COMPLETED ~ Party Time! With Liz and Eldar

When Del'ure started off sounding completely outraged Rose looked slightly scared, that fear turned to laughter when his anger turned to a smile. "Why on earth would I want to get rid of a man like you? I almost feel insulted.” The sad pouting face she gave him didn’t stay in place too long as she took a sip of her mead and set her empty plate aside. “I highly doubt you leave everything to chance, and I actually wanted to spend tonight with you. ” It was apparent by now that the little elf was an honest drunk, because normally she wouldn’t have said nearly so much to him about what she thought and what she knew concerning him. She debated a third plate when he teasingly asked if she could pack more into her hollow bones, but shook her head with a bit of a snort. “The way I move you’d think my bones were made of stone. I’m not very light on my feet unless I’m running from something. It’s something I’ve had to do countless times so I’ve gotten quite good at it.”

In all honestly that was likely how she managed to get into shape, running from fights she knew she couldn’t handle. She took another moment to think her decision and sighed. “No, two plates will do for now, besides I can always order another plate later.” A few moments after finishing her mead, she rested her forearms on the table and set her head down to rest. “You know you may be right, I do know a shanty or two . . . and I suppose if I could just get my head around the lyrics for one of them I’d be sorely tempted to get up and sing for a spell.” She wracked her brain for the tune she was trying to think of and finally beamed when it came to her. “I have one that my father and uncles all loved to sing at family get-togethers, one of my uncles had three sons and the two others had two daughters a-piece. The four girls would dance as long as their legs would hold them; it was a wonder to me growing up that they could dance for so long.” She waited for the current song to be done and the applause to stop before she stood. “You wanted me to sing; well you get your wish.”

The next few minutes for Rose were spent singing “What Will We Do with the Drunken Sailor” in a somewhat slurred but still quite cheery tone. By the time she made it back to her seat she’d had someone spill a drink on her, this time a woman who’d been dragged into drinking by her partner, but she just waved it off and wrung out her shirt. “I was pretty off-key, haven’t sung that song in a long while.” It had been a little better than she claimed, but not by much, seeing as she was soon coming back with more whiskey shots. “Set number four if I’m not mistaken!”

“This might as well be a wedding as far as special occasions go! Never quite had a job like this, nor have I had a companion like you. To top that off I’ve just never had someone manage to get as close to me as you have. I put my trust in you and you didn’t betray me at the drop of a hat, for that I’m grateful. So as far as you and me, you can count on me as a friend anytime.” Her smile dropped but the happy shine in her eyes remained as she stacked her empty shot glasses before moving a bit closer to Del’ure. “There was one time when you could have done any number of things to me and I’d have been helpless to fight back, but you did nothing. I’d say you’re a better man than most for that. With that, though, I’ll be back with some water. Too much whiskey at night makes for wasted food in the morning.” The last thing she wanted was for a good bit of that food she’d just eaten to come up first thing in the morning. Coming back with water rather than liquor felt almost criminal this early in the night, but it was better to temper hard liquor with other things, and seeing as she was going to be drinking most of the night; the hard stuff was not going to be her only choice. It got her started pretty fast, but after that jumpstart she quickly switched to softer drinks like mead and in some cases even water. Since she’d just had either 12 or 16 shots of straight whiskey tempered with a pint of mead, water was the best option for them both.

“I know the idea of drinking plain water doesn’t really appeal to you at the moment, I know I’d rather have more whiskey personally, but I don’t want a hangover fit for a guardian dragon come sunrise.” Several more brave souls stepped up to sing after Rose’s little stunt with an old sea shanty, and soon the hostility smoothed out entirely and the whole place was alight with shining glasses and spilled alcohol on the ground from people stumbling about. “Will you get up and sing us something sometime tonight, Del’ure? I had my go and you said I wasn’t half bad, so does that mean I get to hear you sing? Or do I have to wait till we decide to retire to hear such ‘nonsense’ from you? I have plenty of time to wait, so if that’s what it takes then so be it.” Being a local gathering place she did see a few brothel girls come and go, whether alone or with someone else, but a few sat down to enjoy a drink and relax. “It doesn’t surprise me to see all walks of life come to a place like this: it’s a place where anyone can sit down and have a drink and not be judged immediately.”

