.

They began speaking to each other, in deep Halden accents, of their next days labors, and of the need for blasting caps for the stone quarry...

[Devela]

Devela watched the griffins put their things on the counter. She dipped her burrito into the hot sauce taking a bite again as she put down the bits looking over the group then at the bar tender "I'll pay for there fine griffins too." She raised her glass to them.

[Tisis Antony]

The Griffons at first didn't notice her offer, too engrossed in conversation amongst themselves to make note of the Griffoness beside them. That changed suddenly when, they in their ignorance, motioned to pay the bartender, and he was forced to inform them of Devela's attention. The Griffons, first perplexed, turned about in their chairs to face her, both dumbfounded and pleasantly confused.

They seemed lost for words- basic kindnesses such as these were unfounded in Manehattan's bars, especially among the working gentry. The Griffon nearest Devela offered his talon to her out of basic courtesy, and tried to introduce himself. "Well, hello," he said in a thick Halden that tripped over enunciation. "My name is Kendri, and these are my friends, Stephan and Ingacius. Who am I having the pleasantry of talking too, might I ask?"

[Devela]

Devela looked over the griffin sticking out her paw and shaking his with a kind smile on her face as she took another sip from her drink "I'm Devela and I just had some bad times out in the forest." She raised her galss to them "It's a pleasure to meet you three."

[Tisis Antony]

The griffons shakily raised their drinks, uncertain about their new friends credibility. Each successively downed their glass and downed their alcohol in the brusque Halden fashion. A veneer dullness struck their expression as the alcohol hit the three of them, and each in their own way came to implicitly trust Devela.

Afterwards, the Griffons clustered around Devela, interested in their new found friend who was so loose with the drinks. "You mentioned something of a forest- I... I do not know of any forests near this city. Where do you say you came from again?"

[Devela]

Devela kept the drinks coming for these three but made sure they still had a way to sombre up if they could. She kept the burritos and hot sauce nearby. She made sure to eat her own as to keep them eating so not only the alcohol was in their systems. She felt all the fun of the bar until the question was asked of where she was from, that instantly killed her buzz. She simply turned to the counter and set the cup down looking at the mirror "I don't want to remember that place right now, I came here to forget all of that." She didn't say anything after that but she kept drinking from her drink slowly.

[Tisis Antony]

The Griffons backed off slowly, gradually and with an inebriated reckoning realizing that perhaps a social faux pas had been broached between the griffons. The three of them sat back at their places, and returned to their drinks, anxious about souring their only lady company in months.

It was about this time, when the sudden urges of pacing demanded something to break the tension, that a storm of ponies threw themselves from the bathroom in the back in a sudden commotion, wearing hoods and masks and armed with what could only be described as weaponized bar implements.

The whole bar turned over to look, and the small group of ponies hesitated a bit, but then stormed forward towards Devela and the griffons...

[Tisis Antony]

ADDENDUM:

The ponies were assorted sorts, a group of two Pegasus and a single earth pony and unicorn. Though they were wearing hoods and masks, their coats were visibly various earthen shades, with a single white pony in the back. The ones in the front were golden brown, grey, and spotted respectively.

[Devela]

Devela turned as she heard the bar go silent bringing her crossbow up to her talons by using her tail. She moved in one quick motion throwing a cup of hot sauce at the gray pony in the lead. She didn't care about the guards or cosiqneunce she would face form her actions but with a flick of her talons she fired a bolt straight at the spotted pony's chest. Time seemed to slwo for her as the bolt left her crossbow. She looked at the other three griffins with a solemn look "Don't just stand there,get a fighting."

[Tisis Antony]

The pony crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes, and his friends stopped, as if in shocked awe, to witness the event first hand. It wasn't before long that the bar had devolved in full fledged anarchy as ponies and griffons stormed for the exit and in the process abridged some long standing enmities. The group first seemed to only be involved in ruckus, but before long talons and hooves were flying about, colliding in a stupor of color and feathers.

The masked ponies and Devela seemed forgotten, and in fact the ponies figured they'd use the anarchy to exact revenge on the Griffoness- but they too were quickly caught up in the carnage as tables flew and bottles were cracked alongside skulls.

The three griffons that had been seated by Devela seemed to have vanished into the crowd, and now it seemed she was alone on her bar stool.

[Devela]

Devela turned back to the bar grabbing the forgotten drink as her tail slide the crossbow pulley back into place, before setting a bolt back in place. She watched as the ponies and griffins started fighting. She ducked as a bottle flew past her head and smacked into the mirror behind her.

The griffinesse was rather bored as she kept eating her buritio instead of fighting. She kept the crossbow in her paws, her eyes scanning the crowds around her for any sign of a masked pony. She was ready to kill them if that was how she could enjoy her night. Her tail was curled around two bolts , each facing the other direction. She used it to swing the bolts around scratching anyone who came close.

