Blood and Vodka
Log Info
- Title: Blood and Vodka
- Emitter: Braelnoir
- Characters: Braelnoir, Cryosanthia, Merek, Ezil
- Place: A07: Fernwood Pub
- Time: Monday, March 02, 2020, 9:51 PM
- Summary: The trio have retired to the Fernwood Pub from the Colosseum, trailed by a shadow. Ezil arrives. Cryo tells a brief story about a cat with hands. Braelnoir reveals how much she appreciates the assistance that has been given to her by the others, and pledges to always have their backs. Cryo reciprocates. She's also playing some sort of trick on Merek, though how she is doing it with Red Vodka isn't clear. They discuss victims of Kaelyn's device, and note there haven't been any recently and wonder what the significance of that might be. Cryo leaves to check on her Swiftclaw, and the evening ends.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* A07: Fernwood Pub *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The common room of the Fernwood Pub dominates the inn, spacious and airy because of the high, vaulted ceiling. Ornately carved beams of dark, polished wood form a lattice overhead, supporting the arched roof two storeys above the floor. To the right of the double-door entry is a spiral staircase, winding upwards to a balcony that rings and overlooks the main area. Large windows at this level grant an excellent view of the river to the west and colorful market stalls to the north and east. An air of coziness is salvaged by keeping the pub dimly lit; parchment-shrouded mana lanterns hang at intervals from the base of the balcony, nestled amongst lush, magically propagated ivy and ferns that grow over this false demi-ceiling and the struts that support it.
The bar is sleek and simple, comprised of meticulously polished black lacquer. Tables are set under the darker niches formed by the balcony floor as well as on the balcony itself. A few are deliberately sized to accommodate halflings and gnomes, but the majority are meant for human-sized individuals. A large common table is on the main floor, set before a semi-circular stage situated against the western wall. Beside it, with pipes mounted upon the wall and running up past the balcony and almost to the ceiling, is a refurbished pipe organ made to look like the one lost when the Fernwood was destroyed during the Merkabah Siege.
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Appearing, at some point =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Braelnoir 5'11" 246 Lb Silver Chimera Female A rough and tumble brunette wielding a scythe and a feral grin. Cryosanthia 6'7" 245 Lb Sith-Makar Female A dashingly tall, lithe white lizardgirl with tattoos. Merek 5'10" 215 Lb Human Male A black-haired, dusky male with golden eyes. Ezil Human/Tsuran Male -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
The small group has relocated from the Colosseum. A table has been set. Cryosanthia tied her swiftclaw out upside, near a window where she can occasionally see the silhouette of its head. Hopefully this will be enough to keep it out of trouble. She also has strapped her 'Fernwood Pub' apron on over her armour, and adjusted the clothing beneath it to 'Tavern Sith'. "Well, there you go. Let me know what orders you want."
Merek finds a place to settle in, while he looks to Cryosanthia in thought, then thinks about it. "I would like a vodka," he says, nodding a bit to the woman in thought, while he places his scarf on his features.
The silver chimera changes into a comfortable silver silk robe with little kitty tracks all over it once she crosses the threshold into the bar, proper through the arcane gimmickry of her new sleeves, "My current usual, luv, if ya would?"
"Sure thing." The palescale heads over to the bar, picking up a vodka for Merek, and an ale for Braelnoir. These are placed on their table, "I'll get a food order up."
She heads into the kitchen, returning immediately with the small boards and a clean towel for the silver chimera, and sets them in place. She smiles warmly, "Food will be in a few."
Merek looks between the people there, while he nods a bit to Cryosanthia and Braelnoir, his thoughts shifting to the menu, "Do you have any deer jerky and fried potatoes?" he asks.
"I think Kaelyn ate all the deer. All the deer steaks, all the deer jerky. Everything deer that wasn't served a few days ago. I'll see if something fell down the back of the icebox." Cryosanthia winks, "Potatoes we have. We have meat, but I'm not sure what it came from. Cow, possibly goat."
Braelnoir settles into a seat, taking the usual care with her tails and spends a few moments arranging her boards and towel. She cants her head a little at Cryo's discussion about the meats and absently rubs the back of her wrist across her mouth. Mmm. Meats.
Merek looks then to Brae, while he nods a bit to the woman, "You been doing alright?" he asks, while he watches Cryosanthia in thought, then nods. "I will take... A steak, from the cow, along with that."
There is the sound of something sizzling on the grill, and the smell of meat searing wafts by. The white-scale sith nods, heading to the kitchen. She stands in the doorway, relaying orders to Chef. "If we have it Merek. Hopefully. There shouldn't be any shortages. It will be ready soon."
