Solo Drunken Warmth

[Rosela]

8th of Winter It had been another long, busy day at the shop, and Rosela gladly flipped the Closed sign out not a second later than she was able. The next bell was spent sewing down the larger sizes of trousers to make new ones for the smaller sizes. There seemed to be almost no overweight men in the entire city – and if there were, they hadn’t stopped in – so she felt no compulsion to keep a stock on the shelf of trousers that would fit them. She considered the idea genius; saving fabric and time, removing items that weren’t selling from the shelves, and filling them back up with stock that would. It was well into the evening by the time she left, and she walked extra slowly to make sure she didn’t slip in the faded light. She was quite over the novelty of snow and after nearly faceplanting a few days ago, and had yet to break into anything faster than a careful walk. Despite the late hour and the pitch black sky, the snow was luminous, and seemed to reflect the lantern light back up into the sky. The night was unearthly, peacefully still. It was a moment before she realized why. As she approached the bridge over the waterfall, she frowned to herself and stopped. The lantern and snow light glistened over the waterfall…but it wasn’t moving. The roar of falling water was unnervingly absent. Reflected in the light of the moon, cascades of water were caught in a massive shimmering tower, perfectly still and silent. She approached the railing, her footsteps sounding unnaturally loud, and looked down. It was frozen the whole way down, and the light of the city made a luminous, frosted glass of the Plunge Pool Bay. Mouth slightly open, Rosela stared, forgetting the cold air. Two hands slowly reached up and pushed her hood back, suddenly revealing a figure to her right. Starting violently, she stepped back once and one hand darted to her hip, where her stiletto was discreetly tucked away. “Easy there, sweetheart.” The deep voice the rumbled from the side of the building was familiar, and she relaxed slightly. The crunch of his footsteps seemed to echo as he moved towards her, and as he came into the light, Rosela dropped her hand from her stiletto and immediately ran through her options. Though she hadn’t really intended on seeing him again, he didn’t need to know that. Hiding her annoyance under a mask of surprise, which quickly became playfulness, she smiled. ”Taskel… If I’d known you were here, I would have tried to stumble at least a little for you.” She spread her hands and made a graceful bow, being sure to push back the unflattering cloak and give him a good look at her.

[Rosela]

Rubbing his stubble briefly, Taskel looked down at her as he approached. There was a certain looseness in his gait, now that he was in the light, and Rosela wondered if he’d been drinking. “No need for that… I’d probably botch the rescue this time, and then we’d both be in the snow.” His smile widened belatedly, and his eyes turned predatory as he came to a stop in front of her. ”As fun as rolling around the snow sounds,” she paused to note the familiar signs of his excitement: the deep breath, the flaring nostrils. ”It’s a bit cold for my tastes. How about we adjourn to someplace a bit warmer for a drink? Your treat this time,” she added quickly with a wink. She’d see where this went, but she wasn’t getting stuck with the bill again. “Your wish is my command.” He gave a dramatic bow, lower than hers had been, and gestured to the building behind him: the Blue Bull. Inside was almost uncomfortably warm, and practically empty. Taskel took her cloak, but his hands were heavier and more clearly fumbling than last time. Rosela allowed him to paw at her shoulders for a moment, not missing how the left ever so slightly slipped inside the hem of her shirt, before she moved into the bar. She took a table this time, and crossed her legs as she waited for Taskel to make it over. “Just had a few drinks with the boys…” He muttered as he slid into the seat next to her. “Good thing I stayed to finish up, eh?” ”I’m so very glad you did.” He laughed, and Rosela noticed his bottom teeth were crooked. “Bartender! Glass of wine for the lady, and I’ll have another mug of ale!” The drinks came quickly, and Rosela sipped hers, being sure to brush Taskel’s leg with hers as she recrossed her legs. ”So what brings you to the Blue Bull with the boys, hm? Celebrating something?” “Founding Day bonuses finally came in.” ”Oh a bonus? That’s nice of them.” She kept her tone strictly casual, but her attention was now fully on him. ”That does call for a celebration.” She gently slid her hand onto his arm and looked at him sideways as she took another drink.

[Rosela]

Several drinks later, Taskel was thoroughly sloshed and the bartenders were starting to give Rosela dirty looks for egging him on. She wasn’t sure what her objective was anymore, but had a feeling that if she just got him drunk enough, the opportunity would present itself. “Alright you two,” the bartender, a heavy set woman, called out. “Last call. Settle up your tab, then it’s time to head home.” “Las’ call? Do you know how much money I’ve spent here ‘night?” Taskel swayed in his seat, throwing up his hands in disbelief. Rosela caught one hand in two of hers and patted it gently. ”It’s ok, we can’t stay here all night.” Taskel’s mood changed abruptly and he stared at the hand caught in Rosela’s. “All night? ...All night...” An eyebrow rose in an approximation of the arousal she’d been goading at all night. Rising up, Rosela put her cheek to his and whispered in his ear, the boldest move she’d made. ”Just pay the tab and we’ll talk.” With a solemn hiccup, Taskel immediately stumbled out of his seat and fished the leather pouch from his pocket. “Saddle up,” he mumbled. Steering him by his wide shoulders, Rosela brought him to the bar, where together, they counted out the mizas. Rosela made sure he left a decent tip, and the woman smiled at her as he stuffed the purse away. ”Ok, you, let’s get you home.” Grining wildly, he stumbled and threw his arms over her shoulders as she attempted to fasten his cloak on. He’d be no use at all to her if he passed out and died out in the snow. “Let’s get you home.” It was becoming harder to see the cool, muscular man who had rescued her from a fall in the snow, underneath the alcohol and desperation. He wasn’t totally gone though – even though he’d been stumbling drunk for a while, the worst he’d done all night is slap her thigh at a joke, then apologize profusely when she yelped. They stumbled through the snow together, Rosela with five arms around him, the sixth outstretched for balance. Pausing at a railing to catch her breath, she reached up and put a hand on his grizzled chin, which immediately brought his sole focus to her. ”Sweetie? Taskel?” “I love it when you say my name… Say…Say Tarkan too.” The dark half had been making the occasional request as the ale flowed, and Rosela had no real desire to find out if Tarkan was just as sloshed as Taskel. ”Taskel and Tarkan. Where do you live?”

