Compliments and Rotgut

Lupecyll-Atlon home, afternoon

A warm, humid, misty day in Alexandria. Normally, one to be avoided, to stay inside and rest, prepare for another week of labors. But even days like this can be -useful-, for those who know what they seek.

Outside in the backyard, a small workbench has been set up, and Telamon stands at it, carefully fanning the thin wisps of fog over a bubbling pan set on a small, compact brazier. He adds a couple drops from a vial, and the bubbling liquid suddenly turns a deep bluish gray, the color of woodsmoke. A grin crosses the half-sil's face. "-There- we go. Figures you need to brew this on a misty or foggy day..."

The mists offer the sort of cover that an albino can appreciate, and the Goblin walks along in muted silence without the need of her wide-rimmed hat. Her head is no longer cleanly shaven, a light fuzz now sprouts evenly as her hair begins to grow once more. Peeking into the fine gate allowing entrance into the L-A backyard, Simony squints. A rattle later, and her bare feet stalk silently along the grass, dew soaking the bottom hemline of her deep purple summer dress.

"Ah, there you are!", she exclaims as Telamon suddenly looms out of the mists, busy in his brewing. "Hi Telamon!" Her face is soon dangerously close to the bubbling liquid, peering curiously at reactions happening in the vial. "Neat!"

Telamon glances up with a blink. "Simony! Hello again!" His smile is genuine and unfeigned. "Careful now..." He puts two fingers on her shoulder, nudging her back just a pace. "The reaction is correct this time, but we need to let it simmer."

Adjusting the brazier's heat by extinguishing some of the coals with a ray of frost, he continues, "This is a tincture of liquor called 'Belker's Belch' I found in my book on libations. So far, the worst part -- well, the first time it just went 'foomph'." He makes a gesture like an explosion. "The next worst part was buying this stuff. If I hadn't told the Vintner what I was doing with it he'd have refused to sell it. Gods only know where -he- got it." He picks up a glass bottle of some peculiar liquid, somewhat 'off-clear', not quite transparent. "It's called 'malice' and I'm pretty sure it's some sort of obscure insult to khazadi."

Simony giggles lightly as she is shooed back a step. She turns and wraps her arms about Tel's waist, hugging gently. "How're you doing? I see you are cooking up something that produces some interesting smoke." Her eyes widen at the explanation of the first attempt. "You are lucky to still have eyebrows, hmm?"

Her laugh is longer and deeper, sounding a little like a barking dog. "Belker's Belch? That's a curious name. Malice? Is it named like that out of malice, or... is the flavour itself malice?"

Telamon curls his arm around Simony in turn to hug her back. "From the description in the book, I think it makes the drinker exhale smoke or fog. I'm curious to see if it actually does so. I've seen stranger things." He checks the pan to make sure the liquid is simmering properly, then steps back so he can talk to Simony.

"I'm pretty sure it's called 'malice' because no one -offers- this to anyone out of the kindness of their heart." Tel grimaces. "I tried a sip and it tastes -awful-. I dearly hope Belker's Belch is less foul, because the original liquor is pretty bad." He smirks, and offers the bottle mock-politely to Simony. "Feel free if you don't believe me."

GAME: Simony rolls knowledge/dungeoneering: (18)+7: 25

<OOC> Simony says, "To inform on a guess she is making."

"So... Malice is part of Belker's Belch... Wait!" Simony squints. "Isn't... a belker a monster of some sort? I am sure I have heard of it before." She rubs at her face. "So something else in the brew reacts with the malice?"

The Gobbo hesitantly takes ahold of the bottle, and sniffs at it, her nose scrunching up. Shrugging, she takes a mouthful. A split second later, her facial expression gives away her true feelings as she swallows it. "Delicious!", she says, her tone dripping with sarcasm, while her facial expression is one of unhappiness. "GAH, that is most foul."

