<TIAMAT> *It's early evening, and the lights are just dimming in the Rustling Ghost as the evening entertainment is about to start. There's no bards or bands here tonight -- instead, a certain blue haired elven dancer is taking to the stage. Jarod and Kender, having found out about her performance earlier that day, decided to take in dinner and the show.

<JETMODE> *Kender's never seen Jukka dance at all, so he's terribly curious. Cinno, on the other hand, is as bored with this as he is with everything else, and sprawls out on the table.

<JETMODE> *A spotlight hits the center of the stage when the lights finish dimming, revealing that the gypsy elf has, in fact, already taken her place. She nods faintly to the musicians, who start playing a slow, lazy tune.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod grins a little as he settles back, sipping some water. "She really knows her stuff, I tell you -- the first time I saw her dance, she didn't even have any music, but she kept perfect time like there was a drum beat in her ear."

<JETMODE> *Kender eyes him with a faint grin, but he doesn't say anything, returning his attention to the stage as Jukka starts her dance.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod's eyes were already focused there, sorry. ^_^ He watches with rather rapt attention.

<JETMODE> *The dance begins as slowly as the music, a slow, easy strut with an occasional flick of her wrist or toss of her ankle to send the bracelets jangling in time with the music. After several measure, though, the beat picks up speed, and the real entertainment begins.

<JETMODE> *If the musicless dancing from before was impressive, this is on a completely different level. The beat seems to exist only to accentuate even her slightest movement, to punctuate her leaps and whirls. Somewhere in all this, the scarf she keeps tied around her waist comes into play, a silent partner in her display of movement and sound.

<JETMODE> *It seems to last forever and fly by with remarkable speed -- both at once -- but in due course, the music slows, and she ends the dance as she began it. A lazy strut, a flirt of her scarf, and, finally, a deep bow.

<TIAMAT> *A slow smile creeps across Jarod's face as he picks up Jukka's projections of growing excitement and joy and he watches in fascination as the dance reaches its climax, then slows and finally ends. He claps long and loud while Jukka bows to the crowd.

<JETMODE> *Kender whistles softly, applauding as well. "Well, I thought you might just be gushing, but wow."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod smirks a little, glancing over at him. "I told you, didn't I?"

<JETMODE> <Kender> *grins at him knowingly* You sure did.

<JETMODE> *Jukka, meanwhile, has apparently caught her breath and is ready for the next number.

<JETMODE> *She dances long into the night, but when midnight draws near, she finally bids the extremely reluctant crowd a farewell, laughing sweetly as she goes and promising to come back another time.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod cheers her on as she disappears behind stage, then finally settles back, looking tired but content. He glances at Kender. "Quite a show, huh?"

<JETMODE> <Kender> *grin* Yeah, it was. We should come again sometime, don't you think?

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Absolutely. We can ask Tom to let us know when she'll be here again. *he watches as the crowds slowly disperse.

<JETMODE> <Kender> Yeah.. with her draw, he'll probably want her to stay a lot. But then -- so will everyone else.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Well, at least she won't have trouble finding work. *he yawns a bit.

<JETMODE> <Kender> No kiddin'.

<JETMODE> *Kender stretches lazily. "I gotta be up early tomorrow, so I better go to bed."

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: Er, yeah, okay. *he shifts a little bit, almost uncomfortably, but doesn't make a move to get up.

<JETMODE> <Kender> *arches an eyebrow* Not comin'?

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: ...I wanted to talk to her for a minute before leaving. You go ahead, I won't be long.

<JETMODE> <Kender> *soft snort* Sure. Don't stay out too late. *impish grin* And don't do anything I wouldn't do.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod gives him a steady look. "Would you like to stay and chaperone?"

<JETMODE> <Kender> What, do I look like your mom? See ya later, Jarod. *grins and takes off, Cinno leaping down to follow him*

<TIAMAT> *Jarod snorts. "Yeah, good night to you, too!" He glares slightly at Kender's back as he disappears out into the hall.

<JETMODE> *After a while, the crowd's pretty much filtered down to a few stubborn regulars, but Jukka still hasn't reappeared.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod's trying not to doze off at the table. He snrks a little and jerks awake, blinking tiredly -- and then notices that the door leading to the backstage dressing room is slightly ajar. Curious.

<TIAMAT> *He glances around and stands slowly, stretching, and wanders over to the bar, asking Tom if Jukka'd already left and he somehow missed her. After confirming that Tom hadn't seen her, Jarod glances back at the door, frowning a little.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod glances around again, like he doesn't really want to be seen, and slowly approaches the door. When he gets closer to it, he pauses suddenly, picking up a slight wave of anger and dismay from within. Frowning even more, he pulls the door open a bit more and peers in cautiously. "Jukka?"

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *firmly* It's late, and I really should be on my way.

<TIAMAT> *Two burly looking thugs -- one human and one some kind of furry -- are trying to back Jukka into a corner, if they haven't already. The human grins easily at her. "Aw, c'mon, honey, the night is young! We're just lookin' for a good time..

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *crossly* You can probably find your particular brand of "good time" in one of the lower-level bars. Go bother someone down there!

