WEEK 4

[bathymetric]

Another trial, another week, and still you're probably running lower on answers than you'd like. And on people - you lost three since last Sunday. By the end of this week, you'll have been here for nearly a full month, yet still the days crawl on.

You wake up Sunday, again with no memory of Saturday, but this time with a simple message on your devices: You may resume requesting items, if you like. Enjoy. Guess it really was just a stealth motive after all, but at least it's being communicated that it's over! That's something, at least.

And when you leave your rooms on Sunday, there's another new area to explore! This one is... certainly more ambitious in its construction than the last one, to say the least. But hey, you have a pretty neat place to host parties, if you feel so inclined! That's... fun...

Hey, you gotta find the fun in situations like this where you can! Silver linings, right?



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 4! Remember to turn in AC here, threads for regain coins here, and if you feel so inclined you can visit Angel's office hours over here! ]

Comments

Bar

[bolderfell]

[Therion's actually already crouching behind the bar when Ema arrives. Looks like he had the same idea she did. Partially, at least--the assortment of alcohol beside him doesn't look suspicious so much as it looks strong.

He glances up at her, then sighs and starts gathering his collection.]

I'll get out of your way.

[snackooed]

What, the ale in the cafeteria wasn't enough? You prefer the harder stuff?

[ She's teasing a bit, but not at all surprised to find him here-- ]

If you want, I can try and make you something. Do they have cocktails where you're from? Something tells me you could use one.

[bolderfell]

The ale is fine.

[But he doesn't elaborate. He looks up at her, then slows in his gathering.]

If we have these "cocktails," we might call them something else. What does making one involve?

[snackooed]

You're basically combining alcoholic drinks that complement each other together to see what tastes good. Sometimes you add a little something too, like a splash of fruit juice or something carbonated, just to give it a bit more of a flavor profile and make it go down easier.

[ Even if alcohol isn't quite her stress relief of choice, the science to it is fascinating, and she's been to more than her fair share of work gatherings at bars-- ]

For example, you'd combine a sugar cube with bitters from angostura, mix a little bit of water to dissolve the sugar, add some bourbon, and pour it over ice...then stick an orange slice and a cherry on top. And that's the oldest one in the book.

[bolderfell]

...The book where I'm from must be a lot older than yours.

[Around here, sometimes he feels downright prehistoric.]

Think most tavern keepers in Orsterra just... don't have that much variety on hand. They'll specialize in a couple things, and that's that. This sounds... interesting.

[snackooed]

Well, I don't quite have the know-how to do anything fancy. There are people who go to special schools just to learn how to make drinks at a bar, you know! Let me take a look at some of the ones you've stockpiled over there, though. If I recognize any of them, I can try and put something together for you.

[ And if there's a book in the back here or in the library, all the better. ]

Ah, but if you're enjoying it too much, I'm gonna have to cut you off, okay? It'd be a bad look to have you going around sloshed so early in the morning. Especially if you're drinking alone.

[bolderfell]

Tch. I can count my own drinks, thanks.

[Therion drinks responsibly! It just so happens that drinking responsibly in a medieval JRPG fantasy world means ale at all your meals instead of potentially parasite-infested water.

Anyway, the assortment he's got is kind of random--he might be going by color as much as by content, leaning towards dark --but it looks like he's interested in ciders, too.]

[snackooed]

Heeh, you've got a bit more of an adult palette than I thought you did...I gotta say, I underestimated you a little!

[ Judging by the alcohol content on these, he certainly does like strong stuff! But ciders...okay, actually, that's something we can work with. ]

Hey, if you had to choose between something hot or something cold...

[bolderfell]

[He gives her a Look. What is that supposed to mean about his palate, he is basically a MIDDLE-AGED MAN! (By Middle Ages standards. At least for people of his socioeconomic class. And really, only by the mathematical average. Thanks, horrible infant mortality rate!)

Warily, he hazards:]

It'd depend where I was. In a setting like this... cold, I guess.

[snackooed]

[ It's a bit hard for her to keep the grin off her face, when he gives her a look like that. She knows he's being serious, but even so, she can't help but stifle a chuckle. ]

Heard, heard. I think I can whip you up something you'll like. Mind if I borrow these?

[ She reaches for his cider and dark rum, but she knows better than to steal them outright-- ]

I'll give them right back, I promise.

[bolderfell]

...All right.

[He moves them into her waiting hands. Can't say he's not curious.]

Want me on the other side of the bar, then?

[snackooed]

Take a seat on one of the stools and make yourself comfortable. Feel free to, y'know, rest your hand on your chin and talk shop with me, too. That's the way it tends to go with a bar, isn't it?