"It's a kind of air elemental, as I understand it." Telamon replies. "But yes. The libation recipes start with a 'base' wine, spirit, beer, what have you. Then alchemical infusions are added under certain conditions to produce the new concoction." He casts another glance at the pan, keeping an eye on it.

When Simony takes a swig, Tel nods, his expression mirroring hers. "I cannot imagine who would want to drink that, except maybe on a dare. I know some things are an acquired taste -- dwarven stouts, for example -- but that stuff is barely a step up from medusa rotgut."

"Oh! My first Guild mission was on a tower floating through the elemental plane of Air. I think it is there that I heard one of the other adventurers say the name belker." She taps her chin, her expression thoughtful. "So aside from belching out some smoke, what else does the... er.. libation do? Ooh, like, can you flow like air? Fly?" The Gobbo begins to look excited. "Do you have one that let's people belch fire?"

She snorts and nods. "You serve that to make enemies. And what is medusa rotgot? Do those creatures make their own alcohol in a still or something?"

Telamon laughs softly. "As far as I can tell it just makes you exhale smoke. Haven't found one yet that'll let you breathe fire. I've found ones that make you see the night sky no matter where you are, one that warms your heart even when despair threatens your spirit, one that lets you see people as birds, and one that cools your blood and helps clear your thoughts. Still, I'm translating as I go, and it's complex."

Tel reaches over to move the pan a bit, nodding in approval, before turning back to Simony as he takes the bottle to set it aside. "Medusa rotgut or medusa whiskey. It's... something brewed in hunting and mining camps, especially those populated by humans or half-oruch." His lips curl down in disgust. "Basically, they take potato peelings, fruit, and moldy bread, and ferment it as best they can. They add tobacco juice or hot peppers to give it some kind of bite, and occasionally add a snake head for presentation. It's amazingly foul -- I've never had it and I don't want to."

Simony looks only slightly disappointed at the lack of Ifrit's Breath or similar libations. "It'd be really handy for lighting a campfire.", she says with a grin. "Or scaring off monsters."

Nodding to the man, "Ah, yes, you mentioned the one that lets you see people as birds before. That seems like a very odd thing, but I suppose since these are fae recipes, that's to be expected."

Simony leans in closer when Tel sees to the pan, once more the Goblin getting her face in close to observe the progress. Upon hearing Telamon's description of medusa rotgut, her cheeks flush red. "Oh. That. Ous makes it, but calls it something else. It's uhhhmmm. Not that terrible. But it will knock you onto your behind after a few drinks. Ous let me drink a few and he had to carry me home. Not that I am all that heavy, but he'd also had a nip of it, and was not having fun on the road up to the monastery."

Telamon shrugs. "Maybe. Personally, running into someone spewing smoke like a fire full of green wood would be pretty unnerving to start with." He chuckles as Simony peers into the pan, the liquid inside the color of blue-gray smoke, like from his aforementioned fire. "I think it's about ready to be decanted in a minute."

He snorts at her description of Ous and his liquor. "I suspect Ous's attention to detail is better than those that make medusa rotgut. He struck me as the sort who wouldn't want to drink anything that he hadn't brewed properly."

"I think in the right situation, belching smoke is probably quite intimidating. Try it in your next difficult negotiations." Her eyebrows wiggle up and down, and she giggles lightly. "That might cement a different sort of reputation, though."

Her attention returns to the concoction in the making. "Is it supposed to be blue-grey? Is that the final colour? Cool!" She's quiet a moment before continuing. "Yes, he is pretty proud of it, he's quite good at making the stuff."

Telamon nods. "Last time it turned very vivid blue before it went 'foof', so this color is much more reassuring." He pulls out a bottle and a funnel, setting the bottle down into an inset on the table that holds it in place with leather straps. "Now... step back a little bit, please." He picks up the pan with both hands, hefting it. The pan has a kind of teardrop shape to it, to facilitate pouring without losing liquid.

As the sorcerer carefully begins to transfer the libation to the bottle, he continues, "It's important to be proud of what you do. Even if it's a humble thing, it's still -yours-. If you make mistakes, correct them; when you succeed, be proud of it."