One woman that wandered through made Rose stop and do a double take. “No it couldn’t be. . .” she paused to glance at Del’ure. “Unless the booze has gotten to me and I’m hallucinating one of my cousins just walked through and sat down over by the wall. Brown eyes and curly blonde hair, her name was Aethelwyn. I haven’t seen any of my family since my husband’s funeral, and thankfully she in particular didn’t part ways with me on bad terms. I know some of the family was angry that I was leaving, but she and her sister wished me well. I heard from mother a short while afterward saying that they’d moved here and started over themselves. It’d be a miracle to see any of my family now.” She glanced over at the woman and sighed. “Sorry I didn’t mean to dampen the mood, but I care for my family quite a bit despite losing contact with them over the years. To see someone who remotely looks like one of my cousins is a big deal.” Whether it was to prove she was still in a good mood, or simply because she wanted to, she moved around the table and threw her arms around Del’ure. Granted he was highly attractive and that was excuse enough, but she just wanted him to know she wasn’t feeling sad in the least. “It’s been the greatest day I’ve had in ages so far! To have someone to share that with, even if it’s just one time, means so much!”

"Give me a little time to sober up and figure out if it's her or not. I know I've got a ways to go to being sober so I might just leave it alone and ask in the morning about who she is. Likely enough if she were Aethelwyn she'd have recognized me right off, I'm not tough to spot once you know what I look like." This of course was cut off by the woman in question sneaking up behind her and nearly tackling her in a hug. "Well if it isn't my little Rosie! You haven't grown an inch in over half a century have you? I didn't mean to interrupt but I just couldn't resist surprising you! Saw you when I walked in but you seemed preoccupied with your lover so I waited till I knew you weren't paying attention." Rose meanwhile had begun flailing and panicking over the fact that the taller woman was squeezing her like a child’s stuffed toy. That and she called her ‘Rosie’, a nickname she’d hoped to leave behind when she grew up. “Aethelwyn, do you have to use that old nickname our brat of a cousin Fallon gave me?” At this the blonde looked a tad upset. “Thought you’d like it better than the middle name your mother gave you, little miss Ophelia-Rowandell.” At the sound of that name Rose’s ears curled and she shook her head violently from side to side.

“Blast you woman, you say that name again and you’ll be bald!” Of course her older cousin paid her comment no mind and turned her cheery smile to Del’ure. “Quite the man you’ve managed to find, my name is Aethelwyn and I’m little Rosie’s oldest cousin by about ten years, pleased to meet you! Guess you’ve known her for some time or she wouldn’t be nearly so affectionate with you. She’s always been shy like that; guess the booze unwound her pretty good.” It stood to reason that Rose would invite her to sit and share a few of the happy stories they had from their youth, and after a round of laughing with two or three rounds of Rose yelling at her cousin to shut up with her embarrassing comments, the blonde woman stood from her seat and hugged the smaller elf. “It’s been good seeing you after so long, Rose, but I should be going I hadn’t intended to stay here this long, the little ones are probably wondering where I am. And if they’re wondering my husband’s probably worried sick.” It took a moment for them to say goodbye, but then Aethelwyn seemed to vanish among the crowd and slip out the door. “She was always good at that vanishing act of hers, the other three had their own talents with magic and I had the book knowledge. I didn’t mean for her to say nearly so much as she did, but I hope you liked meeting her.”

Indeed seeing her cousin was a refreshing turn of events, and finding out that she was happy and had a family made it even nicer. “So, now that you’ve met the bubbliest of my cousins, what do you wish to do? The way you mentioned music should be saved for later when everything goes back to brawls and broken tankards, but I wish to hear you sing and I have all the time in the world to wait for it.” This statement was coupled with an ‘eat dirt’ kind of smirk and an evil shine to her eyes reminiscent of the look she’d given him when she said she could handle stalkers herself. “Any ideas on what we should do next? I think I’ll grab a scotch to get my buzz going again after having my cousin embarrass me so badly. Aside from that I’ll follow your lead for a while, brain’s getting all fuzzy on me.”