[Tisis Antony]

A suddenly misplaced torch set fire to the liquor behind the bar, erupting the wet cabinets in a torrent of flame. The ponies gradually took their fighting outside, slowly milling from the doors and windows as a combination of fleeing and flying from the building dwindled the amount of creatures within the building willing to fight.

The blaze illuminated the whole room, allowing the carnage of the barroom fighting to be illustrated for Devela. The tables were all flipped onto their sides, and a distinct odor of alcohol and blood filled the room. A few drunken ponies staggered about, and at least four bodies riddled the floor.

The bartender tried valiantly to fight off the flames. He finally gave up and turned to Devela, who remained at the bar. "Eh, its closing hour," he grunted, before turning tail and running from the building.

[Devela]

Devela looked solemnly at the flames eating around the bar as everyone but her tried to escape from the flames. She simply took a discarded bottle from the ground and threw it into the flames, causing it to explode with the mirror. The alcohol inside burst in flames making the image of her in the falling shards reflect with the light around the around the room.
When the shards finally rested on the floor all the images on the walls, the shadows, the flames, and the smoke seemed to swirl towards the griffinesse as she turned in a flurry of her wings and feathers. She looked on at the ponies and saw directly leaving was a masked pony, with a flick of her tail the bolts there smashed down onto a bottle of beer, forgotten in the fight even not opened at all. It smashed covering the bolts with the flammable liquid, she took a step forward and with a flick of her trained tail, the bolt shot off like she had used her own crossbow to fire it. It passed through a wall of flames that caught the beer but with the bolt traveling so fast it didn’t really catch till it hit the pony and quickly the flames ate at the fur, being feed by the alcohol.





Devela looked grimly at the surrounding room as the flames kept crawling around her in a circle. She lifted her crossbow watching the flames quiver over it as she stared out into the street, the smoke flowing out the open windows. She could hear the sounds of fighting but it all seemed like ghost image to her. She was back in the time of earlier that day. She watched as her memory and reality blurred around the edges of her vision. She slowly walked straight into the wall of fire separating her from the outside world. The flames bent away from her as she walked, the glaze across her beak showed the determined look of a killer. She looked upon the ponies around her before
giving a giant screech of anger.

[Tisis Antony]

The carnage outside had turned into an all-out war in the streets outside of the bar, as armed fire marshals descended onto the ranks, trying to pull apart the riot but in no uncertain terms inflicting their own number of casualties.

When Devela screeched, she was almost instantly drowned out by what at first appeared to be a siren. It gradually wound down, and from above it became visible that the griffons were firebombing the crowd, the screeching sound emanating from the combusting canisters overhead.

The crowd was blanketed in fire and blood, but the riot persisted, unable to escape or disperse due to the fire marshals enclosing in on each side. Devela's fire-bolts had incinerated the ponies body fat at this point. The bars roof abruptly collapsed from behind Devela, presumably due to the intensity of the fire...

[Devela]

Devela felt nothing as she shot another bolt into the chest of a pony as she exited the bar. She flicked her tail sending another bolt to hit a firebomb mid air, raining flames down onto those below. She watched as the flames behind her started to burn the building slowly, as it went, taking out more bolts Devela sent a few flying with her tail impaling ponies left and right, her crossbow was a blur of motion as she reloaded and fired at a constant rate. She felt nothing but vengeance now, the memories flooding her mind, making her think she was attacking the ponies who had killed her father.

After targeting another masked pony she took to the air to rain down her bolts targeting only ponies, not harming a single griffin. She saw a smaller griffin about to get corned by three ponies and shot off two bolts, one with her tail and the other with her crossbow before diving down and wrapping her tail around the third's before flying into the air nodding for the griffin to follow her.

[Tisis Antony]

The Griffon followed her, eager to depart from the fray, but altogether put off by the gore and violence. He followed close to Devela, leery of being caught by one of the fire marshals and unwilling to let himself burn on the ground.

He quickly caught up, and with a nervous ring to his voice finally stammered a question. "Where are we going?"

[Devela]

Devela slips onto the roof of a nearby building as she sets her crossbow on the edge looking over the street and sighs watching the fight dwindle, she thought of how she was the cause of it all but didn't care.She turned to the griffin taking out a bottle of wine she snagged before leaving the bar "Want to take pot shots at the ponies while we enjoy some red wine?"

[Tisis Antony]

The griffon visibly twitched a bit. He had expected a way out, but not this! This was murder, he was no murderer. He clenched his fists for a few moments, trying to ruminate a plan of action for the next few moments.

"I'm sorry ma'am I think you had too much to drink- you should probably hand me the crossbow now..." he said, uncertain.

