A Girl In A Pub (OPEN TO ANYONE)

[Liechtenstein]

(original post by Andorra~)

Anaïs gulped as she stared at the wooden door. A busted sign that read "Sailor's Pub" hung dangling in the wind, threatening to fall off at any moment. Although Afonso had warned her about going into places like this alone, she didn't have much of a choice.

She had been shopping with Lovino, who had reluctantly agreed to go with her; as Afonso for some reason she didn't really know (she figured she could take care of herself), didn't like it when she went by herself. But regardless, she didn't mind the company, and she did like Lovino. Many people seem to not like him that much, but she found him funny. Although she wasn't sure if he liked her much.

Halfway through the shopping, Lovino distracted, Anaïs was confronted with a salesman, very keen on her to buy some sort of fabric. He literally dragged her away, despite her protests. Using some of the techniques taught to her by the captain, she eventually escaped (by knocking the man out with her gun). When she ran back, Lovino was gone. The ship was a three hour trip away (by carriage), and Anaïs didn't want to leave Lovino behind. She reasoned that he must be looking for her. So she went to the pub.

The pub. A favorite place for pirates. She concluded that Lovino would eventually end up here, so there she went. Unfortunately, it was creepier than she had hoped.

She nervously opened the door, instantly clouded by smoke and the smell of alcohol. It was full of people, many who were drunk, and they were all crammed together. They all stared at her as she walked in. She sat at a corner by herself, and tried her best to blend in. As much as a 17 year old girl in a pub could anyway.

To her despair, a drunken man spotted her and whistled. She followed the advice of Afonso, and didn't respond. The man got up, drunkenly slammed himself beside her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Weeeellll, hullo g-girrrlly!" he sputtered. " Waass you're name?"

Oh no.

( Oh Lovi. Can't handle responsibility, can you? =I Remember, THIS IS OPEN TO ANYONE.)

[bermuda]

[Bermuda to the rescue~ sorta]

Henry wasn't a drinker, infact he didn't like alcohol very much. He didn't like the way it impaired the thinking process, and it made him sick anyways. So it was odd for him to be in a bar of all places, but he had his reasons. The Bermudan had been on the road for some time, traveling across europe, happy to be free of the confines of his island home. He had set to work studying local legends and stories, because he was absolutely fascinated with them. All across the globe he had heard stories of ancient treasures, flying islands, haunted caves, pirates of the sea and sky and mythical monsters. He was chasing down a legend about a particular treasure supposedly hidden near the town. Of course, the bar had been the best place to start, surely some old barfly would know something. They always did.

Luckily he had found someone who had proved to be of some use, after prompting him with a few drinks. He had been there for a few hours now listening to the man ramble on about the legends. If the legend proved to be more fact than fiction the treasure was hidden in a secret cave somewhere in the nearby forest. If it wasn't true at all, well at least he got an interesting tale about pirate kings and monsters out of it. It was worth the trip anyways, he loved stories. They always proved to be useful for entertaining crews on the ships he caught a ride with. He liked telling them anyways.

He hardly noticed as the girl entered, he was too busy packing his things back up into his pack and thanking the old man for his help. The man seemed happy to have been of some use, and it brought a warm smile to the Bermudan's face. He turned to head up to the bar and see if the bartender perhaps knew anyone else who was familiar with the legend when he spotted the girl. Two thoughts crossed his mind, one was that she was quite pretty and two was that she seemed rather young to be wandering around in a bar by herself. She looked out of place, he wondered how no one had noticed her yet.

Then he heard the whistle. He scowled to himself, disgusted at how men could be sometimes. Didn't anyone know how to treat a lady anymore?

He turned to watch her better, and caught sight of the drunk rise from the bar and force his arm around her. He only vaguely heard the things the man said, but he was already heading in their direction, his expression one of mild annoyance. Surely this man had been raised better than that. He stood infront of them when he reached the two, giving the man a serious look saying "I really think you should let the lady go sir, she doesn't seem to want your company.." From the look on her face he could just tell she wasn't enjoying the presence of the drunk.

[Andorra]

"Ah!" Anaïs squeaked when a stranger (but yet again, very familiar) confronted the drunkard. However the drunkard forgot that he had his arm around her, and when he slurred "Huuuuh? Who th' hell are you asshole?", he pushed Anaïs forward which caused her to hit the table pretty hard. The drunkard stood up, but still held her down with one arm. He was drunk, but unfortunately he was a strong drunk.

"Ow! Let go! Please!" she pleaded, trying to get up. The bar was silent; those in the bar watched in suspense, hoping for a fight to break out. Which is the last thing Anaïs wanted.

