Caritas, Friday Evening

[built_fjord_tough]

Caritas was... very festively illuminated tonight. It had taken a little persuasion but Fjord was excellent at persuasion checks, but eventually he'd been able to negotiate a truce with the lights that had been following him around all day. If, instead of harassing patrons, they wound their way up the walls and along the ceiling, he wouldn't intervene if they decided to wrap around Tino.

It was possible that the brightest part of the entire bar was where Tino was standing tonight, covered head to toe in twinkling lights, still somehow managing to serve drinks whenever somebody flagged him down for them.

Fjord had the sneaking suspicion that Tino didn't like him much.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[1000yearstoolate]

Perhaps it was best to find a new regular Caritas night, and pretend it wasn't to avoid anything awkward. At least Seivarden got along with Fjord, as long as they stayed away from any complicated subjects.

"Evening," she greeted, leaning against the bar. "Tequila, please."

[built_fjord_tough]

'Complicated subjects' was such a broad collection of things, though, wasn't it?

"Tequila," Fjord echoed, and made a reach for a nearby bottle, pouring Seivarden a drink. "Evening, Seivarden. And how are you doing today?"

[1000yearstoolate]

It was, sadly.

"Oh, good. And yourself?" Seivarden replied, not looking at Fjord's hands as he poured the drink.

[built_fjord_tough]

"Can't complain," Fjord replied easily. "The island's strangeness aside, I think things have been going fairly well. Nearly done teaching this semester at the school, and then... hell if I know, from there."

He shrugged and slid the drink her way.

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden picked up the glass. "At least I don't have to teach."

For once she just sipped the tequila.

[built_fjord_tough]

"Not a big fan of teenagers?"

Fjord kind of suspected she was not a big fan of most people.

[1000yearstoolate]

Fjord was probably right.

"I've had to deal with seventeen-year-old baby lieutenants for years," she said.

[built_fjord_tough]

"Baby lieutenants, huh? Figure they already know everything?"

Age didn't mean too much where Fjord came from. There were people in his world who were considered adults at seven, after all.

[1000yearstoolate]

"Either that or they want to prove they know everything. Or both."

She snorted.

"I mean, they do well on the aptitudes or they wouldn't be there, but that doesn't mean they don't have a lot to learn."

She almost forgot that she was speaking about her past.

[built_fjord_tough]

"That seems like a constant no matter where you are," Fjord mused, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Sooner or later they realize that the world isn't as straightforward as they were led to believe."

Some people just tended to learn that fact far sooner than others.

[1000yearstoolate]

"Exactly," Seivarden said, probably missing the point.

"Serving on a military ship isn't always as exciting as they think. A lot of time i just spent in gate space or in orbit around some dull planet."

[built_fjord_tough]

"Hm," Fjord replied. "Should've taken up merchant shipping, instead. Always on the move, that way."

And sometimes there were pirates.

Or just crewmates with explosives and daggers.

Or, you know, deep sea monsters signing you into a pact in a search of power and freedom.

[1000yearstoolate]

"Well..."

Fjord, that was so low class.

"Nothing compares to military ships though."

[bookbeltof_love]

"You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Nina posed, dramatically, one hand outstretched and pointing at Fjord.

"A great tragedy has occurred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" It hadn't, but hush. She was building a narrative. Nina left her pose, and the doorway, behind and approached the bar. "How would you feel about a weekend spent—" she hefted her bookbelt onto the bar counter "--reading??????????????????????"

And if he thought she really meant reading, she was going to go into total despair.

[built_fjord_tough]

Fjord glanced up from the glass he was wiping out with rag, blinked, and then broke into a slight grin.

"Reading, hm? I take it you've found some... exciting reading material, have you?"

Yeah, he didn't think for a moment that she was talking about actually reading.

[bookbeltof_love]

She beamed back at him.

See, this was why she asked him and not, like, Vette or Prompto to be her adventuring buddy.

"Only, like, the finest!!!!!!!!!!! Involving sneaking past a border, then up a mountain where treasures await!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[built_fjord_tough]

Fjord hummed a little at that.

"You know, as a sailing man, I've always been captivated by stories about quests for treasure," he replied easily. "I don't think I've ever read about sneaking past a border before, though. So there's something new, too."

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina looked even more pleased.

"It would be good to read about new things," she said, eyes wide and innocent. "Like, that's how you totally expand your horizons!!!!!"

[built_fjord_tough]

"So I'm told," Fjord replied, grinning crookedly. "You never know what you might learn in a good book."

Somewhere in Wildemount, a red-headed wizard was squinting toward the mountains speculatively and didn't know why.

[bookbeltof_love]

"It's true!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And she meant that both literally and metaphorically, even!

"So, like, you interested in a new read??????"

[built_fjord_tough]

"As a matter of fact, I do believe I am," Fjord replied easily. "When were you thinking of picking up this book, might I ask?"

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina looked at him soulfully. And hopefully.

"Like, maybe this weekend, if that's okay with you???????????"

Short notice, sure, but it wasn't like he had any other jobs this weekend. She'd checked.

[built_fjord_tough]

Fjord leaned his head back.

Hm. Spend his weekend here, still unable to get home, doing nothing more important than navigating whatever holiday strangeness the island dredged up, or--

"This weekend works fine."

He didn't even have to finish that thought, honestly.

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina whooped, one fist pumping into the air, and if there hadn't been the counter between them, he'd have gotten a hug.

"I just know you'll love this book!!!!!!!!!!!!" she promised.

[built_fjord_tough]

Fjord would have been so confused by the hug, honestly. But probably would have taken it in stride.

"I'm looking forward to reading it," he replied, honestly. "Thank you, Nina, for inviting me to do so."