Kasiya Estates Distillery, Mytilene City, Kasiya
Mytilene City was a resort town at the foot of the Scios Range, and at the northernmost end of one of Kasiya’s biggest agricultural districts. Locally, the area had been known for its food and beverage production even before the Emissary set up shop. Now, Erinyes was doing her best to turn it into a fixture of the Brotherhood. She’d sent invitations out to interested members for a tour of the distillery campus, and perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to taste its lineup—both featured and experimental.
As was proper for any distillery tour, conducted from within an enclosed glass walkway to prevent any muck from getting on the patrons, the process began with a view of its ingredients. Kasiya Estates, the blue-skinned Twi'lek guide proudly boasted, used almost entirely locally-sourced inputs—from Corellian wheat and Zeltron spear-grain, to sugarcane, to the wide variety of produce that went into their various fruit brandies. Only the nepeta and aniseed for their speciality liqueurs were imported from offworld, and only because they hadn’t managed to grow varieties of the same qualty on Kasiya… yet.
The next phase of the tour was the distilling and infusing process. Rows of giant metallic stills lined a warehouse-sized building. Mashed grain and macerated fruit went in, and alcohol came out. Some varieties were routed to infusing chambers containing herbs and seasonings, so the aromatics could impart their own distinct notes into the finished drinks. Others went into apokan or moagwood casks and loaded into an “aging chamber” to take on the qualities of their containers.
Notably hidden was the final production step of the distillery’s flagship whiskey, Dark Elixir. Long rumoured to be (or accused of being) created through Sith alchemy, the distillery staff evaded any questions on the subject. However, anyone sensitive to such things would notice a nexus of Force energies within the distillery’s grounds.
Third, it was on to bottling. Filling machines piped liquid from the distilling rigs into glass containers in a multitude of styles. A few, mostly the fruit brandies, contained small pieces of the fruit that made up their primary flavour. Once bottled and capped, the products were placed into crates for shipping.
Finally, the spectator walkway led to the main event… the tasting.
The tasting rooms were something akin to private pubs. Posters advertising Kasiya Estates’ products hung atop rich hardwood wall panels. A long bar seated six on brass-fixtured stools, with ventilation for those who preferred to smoke with their drinks—though a note on the wall gently reminded them that doing so may mask the taste of Kasiya Estates’ products.
The wall behind the bar was, naturally, filled with the distillery’s entire lineup. Individual holo-terminals in front of each seat cycled through a marquee of Kasiya Estates product labels. They also contained a menu option, featuring a variety of both bar-style snacks and more substantial cold food like sandwiches.
In the centre of the liquor shelf, there was a billboard:
The Kasiya Estates Challenge
Finish one of everything in one tasting session and get a free case of a product of your choice!
Rules: 1. “One of everything” means one shot of each hard liquor, one of each cocktail, and one Mando'ade 2. If you puke or pass out, you lose 3. Eating and drinking water are allowed 4. No cheating with the Force (and we’ll know if you do) 5. If you have alcohol tolerance more than 1.5x the average Human (Zeltrons, Wookiees, Dowutin, other large species, patrons with cybernetic livers, etc.), your drinks must be doubles to count for the Challenge 6. Participants must sign a waiver indemnifying Kasiya Estates against any damages and/or medical expenses caused as a result of participating in the Challenge
Erinyes waited behind the bar as the tasters all filed in and took their seats.
“Hey, everyone. I think you’ve all met me before, but I’ll give you a few minutes to introduce yourselves to each other and order a first round of snacks. Any questions before we start?”
Eevie sat in her chair staring directly at the billboard of rules. She was definitely up for a drinking challenge, she just hoped her liver was up to it as well. Pushing her silvery white and pink hair behind her ears, the Sephi leaned forward to speak.
“Where’s the waiver at, cuz imma gonna win me a free case of your best booze. Gotta show the beauties like you how its done, afterall”
She gave Erinyes a sly but friendly wink as she spoke. The redhead was cute, and Eevie wasn’t shy. She had a reputation to uphold, and she’d be damned if she didn’t give it her best shot. All of her best shots!
Erinyes grinned at Eevie and tapped a datapad behind the counter. The requested waiver popped up on the Sephi’s terminal. “Now you’re making me wish I wasn’t working.”
Alex approached the bar with a bit of a swagger, the click of his rancor leather wingtips resounding with each step. He was wearing a malachite-green-with-black-pinstripes three-piece suit over an ecru silk button-up. A Homburg hat, matched in color to his suit with a black silk hat band rested at a slight angle atop his head. Where normally one would expect a tie of some sort - necktie, bowtie, or otherwise - was instead secured the gorget of his Mandalorian armor, the matte black armor adorned with silver and gold trim providing a stark accent to his otherwise bright outfit. Clutched in his left hand was a black attaché case with gold clasping, which he set atop the bar as he lowered himself into a seat. The paperwork within had been drafted by someone far more skilled at these matters than he was, but a brief rundown of it all had been given to him. If he found the wares here to his liking, he had everything he needed to make the opening offers to set up a distribution deal for his bar, club, casino and hotel locations at the Hod Haran’s Folly Luxury Resort and Vacation Space Station.
