Open [The Sapphire Star] A Party Like No Other

[Stefan]

Stefan bowed, and continued playing with his mandolin, this time, making sure to keep his mouth shut, unless asked otherwise. He was never good at improvising songs, so he stayed with the joyfull music, and his bare upper body.

It was no secret to anybody that Sybel, the bride to be, was drinking way too much. The funny part was when she tried to socialize, with his cheeks red, and a cup in her hand.

"The drunk bride, took her cup, and then she staggered away..." he murmured to himself, laughing a little bit at that. Of course, he didn't wanted to be kicked out, so the young bard continued to play a lighearted tarantella.

After another 20 chimes of playing, and a couple of silver mizas as a tip, Stefan came to the bar, looking at the Benshira with a drink in her hand. "Lad, she's drinking way to much... this is going to be interesting." he said to Caelum, as he drank some mead himself. "I've seen sailors drink less than her... but honestly, I want to see what she's going to do now..." he laughed and continued drinking.

[Caelum]

“You’re a model of grace and etiquette,” Caelum assured Sybel on a languid drawl. The smile hooked on his mouth, at ease behind the bar and amused by his friend’s antics. An eyebrow rocked up and that smile ventured toward a grin before he reached for a bottle of crystal clear liquor and selected a slender, stilted glass to pour it into for Sybel’s shot. “You should practice controlling your expression should you receive a bad gift,” the ethaefal continued his instruction in How One Acted. It was anyone’s guess where he had learned these things, though Kavala at least was well aware that once upon a time he had been married. Maybe that was where. Or maybe he was just teasing. He flashed Rosela a grin when she waggled her fingers at him and then tsked his tongue at Sybel, just in case she forgot to school her glower. “Clearly,” he addressed Stefan when the bard approached, “You haven’t met Sybel. This is a woman who can hold her drink. I promise you that.”

[Orabelle Deepseeker]

Orabelle took her first sip of the wine. She like the narrow glass Caelum had put it in a narrow glass. Although she loved the citrus taste, she wasn't very good at holding her alcohol down. Which is why she was limiting herself to this one glass. She knew she'd be able to make it last too. Tiny sip, after tiny sip; she listened to Sybel's and Caelum's conversation."If you don't mind Sybel, I would like to get you a gift later on? A bottle of wine, or whiskey-"

She held her breath as she watched Rosela walked in. Her ephyrian side never occurred to her too much since she's never really met one. Besides her mother, the maneater used the fact that ephyrians were exotic outside ahnatep as an advantage. Rosela kind of resembled her mother. Tiki would always go out wearing something fashionable and wouldn't let anything that wasn't silk, touch her body. Orabelle gawked at Rosela for a few more seconds before getting up."Excuse me." She mumbled.


She approached the konti, who was.also the hostess, and the ephyrian woman. Orabelle had forgotten about her name tag."Hello,"She bowed her head towards Kavala,"I'm Orabelle and I would like to tell you what a wonderful job you have done as a hostess here." She began to look around again before smiling at Kavala."It's really nice."

[Rosela]

E
Another young woman came to bend Kavala’s ear, and Rosela moved discreetly away, letting the pair talk. She made a mental effort to mark the time, and wondered how long it was polite to stay at such parties. She’d never been to a bachelorette party, so she wasn’t entirely certain what to expect. Her lack of peers and, supposedly, societal position had denied her such an affair when she’d been married. If drinking and music were the main courses of the evening, surely it would not last more than two or three bells?

”Just a glass of wine, please,” she requested of Caelum, swiftly arching the glass up to her lips when it was delivered. It seemed everyone but she was drinking, and she was loathe to be caught outside the crowd.

Moving to set her gift down at the end of the bar, Rosela forced herself not to look down at Sybel, who appeared to be rapidly drinking herself into a happy oblivion. Despite the fact that it was her party, couldn’t help but feel a curl of disdain at the uncouth behavior. Really, did those awful Benshirans have no taste...

In her effort not to look one way, she found herself looking intently in the direction of the musician, shirtlessly strumming a mandolin. She turned to look at him more fully, leaning two elbows on the bar behind her. She hadn’t initially taken much notice of him other than the fact that he was an unfamiliar face and unfortunately not Akalak. Were guests intended to request songs, or did he have a playlist already site? Past experiences with bards had left her with the warning not to ask for songs from her homeland, but she had no particular ear for music outside of her native language.

Leaning over to him, she took another slow sip as she considered him. ”Do you know any songs…” How was it phrased? ”For drinking? You know, the loud tavern songs.”

