Kiss the Bottle

vervain It shouldn't have been a surprise, but since Vai had fallen into this new world and become proprietress of the fine establishment known as the Rathskeller, things had become somewhat chaotic. But when a group of strangers (and in some cases, friends and families) were dropped into a new world without any idea about why or what to expect, they got... thirsty. And that was most definitely the case tonight. The tavern in the Temple cellar was abuzz with conversation. Beer and wine were flowing and Vai was a little concerned, actually, that they might run out of it at this rate. Luckily, she knew a certain alchemist who had recently discovered a knack for creating things by magic, so if the worst did happen she was reasonably sure she could get more in stock. She wiped down the bar for what felt like the umpteenth time that night, letting out a tired but content sigh and smirking at the fat feline that came to sprawl on the clean space. "Sure, Chunk," she said ruefully to the cat, "it's all yours." Scritching him affectionately behind the ear, Vai left him to oversee the tavern (it was sort of his job, and for a cat he was remarkably good at it) and moved to serve the next customer.

Bastien understood very little about the world he now inhabited. It seemed a dreary, harsh place compared to the culture of his home, which had mostly consisted of hedonism and culture. Once he had concluded it wasn't a dream (after a few slaps to his own face and splashing himself with a lot of cold water) he assumed it could only be some kind of hell; he had long ago assumed God was ignoring him and felt this punishment without any warning was most unfair.

The only remaining proof of his homes existence he had on him was a gold Ducat, the coin dull in his pocket but now the most precious thing he owned. The damn twist of fate that had brought him here had decided to do it while he was in bed, so he had sprung into the world in only a thin pair of pants. He had, in the few days he had been here, acquired a pair of shoes that had been left on a door and found a cloth to work as a makeshift shawl.

Desperately, he had looked for something familiar, and he had found it in the sound and smell of the Rathskeller. He had never been too much of a drinker before (maybe the odd glass of wine, but there were far more interesting things to take in his opinion) but the promise of something to dull the senses and a bartender to talk to was something he could not pass up. It was something he knew, at least.

It was not until the barkeeper turned to him he realised he had no money to pay for a drink. Admittedly, he hadn't seen anyone else pass out money...perhaps he could use his smile, charm his way through things like he had as a younger man. Carefully, he painted on a practised smirk and leaned forward onto the bar. When he spoke there was a heavy accent to his words he knew marked him out as not from here, but he was fortunate the people understood him at all.

"Ah, hello. I thought myself lost but now I am found in your lovely establishment...matched only, of course, by your lovely self." He gestured towards Vervain with a graceful motion of his fingers. "Perhaps you could spare a drink for a lost soul? I would be very grateful and willing to express it in many ways." He didn't need to wink, the suggestion in his voice enough, but he did rest his chin on his fingers and raise his eyebrows.

vervain The man she'd moved to serve was in a sorry state indeed, but that was practically the norm here in the Hollowed Grounds. They'd all been pulled through, seemingly at random and with varying levels of clothing, equipment and preparation, but it looked like luck had not shone upon this fellow. No sooner had she opened her mouth to greet him when he was off, his heavily accented voice sounding... gods, it sounded familiar. The charming lilt in his words was similar to Remi's - perhaps the alchemist knew this man? Vervain reminded herself to ask, just as soon as she... oh, shot him down apparently. He raised his eyebrows and she flashed him a grin that was near enough predatory, straightening up from the counter. "Compliments will get you everywhere, sir," she told him, turning to fill a mug with dark ale for him. "Regrettably, and whilst you well might be able to express your gratitude in a multitude of ways, my husband might have something to say about it." She winked. Still, he definitely had the gift of the gab, and Vai might have wanted to speak with him further... but it was so damned busy. "Though, if one of those ways is by helping a gal out until the rush is over, I'd very much appreciate it."

Bastien

There was a beat of silence where Bastien worried he had landed in a land of prudes, but then the woman smiled and he returned it warmly, a quiet pleased laugh falling from his mouth. He took the ale, happy to find when he sipped it it tasted pretty much the same as it always had.

"Husbands are rarely pleased about much, are they? But I will spare the lucky fools feelings and just take the drink." He took a larger gulp, looking up from his drink when he heard Vervain talk. Immediately he nodded and put the drink down, going to walk around the bar. It was something to do he understood - and he could learn more about the place. People spoke in bars in ways they didn't anywhere else.