“I would request a copy of the waiver as well, if I might. Cannot say how confident I am in tackling this challenge in my advanced years,” the twinkling grin which spread across his face as he spoke made it clear he was joking, though whether the joke regarded his confidence or his age was anyone’s guess, “but I shall at least endeavor to not make a fool of myself in the attempt.”
“ALEX!” Sofila yelped in excitement at seeing the man there. Perfect. With the games, maybe, just maybe, she can finally get her answer.
Wearing a burgandy halter top and clean looking jeans, she had combat boots underneath the jeans. Her thick curly purple hair bounced with every moment she made; matching her personality.
“Today is the day I’m going to find out how old you are.” Sofila smirked and glanced over to Erinyes, “Hiya!” Then she remembered something, she was rather hungry.
“Oh stars, yes, food, please, feed me.”
-# <@102435651189743616> <@645466919415054357>
“If you do, don’t worry about it. Making a fool of yourself is what distillery tours are for.” Erinyes brought the waiver up on Alex’s screen, too.
The Zeltron grinned when Sofila bounced her way in. “Hey, Spicy!” A moment later, her face lit up in recognition. “Oh! Are you the reason everyone’s been ordering more apple cider lately?”
<@216702440140046336>
“I daresay I do not believe I have ever been terribly secretive about that, Sofila.” Alex smiled back at the Mirialan as she approached before returning to scanning through the waiver. “I am around 4,000 years old. Four thousand twenty seven, if you want to be more precise, seeing as we have not yet run across my birthday this year. I think. Honestly that sort of small detail does tend to drift away after the first millennium or so.” Nodding to himself at the terms of the waiver, he appended his digital signature in agreement.
“Now if you are trying to ascertain the ‘how’…well, a gentleman must have his secrets,” one corner of his smile curled a bit higher as a bit of a glint shone across his eyes while he spoke, his tone turning almost sing-song through his normal casual drawl.
“While I have no intention of backing down from a challenge after I have already agreed to take it on,” his attention returned to Erinyes with this, “I must admit I found myself at a slight bit of a loss as to just how many different products your distillery produces. I did research as best I could, since I am always on the lookout for new suppliers for the Folly, but as near as I can tell you seem to keep yourself pretty constantly busy developing at the very least new cocktails if not also new varieties of base spirit and liqueur to offer. The specifics were quite difficult to pin down.” <@645466919415054357>
“Well, what time do get off then? I’m sure there’s alot of fun a gal like you could get up to.”
Eevie’s eyes gained a playful, almost predatory glint to them as she flirted with Erinyes. She almost forgot there were others around, and then she was interrupted by the rest of the party.
Looking at her fellows, she couldn’t help but grin. Good looking folks always made a drink go down easier. And they seemed fun too! She barely even bothered reading the waiver as she signed her name, eager to get this party started.
“Things are getting interesting. I can’t wait to see how this day goes.”
“Well hello there!”
A chipper voice was quickly followed by the short form of Zuza Lottson entering the room. Dressed in cargo pants, a leather jacket and a crop top, she waved to the group before gesturing a thumb behind her to <@160141735354171394> ducking through the doorway.
“I hope we aren’t late. Travelling from Caelus to Kiast and then over to Arx, I had to drop off a holom, then back over here… Whew it was a road trip an a karkin’ half.”
“We do our best to keep things new and exciting. I’d had ideas about creating my own drink lines for years, and the time I spent on the Taldryan Summit gave me a opportunity to explore them with someone else’s resources.” Erinyes laughed. “It turned out better than I’d hoped. Some of our newest releases are on the menu today, and we’re always taking suggestions for more.
Then, to Eevie: "I’m here until the last of you lot are finished. But if you’re willing to stick around an extra day, maybe we can meet somewhere more private.”
Then, Erinyes heard the voice of her former Praetor, and peeked further over the bar. “Hey, it’s Short, Bright, and Friendly! Come on up here, Zuzu. How’ve you been? And who’s your friend?”
<@206692046424113152> <@432543120635461643> <@160141735354171394>
Eevie let out a sight giggle before coming her hand through her hair.
“Well depending on how drunk I get today, I must likely won’t be flying out tonight. Lyrically better to get a room around here. So we’ll see what happens. Regardless, I can’t wait to get this show started!”
Doon loomed stood behind Zuza, quite easily dwarfing her in height. His golden gaze turning from room to the people directly in front of them now. He was quite dressed up, sporting a red, grey, and black suit tailored to accommodate his size and fur comfortably. A large coat hang from his shoulders, not fully on as to not overheat the Shistavanen. He stepped out from directly behind his companion to be slightly off to her side, his foot paws thudding solidly against ground with his movements.
