Alice jumped slightly when Drew started yelling at Eliza to go get drinks, though it would seem that something else had spooked the girl much more. So much so that when Drew had shouted at her she almost seemed to be happy to start quickly walking away from Fei, obviously not wanting to look back with anything.
"Mm...I get the feeling that girl is a bit more curious than her own good..." Alice began, noting that Eliza was now practically running away. "Uh...I think that something is very wrong with that girl that she had been speaking to...do you know her at all? Or what she might have said?" Alice asked, then listening to Drew's answers before he pulled her into a hug.
"Oh...uh....Thanks...." Alice said, blushing over the close moment as the pair were sitting there while Eliza made her way over. She was a little calmer, but still wide eyed and placing two bottles on the table, which Alice glanced at the girl, who started saying apologies before Alice cut her off.
"We'll go over it later...Just...leave the drinks." Alice said, only for then Drew to wrap an arm around her for things after the battle.
"I...uh...Well, thats....I mean, I think that...might be good. I mean, if you would like that kind of thing. Not that we need to, of course! Just....uh, here! This is good stuff! Its seasoned dragon meat! Very good, with a good...after taste." Alice tried to stop being uncomfortable about the situation, but was obvious about the redirect at this point.
"I hope you will see how you.....er, helped later. It will be a big surprise, I think. For everyone." While she was starting though, it seemed some tables were being moved and some shouting was going on. It seemed that some of the party had gotten an early start on the fighting, with some of the centaurs arm wrestling, and a few of the stone guardians and centaurs shouting with one another.
"Mm...fights before the fight? Always made no sense to me...what do you think, Lord Drew?"
[hr]
"Ah, a bad habit, you say? I think it is actually what you could use more of. I mean, you obviously keep stepping back into it, so I guess it is something you prefer." Rosa replied, crossing her legs as she put down her glass and crossed her fingers, more contemplative than anything was her appearance for those who might not be familiar with her.
"And if you wanted to meet with Onyx, you could definitely be introduced, but I don't think you would like the meeting. You thought the slap you got before made your head spin, she'll make you dance by moving your legs for you until you get it. Course, I imagine you are more than willing to blindly jump into it, which I would find amusing to watch..." Rosa explained, a maid stepping by to drop off a few snacks for the table and exchanging the drinks that were empty around them.
"But at least you know your limits, because otherwise it would be a shame having to leave you lying on the table because you decided you could outdrink that man. Which at one point I would need to do. So, my mistaken wanderer, now that you've been properly...introduced to the world, where shall you proceed next? Obviously not here...or do you actually like this?"
As she asked the question, it seemed that someone behind them was happily announcing that he couldn't be beaten in a straight shot with a bow while moving. One of the maids had responded by throwing a potato and knocking the drink out of their hand. Apparently that was a sure sign of something, and they were being 'helped' to move their table as a golem shifted over to push the table aside as makeshift targets were set up.
[hr]
"Mm...So you never relaxed before! Well, thats some kind of shame, isn't it? Shouldn't be doing that to your drinks, cause it kinda removes the point of...well, getting a drink!" The centaur said, obviously entertained by the younger mage clearing out his drink.
"Again, easy on the boy. Sheesh, makes me happy I'll be punching you out later so you can learn some manners! The boy doesn't want you hanging him up by his legs somewhere, or tying him to some table, or putting silly things in his drink!" The stone guard said, taking a deep drink of what he had before slamming it back on the table.
"Though, that is quite the trick....I am gonna guess from where you come from you are a shaman in training or something? I've seen things like that....a long time ago? Yeah, a long time ago."
"BAH! Nonsense! Our shamans don't do that, and I would bet this guy is all kinds of things with this wine. What ya do for work? Some kind of....purifier or something?" The centaur butted in, obviously the more rambunctious of the group. Though, not as rambunctious as a few tables over where things were being shifted over for room for more activities. While there still were a few dancers across the way that could have been had to move, it seemed that they were just going to do makeshift competitions instead.
"Heh, you know what that means, rock-boy? Means that pretty soon you and I are going to have to start drinking, and no stopping till the other drops!" The centaur said with a laugh.
[hr]
Eliza's eyes had widened more than a tiny bit as she backed away from Fei, obviously not sure of what she was doing or who she was talking to, and Fei saying things that were...odd didn't help the situation. She was trying to back away to the closest door nearby, but it seemed that Fei wasn't going to just let her go out that door, so instead Eliza just went up against a wall.
