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The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:14 pm
by Franky
Ash 91, 121
Franky had several bottles sitting out on the bar top, as well as a large cocktail mixer, sliced lemons and reed straws. He'd been working on a new recipe for a few weeks now, a new cocktail specifically for today's Bar Crawl. And he still wasn't even sure if it was remotely close to perfected, but this was as good as it was going to get for now.
There were a couple of customers sitting at the bar in front of him, regulars that had come in every day, had been watching Franky working on this concoction of his, had even sampled them and given feedback, in exchange for the free drinks. Outside in the chilly evening, the sun was just beginning to set. And once it dipped below the horizon, it would signal the beginning of the Crawl within the Knob.
The Crawl was a popular tradition within the Imperium and had made its way to many other cultures. The task was simple. You purchased a flagon at whichever bar you were starting at, and asked for the Crawl Special. This special was different at every bar and pub. It was whatever cocktail or brew that the bartender had deemed their specialty cocktail for the event. Usually this was an expensive, for a pub, drink, but the quality, creativity, and uniqueness were special. It was just as much a competition between the bartenders as it was among those doing the Crawl.
After receiving the drink in the flagon, the contestant must drink every single drop of it. Upon doing so, the bar would etch into their flagons their name or initials or some other insignia associated with them. After that, the contestant made their way to the next bar. And this repeated all night. There was no true winner, simply the acquisition of bragging rights and signatures on flagons.
And Franky was presenting his creation, The Long Knob Iced Tea.
The bottles on the bar top were unlabeled, but Franky knew what each was. The first was a Deep Grackle Gin, made from some berries down in the Warrens, gathered and distilled by a small band of Grackles, and was a soft amber color. The second was a Sol'Valen tequila, a common drink there, rare here in Zaichaer, and was so clear and distilled that the bottle looked empty. The third was a light Sangen rum, made from a mixed blend of sugars. The fourth was a Vykuli vodka, potent and burning. The fifth was a dark orange, near brown liqueur, made from very questionable sources and methods from a band of maniacs in the Clockwork Wastes. The final ingredient was a chilled tea, from leaves on an obscure mountain in Cathena, supposedly picked by trained monkeys.
Franky had spent weeks testing different blends, different ingredients and this was where he settled. He grabbed the large pitcher-turned-mixer, and poured in a bunch of chunked ice. And he quickly began adding in ingredients in the practiced proportions. This was a strong cocktail that would, if blended well, wouldn't taste like alcohol at all. Instead, it had a refreshing, little bite, the sort of cocktail someone could drink way too much of without realizing it.
He popped the lid on the mixing pitcher and gave it a firm shake, and let it sit, waiting. Then he looked out over the room, "Alright, if you're participating in the Crawl tonight, come on up and try the Long Knob Iced Tea. Five golds, steep I know, but I promise you that it will be the best thing you'll drink all night."
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 10:12 pm
by Vanessa Quill
Rumors of Vanessa's limitless appetite for alcohol had been slightly exaggerated. It had not been enough that Vanessa had visited over a dozen taverns and guzzled down their Crawl Specials, she had remained at each, with Anton at her side, until they were unwelcome. At the beginning of their crawl, they managed to stay out of trouble for nearly an entire hour, but that record had deteriorated with every new drink Vanessa slammed back. At the last few, Vanessa had not even been there long enough to start a fight, the drunken pair of them tossed out onto the street after being given just enough time to guzzle down whatever concoction was on order. She had not been keeping track of Anton's intake, but she could see enough notches on his flagon to prove himself a worthy drinking partner.
A few bars had also outright refused her entry, and in her drunken state they were actually able to keep her from simply barging inside anyway. It was under these circumstances that she found The Hobbled Gobbler. Stumbling drunk down the street, one arm around Anton's waist and holding his belt so he didn't topple, and belting out a song about her lost love the Queen Bitch.
The tavern stretched before her like a holy site, and Vanessa stumbled to a stop to regard it with the sort of awe only a drunk could have. Her full-throated song trailed off to nothing mid-chorus, leaving the fate of her faithful ship an utter mystery as her mind slowly changed tacks. "Alright, just one more." she told Anton. "Thirteen's a pretty good place to stop..." Her words slurred and ran together, but they had been doing that for some time. Through the entrance, and Vanessa made her way right to the counter. Well... as 'directly as one could when walking in a straight line was almost impossible. Even drunk as she was, Vanessa carried herself with no small measure of confidence, and it was not merely the sort that liquid courage could provide.