Despite that Anaïs was quite polite in her request, the drunkard had no pity. He turned to her menacingly, and snorted a "Shaddup you." Worse and worse.

Argh, I don't want them to fight! If that happens, the whole bar will get involved! Anaïs desperately tried to reach for her small hand gun, hoping that she could use it again as a bludgeon and knock the guy out. But she couldn't reach it with him pinning her down.

She looked up to the familiar stranger. Although she could not speak the words, she tried to give him a pleading look. Help me, please.

[bermuda]

Ok. So reasoning wasn't going to work. Not only that, but he'd got the girl pushed around for it. Whoops. To the drunks first comment he merely stated calmly "I would tell you who I am, but you're only going to forget it anyways, so I don't see the point." At noting that the comment seemed to have no effect, perhaps because the drunk's attention was back on the woman. Either way he was thankful for the apparant deaf ear turned to his words, he had been sure they were going to get him a fist to the face. That was something he didn't want to happen. For one, he rather liked his nose the way it was...not broken. For another, he had absolutely no skill in fighting. If it came to a physical fight he would be screwed.

That could only mean he had to think himself and the girl out of this situation. Of course, that would take a few moments of figuring out. Although it wasn't long, the few moments it took to formulate a plan made him panic ever so slightly. Seconds were enough for the situation to turn bad. He made eye contact with her, giving her a look that stated he was going to do his best to help. Then he turned his attention to the drunk again, giving him an almost friendly smile. The smile, of course, was relatively mocked, added to help his trick out.

There was no chance of beating a drunk at a game of strength, but a game of wits...well that was another story. He addressed the drunk calmly "Well then sir, since it seems basic reasoning is beyond you in your present state...perhaps a challenge? If you win, I leave you alone, you can continue as you were...however if you loose, you leave the girl alone, and she and I walk out of here unharmed. Sound fair?" He knew the prospect wasn't going to sit well with the woman, but he hoped she would forgive him. He was almost positive that it was going to work, that he was going to be able to outwit this man and save the poor girl.

[Andorra]

This was a very conflicting situation. On one hand, getting as far away from the drunk as possible was a very good idea. On the other, she still had to find Boris, and she believed that this bar was the best place to wait for him. However, she didn't have much control over the situation, and she was content to follow whatever the kind stranger's plan was. He did have a plan, right?

The drunk did not seem to follow. "What th' hell are you talkin' about, boy?" he snarled. To further prove his unwillingness to follow the simple idea, he pulled Anaïs closer to him, keeping a tight grip around her neck. "She's wit me right now! Ain't nothin' you can do 'bout that!"

Anaïs coughed at the atrocious odor coming from the drunk. She struggled, trying to move his arm away from her neck. It was getting hard to breathe. She attempted to help the stranger.

"Uh..sir? Sir? I think you should try what he suggested! A challenge could be fun! And you can show your friends that you are no mere drunk, but a smart, brave, and honorable fellow! And... and if you win...I, uh....won't run away?"

She needed just one chance. One chance. She hoped the stranger knew what he was doing.

The drunk considered this. He grinned. "Fine. Letsh do this, boy."

Please, please let him know what he's doing.

[bermuda]

He looked distressed when the man seemed to not be falling for it. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as he seemed? Or maybe he was just not really hearing everything he was saying. Either way, Henry was feeling hesitant, tensed for the next move. However, the man didn't come at him, in fact, the girl spoke up again, providing aide in a clever way. He hardly knew her and already he was getting the feeling perhaps they weren't totally unalike. He smiled to her warmly, as if thanking her for her aide. Although truthfully it was her own hide she was working to save, not his.

Finally the drunk seemed to agree to it, and he smirked. "Alright then. I'm afraid you're going to have to let go of the girl, at least for now." He stated this as if it wasn't a big deal. Hopefully the man was now too absorbed into the prospect of a challenge he assumed he could win easily to realize the disadvantage it put himself at. Quickly though he added "It's merely because she would inhibit your ability to take on this challenge, without your arms free you would surely handicap yourself. I would hate to have an unfair advantage over you. It's just not good sportsmanship. Besides, you need your hands free for this challenge." Part of it was true too, of course. He really would hate to hold an unfair advantage over someone, even if they were drunk and completely deserved it.

He carefully reached into the bag he always carried with him to take out a small item which looked like a simple wicker tube. It didn't look like anything that would be related to a challenge of any sort, even one of wits. He would wait for the man to let go of the woman before he would explain his "game" to the man. After ensuring that had been done he would smile sweetly and begin to explain the concept of the challenge.