[Devela]

Devela looked at the griffin with a frown on her face, she swung an arm out over the street below spilling wine down on some flames. "I have not had enough to drink yet." She glared at him looking at the bottle "I won't have enough till I forget my past."

[Tisis Antony]

The tercel didn't wait for Devela to finish her gesture before he was at her, trying to wrestle away the crossbow from her grip. He flapped, lifting off with his talons clung tight around it, intent on taking it from her and escaping into the night.

[Devela]

Devela saw in anger as her father's crossbow was being taken from her. She grew fire in her eyes as her own tail shot out with a bolt grasped int and struck against the griffin's arms. She kept the bolt in the tail using it like a melee weapon. She tried to head but the griffin with every word she spoke "This is family heirloom, none but I shall touch."

[Tisis Antony]

"Hahaha not hearin' it gal," he chortled, still trying to wrest the bow from Devela. As he tugged once more, he was struck headlong with an incendiary bomb. He collapsed, hitting the roof, fire exploding outwards. A bit of the fluid got on Devela's feathers, igniting along with the Tercel's entire body.

Smoke erupted from his frame as he was wracked with flames, creating a putrid and blinding stench of burning feathers and flesh...

[Devela]

Devela looked in horror as the griffin burst into flames, she saw her own feathers start to burn and tried her best to put them out before flying of the room to the same height as the marshals to escape the smell of the griffin with a sigh. She looked around for the captain and flew towards him shooting down at ponies trying to continue the fight.

[Tisis Antony]

The fire marshalls were a motley lot of Griffons, soot-tinged and streaked in smolder. They wore a different kind of armor from the soldiering stock, bearing crimson hued streaks and a more complete body covering. It was lighter, in thickness, but it wrapped the whole griffon up to protect themselves from flame.

These fire marshalls had gradually begun to file away from the scene. The crowd was still enthralled in violence and fire, but the heavy flame bombardment was done, and it was only now that they were beginning to move in and clear out the crowd. It was a messy business, sorting mane from mangle, claw from cleaver. As Devela approached, it became clear that there was little to no organization in the marshalls efforts- it was a mob, of sorts, sorting out the mob.

The captain himself was at the forefront of the mob, clocking ponies with a zeal. Even the infirm, or the hobbled in the crowd weren't spared the smack of his fist, or the crack of his back-hand. He had a wide-eyed grin on his face, and a fiery glee to his eyes, as he bounded over piles and threw haymakers to all.


At sight of Devela, he nearly threw her a haymaker as well, but paused before he could get close enough. He had a goofy look on his face, like a rambunctious child caught having too much fun. "Heya-"

He was caught off when Devela was abruptly tackled by the masked Pegasus, shiv in jaw, primed to attack.

[Devela]

With a caw of her pure anger, the red griffin gave a spin of her body, using the pony’s own momentum against her. After the pony was rather forcefully turned into a missile of her own making, she was sent into a group of ponies trying to fight in an all out brawl. Devela gave a twist again as she shot into the air and let out another screech of anger, with a devilish grin the griffinesse shot down towards the group with bolts being flung by her tail. Finally when she hit the group her paws found the throat of the masked pony, in

that instant Devela shot up into the air with the pony in her paws. She looked around and saw a pit of fire perfect for this little trouble maker, with quickness that would seem to have her to be a bat out of hell, Devela flew to above the roofs of the buildings.

When she finally reached a height she thought was appropriate she pulled the pony’s head close to whisper “Time to die.” With those words said, Devela did a 180 in the air before diving towards the ground, hearing the screams of the pony held in her paws made her give a giant flap of her wings before throwing it. Then she pulled up with a gust of air as the pony slammed face first into the ground, causing all the bones to shatter. The gust
of air caused all of the flames to flare with life before following her as she flew over to the captain and stood there with flames washing over her. The flames looked like they were wrapping her up, to most it would seem she would burn alive, but with a quick snap of her wings the flames died out and all looked in awe at the griffinesse, covered in flames.

She stood there with a frown before looking at the captain “Know where I can get a bed in this city, and some more ale? Also I feel like me just being in the bar caused this.”

[Tisis Antony]

"Well, I do know a place that has a few beds, and ale- too much ale, really. Uh, how about you follow me there?" He began departing from the scene, intent on leading this fiery mistress to a bed- and away from the carnage.

[Devela]

Devela gave a small cheer "Ale and sleep here I come." With that she slipped her bolts and crossbow away. Then followed after the griffin with a smirk.

[Tisis Antony]

The two eventually made their way to an innocuous shelter in an old but relatively intact apartment building. There they imbibed on too much ale and passed out strewn across old sofa's and mattresses. To a griffon, a plush sofa was perhaps the greatest luxury in life, when compared to the stoney halls and damp swamps of the Kingdoms.

It was like so that the night passed, and the brawl in the streets was concluded by a rest.

[Sponsored content]