He came to stand next to Vervain and looked out to the customers. "Always willing to help, though knowing the name of my new commander would be beneficial. Just tell me what to do, ma cheri."

vervain "A very wise decision, sir." Vervain's grin grew wilder still, for a moment, almost wishing her lucky fool was around to hear himself being spoken about so poorly. Devrum would eat this poor man alive - and she wasn't even sure herself whether she was being metaphorical. Still, she was drawn from that train of thought by the sight of the punter-turned-barkeep rising to his feet so eagerly to join her. A spark of relief flew through her; at least this would help to settle the masses clamouring for drinks. She nudged him amicably. "Willing to help, eh? That is the right attitude. Ah, but of course. My name is Vervain, but you can call me Vai. Most people do." She stepped aside and gestured for him to go ahead with the next person waiting. "Simple enough. Do what I did for you, and get the lovely lady a drink. Don't forget yours, by the way." She nodded at his ale, before joining him in dealing with the crowd at the bar. "What'd you call yourself, stranger?" she asked him conversationally.

Bastien

"Vervain...what a beautiful name. Unique." He said, but almost to himself, mumbling as he familiarised himself with the drinks and glasses in front of him. Most of the drinks seemed like something familiar but not-quite; there was a strange uncanniness to seeing so many drinks that he knew the taste of but not the name.

He leaned towards the woman on the other side of the bar and took her order, fumbling for a moment to find the correct bottle (but hiding it with a quick joke and a smile back at her). With one drink poured the rest came easier, his charm bridging the gaps in filling orders.

"I am Bastien De Rosieres." He almost said he came from Venice, but knowing that would mean nothing, sighed. "I came to this place accidentally. I don't know how - of course, it is always a blessing to have new experiences, but - this is perhaps too much of a good thing." Experimentally he turned a bottle around in his fingers before he poured it, earning an impressed gasp from the woman he was serving. It reminded him of hard, fragile versions of the juggling balls he'd spent so much time performing with as a child.

"But there is much the same here too. People like drinks, and--" He decided to get a bit riskier, spinning a glass on his finger as he poured into it and getting a clap in return. "--They like tricks."

vervain If Vervain caught his compliment she didn't show it out loud, but he might catch the slight slant to her lips as she moved on to the next punter. It certainly was a unique name - as was his own, it seemed. "A pleasure to meet you, then, Bastien," she said, inclining her head to him and serving drinks seemingly without needing to look at what she was doing, such was her familiarity with it now. Odd, that she had slipped into the role so easily... but she wasn't going to complain. "Accidentally, you say? As did the rest of us," she said with a light sigh, sending the punter on his way and swiftly moving on to the next. "Doesn't look as though there is any way back, either." He didn't seem like he was from Northaven and he certainly didn't sound like it either, but then neither did Remi. Nonetheless, Vervain didn't recognise him from her homeland. His flair with the bottles and glasses caught her attention, naturally, Vai propping an elbow on the counter and grinning to him. "Well shit, you didn't say you were an entertainer, too." She winked. "You're right at home behind here, aren't you?"

Bastien

Bastien sighed and nodded at Vervain's confirmation of what he had already half-known; that there was no way back home. His next drink was served with a lackluster smile as he thought of everything he would miss. Paintings, chocolates, walking by the Campanile Di San Marco in the square with a companion...

Still, acknowledgement of his performing skills brought a smile to his face. With a laugh he tossed a bottle in the air (making sure the top was in tight first) and caught it after it span several times.

"Yes, you may not have realised but you have one of the Commedia d’Arte troupe with you himself, straight from the carnival!" He had not actually performed in a Carnival for many years, but the skills had stayed with him. "I have always lived to serve and entertain." With a wink he slid a glass of something reminiscent of Whiskey down the bar.

The crowd was thinning a little and Bastien took a moment to lean forward and take his own glass back, drinking from it and letting the bitter taste hit his tongue. "The ale here tastes almost like home. Perhaps we can be transported back through the simple pleasures of the flesh, eh?...I have struggled to find much food around here though, to remind me of home or no." It was a badly veiled hint, but the rumbling in his stomach was not allowing much time for clever turns of phrase.

vervain While there was nothing about Vervain to suggest that she was worried about Bastien's antics with the bottle, the way she kept a wary eye on it gave the game away ever so slightly. Still, he seemed more than skilled enough to handle it, and she was sure that even by the end of the night she'd not think twice about seeing booze tumble through the air and into his talented hands. "One of the who in the what now?" she repeated, not even attempting to butcher the words he spoke with such flair and eloquence. Oh, the carnival. That she understood, giving him a broad grin as she continued to whittle down the line of customers. "Well it looks as though your entertainment is more than welcome here, friend. Keep it up - just be careful with the drink, yeah?" Chuckling, Vai served the last punter and stood back in relief to take a sip of her own drink, though she only had water. Bastien's clumsy hint about food did bring a soft frown to her lips, however, and she nodded at him to mind the bar while she ducked into a back room for a moment. Returning a short while later, she held a steaming bowl in her hand, which she passed to him. He'd have to drink it from the bowl, and it was only a little vegetable broth, but it was better than nothing. "Did you not come through with anyone else?" she asked, the implication being clear: are you all alone?