To Erinyes, he nodded, but glanced at Zuza and awaited an introduction. Though usually his memory was fairly decent, he was internally thankful that the pink one indicated not knowing him either.
“And its tall, hot and sexy!” Zuza grinned, before stepping slightly aside and turning. Finding Doon had already removed himself from her back, she settled with gesturing with both hands toward him, bowing slightly.
“This is Doon Sulvir. Knight Commander of the uh-” Zuza paused, glancing sideways ways at thr Shistavanen.
<@160141735354171394>
“Knights of Allusis.” Doon finished with a proud rumble, bowing his head towards Erinyes with his eye closed. He then straightened, standing his full height and not the usual slightly hunched posture he adopted to fit into doorways.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doon.” Erinyes extended her hand to shake. “Your timing is perfect. I’ve got a product that I’m told is an excellent example of Shistavanen drinks, but to me it mostly tastes like licorice.”
Tahiri was fascinated with all the different processes and time it took for the different liquors, wines, and spirits. It didn’t occur to her that there was so much going on when it came to making her favorite drinks, or the liquors to make her fave mixed drinks. She stayed just a little bit back as she was asking the tour guide extra questions.
Realizing how far ahead everyone else was, she quickly thanked the guide and made her way into the bar area, right behind the tall Shistavanen and the another woman. Hearing Erin’s voice, her smile widened more.
This’ll be fun and interesting.
Sauntering into the room, she found that luckily she wasn’t too under or over dressed. The Envoy threads she had tailored to fit exactly what she needed for both diplomatic and in the field missions. Wearing a silvery grey tailored button up long sleeve shirt, with simple tight fitting slack like jeans which flared out at the bottom, there were small buckles and straps that could easily cinch the bottoms around her ankles. The long black duster jacket she had off and held over her left shoulder, while a small and proud little draconic like creature laid almost regally on her right shoulder. If it’s head didn’t move as it looked around curiously, one would’ve thought it was just a shoulder ornament.
“Hi Erinyes. This is such a fascinating facility. I’m very eager to try a bit of everything,” her smile widen when she spotted another familiar face. “Sofila!” She held her right arm slightly open, offering a side hug if her friend wished for one.
<@645466919415054357> <@216702440140046336>
Doon reached down, already preparing himself for the comment about the surprising softness of his paws, and shook carefully. His paw was indeed quite soft, not to mention large enough to envelop Erinyes’ hand. He kept the shake brief and formal, not wanting to take up too much of the host’s time before they left. “I.. look forward to it.” he rumbled out.
Contrary to expectations, Erinyes did not, in fact, comment on the softness of Doon’s paws. It wasn’t that she didn’t notice it, but apparently, most of the people Doon spent time around were unfamiliar with the concept of hand lotion.
“Good to see you too, Tahiri!” She snuck in a quick hug for the pint-sized Sith before Sofila joined the affection melee.
<@375384499770359819> <@216702440140046336>
The Elder gave all her friends a good squeeze before Eeth'Mireth warbled at getting her tail slightly squished a little due to all the hugs.
Laughing Tahiri quickly introduced herself and her little pet.
“Ooh yes yes, this little spitfire is Eeth'Mireth,” turning to the others whom she didn’t know, she gave each in turn a small bow. “And I’m Tahiri Kahn Drakon Night-Thorn de Morte Tarentae, of the di Plagia, though you can just call me Tahiri. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”
Taking a seat at the bar, she looked up at the large billboard in the center, a sly grin crept across her face, “Well, I said that I would try a bit of everything, and that challenge seems to be calling my name. I’m up it, where do I sign Erinyes?”
<@645466919415054357>
Sofila grabbed Tahiri the moment Erinyes has let her go and then attempted to yank Zuza and Doon’s arm, (because he’s too big) and gripped them into a big ol’ hug before trying to pull Eevie in and gave Alex a look of, ‘you might be pulled in next’.
“ZUZA! DOOOOOON! TAHIRI! HELLO NEW LADY! GROUP HUG- WAIT-” Sofila’s brows furrowed as she let them go.
“I mentioned food earlier! Where’s the menu? Gimme, let’s go!”
“On the terminal in front of you,” Erinyes said to Tahiri. Then, broadening her words to include Sofila: “You can order food there, too.”
Erinyes tapped her terminal’s input panel with a flourish, and the tasting menu appeared in holo behind her.
Suggested Tasting Order
With everyone having confirmed they valued the free booze over their livers—after all, that’s what cybernetics were for!—the real show began. Erinyes half-closed her eyes in concentration, and a dizzying array of drinks started coming together. Shot glasses floated up from stacks and formed lines down the bar. An assembly line of bottles floated off the wall. filling the small glasses partway so that the patrons could sample all of the Distillery’s delights.
