The Vintner's Offer

Log Info

• Title: The Vintner's Offer

• Emitter: Telamon

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Nobility District

• Summary: Telamon takes Ravenstongue back to Jovani's shop in the Nobility District to pick up his shirts and to pay the Vintner a visit. Ravenstongue is shocked to discover the Vintner does more than just wine sales--he also sells weapons of all varieties! While the sorcerers have no particular needs for weapons, they do take up the Vintner on an offer of a curious book that teaches one how to make magical alcohol in small quantities.

Nobility District, midday.

The nobles' district, once again. A few days since the meeting with Jovani, and a short note arriving from Jovani informing Telamon that his shirts were ready -- and that the Vintner would see him at midday, if he cared to visit...?

And so Telamon is here once more, with Cor'lana on his arm. The gnomish gyroparasol opened to ward off the light pattering rain from their fine garments. This time, a pale gray doublet over brushed-leather breeches, tucked into his well loved boots. A light cloak over his shoulders, as the two head up into Jovani's proper. "The Vintner deals in wine, but also in other things. I've only met him once before, but the impression I got was that he and father were old acquaintances." Tel's words are quiet, but reassuring.

As the pair step inside Jovani's, Marco is at the counter for a change, perched on a stool. "Ah!" the boy pipes up. "Ser Telamon! I have your shirts, but I think you'll be wanting to see the Vintner first!" He hops down from his seat, before leading the pair down the hall, towards the door they saw before.

Cor'lana is, once again, dressed in her finest dress--which might be considered a faux pas in the snootier circles of the Nobility District to wear the same thing again in 'polite company' so soon, but then again, those people would likely never dare to say that to the face of a sorceress. She seems more comfortable this time around with the trip. "At least it's a socially acceptable hour to taste wine," she replies with a smile. "Maybe we'll pick up a bottle or two for dinner this evening."

And of course she can't help but smile as she sees Marco again. "Hi there," she says in that friendly manner she typically reserves for Pothy (when he's being cute), and greeting dogs, cats, and children. "Yes, the Vintner. Thank you, Marco."

Marco raps upon the door, listening for a response. Nodding at whatever he heard, he opens it, and announces politely, "Telamon Atlon, and Cor'lana Lúpecyll, sir." before withdrawing and slipping away, letting Telamon lead Cor'lana into the Vintner's domain.

The Vintner, it seems, is a true renaissance man -- one of many skills. The room is large, square, with a broad counter, and every wall is neatly fitted with shelves and racks. Wine, of course, dominates one section, but the other... is weapons.

Many, MANY weapons.

Swords. Axes. Blades. Bows. A cornucopia of melee mayhem. None of it some inexpensive forged tool, found in the hand of a novice warrior; the weapons are decorated, elaborate, but are clearly functional judging from the edges seen. There's even a small rack dedicated to the relatively-new world of artifice firearms.

Two men stand at the counter, one a dark haired fellow with a mustache and goatee. He nods to the couple as he passes, slipping out. The other man calls to him, "Do enjoy your party," before turning his attention to Telamon and Cor'lana. He's an elf -- a llyranesi, tall and spare, dressed all in black, his hair cut short to bare his ears -- one is clipped short from some long ago encounter. His eyes are deep set and calm, as he says, "Telamon Atlon... it's been a long time."

Cor'lana's violet eyes are very, very wide as she steps inside. She sticks close to Telamon, her arm squeezing around his as they enter. She takes a brief look at the dark haired man, then seems to realize that might be a very bad idea and she looks away quickly.

Her eyes eventually settle on the Vintner, and she swallows hard--though she does look up at Telamon with an expression like, 'What did you get us into?'

There's something about the man, despite his rather unprepossessing appearance. That sense of coiled danger, of lethality, that's inexplicably similar to Telamon's father. Telamon, for his part, takes a deep breath. "Good day, Vintner. It's has been a long time. I come on behalf of my father."

The Vintner tilts his head slightly, then nods. "I must remind myself you are hardly sixteen and trailing along in Telperius's wake." His lips curl up. "Though you could forgive me for wondering if you had decided to take up the blade instead of magic." Closer, the Vintner can be seen to be wearing a pair of silver pins on his tunic, as well as a medallion. His hands are clad in white silk gloves.

"Still, I have begun exploring other options." He reaches down behind the counter carefully, first removing a heavy book, similar to the one Jovani had shown Telamon. "While Rune has fallen somewhat behind in magical crafting, there are other options. I can heartily endorse the Veyshanti wand-makers, for example."

Cor'lana watches the exchange between her fiance and the Vintner. She lets go of Telamon so that he can use both arms to take and inspect the book. The comment about Rune, however, seems to have an interesting effect on Telamon's bride-to-be. The slight unease is hidden away, resolve taking hold on her features.

