[The Kelp Bar] A Drink, In These Times Of Change (open)

[Sariana]

Spring 19th, Lunchtime

It was amazing how easily people could join together in time of pain and fear over something as simple as a tall glass of alcohol. Sariana entered the tavern with a smile, her blue eyes scanning the room. People were drinking, talking, some sharing tragedy others making laughter where they could. As she entered, eyes scanned her and the conversation dulled somewhat. A stranger, being assessed in the company of locals. Keeping her smile, the drykas walked to the bar.

"A...kelp beer, please." She said as she glanced at the black writing on the sign. Exchanging money for drink, the brunette picked up the mug and looked around for a table. There was one near the doors, unoccupied and nearest the sunlight. Taking a seat, she lifted the beverage to her lips and took a large hearty gulp.

A look of sudden disgust marred her features as the contents of the beer were held in bulging cheeks, Sariana's body unwilling to swallow the salty concution. With effort, and a desire not to upset the patrons now returned to their own drinks with gusto, she forced down the liquid and coughed. It was the most horrid thing she'd drunk since - well..ever! But what it lacked in pleasantry it made up for in alcohol content, the after affects burning her throat momentarily. Shuddering, the drykas hoped no one had seen her embarrassing moment of discovery.

[Leigo]

People came to Kelp Bar to get drunk. They came to drown their sorrow. They came to forget. Some came to remember. Camaraderie or foolhardiness, sadness or joy – people came. It was no different with Leigo that day. He had his reasons of course, but they seemed to be of lesser importance at the very moment the beverage landed in his hands. Nothing had passed his lips in a long time and quite frankly he was desperate for something to wet his throat. As he chugged down some ale, he couldn’t help but make funny faces. Still, instead of swallowing it right away, the boy pretended to chew the liquid first as it gave him some peace of mind. Alcohol and Leigo weren’t on best terms it would seem as the room became blurry for him at the first sip. He needed to find a seat. That seat would need to be with someone with similar alcohol intolerance otherwise he would be sleeping under a table or better yet outside in the mud. There were spots free here and there. It wasn’t really hard to find any space… but to find an acceptable place for someone as inexperienced with drunken binges as he was… that was the trick. A strangely dressed woman sat alone a few steps from Leigo, and by the looks of it she too had a hard time ingesting the brew. The initially short distance seemed to grow immensely when he tried to cross it. Not yet sure if he even wanted to spend that much time with this attractive and seemingly foreign jewel, he walked around the table, stopping in front of her. He would offer her a hand before sitting down. “My name is Leigo, and you are?” boy smiled a smile as wide as it could get with the bitter aftertaste in his mouth. Hopefully the two wouldn’t fight later on because those swords of hers looked anything but friendly.

[Sariana]

Sariana stared at the mug, contemplating whether she had just been served bad beer, or whether the bar tender was playing a trick on the stranger...or whether this was genuinly the beer everyone else seemed to be enjoying without making fools of themselves. At least it was strong, she could feel the familar heady rush behind her eyes as the alcohol annouced itself to her system. There would definitly only be one mug of this. Across the top of the mug, she saw someone approaching, hand outstruck in greeting.

Glancing up at the young man, Sariana quickly stood to hide her embarassment and to take his hand, shaking it firmly. She smiled back at him in return, pleased to see what seemed for now, a friendly face. He seemed slightly younger than herself, with blond hair and blue eyes, but taller than she.

"Sariana. Pleased to meet you, Leigo." Releasing his hand, she sat down again and gestured to the seat across from her, picking up her drink somewhat hesitantly.

"If your looking for a seat, there are plenty here." Raising the glass, she sipped the beer and forced herself to swallow without shuddering. For the love of.....it tasted like sea-water. Putting the mug back on the table, Sariana finally coughed again and shook her head.

"They make, er...an interesting drink here. Very...different. Strong too." Blushing slightly at her seeming inability to handle the local beverage, the drykas laughed at herself slightly.

[Leigo]

The woman seemed interesting, so Leigo’s initial response was to stick around for a while longer and perhaps learn more about this stranger. When she tried to force the beer down her throat like many foolhardy sailors would, boy already knew what was about to happen. She was no drinker; her features were much too delicate for such activities. He eyed his own mug hesitantly before deciding to let it alone for the moment. There was no point in getting drunk just yet; they barely spoke two words to each other. The Zeltivan wondered for a bit if he should remain on the defensive when faced with adversity, but her face called him to open up. For the lack of a better word she was inviting and perhaps a bit attractive… much too early down the mug to be sure. Instead boy chose to remove some of the tension. No one should ever force something as foul as kelp bear down their throat. He would probably hide it even from people who would come to plunder the city. There was a reason it was a product only for Zeltivan market; only those who had nothing else to drink could ever edge it over their lips. “Most men here would agree that it tastes like horse piss” he gestured to the mug “but it’s our horse piss and we’re proud to be able to take it. Well most of us anyway. Just do me a favor and don't tell the owner I said that!” As he finished, Leigo pointed towards two old men that were hugging one another under the table. Maybe it was wrestling instead? He couldn’t really tell. “Onto more pleasant conversation; it’s clear you’re a foreigner. So where is it that you came from? And what brought you into the city? If you don’t mind me knowing, of course!” ever so careful, Leigo glanced at his drink again. He wouldn’t force it down his throat for awhile longer. Not until the girl got some head start anyway. Even if they were both getting drunk this day, he wouldn’t be leading the effort.