[Rosela]

”Your family’s nice then?” “Yea, though I - *hic* - don’t see my ma much…” ”And your father, what does he do?” “S-smith. Blacksm…ith.” ”And does that…pay a lot?” An ale-soaked huff of air wafter over Rosela’s head. “Naaah. He’s….naaah.” Taskel stumbled again, heavily, and Rosela was finding it harder to keep him upright. They were getting closer to Cora Apartments, where he lived, but she wasn’t in any particular hurry. Getting the dirt on his financial situation was going much slower than she’d expected. So far, she hadn’t found out anything that made her effort worth while, other than getting a few free glasses of wine. ”Do you like your job?” “Guard duty’s…pfft.” What she assumed was supposed to be a vague gesture developed into a stumble that sent him sideway into a stone wall, and her into his chest. Arms still around each other, Rosela reached up slowly and pushed the ends of his hair out of his face. Through the haze of alcohol, he started down at her in a kind of wonder. “You’re so…pretty…” A large hand came up and cupped he side of her head, bringing her lips to his. After a moment, they pulled gently apart, Taskel looking much sleepier than he had a moment ago. Rosela ran a fingernail along the stubble on his jaw. ”Tell me…” She whispered quietly. ”How much do guards make? I’ve always wondered…” He shrugged, and the look on his face was an attempt at the macho confidence she’d seen yesterday. “Enough, I g-guess…” He met her eyes waveringly. “I could take you out…I c-…could…” ”Taskel- Taskel, don’t fall asleep on me. Wake up.”

[Rosela]

Taskel hadn’t fallen asleep yet, but he was fading fast. Rosela heaved against his weight and stumbled almost continuously through the snow. They were nearing his building number, and she thanked whatever god was responsible that he lived on the ground floor. A sudden heave of weight dropped on her and she reached up and smacked his cheek a few times, struggling valiantly to keep her back straight under the weight. ”Taskel. Taskel, wake up!” She growled into his ear, casting the windows around them a baleful eye. He started awake, and she gasped a breath and pulled him violently forward, finally spotting his door. She pushed him against the door, and shoved two of her hands into his pockets, looking for the key. “Wait, wait, wait…wait…” Head lolling forward, he attempted weakly to pull her hands out of his pockets. “I dun- I don’t think I can…you know…tonight…” ”I know honey.” Trying to be sweet while he was still awake, and might remember the events in the morning, she took his head in two of her free hands and kissed him fully. His whole body lurched forward awkwardly and she broke it. ”It’s ok.” “We can…ya know…still try…” Nearly at the end of her wits, Rosela gave him the best patient smile she could. ”Let’s just get inside, ok?” Finally working a hand past the leather purse in his pocket, she squeezed out the key and jammed it into the lock. Taskel was a step ahead of her and turned the doorknob before she could pull the pair of them off the door, and they both tumbled inside. Twisting so he broke her fall, Rosela looked up from his chest at the dark room. It was better furnished than hers, but still wasn’t the plush lifestyle she was hoping would make up for the difficult evening. Taskel's head rustled softly as he turned away, and she could already hear the deep breathing of sleep. Her own head dropped to his muscular chest in exasperation. Her shoulders cracked as she stood up, and she rolled all three of her left arms to dispel the stiffness. She suspected she’d be paying for that night in the morning. Leaning down to dig all six hands into the fabric of his cloak, she managed to drag him far enough into the room to be out of the way of the door. He was half on a carpet and starting to snore when Rosela looked back at him from the doorway. As she pulled the key from the lock and deposited it on a side table, pity struck her, and she sighed more at herself than anything. Storming over to the couch, she whipped all three cushions off of it. One, she jammed under his head, and the other two she wedged under his back, after heaving him somewhat to his side. With another snap of her hands, she laid an ugly quilt with ‘Love, Mom’ stitched in the corner over his prone figure. Stepping back with another sigh, she gave a final look around the apartment, which was admittedly furnished much better than her cottage, and left. Difficult though he may be, at least he wasn't destitute, and she could work with that.

[Limey]

Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Sewing 1 Managing Space In A Store Seduction 4 The Beauty Of Ice Observation 4 Taskel: Catlike And Persistent Drunken Men Are Not Subtle The Burden Of A Drunk Taking Proper Measure Of A Mark Additional Notes : Ooooh, so Rosela's got a bit of a gold-digger in her, huh? I'm honestly surprised. Well, not hugely, but enough for this thread to be refreshing. As always, your writing is very true-to-life and relatable, one of the reasons I love it so much. Be interesting to see where this goes. Poor, oblivious Taskel... Any questions or queries, please PM me.