Braelnoir looks at Merek with a piqued eyebrow, "More'r less, you?" She hasn't gone swimming since the last time, after all. She shrugs, "I think I got a decent handle on th'claws an' I'm openin' doors easier, but I'm not sure I'm gonna get a lot o'fine dexterity back. Th'thing that really bothers me abou'the whole change, really."
Merek nods a bit, while he thinks about it, "That is nice, I am thinking about what to learn next," he says, "As far as spells," he admits.
"Merek, are you even listening? She's worried she'll never be able to write a letter or open a jar again. Weren't you going to look into something? Did you want to try my gloves Braelnoir?" Cryosanthia pops her head through the kitchen window to the bar, leaning through so she's almost over the bar itself.
The bartender looks at her. She looks back at him. They stare silently for a moment.
Braelnoir shrugs a little, "Find anythin' else ya need fer yer jump t'the Big Wet?" she wonders. Her eyes lower slightly, then, "Mebbe in a bit, luv, once yer done."
"I can't think of anything in specific, most I can do probably is making you normal gloves which work like hands, easier to maneuver with both paws," Merek says, nodding to Brae a bit, while he looks to Cryosanthia, then back to the table, "I mean besides from a full shapechange most things are to grow claws not hands."
"It reminds me of a story I heard." Cryo falls back into the kitchen, emerging through the door with a tray and two plates. She brings them over. A steak for Merek, and it does seem to be from a cow. Braelnoir has a plate of meat, rough cuts, but carefully broiled to be cooked right through, on a plate of quartered potatoes that have soaked in the juices and are covered with gravy.
"It's about a cat, with hands, and it lived in a well. It would steal different parts of people, and become more person-like each time. Until it ate every bit and became a person. Hmmm." She pauses, leaning her hip against the table, "It was better the first time I heard it."
Braelnoir smirks, "Old story holds, cats ever get thumbs, we're fucked." The chimera takes a long sniff of the plate, leaning in close and really trying not to dribble. It's unladylike, yes, but she's less concerned about that tendency in the wake of her transformation, than her birth-appropriated knack for tool use, "So.. aside from that gobber's turned to a woman, we heard've anyone else getting whammied by Kaelyn's mojo-tech? I ain't, mebbe th'fool turned himself into a haf frog garden slug'r something."
Merek looks between the two, then nods a bit, while he takes a bite of his food, "I will keep working, we'll find you a fix in any case," he says, while he sips from the vodka a bit as well. "I'm not sure, I just want the situation to be solved personally, I admit."
"Yes, there's a few. I think a whole family were turned into half-human, half-cow taurs. Like how Kaelyn used to be, but more bovine. I've seen her around in the Lower Alexandrian Market. She does not look happy. I can imagine the jokes." Cryosanthia says. "I think there were a couple others that weren't as bad. She did say she could cure people who weren't terribly effected, so she must have managed that with a couple."
Braelnoir nods, "More recently, though? Think either our bunny's gotten bored, or'es gotten himself solved." She hunkers down behind her screen and starts to get to work on some of that beef. There could be happy nom sounds. Dreamy nom sounds.
Cryosanthia pulls a chair over and sits, "Not since Nels, I don't think. You might be right." She looks the silvery chimera over, unblinking, carefully examining her from head to hoof.
"I couldn't handle as much change as you have. truly. You're very strong."
Merek nods a bit btween the two, while he thinks about it, then considers, "I still don't know why it won't change back with a bit of work," he says, then he looks to Brae, "Either way."
Braelnoir stops nomming for a few, working on getting her current bite down to managable 'swallow' scale, then does so before she brigs the towel up to dab at her face, "Ya never know where ya stand till yer tested." She looks between the pair, "I didn't think I'd geek under water. I never thought about being turned int'anything like this." She carefully lays the towel down and, "I got used t'the idea a long time ago that someday things'd leave their mark." She glances at her shoulder, "I'd get m'face tore up, or lose a leg'r otherwise done up useless. The hands're the only thing that really bothers me enough t'think about. I can still fight, but I miss th'little things." Her eyes lower, "I can't clean Rol's...." but she clams up, then, and busies her mouth with more food.
Ezil comes slowly down the steps of the Fernwood, looking about the room with a dull glance. He's either tired, or just woken up, something. His hand raises to rub at his eyes, taking his time as he makes his way to where Braelnoir and the others sit. His smile is first to Cryosanthia. "Hallo, White-One." his greeting spouted, waving to the other two. "Braelnoir. Merek. How are you all today?" seeking a seat to park himself in, and closing his eyes for a long moment. "Anything interesting?"
