Open Bar

[unheiring]

[Luca has spent a few days grappling with the concept of death. Again.

He didn't know Vash, but he knew people that knew him. Ain and Livio, two people Luca would call friends, cared for him. And Joshua, who had already lost so much, had loved Dion.

It's hard to deal with. Hard to swallow. And though Luca has made so much progress on himself, he still doesn't know how to handle grief like this.

So he does the only thing he can think to do.]

Free drinks. All month.
Food too.
... We shouldn't be alone right now.
Again.

Comments

[eidxiety]

Are you gonna kill me if I drink my weight in wine tonight?

[unheiring]

Not tonight.
Not this month, even.
Do what you need to do, okay?

[eidxiety]

Cool, I'll be right there.

[And he will leave that thought there, only to show up a few minutes later, clip clop go his deer hooves as he walks his little faun ass into the bar.

He sits at the counter.

He's not even sure he likes wine, but he definitely doesn't like beer, so if he's going to get drunk on anything... it's going to be wine. He's going to drink the reddest wine possible and hate every second of it. Also, hi Luca—]

[unheiring]

[When it becomes clear that Ain isn't exactly enjoying his wine, he snatches the glass away. It's replaced, quickly, with a sweeter cider. He gives Ain a challenging look, as if to say "tell me I'm wrong," but otherwise remains silent.

For a minute.

Or two.

And then.]

You should eat something. [And lest Ain try to argue, he adds.] Or you'll be cleaning your own sick off my floor.

[eidxiety]

I don't get sick easily...

[...but. He shouldn't make Luca wonder if this might be the one time he does, and he's pathetic and sad and wet as it is.]

...okay. Haha, do you have any of that stew you normally make? I always liked that.

[Also, thank you for the sweet cider, Luca.]

[unheiring]

[Thankfully, he doesn't have to argue with Ain. He offers a quick nod and a warm smile, before trotting over to the hearth. He scoops out a relatively small serving — he gets how hard it is to eat when you're struggling — and returns. A spoon is plopped into the stew before it's pushed over to him.]

There you go. That should be more than plenty.

[eidxiety]

Thanks.

[For a while, Ain will eat in silence, waiting until he's finished the stew to run his mouth. It would be oddly polite of him, since he's always someone who talks while eating, if the reasoning weren't... well, what it is.

The cider gets sipped, and then he lays his head against the table and sighs.]

I'm tired, Mr. Bartender. [But not physically. Emotionally.] I'm tired of losing people. I've never lost them before, not like this.

[unheiring]

[While Ain eats, Luca does some cleaning. Mostly glasses, and always nearby. If Ain wants to talk, he won't be so far away that Luca will fail to hear it. And once he does catch wind, he returns to Ain's side. Not on his usual side of the bar, but at a chair nearby.]

Death is... difficult. Especially in a place like this, where there is always hope too. [There was a mercy, in many ways, that his father had simply died. He didn't have to sit and wonder if he would come back, when he would come back. There was no need to watch the trees, day in and day out.]

It doesn't get easier, either.

[eidxiety]

Great. Cool.

[It's not that he was expecting it to get easier, but the sarcasm really is all he can muster about it. When they failed the attack on Suri, everyone came back... so Ain got fairly comfortable with the idea of functional immortality. It's not realistic, but he's never been that, has he?]

I don't know how to deal with grieving, I guess. I never had to.

[cryopathy]

ota
[kiera is also bartending fairly often this month. their appearance has changed once more, their eyes back to the usual one-indigo-one-gold, an opalescent horn sprouting from their forehead, and a long, flowing tail the same color as their hair (both of which are now tipped in a light pink) trailing behind them. there's also the distinct clop of hooves as they move about the tavern.

anyone they haven't served or watched closely in the bar before gets a surprisingly welcoming smile.]

How do your tastes run?

[alternatively, the favorites of those they are familiar with are remembered.]

Would you like your usual chilled today?


luca
[one afternoon before the bar formally opens for the day, kiera glances up to luca as she sets things back in place. chairs off the tables and back onto the floor, lining up dishes for the day.]

If you're alright with it, I was thinking of adding my own drinks or offerings to the menu. Frozen cocktails, order-made ice creams...

[their tone is careful, hesitant. luca has allowed them to take back the aurelius name, but they don't want to push their luck. this tavern is his and their father's legacy.]

[unheiring]

[Luca is already grinning at the idea, though he quickly schools his expression into something a bit more stern. Business-like. This is boss to employee time.

He's fucking terrible at it for the record.]

