The Australian kiss [Open to All]

[Tobin]

(OOC: A little experiment by I. Basically if anyone wants to come into a thread for a slice of life discussion, yet don't want to set up a thread just to do so. Newbies easpically are welcome if they want to get a little grounding in character. Whether it's a sob story you want to tell, a setting for a importent meeting or just a drink. This is the place. It is also to help with my brewery, since I don't feel I enjoy solo threads. The only hard rule is that Tobin will not leave the bar under any cercumstances. Unless your being a tool, then maybe he might just vault over and kick someone in the face before the guards take him or her away. There is also not necessarily any need to speak to Tobin, Just he is there if you have a quiry or just want anyone to talk to.

Of course, the only rule generally is that if you want fistycuffs, you take that outside here. There is also no posting order in particlar, but please be considerate if there are two seperate convos going on here. This isn't a thread to make fast EXP, but rather to take things at a steady rate. I won't be in any major hurry to respond here.

I hope you enjoy. Oh, and the name is approved. XD)
Word Count: 617

An interesting bar name, isn’t it? Or at least the dwarf thought as he stood behind the counter of the bar, his fingers gently drummed on the counter as he waited for the first customer of the early afternoon. The dwarf had long put off working on his brewey skills, it only seemed natural that he would try his hand at the more straightforward practice at mixing drinks before he tried his hands at making them.

The bar itself was a simple rectangular room with the entrance being at one end of the rectangle. Along the right hand of the room ran the bar itself, and on the left was a selection of tables set away from the bar, leaving a central allay for patrons to walk down. Being fashioned after the vintage feel ya oldie British pub, fairly rustic feel about it, with low hanging ceiling beams that those around 180 cm or 6 ft would have to be weary while walking through. The bar itself was made of stout oak, with a few of the brass alcohol taps, a relic from older times, set in the desk facing away from the punters to pour out a refreshing chilled beverage. Further back behind the counter, behind the barmen as a series of cupboards with brass labels slapped on to define its contents, made of solid oak as to preserve both the flavour and the colour from what little natural light entered. At the far end of the bar food could be ordered, though food that could be got was relatively basic. Tobin knew what he could do and left that side of the business to the Landers. It was a tad amusing that, despite being named after a country down under, that it was deeply British/Irish establishment through and through.

It wasn’t by any means a large bar, from the outside it was part of a terrace house complex and had obviously been refurbished over time by fledging woodworkers, the sign crudely pieced together by hammering smaller planks into the cross section of a log. The doors were heavy however, solid slabs of wood hammered together to make a door that would last, no matter how harsh the nightlife was. It also harkened back to the day when people largely communicated only through words, that any secerts spoken within the pub would have to push open the door first, thus it would be trapped in there forever, with only the barkeep as the guardian of secrets. Tobin took amusement in this as he had many a secret to keep already, though his role was to simply hand out spirits to top up the soul while listening to mumbles of bygone days, or of the days yet to come.

One perk to the place is that it wasn’t particularly popular with Landers, there were always some here, though their needs and requirements were fairly basic, straight forward ale that he could already do with his eyes closed. Thus this afternoon, like the afternoon before that, was relatively quiet for the moment with only yammering between older landers to break the ice. Thus for the moment there was an only a gentle ambience to greet the first guest.

With that he waited for his first customer, a long stool step-up stool under the bench allowed him to stand tall, clad in a checked white and grey shirt and sleeveless overcoat to look more formal, his fingers gently drummed on the table as his mind dwelled on distant memories like the sun tickling through a silk curtain, distant and somewhat dull in his mind yet hued in a pleasant shade that made passing the time a less excruciating experience.

[Castellan]

Given the insanely large amount of Adventurers that were stuck in Elder Tale it was unsurprising that Londinium was constantly abuzz with activity of varied sorts. Players opened lots of different shops for lots of different services. Ranging from making the classic swords and armors of a fantasy game to making adorable and absurdly cuddly plushies, the shops came in all different varieties. Castellan had even heard tell about Mechanists working on things like steam engines, ironclad ships, and of course the ever vaunted AIRSHIP like that guild he had joined recently. Truth be told, while Castellan wasn't a Mechanist, he'd sure to love to see one of those things come to completion! Maybe the pink haired Cleric could even help paint it and design the interior! He recalled an airship that had been stylized as a casino in one game he had played before, as well as one that was practically a whole theater in another. Why, the ideas for it were endless!

Castellan continued to muse over various interior designs as he passed by what seemed to be a terrace house complex, taking note of the fresh looking construction. The "Australian Kiss". Was that the name of the joint? Well, definitely sounded like a bar name. Or a brothel. He wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter. But... what the heck? Deciding to look into the very new looking place, Castellan stepped up to the thick doors and pushed them open with a minor amount of exertion. What greeted the pink haired Adventurer after opening was a quiet ambiance, broken only by the voices of a couple old of Landers that were talking about this and that. The feminine faced young man strode up to the bar, spotting a Dwarf that served as the rather obvious bartender to the somber place. The Cleric took a seat upon a stool, careful to sit in a new fashion that he had to adapt to given the skirt that his new form wore in order to expose nothing, cape hanging loose and not being seated upon either.

Pink eyes looked upon the bartender before the soft voice that Castellan spoke with finally came out as well. "Good afternoon. What do you serve here?" He could tell the Bartender was an Adventurer and that probably meant a Brewer as well unless he was just taking up the job for some quick gold by the real owner of the joint or something. "I'm certainly in the mood for something strong, if you don't mind." He wasn't entirely sure if you could get drunk in Elder Tale even like they were now, but hell, the feminine Cleric could certainly give it a try to, that's for sure.

---
Words: 454

[Tobin]

Word Count: 316

"When the rhythm starts to play, dance with me, make me sway... When the lazy ocean-"

The dwarf paused from where he had been singing his gentle hymn when the door stood open and he sharply stood to attention and gave turned his features to a gentle grin. Somehow the dwarf didn't partially match the uniform he had been given, though he still tried to look somewhat posh while he waited for 'her' to approach him. What was compelling was that the lass wa quite striking, with the unusual pink eyes dressed up to the nines in cloaks. The cleric could likely see him give 'her' the look over, but otherwise, fixed her gaze as he gave the customary greeting.