Cryosanthia nods with the explanation. Battle is always a risk. She shuffles a little on her seat, then holds up her hands. She has white gloves that match her scales. "I've got the cleaning spell on these."
She turns to look at Ezil with a smile, "Well, we found Azog and his machine and tried it out. I'm a little better. Halani is amazing."
Merek looks then to Ezil, with a nod to the man, while he thinks about it. Then he's taking a bite from the steak, looking curiously to the drink, taking a little sip while he writes about in the journal he keeps.
Braelnoir nods, "True... an that'll have t'do, I suppose, but..." She takes the tankard between her paws and swills down a long draught of it's contents. She looks up as she hears, "Eezee, hey!" NotinamoodNotinamoodNotinamood....!
"Say Merek, we're experimenting with different things to turn Vodka red. Do you want to try them?" Cryosanthia asks unexpectedly. She looks over at the bar. The bartender catches her glance and nods.
Ezil opens his eyes as Cryosanthia talks about red vodka, raising a brow. "Halani is? That's something neat. She's the one you said was in a position like mine? Well, ours." ruffling his nose and shaking his head. "Why red, anyways?" commenting on the booze.
"And evening to you too. You all seem chipper. That's good. I... I was up too late. I'm just now waking up for the day." well, the evening. "Jerboba snores too. It's terrible."
Merek looks then to Brae with a nod, while he glances to Cryosanthia, "I would like to try it," he says, then he's speaking to Ezil, "I'm becoming a member of the Iron Book, just need to be sworn in."
"Oh... no reason." Cryo says in a way, which suggests there is one. She rises and goes over to the bar, getting three glasses, that are half full with what is presumably vodka. The shade of red varies, one is very close to blood red, the others a brighter scarlet, and a garish red that looks like stage blood, intended for shock.
Cryo nods to Ezil, "Right, she made a pact as well. We didn't speak about that, this time though."
Braelnoir glances studiously at the others as they apparantly are joining some new party, and then there's the vodka, "So...."
Ezil nods his head slowly, sitting up in his seat. "I have given that a deep thought too, Merek. I know someone who might sponsor me, but I will need to speak with him first." tossing a glance to Cryosanthia, smirking. "Uh-huh. Yeah. I dunno if I believe that, but I'll.... not ask." letting the topic of the drink go.
"I don't know what I should do this evening. It's late, and.... I'll probably just read." Resigning himself to find something to keep him occupied when other individuals are going to head to bed.
GAME: Merek rolls profession/herbalist: (8)+8: 16
Merek looks to the drink, then he lifts that up to take a drink from it. He then nods a bit to Cryosanthia, "It's nice!" he says, while he looks to Ezil and Brae, "What do you all think?" he asks. Then he places a few little herbs within it as well.
Braelnoir looks at the drinks presented and then each of her cohorts once more, "Atchally, there's... something I've wanted t'get said fer a while. Said it once, but... I wanna get it said t'all of you."
"Good! I'm glad you have a positive attitude towards it! They're all Tasty? None of the reds were off?" Cryo leans in very close to Merek, watching him drink. She looks over at Braelnoir, "Yes?"
Ezil smiles awkwardly to Merek. "I've never had vodka. Nothing stronger than a small-beer." which is weird, considering he has other vices. "Don't trust myself with anything more." setting the drink a little from him. "Nothing personal. I choose my 'sionnachuighim' very carefully." an apologetic glace tossed to Cryo whom made it. "No offense, White-one."
Merek looks then to Cryosanthia, and back to the drink, with a nod while he thinks about it. It's like alcohol! He then looks to Brae, listening while he nods a bit to Ezil, "Alright!"
"It's just Red Vodka. I need someone who likes Vodka to tell me how it tastes with various things in it to make it red. I think, the really bright one is roses, and the blood looking one is the Maugrin Cookie jam filling." Cryosanthia explains.
Braelnoir spends a moment or two wiping her face and paws with her towel before she rises to her hooves, resting her weight on the edge of the table through her forelimbs as she looks at each of the three, "Old news fer Merek, but... I's hoping to do this proper, but with everything gone on lately, timin's been shit an' now's best it'll likely get fer now." She considers the table for a few, "You three... an Kae... Either fightin' t'protect when I was.... vulnerable, or tryin' to make sure I's alright." her expression flickers some, she continues without looking up, her voice tight in places, the concept still not one she's fully at grips to articulate, "We're not a band... We're not on a contract t'gether, but yer... lookin' out fer.... fer someone like me." Her chin lowers and there's a little shake of her head before she lifts a misty gaze to the three, "I... might disappoint ya, one day... but I.... I'll never do m'brothers wrong." Brother's probably deferring to the balance, as she extends a paw to either side, but she'll add, "Or m'sister."
