I've been working on a cocktail called grounds for divorce

Edy #nofilter Brave new world? Sure. Interesting new world? Hardly. So far this place was all just spooky infirmaries and walls that needed mending; all things considered, Edy was fucking done with walls as it was. Her family was being fucking extra in all the wrong ways (apparently Neron and Z were a thing with some random kid, Bea suddenly almost had tits, and Loren wanted his own house away from them all). In Northaven Edy had started every morning with a run, fucked off to the training grounds for a bit, and then patrolled. Now though, other than running, she had nothing to do and no one to do it with. The problem was, a bored Edy was usually a destructive Edy. Though given that her magic had gone a bit wonky, even Edy's destructive nature had been neutered by this place (a fact about which she was pissed). So she did what any angsty, bored teenager would do. She found the bar. Slamming the door open, Edy glanced around. It was homy as fuck, which was rather impressive given the state of the surrounding world. Licking one of her teeth, Edy sulked over to the bar and plopped down. And waited. "Yo, you gonna get me a drink, or do I need to do it myself?" She asked the oreo-coloured cat on the counter who didn't even both to open his eye to look at her. "Pffft." She grumbled to herself before nimbly hopping over the bar and investigating the various bottles that were lining the shelves.

vervain Kiss the Bottle It's 5 o'clock Somewhere Vervain would have been worried that her patrons were getting into a bad habit of hassling her the tavern's resident feline, but Chunk never seemed to mind. Indeed, she hadn't even been aware that Edrei had come in, busy rolling an empty barrel out through the long tunnel to the exterior of the Temple. When she returned - down the cellar steps - it was to find a young woman behind her bar, pottering around as though she owned the place. Questions burned the back of her throat, but after a split second of deliberation she decided not to give anything away. No, instead Vai sauntered up to the bar, took the seat Edy had previously been occupying, and leant an elbow on the counter. "An ale, if you would," she told the Launceleyn, acting as though she were simply another patron and the other woman was the barkeep.

Edy #nofilter Spinning around at the sound of a voice, Edy looked at Vervain with a momentarily blank stare, before fashioning her face into a wry smile. "Coming right up." She quipped, before turning away, a guilty grin on her face. Fuck, fuck, fuckkkkk. She had no idea who Vai was of course, but since she was already behind the bar due to the lack of service, who was she to decline someone in a similar position? Ale though....where the fuck was that? Nibbling her lip, the teenager glanced around until she spied a keg in the corner. Snagging a glass, she trotted over and filled it to the brim (and then some). Bringing it back with a proud smile, Edy briefly considered doing one of those slide it down the bar tricks. But having just leaped over the counter, Edy was aware of how fucking sticky it was and instinctively knew her display would immediately flop. So, with a good deal more foresight than she normally showed, she just handed it to the former huntress instead. "I'll let you in on a little secret." Edy purred, leaning against the bar and tipping Vai a wink. "I don't actually work here, but it doesn't seem like anyone else does either. So consider that ale on the house."

Vai lifted her head in acknowledgement that the other woman would get to it, pretending not to look at all interested as she turned away. In reality, of course, her electric eyes were focused on every one of Edrei's movements, watching as she manoeuvred her way around the bar that Vervain had painstakingly cleaned up and arranged just so. It wasn't half bad, actually, and the former huntress was scritching Chunk behind the ear absently as the 'barkeep' returned with a rather over-generous measure of alcohol. She grinned, unable to help herself; while some scrooge of a proprietress might have been angry that the glass was so full, that wasn't Vai's way. She nodded in appreciation and took a gulp of the drink. Then Edy leant forward as if they were sharing a secret, Vai arching an eyebrow and tilting her head, taking another drink to stop from laughing. "Is that so?" She tilted her head. "Well, I have a secret too." Leaning in close, she looked Edy up and down. "I'm the owner of this bar, and you're hired as of right now." vervain where the wild things are

Edy #nofilter The secret was totally going to be that his MILF was not straight, or that she— —I'm the owner of this bar Fucking hell. Of course she was. Now Edy was going to get a fucking earful about stealing, or imitating a worker (go ahead mom, there hav to be actual workers around here to imitate if— — and you're hired as of right now Oh. Pursing her lips slightly, Edy narrowed one eye with comical mischievousness. "Not even gonna ask for a resume, huh." The teenager twittered, still waiting for the other shoe to drop and Vai to suddenly start talking about sex dungeons or some shit. Glancing around the relatively calm establishment, Edy rolled her bony shoulders in a slight shrug. Well, it wasn't like she was doing anything else with her time. "I'm Edrei Launceleyn, former member of the guard, and now bartender extraordinaire." Tipping her new boss a wink, Edy leaned forward suggestively on the bar and raised her eyebrows. "And you? "