"Aaah, so a sudden, vivid blue means it's time to hit the floor. Good to know." She chuckles as he shoos her back once more, and she reluctantly does so. Her eyes are on the pan and the liquid inside. "So is this just alchemy, or was there spellcasting involved too?"

Simony laughs. "I suppose you're right, one should be proud of one's achievements and successes. His successes sure pack a punch though."

The liquid burbles happily, a hint of smoke coming off it as it fills the bottle. "Alchemy. I use some cantrips for things like turning down the heat, or cleaning up, but this isn't potion-brewing." Soon, Telamon has emptied the pan into the bottle. Swiftly, he removes the funnel, and pushes a cork into the bottle's mouth, before sealing it with wax. A stamp on the top depicts a raven and crescent moon, as he sets the bottle down. "And there we have it, one bottle of Belker's Belch."

His eyes twinkle as he looks at Simony. "Remind me to let you sample some Night's Kiss. It's very pleasant, a plum wine flavor that I find very soothing."

There's a look in her eyes that hasn't been seen before. "What... what is the difference then, between this and potion-brewing? Are they not both alchemy?" The Gobbo's eyes take in the seal, and she grins mischievously. "Ah, is that your seal then? Interesting." Simony squints hard at it for a few more moments, before asking, "Are you going to try it now?" It's at this point where she takes a few steps back without having to be asked to.

"Night's Kiss? Does it help you go to sleep? It sounds like it, if I were to guess."

Telamon raises his eyebrows. "A good question. The answer is that I'm not sure. There's no spell-infusion involved with brewing libations -- there's an element of hedge-magic, perhaps, since some libations have to be crafted under specific conditions. There's definite similarities between alchemical remedies and libations, though. Magic... can sometimes defy categorization, in any case. But don't tell the wizards that." He wiggles his eyebrows as well.

"Yes. The Atlon family crest is a mockingbird in a crescent moon. When Lana and I established the house of Lupecyll-Atlon, I changed it to a raven but kept the old iconography and design. We are starting something new here, after all." He shakes his head. "No, it needs to settle for a day or so. I'll put it in the racks, and then we'll try it in a couple days. Some liquors have more stringent requirements."

"Night's Kiss lets you see the starry sky, no matter what time of day or where you are -- even indoors, if you look up you won't see a ceiling but the heavens. But it has to be concocted and brewed during the evening hours, best under a starry night with few or no clouds -- though the moon doesn't disrupt things."

Simony hmmmms, rubbing her chin. "Had I known, Telamon, of your crest, I would have worked it into the fresco. It would still make a fantastic addition, I think. Did you wish me to add it? I have no problem doing so, it would be my pleasure." She grins then. "So, not to knock your achievements with it, but would you consider the brewing of these libations as sort of a beginner's alchemy? It has all the elements required... patience, precise measurements, strict adherence to the recipe, and of course the proper equipment. The right timing, and to be done at auspicious moments. They go hand in hand, almost."

Her eyes open wider at the mention of seeing the sky through the ceiling. "I would love to try that, certainly. It would be great on cloudy nights. I do enjoy star gazing. And I often wonder how the Wanderer is doing. And how the babies are doing."

Telamon smiles. "Well... we already have it worked into the door, so no need to add it to the ceiling. I'm not the sort who puts my crest on everything, after all." He hefts the bottle, looking contemplative. "A bit more than beginner's alchemy. You really do need a solid grounding in alchemical practice, after all. But if someone has the knack for it... they could probably do this." He makes a face. "That ass Redwater probably could've done it, if he wasn't such a-- alright, anyways."

He looks gently at Simony. "I suspect the children will be better off than we expect. The Watcher wouldn't have sent them only to become fish-food." He sighs. "I've not seen him in dreams for a while. He mentioned that our spheres had separated, that we could not speak for a time. I hope it won't be for too long."

