(1875-10-28) Drinking to Make Friends
Drinking to Make Friends
Summary: Agreeing to go out drinking for the evening, Elishia drags the Duke of few words to the docks with a bottle of wine. There it's discovered that Elisha is a very emotional drunk and after common wounds and experiences are discovered, a friendship manages to be formed.
Date: 10/30/2019
Related: http://eternalcrusade.wikidot.com/log:1875-10-28-meetings-in-the-market
NPCs: None
Players:
Elisha  Jarret  

Four Corners - Marketplace
To say that the city of Four Corners 'sprawls' would be an understatement. Four Corners does not sprawl; it spreads wildly, like mercury spilled over the tablecloth of the land on which it was built, thwarting all attempts at sensible city planning.
It is a maze of cobblestone streets and squares in the higher neighborhoods and canals and tunnels in the lower. The canals are full of gondolas of every description, some of which serve as floating shops overflowing with produce and flowers and fresh delicacies to tempt the lovers, wealthy nobles and merchants as they pass through the watered parts of the city where boats and bridges between buildings are the only means of travel. In the upper the marketplace streets are absolutely crammed with canopied booths year round in a glut of colour and noise where anything can be bought and sold. Higher still are the galleries of artists and the famous Baths, private mansions, gardens, ballrooms and theaters and every kind of gluttonous entertainment craved by the rich and powerful.
This madness is kept under control by the Council of Four Corners, a democratic body which governs the city as a parliament with regular meetings, variously respected, feared, loved and reviled. Their guards dress in grey and serve as a police force to keep the peace, showing up unexpectedly and sometimes inopportunely. It is not enough though, especially at the docks, where ships from all over the known world come and go freely, bringing commerce and cultures that do not always get along. Fights break out, but are quickly contained and the jails kept cycling and the coffers of government full.
28/10/1875

Elisha chuckles weakly and smiles at Jarret when he speaks. "You misunderstood me Jarret, I do not enjoy fighting, but those Vitches killed nearly my entire family, except my sister, and stole two years of my life away, I can't just let that go," she murmured by the end of her words nearly talking to herself.

"Your Lordship, Madam," she says in parting to the Baron and his lady friend, and if left alone with Jarret after she turns to him with a small smirk. "Wanna go drinking? My treat?"

Jarret considers that for a few moments, nodding slowly. "Sure." It's offered with a brief smile, before he nods a bit. "So, your family is just you and your sister these days?" he asks.

Elisha grins and nods, if anything can help her make friends it's alchol, numbs her silly brain and just lets her act on her emotions, which socially at least, are fine. She falls into step beside him with a small nod.

"We have a cousin, I squired with him actually, but we're the only main line d'Meleoni left yes, what about you? You mentioned a wife, do you have other family?"

Jarret nods a bit as he hears that question. "We're still three out of four main line siblings, plus our oulder sister, she's bastard born, but still a good person. Also got two sons, and a whole lot of cousins, as well as my father still alive," he replies.

"Bah, bastard is just a noble concept, they're no more or less inclined to be bad or good than anyone else, but the nobility is too proud to acknowledge that birth alone doesn't make one person superior to anyone else. At least, not in my experience, are things very different in Galenthia?" the question follows a rather bold statement, especially given she is noble born, but she seems pretty serious when she says it, and not even social awkwardness can hide her sudden passion for the subject.

Jarret nods as he hears that. "True. And they should be given their opportunities as well," he replies. "My sister is a good person, and so is Sandor, even though he's still a kid." A brief pause, before he adds, "I haven't been able to see him as often as I would like lately, though."

Elisha chuckles weakly and nods. "Thats one thing i can say about the empire, bastard, commoner, noble, or gentry, everyone has the same opportunities," she muses with a shrug, she's still making up her mind on her loyalty, but that aspect definitely appeals to her. Stopping at a market stall she turns to Jarret with a grin.

"If its alright, i'd like to just buy the wine and sit somewhere and drink with less people than a tavern? I…don't really donwell in crowds honestly," she explains with a weak smile before frowning in concern at his words. "What keeps you from seeing him?"

Jarret nods a bit as he listens to what's being said about the empire and such, shrugging a little, before he smiles and nods at the prt about the wine. "Sounds good," he replies, before he shrugs a little at the question at the end. "Well, he mostly lives with his mother, and I've had a few things to care of lately, so I hven't been able to visit them. I think I should try making some time in the near future, though."