Toward the end of an unexpectedly long round of cards Rose started to look a little pale and turned over her empty shot glasses. "I think. . .I think I've had enough booze to last through my next century. I give up." The little elf took a moment to get her senses under control and rested her elbows on the table. "I formally concede, you're better than me at cards, but it was fun all the same." She proceeded to go through a near tankard of water in an effort to balance the swaying of the room and the odd half-nausea that kept making her stomach flip-flop.

"I was always the one kid that came up missing at get-togethers because I'd wander off to read as opposed to running around and playing with my cousins. Aethelwyn was about the only one who knew where to find me, everyone else would panic and run about and shout for me hysterically, made no sense. After a while I stopped trying to be stealthy and just told someone I was going off to read because I was bored with the festivities. Can't exactly just walk away from you right here and go find a book to read, now can I? You wouldn't let me past the threshold!" Imagining the last part made her laugh again. "You're not the bookish type anyhow, so other than your typical pastime what do you enjoy?"

"I didn't assume anything, though. I just asked to know something past what you might usually do with your spare time, regardless of what that might be. I'm sorry I wasn't clear but I don't rightfully know what all you do with your time. I can look very stupid and tell you what I think but I'm not sure if that's what you're getting at." Throughout all of it, past her initial look at him only to see he was frowning at her, she kept her gaze fixed on her water glass. "I really didn't mean to make it look like I was assuming I knew anything, b-but since you asked I'd say you rather enjoy the company of attractive women. Don't quite know if that counts but it's something I noticed over the time I've been around you. I'm an observant person by nature, so judging by the look you gave me this must have happened a number of times since we met and you're getting annoyed. I hope I'm wrong, but in case I'm correct, I'm sorry for making assumptions about you without asking you about it first. I shouldn't say things out of the clear blue without thinking."

At that point she ventured to look up at him, hoping his expression had changed. "I hope you can forgive me, didn't mean to get on your nerves. Also I'd hate to see you get wrinkles from frowning so much. Can't believe I made such an idiot of myself, one more reason to only drink on rare occasion. Especially in large amounts and with a man like yourself. By a man 'like you' I mean a man who doesn't mind being around me for long periods of time. I'd hate to part ways with you on a sour note because I couldn't keep my mouth under control."

"You're that good looking I won't object to that. You forget I might as well be a virgin; I haven't been with anyone in decades." Now she looked like some nervous little girl, blushing like an idiot and unable to sit still in her seat. "This is where I'm dreadfully, hopelessly awkward, I feel like I've regressed about seventy years suddenly." She was just nervous that he'd suddenly become so forward about it, but her nerves were far from frazzled. Nervous was less the term than anxious, since she hadn't gotten close to anyone since her husband died. "I have one last game I'd like to play before we do anything else, could we play a game of bullshit? Instead of going by the cards we go by facts we say about ourselves. If you get caught lying you pick up the card pile, if the person calling bs is wrong they pick up the cards, just like the game normally goes. You up for it?"

As she was explaining the game she sneaked her hand over and pulled the deck away from Del'ure before shuffling the cards about five different ways. She was good at moving the cards but actually playing games was a different world and she was horrible most of the time. After dealing the hand she sat back and thought for a moment about her first thing she was going to say. "I don't think either of us needs more punishment than all this booze is going to hand us come sunrise so no shots this time." Now she was hoping that perhaps her hangover wouldn't be too terrible, she didn't like the idea of sleeping all day and waking up alone in a cold bed.

