fandomtownies | Caritas, Monday

Entry tags:

Caritas, Monday

So today was the day for a special that had never been served at Caritas before. At least as far as Seivarden knew, but since most people here didn't know a lot about civilised culture she had no reason to believe otherwise. So the sign said:

Today's special
Radchaai arrack

Tino had tried it and hadn't been impressed, but then he was hardly a ver civilised person to start with, so Seivarden wasn't surprised.

She had one of the two boxes of bottles left after the... unfortunate week when she had consumed the other one. Considering how quiet Mondays tended to be that should be enough.

[Open and OCD-free]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hannibal was heading past, saw the special, and made a brief detour home before heading back to the bar.

He nodded to Seivarden and held up his nicely gloved (silk, and they matched his blue pocket square) hands. "Will these do? It seemed appropriate to dress for the occasion."

"They will definitely do," Seivarden said, smiling. She placed a glass on the bar in front of Hannibal and reached for the bottle.

"I asked Breq to send me a box and she was kind enough to oblige."

"Tell me about arrack," Hannibal prompted, looking over the bottle.

"It's made from a fruit, with spices added," Seivarden said, pouring dark red arrack into Hannibal's glass. "I think you'll find it similar to both wine and whiskey, but slightly spiced. The alcohol content is somewhere in between."

[This is me and L.S. speculating, canon says nothing specific at all]

"It sounds intriguing," Hannibal noted. "And makes me think that I should introduce you to sangria." He waited for her to finish pouring, then lifted the glass to view the light through it for a moment, and took a sniff to enjoy the scent before tasting it.

"Interesting," was his initial decision. He was a little distracted and busy trying to separate the spices, which was difficult when he didn't know what they were.

Seivarden wasn't sure if interesting meant good, but she wasn't going to ask.

"Sangria? Summer has been talking about sangria nights."

Hannibal chuckled. "She would. Sangria is a mixture of wine, spirits, and fruit. I imagine it would make good jello."

He took another sip of the arrack and nodded. "I like this. I'm trying to decide what food it would go with. Are there traditions for that?"

"It depends on where you are," Seivarden said. "Radch space is big."

Arrack was served even outside of it, but they were talking about Radchaai cuisine.

She grinned. "So there will be no insult to propriety to come up with something for Fandom."

While still a little suspicious of Hannibal, Seivarden was sure he would make a good choice for that.

"You are welcome to have a bottle or two if you want to try something."

Hannibal nodded thoughtfully. "I wouldn't mind one, to experiment with. I would hate to deprive you. And you must of course come to dinner once I've decided what to do with it."

He was equally uncertain of Seivarden, but willing to keep being friendly until given a reason otherwise.

"I have the advantage of being able to get things from my universe now," Seivarden said. "Including bottles of arrack. And it's a kind invitation."

"Not at all; I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy being able to share that with others. If you're supplying one of the raw ingredients, it's only polite you get to see what I make of it."

"Ah, so there it is!" said Amaya, who had been expecting this, of course, but that didn't mean she still wasn't going to give Seivarden a hard time about it. "She can feature something other than beer after all!"

"And can you drink something other than beer?" Seivarden countered with, placing a glass in front of Amaya.

Seivarden. Some of the things Amaya could drink were definitely things Amaya shouldn't drink.

So that was a resounding yes, although the answer she gave was, "I guess we'll find out! I've been looking forward to this, you know. I hope I'm not disappointed."

"So am I."

She filled Amaya's glass.

"Tisarwat thought I should bring gloves for people who didn't wear them."

"Make the whole occasion a whole...cultural experience, eh?" Amaya asked with a grin. "Good thing I already came with my own, then!"

Although she knew her gloves would probably only be acceptable on the principle that they were glove around their parts, but it did make her feel a little bit better about the whole thing as she picked up the glass, lifted it as if in salute to Seivarden, and then brought it closer for a tentative sniff.

"Mmmm," she noted. "It's got a nice smell to it, at least! What do they call that, in all the fancy drinking circles? Nose, or something? Or is that bouquet? Nose." She snorted faintly, going to finally take in a sip. "A bit on the nose, isn't it, if you ask me!"

Seivarden laughed.

"Does that mean you like it?"

Amaya, who was ruminating over that first sip and then decided perhaps a bigger sip would be needed to really come to any sort of conclusion, tiltied her head and then had a third sip before answering.

"I do!" she concluded. "It's a bit different, I'll give you that, but I expected as much. It's got a nice boldness to it, though, and I can see why you might have trouble finding something similar to replace it here in this world. It's smooth, too. A bit dangerously so, if you know what I mean, I could see making your way down a glass of this without any bumps to slow you down if you're not too careful."