"Why bother when you've already proven everything I need to know for a bartender? I'd appreciate if you didn't consistently serve drinks on the house, though." Vai winked - not that they had any working form of currency, but similarly they could always trade for things as they had done in Northaven. Taking a sip of her drink and sitting up on the stool, she arched an eyebrow as the Launceleyn name fell from Edrei's lips. A blueblood, then? It didn't matter anymore, but Vervain couldn't help but feel a slight sense of... oddness, at being the boss of a noble. "Vervain Calob," she introduced in return, offering a hand out to shake. "Former huntress and tracker, now mistress of this fine establishment. I'm sure it'll be a pleasure working with you." Grinning, she rose to her feet and motioned for Edy to hop back over the bar. "Shall I show you around?" vervain where the wild things are

Edy #nofilter Edy offered the the former huntress a sloppy and ecstatic smile. Since arriving in Northaven Edy had been told that basically everything she'd done or had attempted to do was fucking wrong. Given Loren a hug? WRONG. Make sure Zariah was getting some? WRONG. Try to train with Koel? WRONG (well, broken wrist = wrong), befriend Bellamy? WRONG. Fuck around with the prince? WRONG. And so on. Hearing that her playful brand of bullshit was actually approved of actually made Edy feel a bit warm and fuzzy, not that she'd ever admit it. Shaking Vervain 's hand, Edy nodded. Unlike Vai, Edy couldn't given two fucks about the (previous) difference in hierarchy. Though that was likely because Edy had never had to deal with the negative aspects of their previous social climate. "Well I do aim to please." Edy all but purred, waggling her brows in an entirely over the top sexual gesture before laughing the expression away. Dexterously moving her slim body over the bar as if it was nothing, the teenager nodded and extended her hand. "Lead on, boss lady."

"Well you can aim to please the patrons, so long as you're behind that bar. We'll talk to my husband about the rest." Vai's wink was playful and her smile crooked, and she stepped back so Edy could vault the counter. Boss lady? She supposed she was now, and that alone brought a flare of pride into her chest. Without further ado she gave Edrei a rudimentary tour around the Rathskeller - the seating area, the variety of liquors and beers currently on offer behind the bar, the locations of all of the kegs... "There will hopefully be more brews on the way - we haven't been open for very long," she said, smirking and nodding to the back entrance. "Don't worry about hauling things up and down the stairs, either - that way leads outside the Sanctuary, and it's fairly flat. Oh! And this is Chunk." So saying, Vai reached out to skritch the fat cat behind the ear. vervain where the wild things are

Edy #nofilter Behind the bar? Not straddling it, drunk under it, or grinding on top of it? Well. It was only her first day. For now she'd keep her mouth closed. Besides, maybe Vai wouldn't even be around all that often and Edy could just...get up to the sort of shit she saw fit. If all she needed to do was keep the alcohol flowing to be doing her job, she was pretty sure she could handle that. Wandering around with Vai (and noting just how kind the years had been to the older woman), Edy nodded listening mostly as Vai noted various things. Chairs, sinks, yeah yeah yeah. She had eyes didn't she? The rest she could probably figure out. Lastly as Chunk was introduced, Edy made a joking pfffft sound in the back of her throat and waggled a finger at the cat. "This motherfucker didn't even offer me a drink. " Edy trilled, before making a purring sound and extending a hand to scratch beneath the cat's chin. "Sooooo...I take it we're still on that 'we don't do money' thing we were doing back in Northaven, huh?"

