I Heard About a Place

[Sahreni]

Summer 21st, 512 OOCSorry, got a little carried away with the opening post. There were two things that happened that morning when Sahreni entered a place called the Serpent's Elixirs. The collection of looks he received stepping into the tent was nothing new, although the noble hesitated in mild surprise; the sun had barely been up for a few hours and already the Dhani elixater had accumulated a dense throng of patrons. Sahreni had to carefully step over a sleeping Eypharian and route his way around the squat tables bordered by bodies. The aroma of sharp-smelling tonics was so strong that it stung the noble's nose, so he attempted to breathe through his mouth. Everything inside the tent was tainted with a hue of emerald, sunlight filtering in through the green linen. It was a challenge not to become disheartened by the cluttered atmosphere. Someone with an eye for color coordination had clearly decorated the place with care, though it was difficult to appreciate past the view of huddled figures. Making it all worse was the sharp pain in Sahreni's head, throbbing behind his eyes, and a general cloudy feeling that threatened this balance and irritated his stomach. Last night's ale binge was not being kind to him. Sahreni's cousin had sworn that this place housed the finest philterer in Ahnatep, and specifically, here was the only reliable hangover cure in the city. Usually, these spells were better treated with indulgent bedrest and cool baths, but a drunken Sahreni had been coerced into promising that he'd give the Serpent's Elixir a try. Sating his curiosity was its own reward, and if anything, he owed his cousin an anecdote for later. The first details of that story were already in his mind: the crowd and the smell of the place. There would be two events, however, that would stand out in memory. First, there was the Dhani owner, emerging from the back in his comparatively diminutive human form. His strong lisp and arrogant gait gave him away immediately. He introduced himself with an exasperated sigh. "Merccciful Godsss, there'sss another one. Hajirah!" Sahreni glanced about himself and among the crowd before turning back to the owner. He lingered somewhere in the middle of it all, waiting for the tent's staff to offer him something. They were going to, weren't they? An unusually young Eypharian girl somehow rose out of the atmosphere, peeling herself away from the other souls in the tent, and rushed to place herself between Sahreni and the Dhani. "Thisss one looksss pompouss in his ssilk wrappings," he growled, curiously shaped and sized vials clinking in his hands. "I supposse it wants immediate ssservicce. There isss a queue!" "I beg your pardon? Are you talking about me?" Sahreni narrowed his eyes, stepping forward and narrowing the gap between them. The Eypharian called Hajirah severed Sahreni's line of sight with a hasty, but warm smile. "Don't mind Rasken." She spoke gently, almost in a whisper, perhaps trying to keep the Dhani from overhearing her. "Please, take a seat over here. I will be with you in just a moment." Sahreni paused to look between the girl and the Dhani, quelling his impatience. "I'm just here for the… hangover cure. I heard your philterer was unrivaled." "Oh. Yes, yes, I will have that made for you right away. Silver piece, for that." A silver-rimmed coin was placed in her hand, and the woman flitted away. With two arms, she herded Rasken away from the general crowd, appearing to bargain with him quietly. Perplexed, Sahreni waited quietly, standing in the middle of the confusing little establishment. Minutes later, he would be sat down at a corner table, politely cleared for him by Hajirah at his request. A class was held in both of his hands, filled to the top with an unsettlingly green colored liquid. Sahreni sipped at the drink, experimentally, then winced as if someone had threatened to strike him. The second, and more interesting point in the story would occur shortly afterward. Receipt : -1sm for the elixir.