After a few minutes, each of the patrons had a rack of full shot glasses in front of them. Holographic labels explained how the glasses contained the first seven items on the Distillery’s tasting roster, which conveniently overlapped the whiskey sampler. The flight included three varieties of Dark Elixir in numerical order (5, 10, and 15 years), the “Darth Cerasus” cherry whiskey, the “Dragostae” spear-grain whiskey, and the Dust-Corn and Amburana Dust-Corn whiskies to round out the selection.
Eevie needed this. She needed a night to really just…let loose. And let loose she was gonna do. After entering in a food order for dipping breads and other fried foods like fried cheese, she lookedto the first 7 drinks in front of her.
“Well, there’s no time like the present!”
With the speed of a college girl, and the experience of a well educated drinker, she threw back each drink with practiced ease. She should have waited for the food, but decided tonight she really just didn’t care.
The drinks hit her hard, far harder than she was prepared for. She began to feel warm…happy…and free. Why should she hold back and not just be who she was. And damn Erinyes was looking really good. Eevie had a new objective tonight. Impress the red-head. Impress her socks right off.
“Those were so good! Thank you red, I appreciate the night you’ve planned for us.” The Sephi let out a cute giggle without meaning too. Her cheeks were flush, and she realized just how hungry she really was.
Alex eyed the array of shot glasses laid out before him, considering his approach. If it were just about having a good time, he’d slam through the whole flight and call for the next. But today was for both business and pleasure, so there had to be a bit of a system to his approach. He grabbed the first glass and took a small sip, letting the flavors of the alcohol permeate his palate. He did the same for the next two which were the same base but with a different amount of aging, and the fourth glass which he understood to be a variant on the most aged.. Nodding to himself, he started jotting some notes on his datapad.
“Not very complex, but hits the right notes. A distinct progress across the aging, though the increased warm notes of the 15 make the end-burn hit a little bitter… The cherry notes of the Darth Cerasus help even that out; definitely an improvement, and likely to be the more popular seller.” As the datapad whirred, the information was being transmitted to the main computer on his ship, and across the HoloNet to the primary business mainframe at Hod Haran’s Folly. By the time he finished the notes on the first three, the Sephi a little ways down the bar had already thrown back the full set and they evidently hit her hard. Another mental note was made - the considerations were not just about the alcohol themselves but the consumer experience, after all.
The remaining three followed the tasting sip, with a moment of consideration given to each before the notes resumed. .
“The Spear-Grain is interesting, a little drier than the others. Could easily see it being a very popular choice in the Cerulean Hall at Dragon’s Den. The Dust-Corns are a little too sweet for my tastes, though I could see the appeal of them for a certain clientele.” Having documented his thoughts on the first set, Alex rolled his neck in a circular motion, causing a light popping as it loosened up.
A deep breath in through his nose, out through his mouth, and then with a quickness far beyond human normal both hands whipped out and threw each successive shot into his waiting gullet with a nearly machine-like efficiency. As one shot went down the next went up, hands moving to grab yet the next in sequence. The shot glasses contacting the bar set off a staccato rhythm until the last one settled, Alex feeling just the slightest tingle spread through his mouth for a truly impressive amount of alcohol to have just downed in less than half a minute.
“Impressive first round. I would appreciate a glass of water before we move on, so as to cleanse the palate just a bit so I can appreciate whatever comes next,” he smiled graciously toward Erinyes as he spoke, not the slightest hit of drunkenness passing his features. He kept an eye about the place to see how the others handled their first round of drinks.
Zuza stumbled out of the hug, laughing and heading over to a stool. With so many drinks in front of her, it made sense to follow the order set out. Or maybe just easiest to grab the first one in the line and then keep going, one after the other with a bit of pause to actually taste each one. She only picked up the first few notes, not having the care to deep dive. They were tasty though. Fruity, smokey, slowly getting more caramelised and cosy tasting before the cherry, and nutty flavours came in.
The Dust Corn Whiksey alone was unimpressive, Zuza sticking her tongue out at the plainness but she did enjoy the Amburana version, the sweetness bringing it back into play.
“This kist is good Eriynes, you’ve really been at it.” Zu shifted in her shift, almost knocking the Consul’s Choice glass over but managing to catch it. She peered in, cautiously, remembering it had citrus after a few moments and putting it aside.
“No citrus for me sadly, I get itchy.” She muttered, grabbing a different drink to slip into its place and looking around at the others. Eevie’s flush was amusing already into the game. A grin crossed Zuza’s face, and she nudged the woman, “Hey I don’t want it to end up just being me and Doon at the end again.”
“Of course,” Erinyes said, filling the water glass with her actual hands rather than magic tricks. “I’m glad you’re enjoying them so far.”
Then, she grinned at her former Praetor. “Nearly every one of these is the result of those moments of ‘oh, I have a new drink idea’ I do at the office. And we’ll find something else to replace the citrus. No free passes on the Challenge.”