E

[Stefan]

Stefan looked in the Eypharian direction, right along him at the bar. She was pretty, he thought, with graceful features, an exotic face, and the appearance that only the Eypharian people could use. He always liked it, as it was pleasant to see.

He listened to her, and nodded with a slight smirk. Now, it would be odd to have a drinking song at a bachelorette party... but he was getting a little tired of improvising songs about people he didn’t knew. After all, he never met Sybel or Vanator before, but he always met drunks who could sing off-key a merry song. Besides, what this party needed was a little upbeat.

“Of course, my dear...” he winked at Rosela and took his mandolin. He started to sing in a loud, clear voice.

Oh the night that Paddy Murphy died, is a night I'll never forget
Some of the boys got loaded drunk, and they ain't got sober yet;
As long as a bottle was passed around every man was feelin' gay
O'Leary came with the bagpipes, some music for to play!

That's how they showed their respect for Paddy Murphy
That's how they showed their honour and their pride;
They said it was a sin and shame and they winked at one another
And every drink in the place was full the night Pat Murphy died

As Mrs. Murphy sat in the corner pouring out her grief
Kelly and his gang came tearing down the street
They went into an empty room and a bottle of whiskey stole
They put the bottle with the corpse to keep that whiskey cold!

That's how they showed their respect for Paddy Murphy
That's how they showed their honour and their pride;
They said it was a sin and shame and they winked at one another
And every drink in the place was full the night Pat Murphy died

About two bells in the morning after empty'ing the jug
Doyle rolls up the ice box lid to see poor Paddy's mug
We stopped the clock so Mrs. Murphy couldn't tell the time
And at a quarter after two we argued it was nine!

That's how they showed their respect for Paddy Murphy
That's how they showed their honour and their pride;
They said it was a sin and shame and they winked at one another
And every drink in the place was full the night Pat Murphy died

Oh the night that Paddy Murphy died, is a night I'll never forget
Some of the boys got loaded drunk and they ain't been sober yet;
As long as a bottle was passed around every man was feelin' gay
O'Leary came with the bagpipes, some music for to play!

He always enjoyed that song. A little sinister, yes, but it was hilarious. Hopefully, the gals would be drunk enough to appreciate. Or they could kick him out without pay, whatever came first.

“I hope you enjoyed it, my lady...” he bowed his head at the Eypharian, smiling. “Would you like another song? Or maybe something else? I can do a private session, if you desire...” it was not a clever plan, but if they did kicked him out, he at least had some backup.

[Rosela]

E
Rosela found herself laughing along with the song, listening close to catch the words. At some point, she jumped up on the barstool next to her so she could lean in, chin in hand. It was an odd song, possibly as far as possible from the music she’d heard growing up, but still holding a thread of similarity in tone. Late nights with abundant alcohol, and a joyous, albeit untraditional, respect for the dead. It need only have an extra verse on the virtues of getting up to do one’s business the very next day, and the dearly departed Paddy may have well been an Eypharian plebian.

She clapped happily with two hands, realizing suddenly that she’d finished her wine. Turning to raise it to Caelum, she replied with quick thanks as she turned back to the musician. ”What a lovely song!” An eyebrow slowly raised at his indiscreet offer, but she continued to smile from the memory of the music. ”Thank you,” she replied dryly. ”But you’re not my type. Nothing personal. I just need a little more meat on my men.” Feeling bold, she reached out and gently pinched his bare shoulder. ”And it wouldn’t hurt if you were a lovely shade of…I don’t know, violet…” She sighed wistfully, looking off into the distance and taking another big swallow of her wine.

”Oh! Do tell me though-“ She leaned in seriously, glancing briefly out at the room. ”What are bag-pipes?” She imagined a cloth bag stuffed with the horrible silver flutes she’d been made to play as a child. Even for a time of drinking though, much less a song about a time of drinking, it seemed an odd thing to break out at a party.

E

[Stefan]

Even though everybody was giving him a somewhat odd look for the music, Stefan was quite happy for the result. The six-armed woman was pleased by the song, though the fact that she was quite drunk herself helped. It didn’t matter, though, because that was the whole point. A merry song for drinking, nothing more, nothing less. But it could be more, however.

Stefan took another glass of wine, smiling seductively at her. He was an insistent fellow, and if the seduction couldn’t work, well, he quite enjoyed the flirting. “Oh, I know I’m a bit skinny, but believe me, I have quite endurance for performances” he winked at her when she pinched on his tattooed shoulder “Besides, for a lady like you, I would paint myself like a chameleon. Six armed women drive me insane, you know...” he passed his fingers through her chin softly and delicately.