Elisha nods and after picking out a few brands, and checking with Jarret to be sure, she buys a bottle of wine and some goblets for them to share it with. "You should, family is important, i'm sure being a duke is too," she remarks as she frown once more in concern. "I don't suppose theres anything I can donto ease your burden? Besides plying you with alcohol i mean?" she asks as that frown turns upside down with a mischievous glint.

"It is a rather challenging position," Jarret replies, with a bit of a nod. "I mean, trying to keep your lands safe and prospering, while still needing to show enough force against the other great houses so they won't take advantage of them being stronger." He shrugs a bit, as he offers her a brief grin. "Just relaxing and enjoying the moment usually helps, though."

Elisha nods and chuckles as she unceremoniously plops down on the docks and begins opening the nights bottle. "I know all about challenging positions, my sister is principessa of the empire, i'm technically an Aequorian citizen, i'm knight of a house that defected…I get it," she offers leaving out all the darker aspects if those situations, no need to get depressing

Elisha nods and chuckles as she unceremoniously plops down on the docks and begins opening the nights bottle. "I know all about challenging positions, my sister is principessa of the empire, i'm technically an Aequorian citizen, i'm knight of a house that defected…I get it," she offers leaving out all the darker aspects if those situations, no need to get depressing.

"Don't you have a steward or something? I admit I don't know much about how the great houses operate, but i know Dovi has his niece handle most of the running of the county, do you not have someone you could trust with something like that?" its an innocent question honestly, she doesn't intend to be intrusive, to her these are just common things as she doesn't even blink asking them while she pours them both the first cup of Alchol for the night.

"Now that does sound quite complicated," Jarret agrees, offering her a brief grin, before he grins, "Some days, it sounds like most of Aequor is defecting in one direction or the other, doesn't it?" He nods again to the part about a steward. "I have some people like that, but I prefer to make sure I know how things are going and all that," he offers.

Elisha chuckle and winks because yeah it's complicated, but she makes do with it, like having drinks with Galenthian Dukes. She decides that she likes that grin of his too, its cute, and he should smile more often. "Well, our royal couple is old, easily pressured, stuck in their ways. Far cry from the young, beautiful, rich and unwed Galenthian Queen," she remarks with a playful nudge as she hands him his wine. "A big part of it is Aequor has alot of sorcerers, the royals looked the other way at first, but now they're giving in to pressure from the church," she explains with a thoughtfulness that makes her seem like so much more than the lowly knight she is.

"Oh except for the ex Archduchess, she's just a selfish and power hungry bitch," aaaand it's gone, there might be some bad blood there, whoops!

"See, the root of all the problems seem to be the Church," Jarret says, after a few moments of pause, shrugging as he takes the offered wine. "We have a number of sorcerers in Galenthia too, really." He taises an eyebrow as he hears the mention of the ex-Archduchess, "Oh?"

Elisha laughs and grins at that as she drinks her wine, which is likely going to make her even more honest, but on the other hand it makes her more friendly! "I agree, never been a hugely religious sort myself, so i have no problem beleiving we would all be fine without them, just find our own ways to be religious or whatever," she decides with a shrug of her own before nodding with a small smile about the sorcerers not being a purely Aequorian thing.

"When the crackdown on mages began, she had vassals that were sorcerers and they asked her to protect them, she refused at the time, now her whole speal is about how she and Aequor have 'religious differences it's complete shite," she remarks with another roll of her eyes.

"She's the exact kind of noble I despise, Greedy, Self Centered, and only looking out for herself….everything I dispise in a noble…you seem alright though, didn't even tell me you were a Duke till someone outed you," the first bit of conversation is fairly animated especially when discussing Jasmina, but it turns more amiable towards the end as she grins at him over her goblet.

Jarret shrugs a little as he listens, drinking some of the wine in quiet. "Sounds like you have had a lot of things to do with her, then?" A brief pause, before he shrugs as the talk goes to him. "I usually prefer it when people don't know who I am," he admits, after a few moemnts of pause. "Some say a person's reputation is a good thing, I don't really feel that way." Another sip of the wine.