Finally, after what felt like an arduous journey worthy of another song, Vanessa made it to a stool at the bar with some difficulty. "Barkeep!" Vanessa said a bit too loudly, but not unkindly. She raised her hand a moment after speaking, her reactions delayed. She brought her flagon down onto the bar with a thunk, and Vanessa grinned dully. "A, uh..." She rapped her other knuckles on the table while she thought of the word. From this vantage, her knuckle tattoos on full display along with some of the scars that crisscrossed her forearms. Her jacket was tied around her waist now and that meant she was left wearing her white undershirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A shirt that was, at this point, sporting droplets of a dozen different types of alcohol down the front. Finally pulled from her stupor, Vanessa's eyes lit up. "Crawl Special! One for the two of us." she concluded proudly, and offered up the required five coins after a bit more effort.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2021 4:39 pm
by Anton
After a full season with Vanessa, Anton had given up on any hope of dissuading her from her plans - and after the disconcerting events of Ash, he wasn't particularly against the idea of having a drink either. Or two. Or thirteen, as the case was. Never a heavy drinker, he had resolved himself to only having each bar's crawl special and nothing else, which ended up making him about as inebriated as his bodyguard despite her far, far heavier consumption. At first maintaining this pace required him to hope she would remain distracted as he slowly sipped his beer, but as she grew drunker and drunker and their stays at each bar grew shorter and shorter he began to have to learn how to properly chug before a fight - or more frequently, a bouncer preventing one - saw them removed.
On and on they went, stumbling down the streets of the Knob, the lordling drunk enough to eventually start trying to sing along with the dashing captain. He was terrible at it and only knew half of the words at best, but she was far too gone to be much better either. A smile and a dull glint of recognition flashed across his face as his feet stepped into the entrance of the Hobbled Gobbler, the feeling of its floor as they crossed the threshold familiar to him from previous outings. That didn't mean much, but considering that they weren't being actively thrown out of the building it was at least likely that the last time they were here they had a positive experience. Either that or Vanessa owed the barkeep money, it would be impossible to tell until he actually heard the voice of whoever was manning the counter, for Anton was much too drunk to have retained enough awareness to know in which establishment he now was.
"Just one more, right?" he asked groggily from next to her, trying to remember how many times she had made that promise today. Still, it was probably true this time. They weren't exactly many bars in the Knob that they - or more accurately, she - were welcome in that they hadn't already gone to. Anton's own clothes had fared little better than Vanessa's, though still fully dressed in a rough shirt and breeches they were by now hopelessly stained with beer and some smatterings of someone else's blood. But mostly beer.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 11:45 am
by Franky
Franky watched as a particularly drunk, and confident about it, woman near stumbled over to the bar, stopping directly in front of him, but not seeming to notice his presence as she called for the barkeep. Franky could only grin. He looked down at the flagon she thunked down and made an impressed face. She was rather deep in the crawl, her flagon more adorned than most that had passed through here. "One Long Knob Iced Tea for the well-crawling lass and her friend."
Franky flourished the pitcher, then asked a question he knew the answer too. He recognized the signatures carved into her flagon, "So tell me about your crawl. Where all have you hit up?" Franky poured the cocktail into her flagon. It wasn't as lovely to look at in a wooden flagon as it was in a glass, but that wasn't the point on this night. She might be three sheets to the wind, but this drink would surely put her over the top.
And it wouldn't even taste like alcohol, if Franky mixed it well enough that is. He was still practicing. He took four of the gold coins, leaving one behind, "A coin for a story, and for you to tell me your thoughts on the drink. I'm still working on perfecting it. Gin, tequila, rum, vodka, bitters, tea, a bit of syrup, and plenty of ice. A potent mix." Franky slid the remaining gold coin back toward Vanessa, looking over at her more sober friend with a grin.
"The fights have been treating you well I've seen, Vanessa. Made quite a bit of coin off your showings. Though we may have to find you some tougher opponents, the bets are starting to hedge your way more oft than not."
Smiling even more broadly, "You the designated navigator tonight, Anton?" There was a bit of jest in that statement, as Franky had noticed that between the two of them, only Vanessa was likely to get absolutely pissed. Franky was good with names and faces, and remembered Anton was from the Imperium, "I did get a shipment in from back home, if you'd like something with a bit more fullbodiness and warmth to it. A bit less teeth, but definitely brings comfort at night." It was asked with a raised eyebrow toward Anton, as Franky now cast his attention on Vanessa, to see if she finished this step of the crawl.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 9:58 am
by Vanessa Quill
Vanessa's eyes fixed on Franky after a few seconds, like a camera slowly pulling into focus. "Ah, there y'are." She said, as though he had ever been anywhere else since she had entered his establishment. She stood on surer legs now, and the world stopped spinning around her for so long as she made no sudden movements. Even still, she was glad to sit down on the barstool and rest her elbows on the counter.