Ezil pauses, and looks to Braelnoir. His attention drawn from the other two, giving a soft scoff. "I thought this was kind of the disappointing club. I mean, we've all been in how many bar-fights? I...." laughing at a memory or two it seems. "We're mates. A pack. Morons that hang out together. We're a community." his glance flicking between Cryosanthia and Merek. "We're all pretty good friends. I'd wager it, but I think it's worth a lot more than the coppers I lose."
Merek looks between the three, and nods a bit to Brae, she shared a lot of that with him, while he smiles. "I am fine with that," he says, then he shifts a bit to add, "Well, that vodka's actually pretty nice," he admits.
Cryosanthia takes off her gloves and takes Braelnoir's paw, squeezing it tight enough that she can feel her clawtips on her palm. She faces her directly, sapphire eyes unblinking, her body still. The sith-makar have ways of communicating with each other, beneath words, beyond them. I am here. I am at your side. I have your back. I am your tribe. It may not come across fully, but her words are loaded with it. "This one is with you."
She holds her grip a moment more, then slips back to her seat, with a small smile and a shake of her head towards Ezil.
Braelnoir smiles and bows her head as her eyes close, a tiny glitter crawling along features sheathed in silver, then sniffs once and settles back into her seat. "Anyway... yeah I wanned t'do that more... festive like, but.." a shrug and she shakes her head, then... after a brief pause, "Thank you." Ahem, "S'anyway, that's with this red vodka?"
Ezil sighs, looking away. "Sorry. I got a bit carried away there." his smirk still on his lips, but it seems a genuine apology. "I might of been in another bar fight without you guys.... oh, no. Merek was there. Male bonding for that one." recalling something else it seems. "We're just close, yes? I don't see why you need be thanking us. That's all." looking back to Cryosanthia and mouthing 'I'm Sorry', without a word. As if the Sith-Makar might not have trouble understanding that. He's human. He forgets.
Merek looks to the drink, then back up to people. He doesn't seem to know what to say, he'd actually offered it before either way as well. He nods a bit, while he offers a bit of the vodka to Brae, then nods a bit to the other two. Deep in melancholy, the mind of the magus.
"Ah, it's for a party. A regular party. Red themed, everyone has them. I'm told." Cryo looks between Merek and Ezil, then back at Braelnoir. "Regular party. I'll... uh.. explain later. Need any help with the towel? Cleaning up? I've got my gloves."
She does have them back on now.
Braelnoir gives a little laugh at that, "Oh... not just yet, luv... just gonna get sloppy again, mebbe later, though?" She considers the shot glass being proferred her way and, with a somewhat awkward looking expression on her face, she leans in to put her lip to the rim.
Ezil nods, shifting in his seat. "I'm going to go to the bar and get a drink. Anyone else want one?" seeming to find himself a bit restless, patting at his legs. "I can get a round for us? I'm getting some bread.... maybe soup too."
Merek looks thoughtful a bit, then he nods between the three in thought, while he scratches that stubble of his a litle bit. "I am fine, I have vodka and a bit of steak," he says. He then looks to Brae, "Remember what I say, no matter what you're like, you're always Brae!"
Cryo helps Braelnoir with the shot glass, taking it from Merek so the chimera can sip, then finishing off whatever she leaves. "I'm good Ezil. I am tired from a lot of riding today, I will be heading a bed soon. Oh, I should check on my Swiftclaw first too."
It still seems to be outside the window.
The sith leans back, stretching with her arms behind her. She yawns, "Oh, I've been making an effort to talk with the Arvec Nar around Merkabah, in case they needed something. So far, they don't seem to need anything I might get."
Braelnoir smiles and takes the drink with a hiss as it burns it's way down, "Thanks, luvs." she offers, to the drink the help and the words, it just fits. She looks to Cryo, "It's good that yer keepin contact."
Cryosanthia nods, "It seemed like a thing to do. This one must sleep now. Peace on your nests. Before I go though..."
The sith stands, she makes a few gestures and the Arcane Marks on her gloves glow, and she follows by making circular motions at Braelnoir. That familiar sensation of being magically cleaned washes over her, as a sharp warmth, something like rubbing alcohol and a bath. She keeps it up for a few minutes, cycling up and down. "That should do it. I need to check on my raptor!"
She makes a small curtsey to everyone, "Peace on your Nests, sleep well," and heads out.
Cryo's mis-told story Mildly NSFW... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUATv_B2Otg