[ It looks like she's having a bit more fun than she probably should be, all things considered. Especially when she digs back and pulls a somewhat-ominous looking deep copper colored bottle labeled, in big bold letters, FIREBALL. ]

By the way, you know how to swim, don't you?

[bolderfell]

...I can swim.

[Can he swim well? Possibly not, given how cautiously he answers. He does slip onto one of the stools and rests his elbows on the bar. The chin in his hand can come later, perhaps.]

That something to do with "talking shop?"

[It's not like he has a lot of shop to talk, these days. Being trapped underwater with the same people for weeks does not particularly lend itself to theft.]

[snackooed]

[ There's a little nod as she fills one of the shakers with ice... ]

Well, maybe a little more to do with poking around at that big old water park behind you. But hey, maybe you'll find something valuable, if you're willing to hold your breath and do a little diving excursion?

[ Is...she joking...? ]

Though, maybe that's better left to those of us who don't necessarily need to breathe...

[ Her portion control seems pretty focused, though; she has a bit of a passion for mixing chemicals, so it's no surprise that she seems at home pouring cider and the fireball into the ice-filled shaker. Her shaking seems a little hesitant at first, but she gets a little more confident as she goes-- ]

[bolderfell]

I do need to breathe. Sorry.

[He doesn't sound that sorry. The water park is weird and it smells. He's far less interested in it than he is in what she's doing with the shaker and drinks.]

I might not do you much good in the... room with all the boxes and noise, either. Probably don't have to say it by now, but I'm not familiar with anything in there. Wouldn't know where to start snooping around. [He shrugs.] Anywhere else we haven't looked into yet?

[snackooed]

We should do a check at the meeting to see if someone's found something of note in every room so far. You might like the arcade, though, once someone gives you the rundown of all of the machines. You play games to win prizes, basically. Maybe even something worth finding, if we're lucky.

[ She pours some of the dark rum in a separate glass with ice, and the fireball-cider mix goes right in along with it, along with a spritz of ginger ale from a soda hose. She moves to pull a lemon from the fridge... ]

Where I'm from, they're actually a bit of a relic. They used to be a lot more popular when I was a kid, but nowadays, they seem like a dying breed.

[bolderfell]

[Mixing drinks is so complicated. He puts his chin in his hand, openly--well, openly for Therion--fascinated with what she's doing, tracking each surprising move.]

Arcade. That's what that's called, then. You play games to win prizes...

[That's worth consideration.]

So, like gambling.

[snackooed]

Not too dissimilar, actually. But it's actually a bit less luck-based, and instead of playing for money, you get tickets that you typically exchange at a prize counter.

[ Once she has her lemon, she cuts it in half and juices it over the cup, before stirring with her spoon, just to make sure it's all mixed well... ]

It usually costs money to play the games, but it doesn't seem like you do at this one.

[bolderfell]

...Was it something you liked as a kid? Playing at these arcades.

1/2

[snackooed]

My sister used to take me sometimes after school, if I got good grades or if I had all of my homework done. Sometimes there were kids who would have birthday parties there...

[ Once it's stirred up nice, just one more touch with some garnish tongs. A little cinnamon stick, and a tiny sprig of thyme... ]

Hang on, let me try this, so I know it's good...

[ She plops a little mixing straw in, and takes a little sip... ]

[snackooed]

[ ...and she grins, like the Cheshire Cat. ]

Oh, you are gonna love this.

[ It's strong, but those flavors...he needs to try it for himself. ]

[bolderfell]

[Aelfric's Flame, she's really going all out on this fancy thing. Even with the barkeeps who like him, he's lucky if they bother to wipe the tankard down before they drop it in front of him. Her grin makes his eyebrows rise. For the first time in a while, he finds a smirking smile to offer.]

Heh. You say that. You going to let me try it or what?

[He sits up, holding out his hand for the cocktail.]

[snackooed]

I will, but you better thank me by the time you finish it. This is gonna scratch the itch, mark my words.

[ Here, because she's so nice, she'll even slap it on a coaster for him-- ]

1/2

[bolderfell]

Hmm.

[Well, it passes the sniff test, at least. This might be a lot stronger than he's used to, actually. He'll have to be careful. He picks up the glass for a sip.]

[bolderfell]

[...

Well, he'll be damned.

It's amazing. Ema Skye continues to rock Therion's world. His eyes widen, and he pauses for a moment to better appreciate what all's going on here. Then he takes another drink of it, less tentative and exploratory than the first and more just. Damn. Color him impressed.]

...Not bad at all. [He lifts the glass to her, a note of respect.] If solving crime ever dries up for you, you could make quite a name for yourself in tavern-tending.