<TIAMAT> *Human thug: Aw, but that ain't no fun, hun, 'specially when we're all right here...and besides, you're such a pretty thing--

<TIAMAT> *Jarod takes a step in, frowning darkly. "What's going on?

<JETMODE> *The furry spins abruptly, ears flattening. "Just askin' a lady out."

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *a little relieved* Jarod.

<TIAMAT> *The human glances at Jarod, then back at Jukka, snorting a little in annoyance. "You know this shmuck, hun?"

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *scowls at him* He's a friend of mine, which is more than I can say for you.

<TIAMAT> *Human: Now, that ain't a very nice thing to say, hun. *he catches her hand, gripping her tightly and trying to pin her against the wall.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod takes a step forward, alarmed. "Let her go! Now!

<JETMODE> *Jukka, startled by the attack, struggles, attempting to kick backward at him. The furry steps into Jarod's path, grinning a fanged grin.

<TIAMAT> *The human holds her fast, pinning her bodily against the wall and chuckling darkly. Jarod stops abruptly and gives the furry an icy stare. "I'd advise you to leave. Now."

<JETMODE> <furry> *insolent stare* That so? Why not try and make me.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: I warned you. *his eyes grow dark and he suddenly blasts the furry with a direct wave of fear and forboding in an attempt to throw him off balance.

<JETMODE> *The furry's eyes go a little wild, and he clutches his head, yelping.

<TIAMAT> *The human glances over his shoulder just in time to see Jarod rush the furry, shouldering him hard in the gut and sending both of them sprawling to the ground.

<TIAMAT> *The human releases Jukka suddenly, turning toward Jarod and pulling out a dagger. "Mister Tough Guy, eh?"

<JETMODE> *Jukka, ever resourceful, kicks the thug solidly in the back of the knee.

<TIAMAT> *He yells out, stumbling forward sharply but not quite falling. He curses loudly and spins, glaring at Jukka. "Why you little--!" *he cuts off suddenly as his dagger floats slowly up and out of his grip, turns, and suddenly rocks directly toward his head. He gives a startled yell and ducks just in time as the dagger flies past.

<TIAMAT> *Jukka might notice that Jarod, still on the ground but propped up on one shoulder, has gone into trance mode again.

<JETMODE> *Jukka, noting that, takes the opportunity to ram him solidly in the gut with her shoulder.

<JETMODE> *Shaking his head, the furry gets half to his feet again, snarling something at Jarod and lunging in.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod, still concentrating on the dagger, doesn't even see the attack coming and is hit full-on by it and he goes sprawling again. The dagger drops to the ground with a clatter.

<TIAMAT> *The human grunts loudly as the breath whooshes out of him, and doubles over, gasping.

<JETMODE> <Jukka> Jarod! *she lunges for the knife, which she actually knows how to use*

<TIAMAT> *Jarod is now attempting something he probably hasn't done before -- he's trying to telekinetically lift the furry right off him and into the air. It's probably not completely successful, as the furry is rather larger than anything he's dealt with, and he's having a damndable time concentrating after breaking his last trance like that.

<JETMODE> *The furry shrieks and struggles, wailing for help from his human friend. Jukka, in the meantime, retrieves the knife, then stares, puzzled, at the semi-floating furry.

<TIAMAT> *The human glances up slowly, eyes widening in surprise and fear. Jarod's hold on the furry is quickly losening, and he scrambles to his feet and back just as his opponent crashes to the floor.

<JETMODE> *The furry moans a little.

<JETMODE> *Jukka, on the other hand, brandishes the dagger and attempts with very little success to look fierce.

<TIAMAT> *The human's eyes dart between his companion and Jarod, and he takes a slow step backwards.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod, a little dazed, stumbles quickly over to Jukka and grabs her wrist. "Time to go!" And he makes for the door.

<JETMODE> *Jukka blinks at him, dropping the dagger and following him without any objection.

<TIAMAT> *The human yells curses after them as they retreat, though he doesn't appear to be giving chase. Jarod right straight through the bar -- Tom gives him a funny look as he passes -- and out into the hallway, getting halfway to the staircase before slowing.

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *panting a little* That was .. surprisingly unpleasant.

<TIAMAT> *He glances over his shoulder and, seeing that they're quite alone, comes to a stop, turning to Jukka and looking extremely concerned. "Are you all right? They didn't hurt you, did they?

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *laughs* I'm fine. *smiles at him* Thank you for coming to my rescue.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod blinks, going a bit red, and smiles back. "Oh...er...it was no problem. It's not like I would've just left you there. *pause* Do you need a place to stay?

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *pauses* Oh.. er.. *laughs* The bartender offered me a room in the back. Oh my.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: .. Oh. Well, uh...I'm sure Tom will take care of those thugs...but, uh, you're welcome to stay back at my place, if you'd be more comfortable.

<TIAMAT> *He grins a little. "Only thug there is Kender. And he's probably quite asleep by now."

<JETMODE> <Jukka> Are you sure? *smiles* I'd hate to be a burden.

<TIAMAT> *Jarod: No, no problem at all! You might have to kick Cinno off the couch...er, is that all right?

<JETMODE> <Jukka> *laughs* I have definitely slept on worse. *cheery smile*

<TIAMAT> *Jarod smiles back tiredly and nods. "All right then! *he takes her hand and leads the way back to Gwen's.