"Howdy stranger, welcome to down 'nder, Well, there is a menu, but normally when people come ta a bar, they knuw what they 're searchin' for. Still, if ya lookin' for something strong ta start off with, whiskey, rum or wine is generally a good start, in my opinion."

The dwarf hoped down and opened some cupboards to uncover various bottles of whisky, fetched one over and placed a glass and on the table before the stranger.

"17% proof, though personah, I found that a good whisky helped get ya in the mood, thick, strong, tasty. After all, not like we are goin' anywher'. "

Tobin raise an eyebrow as he paused, he couldn't charge someone for a drink she had yet to order, though he would be the one pouring the thick, brown liquid into the glass. Or indeed anything anyone ordered as standard policy. After which he would ask the question on his mind with a gentle smile, crossing both hands behind his back as his gaze looked over her as not to interrupt the moment between woman and whisky

"So, how ya get to be here? A late comer like me, I guess?"

(OOC: IT'S A TRAP)

[Faded]

Tagged: ffa ▪ Notes: Them mornings.e ▪ Muse: N/A ▪ Health: 100% The best days always start with rolling out of bed, and face planting right into the floorboard. Why? Because in that moment right there, you know the rest of your day can only get better! With this in mind, Faded stood up from the floor and went over to open a window. Sun pored in the old abandoned space he was occupying, small detailed on the floor and walls showing how elegant the place had once been. He didn't have any plans on traveling outside the city today, so he went ahead and stripped himself of his armor, changing it out instead for a long-sleeved, dark green shirt, and simple pair of pants. He had a full day ahead of him, and was ready to face it as he walked on through the chipped door. Taking a moment to stretch out in the sunlight, he closed his eyes against the bright light, the Wolf-Hair taking his sweet time. Something about the day made it feel like a good one, despite the way it had started off. In fact, he was almost eager to go through it this time- almost. Wandering out further into the fresh air, he took in a deep breath then opened his eyes and looked up to see the sun ri- ... "Huh?" Instead of rising... the sun was already half-way across the sky!? "Ah... I've missed half the day already." Well, now it definitely couldn't get worst at least. Mornings- or rather, when he first woke up- those always seemed to be where he had the most trouble. At least he didn't forget his pants or anything. . . Pausing for a second, Faded took a quick look down at himself; Yeap, right where he put them, at least that's one bad thing that failed to happen today which didn't make things all that bad. Taking a second deep breath he said up to the clouds rolling over him, "Today isn't going to be so bad." With the short self-motivation to get him through the part that he hadn't missed yet, Faded started toward the streets of London. It was a little more crowded than usual, or at least it seemed that way to him. Looking from side to side, Faded let his eyes glance over various stores and traveling shops. At first, he didn't notice anything different from the day before, until he took a second glance at a building named The Australian Kiss. Well, it sounded a little suspicious, but it was something new that could possibly distract him from the rest of the day and hopefully keep trouble at bay. Making his way over, Faded stepped through the doors to find that the place did look brand new. In fact, there only appeared to be one customer and the bartender hanging out at the moment. It looked like a quiet setting, but he didn't mind, walking over to take a seat a few spaces away from what looked like a young woman. Nodding to the bartender, he sat in wait for him to get the woman's drink before he would order ask for his own glass of milk. Word Count: 521 made by kei at GS

[Castellan]

Castellan nodded slightly as the bartender spoke, taking a moment to think over what drink he wanted. "Nice, strong whiskey then. Just need something good and strong." His goal was to drown out any sorrows and worries after all. And the next question that came from the Dwarven bartender definitely provoke some of them coming back to the forefront of the lovely crossdresser's mind. That question of just what was happening on the outside world coming back in briefly before he mentally slapped it aside. No harm in answering this question, though he was a bit curious about the Dwarf himself.

"More or less. Been here a couple days now after I decided to pick up the game when I saw a copy in the store. What about you?" He grinned slightly, starting to rest an elbow on the bar before resting his chin on an upraised palm. Castellan bore a slightly alluring look as he continued to look at Tobin. "So. Australian Kiss, huh? Who picked that name out?" The slang wasn't lost on him and it was why the idea of it being some kind of brothel wasn't exactly out there. Infact, he began to consider messing with the Dwarf a bit and having some fun with the deceptive appearance of his new sexy form. It would be quite a bit more amusing than just drinking away the sorrows as well.

"Have to wonder a bit about the person who uses that for the name of their bar, no?" Castellan continued to speak, watching for the Dwarf's reactions.

---
Words: 260

[Bast]

Bast needed a drink, actually he was starting to wonder if that had become some sort of defence mechanism for himself to stop thinking about the life he used to live as Robert but thinking about such things just made him want a drink, which strangely didn’t reassure him. Bast sighed and decided he liked drinking and taking any thoughts to the idea that he was using it like a baby to a bottle would simply bring him to mentally question other acts as well like the killing of monsters being an outlet for his rage, or the elongated research into simple things, he wanted to find something in this world for pleasure and to live for…as death wasn’t an option something he was glad about that first day he came here but he wasn’t sure he wanted to think he might be trapped here not simply a lifetime but an eternity…Well on that dreary note he was going to try something to make him happier for a bit. Looking at the cross section of a log he moved his eyes up, took a few steps back and read the crude sign “The Australian Kiss” he smiled and looked at the heavy doors. Strip joint, Brothel or Bar, he didn’t really care most sold something to drink but he somehow doubted the first two no bouncers on the Door made him real sceptical but if it was an adventures joint they might not need any he laughed to himself and opened the doors to answer this mystery.



Opening it to find the rectangular room he heard a lass ask the same query he wanted the answer to, though when he say the dwarf behind the bar looking slightly tall for his natural size mind you made Bast remember their first meeting and his thoughts on the dwarfs choice of garment, as well. The dwarf had a way of making impressions that keep in your mind and query stupid things all slightly dirty he minded. Bast wanted to hear the answer to this, but as Tobin was busy with serving this lass, he glanced around the room to see if there was anything close by he could use to stay in proximity while not looking too nosy…welp there went that plan so he instead sat down on one of the round stools further away from them than he wanted but close enough that he hoped Tobin would still answer the lass and the lass wouldn’t scare off and leave before getting an answer because of the likely hood of slightly dirty connotations to the story however long it might be.



