Visitin Fren

It was a relatively quiet day, as far as things go. There were plans being worked on to venture into the next floor of the Tower, but tactical strategies weren't really Vertina's thing. So she was contently at work in her Tavern, a few bottles and other things spread out across the bar that she was fiddling with between orders. Drink bottles, mugs, the usual... while some of the other flasks and powders look more akin to what one would see an alchemist using. The midday hours weren't typically too busy so she had time to tinker with other pet projects right now.

    There's not much of a fanfare given to someone else slipping into the tavern. The door might make noise, but whoever came in slipped through pretty quickly and smoothed their way in amongst the other patrons already inside. It may very well be a deliberate effort of trying to go unnoticed, too. At least up until--

    "Hi!"

    Suddenly, with that cheerful greeting, there's a little thud of a body settling to a lean against the bar counter right opposite from where Vertina is standing. And there's a very familiar red-scaled and -haired Salamander with a golden scarf leaning there, with his elbows propped to the countertop and chin propped on the knuckles of both hands.

    Is spending most of her time dumping magic and reagents on her armor so she has time to hang out at her tall friend's establishment drinking juice and plotting something... at least the map she's drawing of Alne says she's probably plotting something. When a wild Atif appears she makes a happy noise, stands and wraps her arms around a Salamander giving him a big squeeeeeeeeeeeze as only happy tall girls can manage. "Long time no See." she says brightly.

Vertina looks up from her dabbling at the thump and a big grin spreads across her face. "Atif!" She sets one of the bottles aside to free up her hand and reach over the bar to hug the other Salamander around the shoulders. "Finally got a chance to come up and see the place for yourself."

    Atif actually lets out a little squeak! of surprise when he gets the other Salamander's arms around him... and immediately after, Wisteria's hugging him from behind too, leaving him so caught between the two that he seems to lose the sense to even try to hug either of them back. "Uh-- hi you two," he says thus, with an akward little laugh, his tanned cheeks flushing with color almost as red as the scales coating the underlining of his jaw.

Vertina withdraws her arm, giving one blushing cheek a playful pat with her hand as she does so. "It's good to see you again! I haven't had as much time to wander around as of late." She rises back up behind the bar, giving a finger a playful waggle. "Don't worry, I've made sure to have plenty of nonalcoholic drinks on hand as well. Not everyone wants to strong stuff."

Wisteria smiles and sits back down "I've been working on my armor myself so yah not a lot of running about, but I still manage to get some quests in."

    The pat to the cheek doesn't seem to help that blush to disappear from Atif. "It's nice to see you too... I've been meaning to come stop by but somehow I just kept running into things that needed attending to..." He murmurs sheepishly, though he gives a genuine-enough smile after. "Oh... Actually..." He leans a bit further against the counter then. "I would actually like to try one of the beers? The ones you've made." Nevermind that his expression is a *little* nervous.

Vertina blinks. Blinks again. But then holds up a finger as she steps back from the bar. "Hold on, I've got just the thing." Followed by turning on her heel and giving the pair a brief view of swishing tail as she disappears through the back doors. They had the forethought to put a doorway to the cellar in the back of the small kitchen, so people don't have to run all the way through the actual brewery to get down into storage.

It still takes a few minutes before she returns, and sets a bottle down in front of Atif. "I have a few basic brews specifically made with a less potent content for people that may not be accustomed to stronger drinks." She shrugs a little. "Not everyone here was able to, ahem, experience such things before."

Wisteria pointedly sips her juice. She hasn't asked for anything that is alcholic so it's mostly that she's still sticking to the rules of the old world. She sketches on her map of the city drawing odd runic patterns.

    "Oh...?" Is about all that Atif manages to get out before Vertina's off to the back. He waits patiently enough there at the bar, with his tail swishing idly from side-to-side. He does look over to Wisteria curiously, though. "What'cha drawin' there?"

    And when Vertina does come back, the male salamander gives the bottle a curious look before taking it into his hand. "Oh that's... alright, I'm sure. I mean, I tried that wine you made before, so..." Nevermind that he ended up coughing quite a bit when he did. He peeks up to Vertina, though, and notes, "You always seemed so proud of this stuff so... I wanted to try it."

    hat having been said, he tips the bottle up, and takes a slow... caaareful sip of the brew. Just enough to get a taste before lowering the bottle down again. His eyes closing there, with a low "Mmmmh" hummed in his throat. Well... at least he's not coughing this time?

Vertina tries not to start snickering remembering Atif's previous encounter with wine. "Yeah, but that was experimenting just to see what I could do," she admits. "This is actually made to be a proper beverage, now that I have appropriate facilities." She is genuinely happy to see him enjoy it, lack of alcoholic tolerance or not. "And I want anyone to be able to enjoy coming in here, not just the people that drink heavily." She nods her head towards Wisteria. "She comes in just for the juice, after all."

    Wisteria grins, and it's her combat grin.. though lacking razor fangs given she's just a tall albino human at the moment. "I'm planing an epic curse... okay it's not a curse but it is a curse I mean it uses dark magic." she pauses then starts over. "I'm making a diagram of the enchantment I want to cast on Alne... well specifically I want to use three statues and tie them into a grid so that if we have another calamity or something that tries to target Alne becuase the tower is here. They can protect the city." she sticks her tongue out at Vertina "I come in for you, juice is just a happy biproduct." she giggles

    Atif swallows the mouthful he took, and lets out a low breath of air. "...Well, that definitely doesn't hit as hard," he admits, before lifting his head and flashing a wide smile to Vertina. "And it's good. It's very good." A little flick of a thick, red tail there.

Vertina nods to Wisteria. "The difference between a curse and a blessing is who it's being applied to, after all... And I'm just happy you people come in to enjoy it. And the company," she adds with a wink.

    Wisteria shrugs "I mean I guess... It's a curse cause it curses people but since everyone get's weird when I say I'm cursing the city or cursing my armor then I figured I'd try to not call it a curse?"

    "Company's mostly what brings me out to places like this," Atif confesses. Still holding his left hand drawn along the bottle brought out to him, he gives a brief, sheepish look over to Vertina while drawing his other hand over the counter, palm up. "Missed you, by the way."

Vertina snickers a bit at Wisteria. "Probably for the better." And nods to them both. "I've missed seeing you around too." She sets the bottle she was shaking back amongst the others. "I've got brewing, I've got basic alchemy... now I just need to figure out more ways to use them together."

    Wisteria OOh OOohs "I know, sodas that stay cold on their own. Might even give a buff for dealing with heat and stuff."

    "...Soda that self-refrigerates?" Atif blinks slowly at Wisteria over that -- but then he lets out a thoughtful hum. "I mean... I guess if you infused the bottle or can or whatever with water magic...? Maybe?"

Vertina chuffs softly. "Unfortunately Water magic is the one element I don't have. Though there's a few of the Alliance mages I could always ask."

    Wisteria nods "I'd be useless when it comes to water if I weren't a werefang." she sticks her tongue out. "I just figured you could do something with alchemy or something rather than the bottle I could probably make cold bottles."