Fate - First Reply Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints.

[Violetta Amrita Primrose]

Heartfoul Tavern - Somewhere In the Falwood

The universe had told Violetta over and over again recently that she was just a mortal. It was a curious thing to want to beat into the head of someone who did all she could to feel alive. Approaching forty, Violetta had still felt like she was nineteen with all the drinking and fighting she did. She’d also been lucky enough to retain a tremendous amount of beauty, even behind the scars.

She had no interest in squandering the rest of her life with solely chores and work. While she would always maintain a level of professionalism when she cared for her village, she was still one to take part in revelry often. And typically in seedy places hidden by magic.

The Heartfoul Tavern was a place one was invited to or already knew the location of. No one found it because it was meant to not be found. Cloaking magic hid the place and even allowed the air where it should be to be passed through by those unaware.

“Cattle never, hunt forever. Let me through, so my sword ignores you.” Were the only words the unseen doorman would accept as entry.

Cauliflower, the one-eyed saurian doorman appeared before Violetta with a shit eating grin.

“You’re always a sight for sore eyes, Violetta. Hope you’ve the coin.”

Violetta scoffed.

“I’m no slouch. Be it with a coin purse or a whiskey. It better burn tonight.”

Wry smile still plastered on Cauliflower’s face, he turned to wave his hand. The Heartfoul Tavern appeared in all its slimy glory. The exterior had several arrows pinned to the walls as well as stray daggers that had been thrown during scuffles.

The greenish brown paint was chipping to the point the place looked abandoned. Broken windows and graffiti added to the squalor. For one who’s never been here, they may see it as a place haunted.

Violetta swung the creaky door open to the tavern and a grin crept across her face. The interior was a much different story. Black and red pristine wood tables and chairs all throughout the enormous establishment. The upstairs closed off for those interested in the more scandalous of pleasures still held an air of class.

The dim light and quiet vibe was always a pleasant sight for her. Sconces with grey flame torches were all that added to the quaint atmosphere. And of course, the mercenary Gr’ias. The elven archer who she was pretty sure the Dreadlords were still looking for had already prepared her a whiskey and an ale.

She approached the bar and handed him the necessary coin before slamming the whiskey back like it was water.

“Gr’ias.”

“Violetta.”

The only words they ever said to each other. The only ones needed.

 

[Mara]

The Heartfoul Tavern was a rather interesting place. Not the kind of place you’d be likely to find the rather painfully average looking elven professor, yet here she was to stick out like a sore thumb. Of course the establishment she taught at was much more than the simple school for teaching girls magic and manners that the citizens of Fal’Addas knew it to be. There was an organization behind it all, a criminal family of sorts. She was not involved, nor would they ever know how much she knew of their deeds.

The family's existence did lead her to this tavern years ago, however, and she was almost thankful it did. Hundreds of lives full of lost memories combined with her profession led her to bouts of grief that could only be alleviated by getting hammered out of her fucking mind.

Her eyes glanced over the girl with horns as she entered, a maybe familiar face. Most people who were unfortunate enough to stumble in and know a very specific phrase were familiar to her. It was uncommon for a new face to show around here and the old faces who were no longer around were likely victims of her or her brother. No one ever commented on it, though, which she appreciated. It made the pain of her tasks less painful.

She was lost in her third glass of wine and thoughts on the woman’s uneven horns, not realizing that she had been staring at her for quite some time.

She noticed the woman speaking to the archer.

Poor thing. She thought to herself, still staring. Brother will get to him if the Dreadlords fail their mission.

For the archer's sake, she hoped the Dreadlords would be successful when the time came.

She only stopped staring to turn to the bartender, dripping the last bits of wine onto her tongue before slamming the glass into the table. “Something stronger.” She demanded.

Violetta Amrita Primrose

 

[Violetta Amrita Primrose]

Violetta sipped from her ale and let her eyes drift towards the stranger she was sitting not far from. She hardly looked the type to frequent this place, but the same could be said about herself. Whatever she was trying to drown it seemed the wine wasn’t going to cut it. That made her smirk a bit and she turned to look at Gr’ias.

Violetta pointed to her empty shot glass and threw him four fingers. He nodded before he responded to Mara,

“Certainly.” His voice was cautious and polite. One trained from years of encounters with much more violent people than he.

Violetta stood up and moved over to the elven woman, planting herself in the seat next to her. Gr’ias came swift as ever with four shots of the same whiskey she was pulling. One more sip of her ale and she nodded at the drinks.

“Basilisk’s Venom. It’s gonna hurt. But it’ll do the job.”

Mara ​

 

[Mara]

They were moving close. Why were they moving closer?

Mara questioned in her head, making no attempt to acknowledge that the woman had gotten up from her seat until she sat down next to her. Of course she was followed by the one with all the bounties on his head.

Her feelings of discomfort were not evident on her face as she looked up and gave the pair a smile much too soft for anyone spending their gold in this establishment. Her eyes glanced over the shot glasses. Four drinks for three people? She raised a brow and grabbed one of the glasses, examining the liquid in the dim lighting. "Going to hurt?" She chuckled, sniffing the whiskey and only slightly recoiling at the rich scent. Mortals are weird- choosing to consume things that pain them.