Bastien

Vervain had not heard of his troupe, which was not surprising, but she didn't seem to disapprove of his antics - that was encouragement enough for Bastien, who kept working out new tricks to play with the tools he had been given. As he ran out of customers to impress he placed the bottles and glasses in a neat row in front of him and stood back to drink himself, a grin on his face for the first time in days.

He was left alone while Vervain disappeared to the back. He kept himself busy by making idle chitchat with a man at the bar and looking through the unfamiliar drinks, sniffing and sipping ones he really didn't recognise.

Finally Vervain returned, to his delight holding a bowl of broth. He took it thankfully, trying to stay graceful and smooth but betrayed by the greedy way he drank it, his stomach growling as soon as he smelt it. He placed it down empty and smiled a thanks before he answered Vervain's question.

"I am alone. I was asleep in my bed, then...ah! Here. And I have not met another from Venice, so. I think...I am truly alone here." It was horribly depressing to say out loud, and he frowned. Bastien did not like to be sad. "But - it is a...new experience."

vervain While it was painfully obvious that Bastien was starving, Vervain at least gave him the decency of not watching him scarf down the soup, and she stepped forward to top up someone's drink. His neat arrangement of the bottles and glasses didn't go unnoticed either, and she smiled her approval at him as she stepped back again. Organised and with a flair for the creative. Certainly, the carnival knew how to make 'em. "Ah," she murmured at his explanation, "you know, I was asleep as well - I was taking a break from hunting in the woods and then... as you say, here." Sighing thoughtfully, she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head as the unfamiliar place tumbled from his lips. Venice? She didn't know the place, and she'd never heard of it before now. "Well," she said eventually, perking up again and retrieving his bowl, before holding it up as if to ask him if he wanted more, "you're certainly not alone here. In fact, would you like to keep working here? I can't give you much, but I'll make sure you don't go hungry or thirsty in exchange for your help. And you'll never be short on company, as you can see."

Bastien

"I have heard stories about spirits taking people in their sleep..." Bastien mumbled, the ominous thought hanging in the air. He had never believed such stories until now.

He nodded enthusiastically when the bowl was held up, too hungry to be shy about it and not sure where his next meal would come from. As Vervain made her offer he nodded again, this time with a happy grin. While working in a bar would have been far beneath him only a week ago it now seemed like the opportunity of a life time. More than anything, it was something to do.

"I would love to. The more time spent in your lovely bar the better." Patting the bar to punctuate the compliment he laughed. "Do you hire everyone who comes in? Or just the handsome ones?"

vervain That certainly was a spooky thought - Bastien was not the only one to have heard of creatures spiriting people away in their sleep. If that was what had happened, though, she dreaded to think of the power of the kind of thing who could drag so many into this one place. Vai mentally shook that thought away; it would do no good to dwell on it when it was still just speculation. Right? A smile spread across her face at his agreement to work with her; honestly, though, she hadn't expected him to say no with how hungry he was and how enthusiastic he had been at the prospect of paying for a drink with some work. "It's settled, then. My lovely bar will treat you good, so long as you treat her good in return. Oh, but watch out for Chunk." Vai winked, nodding across at the fat, black and white monster of a feline lazing around at the end of the counter. "That's the real bar owner right there. I just mind it for him." With a chuckle, Vervain stepped away again to get him some more broth. Luckily there was plenty of that to go around.

Bastien

And just like that, Bastien had something closer to a life here. Unable to keep the smile off of his face he served drinks with more flair, using it as a chance to learn names and faces of the people nearby. Now that he had a role, something to do in this world, he suddenly felt so much more a part of it.

As people were beginning to leave later at night he stood at the end of the bar and stroked the cat, his chin in his hand as he whispered to it. "Ah, Signor Chunk. What strange lives we lead, hm? I miss so much but I am here and I am alive. Perhaps it is enough." Chunk didn't seem to respond to his musings, but Bastien appreciated the ear.

Before he left he cleaned the bar and said goodnight to Vervain, thinking it was good her husband was not present because he was so grateful he could kiss her right then and there. He resisted the urge and simply came in early the next day to start again, excited to have a anchor in his floating identity here.