The Gobbo squints. "Oh. Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing it on the door." She rubs at the back of her neck. "I thought it was some arcane ward of a sort." Snorting, Simony grins toothily. "If he wasn't such an ass? Asshole? Jerkface?" The way the words are enunciated seems to indicate that Simony enjoys the chance to swear. "Maybe in time he will figure it out himself, and then have a reason to be proud of a thing he has made."

Her grin broadens and she nods enthusiastically. "I hope they are successful. It would be good to see them again, to see what they've become, what they've made and done. I... I could feel them in there, you know? It felt like an eager excitement. Like they were excited to be finally here. Like they wanted to explore. As for the Watcher, one aspect for why he chose you IS your expected long lifespan. I hope you hear from him while you are still strong and youthful, Telamon. It must mean his home is in a very wide orbit."

"No, he's an ass. And if he hadn't irritated me I'd have been happy to teach him what I know. But like wizards, sorcerers can be a prickly lot as well." Telamon grins crookedly. "Well, with any luck he'll learn from his errors. I'm not going to hold his hand."

He nods and puts a hand on Simony's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I know. They will mature within a year or two, so with a little luck and the gods' favor, you might yet get to see them again. And wouldn't that be interesting?" He pauses, then his eyes light up. "Oh! I forgot to mention this. Um. Did... well, did you want to try and grow your hair back?"

"The way you described him before, I think you and erm... I think his name was Thomas? You were telling Thomas what Redwater had done. Yes, the man certainly does sound like an ass. And, uhm, I could offer suggestions for a few hand gestures you could offer offer to the man instead of holding his hand."

At the gesture of closeness, Simony leans forward to hug at Telamon once more. "Oh, they grow up fast, like my people. They must live a long time, though, to become as wise and knowledgeable as the Watcher appears to be. If I get to see them again, I will count myself very fortunate. And it will be very interesting. Thank you very much for allowing me to bless them and their journey ahead. I am sure that Navos would find them very interesting." Her ears suddenly stand straight up. "YES!"

Telamon nods and snorts. "Well, considering he tried to -sue- me over his mess... he's lucky half of Alexandria's adventuring culture didn't land on him with both feet. Idiot." He shakes his head in annoyance. "In any case, no longer my problem."

"Yes. I know flumphs live a long time, but they mature rapidly and have some kind of ... innate understanding? Like racial memories? In any case, if they can survive for that first year, they won't be easy prey." He grins at Simony. "And I think your blessing was important and meaningful. Everyone deserves the beneficience of the gods -- it's up to them to accept it."

At Simony's reaction, Telamon laughs softly. "I figured. Here..." He fishes out a jar from his haversack, offering it to her. "I developed this from a sample of Perriman's. I'm not competing with him, so I doubt he'll mind. This should be less... dramatic than his hair tonic, but be careful when you use it. I haven't tested it yet."

The Goblin cants her head. "You say that as if he has... left town? Or perhaps passed on? Or is jailed or something. Uh... what happened? Or are you just saying you've put him out of your mind, and you're not going to devote any more time to worrying about him?"

Her cheeks flush and she glances downwards at her feet. "That was the first birthing I've ever blessed, and I'll remember it to my dying day. Racial memories? That's a very interesting topic. Memories that survive in a people's population, and pass on to their descendants. Without words spoken or books written. Oh, I wish I could study them, and speak with them. The amount of knowledge they must collect has to be vast."

Simony accepts the jar, and struggles to open it. After a few moments, her holy symbol glows brightly, and with a grunt, she has the lid off in a moment. "Perriman makes this, and you were able to copy or emulate his? Well done. Erm. Who's Perriman?" She scoops out a handful of the jelly-like substance and applies it to her head, liberally spreading it around. "So, how quickly does it work?"

"Not exactly. He pressed a suit against me, the people at his botched soiree pressed a suit against -him-, so now he's tangled up in the courts and he's trying to keep from having to spend a lot of money to replace other people's clothing." Telamon smirks. "So it's the last one. No point worrying about someone who's an ass, after all."

