42nd/Winter/517
Alvadas, it seemed, was in a fickle mood. Despite it being long past the hours of which the sun should have set, Syna still shone bright in the sky, and Aster had yet to change forms. She felt strange; out of place, as if her body knew that things were wrong. There was a strange buzzing feeling beneath her skin.
She was full of pent-up energy, as if the extra time soaking up the sunshine had filled her to the brim, and she felt more restless than usual. She'd taken to the streets, both surprised and not to find the other residents of the city bustling around as if the extended hours of day weren't strange. Aster was hoping to find either something to burn off the extra energy she felt coursing through her, or somewhere quiet to sit and relax and allow it to fizzle out.
So far, she had found neither. The streets kept turning her in circles and bringing her to dead-ends, and frustration was beginning to creep through her as she made her way down snow-trodden paths, the cool wind nipping at her nose and cheeks.
It took her longer than she would have liked to admit, but it suddenly dawned on Aster that she had been walking past the same building for awhile. She stopped, turning to look. The door to the Stallion's Rear stared innocuously back at her. Testing her theory, she turned to continue walking; a few paces later, the dark wood of the door with silver lettering caught her eye again, as if it was following her.
Clearly, somebody or something wanted her in there. Or perhaps Ionu thought this was the best solution to her problem. The last time (which had also been the first and only time) that she'd been in the tavern, she'd stumbled into a drinking game. While not among her usual hobbies, she couldn't deny that it had been fun.
With a slight sigh, she pushed her way into the building; at the very least, it would get her out of the cold, and a drink would be good for warming up. It wasn't particularly crowded; despite the time, Aster supposed it was still daylight. Absently, she wondered if she could even get drunk in her divine form. Feeling out of place, she made her way to a table by the hearth, ordering a glass of red wine when a waitress swept by her table.
She glanced around, gathering her cloak up into her lap and resting her hands there. The tavern was quiet save for the crackling fire behind her and the quiet voices from the few other patrons. The waitress brought her wine back and Aster gave her a faint smile, handing over the coins necessary. The glass in front of her held a deep crimson liquid that was swirling on its own, glittering in the dim light of the tavern.
It was a small but pleasant illusion; Aster took a sip of the wine, the taste deep and fruity. It seemed to sizzle on her tongue, and all in all it pleasantly reminded her of summer. Aster frowned slightly, tapping one nail idly against the glass. Sitting with a glass of wine was hardly doing anything to help relieve her pent-up energy. She probably would have been better off bringing Navi out so she could chase the dog around the city.
Then again, there must have been a reason the city was so intent on bringing her to the Rear. Maybe I just need to get really drunk, she thought to herself in amusement, then stopped to actually consider. She could count on one hand the amount of times she'd drunk alcohol; the amount of times she'd gotten at all tipsy were even less. The idea began to hold a strange appeal to it.
After a long moment of consideration, she drained her glass of wine in a few long swallows. Standing, she glanced up at the ceiling as she made her way to the bar, noticing that the few tiles shone just as brightly as the sky outside did, adding a little bit of extra light to the room.
Approaching the bar, she placed her empty wineglass down, giving a hesitant smile to the waitress who was now cleaning glasses. There was only one other person occupying the stools, a young man two over with dark hair. She examined the barrels advertising the drinks, and tipped her head slightly. "What's degtine?" She asked the waitress, who put her hand to her chest in exaggerated shock.
"It's a specialty of the Rear! Don't tell me you've been living in Alvadas and haven't tried it?"
Aster hesitated before giving a small shake of her head, loose hair flying around her face with the motion. "I'm not much of a drinker," she admitted.
"Well, you should give it a try. It's a bit strong but quite good." She eyed Aster, as if waiting for a response, and the Eth nodded in agreement. "Good!" The waitress set the glass she was cleaning down and got a shot for Aster, sliding the glass over to her.
The liquor was mostly clear with a faint green tint to it. Taking a cautious sniff, Aster was overwhelmed by the scent of spirits with some sort of herb underneath it. Inhaling deeply, she lifted the glass to her mouth; she'd seen other people take shots, of course, but never done it herself. Closing her eyes, she knocked the glass back, swallowing the liquid in one go.
She had no idea what it tasted of; it was too strong to tell. But she knew it certainly burned. It slid hotly down her throat, and she coughed as she set the glass down. The waitress laughed, not unkindly, and handed her a glass of water which Aster gratefully took, drinking deeply.
"It can be rough the first few times you try it."
Aster hummed an agreement as she coughed again, not wanting to talk just yet with her throat burning as it was. People drank that regularly for fun? She was starting to second guess her idea of getting drunk; at the very least, perhaps she was better off sticking to wine.
Ledger :
"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"
"Other People's Speech"