"That has been known to happen," Seivarden said, avoiding thinking about how she had done that recently for the wrong reasons.

"Let me know if you want another one."

She wasn't trying to get you drunk, Amaya.

"I'll try to take my time with the other half of this one," said Amaya, who probably would actually do no such thing, "at the very least."

She even proved it by taking a much more delicate sip with her next one.

"So," she then ventured, "you get a chance to meet any new faces with the next batch, yet?"

"Not yet," Seivarden said. "We'll see if anyone shows up today. What about you?"

"Not really, actually," Amaya admitted, with a little bit of a shrug, though she did look a little disappointed in herself for that. "I did get a new teaching buddy, but she's actually one of my former students. Yang. Don't know if you've ever met her, but she'd got herself a shiny new mech arm, so that was a fine piece of work!"

And she'd handed it over to Amaya like it was nothing. Nothing, Seivarden! You and your hesitation at just handing Amaya a gun. Pffft.

"It sounds like you're going to get along," Seivarden said. "Yang? I think I signed up for her class."

She paused, grinning.

"I signed up for yours too."

Now there was a statement to quirk a brow and tempt a person to finish up what was in their glass!

"Oh, did you now?" Amaya asked, eying Seivarden for any hints that she might be pulling her leg a little.

"Do you think I would lie about that?"

She kept grinning.

"You do remember what I said, don't you?" Amaya tried, because, honestly? Seivarden lying seemed almost slightly more believable than Seivarden wanting to pick up blacksmithing. "About having to learn about swords?"

If she wasn't carefully, she might even turn into a sword person!

"Did I tell you about Summer wanting me to turn into a 'fierce independent badass bitch'?" Seivarden said. "I'm sure making a completely useless sorry excuse for a sword would help."

She wasn't sure how, but Summer might be impressed. Breq might not be impressed, but she might approve.

"Hey, now." Amaya lifted a warning figure. "Under my tutelage?" Her hand made a swiping gesture in the air. "No sword is useless," the elaborate spiky hilts that were impossible to hold might beg to differ, though, "and I don't accept sorry excuses anywhere near my forge. If you're in it, you're in it for quality, you got that?"

Her arms folded in front of her as she leaned back a little, her expression holding a soft grin as she did it. "But you're right," she added. "If that's what you're going for, this may actually help. Hope you're ready to sweat, though. And I hope you don't think I'm going to just go easy on you just because we're friends."

"I don't expect you to go easy on anyone," Seivarden said, refilling Amaya's glass.

"You're darn right," said Amaya with a confident nod, followed by a lift of her chin. "Especially not when it comes to my craft. It's not for the faint-of-heart, you know!"

She took a swig from the glass soon after it was filled before she added hastily, "Not that I'm saying you are, of course. But I think you're probably in for a surprise, Cap--" She caught herself, "Seivarden."

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Amaya."

She smiled.

"And I did not only sign up just to see your reaction."

Amaya snorted into her glass at that.

"Although I certainly wouldn't blame you if you did," she noted. "I would probably do something like that myself! But I'm glad to hear you're going to be willing to give it an honest try. I think it'll be good for you."

And your biceps, Seivarden!

It would save her a workout at the gym! Not that she minded those.

"Well, there will be an honest try. So with that and with another roommate the summer should be exciting."

"Another roommate?" asked Amaya, with another quirk of her brow.

Honestly, she didn't know why Seivarden even bothered with the first one, personally!

Because she liked the company.

"Prompto moved in too. Just for the summer."

Enjoying company?

....sounds fake, but okay.

"I've had him in a few of my classes," Amaya noted, with an expression that nicely matched her quickly finishing up that second glass. "Smart kid. Definitely knows his way around a machine. But he can be a little...

"Well, he's no Sidon, but he's a good case for someone who could stand to switch to decaf, if you know what I mean."

Edited 2021-05-10 21:59 (UTC)

"I do know what you mean."

Seivarden looked amused as she refilled Amaya's glass again.

"We have talked about movie nights by the way, and you are welcome to join us."

She assumed it was very clear what kind of movie night they were talking about.

Yeah, considering Amaya had just pointed out that Prompto had been a former student of hers, the possibility of the other kind didn't even enter her mind. Not even two glasses into her arrack.

"You know what?" she said. "I'd love to. Especially now that I realize this new roomate situation of yours means I might finally have someone who'll appreciate those explosions as much as I do!"

"Yes, but I think he might appreciate the mushy parts too."

Seivarden didn't know if Prompto did, but she was happy to assume it to tease Amaya.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Caritas, Monday

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject