4th Day of Summer, 514AV
Having spent a number of years working in the Malt House, Verin knew what it was like to stand behind a bar and field stupid or ignorant questions from entitled customers. He still enjoyed drinking, and savoured the taste of a good liquor, spirit or more voluminous alcoholic beverage, but he no longer relished the idea of sitting in a bar or tavern and drinking around the masses; work had removed all of the fun and intrigue from being a paying punter. Worse still, he was not sitting in the Malt. House, where he could often get a free drink or two from Grayson or one of his other colleagues. Instead, he was in Tarsin's Boarding House, below his room, paying for drinks that he wasn't entirely sure he could afford.
He shouldn't even have been drinking; it was early - not yet past the thirteenth bell of the day, and he had to attend work later that day. If he continued the way he was, it was possible that he might not even make it to work. Or if he did, he might be more intoxicated than most of the customers he would serve. A twisted smile appeared on his face as the thought crossed his mind. Only once had he turned up to work drunk... it had taken a good few bells for his employer to realise just what state his bartender was in, having previously been under the impression that Verin had fallen to some minor ailment. Yet when he discovered the truth, he had wasted no time in cuffing his young employee around the ear, throwing him out into the kitchen and pouring a bucket of cold water from the lake over him.
He had been little past a youth then, barely into maturity, and he had needed to learn a lesson about when it was and wasn't appropriate to become senseless from drink, as every boy new to toxic liquids needed to learn. He had suffered a hard berating from Grayson, a warning not to follow in the footsteps of his own drunkard father, and Verin had taken his mentor's words to heart.
And yet he continued to drink. He and his brother had enjoyed many an (un)memorable night under the influence, yet Verin drank purely for the enjoyment of what he was tasting, for the most part. Today, he was drinking alone, and had no reason to drink - no sorrows to drown or even successes to celebrate. But he tired of secluding himself in his room whilst his brother was working a regular shift, or learning at the IHL. In anything, he was slightly jealous of Venser's ability to learn at the established learning facilities. Verin had not the money, nor the time, to attempt his own studies, though he wished he could, knowing it would put him in better stead for when (no longer if; he had complete faith that his time would come) he was invited to attempt joining the Black Sun.
He had some gifts, yes, skills that would help him to succeed. But with every new thing that he learned, he realised anew that his knowledge in many subjects was severely lacking. His attempts to learn Hypnotism had been proven flawed by the Familiar Ender.. his friend, who had tried to teach him more, but opportunities were limited; Verin suspected that the Iyrlid did not want his friend around the Mage he was bonded to. But even the brief knowledge that had been imparted had Verin craving more, if only to help him succeed.
