1628, Earth Season, Fertility Week, Windday
Context
Near Aldu-Chur, in the Healers’ Camp after the battle. Berra has nearly died and Varanis has appointed herself as guard. Follows after Not Dead Yet and continues in Fuddled and Flirty.
Post Epic battles lead to epic hangovers (Session Sartar Arc 2).
Events
Varanis is guarding Berra1Berra will be asleep for long enough for any required play to happen, and may be awake and too drunk to move a bit later on. and growling at anyone other than her friends or a healer that tries to get too close. She looks a bit like she’d even try to stop Harrek. She is still covered in blood, gore, and mud.2While it is likely possible for any of you to convince her to clean up, conveniently for me, I’ll be asleep when you’re up, so she can be mulish about it for a while.
After taking care of the horses, Finarvi arrives at the tent3A healers’ tent, we have decided, and one where the problematic Humakti is being stored alone, despite the needs of others. with some food and water for Varanis. He leaves it within her reach, sits down on the other side of Berra, and lays his broadsword across his knees. He looks tired, but has found time to wash.
Berra is sleeping the sleep of the very drunk. She is floppy, and breathing deeply. Occasionally there are little Humakti snores.
Varanis drinks the water and even manages to nibble a bit of the food.4Insight or other relevant observation: Her expression as she eats suggests that the food tastes like dirt or some other unpalatable thing, but she eats a little nevertheless. After a time, she says, “Thank you. I… you saved me, Fin. I was going to die out there, wasn’t I?”
Finarvi shrugs one shoulder. “Thank Serala. She saw you fall.”5Insight: Fin doesn’t seem to feel anything about what happened. Or is trying hard not to feel anything in general.
The Vingan nods, then turns her watchful gaze back to guarding.
Berra usually sleeps curled up, holding her sword. The White Ladies put her in a position that meant she could not choke if she was sick again. Now, she wakes enough to put out her left hand, searching.
Gingerly, Varanis puts Wind Tooth’s hilt in reach of Berra’s hand. Berra manages to pull the sword a little closer, but without her usual efficiency – her muscles are slack, and her reflexes are off. The Vingan’s brows draw together and her hands fist, but she says nothing. Her glance at Finarvi asks the questions she can’t voice.
Unfortunately, his blank gaze is aimed somewhere around the tent’s entrance, so he misses the Vingan’s questioning look.
Some little time later, Berra wakes to look around. “Where am I?” Her eyes do not focus properly, and her voice is slurred.
“In the Sartarite encampment,” Varanis replies, leaning in to look at her friend. “We brought you back and Maalira’s been looking after you.”
Berra manages to focus on Varanis. “I just drank a barrel of something,” she explains. “Harrek turned up. I think I’m drunk.”
“You almost drank yourself to death,” the Vingan replies.
“Drinks should come in amphoras,” Berra explains, “So you know they’re drinks. I had… A lot.” She tries, and fails, to get up.
Varanis reaches for Berra’s shoulder. “If you need to visit the jacks, I’ll help you. If you want water to drink, it’s right here. If you need to puke again, there’s the basin. Otherwise, stay where you are.” Her voice brooks no argument.
“I wanna,” Berra says, and tries to get up, and falls over and off the low bed. She flops on the floor in the narrow space assigned to her.
“Do you need to take a piss? You can get up for that. Otherwise, get your ass back onto that sleeping pallet, Humakti.” If Berra hesitates, Varanis barks, “Now!”
“Can’t make me do anything,” Berra says from the floor. However, she probably cannot make her do anything either – rolling over onto her back is the most she can manage. She does that, and fails to put her arms into the Death Rune. Either she ran out of room, or she forgot to keep moving.
“Finarvi? Can you help me get her back on the pallet? Or shall we leave her on the ground for the moment?”
“M’orlright here,” Berra says, despite having her legs tangled in her blanket.
Finarvi, who had been fast asleep where he sat, is staring blearily at this performance in groggy bemusement. But at the order he gets up and moves around the pallet to help.
“At least let us untangle you, Berra,” Varanis says. “You’ll be more comfortable.” She holds up a hand signalling Finarvi to wait.
Berra tells Finarvi, “I’m drunk.”
He nods gravely. “You are.”
“I had a lot to drink. Harrek was there.” He gets a big smile from her. “He gave me a lot to drink.” She looks sleepy again.
“There’s a comfortable bed right here if you want to sleep,” he gestures at the pallet in the hope Berra will take the hint.
“I could sleep,” Berra admits. “Or fi’ someone. I think I wanna figh’ someone.”
Given her orders had failed to get the right response, Varanis waits to see if the Grazelander has better luck.
Finarvi shoots her a look of appeal. Seeing no help is coming from that quarter, he tries a different approach. “The fighting’s all over for now. Sleep now, fight tomorrow.” He clearly wants to untangle the blanket but is worried Berra will fight him for it.
Berra stares up at Finarvi. “M’good at fighting,” she says, but she pulls herself together – or at least, tries to curl up, which is practically the same thing. That makes her look at her imprisoned legs.
“If you let us untangle your blankets, it’ll be easier for you to fight when you need to,” Varanis points out. “If you tried right now, you’d not be able to put your legs into it properly.”
“No’gonna fight anyone,” Berra says, clearly having forgotten what she just declared. “M’a… I’m … ugh. Drink. I feel bad.”
Finarvi grabs the basin and strategically positions it within Berra’s zone of effect.
Having been about to do the same, Varanis gives him a smile of approval and steps back, out of the splash zone.
That is a good call. A wretched Humakti makes use of it. Mostly, the charcoal meal gets rediscovered. After that, Berra lies weakly beside the basin, on her side. She has her sword behind her.
“How can she still have anything left inside her?” Varanis muses. There’s a reluctant sigh, then she actually collects the basin herself, nose wrinkling. “Clean ones are stacked there,” she tells Fin, using her chin to point them out. “I’ll be back in a moment. Stay awake and don’t let anyone but a healer in. Or Serala.”
He nods and fetches a replacement basin. “It’s fine. She’s not the first drunk I’ve tended.”
The drunk makes a discontented noise that turns into a sleepy sound, and rolls over towards the floor again. Face down in the grass, but at least the warrior lives.
Finarvi finally deems it safe enough to retrieve the blanket. He lays it over Berra, retrieves his sword from the floor and sheepishly sheathes it before Varanis returns.
Berra stays limp and sleeping beneath the blanket.
Continues in Fuddled and Flirty.
- 1Berra will be asleep for long enough for any required play to happen, and may be awake and too drunk to move a bit later on.
- 2While it is likely possible for any of you to convince her to clean up, conveniently for me, I’ll be asleep when you’re up, so she can be mulish about it for a while.
- 3A healers’ tent, we have decided, and one where the problematic Humakti is being stored alone, despite the needs of others.
- 4Insight or other relevant observation: Her expression as she eats suggests that the food tastes like dirt or some other unpalatable thing, but she eats a little nevertheless.
- 5Insight: Fin doesn’t seem to feel anything about what happened. Or is trying hard not to feel anything in general.