I won't be taste-testing the ice cream. And if anyone complains, you're to field it and address it.

[cryopathy]

[he is so fucking mean, and for why?? he's going to bring (crocodile) tears to her eyes.]

You don't even want to sample my hard work? What have I done to offend you this time?

[unheiring]

[Luca just glowers at her.]

Ice cream. Really? I wonder why I would be loath to try it.

[cryopathy]

[and she rolls her eyes in response!]

I'll be certain to burn all your food from now on, then, since that's what you prefer.

[unheiring]

[She gets a shove for all her griping.]

It's the sweetness you incorrigible harlot!

[cryopathy]

You are always going on about apple pie! Even yours is sweet!

[they huff, and lash their tail like an angry cat. perhaps even swat him with the end of it. it's like getting smacked with a very soft-bristled broom.]

... You know, there is savory ice cream. I could add spice, or cheese and herbs.

[unheiring]

[Luca huffs, batting at the tail and trying to shake the tickling from his face long after she's gone.]

I add plenty of spice to make up for it! And the crust is Far more savory than anything. [He's still glowering at her, even if he does loosen up just enough to add:] But, I would be curious to try something savory. Once.

[cryopathy]

[it's fine. she'll just trip him with it later. it isn't as if he has very far to get to the ground.]

I will have to think of a recipe that will be palatable to you, then. I don't suppose fruit sorbet is more up your alley in general?

another closed prompt for verso, teehee

[cryopathy]

[some time after the sesapass wedding, kiera makes good on their threat to drink with verso. they've invited him to meet there with a note* pinned to his inn room door (how do they know which one it is? wouldn't you like to know, weather boy) and they are ready and waiting at the tavern at a table very far removed from the infamous forbidden booth™.

and yes, they have a couple of glasses along with a bottle of the finest dry red in house. and some sweet white, because they don't hate themself.]

*[said note reads:]
How about that drink I promised? ;)
Ser Kiera Aurelius
[signed with a different surname from that which they introduced themself to him originally.]

[notthislife]

[Well that's... interesting. The change in last name isn't lost on him. His brows pinch together as he holds the note in hand, turning it over and over as if searching for some sort of explanation. This wouldn't be the first time he happened to fall for a married person, but at least Sciel was widowed. And pining. And waiting for her actual husband to be revived.

... anyway.

Verso does indeed make his way to the bar. He's more curious than ever as he steps inside. He glances toward that empty spot with a faint frown, making a note to check on Joshua soon, before finding his way to Kiera. He still has the note in hand, and he sets it on the table before them. He doesn't sit right away, but instead taps the last name.]

Are congratulations in order then? I imagine not, considering our arrangement, but I've been surprised before.

[cryopathy]

[as he stands over the table, kiera quirks a brow... then emits a series of noises indicating their thoughts on the matter. a scoff, followed by a choked laugh, and summed up with a gag.]

Good grief, no. I would never. Never marry, much less marry and proceed to seduce the next handsome stranger I meet without telling him.

[they wave it off, very limp wristed about it.]

No, no. Just... complicated family matters that have since been resolved.

[notthislife]

[That's about the answer he expected. An easy grin spreads over his lips as he settles into a chair. The reaches for the red shamelessly, swirling it once before taking a sip.]

Glad we could get that out of the way. [He quirks a brow at Kiera.] You have family here? That must be... difficult.

[He's heard a fair amount of stories about this place, after all. Not the sort of world you want your family to end up in.]

[cryopathy]

[his enthusiasm for the wine isn't at all unattractive to kiera, except perhaps for the variety itself. oh, well, at least they won't ever have to squabble over the last glass. they pour their own thoughtfully.]

My brother owns this place. [their brows furrow as they ponder something for a moment.] I wish I could say he would be safer at home, but that likely isn't the case. At least here, we've been able to settle our differences, and watch each other's backs.

[notthislife]

Your brother. [He glances toward the man behind the bar, then back to Kiera. He studies them for another long moment, searching for the family resemblance. There's something there, but it doesn't feel quite right in his head.]

Terrible home life then? [He shakes his head.] I wonder if that's a common thread here.

[Nevertheless, he offers a smile.]

I'm glad you have each other, though. Family is... very important.

[cryopathy]

[they can see the cogs turning in his head, but they let him suffer it for an agonizing time before laughing.]

I was adopted.

[again, they flap a hand dismissively, taking a sip of their own wine.]

Oh, you know, warring nations, political drama, gods trying to kill us all. At least we only have one of those here!