"You see this tube? It's really quite a fun puzzle I must say. You simply place the forefinger of each hand in either side of the tube. The object of the puzzle is to pull your fingers out of the tube. Make sense?" Of course, it only sounded easy. The device, known to some as a "Chinese Finger Trap" or a "Chinese Finger Puzzle" was designed to tighten up when someone attempted to pull their fingers out of it quickly, effectively trapping them. The trick to getting out was rather simple, but it was far past the reasoning of a drunk.

When he was sure the man understood the goal, he would hand over the tube, watching and waiting for the inevitable to happen. He knew the man would get stuck, and when he did, he was ready to dive past him, grab the girl by her wrist and make a dash for it. As soon as it occured he would make his move, relying on the fact they were both smaller than the rest of the people at the bar. They would easily be able to evade anyone who tried to stop them. It would be a quick and stunning escape, the sort that only ever happened in stories as far as he'd ever known. If they managed that, he wouldn't stop directly outside of the bar, he would lead her some distance away and then stop, imagining they were safe now.

[Andorra]

Anaïs had to hold back a giggle when she realized what the puzzle was. Artista had once shown her one when she was little, and he had tricked her in the same way. Except, she doubted the drunk would be able to solve the "puzzle" as she did. He simply didn't have the mind for it.

However, there was a chance this plan could fail. Once trapped, the drunk might get angry and attack them. Even if his hands were trapped, he could still do some damage. If that happened, she would be ready. Hopefully.

The drunk was at first hesitant to let her go. But wanting to prove a point, he roughly unhanded her, and shoved her onto a seat. "Stay there."

She gave him a fake smile, and nodded. She kept her hand close to where her hand gun was located. Just in case.

In an out of character wave of brilliance, however it was possible he had no idea that he doing it, the drunk moved in front of Anaïs, blocking her from the strangers path. He sneered. "Alrigh' boy. Gimme th' puzzle thing ya got there."

It was a tense moment. The stranger was probably calculating the odds before acting out the rest of the plan he must have had. Anaïs took the opportunity to take a better look at the stranger. He seemed quite young, but probably older than she was. She noticed that he had very kind eyes. In that moment, she felt safer. And a name tugged at the back of her head. Ber...Ber...something.

She tried to catch his eyes. Trying the best as she could, she tried to tell him that she would be alright, and continue with the plan. She kept her hand even closer to her gun. Not that she would use it in the traditional way, of course.

(To continue the plot, you can also control the drunk, Berm! Any non-hetalia characters can be controlled by anyone!~)

[bermuda]

Henry smiled sweetly as he handed the finger trap over to the drunk. He watched with mild amusement as the man placed his fingers in it, saying something like "This should be easy" Of course, that was before he tried to wrench his fingers free. The puzzles frame did exactly as it was designed to do, and stretched, tightening it's grip around his fingers instead of letting go like it should have. It was designed not to rip easily either, so brute strength didn't matter anyways, it wasn't going to come free.

The Bermudan smirked a little as he walked towards the drunk a little ways before turning and walking towards the woman. He looked over his shoulder at the drunk, who was busy snarling at the puzzle trying to get his fingers free of it's grip. "Well sir, a deal is a deal, and you have failed to pull your fingers out of the puzzle...I believe that means I win?" He held in a laugh as the man kept struggling shouting "NO, I g-....I got it! Just you wait, gimme a min..." But Henry wasn't going to give him the extra few minutes to try and figure out how the trap worked.

He finally slipped close enough to the woman to speak to her quietly so the drunk didn't overhear. "Miss, I think this is our cue to make an exit, lest he figure out the solution to the puzzle." It wasn't being dishonest to leave now. He hadn't specified a time limit for solving the puzzle, and the drunk certainly hadn't solved it. He was being totally honest and fair, and he was saving a woman in need. So even if he was somehow lying, it didn't count, did it?

His eyes drifted to stare at the door before flicking back to her. He almost wanted to offer her his hand, but that would make it too obvious they were about to run out of there. He looked over at the drunk, occupied by trying to get the trap off his fingers, and then back to her. Quietly he added "On three, we run, ok?" Running, only because he expected that the minute they started to move even slowly the drunk's attention would be back on them and he wouldn't be happy. Henry counted under his breath One...Two... then urgently to the woman "Three!" And that was when he turned, something telling him she would be smart enough to follow him. As he moved for the door he found himself thinking that she seemed familiar to him somehow. As his hands flung the door open and he felt his body move into the fresh air outside, he could hear echos of something that sounded vaguely like 'Pandora'. Maybe he was remembering old legends though.

