I don’t really drink alcoholic beverages, mostly because I don't know what kind of drunk I am. I’m not willing to find out based off my parents, let’s just say alcohol was the reason why I was born. -- Anon Guest
"Small ale," said Lady Anthe.
"Rivenmont wine," said Wraithvine.
"I'll have a young cider," said Marvin.
Elf and Kobold alike looked to their Human compatriot. "Er," said Lady Anthe. "You remember you're of age now, yes?"
Wraithvine added, "You are allowed to try something a little stronger. If you wish."
Marvin said, "I'm sticking to young cider. Thank you. I don't know what kind of drunk I will be, and I am not willing to find out."
Lady Anthe, as always, caught the undercurrents. She had developed people-reading as a survival skill. All the years between then and now had only changed the way she employed it. "We're here for you," she said. "You know that, right?"
"I know," he said. "I just-- It's..." He sighed. "My mother was... easy to know when she was drunk, and my father... the man who said he was my father... he hit her. When they were alive, they said... alcohol was the reason I came to be."
"Some people," announced Wraithvine, "should not be permitted to raise children. That's a terrible thing to say to a child."
"Terrible things to do around them, too," added Lady Anthe. She patted Marvin's arm. "All right. You've made a good decision. The bad part is dealing with the people who choose not to understand that it's your decision."
Marvin scoffed a brief laugh. "Isn't that always the problem? People who won't understand what you do or with whom?"
They had had plenty of those troubles during their adventures already. An Elf, a Kobold, and a Human made for some interesting looks whenever they entered a new locale. Add to that party a Tabaxi, a Human tinkerer with spring-loaded feet, and any other wanderers who intermittently joined, and it was a recipe for instant trouble care of the unthinking natives.
"Here's to more trouble," said Wraithvine, toasting with hir wineglass. "May it never be more than I can handle."
"From your lips to the gods' own ears," said Marvin, toasting with his own cup.
In twenty minutes, some wilfully ignorant local would start a fight with them. But for the moment, the three had no troubles, and that was good.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Laboko]
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