Even as the party seemed to be changing gears into something different, apparently with new activities being made rather than planned for, and more drinks coming out of the kitchens than anything, Eliza seemed to keep herself locked on to what Fei was attempting to do, or when she might have been talking to something that wasn't there. She opened her mouth several times as if she was going to say something, but each time she attempted nothing seemed to come out.
For the time, she simply sat there looking at Fei, largely just hoping this wasn't going to get bad, and she wouldn't burn her or do something demonic, because she didn't think that would happen here with Lord Edgar. It shouldn't have!
[hr]
"Ah, just for a bit of a relaxation then? Sounds like a plan, since I don't think I would want to stay here too long either. Don't get me wrong, some of the company can be great, but I imagine you are not too interested in that!" Kane said with a laugh, shaking his head as another meal was brought over to him to snack on.
"Ah, perfect! Thanks...You know, you don't quite strike me as the pair to be doing this kind of thing. Imagine the rest of the group is weighing ya down. I know how THAT can be sometimes. Don't worry though, I'm sure once ya get going things will look up. Besides, this castle is pretty big...just don't lose track of each other. Castle being big goes a couple ways!" Kane laughed again, obviously intending multiple meanings for what he was saying.
"Course, it would also depend on if you plan on participating in the battle later. If so, then I imagine you'll be sticking around much longer. Which means you might see more of me....which I'm not sure what you'll feel about that! Excuse me...need to deal with the good lord over here planning on taking the lands away from me!"
Seth gave an odd look at that. Strange things were going on here, and he was pretty sure he was missing them at this point. Trying to take lands? Doing this kind of thing which was...? Though, he was pretty sure he picked up on the big castle meanings. He wasn't sure if he could like this fellow, or dislike him for being so...honest? Though, when Raven made her face at the drink he couldn't help but smile.
"Let me guess....first time? I imagine this stuff is....very strong stuff. Could probably get you drunk pretty quickly if you took too much of it at once. Its...well, its the kind that hits after the fact, I think. You alright? I wonder if they have...some water or milks or something..." Seth said to Raven, kind of happy that things had slightly moved away from them and more towards Alexander.
Guy is good at gathering attention, which I'll take in any way I can here. Especially since he's the better spoken one at this point.
"Uh....Miss? YOU!" Seth said to a passing maid, getting her with a wave. OK, that worked "Could I get some juice please? Maybe some water or something as well? Thanks..." Seth began hoping that he knew what he was doing, especially when things began to get out of hand across the room. It brought a small smile to his face as it reminded him of the bars in town, or when things got out of hand or too many drunks. Meaning it was going to get extremely competitive and interesting.
[hr]
Kane regarded Alexander for a moment more, listening to the lordly fellow before starting to laugh. It seemed that he had found the sentimentality of the emblems somewhat...humorous. It almost seemed as if he found them as some kind of elaborate joke. Jade seemed less concerned now that it seemed they had been explained, or at least distracted the centaur.
"So, family gifts? I would think they might actually intend to give ya something a bit....more useful. I mean, I got nothing from my line, but that might be because anything we woulda handed down became some kind of useless garbage to the next. Trinkets only work for their owners, meaning that passing em on is just asking for it to betray ya at the right moment." Kane said, swirling the liquid he had around and taking a drink as Alexander's other questions began. However, it seemed that Edgar had taken enough sitting back quietly and instead went to answer the question.
"HAH! You can say that perhaps we are the closest thing to friends in the godforsaken wasteland. It is more like we work together perfectly, with him being overtly obnoxious, snide, problematic, destructive, and just overall a problem. I am the better of us, of course. Course, I guess we'll get to see more proof of THAT later." Edgar said with a laugh, with Kane shooting him a quick glare before answering himself, getting his familiar mug.
"Our...'relationship' is that we know each other too well. Been through too much, killed too much, and overall have been in the same area too damn long for us to not do this at this point. Kinda just what has to happen eventually when you can't beat one another effectively! Course, it seems like...your compatriots don't tend to get along quite that well. Scattered in the winds, all over the place, in different groups...what in blazes IS your story? You don't make any sense so far."
Even as everything else seemed to be shifting about the lords and Alexander, it seemed that the question hung about a little heavier than anything else as far as the lords were concerned. While Kane made no attempt to hide that he found their arrival and what they intended, and even along what they were grouped together for to be completely strange. Edgar seemed to be enjoying a drink as the question hung, but he seemed interested in an answer as well.