[Sariana]

Glancing over at the older men, Sariana shot the blond man another smile and nodded leaning forward conspicuously.

"Your secret is very safe with me." The brunette said with a wink before sitting back again and picking up her mug...before putting it back down again. It was a drink, before her, and instinct told her to pick it up and sip it, but sobriety warned her that she wasn't near enough intoxicated to sip it at all.

Surprised a little by Leigo's comment, the drykas nodded, looking down at her white tunic-styled dress, rapiers and boots. She was quite out of place she supposed. And of course, she couldn't drink the beer without dry retching.

"Ahh, nice observation. I'm from Endrykas, way down in the Sea Of Grass. I'm on a journey, for an old friend. Eventually, I will find my way to Avanthal, but along the way I am allowing his spirit to guide my path. Or that's what he would say." A nostalgic look passed across her eyes before she did pick up the beer and take another sip. Godawful...but her taste was adjusting. At least she could actually sip it.

"Zeltiva was actually not part of my planned path, but that storm...." Shaking her head, she looked at him with wide eyes.

"I've never seen anything like it. After taking shelter in the mountains, I followed the group I'd holed up with here. I'm going to stick around till I can be sure the weather isn't going to catch me out. Maybe till the end of the season." Shooting Leigo a smile, Sariana crossed her legs and turned slightly to rest an arm on the back of her chair.

"And what of yourself? I take it your local?"

[Leigo]

She leaned forward and for the love of god Leigo couldn’t make out a single word she said as he was too busy staring down from her neck to her chest. He did notice her winking though and when she didn’t seem to react out of the ordinary, boy simply took it as agreement. It was amusing to see how she inspected herself after he asked where she came from. Still, it was pleasant to rest eyes on the girl for a while longer; as long as no one caught him staring of course. She kept talking about an old friend and how his spirit guided her on the long journey to Avanthal. The far northern settlement was inhospitable at best according to stories and the lady of the grass had no hope to do anything but wither in those parts – still it was none of his business so he stood clear of that. What got his attention however was the sudden change in her mood; she clearly missed this friend of hers. Nonetheless, she seemed too sober to talk about it, and Leigo wasn’t drunk enough to care. So she was among one of the stranger groups that flooded the city like vermin as the storm subsided. Well, one thing was for sure; their visitation timing could have been better. “Endrykas; I bet it was nice there. My family traded with many foreign merchants but I don’t recall any of them being with the horse lords.” He wanted to ask if they even had a port, but then he remembered his father was no longer among the living and it was no longer his job to even remotely care about trade routes. “Zeltiva really is an incredible place; you just caught us with our pants down… so to speak. Usually outsiders can do little but marvel at the sight of the intricate architecture and the harbor…. Oh, and we can’t forget the University with the greatest library known to man!” Leigo could have gone on, but he didn’t feel like it. He clearly loved his hometown with same unyielding passion Sariana used to make herself a way to Avanthal. The girl made an additional comment about sticking around which provoked some of the male’s interest. Something could actually come out of their encounter. One thing was for sure… no one was leaving anytime soon. The storm might have blown over, but it was far from done. Her final question caught him off guard. Leigo disliked talking about himself, so he contemplated on lying to the girl. Then again, he hardly had any reason to do so. “Yeah, I’m a local, born…” he wanted to say ‘born and raised’, but somehow that term seemed extremely inadequate in his case. “I’ve lived here since birth, yes! Actually I’ve spent most of my childhood in one of the nearby houses that look out to the coast. But I’m rambling… “ Grabbing his mug, Leigo pulled a long sip against his better judgement. Gods, it really did taste awful! Once his stomach finally settled, Leigo smiled not at the girl but at how blurry the room had gotten. Laying the silly mug aside, he continued the conversation. “So where are you staying until this blows over?” even though it might have sounded like something else, at this point it was only curiosity.

[Sariana]

The drykas smiled as she listened to Leigo talk. She liked hearing possible connections to home, it made the thousands of leagues walked seem a lot less far. Unable to help herself, Sariana laughed softly at his pants down comment, taking up her mug again and nodding.