<@432543120635461643>
Fortunately for the famished like Sofila, food began arriving, too: platters of high-quality appetizers. Half a dozen flavours of sy-hen wings. Salt-and-pepper spareribs. Deep-fried cheese sticks with dipping sauces. A veggie plate, almost as an afterthought. Although the menu had contained far more, the vittles quickly filled the available space around the bar—an implicit admonishment to finish what she had first.
<@216702440140046336>
“Hey GOOD!” Zuza stated, a grin across her face as she waited out the burn in her mouth before considering the next shots.
She didn’t want a free pass on booze- wait. Well. Not on getting drunk, booze yay but not skipping the experience or- Zuza waved at the side of her head, before glancing over at Sofila’s food.
“You’re gonna absorb it all.”
Holy.
Fraking.
Suns.
The Fruit brandies was aboustely delicious and to die for. Or get drunk over. Which may very well become the very case for this Mirialian.
Of course, her favorite was-
“Apple of My eeeeeyyyyyee! Erinyes, you are such a karking genius!” And Sofila was being smart about this.
For now. She had food. She made sure to eat and drink water as well but it was obvious that the ordering of the food and the water was starting to slow down as the drinks tasting was starting to increase.
She glanced over to the menu and gasped, “I have to try this! Let me try this … sandwich! It has meats and APPLES. AND CHHEESEEE that goes best with them applesssss- oh is that some kind of butter!?”
Sofila then pouted as she glanced over to Zuza, ignored her comment about absorbing it all, “Did ya know I asked Cole if I was spicy and he didn’t know the answer?”
Zuza snorted, covering her mouth and then laughing into her sleeve.
“You asked him what? What was his face like, I can’t believe I missed that.”
“She also asked for ten kids. Which, honestly, that must chafe after a while.”
Sofila’s face scrunched as she tried to remember what was the expression on Cole’s face. All she could remember was him quickly downing a shot of-
“Heeeeey!” Sofila’s lower lip pucked out as it quivered a smidge, “I took it baaaack! I was very drunk! I actually want-” She held up two fingers and wiggled them as she smiled.
Then she leaned over to Alex and Tahiri’s direction, “I think two is a good number, yea?”
-# <@432543120635461643> <@645466919415054357> <@102435651189743616> <@160141735354171394> <@206692046424113152> <@375384499770359819>
After her appetizer sampler arrived, having a good assortment of the favorites, the Elder gave Eeth a bit of the cured meat, as she began to drink the first set of seven drinks in the challenge. The three Dark Elixir’s were great, as the smokiness of each vintage deepened, while the hint of spices and caramel became more potent. The warmth is what got her when she drank the Dark Elixir 10, as it tasted very familiar to her. As if drinking something from her past.
As Tahiri smelled and then drank down each the glasses, pausing at the last whiskey. The Amburana Dust-Corn Whiskey, it’s scent very familiar to her favorite drink, the Comet Duster. A drink from back in the capital City of Taris on Yridia II, at a local hangout estate where many of Tarentum clan members and troops went after a long day or an away mission. Luckily, a bartender at a local place on Aliso also knew of her favorite drink, and made it exactly the same, but she hadn’t been able to get that bar for a while. She never knew the ingredients of her favorite mixed drink, but maybe she could ask Erinyes if she knew of it too, as two of the liquors seemed to have the taste of her drink.
The woman was brought back out of her reminiscing, as the rest of the group began to chime in about their favorites and the couple questions that were asked. She giggled a bit at Erin’s comment about Sofila. Tahiri could feel the liquor beginning to hit her while she savored the last of the Amburana Dust-Corn Whiskey.
“Two is perfectly reasonable. My parents had three children all total, so two is great number to start with,” she giggled again. She slid the first rack of finished glasses towards Erin. “Ready for the next round, Erin. Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of a drink called the Comet Duster? Two of the liquors taste close to what that drink is made of.”
<@216702440140046336> <@645466919415054357>
“Of course. The tingle is interesting, but I don’t make them very often because of that whole needing-a-machine thing.”
Then, Erinyes raised her voice over the entire bar as bottles danced in the air around her. “Time for the next round! Who’s trying what?”
Alex took a sip of his water and swished it about in his mouth a bit, trying to wash away any lingering sugars or traces of alcohol so he could better appreciate the flavors of the next round of drinks. As a clearly somewhat inebriated Sofila leaned toward him with her query, he swallowed and then offered his trademark wide grin.
“Well, Sof, I am quite afraid I am far from an expert to ask on that matter. Four thousand years and my count is still at zero - at least that I know of, though I will admit it does become hard to keep in touch and keep track with the sort of lifestyle I lead. Regardless, I believe the answer is ‘the correct number is however many you want and think you can handle’ and any further comment on the subject would not befit a gentleman such as myself.”
Through his earpiece Alex caught a sound that could have been the digital equivalent of a scoff, but was obviously just some internal process from Steven producing an unintentional sound as it worked. The droid valet would certainly never has expressed disbelief at his principal referring to himself as a ‘gentleman.’