"Oh, plenty a' places." Vanessa began, though she did bring her eyes down to her flagon to jog her memory. "The Last Drop, Tapped Keg, Ol' Ben's..." On and on Vanessa went, naming each of the watering holes. The bars she named tended towards the lower end of reputation, but she had spared taking Anton to anywhere that she thought may have truly endangered his safety. Considering the flecks of blood on her shirt, she had not entirely been successful.
"A story, eh?" Vanessa said, slipping the coin back into her pocket. "After the drink." She decided. Putting the capstone on their crawl was her immediate desire, and she she hefted the flagon to her mouth and took a heady gulp. Ice chips rushed down her throat along with the cocktail, but she didn't seem to mind and tipped the mug back further. He was right about the taste. If Franky's reputation weren't on the line, she might have thought he had skimped out on the hooch altogether.
After draining her mug of everything but the ice, Vanessa clunked down the flagon on the counter and wiped her mouth. "Damn fine work." She said. "Can slam a few to get drunk quick I bet, but 's also good for folk who hate the taste of good booze." It was difficult for Vanessa to get much more constructive than that, any more complex thoughts getting swept away as her mind swam in a drunken haze.
At the mention of Anton being the navigator, Vanessa barked a laugh. She brought her hand around the young man's shoulder and leaned in. "Truth be told, I thought I'd be carrying him over my shoulder by now. Lad's got spirit in spades, or at least an iron gut." She was proud of Anton for making it so far, and made no attempts to hide it as a grin split her face.
"So, a story..." Vanessa said after pulling herself back upright in her chair and running a hand through her messy mop of hair. "What kind are you after?" There was a dull reminder in her skull to not let too much slip from her past life, but the alcohol had eroded much of what was an already shaky foundation.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 3:56 pm
by Anton
While there was blood on his shirt as well, Anton himself seemed entirely unharmed, so Vanessa was probably doing something right even if the violence had only occurred because of her. Any other pairing, and the former pirate would've been fired months ago - at best - but they both knew that she had been hired to be far more than just his bodyguard. She was meant to give him a crash course on the life that he had missed out on while secluded in his parents' estate. The fact that he had gotten through three months of it mostly unharmed spoke to her competence more than anything else.
"I've been drinking about a tenth of what you have," he deadpanned back at her in response to the praise before taking a sip of the Long Knob Iced Tea. This drink was dangerous, but he really had no notes beyond what Vanessa herself had provided. You could easily drink enough of these to fall into a stupor without even knowing how deep in you were getting. "Speaking of drinks though... a nice Imperial sounds like a good way to finish out the night. Pour me one of those after I'm done with this, eh? But no, I'm no navigator, I've just dashed around every bar Vanessa drags me into. and tried to keep myself out of the way of any blows."
As far as stories went, Anton felt some real trepidation. He had few of his own after all, but perhaps he could make it work anyway... "I suppose you'll want one from me as well, eh? Trust it's alright if the story isn't an original." And if that wasn't alright, he did have a few in his back pocket if needed. They weren't exactly the happiest of the lot, but maybe Franky would appreciate a more somber sort of tale.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 2:03 pm
by Franky
Franky chuckled, "That's a fair assessment of the drink. Stealing the idea of the sneaky alcohol from wine. You're thinking you're fine until you're not."
At Anton's order, he went over to a smaller barrel tucked under the bar, pouring into a tin flagon instead of the normal wood. The bear poured dark, near black, with a deep brown and thick head upon it. Franky brought it back around, setting it before Anton, "A stout, straight from Gel'Grandal. This one's called the King's Stout, known as being the finisher." Franky gave a toothy, goblin smile, then poured another, putting it in front of Vanessa as well. He didn't tell them about the copper coin in the bottom of the tin flagons, part of the tradition.
A drink for, and with the Goblin King, wishing him good luck and earning his favor.
Turning to Vanessa, "So how about the tale of how you two came to meet? While not the most unlikely of pairings I've come across in this life, I can say I find myself curious."
Casting a friendly gaze over to Anton, "All stories are original, for no storyteller can share one the same as any other. And they all spend the same here." A toying grin accompanied that statement.