He took out a pack of cards and started shuffling them to give him a pretence for being sat at the bar and not feel like a peeping tom (forgetting his real reason and purpose for being here; A drink).So he shuffled manually and tried to swipe with his hand the auto shuffle option as his hands landed, he wanted the system to have the final readout a manmade shuffle wouldn’t work for his trick. The trick was a simple one really it relied solely on a skill of his from his Role playing class its name was Prediction and it allowed him to see system Spawns it was made for seeing monster spawns but he wondered many a time if it could work for other system spawns as well, he had never actually seen it while sober mind you but he could swear that system generated actions he could see if he had prediction on. So well he was sober now he wanted to try it, he wanted to see if he could beat a system shuffle and see/know what card he was drawing from a deck of cards. The answer was no sadly… but it was a terribly fun Idea and he kept at it nearly forgetting it was a pretence for listening and not the reason he was sat here...listening in part of him thinking well you are here to enjoy yourself so deal yourself another set while you listen and see if it was the concentration that was doing it eh…concentrating on anything too hard and you will overlook things.



He dealt himself another hand as he listened to the dwarf and the girl talk hoping he didn’t miss the answer to the signs naming question. Though again a part of him just wanted him to play with the cards, Ace of spades…no hearts but an ace at least heh was he dealing from the same deck nari brought. Smiling he simply tried to accept the focus he would use on any of the tasks would be whatever hit him with more interest. And Bast just let the cards land however they chose to this time. He was far happier not knowing why he was doing something and just enjoying it as it happened that focusing so hard on the why’s of his life really wasn’t good for him.


Word Count: 832
(OOC: seems a fun Idea hope you don't mind more weird string theory.)

[Tobin]

Word Count: 657

The dwarf deftly tilted the bottle to fill a glassful of whisky and, most likely received payment that was stored directly into a wooden till before he passed it over, turning away only to return the bottle to the shelf. There Tobin listened with a curious gaze, only when a new patron pushed open the door did his eyes flick up to take in the new visitor, before back again. The tale was very typical of those who came here, though perhaps he was foolish to expect news of the outside world, that he could of sold for many a gold coin.

“Yea’ my tale is similar. I brought it on the way home from work one night, I wanted a break from reality, I got it.”

He laughed at that little joke, when the new patron placed himself at the table he nodded and waddled over to him, raising an eyebrow at the request for milk and he gave a momentary blank look, before he hopped down off the stool and jogged down the aisle to get the milk from the food end, before jogging back to present a small glass full of the white fluid. Though the noise didn’t carry very well at all, the observant could tell he had been cursing under his breath at the obscure order while going away, yet as he came back his smile had returned. The last milk drinker he knew downed 3 barrels of the stuff as part of a drinking game, though he was not a sharer of secerts.

“ ‘ere ya go fella.” He spoke softly with the winning smile, gently pouring the frothy milk out of his small glass bottle, before he gently pushed it over. “Let me know if ya need anythin’ else” With that he returned to his original spot on the counter to his original patron. He noticed a familiar face at one of the tables, Bast. He cast a nod over to him with a grin, he required no hand gestures to convey his message, he couldn’t leave his station to woo this woman, but Bast seemed like he would appreciate the company. Did I mention Tobin didn’t know that a trap card had been set? Either way, his limitation with the bard would be limited until he became a customer.

"So. Australian Kiss, huh? Who picked that name out?" Tobin Rolled his eyes up at the question as a rumbling laugh left his lungs and he massaged the back of his head with a palm, it would be a lie to say he hadn’t been expecting it though it made the question no less amusing.

“Some myths state that the original barkeeper, havin’ originated from Australia brought the name ‘ith him, authentic Australian dinner that felt like a kiss from da down ‘nder, only ta die before the interior decoration was finished. Others say this was originally meant ta be a brothel, onleh to fall under initial censorship laws. Not PG-13.” Tobin looked up and winked at the observin’ eye from the sky, though it had many names. “This building predates me at least, so who entirely knows.”

Though he was no bard the dwarf was exceptionally good at bull dropping. Perhaps making up a new description every time he would be asked would be interesting way of passing time, though likely he would be drained quickly of answers. He found that he was at ease of speaking to this stranger, though he didn’t expect an immediate response.

“Oh, and there are bedrooms up there, like any tavern” He gestured at one of the doors at the far end of the room. -Though what happens there is strictly PG-13 for the sake of young members in the audience.- He thought to himself, mindful that while romantic tale were of amusement to some people, overstepping the mark here would result in a blow down delivered from down under. No pun intended.

(OOC: Tobin sets a trap card. Also, text between the - - is thoughts.)

[Faded]

Tagged: ffa ▪ Notes: *successfully avoids trap!* ▪ Muse: N/A ▪ Health: 100% Though it wasn't really his style to ease-drop, the quietness that was settled over the bar caused the single conversation to drift through the air. It was interesting to him to hear how others had come into the game, either being a long or short time player. Many cases seemed to be as an escape from reality in the long run, but then again that was just what a game was meant to be designed for; even if this one had taken that meaning to a whole other level. At the lull in words, Faded looked up to see the Dwarf coming his way. The raised eyebrow that came with his choice of beverage was expected, but he couldn't do anything about that. He was still too young to drink, and laws against it or no in this world, he had a few standards. At least he wasn't kicked out or anything like in the movies when someone asked for such a drink, in fact the Dwarf kept friendly, giving him a wide smile- he ended up missing the string of curses. Though Faded didn't return with any sort of grin of his own, keeping the same straight face, he nodded to show his appreciation, "Thank you, I should be fine with this though." Except for the rare occasion, he preferred to eat food alone in his home, right next to that favored empty chair he talks to like someone off their rocker. Rolling his shoulder back a couple times before settling into a comfortable position with one elbow on the tabletop, and his chin in the palm, Faded tried to relax as much as he could. Kicking back here was turning out to be the better part of his day after all. Sipping at his glass, he cast a lazy glance around the scene once more. Nothing was chipped or broken, orderly one might say. It was a little hard to say if a few bar fights would change that though, since fighting brought the guardians in. Letting his eyes rest on what he assumed as a pink-haired woman, the only real question running through his mind about her was if she could kick up a couple fights between guys for her. He could admit she was pretty enough, but still lost interest quickly enough. Continuing to gaze, he saw that a new patron had come in to sit down already, likely attracted by curiosity of a new place as well. The cards were what sparked a bit of curiosity. Though the other man didn't say anything or place an order, he looked entertained enough by the dealings he gave himself, shuffling and reshuffling. Turning his position slightly for the new angle, Faded went on watching him, trying to figure out from a distance just what sort of card game one could play alone besides solitaire. Word Count: 477 made by kei at GS

[Bast]

Bast had started reshuffling in stranger and stranger manners and just thinking of a card and had long shown his belief his prediction had any connection to card spawns was absurd after all it did say monster spawns on the ability. But he had kind of liked the idea of it working on all spawns… that didn’t get him down though since even two in ten times he got the answer right made him feel pretty chuffed since there was a far less likely fraction for what it actually should be meant he was doing well. He had heard the tale of the bar, the information he had wanted and was having fun; all in all he was feeling good about entering this place and not simply going off to kill stuff.