“I daresay, gracious hostess, that I believe my next stop should be the assortment of fruit brandies before I try some of the more bitter or thick entries upon your list. That way I can be sure the flavor will stand through and not be overpowered by any lingering effect from a stronger profile.” <@645466919415054357>
Eevie took a few moments to calm down after her first set of drinks. The various Whiskey’s had hot her harder than she thought they would. Her face held a near permanent smile as she.found herself unable to stop the light giggling that creapt up on her. And the folks there with her, she found herself imagining them all in more…precarious situations. She was definitely ready to take those situations head on. But the Redhead in front of her grabbed her attention the most.
“Hey Red. I juss gotta sayyy that you loook ravishing today, y'know? And I cannnot wait to see how fun you can be wheen you start drinking withus.”
As she quite openly hit on Erinyes, her various appetizers appeared, and her mouth watered at the smells. Fried cheeses, warm breads, Eevie was hungry for many things tonight and this food was just what she needed to help her last through this drinking event.
After taking the time to enjoy her food, the next seven shots were set out in front of her.
“No more whiskey, huh? Well then… no time like the present.”
Not caring of the consequences, the Sephi Mandalorian drank back the drinks with ease, and she felt… the same. The drinks tasted amazing, and all held high quality spirits. But hey body seemed to hold up far better this time.
“Huh…must’ve just been the whiskey. Oh well.”
She turned to Erinyes and flashed a sly smile.
“Keep em coming Red.” And she let out a light giggle as she winked provocatively.
Sofila grinned a cheesy grin when Tahiri had believed that two was a very reasonable number.
“I think so too! Don’t cha, Zuza and Doon!? Course there’s always twins or triplets and what have you- Next round?! Lady-whose-name-I-Forgot, did you hear that?!” Sofila yelped out of excitement towards Eevie when Erinyes had announced something very dangerous for the group.
Just who exactly would fall victim first?
Then her lower lip had puckered out and started to violently quiver as she let out a fake sob and planted her forehead onto the bar with a thud.
“But IdunnohowmanyIcan hannnnndleeee,” Sofila whined, her curly purple hair splayed all over on the bar and maybe even possibly, in some empty glasses or onto people’s plate.
“Or how many Cole can handle-” Sofila muttered under her breath before she rose her head to try the next round of shots. They weren’t so bad, she much prefer the fruit ones. Of course. But Storm-Tossed and Bee’s Knees had became her new favorite. Perfection.
Sofila groaned at the drinks and forehead-ed planted onto the bar once again. There was another sound of a plate being placed in front of her as Sofila rose her head and saw a glorious and magnificent sandwich she had ever laid eyes on.
Bread. Meat. Cheese. Apples. APPLES?!
Sofila gasped as her hands slowly reached over the bar and fingers movements as if they were ‘walking’ towards the sandwich before she grasped it.
“Oh my suns! You are absolutely beautiful!” Sofila gasped, cradling it like a baby before she took a bite and-
“Mmmmmm! Wait wait, Erinyes, Erinyes! Yes! YES! Wait! I KNOW! Gimme spicy honey!” She brought the sandwich close to her chest while freeing a hand to do grabbing motion for Erinyes to get her some spicy honey to add to the sandwich.
“Please?” Her pink hues went wide as puppy-eyed kick in, wide, watery, precious with a matching fluttering lower lip to boot.
-# <@645466919415054357> <@432543120635461643> <@375384499770359819> <@102435651189743616> <@206692046424113152> <@160141735354171394>
Doon had not had time to do much talking - he was not sure how the others could, but was not surprised in Sofila’s case at least. He had busied himself in following after Zuza, intent on making good on the promise of their rematch, even if this was not official per se. Each shot went down in a variety of ways. The only hesitation that caught him is when he raised Dog’s Bollocks to his nose, his eye slowly staying to Erinyes before he tasted it.
Nothing was bad, but to Doon’s limited senses, very few things were truly bad. Still, the burn of the vodka raised a soft growl from him. He could feel the buzz melding slowly into a more loose weight that seemed to shift around and drag his head this way and that if he wasn’t paying attention. His snout ended up pointed at the sprawled out Sofila following her question. With a flick of his ear, he considered her words with a head tilt. “We do not… set expectations. Traditionally, children are the responsibility of the pack. It is up to the leader to see them each trained, nurtured. Those that birth them are loosely bonded, usually together years at a time. Shorter or longer is.. not.. rare.” He trailed off, suddenly realizing he was rambling on a topic that was not exactly requested
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“I dunno, I was just raised by my dad. I cannot imagine Cole holding a little kid though. Or-” Zuza stopped, laughing. She’d just finished the next round of her own drinks, shot by shot enjoying the citrus-replacements and the buzz rising in her head.
“Ok I can and it’s really funny, he’d be so awkward.” She pressed her hand into her cheek, leaning forward in her chair. “I don’t think my dad coulda handled than me. It works out how it works out.”