His eyes brighten a bit. "Simony, I suspect that as people learn more about you, they will want you to bless their children. Navos is a fine god to venerate, and you are a good and true advocate for him."

When Simony immediately slathers the jelly onto her head, Tel blinks. Oh yes, goblin -- rushing in, etc. "Perriman is a gnome who made a great deal of money off salves and tonics to smooth out the injuries sustained in an adventuring career. Scarring salve to remove unsightly scars and pockmarks, hair tonic to regrow hair lost to an errant fireball." His lips quirk. "However, Perriman's tonic can have, ah, side effects. Your hair may not grow back the same color it was originally. Perils of gnomish alchemy, I suppose. I went for a more measured approach. You should start seeing results within a day, but make sure you eat and drink properly and don't overexert yourself. I haven't, ah, done any extensive testing of the stuff..."

"Oooh. Heh. I am happy that occasionally, the right people get their comeuppance. Good riddance." Simony stares at the man as she rubs the tonic in, her blush brightening and spreading to her ears and neck in relatively short order. "You are too kind, Telamon, thank you. Some may find him cold, though, lacking compassion. A sacrifice made in an effort to calm the roiling of the Equilibrium. I try my best."

She blinks... "A day? Wow! Er... it's not going to grow on my hand, is it? Just my head? Erm. I guess I am your test Goblin, eh?"

"Sometimes, justice has to take the long road, but it does get there." Telamon smiles at Simony genuinely. "I know. I've read the theologies. There's a lot of discussion -- and empathy -- among those of us who follow Ni'essa, over what Navos did."

It's Tel's turn to blush a bit. "Well, I... didn't expect you to immediately open it and apply liberally. I used some of Perriman's notes, so it should only affect your scalp. But if you suffer any side effects let me know immediately, I'll cook up a counter-agent."

"Not just the long road, but the high road also. Which sometimes must feel unsatisfying." The Gobbo lets out a soft sigh. "It is a sad story, but also, it was necessary."

She laughs at his blush, shaking her head. "Why wouldn't you expect me to? I was obviously upset about my hair... and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. I will be very happy to have my hair back." Simony nods enthusiastically. "I will let you know if I have any weird side effects right away."

"I... well..." Telamon looks like he's at a loss for words. "Um... yeah. So, tell me if anything crops up. I'll try and come by the Spire in a day or two to check on you." He offers a smile. "Um. You're welcome. I'll bring a bottle of Night's Kiss by. Do Navosians drink alcohol? I know some abstain, but that might've been that one temple I went to..."

"But anyways, sometimes the universe needs us to bend the course towards justice. But it -does- happen. And regardless of how dark things could seem, there is light there as well."

Simony laughs at his expression. "I must seem like an odd Goblin sometimes, yes? You were not expecting such impulsiveness. Try as I might, I cannot always escape my nature." She reaches out to pat his arm. "I will have a meal ready for you, Tel, as an extra thank you. Yes, we are not barred from drinking alcohol. We can take a variety of oaths if we wish, or sometimes, as a punishment. For example, I am currently bound to an oath of silence, though it is limited to a very specific topic." Her blush strengthens further. "I have had a variety of alcohol, I wished to try them out. It took me a while, since a normal sized drink for you, is more than enough to make me solidly inebriated."

Her grins is broad once more. "To be honest, Telamon, I consider you a bright, shining light in this world. Yourself and Ravenstongue."

Telamon catches Simony's hand in his, clasping it warmly. "No, I should've realized. After all, I am prone to being impulsive as well, though I'd like to think I channel it to good causes. You're a good friend, Simony." He nods soberly at the oath of silence. "I will not press then. We all have things we are not free to talk about -- it's not a question of trust, but a question of responsibility, and keeping faith with those we care about."

His cheeks tint again. "I sometimes think Lana is the stronger one of our pairing, or at least the wiser one. But I am happy to carry the light, to be the guardian of travelers at night as I once told a friend."