"I highly doubt it hurts, but thank you." The way she spoke, as well as the way she carried herself was very much how one would expect a professor of a prestigious school. It was a little too perfect- too perfect for a normal tavern let alone a hidden one masked as an abandoned building. "I will get the next round. Anything you fancy, or do you only drink whiskey?"

She placed the shot glass to her lips and downed it quickly, breaking the façade of an uptight woman for a moment as she shuddered and gagged at the horrid taste. Not painful, but absolutely fucking rancid.

Violetta Amrita Primrose

 

[Violetta Amrita Primrose]

She seemed to be ready for the whiskey to hit her but when she finally downed it looked as if she vomited in reverse. Violetta chuckled at her repulsion, mainly because she knew that would happen. It wasn't the gal's fault. It took Violetta a long while before the Venom stopped kicking her teeth in the gut and her gut in the teeth.

Violetta took one of the three remaining and threw it back with a light grimace.

"I warned ya." She smiled sympathetically at her. The drink was just supposed to be an icebreaker after all. Company in a place like this was not only welcome. It was also just smart.

"I've no preference, if'n you wanna buy somethin' a bit more stomach-able. I did ya dirty there."

Mara ​

 

[Mara]

She laughed, choking back a few tears that the whiskey seemed to bring out of her. "Indeed, you did warn me. Perhaps I should start taking things like that into consideration before taking shots of strange liquids." She dabbed under her eyes to dry the tears.

"I do have to say it was much more palatable than trolls piss, but still awful." She paused. "How about we take turns until we are utterly shitfaced?" Her eyes drifted over to the man who accompanied her, offering him a warm smile. "You too, dear. I'm afraid you're not getting out of this that easily."

She took note of the look on his face as she acknowledged him. He must know his time was nearing its end.

"Absinthe! Lets start with that one. It's supposed to make you hallucinate, but I think anything would if you drank enough of it." She placed her order with the bartender before turning her attention back to Violetta. "Forgive me for asking if it offends you, but are you from around here? The Falwood, that is. I can't pin where I've seen you before."

Violetta Amrita Primrose

 

[Violetta Amrita Primrose]

She was a talkative one. Much more so than expected. And her and Gr’ias seemed to either know each other or have some sort of understanding. In that case, it was likely that she’d been here a time or two before. Once you knew about the place it was hard to not want to visit so often. She just didn’t seem the type to be spending time here.

“Ah absinthe, why not? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were celebrating perhaps.”

As she was talking she slid one of the Venom’s over to Gr’ias across the bar. He’d already started making the requested beverages but stopped just briefly to shoot it. It was mostly impressive that none had spilled out. Violetta really liked to drink.

“I am,” she said, “I’ve lived ere’ m’whole life, actually. I help run a village a few dozen miles from here. I don’t believe we’ve met though, I’m Violetta.”

She’d extend her hand to be shook, if Mara would be so inclined.

 

[Mara]

"Celebrating?" She chuckled to herself. She couldn't be further from the truth. There was hardly anything worth celebrating in this world for her.

"I am, actually!" She lied to the woman before her. "I've been working on transcribing some old elven ruins out in the Falwood and we've finally made some sense of the writing." She cringed as the words left her mouth. It'd probably be much more reasonable to just tell the woman she was a schoolteacher and that was why she was doing shots of absinthe before the sun had even fully set.

She hesitated a moment before shaking the woman's hand. The reaction she received from physical contact seemed to vary form person to person. She was still unsure why some found her touch to be ice cold, but theorized it must have been some symbol that they were close to their demise.

"Mara," She stated her own name before pulling her hand back. "What is this village you speak of? I wonder if I've stumbled upon it in my travels. I've never left the border's of the Falwood, but I've traveled extensively throughout her."

She grabbed the next glass that was slid her way and tossed it back, hissing as the green liquid went down her throat. "What brings you here, if I might ask?"

Violetta Amrita Primrose

 

[Violetta Amrita Primrose]

Violetta nodded to her notion as Gr'ias slid the drinks over to the two. He leaned against the counter. He had no intention of speaking but chose instead to listen to the ladies' conversation.

"Ay, there be a lotta ruins out here. And you elves live nigh forever. Can't imagine how deep your roots do run. Grats then, Mara."

Just after Mara took her second, Violetta followed. Ah, the second was always the worse of the pair. A much wider grimace and a fist to her chest made it clear that it was still brutal even to an alcoholic like her.

Violetta bobbed her head in thought.

"You've likely seen it, then. We are northeastern border or so. S'got no name. Just a fishin' village. Big enough for a school but too small for a bank. Ain't much a journey to Vel Anir though that's not a journey I care to make. As for m'presence?"

The tiefling lifted her glass of absinthe plus whatever the hell Gr'ias had put in this drink.

"A girl's thirsty." She smirked. "Y'self?"