Still, his flirty demeanour nature was somewhat broken when she asked about the bagpipes. He answered quickly, smiling widely as he spoke “They’re just one of the most annoying and loud musical instruments on this world. It’s essentially a bag –a sheep stomach, I think –with a tube for blowing and some pipes for the air to leave and make a sound. As far as I know, these were instruments for war, because the sound was simply horrible!” he told the story quite amused himself, enjoyed a cold glass of red wine. He had to admit; he liked the women who could stand their drinks “You have to be quite skilled to make it sound good... or quite drunk, in fact. But I prefer the sound of my mandolin...”

With that, Stefan started to play it again, looking at the Eypharian with a bold smile. Another drinking song could do, though this one was more slow, romantic and melancholic.

Red, red wine
Go to my head
Make me forget that I
Still need her so

Red, red wine
It's up to you
All I can do, I've done
But memories won't go
No, memories won't go

I'd have sworn
That with time
Thoughts of you
Would leave my head
I was wrong
And I find
Just one thing
Makes me forget

Red, red wine
Stay close to me
Don't let me be alone
It's tearing apart
My blue, blue heart

When the song faded away with a chord of the mandolin, he bowed again "Do you have any further requests, Madame? Anything you like"

[Rosela]

E
OOCJust a little note… Rosela actually has six arms

Taking another sip of wine to match his, Rosela giggled at his innuendo. He was oddly persistent, which was cute in its own way. The stubble on his jaw, so unlike the smooth Akalaks, made him seem scruffy, like a small, spunky dog. She had the sudden urge to ruffle his hair, but was thankfully still sober enough to refrain. ”Painted up like a pretty rainbow magpie…” she mused with a smile. ”Though you sound much better.” With a wry twist of her lips, she lifted his chin out of reach of his fingers, but felt the ghost of his touch linger. ”Well, you clearly have good taste then.”

At the mention of sheeps’ stomachs, her nose immediately wrinkled in disgust. ”Ewwww…” She whined in a single long note. ”That sounds awful. Those poor sheep, going to Dira only to be made into hideous music bags after they’re gone… I like your mandolin better too, and I’m sure they’d agree.” She gave Stefan an abbreviated toast and took another long sip.

She was grateful for the slower song to match her maudlin thoughts, and slowly drained the rest of her glass while he played. With as little as she knew about white wine, she knew even less about red, but as the song wound down to a finish, she’d already made the decision to try some. After some happy applause, she twisted back on her stool to put her empty wine glass on the bar. ”Caelum? Caaaaelum…” She called softly until she got his attention from people at the other end of the bar. ”Can I try some red wine?”

New glass retrieved, she twisted back around with a flourish, displaying her new choice of wine. ”See? Now we match.” She paused to take a drink, clicking her tongue after she swallowed and turning the glass to peer suspiciously inside. ”Hm, now that’s different. I’m not sure I like red wine. Are there any songs about white wine?”

E

[Matthew]

Caelum

Experience Points:

• ­+2 Acting
• +3 Bartending
• +1 Diplomacy
• +1 Flirting
• +1 Organization
• +1 Socialization

Lores:

• Acting: Putting on an Act to gain Sympathy
• Bartending: Effectively Servicing a Large Party
• Effectively Flirting with Simple Glances

Kavala

Experience Points:

• +1 Hostessing
• +1 Logic
• +2 Organization
• +1 Writing

Lores:

• Hostessing: Running a Large Party Smoothly
• Logic: Using Logical Reasoning to Spot Inconsistencies
• Organization: Effectively Organizing a Large Party

Rosela

Experience Points:

• +1 Diplomacy
• +2 Observation
• +1 Singing
• +1 Socialization

Lores:

• Diplomacy: Gracefully Declining Unwanted Advances
• Song: Paddy Murphy

Additional Notes :

This was certainly an interesting thread. It looks like it had the potential to be quite a fun party, and I enjoy unique social events like this. I appreciate the small touch of including shirtless men. I am sad to see that the thread died. Good acting by Caelum, and graceful Social skills from Rosela.

Sybel, it looks like you were last active a month ago. If you return or are still lurking, just PM me and I can edit in your grade. Juriya, Faryon, Orabelle, you can also PM me if you return.

If you have any questions or concerns relevant to your grade, don't be afraid to send me a private message so that we can work it all out! Please remember to mark your Grading Request as Graded.

A shout-out to Ollic Rimesage, who was kind enough to make this template for me.