[Andorra]

Adrenalin began to flow in Anaïs at the mixture of fear and excitement when the stranger fooled the drunk. Not being one who laughs at the misfortune of others (even if they did deserve it), she contained a threatening giggle. However, it was disconcerting that the drunk was getting much more riled up and angry, which worried her.

When the stranger approached her and revealed the plan, she gave him a small nod. It was simple enough. Run on the count of three. Yes, very simple. But Anaîs still felt very nervous and anxious. In a childish way, she hoped the stranger would hold her hand, so that she would not get lost. She shook her head at the thought. I'm not that needy, am I?

She snapped into action when she heard the stranger say "Three!"

Anaïs quickly jumped off the stool and ran as fast as she could, following the stranger. They weaved their way through the massive group; Anaïs feeling relief when she breathed the fresh air. As they exited the pub, she could hear an eruption of laughter from the bar, and a loud angry yell. Keep going!

Anaïs and the stranger ran for a good ten minutes, getting as far away from the pub as they could. Anaïs tried to be perceptive and seek out Boris through the crowds, but she didn't see him. Eventually, the two stopped in an empty alley way.

Through exhasted pants, Anaïs finally burst into laughter. She gave the stranger her kindest smile, and in her relief, threw her arms around him. Perhaps a bit premature, but Anaïs didn't care. She needed to properly thank him.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, kind sir! That was brilliant!!" She gave another hearty laugh, and then released him.

"How can I ever repay you? Oh! My name is Anaïs by the way! Anaïs Castillo! May I ask for yours?"

(SAVED!! and then hugs!~ :>)

[bermuda]

Henry could feel the adrenaline pumping as they raced out of the bar and through the streets. As they moved he could hear the laughter echoing through his skull, even after they were far away from the bar. He couldn't tell how long they had run for, it felt like a long time. They stopped in the alley, and he found himself panting, the unexpected sprint having taken him by surprise. He could hear her laughing, and he managed a small shaky laugh through deep breaths. Of course, any celebration was cut short by the suddenness of her embrace, tight and happy. His face flushed bright red at the hug, and turned even brighter red when she thanked him.

He stumbled over words until she let go, his face red as a tomato. "Y-you're very welcome miss, but it was nothing r-really." He stammered a bit, thankful when she spoke again. He smiled at her warmly, happy to know her name, his skin tingling awkwardly where she had touched him. The little thing in the back of his head began gnawing again, and he felt even more like he knew her. He could hear someone's voice saying something about her, but it didn't click right, so he ignored it.

"Ah, my name's Henry..Henry Kirkland, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Castillo..and there's really no need to repay me, it's morally wrong to let a man treat a lady improperly. His mother should have taught him better."

He hesitated before adding. "If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in a place like that all by yourself anyways?" He was curious as to the reasoning behind a young woman entering a bar alone. It was dangerous. Surely she had some companion to protect her? He would feel bad for allowing a woman to be alone in a city, that was also dangerous.

[Andorra]

Although Anaïs noticed the severe redness that blossomed on her embarrassed savior's visage, she failed to realize exactly why he looked like a ripe tomato. Looking fairly concerned, she studied his face thoroughly while listening to the poor boy stammer. Familiarity tugged away at her subconscious, however nothing emerged from her curious stare. She gave him the warmest smile she could muster after learning his name.

"Henry Kirkland? It suits you very well! Sounds very heroic to me!" She giggled at being called a "Miss Castillo", something that never happens to her often. She moved closer to him and held onto his shoulder. "Why Henry, I think we are close enough to call each other by our first names! Please, call me Anaïs!" She patted his shoulder twice, then let go. "And again, I thank you for your kindness. I was in a tight pickle back there!"

When Henry inquired about her reasoning of walking into a bar by herself, her eyes widened, having temporarily forgotten why she was there in the first place. "Oh yes, that's right! I've been looking for someone! I lost him when I ran into some...eh trouble with a local. I figured that he was looking for me, so that's why I went to the pub. I guess I thought he would eventually wander in there... but I suppose not." She smiled a little, and gave her head a small bonk with her hand."I didn't exactly think it through! Haha..."

She looked at him, a little embarrassed. "I don't suppose you've seen him? He's taller than me, has short black hair, and he's quite tanned and muscular. He's a friend of mine, and I can't leave this town without him! If you haven't that's alright... I'll just go back to looking!"

[bermuda]

He smiled when she said his name sounded Heroic, stammering out a "Th-thankyou." He listened as she told him to call her by her first name, an honor he was happy to be able to have. Women were sometimes so picky with names, and hated men they hardly knew using their first names. It was always safe to call them properly until granted permission to address them in an informal way. She patted his shoulder, and he smiled, but said nothing. Her thanks had been made clear, and simply repeating 'your welcome' like a robot wouldn't change that, polite as it was.

