Bide Time, Blow Coin
Amos, Moruwil, Angus, Dangeon, Delilah (Stubb spoof), Trace, Shrewmaid (Moruwil spoof)
Location: The Thorn and Shadow (Collinsel)
Amos sips eagerly at his drink, sipping it down until its at the half way point. Sighing happily at small comforts, sitting at the bar.
Bar none, Moruwil is the sketchiest-looking squirrel in the place. He's dressed in some courtly-looking outfit, mostly black and yellow, and a beret. He sits down at the bar and orders a drink. He looks at Amos.
Amos is a sight for weary eyes. Sliding from the basement, Angus moves to a spot beside the cat, plopping on a stool sedately.
Sedately. It's a nice word, but it's not a word that could be reasonably used regarding Dangeon's state. She's at the bar, loud and drunk.
Drunks and mercenaries, the lot of them; Delilah is clearly ill at ease amid such a rough crowd, but she finds her way toward Angus: a safe harbor.
"--harbor doesn't even have decent ships to look at!" Trace is drunk. And complaining. And pacing for no real reason.
Reason has nothing to do with it, Amos can't blame how the rat feels and smiles as the lizard sits down, "Greetings, " He eyes the drunk hare.
"Harebrained lot of them, are all just waiting to be scammed. Heh..." Moruwil stands up from the stool and looks over at the shrew across the room..
Room becomes a concern when the maid squishes into the bar area. "What're ye' yackin' about?" Angus vacates his chair, offering it up.
.
Up go Dangeon's ears. The world is soft and fuzzy. "Good drink." The hare praises her little mug. Then spots Amos eyeing her. "Hello Cat!"
"Cat...?" Delilah looks absently in a hareward direction before turning back to Angus, realizing the remark is for someone else. "How is he?"
"He should have just gone home when I said," Trace remarks nonsensically, moving to sit down in a chair, and then plopping down rather solidly on the ground by the table. She's wasted. It's totally uncharacterstic for the rat. But hilarious.
"Aye, nice to see ya too Dangy, " Amos grins at the hare, "Ya got enough booze do ya... " He half tunes in on the conversation between Delilah and Angus. Waiting for the answer as he sips at his drink and empties the mug, "More!"
"More of them and we'll be surrounded..." Moruwil says to the shrew, approaching her. "Act casual, but remember, you're a shrew-mum for hire."
"Hire another hand! Looks like ye' could use it tonight," Angus hollers to the barkeep, who he attempts to flag down, desperate.
Desperate for another warmth-inducing drink, Dangeon finds herself competing with Angus for the keep's attention. "More!" She parrots Amos.
"Amos... Dangy..." Delilah points one by one at the strange creatures with whom she's now nominally associated. "Stubby sure made friends fast." She smiles fondly and rubs Angus' arm. "And not all bad ones."
One's obviously not enough. Even though it's all Trace has had. Though she needs to find a way to get her brain to work to actually ask for another drink. The ratmaid remains seated for now, head sort of held propped up and eyes glazed over.
"Over here!" Amos calls for the keeps attention and eventually gets it first before Dangeon and the lizard. Who grumpily pours the wildcat another drink before moving to answer the lizard, "Mmm, " The cat takes a sip and grins.
'Grins all over, on these beasts', thinks the shrewmaid, as she walks up to the bar. "Ugh. Something strong, 'keep... just had to take care of another of them reptile boys Sanders' wife popped out, they sure are a wily lot... takes some knowin' about 'em to handle 'em."
".. 'em louts could stand t'learn some manners, though, m'love," Angus mutters to Delilah, scoffing as the Amos' plea for notice beats out his own. Several patrons later, the lizard is able to wrangle the keep. "A mead fer me an' th' lass." He glances to the weasel. "Ye' do imbibe on occasion, right?"
Right at the moment the barkeep gets to her, Dangeon passes out in front of him with a slurred "..same 'gain..." as her head meets bar top.