“I know the voice of experience when I hear it,” Erinyes said, sliding the glass of water to Alex ahead of the assortment of fruit brandies. “You must have had some fascinating libations over the years. Which ones stick out in your mind the most?”
As she served up the next round, Erinyes returned Eevie’s wink, with a look that suggested the fun was only beginning.
The Emissary was about to tell Sofila to just order the sauce through the food terminal—she didn’t really have time to run back to the kitchen, with all the bartending going on—but then, she had an idea.
“You want that as a topping, or a drink?”
Erinyes caught Doon’s look and grinned. Despite its boldness, the expression was well-meaning, not sharp. Presumably, that meant the punny name—one Doon would recognise as decidedly-not-Shistavanen slang for something awesome—was intended as a compliment.
Sofila’s head turned to face Doon but it would be barely noticable because it was still on the bar with the purple curls splayed over it. Her mind was buzzing but she does remind herself that not everyone raised ‘children’ the same. Look at her buir. Other Cultures. Other Families.
How would Cole and I even raise one… can we even agree? Sofila grumbled outloud out of nowhere as she turned her head back, her lips almost touching the bar.
“Awk-awk-awkward?” Sofila sputtered, immediately sitting up, the sandwich still clung to her chest and getting flatter by the minute.
“Oh no…” A free hand went up to her face as she trailed her fingers down, her fingertips caught her lower lip as she pulled it down slightly.
“He… you don’t think he would be a good da-” Then she gasped deeply when she heard Erinyes, her head turned to face her so fast, her body almost went with it off the stool.
“YES-” She handed over the sandwich so carefully as it was the most prized fragile treasure.
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Zuza snorted into her elbow, before leaning back with her feet hooked under the stool bars.
“I don’t think he’d be a bad dad, but I dunno! I’ve never even seen him in the vicinity of a little kid, and we never spoke about it y'know?” She waved a hand, leaning forward to order one next drink as well as a water. Her mouth was burning with booze and even Zuza knew she needed to make sure she didn’t overdo it.
“There are,” as he spoke there was even more of a pronounced halt and slowness to Alex’s cadence than usual, as if he were carefully considering each word, “many ways in which a concoction can be ‘fascinating,’ as you put it. In my time and travels, I have had the honor and the pleasure to dine with many a high dignitary and also the misfortune to suffer alongside the most wretched and downtrodden. If there is one thing I can say unites us all high and low alike,” he raised the glass of Apple of My Eye and took a gentle sip in order to experience its flavors before resuming, “it is that we will all always find a way to dull the pain and enliven the droll of existence.”
“Ah, very good. Less sweet than I have experienced from most apple brandies, but in a decidedly pleasant way. Often they aim too far for the sweetness of an apple and lose the refreshing nature of the fruit.” He sampled a few more in line, going through the black grape, blueberry, and dark cherry selections. “A pleasant tartness on these, appropriate of their derivation. The cherry is a little more subtle than I would prefer but then, it is one of my preferred flavors so I do not imagine it would ever be strong enough for my liking.” Alex’s brow furrowed for a moment as he looked across the remaining glasses, though the faraway look in his eye made it clear it was not the drinks arrayed before him he was contemplating. .
“Stick out in my mind? I suppose there are two that immediately come up when I think about it - for wildly different reasons, mind you.” The next four fruit brandies were sampled, while the Mandalorian’s free hand wavered through the air, seeming to almost physically put his thoughts into order. “The jewel-fruit is stronger than I thought it would be, given it is a flavor usually heavily hidden under a mix. Not altogether unpleasant, but I daresay I will not be having another one of those.” A wry smile split his features as he rambled on. “Now, not particularly noteworthy I suppose in sense of flavor, but no small part of the drink is the tale as well, yes? I was once entertained by a Krath Warlord, claimed dominion over a couple systems for a few years or so before some roving do-gooders - maybe Jedi, it becomes hard to tell at a certain point - showed up to usher him unto his end. He had a supply of beer he made which, according to him, was pressure-fermented in the heart of a dying star and only protected from destruction by his grandiose power in the Force.” A sip of the water to cleanse his palate. “I could not for the life of me tell you if he was full of shit or not, but it did certainly have a distinct clearness of flavor to it that I have never again encountered.” .
“The other,” he lifted the next drink and sipped from it, “was a time - nearly a decade, as I recall - spent in dar’yaim. Through a series of events not relevant to the topic and a discussion for another time, I found myself captured and enslaved, trapped on a planet which had been devastated by a plague which left it unfit for sapient life to persist on for long. What flora and fauna were still there were incredibly hostile and volatile, and every waking moment was a struggle for survival. The hut’uun who sent us there kept observation posts in orbit, monitoring our time there and treating it as some kind of sick sport.” The untested drinks were slammed back, followed by the remaining amounts of the previously sampled ones. A slight wince and a grimace crossed Alex’s face, whether from the alcohol or the memories was anyone’s guess.