He listened to her explain why she had been in the bar, it sounded like a pretty well thought out reason. Except for the part where she had gone in alone. Bars were dangerous for young women, especially very pretty ones like Anais. "Well, it was good to think to find him, although bars are a dangerous place to be alone if you're a pretty young woman like yourself." Oh...did he say that out loud? Whoops. Instantly his face was as red as a tomato again, but it faded a little when she asked about her friend.

The description sounded oddly familiar, but he couldn't place the man anywhere. "He sounds very familiar, but I don't think I've seen him around here." He paused before an idea hit him. "But...I can help you find him if you would like. Two heads are better than one right?" He smiled at her, a sincere and honest sort of smile. He wasn't about to leave her alone or make her search for someone who he assumed was her guardian all on her own. That would be rude and ungentlemanly of him, and he tried his best to be a gentleman.

[Andorra]

It was Anaïs's turn to blush this time. Although she had been called pretty many times before by her parents and Artista (and the occasional sweet townsfolk of Andorra), with Henry it was different. As butterflies began to flutter in her stomach, she could feel heat radiating from her cheeks. She smiled sheepishly, and looked down on the ground, embarrassed. But it was a good feeling, nonetheless. It just made her want to stay and talk to him even more. She began to feel dread, knowing she had a mission to accomplish and therefore perhaps had to leave Henry behind.

However, that worry was abolished a few seconds later.

"A-ah! I would love for you to join me!~" Anaïs sang happily, relieved that she didn't have to go on alone, and with Henry. This town had proven again and again that being alone wasn't the greatest idea out there. Plus, she could continue to chat with Henry. A win-win situation, that was for sure.

She skipped merrily to Henry's side. As usual, she had the strong urge to wrap her arms around his, but for some reason now, the butterflies only danced more. And, perhaps Henry didn't appreciate her invading his space like that. God knows people have told her that she doesn't respect people's private space before. She decided against it, which saddened her.

She gave him a warm smile. "Let's go~" she said happily. "Maybe we can get to know each other better along the way~"

[bermuda]

Henry looked at her with a big smile. "That would be wonderful." He sounded cheerful, excited, but still that voice of reason chewed at the back of his head and he asked warmly "So where do you think we should look first?" He didn't know the man they were looking for, although her description of him seemed so familiar. It was as if he had met the man somewhere else in time, although he couldn't really place where. It was all so strange, of course, the world he lived in was strange. He too was rather strange, a treasurehunter who wasn't in it for the money. Indeed that was about as strange as it got.

Especially in a time of pirates and greed, all the world caught up in a whirlwind of confusion for reasons that were beyond the young man. The second Great War had ended, things should have returned to peace, but they were hardly peaceful. Things had fallen into chaos with the dawning of a second age of pirates. The seas were dangerous, and now so were the skies. Although that didn't stop him from joining onto crews of all sorts, helping out until he found his next grand adventure.

He felt glad he'd ended up here, as he had indeed found adventure. He was helping a beautiful woman find a friend of hers that (as far as he could guess) was her guardian. Of course, there could have been more between them, but Henry sincerely hoped not, he believed that could threaten to break his heart. For some strange reason they had not known eachother long, but he could already sense that perhaps he felt something for her. Not that he knew what love felt like, but he knew he already liked her quite a bit. She was energetic and she seemed very sweet, and she was incredibly brave for a woman of the time period. Although gender roles were changing, he hadn't met any women out of the ordinary until now.

[Andorra]

"Hmmm." Anaïs hummed. "I really don't know. He could be anywhere at this point." It really didn't help that she didn't know this town well at all. Anyone's guess as to how big this town was or where specific places were would be better than hers. Besides, this town was dangerous. "I don't really want to go back to where we first got separated. I'd rather not risk finding the...trouble I did before I went to the bar...I'm afraid your guess would be as good as mine Henry!" She pondered for a moment. "But, I suppose we could try the inn. They might have seen him already."

She smiled at him, and motioned with her hand to start moving. Then she began to ramble. "I suppose I will start with the information! Here are the basics: I'm seventeen years old and I know Catalan, Spanish, French and English of course! I grew up in Andorra and I have nine other family members! My favorite hobby is singing and I know how to grow the best tasting produce that I know of~ Oh! And the boy I am looking for is Boris! He's a pretty funny boy, very passionate! And he's my...um" She trailed off. She was about to say that he was her crew mate, but what if the fact that she's a pirate scares him away? That was the last thing she wanted. She was determined to stay with Henry as long as she could. "Ah never mind, it's not important~"

"What about you Henry? I'd love to know more about you!"