Comms and Other Long FE Oneshots

A Crusader, A Bard, and a Bishop Walk Into a Bar...

        "I still can't believe we're doing this," Saias muttered, but he'd already sipped at the wine and Lewyn took that as commitment to the cause.

"Huh." Seliph's grimace matched Saias's after both of their first sips, and the blue-haired swordsman swished the dark red liquid in the cup carefully. "You know, for something that people can't stop drinking, I thought it would taste better."

"Askr's specialty doesn't lie in it's wine," Lewyn informed both of them, leaving off playing his lute to take a sip of the drink the waitress had poured. Shaking his head afterwards but not mimicking the boys' grimaces. "Flat. See, Velthomer has their spiced wine down to almost an exact science, it's almost always a beautiful experience to drink that. This hasn't been aged enough, I think. We'll have to see if the others are any better."

"So this was why you insisted we try everything on the menu." Saias actually rolled his eyes, and Lewyn grinned. "You realize that Seliph and I likely have next to no alcohol tolerance, yes?"

"I will drag you both back to our room with no regrets if I must." He returned to strumming the lute, looking out over the crowd in the tavern. There were several different sorts here, so in the plain clothing of Askr that all three of them wore, no one would mistake them for anything but a bunch of lordlings out trying something new if they squinted hard enough. "You in particular need to wind down, Saias, and we're in a safe enough environment that you two are allowed to get completely smashed."

They both gave him a look, and he chuckled in response. He'd never seen Deirdre shoot something so cutting towards anyone, but perhaps Duchess Velthomer had been different. "I don't think I want to finish this. We have gold to spare though, apparently?" Seliph gently shoved the drink towards the center of the table and Lewyn waved to get a maid's attention.

"Yes. Believe it or not, I'm pretty good at scraping up coin, and Kiran fully endorsed this little adventure, so I got a substantial amount from them."

"Of course they did," Saias grumbled, glaring down at the table now, and Seliph's expression softened just a bit.

"Three shots of malt whiskey," Lewyn told the maid, waiting until she'd scurried off to turn his attention to the younger men at the table. "Come now, no need to be so grumpy about it all. We have a deal after all."

"One that you will uphold," Saias replied, some semblance of his father's stern nature shining through his sullenness for a moment. "I don't intend to make this a habit."

"I would not be encouraging it if you were. Trying something new is healthy, being consumed by that something isn't. Just try to relax a little and enjoy it alright?"

"Maybe if it tastes better," Seliph replied lightly and Lewyn pulled a face at him. The young man was far better at these sorts of comebacks than either of his parents ever had been, something that Lewyn found fascinating at times and extremely irritating at others. "Though from what I've heard from Ares, whiskey isn't supposed to taste great, it just has this kick."

"Ares," Lewyn repeated. "You've mentioned him before. Eldigan's son, right?"

"Yup. I don't think he's ever had whiskey, but I wouldn't put it past Lene to tell him." Seliph gave a slight shrug. "Lene's mother's name was Silvia, if that means anything to you."

Lewyn blinked. Oh, he definitely remembered that name. Didn't think he'd ever be able to forget it after all he and she had been through together. "Would Lene happen to be a dancer?" Seliph nodded. "Probably for the best what with how the situation escalated after Belhalla, Silvia was one of the most talented dancers I'd ever met even if she was far too young to be doing such things," he sighed.