"Wow... ke’u're ainev gyara azuk itesiwaju!" he laughed through the screeching of chair legs on wooden floors as the men and women around him raised their drinks in unison with his for yet another cheer. Nir'wei had no idea who any of them are.. and he was pretty sure none of them knew each-other either. In the candlelight they'd all culminated at the table like raindrops towards a drain. The first few had arrived drunk already, but soon others were arriving sober, yet the infectious laughter and high spirits of their neighbours soon caught - now it was impossible to tell who had downed several mugs of ale and who was still sipping water. Occasionally, someone would stand to go to the toilet and then it became pretty obvious. The last one to try, a surprisingly beefy sailor with a thick, black, perfectly-trimmed moustache to compensate for his baldness, was currently sprawled out in a puddle of his own spilt ale, raising the empty mug that had held it just moments ago and still laughing about it. Someone else was trying to help him back up, but she was scrawny and hiccuping every other word. The next time they raised their mugs for a cheer, she was on top of the man and the barmaid was shouting at them all to get out and find a brothel 'if they wanted to do that.' After that, they all finished their drinks pretty quickly.. and the couple finished off even quicker, giggling giddily as the other staff came around from behind the bar to haul the couple back to their feet and out of the door.. along with all of the other trouble-makers.
Being shoved out into the damp streets suddenly brought to light just how long Nir'wei had spent mulling about. When he'd gone in, thinking it was about time that he tried something new and brought a little more excitement, it was only late in the afternoon. A hazy red glow was settling over the streets and stores were just beginning to close. Now, chunky dark clouds smothered the sky in a matt-black ooze, smothering all light but the dim flickers of an occasional candlelight to light up the empty streets and walkways. It'd almost be ominous, if not for the jeers of his compatriots as they congratulated the newly-consummated couple. The two, happily accepting their praise, apparently weren't done with their raunchy däbäru either.. they broke off, leaving many sad and disappointed drunkards, to find somewhere else to continue what they'd started in a little more peace and a lot less company.
Left to mull in how he'd ended up here while the others filled off what drinks they'd managed to snag on their way out, the night didn't look that bad in hindsight. He'd tossed a few nels around, bought some mugs of cheap ale and made a few friends with a couple of squires chugging down water like it was vodka, apparently in celebration of something. Then when the two started making out, he slid away and moved somewhere else, chatting and laughing and enjoying what there was to enjoy. Somehow he'd ended up on the cobblestone streets watching one of their little rag-tag troupe stop, double-over and vomit into the drain at the side of the road.. then chug down a swing of cider from one of the bottles someone'd swiped from the side of the bar on their way out to 'wash the taste down.' He could stand on his own two feet.. he wasn't slurring his speech, much, although it was fun to do anyway. For now, he was one with the pack. Surrounded by the enjoyment of others, soaking in it like one would a warm bath.
"Onwards!" shouted the moustached baldy from earlier, possibly called Olivar, pointing off in the distance to their next destination - a rather comfortable looking place with warm light inside and an open door.
"Ah hope thah've got bettah ale than thah last plahce," someone with a face masked by a wide-rimmed hat off to Nir'weis right as they stumbled forwards, "I swear they stuffed their dog's piss in a bottle and sold it full-price! Ah.. Ah could go for a propah brew right'a bout nows!" She might have been the one vomiting from earlier, her breath smelled awful and there was an odd squelching noise with every step she took. He didn't dare look down though, he might not be drunk but he wasn't about to tempt the fates. Turned out, he didn't even need to guess though - one of the lady's arms soon wrapped over both of Nir'weis shoulders, leaving a heavy weight resting on his trembling legs and filling the air with the unmistakeable scent of stale urine in the process. Oh yeah, that's much better, he thought to himself with a wince, trying to breathe in through his mouth instead. Yeah, much better, yeah. Great! Great.
"Oi!" That didn't sound like a voice from any of their group but Nir'wei kept pushing forwards anyway, hoping to at least get through the door before collapsing under the weight of the surprisingly heavy woman draped limply over both shoulders like some dead animal carcass. His reward? A meaty hand that nearly grabbed the middle of his face and crushed it. Apparently the woman wasn't dead because she pulled back just in the nick of time and hauled Nir'wei back up straight, face-to-face with a muscle-bound guard just before he lost a tooth. "Hand over weapons." This was new. People carried weapons on their way around the city? Well.. it did sort-of make sense, but then again wasn't that what the Iron Hand was for?
Together they emptied their pockets and lifted their shirts, showing off their lack of deadly tools. The woman hanging from her shoulder like a sloth reached into one urine-soaked boot and removed a hunting knife several inches long, offering it handle-first to the guard.. and when the man turned over to Nir'wei, he raised both hands into the air and said the first thing that came to his head. "Talun tä tsani." The guard's eyes narrowed. "Uhm... here weapons none." His jaw tightened and he looked about ready to kick the Sev'ryn back out onto the curb. "Sorry, Common not good. Thing, language. No good, not here. Yes?" What little vocabulary he could normally summon in terrible situations like these was completely out the window under the influence of all the ale. Mercifully, the most unlikely heroine suddenly spoke up and with a flick of her tongue, resolved everything at once.
"He's not from here! Neither am I.. but I hope you can forgive us, hmm? Please, darlin'?" The woman at his shoulder fluttered her eyelashes, pouted her lips and he swore he saw a quick flash of cleavage. Next he knew, he was sat at the bar, tossing yet more silver nel's for the barkeep and ordering another ale. His saviour? Still by the door, chatting up the guard with coy smiles that could have set an Aukari aflame in more ways than one. His compatriots, what few of them remained, soon followed with boistorous laughs and noisy slaps to the back.
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