5 - Audisiac

The barkeep was still at his station behind the bar, and that's where Noemi made herself comfortable. She waited until he had finished attending to a few that were there before her before waving him over.

"Is it usually like this? Not too packed, but not too empty?" she asked, glancing around the main floor. More people had come in since she had first arrived, but it wasn't enough to give her pause. Across the way, she made eye contact with a man with dark amber eyes. He smiled at her, and goosebumps ran along her body, excited.

Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Sis! You've got other, more important things to do than give a little chase… Quickly, she looked away, focusing on the barkeep and awaiting his answer.

The barkeep chuckled; he had seen that second of interaction. "Aye, it is. But tha's fine by me—business is still good." He finished drying an empty glass. "'Scuse me fer askin', Miss, but I have ne'er seen ye here before."

Noemi put on a small smile. "We came from one of the villages closer to Rune River. My friend and I, we wanted to see what it was like being in the heart of the city, since we've only ever been on the outskirts."

The barkeep grinned. "Well, I hope you an' yer friend enjoy yerselves. My name is Sachi, and I run this 'ere pub-an'-room establishmen'. Tell ye what, first drink is on me: what'll ye have?"

Noemi smiled. "Surprise me?"

Sachi chuckled and nodded. "Alrigh'." He turned and fixed up a quick drink by mixing a few different bottles together and adding in a piece of something that resembled a slice of dragon fruit. He held the glass in his hand firmly and stared at it; the contents swirled and blended together, turning into a dulled gold color. Sachi handed the drink to Noemi. "Try this."

Curious, she reached for the glass and took a sip. Immediately, her taste buds were hit with a million different flavors all at once before dwindling down to a rich berry taste heavily saturated in alcohol. Noemi had to blink a few times and coughed a little. "What is this?" she asked, staring hard at the glass in her hand. Sachi opened his mouth to respond, but glanced behind her and smiled.

"That, Miss, is Sachi's pub specialty, 'Audisiac'," came a voice behind her that sent goosebumps all over her body. Noemi's cheeks grew warm, already having a hunch on who it was before they moved from behind her to sit beside her.

His dark amber eyes seemed to challenge her to disapprove of his placement. When none came, he gave her the slightest of smiles. Noemi felt her cheeks grow warmer. She quickly took another sip, and was briefly taken on another taste bud trip equivalent to the first one.

"'Audisiac'?" she echoed in question, staring at the glass in her hand again. She could feel his eyes on her.

"Yeah. I'd take it easy on that, though, if I were you. It's very…potent," the man with the dark amber eyes pointed out.

Noemi snorted and rolled her eyes at the man as Sachi went to take care of his other customers. "Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I've figured that out by now." She took another swig, and the same assault on her taste buds happened.

"You sure about that?" he asked, smirking. Noemi narrowed her eyes at him and found his dark amber eyes peering into her own.

The man's smooth complexion reminded her of a beautiful piece of sard stone dipped in sepia paint, his long and natural medium brown hair fell in soft waves; his sleeveless tunic revealed his tattooed and toned upper arms, his dark colored harem pants and thick black boots telling her that he wasn't afraid to speak his mind and take chances. Noemi took another sip and savored the tasty trip, trying to squash the rising image in her mind's eye of the man pressing his full lips to hers, and of her tracing her finger along his high cheekbones.

"What's your name?" she asked, turning away from him and taking yet another sip.

"Ladies first," came his sly response.

She cast a side glance at him. This man… "Suni," she lied.