Elisha chuckles softly and shakes her head, no point denying the truth right? "Nah, but one of her former vassals is like family to me, i'd do anything for him, and so the fact that she nearly screwed him over so badly has permanently put me at odds with the woman," she explains not seeming at all embarrassed about the lack of familliarity she has to a woman she just damn near ranted about. Then he speaks about himself and she softens considerably because damn if she doesn't know that feeling.

"Theres only one party who i want to have a reputation with, beyond that I quite enjoy being a nobody, even if I feel a bit useless sometimes, "

"Ah, I see," Jarret replies, taking another sip from his drink, before he shrugs a bit. "What party would that be?" Another brief pause, before he lets out a bit of a breath.

"The Qutanux, they enslaved me for two years after all, gotta pay that back tenfold," she explains before tilting her head curiously at him whilst taking a looong drink of wine, gotta drown the bad memories after all. "You okay?"

"Oh, yes. Those…" Jarret offers her another brief smile, before he shrugs a little, unable to hold back a bit of a grin. "I'm okay, Just never really comfortable visiting this particular city," he replies, .

Elisha nods with a sympathetic smile as she sighs. "Yeah, I just got beat the heck up doing some work for the Adventurers Guild and came to rest, plus somehow i got myself invoted to a Masque, like i'm actually someone important," she remarks with a snort before tilting her head. "What about this place makes you uncomfortable though? Just the general sketchiness of it?"

Jarret shrugs, "Well, if your sister is the Princepsa of the Empire, that makes you someone important to these people, doesn't it?" It's offered a bit quietly, thoughtfully, before he shrugs a bit. "This city has tried killing me so many times. Snakes in the bathhouse, disease, White Hall raiders, other things." A long sip from his wine, before he grimaces. "Some memories too…"

Maybe the wines made her too friendly because she slides over to Jarret, clasps his unnocupied hand in her own, and beams at him with a smile so innocent and pure one could be forgiven for thinking her anything but a knight in that moment. "Don't worry, i'll protect you! You're here with me and I won't let anyone hurt you," she declares, like its an absolute fact. "But I know all about bad memories," she mutters afterwards as she moves to top up their goblets.

Jarret pauses as she slides over, waiting for a few moments before he pulls his hand back a bit, unconsciously. "That's good to know," he offers, before he nods at the mention of the bad memories. "It sounds like you do, yes," he replies.

Elisha isn't socially concious enough to realize some people don't like being touched, which is ironic considering when not drinking she is one of those people, but it does mean she's not offended by his pulling his hand away. "You wanna talk about it? I tell you one of my stories, you tell me one of yours?" she offers heaitently, tipsy as she may be,she's half suprised she's offering to do this, she hasn't even told her own sister about her horror stories.

Jarret lets out a bit of a breath. "I'm afraid I can't speak with someone about the memories," he replies, after a few moments of pause.

Elisha watches Jarret for a long moment. She's not good with people, but she's a near expert at reading them, so its pretty clear to her that he genuinely feels he can't speak about them, so she does what any woman would do in that moment, she gulps down the remainder of her wine and attempts to take his hand in her own with a gentle smile.

"Did you know some Qutanux try and breed with their slaves? I sure didn't. But I don't think I can ever lay down again without feeling the pressure of that savage on top of me. Thank One I don't remember much of it, by then i'd learned how to kind of shut myself away in my mind, respond and react like a….an animal, but never thinking about it. And now, now i'm home sure, but they stole my youth and beauty, so I highly doubt i'll ever learn what it's supposed to be like," she murmurs and by now tears have gathered in her eyes, she avoids Jarrets gaze, but its her hope that opening up like this will help him to do the same.

There's a pause, but Jarret pulls his hand back a little, before he pauses as he hears her words. "That sounds… I'm sorry…" he offers to her, a bit quietly. Sounding genuinely sorry too. "Then I understand why you want to pay them back like you do."

Elisha chuckles weakly and manages a smile, it's weak, and vulnerable, and utterly unsure, but it's a smile. "I'm broken to, i know how you feel," she continues before nodding resolutely at his conclusion. "I'll raze their entire kingdom to the ground," she agrees before lookingup at him. "I know you feel like you can't talk about it, trauma is hard and those who haven't suffered can't understand, even if they care about you, but I understand, and if you ever wanna talk, i'll be there, "

"Different kind of thing," Jarret replies, after a few moments. Taking another sip of the wine. "The physical trauma happened on too many battlefields to count." Holding up his right hand to show the missing finger there.