He waved to flag Tobin down but he was in no rush so dealt himself another shuffle and draw…aye what are the jokers still doing in the pack…laughing a bit as in reality they had just as much reason to be in this kind of game as any other card but really if they’re not needed for a game a large part of his mind felt they shouldn’t be there though he couldn’t on querying it get the foggiest of ideas why.



“Hi Tobin lord and master of the string theoretical meetings, I haven’t really kept up to date on the more fancy beverages this worlds brewers can make but you can’t by any chance maybe Tia maria or Kahlúa can ya. I feel like having a White Russian but well I wasn’t a hundred percent sure anyone could make the Coffee liqueur to make it. If not a cider will do me, Or anything with a touch of sweetness I just want a sweet buzz tonight, if ya got anything for that I’ll give it a shot or pint. You know depending on the glass it comes in.”



He hoped whatever he got was nice but while he waited he would play the silly prediction game he’d come up with to pass the time a few cards in a row this time guess one and flip it and move on not looking to see what he removed more fun that way playing with fractions… he really was in a bit of a rut wasn’t he, hehe well if your gonna have an off day there is no better place to spend it than a bar or for that fact doing silly things, why be sensible after all. With that thought he looked back up to Tobin while he dealt himself another round for predicting. Still looking at the dwarf bar keep as he tried to predict with only glancing at the card he was picking as he claimed in his mind the answer. He hoped Tobin wouldn’t mind too much that his customer wasn’t giving him full attention but he kind of thought if he stopped he might have a rashanal question about how what he was doing was fun…and then he was in trouble, because there are no answer for that question.


Word count: 519

[Deleted]

StatusDrunk from lack of sleep. OOC NotesCaer's here for comic relief. Tags@dindeen Tobin Another horrible night had passed and if that wasn’t enough, a horrible start to the day greeted Caerbannog too. Her enemic buster Hyzenthlay had woken the girl up every hour to check if she was still ‘unclaimed’, which would probably be the case now and forevermore with the rabbit as her pet. Caerbannog finally had enough; she gave the creature some breakfast and unsummoned her. Oh, surely she would never hear the end of it next time that she summoned Hyzen, but at that moment, the samurai just wanted some peace and quiet. But peace and quiet was not something that was allowed of her that day, for the guild suddenly had so many visitors that went to and fro and chatted and whatever- the wolf-hair stormed out of the guild house and ran out into the street clad in her pink bear pajamas. The samurai walked on and on until she arrived at a bar that did not seem familiar to her. But the roaring laughter from inside was all but strange to the girl- it was the dwarf. She noted that a cleric and a guardian was nearby, and a familiar bard too; they seemed to be engaged in conversation with the half-ling and judging by what Bast asked, the dwarf was a brewer. Oho that cheater, no wonder he was so resilient in their drinking games! Caerbannog did not know much about what brewers did aside from them being the drinks-version of chefs, but she did know about their most basic skill which was the drinking version of the chef’s Iron Stomach. “So... brewer,” the wolf-hair said as she walked up to the dwarf and slammed her hands onto the counter in front of her, “Played any drinking games lately?” This was Caerbannog in a bad mood which was mostly a threat only to monsters. To her eyes, the dwarf did not exactly count as an adventurer though, just a half-adventurer maybe, so the ‘threat’ part was only half-dismissible. She glared at him and it would have been quite the intimidating sight... save for the fact that she was just a few inches taller than him and was wearing pink pajamas. Pink BEAR pajamas. “Ughhh...” Caerbannog suddenly put her face right on the counter and put her arms over her head, and from that position, she asked of something from the half-ling as well, “Give strongest drink please. PLEASE.” WC: 400 || Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.

[Castellan]

Hmmm... Was the Dwarf simply spouting bull or was he telling the truth? So hard to tell. And beds, huh? Well, regardless. The feminine faced Cleric looked over at the others that had begun to trickle into the quaint little bar, the first had seemed like an average Lander, though one could see the Samurai display if they opted to. Perhaps he was just taking it easy and relaxing then, something that Castellan could appreciate. The other arrival was a bit more active, a brown haired Bard withdrew a deck of cards and began to shuffle in ever increasingly complex ways.

"Say, up for a card game?" He spoke up briefly to the Bard before the sound of someone storming up to the bar took up the pink haired young man's attention, looking to see a girl clad in pink bear pajamas walk up to the bar, slam her hands down and start talking to the Dwarven bartender. The whole thing was ridiculously cute, Castellan had to say. But still, the Cleric was also still waiting on that whiskey as well. Hopefully the Bard could provide a bit of amusement with that deck he carried at least. It was hard to keep the goofy smile of sorts that Castellan now wore off of his womanly face though after seeing the silly arrival of the girl clad in pink bear pajamas.

"And don't forget my whiskey." He spoke up briefly to the bartender before looking back to the Bard, slightly past the new arrival. "I'd be up for some gambling if you are. How about it?" Castellan needed something more to do than just sit here and drink, even if that did still seem inviting in it's own fashion. Let's see what the Bard had to say now though.

---
Words: 300

[Tobin]

Word Count: 1162

"White Russian... Hey? Interestin'. I haven' brewed that before"

Well, the dwarf wasn't really lying. He hadn't brewed much of anything before. Under the counter he opened a handbook and flipped through. It was a fairly simple recipe, coffee liquor, vodka, hence the “Russian” component, and cream. He paused as he noticed that there were ratios, he sighed as he gathered a glass and the two bottles on the counter before him along with a bottled cream. Back in the real world he had practically no experience in the mixing of drink, there simply hadn’t been the opportunity thus needless to say he would be winging it.