"Top of my head feels like it's about to bust off," Trace mumbles, finally grabbing onto an empty chair and tugging it over so she can sit down at the table near the others. This is followed by her head dropping into her arms on the tabletop as she lets out a groan. "Cat. Get me another drink, would you? And would somebody please stop the room from spinning?"
"Spinning, the room ain't spinning lass, " Amos laughs as the hare passes out, annoying the keep further as he hurries to the next customer, "Get your own drink ratty dear, though I think ya had quiet enough!"
"Enough of those brats in here would make the place a reptil' fightin' ring, aye ma'am. You take care o' beasts like that? Sure they wouldn' eatcha?" The barkeep looks at Angus, "Maybe ask him if'n he needs any help?"
Angus says, "Help me get m'drink on like ye'r paid t'do." He drums his fingers on the counter, darting a quick look to the shrew and squirrel. With a flit of his tongue, the lizard returns to the keep. "How's about them meads, mate? It don't seem like anybody else's met near as much difficulty in wettin' his whistle."
Whistle?! Did somebody just whistle!? No, it's probably just the ringing in Trace's ears. Poor ratmaid has never really gotten drunk before. For good reason. Though things have been rough as of late and she just lets out another groan. "I think I'm going to be sick." And where's that second drink? Won't that make everything better?
"Better you just stay sat and if ya gonna be sick please don't be sick near me mkay?" Amos then turns back towards his drink and sips at it and shakes his head, "Daffy ratmaid that, " He chuckles, turning to face her.
"Her face - you should get it out of that puddle on the bar..." The shrewmaid looks concernedly at Dangeon and then looks at Angus, "Oh, right! Didn't I see you once in town with a little 'un. How is that one?" The barkeep, meanwhile, gets them all their overdue drinks and grumbles, "Here they are, happy?"
Happy to finally receive his beverages, Angus bobs a curt nod to the keep. Fixing the unfamiliar shrew with a cold half-glance, he brushes her off, scooting one of the cloudy mugs to Delilah. The dragon brings his own drink to his lips, greedily gulping.
Gulping, Trace seems to try to calm her stomach and her reeling head. "How do you do this? All of you?" she asks, a thick edge of revulsion on her words. "This makes nothing better. This is a horrible, horrible vice." This is all said from her head held within her arms, so it's probably quite muffled and unintelligible. At least she's not rambling about nothing anymore.
"Anymore complaining out of ya and I will buy you that drink, " The wildcat threatens, glaring at the rat, "Ya killing the mood, just try to forget it all and relax for a bit. Until we have to do it all again, as we most likely will, " He grins, lifts his mug, "Cheers!" Sips it down.
"Down the street and to the right..." The shrewmaid gives a random beast direction to the nearest infirmary. "Aw, is it that bad? Not 'aving any luck with the parenting? If you need the child watched for a day, I'd be the perfect solution."
"Solution?" Eavesdropping is difficult and useless in a crowded pub. Angus tilts his head, swallowing the contents of his mug in one giant slurp. Of its contents, he leaves not a trace.
Tracing a finger along the surface of the bar, Delilah has fallen deep into her own reflections, so that the events of the evening so far have mostly eluded her. Now and again, she raises her eyes and perks her ears at this or that but offers no thoughts of her own.
Owning the evening as he finishes off his drink, the wildcat is pleasently surprised that the rat has passed out at the table. He laughs, gets up off his seat and pats her shoulder as he passes her by, "Angus, I think am going to turn in rightly, " Gesturing towards the passed out rat and hare, "Not like these two!" He doesn't expect Trace will quiet enjoy her hangover when she wakes up.
"Up the stairs and to the left." What does she look like to these beasts? An information desk? The shrew looks at Angus, "Yes, a solution, if you're traveling with your friends here a lot... I've seen to some of the rowdiest children... I can teach your child a bit if there's a bit more pay, things like manners and ettiquette around royalty."