“Long since, one of the fighters there had figured out a process. There was a fruit that still grew on the planet - toxic as all hell to eat, but if you were able to mix it with the blood of one of the hound-like beasts that roamed the wastes then ferment and distill it, it would not kill you. At least not quick enough to matter that any of us could tell.” Setting the last empty brandy glass down and picking up the remainder of his water, he stared off once again. “It would work to get you drunk, though it certainly was not a fun ride either direction. And the taste…if the last experience I have in this galaxy as I lay on my deathbed is the lingering remnant of that flavor upon my tongue, I will not be surprised in the least…”
As Alex recited his tale, Erinyes began to improvise around Sofila’s request. She didn’t actually know if the kitchen had spicy honey on hand. More importantly, though, she had An Idea. She grabbed a clean cocktail shaker from the bar, and diverted two floating bottles from where they were filling the next rounds of drinks. By volume, it was a quadruple, with equal parts of each drink.
A vigorous shake and a flamboyant swirl later, and she poured half of the mixture into a tiny bowl, with an equal amount of simple syrup. The remaining half went into two tumblers. Erinyes placed the bowl and one of the drinks in front of Sofila. She didn’t want to interrupt Alex to tell the Mirialan that the syrupy concoction in the bowl was intended as a dip for her sandwich. Sofila would figure it out.
Probably.
In the meantime, Erinyes nodded along as she listened to Alex’s story. “That blood-spirit concoction does sound like something that would haunt you. Perfect for a planet where everything else is trying to kill you,” she said.
“That beer, though… that’s a surprisingly familiar story. The Brotherhood’s resident Lord of the Krath was one of the inspirations for Dark Elixir.” The time she’d spent around Muz but away from the Brotherhood had been very rewarding.
In passing, Erinyes sipped from the cocktail she’d improvised. Kasiya Estates didn’t make a chili spirit (yet), but they did make one from Kasiyan spiceberry—a local tart red fruit with a surprising peppery kick. Mixed with the herbal, floral notes of Bee’s Knees, it became… not bad, actually. Perhaps she would work on adding it to the menu.
Sofila grumbled towards Zuza for a moment but then smiled. She was lost in daydreaming of Cole holding a baby.
She recalled a moment when he did do that during Halloween on Selen. He did look uncertain but the visual was so cute. Imagine if the kid had his hair, her eyes… no, her hair, his eyes…yes that’s better.
Then Alex’s words started to attempt to enter into Sofila’s daydreaming mind. She stared at Alex while he talked. It was uncertain if she was actually paying attention or zoning out. It was then she realized she was holding something so she glanced down and saw that she was cradling a rather half eaten squashed sandwich. Slowly, her head leaned down as her tongue stuck out and she licked the sandwich. Part of her drunken state was uncertain if eating while someone was in a deep of a story was rude?
Oh. What was he saying?
No idea.
Erinyes was responding to Alex as Sofila gasped, noticing the bowl and the drink.
“Aw yea!” She turned the sandwich to vertical and dipped it right into the bowl. While holding the sandwich with one hand for it to be submerged, she used the other to take the spicy-honey concoction drink and downed it.
Then she coughed.
“Blood of a beast? Poor beastie. Drained for blood. Just cause you can eat and survive.” She lifted the sandwich a bit and dunked it a bit harder as if putting on a bit of a show.
“Krath?” Sofila asked in confusion, her knowledge in Brotherhood was obviously not great and rather low, considering she hasn’t been in the clan for long. She lifted the sandwich, leaned down to lick any strings of spicy honey and munch-
Her eyes widen.
Bliss. Pure bliss.
Then she munched faster and harder, bascially on her way to inhaling the sandwich.
Bliss. Bliss. Bliss.
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“An old, dead god that gave its name to a Dark Side cult, thousands of years ago—and more recently to certain mystically-inclined members of the Brotherhood. Nothing worth mentioning nowadays.” Erinyes downed the rest of the hot honey cocktail, then held the empty glass up to the rest of the bar. “Who’s next?”
“Is that where it came from? Huh. Never knew, actually.” Alex took another sip of his water and waved a hand dismissively. “Bunch of poncey aristocrats playing at being Sith like they read the texts through a malfunctioning translator unit was all I ever got from them. The original ones, I mean. Qel-Droma seemed to be a bit different, but my dad had more than a few choice words about that one so my view is sort of clouded. As for the modern ones, they seem to mostly have their act together, though admittedly I have only had the chance to work with Muz that one time, and any others I may have dealt with do not seem to make a big deal out of it. …Which I suppose makes them less poncey, at least.”
Sofila made a noise as she was trying to talk with her mouth full. It took a bit but she finally got the food down before pointing at Alex.
“You.” She started then pressed her finger against his nose and giggled.
“Boop. No. Wait. I had a queston!” Her brows furrowed. She did wanted to ask Alex something.
And it was gone as fast as it arrived.
Just like her attention as she went back to her, finally, nearly eaten sandwich.