-Oh heck. Hopefully it won’t be bad as that time I made three impure poisons.-

He chuckled at the time he mixed Jägermeister and wine for one guy in a drinking game, before he briefly examined the liquor. Unfortunately such brands were uncommon as a stock item, thus neither of the brands asked for were present, only generic coffee liquor that didn’t taste especially strong. That would be one thing he would have to make when the time comes.

“I don’t hav’ any of these brand ‘ere, still want me to try with this?”

On the assumption of yes the dwarf first gently poured the thick brown liquor up to one third of the small glasses height over the ice and the same amount of vodka. He then gave mixture a stir with the long spoon to Homogenise the mixture into a more even blend. Then he took the cream shook it with a firm hand, unscrewing the cap to pour a thick cream over the mixture just below the glass line. This was different from the established ratios of 2.5.3 of liquor, vodka and cream respectively, but he figured that the liquor wasn’t especially strong tasting as it was a lander brand and that more needed to be added for a stronger kick, though these would be unfounded assumptions until his client tried it. It wasn’t standard procedure to leave the counter, the dwarf vaulted over and deposited the drink before him, he then swiftly returned to the counter with a second vault and about face, earning a single billboard of 6 from another behind the counter.


“Let me know if that’s to ya likin’, don’t be Russin’ down that one, ya hear?” Canned laughter. “I can see ya like ya card games though, what ya playin’? “ He inquired, an curious eyebrow raised as he watched the flickering cards with the milk drinker. Though he had met the bard several times, due to the entire string theory principle they hadn’t really spoken much either, though the aurthor wasn’t one to repeat a joke too fre… bugger. Only faintly aware of the figure that approached to his left and, with the same formal greeting.

“Howdy strang-“

The slam cut him off and his face visibly dropped as the beast stated facts.

-Oh shit, she knows.- To put in in Yu-Gi-Oh terms, the woman now knew that he ran mirror force in his deck, a card that could destroy any amount of alcoholic beverages she had face up on her side of the field. The glare was the worst though, those percing blue orbs that cut a sharp contrast to the shadows cast by her face, as if she was gaudging his alcoholic content prior to ripping the cork of his head to drink the distilled spirit that was contained within his blood. At least that would be the impression, if not for once in his vertically challenged life he actually stood a taller on his bench stool and being dressed in pink bear pj’s took the worst out of it, though perhaps that in itself made it even more surreal. Leaving him sweating slightly and somewhat less certain of himself as his own gaze faultered, after all, vertically challenged girls were terrifying if one had ever seen a horror movie.

“Well lassie, nobodeh stopped to ask me.” He cast a wink, which was technically true. After all, the art of war states that deception is a key part of winning the battle before it even started, though perhaps the great Chinese strategist’s really general principles were probably not intended to be used in a drinking game. “Actually, far as I recall, wasn’t even invited.” Despite the glare, he managed to chuckle as he dabbed his brow. It was still his fondest memory so far. By the end of that night, likely only he and Elk remained stranding due to brewer. Even now, he couldn’t entirely remember what happened after his last rule, so it must have been good. The last part he spoke in a hushed whisper. “Besides, ya can’t say I didn’t liven things up, a small price to pay.”

-For a level 1 to out drink all of ya-

Though he was nervous, he wanted everything to remain connected to anything else, so he didn’t state that last fact, leaving it for implication to make a deduction as to what the price was. The dwarf visibly relaxed when she put her head down and made the request. He would get to live for now.

“Alright then.”

He didn’t even bother asking her to be more precise, litrally anything would do, so he pulled a bottle of rum out of the cupboard and some sour lemon juice, sweetened by the edge of sugar. He put around 2/3 and 1/3 of each, as even he wasn’t entirely sure on the ratio of this drink and added a fist full of ice and after transferring the mixture over, shook it viciously between both hands. It was this moment that he took to respond to the stunning cleric, though for a moment there he thought he had saw a flicker of a smirk of some description.

“Whisky? It’s ovar here strawberry, I poured it out just before. Let me know if ya want anything else”

Indeed he had done, perhaps he proved so captivating that she had forgotten the drink was there? The dwarf could only dream of having winning charms. With that he emptied the mixture into a curiously shaped pitcher and dropped a couple of slices of lemon into it. When Caer drunk it, she would receive both strong flavours of the lemon and the power of rum, hopefully that would be enough to sate her for the best part of a minute. Hopefully.

“Ya alright? This is hardly the first time ya be in day carer, Cear Bear. ”

With that he turned to wash out his apparatus, his eyes scanned the room behind him. Things were starting to get a little more interesting, though he wasn’t entirely sure whether suggesting a card game in the presence of booze was the soundest of ideas. A dark shadow would sweep over the Australian kiss before this night was through, and the mayhem would be glorious. He started to hum again, the same methodical tune.

[Bast]

[OOC: Noo no I never repeat a joke, totally a different person :)]

Brand wasn’t a matter though the way the dwarf had looked at the coffee liqueur and appeared to want to put more in he guessed it was a weak brand, so after the dwarf gave it to him with a vault over the counter to serve it straight to the young bard. Stirring it after appreciating the nice layering he hoped it would maximise the combine flavours as much as layers were good they were better when strong, if not stirring was good to just make it a nice mixed flavour, in his mind anyway. “This will be good thanks.”



“The Cards were to practice a magic trick, but ended up as a game, as it became apparent I am no magician with these things. Hmm a game lass sure I’m up for a game of Pink Bear…Pyjamas…uh anything really, what’s your… ” The wearer of Cute Attire was making a habit of it last time he met the girl she was in a maid outfit, seemed a lot shier then, though the angry bear stare and the drinking game line maybe him smile all the same…grin extending at each of Tobins words as the puzzle filled it’s self out and a mischievous story formed in Basts mind. The Coup de grâce was her face to table hands on head and her ordering the strongest drink with a double needy please. He was already growing to like this pub.



With grin covering ear to ear…he knew he wasn’t in a poker face mood, well unless he could keep himself leveled on this high somehow, seemed unlikely So he decided “You happy with a game of Blackjack or did you have something in mind? Though if we can a few more people would be a welcome sight to any game.”