"In different times, I could easily admire the city. It's a lot...boxier than Endrykas, and so closed in. I'm not sure I could handle the confinement. But its beautiful...or was...or will be once again." Her sapphire eyes dropped to her mug and she swilled it as he continued, lifting them again as she heard the slight hesitation in his voice when he spoke of his upbringing. Indeed, he was born here, but the topic of his childhood was not on the table. Sariana's interest was perked, but she was not one to pry. Bringing her mug to her lips the brunette took a large drink, squeezing her eyes shut and swallowing hard to down the beer. Making an effort, she finally put it down after three forced chugs, slapping the table and screwing up her nose. As she tried to swallow the third mouthful, Leigo posed his genuine question. Putting the back of her hand against her mouth, it took more than effort to keep it down, coughing when she finally did and laughing.

"Mother of all petching..." Sitting up straighter, she felt the delightful giddiness of tipsiness swimming in her head and she subdued her laughter to a quiet giggle.

"I haven't actually found anywhere as of yet. I only got here this morning and stabled my horse, then..." Picking up her mug, she held it up in a one sided toast to emphasize her lack of any plans, before taking a drink. She contemplated finishing the last third of the beer there and then, but it was just to much in one go. And it was strong.  Looking up at him through her thick lashes, Sariana raised an eyebrow.

"Did you have any recommendations?"

[Leigo]

Even though Leigo wouldn’t call his beloved hometown “boxy”, Sariana’s jest was met with a smile. Too drunk to take anything she said in a bad way, the boy kept nodding through the bits about Zeltiva being less than pleasant. There was no way he could disagree. Especially when the city was compared to former glory, but little did she know, she was an outsider after all. As she forced some more liquid down her throat, he smirked hoping she wouldn’t faint. It would make him feel responsible for sitting beside her, and he wasn’t really the responsible type. Instead of doing what he expected her to do; she almost choked on the brew once more, causing Leigo’s own bear to come dangerously close to erupting from the nose. Strangely drinking and laughing at the same time came harder than one would think. When she started cursing, it sort of ruined the moment for Leigo. There was a reason he valued Zeltiva above everything else. Surprisingly, it wasn’t because that’s where he came from. Instead, he valued the settlement for its pursuit of enlightenment. And they were so dangerously close to achieving it in every sense of the word that the great storm came as a slap on the wrist. And one well aimed at Zeltivans to stop reaching for Ukalas on Mizahar they so recklessly searched for. Getting his head from the clouds, he listened to the girl return him his own question. Normally he would have stood clear of her, but being somewhat drunk, he even considered mingling for a while. “I have some ideas as to where you could spend your nights, but I suspect we’re both way too sober for my proposal not to end in a slap.” He stopped, looking at the mug one again. The liquor called to him. “How about we mend that?” raising his mug, Leigo drank until only a sip or perhaps two were left. He waited patiently for the alcohol to start cooking his brain, but once it did he had no trouble asking what it really was that he wanted. “You’re welcome to my bed if you so desire! So, how about it?” instead of looking away as he normally would while faking shyness, Leigo kept looking at the girl with his head resting on both hands. Should he try to move them too quickly, his head was bound to give the table a good smack.

[Sariana]

Laughing again, Sariana lifted her mug and finished off the rest of her beer with a little shudder. It hadn't taken long for tipsiness to give way to good old fashioned drunk. Leigo was friendly, and he wasn't exactly hard on the eyes. A girl could even call him handsome. 

Putting down the empty mug, the drykas woman stood up and steadied herself with the back of her chair. Chuckling at herself, Sariana pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the blond.

"I might just take you up on that offer, provided you can help me make it there without tripping over my own feet." She said with a girlish giggle, noticing the youth was holding himself up to avoid face planting the table. If he was in the same state as she, their chances of making it very far were slim.

Still, the brunette liked his thinking. Stepping away from the table and letting go of the chair, she waggled a finger at him.

"But the question is, is your bed big enough for two..woooah!" Sariana stumbled on a nearby chair leg as she stepped backwards, blue eyes wide as she tried to catch herself.

[Leigo]

Leigo was drinking before on more than one occasion and the experience wasn’t all that confusing for him. Sariana on the other hand seemed to be one of those who really couldn’t handle their liquor. No matter, he had been in worst shape and things always managed to stay well. Just as he managed to steady his head, the girl stood up and waved if his eyes had perceived it properly. Her words only furthered his intuition; they were in agreement. Instead of thinking just how would they get to the inn where he slept, Leigo was more preoccupied with his current predicament. And that was getting out of the chair that seemed stuck to his behind, or was it the other way around? Not wanting her to faint, Leigo stood up as well. His rash action cost him dearly as all the colors and shapes started synthesizing before his eyes. What little he could still discern also danced for him as the boy took two steps until he was standing before the woman. Unlike her however, he still had fingers of his right hand firmly pressed against the table; just in case. “For two to sleep, my bed would probably be cramped… but somehow I don’t think we’ll be having those problems so soon…” offering the girl a smile, he gestured to the door with one arm as the other came in from around her, attempting to latch onto her waistline. It might have looked like he was trying to keep her steady; but truthfully, Leigo needed balance just as much. Hopefully they could navigate the spoiled city before he lost will for this.