1627, Fire Season, Fertility Week, Clayday Eve
Context
Varanis and Berra settle down to drinking at Nochet’s primary Temple of Uleria. Xenofos is there for moral support. The binge drinking session begins in Drinking Party (Part I).
Part 2/11: Beginning the binge.
Events
“Nice to meet you, Davorelia. I’m Vareena. I intend to drink too much. I just thought you should know in advance.” Varanis grins over the top of her wine bowl.
She nods.
“I’m mostly going to start slowly and possibly fall over,” Berra admits. “But it’s good to be here.”
“I will unfortunately be on water this evening,” Xenofos admits. “But that should not dampen the fun for others.”
“What?” Varanis stares at her cousin.
The hostess nods and pours a light mix for Berra and some water for Xenofos.
“Geas.” He shrugs. “But only for a week.”
Berra reaches out for a cut square of bread, and after considering it tears off the corners to make it into a cross, eats the corners, then eats the rest. Her normal self – slightly fidgety, interested in new things.
“Do you need a refill Vareena?” She nods to Xenofos “Yelm has set.”
Varanis glances at her cup and holds it out. “It seems I do!”1Cup #2
Berra looks curious at the name as well, and then looks horrified at Varanis. “Oh hell. This is going to be one of those, is it? I’ll join you as soon as I’ve had this one, then. This one’s going slow.”
The hostess pours Varanis mixture of water and some wine.2Cup #3 “Too much haste will end the evening too soon, Vareena. And you would not want that, would you?” She pours a drink for herself and raises it in a toast. “Welcome to our house.”
Varanis raises her cup to the hostess and takes a sip. A large sip. Turning to Xenofos, she says, “You get to be our responsible person then, Xeno. I hereby defer all responsibility to you!” She offers him a toast too.
Berra picks up a couple of olives, looks at Xenofos, and back to Varanis, and sighs. “Sweet hell, let this be over quickly…” But she smiles, down at her cup.
He raises the cup in return and sips some water. It seems to take him some effort to not down it in one gulp.
Dutifully, Varanis nibbles on some food. “Do you sing, by any chance?” she asks Davorelia.
Berra takes the hint from Varanis, and piles up a single slice of bread with cheese and olives that she pits expertly with her knife, obviously trying to get at least a little food down her before the drinking really begins.
Varanis’ cup is empty again. She smiles and leans back on the couch. “I suppose I can wait before another. Berra, what kind of cheese is that?”
“White?” Berra suggests. “Sheep, I think. It’s got no herbs on it or in it, and olives are fruit, the Temple says. It’s kind of soft and crumbly, and it’s got a bit of ash on the outside.” A tiny taster of bread and cheese gets cut off the slice, like someone cutting the tiniest of hearthcakes.
The courtesan smiles a bit, taps on the small table and starts an old, familiar drinking song. Xenofos joins on the chorus.
Varanis munches on bread and cheese, forgoing the olives. She pours more wine for herself as the Ulerian sings.3Cup #4
After the song is finished Xenofos compliments it and starts slowly eating a slice of bread. Davorelia tells Varanis some roast is coming later. Without garlic or onions for the Humakti.
“A roast sounds lovely. And perhaps more wine and another song, if it pleases you to sing.”
“What kind of song would you like to hear…. Vareena?” she asks, dimples appearing on her lovely cheeks as she smiles. “A heroic one, a bawdy one or perhaps a sad one?”
“Oh, bawdy for certain,” Varanis replies with wink. She contorts herself on the couch so that she can reach the bread and cheese and slices off a bit more.
“Bawdy it is, then,” she confirms with a playful look, with perhaps a hint of tiredness, starting the Hedgehog song.
Varanis studies Davorelia over the rim of palm cup.
The courtesan returns the look with her lovely brown eyes as she sings. Her cheeks are high and round cheeks. With dimples. Hair tied with a ribbon of pink silk. She is dressed in, cool dress of gauzy white linen giving a hint of her lean body. Her voice is nice warm alto. If you would need to use just one word to describe her it would be graceful. Graceful in manners, graceful in gestures.
Berra only eats lightly, but at a neat break in the song – when it turns out that getting to a bison needs a stool – holds up her wine bowl appealingly to Davorelia. The courtesan leans over to pour her a drink. She also refills Xenofos’ bowl.
“Thank you.” Berra drinks half of it straight off, apparently trying to catch up with Varanis.
- 1Cup #2
- 2Cup #3
- 3Cup #4
