The Gardenkeeper's Daughters

Lotus- 14

It's snowing outside here. Winter comes hard and fast to this land, and the denizens of this world wear large tawny fabrics to protect themselves from the cold. We've copied their fashions best we could, though walking around in them is suffocating. The creatures of this planet are bipedal, have little hair despite living in a freezing climate, and are generally very incompetent.

However, they do have many mythical species similar to ours, and these cute little pubs with lovely fires burning in the hearth and people singing.

Not very well, of course, but still I think it's a nice touch.

Gash strides in in front of us. He's wearing a long cape in tandem to a large hood, while the rest of us are wearing very conservative coats with long boots. Many of the other females have large wedges beneath their boots, making them taller, but they're almost impossible to walk on.

"Here with your ladies?" asks the man at the bar as we sit down. He's large, dumpy, and smells like fermented just about everything.

Gash looks at him and tries to disguise how awful the comment was. "Just the one. The others are travelling companions of mine."

"Shouldn't be out this late. You should know that not everyone is quite as much of a gentleman as I am. There have been rumors of werewolves in these parts. Wolfmen. Definitely not very pleasant." The bartender replies. "Can't trust these dainty little ladies to defend themselves. They're fragile."

Gash looks at us, and we try to keep a straight face, knowing a little too well exactly what the 'rumors' have been. "You don't say," he says quietly, keeping down a snicker. "I think we can keep ourselves safe from wolfmen just fine."

"I do say. Don't play mindgames with me. Now, are you ordering a drink or not?"

"Your finest wine." Aislyn says quietly, running a finger down the menu with a distasteful expression on her face.

"Give me the strongest cider you've got."
"Vivian!" I say, elbowing her. "You're going to kill yourself!"
"Trust me. I always know what I'm doing." She elbows me back much harder.

"Sure you do." I tease. "I'll take a house special."
"Tonight, we're serving this new milky beverage for the holidays. Milk, sugar, cinnamon, lots of love and a little alcohol. We call it eggnog. You sure you want some?"

I nod, having no idea what alcohol is, though the lots of love does sound promising.

As the bartender strides away, Natrina whispers, "This is a disgusting society. Can someone remind me why we're still here?"

"Magical items that may work in a similar fashion to Dreamlandian magic?" I offer.

"Thoroughness?" Aislyn suggests.

"Really, really good cider?" Vivian says, and we all exchange a nervous laugh.

The bar man returns with our drinks and I sip, feeling immediately much sleepier. As I keep drinking, enjoying the milky warmth, I find myself pressed against the window. My weary eyes see some sort of dull shape, something very... recognizable.

"Is that... a dragon?" I ask, rubbing away the frost on the window with delicate fingers. They're surprisingly sensitive, and as I rub my hand against the frost it makes my whole arm tingle with the freezing sensation.

"Yeah, yeah, they're natives. It's fine." Aislyn says, spinning her drink with the fingers she's already learned to master.

Natrina, who hasn't ordered a drink, is cozying up to Gash. "Hopefully they're less awful here than they are in Dreamland."