"Yes, well, hard to keep up when your country's been invaded and ruined by another one," Cor'lana replies dryly. "I left for a reason."

The Vintner's fathomless eyes move to Cor'lana, and he smiles slightly. "Lady Lúpecyll, it was not meant as an insult... merely a statement of fact. Unfortunate, to be sure." Telamon glances at Lana a bit worriedly, but his expression smooths out, and he opens the book to begin inspecting the numbers.

Meanwhile, the Vintner draws out a long, elegant-looking wand -- a core of wood with a delicate winding of copper around the length. "Still, it is worth broadening one's horizons. It was something I taught Telperius -- never confine oneself to a few tactics, but always seek to expand one's repertoire." He sets the wand down, looking at Cor'lana. "While I would not presume your skills..."

"Wise decision, Vintner," Telamon comments dryly.

The Vintner gives Telamon an amused look, before continuing, "For you I would recommend one of the light Tsuran fighting blades. Or perhaps one of the latest Gustavian 'Dragon's Fury' dragonspitters."

"Oh no, I didn't take it as an insult. I have no attachment to the place these days. My home is wherever he happens to be," Cor'lana says with a slight smile, pointing to Telamon. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be much good with a blade nor a dragonspitter. I am like Telamon in that I am a... magician. Of a particular sort."

Her hand goes to the exposed feather mark on her chest, which shimmer slightly as she touches it. "A sorcerer of two bloodlines, you could say."

"The Vintner," Telamon remarks, "sells wine, and weapons." He looks up from the book, meeting the older elf's eyes, a sparkle in his own. "Honestly, I would've thought you'd have gotten out of the business of blades years ago, sir."

The Vintner had paused to inspect a pair of racked dueling sabers, running his silk-gloved fingertip along them to check for dust. "As long as there is conflict, there will be a need for weapons -- whether those weapons are swords, magic... or people. If you take nothing else away from this place... do not let yourself be wielded."

Then the Vintner pauses. "Speaking of taking things away..."

"Well, I'd certainly be interested in the wine, even if I have no interest in the weapons," Cor'lana replies with a smile. Nevermind the fact that there's a sword in her bag of holding that'd probably blow the lid right off the Vintner's head if he knew about it, lying in wait. But it will not be drawn today.

But then the Vintner says his piece, and that piques Cor'lana's curiosity. "Such as?" she replies. There's a look in her eyes that suggests she's already anticipating the direction the conversation could be going.

Telamon arches an eyebrow at the Vintner. "You never use two words when one suffices, Vintner." He closes the accounts book. "Everything's in order. I'll advise Father as such. Now what's up your sleeve?" He gives Cor'lana a grin, eyes dancing.

The Vintner picks the book, and the wand, up again, putting them away behind the counter. Then he comes up with a curious brown bottle, a trio of goblets, and another tome, this one significantly older-looking. "This fell into my hands through... happenstance, for lack of a better word. But it is... intriguing." He holds the book up; emblazoned on the cover is a title in Sildanyari, 'The Book of Libations'. "I have reviewed some of it, but... the text seems to blur the lines between alchemy, winemaking, and potion-brewing."

Cor'lana is also intrigued by the book, although the bottle and the goblets also get her attention briefly, too. "Alchemy, winemaking, and potion-brewing... Well, two of those are actually in Telamon's portfolio," she replies.

She puts her hand down to her bag of holding and pulls out her coinpurse. "How much for it?" she asks. As though she insists on buying it for Telamon, which might either be a cute display of affection or a misstep in the protocol between the Vintner and the Atlon family. "I'd like to buy it at a fair price."

Telamon holds up a hand, as does the Vintner. They look at each other, but then Telamon coughs. "The Vintner's not selling it yet." He cocks his head at the bottle. "He wants me... well, us, to know what we'd be buying first. Hence the bottle."

"Precisely. The bottle came with the book." The Vintner looks faintly embarrassed. "And while I am a master winemaker and sommelier, I lack the alchemical skills to make use of the book. In short: I cannot make use of it... but I would be happy to supply you with the vintages you need to craft the drinks within."

The Vintner uncaps the bottle, and pours a small quantity into each of the glasses. The liquid is golden, and seems to have a strange shimmer. "I believe this to be a drink called 'Daeus's Embrace', as referenced in the book. I... sampled a small amount, and can vouch for it. In any case, I will share a glass with you two, and then we can discuss price."

Cor'lana has the good graces to at least be a little bashful--jumping the gun can do that. "Forgive me for being a little too enthused in wanting to spoil my fiance," she replies with a small grin.