She rolled her eyes silently and exhaled. "If you insist, but this shouldn't take long I'm a horrible liar." Here she placed her first card down and did her best not to get flustered. "I. . .Well, the first time I ever got drunk I paraded around my parents' house with no trousers on. I'm surprised Aethelwyn didn't spill that little family secret in her little chat." Several cards later she started to feel very uncomfortable trying to tell him about herself and the tavern was beginning to calm for the night. Outside several of the major street lanterns were being doused, and those staying in the inn behind the tavern had pretty much all retired for the night leaving very few people actually still up besides the staff.

"You know, maybe one last card game was a bit much to ask. If you want to retire for the night, then alright." She knew what was going to happen, and the idea scared the hell out of her, but it was something she'd just have to get over. Rose left the cards at the table where Del'ure had gotten them previously before unsteadily heading back to the table. "Now that I'm standing I'm beginning to question whether I can get to our quarters by myself, that's alarming." There was a smile accompanying this last statement but she still felt overly nervous, hoping that when morning came she wouldn't instantly regret tonight's adventures.

"I-I can hold my liquor! The drawback is the hangover, but no I'm not going to vomit. Being plastered more thoroughly than a fake statue is one thing, but losing my dignity ain't happening." She reached up to rub her ear and tried to hold off on laughing. "Stop tickling my ear you rascal!" She sat down on the bed and the weird dizziness subsided as she looked around. "Not as cramped as I thought it was going to be I don't guess." It was still a small room, and with Del'ure standing in it there wasn't much room to move, but for someone's Rose's size it was plenty spacious enough. "You won't sleep on the floor will you?" There likely wasn't enough space for him to, that coupled with the fact that Rose was starting to feel a little chilly and wanted someone to cuddle up to.

She wasn't really that sleepy, just starting to come down from cloud nine. "Wouldn't be fair for tiny little me to stay in this bed alone and put you on the ground. It's cold!" Not that he couldn't handle cold, but her brain felt fluffy and fuzzy and generally not effective to use. Without really thinking she kicked off her shoes and proceeded to start removing her weapons from obvious places on her legs and arms. What she didn't like the idea of doing was having to totally strip to remove the ones on her torso and upper legs. "Guess I have no choice. . ." It was another ten minutes before she had all her weapons in a neat pile by her belongings, and boy did she feel awkward having to fumble to find some of them without removing her shirt and trousers. At least she'd be able to sleep soundly without worry of either of them waking up with cuts or stab wounds.

"I had to fumble to find a couple of those, forgot where I hid them." When he pulled her back against him she felt her cheeks heat up, but not from being so close to Del'ure. Never in her life had a man been this gentle with her, and it was almost alien compared to what she recalled as "affectionate" behavior from her former husband. "You haven't let me feel cold thus far." After everything that'd transpired that day the bed felt like a cloud. "Oh sweet snake-tooth daggers. . .Laying on a bed hasn't felt this good in a long while." The rest of the night felt almost like a dream in her mind; not having to worry about sleeping with a dagger under her pillow or waking up with new wounds to be sewn or existing stitches to be repaired from painful lovers' quarrels. Not like she would have noticed the difference between a full night of sleep and a night of being awake with Del the way she felt when the sun came streaming through the window.

Her muscles ached in a myriad of ways she wasn't quite accustomed to, and after thinking about it this was the first time she'd awoken to such a feeling. She kept her eyes shut for a few extra moments to think and realized it was because she'd stayed in the same position the whole time she'd been asleep. "What a night that turned out to be." she mumbled as she tried to sit up and survey the damage to the room, remembering that she and her companion had both had a good bit to drink the night before. "At least we didn't destroy the room with whatever we did upon coming back here. Hey Del'ure, wake up, sugar. Can't sleep the whole day away you know." she teased as she reached over and lightly shook his shoulder. If he didn't get up it wasn't any huge deal, she'd just get dressed and wait for him to get up on his own before setting off to find food. She felt she could've eaten a dragon the way her stomach was yelling at her; but that also could've been her body disagreeing with the amount of alcohol she'd consumed less than a day prior. Either way she wanted food and her friend, as far as she knew, was still fast asleep. 'Guess I'll just wait for him to get up on his own.' she thought as she tugged on her shirt and trousers.