Bast took a sip of his drink and heard Tobin’s last line to Cearbannog and created sweet bubbles in his creamy drink well a little froth never hurt anyone stopping his intake of beverage till a time might come where he was not in the immediate feelings of laughter and grins.
“Hay wolf in Bears clothing want a game or should we give ya a minute of alone time. But it would be nice to chat we didn’t chat much last time we met.”
He felt the slight drip onto his lips telling him the drink had given him a white mustache with a slight brown tinge likely. He resisted the urge to wipe it away thinking that a little ridiculousness might leave little miss pj feeling a bit more comfortable if someone else was looking out of sorts, but it could always backfire he was never sure about these things…but he was only a wipe away from normality so that might not be enough.



Tilting his head he asked “So wanna game hmmm.”


Word Count: 473

[Faded]

Seeing the card game grow in complexity, Faded only grew in curiosity along with it. He was about to head over just to ask if it was a self-created game, but the pink-haired woman ended up beating him to it, asking if the man was up for a game himself. Figuring it would be a different one dealt than the guy was playing before, his interest dropped once again, not really a card player himself despite the interest in complex things. Before the woman could head on over to the other table, however, someone else joined the slowly growing bar, this time a black-haired woman clad in... in...... Pink bear pajamas?

Blinking a few times, Faded reached up to rub at his eyes before looking back at the woman in the doorway again. They weren't playing tricks on him, she was still dressed up like a pink bear- and casting a glare that would make most people flinch at the bartender. Those pajamas though... it just made her temper at him look downright adorable. Brushing a bit of his white hair out of his face, he rethought his view on what trends people tried to make popular. This one was at least one of the more interesting he had seen. Then that face-table after her fit, still adorable.

Taking up his empty glass, the Wolf-Hair got up to sit next to the girl with the raven hair, laying it back down in front of him to run his finger of the edge lazily. "Good evening miss, sir." Faded nodded to them both in turn, unwilling to shake hands. "Sorry, but, did you come here dressed like that on purpose?" As blunt as usual, he asked the first thing running through his head. He wasn't trying to taunt or tease the woman, that was just how he was.

Word Count: 310

[Deleted]

StatusDrunk from lack of sleep AND rum. OOC NotesCaer's here for comic relief. Tags@dindeen Tobin With her face buried in her arms up until the dwarf offered a drink, there were a few things that the samurai missed. Mostly it was whatever Bast said, but she could hear the words nonetheless. Now the question was, did she understand what she heard? Not at all. She didn’t even understand half of what the dwarf said. Did he just insult her? HE JUST INSULTED HER, DIDN’T HE? With another glare shot up at the half-ling who seemed to be taller than her for some reason at that point, Caerbannog now had a pout to accompany her not-quite-menacing look. With one hand she grabbed the offered drink while the other grabbed the dwarf by the collar. She took one look at the drink and then at the dwarf. “This better be good or I’ll send you flying!” the girl threatened the man and as she moved her head so that she could take a sip of the drink, the pink bear pajamas bobbed a little and its ears fell forward a bit. Was that... was that rum? The lemony deliciousness offset the pirate-grade strength, but if it was a question of if the girl could take it, well let’s just say that she’d be a samurai-pirate if that ever existed in Elder Tale. After the first sip, the pitcher was tilted higher until none of the liquid remained. Caerbannog stared at the empty container and then she burped. Mmmm lemony. “That was good,” Caer nodded at the dwarf to acknowledge his good work. She then put the pitcher down and reached over the counter to grab the half-ling’s belt. In pretty much the same fashion that she threw the man in a certain other thread, the samurai lifted up the brewer and threw him at a wall to the side. Conveniently away from fixtures and paintings, and not so hard as to disallow him to land gracefully. Indeed, it was a rather friendly throw. “OR means one has to be TRUE, and both can be TRUE,” she reasoned. Computer logic; oh, @0x1dea would be proud! As for the people around her, Caer hopped up to the strawberry-haired girl, squinted and stared at her face. It seemed that the girl knew -something- was wrong with the cleric but no, not really. She just wanted to do that to creep her out. And then she did the same thing to Bast who had recommended a card game. “Only if there’s more drinking,” was her reply to the bard. And lastly, Caerbannog hopped up to the guardian. “You’re in a bar with an R-18 name,” was the samurai’s answer to his question about her choice of attire. The samurai spun around once with her arms stretched above her head, and then she went back to the counter, took the empty pitcher and raised it overhead so that her arms were constantly above her bear ears. “ANOTHER!” she screamed. WC: 485 || Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.

[Bast]

[OOC: Partly doing this so fast after the last because I didn't have anything else to write, second because the idea of a drinking game felt more fun that having thoughtful conversation and looks at pokerfaces at the moment.Hope that's ok.]

Bast took a few mouth fulls of his drink it really was a nice flavour, the cream and even the weak liqueur complimented each other all mixed in with vodka… always nice. And Caerbannogs words struck home, hell the stare sent shivers down his spine but with the floppy hood of the bear he could only think they were good shivers especially as his grin still spread wide under those eyes. Though another part of him looked at this girl comparing her with the shy lass he met for the clean-up and felt happy at seeing such a contrast, contrast was always interesting.

“Hay pink hair you up for betting your sobriety instead of your cash…though since were in a bar I guess that will be in there too, since people will have to buy the drinks?”



Sure he had come in here just wanting the taste of a drink rather than getting his normal hangover…but in for a penny in for a pound and he preferred drinking games to the stooge old casino games for one you can edit the rules and it isn’t cheating in fact most it is part of the game. The scream and the anger of the bear should probably have made him think twice about his offer but he liked games with at least three people in though preferred them bigger. Licking his lips at the idea, he got the taste of the creamy drink, woops forgot about that.


“What kind of game in a bar doesn’t have drinking Caer, you’re on let’s drink and game. Just depends on you guys how much drinking? Hey White hair you up for a drinking game lad, I have always found they are enjoyable, I think you will too. So won’t you join us, please?”



Bast wanted the lad both for numbers and it was nice to have more male bods than his singularity, he amounted to two numerical values in his eyes and so his focus was on him even more so than the bear girl. And still focusing on him hoping that if his eyes didn’t leave they prey…he meant player, the lad wouldn’t find some corner or the door to flee to.



“So since the game is yet unconfirmed, casino style card games with blackjack with each hand that is less than the bank you must drink the amount you are less than it, down your drink every time you go bust and for the bank you drink the amount of times added up of all above them. So will need a lot of refills for continued play .Or do we go more tradition drinking game of ring of fire? Though for that we have to decide if we are going by anyone personal rule set or if we pick our cards and depending on the person who picked it they determine what it means…only done that once but it is fun if everyone has a rule set they know of for it, though a little crazy at times. I’m happy with anything. What is everyone’s poison tonight?”