But then the Vintner uncaps the bottle and pours it into the glasses, and Cor'lana's bashfulness is replaced once more with curiosity. "Golden wine? I can't say I've ever seen such a thing," she murmurs thoughtfully. "It seems worthy of the moniker, however. I wonder if there are any named after the Lady of Inspiration..."

Telamon puts his arm around Cor'lana. "We do a lot of things for each other," he tells her with a grin. "But don't think I don't appreciate it. Or you." He watches as the glasses are filled half way. "That... is a very odd color. Now I really am curious."

Once the Vintner has finished, he recaps the bottle and puts it away. "There are certain vintages which can have a yellow hue, but this is very unusual. I am glad I didn't assume something was wrong with it."

Telamon picks up a glass, and passes it to Cor'lana, before picking up his own and letting the Vintner collect the third. "Well, I'll try anything once," With that, Tel takes a long sip of the liquor.

The drink is sweet, though not cloying, and it tastes almost what you'd expect sunlight to taste like. A spreading warmth, less like a drug or inebriation, and more like a sensation of being wrapped in a blanket, of being comfortable and warm and safe.

Cor'lana takes a sip with Telamon at the same time. She looks pleasantly surprised and even rather happy as she tastes the liquid and swallows, even closing her eyes for a moment. "That is wonderful," she murmurs, and when she opens her eyes, she realizes she's unconsciously stepped closer to Telamon, right by his side.

"I was thinking of that one time in the garden," she says, although a blush settles on her face, and she can't bring herself to say the rest. It is probably not proper to mention Telamon's shirtless chest in front of his family's business partner.

Telamon's eyes widen. "This is definitely something for chilly evenings or wet days. I feel like there's a nice warm fire.. or a nice warm bed... for me." His free arm is around Lana comfortably. Finishing the half-glass, he sets it down. "Well, Vintner, I am intrigued and intensely curious. So... if you will sell us the tome, I will seek supplies from you for brewing the recipes I find in it."

The Vintner's lips curl up again in that faint smile, having sipped from his glass as well. "A fair trade," he remarks. "I do hope to see you both again, though. Your father taught you well, Telamon." The Vintner names a price that isn't excessive, but it is serious enough that neither of the two half-elves would buy a book like this every day.

Cor'lana does contemplate it for a moment, but before Telamon can fish out his coin purse, she reaches up on her tiptoes, kisses him on the cheek, and fishes out the money from her own. "I've got it," she insists.

She hands the money over to the Vintner and accepts the book once it's handed to her. "Pleasure doing business with you," she responds. "I'm not exactly from a merchant family like Telamon is, but as I am marrying him, I suppose that means we'll be future business partners, so... I look forward to a successful partnership." And, of course, she handles the book very gently in her arms. Once a book lover, always a book lover.

Telamon looks at Lana in surprise -- evidently he didn't think she was serious about paying for it -- but he kisses her cheek in return when she does. "Love you," he whispers in her ear, before returning his gaze to the Vintner. With the book in Lana's hands (and it has that nice, old-book smell, of knowledge and old paper), Telamon bows politely to the Vintner. "I think that's about it, sir. I'll probably be in contact again, once I get a look at it." He glances at Lana with a grin. "Assuming she lets me..."

The Vintner inclines his head in return. "Indeed. I'm glad to have found it and been able to pass it on to you. If you're able to successfully replicate some of the recipes... I would appreciate the chance to try them as well." The older elf offers a faint smile. "It's been many years since I was surprised. The novelty is... rather entertaining."

Cor'lana is all smiles as Telamon whispers the 'love you' into her ear, of course. And that old book smell is to die for--she can't help but take a innocuous little sniff. "Of course I'll let you take a look at it, my starborn prince," she says, slipping into her usual affectionate words for her husband-to-be. "It's our book, not my book--just as my heart may reside in my chest but is owned by your soul."

And, well. The Vintner's words are a veritable challenge to a feytouched sorceress. She quirks her head a little and simply smiles. "Has it? Well, I'm told I'm full of them," she says, "but that should likely wait for another time, lest I give Telamon a heart attack."

She offers her arm out to Telamon again with a smile. "Shall we go pick up your shirts, my love? If there's nothing else here, that is."

Telamon links arms with Lana, smiling back at her again. "Why don't we? Let's be about it then. I suspect we'll both be peering over each other's shoulders at the book when we get back." He politely nods to the Vintner. "Good day, sir."

The Vintner nods in return, a faint smile on his face. "And to you as well. Please, give my regards to Telperius when you write to him. When the current unpleasantness has passed... it would be nice to see him again."

And with that, the couple slip out of the Vintner's abode, to collect some nice new shirts -- and head home with a new treasure.