"I slept like a stone, and after a day like yesterday? Hell yes to food." As flamboyant as he was about showing off, the days she'd traveled with him had long since gotten her adjusted to his behaviors and physical appearance. "You really are a wonder to behold, Del. I'm not surprised women get so flustered around you." Granted it took quite a bit to not be that way herself, but what reason did she have to hide that sort of thing after recent events? None. "Even after all that's happened I still feel my face turn red when I look at you; and considering last night I'd say you're now more than familiar with me as a person." She took a minute or two to braid her hair and tug on her boots before looking up at him, eyes shining like liquid gold in the sunlight. "I'd say I still have a good deal to learn about you, but I know enough to feel at ease."

Not like that would stop her from asking him questions now and then when her curiosity got to be too much. It was plain to Rose that this was not going to be a romantic relationship, and that was fine with her. She knew what she'd be getting into with him and he likely had every idea what kind of trouble a woman like her would bring him. Anything food related would have been enough for the tiny elf at that point in the day, and after that they'd likely part ways depending on which way he ended up going. Del'ure was a pleasure to travel with, and wouldn't have minded if he decided to come with her on another adventure. She pulled a small list from her travel bag and grimaced. "Oh great, I forgot there was a matter of an old spell book somewhere up near Battle Blood cult territory. Looks like I'll be dodging priests and dragons and thieves this time around. Not to mention magic I can't hope to counter. Ah well, occupational hazards abound."

"If you're offering to come with me then you may by all means! As much as I care for my horse it's a bit much to constantly travel about without anyone to have decent conversation with." This book she wanted so badly was one she simply had to barter for, there wasn't anyone to kill or capture for this item. There wasn't much sense in fighting to get it, because to Rose the prospect of fighting a group of cultists that she had no real grudge against made her quite unsettled. Not as if she were superstitious about being cursed, but they worshiped the most violent breed of dragon still alive on the island: that in itself was terrifying. Her food hadn't actually been properly acknowledged when it was set in front of her, just eaten between sentences without a second thought as if her body was on autopilot.

Not taking into account what happened last night, Del'ure was quickly becoming someone she just loved to travel with for the sake of it. "You're welcome to come along on any adventure with me you so choose; I'm just buying a book up north so that'll be pretty boring if nothing goes amiss. After that though I'm off to the south to see about work in Calaina then back to my home to make sure it's still standing. That's what I get for building my home in a swamp, constantly worrying about whether or not I've had cranes move into the attic while I'm away." Of course having someone come to visit only happened...well...this would be the first time she'd invited someone to see her ACTUAL house. Oh the things she said when she didn't think. . . Oh well, too late to take it back now!

"Hoping to get this book and get out of there before their next big festival happens, which doesn't give me much time if I want this done before it all happens. Suppose I could take my time and do that one at a slightly later date since I don't like being rushed." She paused and cracked a smile at his comment about housemates. "Far worse to be had but not by me 'cause my house doesn't sit flat on the ground. I'll go catch snakes and fry them but that's a bit different from what you're talking about." Somehow the urge to get up and get going wasn't too strong for her as she watched Del'ure slump halfway into his chair; and she followed suit. "Is there anywhere you need, or want, to be yourself?"

She'd feel pretty bad if he said that he had somewhere he needed to be in the coming weeks and he was choosing instead to amble about with her. "I don't mind you being with me through my travels but I'd hate to keep you from any pressing matters you might have. In regards to keeping you for conversation, you bring about an entirely different view to the word and its meaning." Which was entirely true, as she had barely spoken to anyone so much as she'd spoken to him in the last week or so. Not to mention she'd also gotten rather friendly with him in a way she'd never really done with anyone else, even her previous husband. Truthfully she'd feel bad when they went their separate ways, since it was inevitable that they'd do so at some point. For now she was happy to have someone she could just be comfortable with, and that made everything better.