Elisha smiles gently and takes his hand, emboldened by way too much wine, and places it against her scarred face. "My body is littered in physical trauma, its not just my face, and i'm a knight so One knows i know what happens on the battlefield, "

Jarret waits a few moments longer before pulling his hand back again. "The physical trauma is no problem. The memories I spoke about is something I can't speak in more detail about. Not for me, but for somebody else's sake," he says, taking another long sip of his wine.

Elisha tilts her head curiosly but she doesn't reach for his hand again, she's gone out of her shell way too much already and it feels awkward to keep pushing on someone who doesn't want it. "What do you mean?"

"What I said. It's for someone else's sake. Please don't ask about it anymore," Jarret replies after a few moments of pause.

Elisha nods mutely because what is she supposed to say to a statement like that, talk about completely shut down, so she does the only thing she can do, drink and debate how much trouble she'd be in if she bolted from a conversation with a Duke.

Jarret stays quiet for a while longer, before he offers her another smile. "It's good to see that you got free from the Qatunax, though. Your sister must have been very happy when you returned."

Elisha chuckles softly and grins, it's weak but there. "Nah, she was furious actually, was convinced I was an imposter until Viscount d'Korbina came and confirmed my identity, I squired under a knight in the horned knights, even served for a year or two before being…taken, so he knew my face," she explains as she once again smiles into her cup.

"Ah, yes. Good thing that someone recognized you, then." It's offered a bit thoughtfully, as Jarret glances around. "Would be bad to get free only to be locked up as an imposter…"

Elisha grins a bit and nods but its in good humor. "Just another chapter in the ridiculous story of my life honestly," she muses before sighing at him dramatically. "C'mon Jarret, i've practically told you my lifes story, won't you share something of yourself?"

"I'm not really sure what there is to share about me," Jarret replies, before he grimaces. "I still haven't forgiven my older brother for getting himself killed and dropping all this on me." It's said a bit quietly, before he adds, "And I guess most people think of me as an agry or grumpy person. They're probably right too, I guess."

Elisha shakes her head and smiles sadly. "You're not angry and grumpy though, you're scared. You don't know who to trust, probably surrounded by people who you can't always count on to have your best interest in mind, and according to you this was never supposed to be your duty in the forst place," she offers kindly before more quietly adding. "Its okay to choose yourself sometimes y'know, it doesn't have to be all duty and famillial obligation, "

Jarret smiles, "There's a few people I trust," he replies. "Most of those are back home at the moment, though." He shrugs a little as he hears the last part. "Maybe."

"Not maybe, it is. I'm not saying let your Duchy fall apart or never contact your family, but live a little for yourself too, this is your life after all," Elisha offers before grinning at him. "The way you spoke of your wife earlier I figured you didn't often go home, "

"I usually am at home. Too much time spent with the paperwork back there, though," Jarret replies. "Which is what she'd be glad to get me away from, I think."

Elisha smiles softly and nods. "I think most wives would enjoy time with their husbands, yes," she suggests playfully with a wink. "I just figured you were like most nobles i lnow, political marriage and all," she explains with a slightly sheepish expression.

Jarret nods a little as he hears that. "While I suspect that it's only the luckiest husbands that truly enjoy spending time with their wives," he offers, a bit lightly. "And that might end up happening even with a political marriage."

Elisha grins and nods. "I wouldn't know a nd thats a good thing, for now at least, i'm too irrelevant for anyone to want in a political marriage, but if you're happy then i'm happy for you, you deserve happiness, even if you yourself don't believe that," she murmurs with a tender smile.

Jarret smiles, "Thank you," he replies after a few moments of pause, nodding a little bit. "I appreciate that."

Elisha smiles and nods. "Just telling you the things that I know i've needed to hear, we're alot alike Jarret, we could even be friends, as long as you don't mind being friends with a sort of Imperial, sort of Aequorian with the most beautiful face in the world?" the words are at first serious but quickly turn cheeky as she looks at him with an almost hopeful grin.

"Friends are good to have," Jarret replies, offering her another brief smile now.

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