"Oh no, he doesn't offer drinks. He can definitely figure out if something's gone bad, though. And he kills the wine spiders, so there's that." Vai shrugged as if it was nothing, smirking and stepping back so Edrei could take over fussing the feline. In truth her continued employment likely depended more on the cat than it did Vervain, but she didn't mention that out loud. The thing had jumped on her face when they'd been cleaning up the Rathskeller, and as a cat, she did not question Chunk's clear superiority. Cats did not like it when humans did that. "As far as I know, yes. For now it's just about survival, I think, and booze tends to perk people up. Give it some time and we'll probably try to introduce some kind of bartering or trade. For now though..." Vai grinned, picked up her glass again and lifted it to Edy in a toast, before taking a generous gulp of the alcohol. vervain where the wild things are

Edy #nofilter "Gone bad?" Edy said cocking her head to the side with a grin. "Like a date that's going tits up?" The mention of fucking spiders though wiped the grin right off her face. "Sorry, come again." And normally when Edy said those two words, it wasn't with a horrified look on her face. Shuddering, Edy looked at the cat with a queesy smile. "You do you Chunk; I'll take care of the drinks, since you know, hands and all, and you keep those 8-legged fuckers at bay, yeah?" Holding out a hand, she booped the cat's paw. They'd shaken on, so it was official. "Oh it perks some things up." Edy agreed mischievously. The idea of being back on a bartering system was a bit dull, especially since Edy assumed that she couldn't just trade for shit she wanted, but would probably have to put the Rathskeller's needs first. Well. All that meant is she'd just have to be a bit clever about explaining why it was the Rathskeller did need scented massage oils and whatnot as trade.

Vai laughed musically at Edrei's interpretation of her words, shrugging her shoulders. "You know, I'm not that sure," she admitted. "Mostly he can tell if the wine is off, or a drink has been... tampered with, if you catch my drift. Though hell, it could just be a coincidence for all I know. He could tell which barrels were still good every time, though, when we first got down here." Spiders personally didn't bother Vervain, but that clearly wasn't the case for her new bartender, and she flashed Edy a truly wicked smile. "Wine spiders," she repeated. "They grow to the size of kittens, to my knowledge. They like to lurk around the kegs and the wine racks to get drunk. Sometimes their babies end up in the barrels and in your glass. I've been telling people it's good luck." Which it probably was. Probably. Whatever. She scritched Chunk affectionately behind one raggedy ear, looking perfectly content in the tavern. If Edy had asked Vai would have pointed out that she didn't really give a damn what she traded for in the Rathskeller as long as it was interesting and useful in some way. Ah well. They'd figure it out eventually. vervain where the wild things are

Edy #nofilter "Oh." Edy practically grunted, pouting out her bottom lip and looking at the cat with a new found respect. "Alright. Well here's to you Chunk." She said cheersing the cat as she raised her glass to her lips once agin. Absolutely horrified by the story Vai was telling, Edy suddenly felt hundreds of tiny legs (or not so tiny ones, apparently) crawling over her skin. With a shiver, Edy ran her hands down her arms cringing slightly at the thought of finding a spider in her drink. Then again, a drink big enough to hold a kitten might be worth it.... ...on second though, no. No it definitely wouldn't. "So–" The teenager chirped, spinning and meaning to pour them another round. Apparently someone had spilled something on the floor however (not Edy of course), and the teenager lost her footing. Crashing down behind the bar with a thud, Edy felt her elbow give an angry twang as she landed on, subsequently cutting it on a small piece of glass. "Sonofa–" She snarled, grabbing the bar to stand. Glaring down and crinkling her nose, Edy tried to stretch her arm out slightly but felt her muscles tighten defensively. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Were the rules the same in this fucking place? No healing for the magical dark ones? Reaching out into her unfamiliar spring of magic, Edy clamoured onto a feeling she knew well. Or she'd once known well. Here, who knew what her destruction magic would do. As waves of lifedrain filtered towards Vai, Edy could feel the pain beginning to lessen in her elbow.

vervain Vai didn't try to hide her amusement at both the respect towards the Rathskeller's resident feline or the apparent heebie jeebies caused by the wine spiders. Edrei certainly was a character, she was coming to learn, and it was wholly in keeping with what she wanted for the tavern. She had no doubt that her new bartender would cause as much trouble as she did work, but that was fine with Vai. The teenager had a way with words and undoubtedly a way with people. Punters would love her, the former huntress raising her glass as Edy spun about to refill their drinks-- And promptly fell on her ass. If it wasn't so completely obvious that the other woman was hurt, Vervain would have burst out laughing (wasn't that the only appropriate response when someone said hello to the floor?). Instead, she schooled her humour and quickly stepped across to Edy, arching an eyebrow at the floor as if wondering how in five hells something had been spilled when they were barely open. "Hey, are you... a... whoa." She couldn't describe how it felt to have her life force eaten away, only that she thoroughly didn't enjoy it and she intuitively knew that Edrei was responsible. "Stop - just stop what you're doing." Vai held up her hands, already feeling dizzy and slumping to sit on one of the bar stools.