Franky poured himself a flagon of the King's Stout as well, winking at the pair before him, before taking a healthy draught off of it. Hints of caramel and coffee, bitter and strong, heavy. It was called the finisher, not for its alcoholic content, though it was no slouch in that regard, but because it sat so heavy and dense within one's stomach that hardly anyone could bear to drink, or eat, anything else with a flagon of that. It was known among Imperium soldiers for being good at providing some base nutrition when food wasn't readily available, and so this brew made its way with every traveling contingent.
An Imperial favorite among the soldier class and well known across the entire country.
Franky could see that the tavern was winding down, people stumbling out and not returning. It started to become a bit more peaceful, and the orders were slowing down. So he had more time to spend on listening to the stories these two might share.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2022 11:10 pm
by Vanessa Quill
It was an excellent story, how the two had met. It was one of the few stories Vanessa could retrace in her mind and come away warmer than when she had began. The story of a brigand finding the smallest scrap of undue kindness, and with it a glimpse at a better life beyond. It was a story she wanted to tell, and a story that yearned to be told. A story whose full weight could redefine the way Vanessa was perceived by others.
So, of course, she lied.
Well, she 'polished' some of the more offending details, mostly. It was easier than inventing a story from nothing while alcohol sluiced through her mind. "His ol' man needed some medicine from way way away. Somethin' that would give this poor kid a fightin' chance. Couldn't expect merchants to deliver it, you know how they are with 'special requests'" That was true enough, though in this case the special request carried with it a sentence of death. "He needed someone who would make his son a top priority. Nothin' else on the manifest, nothin' else on the agenda." She neglected to mention how she'd been dragged to Franz's proposal bloody and bruised, though both parties insisted on that particular detail that it was the other person's fault.
"Raced the wind there an' back to get it to 'im. Hobbled into port, ropes snapped, gasbags leakin', hull hangin' on by a few loose nails." That part was a more bold lie, but it helped explain why she was no longer a captain. Pretending she had given up her vessel for a nobleman and his runt would have been a hard sell even if Vanessa had been a paragon of virtue. The lie was easier than explaining that she had set it alight to both burn any lingering evidence as well as a way to lock her to Zaichaer where the Michaelis patriarch could ensure she had no intentions of selling out his secret.
"His ol' man hated me. Wanted me out of his sight the second I handed the goods over." She explained, clearly unbothered by being openly disliked. "Still can't believe he stood up to his old man when he was this tall." Vanessa nudged Anton's side with one elbow while bringing her other hand down to her waist to illustrate how short Anton had been at the time, another slight exaggeration. The act made the bodyguard wobble, but she was able to bring her elbows back onto the table to support before she risked falling.
"Been at his side ever since, more or less."
Vanessa lied well enough, and the drunkenness helped hide any blemishes in her story. Not by diminishing them of course, but rather her public intoxication was a good indicator that anything she said was subject to exaggeration.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:37 pm
by Anton
Anton sat silently as Vanessa told the slightly censored story of how they had met, the lordling staring blankly into his drinks. He found himself drinking as the tale went on, first from the dastardly mixed drink, and then when that ran dry switching to the stout Franky had just poured him. To steady his nerves, of course. The young man flushed at her praise, the inebriated - and rapidly growing moreso - man holding onto the table after he was shoved.
"She's leaving out the parts that make her look good, for the record," he said slowly and slyly, pausing for a moment to take another sip from his mug. "I suppose I have no choice but to tell you why I stood up for her. She's a big softie, you know, not that she wants anyone to see it. I'll have to be brief, elsewise she might get mad for ruining her reputation around here."
Sitting there, overcome by both drink and emotion, a mood overtook the overeducated noble. One that would surely embarrass his companion, and had he been sober that would've been reason enough to avoid it. Unfortunately for Vanessa, Anton was very much not sober, and so burst out into verse.
I heard there was a captain, sailing 'cross the skies
And within her hold she had hid a most furtive prize
As it 'twas for my sake she had answered such a call
I insisted that she receive riches and glories all
By my hand I would grant it, and to my side she came
With that prize in her hand, ignoring all disdain
In her sight I took then a most bitter draught
And there she remained throughout most horrid shouts
Yet no statue was she, that terror of sea and sky
The mask of dread fell from her face upon my fervent cry
And there with me and mine, she proved herself kith and kin
Providing solace to my heart, absolved of sorrow and sin
In agony I met her, upon death's door did we meet
But with her at my side no more shall I weep
"I hope that shall suffice," he muttered at the end, burying himself in his mug until the King's Stout was finished.
Re: The Crawl (Open)
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:35 am
by Aegis
REVIEW TIME
Franky
Lores: x8
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points: 10
Vanessa
Lores: x8
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points: 10
Anton
Lores: x8
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points: 10