He hoped everyone was fine with a drinking game, Bast was unsure if the strawberry haired lass would back out she did say gambling and drinking games are not really gambling. But he hoped that was ok and drinking fun would be possible he didn’t really want to alienate her with that choice… but if it was a drinking game he would need more than this little thing. He would want at least two pints for starters. Going up to the bar he asked Tobin for an old favourite;


“You couldn’t by any chance make me two pints of snakebite. By a mix of half a stout, or if you don’t think it’s a good one in stock a larger and a cider sweet or strong I love them both.”



Smiling he hoped he was ok to ask for it he knew that most English bars didn’t allow to directly sell them anymore as they got you drunk real quick in their opinion or some such silly reason but you could make your own there anyway so he never really understood it. But here he didn’t know how well mixing the drinks would work for him here, he didn’t want to risk it so he asked for it directly hoping the bartender didn’t follow silly rules from the other side across like that one, it made no sense. Turning to the room hoping to accompany the strawberry hair and the white hair in this introduction “I don’t think I have actually introduced myself, I’m Bast bard by class, with an equal amount of silly, idiocy and genius making up my characteristics. Though one of those might well be only in my head, I leave you to decide which one.”


Word Count: 803

[Tobin]

(OOC Caer threw me, so natrually theres a lot of that. XD)

Word Count: 760

The dwarf took her lack of response as appeasement, or that she slept through his monolog. Both were equally possible and positive for him. Yet he found the air he had previously enjoyed hard to come by as he found himself face down on the worktop, Caers pouting face weighed his life in one hand, the pitcher in the other much like Egyptian judgment of his soul. It might have been cute to some onlookers, but Tobin’s heart thundered through his flush face.

“R-Right, ya won’t be disappointed”

His pale gaze focused on her as she drank, his heart raced faster as she took more of the golden yellow fluid, though it wasn’t till it had been completely drained and she voiced approval, though he paused a hand slid over the counter and grip him just below his chest, he gasped. In fear, you dirty punters.

“Wait, lass, what ya do…. Oh god repressed memories hooo!”

The glorious spin toss sent him flying upside down as he screamed away, yet he managed to somehow land on the wall and pounce off, landing on his feet next to a Lander Bard that became inspired sang a song about the exploit.

“I actually survived! I mean, I’m alrite, I’mma trained professional.””

“Spider dwarf, spider dwarf, does what a spider dwarf does, gets a bo -Smash- HOLY COW THERES GLASS IN MY EYE!!”

The offending lander bard had a glass cup introduced to his face and was pushed out through the door as the dwarf casually hummed the tune as he slid back behind the counter. Hopefully that song wouldn’t remain in his saga, though he admit, it was remarkably in tune. The dwarf glared silently at Bast at the drinking game suggestion though, flashbacks of whatever happened towards the end the night flashed through his mind.

“Errm, tha’ might not be the be…. Never mind. Sure, snakebite, right? Ya funeral buddy. I be sure to tell a bard about ya, not tha’ one out there, obviously. Your gonna need at least six.”

Likely silenced by a glare by lord knows who, the dwarf sighed and started lining up a long string of thin glasses, about 6 in total and produced a few bottles of hard Julian cider and, since this was the UK and not America, he chose to mix it with lager. Though the ratios were meant to be equal, the dwarf had prepared the first 2 in uneven quantities, shaken by his pre-warner brothers flight.

-Come on Gav, it’ all about the technique, pour for precisely 2 seconds for both bottles…-

He closed his eyes momentarily as he massaged his temple and took deep breath, his hand steadied as he poured and opened his eyes, 1, 2, he stopped and repeated the same motion with the other bottle, this drink was going to be…

“ANOTHER!”

The dwarf jolted the carbonated liquid spraying over the worktop, the dwarf cursed, before he glanced up with a trembling heart. He was in for it now, though there was one sentence, just one, that would bare him salvation.

“Waitwaitwait, this one free lass!”

With that line he may have saved his life and, presuming she let him, he prepared another lemon bomb quickly before he returned to preparing the remaining beverage, again silently counting in his head as his fat had struggled to remain stable, the first time he was slow and methodical with the pouring, counting mentally with each draft of the bottle improved his volume control significantly Before long, the drinks were ready and Tobin placed them on a tray and brought them over. He placed the glasses around the table in a ring, before he commented dryly.

“Since nay one ‘ere has paid yet, da first one to yield will be tha’ one footin’ the check.”

The weakly smiling dwarf went to turn away, when he paused and looked Caer in the eye, issuing a once in a life time command.

“Cear, drink ta ya hearts content, lass. ”

He then returned to the counter and put his head on the table, assumedly quietly sobbing as he steeled his heart against the madness, the dwarf’s heart went out to Bast as he knew, deep down in the darkest depths of his consciousness that he was unlikely to come away from the match intact. He raised his eyes up to stare at the milk drinker, the young one, and gently whispered.

“Buddy, ya might wanna stand back for this one, this might be contest tha’s worth watchin’. Anythin' ya wanna talk about?”

[Faded]

That answer though... Faded just stared at her for a moment, trying to process what she was trying to say. So, because he was in a bar with an R-rated name, she decided to greet the day in her pink bear pajamas for the world to be jealous of. Yeah, okay. That made about as much sense as anything else, he could roll with it. Then the amazing flying dwarf circus act. He was either extremely lucky to land on his feet, or just that good. Even with all the chaos going around him though, Faded still sat in his stool- a neutral observer. He preferred not to fight unless someone asked for help, but the dwarf was hardy enough to take the damage and return well enough.

So spider dwarfs, screaming bears, and... well, bards getting glass in their eye didn't exactly fit as smoothly, nor was it an animal... but that was there to- oh my. Faded had wanted something to distract him for some of the day, he probably couldn't have picked a better place. That dwarf and carebear though, they seemed excessively violent though with how they went about doing things. Why the dwarf was afraid of the girl though, was something he didn't understand. Even with their height differences, smashing a glass into someone's face seemed more vicious than throwing someone. Ah well, there was probably some other reason for him to be so terrified that he would let her drink as much as she wanted without paying; or maybe guilt? Not as believable, but possible.

Looking back to the card table when he heard himself being called out to as White hair. "Faded, guardian class." He replied in greeting to the introduction. Taking the dwarf's advice as well as just following his own personal rules Faded went on, "And I don't drink, too young for it anyway." Keeping to his stool, he turned to face the card table to observe them from a safe distance instead. Leaning his elbows back on the tabletop, he watched the supposed three prepared for their game, glancing over his shoulder briefly at the dwarf. "Hm? Sure... What made you decide to be a brewer? Just the power to out-drink anyone, or something more?" Not the most exciting topic, but Faded wasn't a very excitable person.

Word Count: 387

[Mab]

Noises everywhere, Mab thought as she wandered around Londinium. Silly name the girl thought. Might as well just call it London. It would save so much time saying or typing it every time. But the game makers had decided it was Londinium, so Mab had to deal with it. The streets were busy and people seemed to be everywhere. During her wandering the girl felt a thirst that just did not seem to lessen no matter how much water she drank. In all honesty water was all the girl had been drinking ever since she was stuck in this game. Mostly since every other drink that was available in the stalls looked different but tasted like water no matter what they said. It was unfortunate that no-one had invented smoothies yet, or milkshakes. No wonder really, if the cows where mad, and chased you around instead of allowing themselves to be milked obediently. “Stupid mad cows!” Mab cursed under her breath. Her diet existed solely from fruits and water. At one point or another it was enough to drive the girl mad from wanting a hamburger.

“I want a REAL HAMBURGER!”

Mab yelled out feeling frustration levels rising. Her arms flailed through the empty air, aimlessly while she shouted out. If people noticed Mab, they made a good show of pretending not to notice. This meant that there was no-one willing to listen to this girl venting her frustration. For a moment Mab considered throwing herself to the ground and rolling around, in the meantime shouting “I want a hamburger, I want a hamburger.” And repeat it until she got a hamburger. Mab decided against doing so at this time. Mab Realized that she was over reacting and being needlessly glum about it.

The rainbow dressed girl, wearing her favorite hat, the black top hat with bunny ears looked glum today. Absolutely glum. Staring downwards not really paying attention to her surroundings the girl resumed her aimless wandering. Mab could not help feeling restless, all in all, things where just too quiet. Not enough action, not enough time spent doing what she loved doing best. What she loved doing best was adventuring, this was quite difficult to do alone. Mab realized this and was not yet crazed enough to do so. Though this mental state was awfully close.

It was around this time Mab heard voices, merry voices, loud voices even. It awakened something in the girl. What was awakened one could ask, it was curiosity. What could be so entertaining that people were in such a merry state in this dismal city? Mab wanted to know. Not being able to ignore her curiosity the girl edged closer to the establishment that was the cause of all the ruckus. Mab ever so slowly made her way to the entrance, looking around to see if others noticed the sounds emanating from the building. Not sure what to make of her surroundings she moved closer still, just until she was just besides the entrance. With her back to the wall she carefully moved her head so she could peek inside this strange building. There were several people in there, Mab thought she recognized a few of them, there was a bard, a samurai in bear outfit, and a dwarf she had all seen before. The others in there were unfamiliar to the girl. Unsure of the buildings purpose she decided to peek inside a little longer before she made up her mind to enter. The moment she entered surprised herself too. Before she knew it she had made herself inside the weird establishment. She noticed Tobin standing behind the counter. Mab tried not to stare at anyone, which lead to her staring at everyone in turn. Not too long but just long enough to be noticed and even to make it somewhat uncomfortable. Once at the counter she noticed a high stool. The girl sat herself down on the stool and looked around. Everyone seemed to be having drinks…

“They should all taste like water anyways, so why bother making them look like that?”

Mab silently questioned the odd state of things. To anyone who had met Mab before there was something different about the girl today. Today her sparkling personality seemed very dim indeed. It almost seemed she was haunted by some gloomy spirit that had taken over. Indeed her longing for hamburgers and cola had made her less optimistic than she had been since the first time she found herself stuck in this strange and mostly wonderful world.

------------------------------------------

Word count 757 

[Tobin]

Word Count: 467

The dwarf had noticed a pair of eyes fixated on him and Caer, in retrospect, he felt a ping of guilt for smashing a glass over the Lander Bard, perhaps he had spent too much time adventuring in the field with more unstable characters. With an unsettled shudder he pushed it out of his mind; he would dwell on it later away from duty on his own accord.

"Why I wanted to be a brewer? Funny ya should ask that." He paused as he washed a glass out, his eyes seemed to search the cabinet for the answers. "I guess since I wanted to do somethin' different. I know most adventurers would avoid drinkin' alcohol in a fight, but it numbs the pain and gives confidence. Also, kind of wanted a hobby that wasn't directly related to kicking something in. I do like the joy that only serving a drink, with a delightful flavour on the tongue can restore hope. That’s probably the most important reason, without hope..." He clicked his tongue as he frowned, a momentary outward sign of a memory rapidly repressed. “Well, I rather not talk about that, Lets just say I am fighting a war against despair itself. I think I am fighting the good fight, no?"

The dwarf paused momentarily, letting his eyes settle on the boy, before he paused and sent a telepathic message.

-Oh, and Caer tis a member of the largest guild at the moment, they sort of have a monopoly on things atm. She may look harmless, but she's the last person ya wanna screw with.- He chuckled at the double pun, though the primary intent of the message seemed pretty obvious. -That and her bro's the boss. Personally it’s much easier to let her hav’ what she wants, then risk incident.- The dwarf felt it was only fair to warn him. He spoke from fresh experience, though he had yet to see her draw her blade, if Oxford and Kuromi were anything to go by, her strength was beyond his imagining. After all, he wanted this bar to stay in one piece, his livelihood depended on it.

His gaze flicked on the latest parton to come through the door and he raised a smile, it seemed that this time the ‘sun from up north’ had set. Tobin raised his right eyebrow as he showed teeth in a giant grin, the ink of the tattoo moved with his expression, as a result his eye seem larger then it actually was.

“Hey there wee lass, turn ya frown upside down, it don’t suit ya to be glarin’ like the Ice Bitch” somewhat ironic, as even behind the counter she towered over him. “Ya want something to drink? I mean, if ya want somethin’ non-alcoholic, ya can just ask me.“