RP:Cryothain Defeats the Silver Knight

From HollowWiki

Frostmaw Tavern

Hildegarde yawned softly from her seat in the tavern as she slowly dragged the whetstone over the axe-head of her halberd. Sharpening the blade was an important task to any warrior, woe befall whoever didn’t take good care of their weapons and armour! The knight leans back in her seat, halberd set across her lap as she sharpened the axe-head in a seemingly relaxed manner. Some people read for pleasure, some people liked to meditate or gently exercise. Hilde enjoyed caring for her weapons and armour, this was her form of relaxation at the best of times. However, the Silver stops for a moment to look up at her table; spying the little grey mouse reaching up to peer up at her. “Cheesers,” she murmured, jerking her chin towards a tiny biscuit that she had purposely left for the mouse to eat at his leisure. Cheesers had been loyally following the dragon for two years now, ever since she left some biscuits near Kelay tavern.

With a slam and a thunk, the tavern door opens, admitting first a pair of distracted-looking giants, followed quickly by the source of said distraction: a great white mass of fur, and a smaller one clinging to it in what appears to be a fearsome struggle. "Aha~. You cannot escape me~!" the smaller declares triumphantly, revealing itself to be Satoshi as she releases her hold and dances backwards into the tavern, body language that of one in combat. Her opponent gives a roar, rears up, and promptly topples over onto its back in an overly dramatic series of death throes. Frysta has gotten remarkably good at playing dead, even if he has Satoshi's same flair for over-acting. Satoshi swaggers forward then to plant a boot atop Frysta's "corpse" before striking a heroic pose. "I hath vanquished the foul beast! Drargon, your finest wine and maidens, so we may celebrate!" To this, the barkeep merely shakes his head, a smile buried in his beard for the magus' antics.


Hildegarde , so absorbed in the spectacle of Frysta’s excellent acting, barely realised that a bushy bearded giant from somewhere in the tavern yelled out a response: “That Hildegarde is the only maiden left in Frostmaw, hah!” The knight was good at retaining her dignity, but her face was so pale that every blush became a striking and obvious colour in her face. “And what will you do with your victory, m’lady?” the knight asked pleasantly, as if playing along that Frysta had been conquered by the ice queen.


Satoshi beams in that way only heroes can as she tosses a salute the heckler's way. "And she's the finest maiden of them all!" Anything further the kit might have said is ruined by Frysta growing bored and suddenly surging to his feet, thus toppling his miniature conqueror. The polar bear doesn't seem to notice he's sent Satoshi tumbling halfway across the floor, not now that he's spotted the pig roasting over the firepit. Satoshi is left to stumble back to her feet, one hand braced on Hildegarde's table for balance, while her companion completely abandons her in the name of food. "Wretched traitor~," she mutters, sliding into the seat beside the Silver. "But a victory is a victory. I've a lovely maiden beside me now, all we're in need of are those drinks." The last words are said with voice slightly raised as a reminder to Drargon.


Hildegarde ’s eye followed Frysta, unable to hide the growing smile as the polar bear near toppled the spit over in his effort to devour the roasting swine with the crackling meat and ever so tasty look. Even the dragon was becoming hungry looking at it! “Drinks, m’lady?” she asked, “You almost sound as if you’ve been drinking,” she remarked, not harshly but more in a manner of observation. With Drargon having been reminded, the giant himself brings over a few drinks: Cryothain’s Tears for the Queen, a range of others for her ladyship to sample seeing as he knows Hilde doesn’t drink.


Satoshi scoffs at the knight, mug halfway to her lips before it's paused to answer. "Hellfire, a girl can't be playful without folks thinking she's had a few~? I'll have you know this was my norm years ago, before everyone decided I should act formal and stately!" A long sip is taken then, before Satoshi sighs and leans back in her chair. "Sometimes it's nice to unwind, play the old games, and forget everything else. I suppose this stuff helps~." Satoshi holds up the mug, sloshing the drink within.


Hildegarde raised her hands in a disarming gesture, “I wouldn’t know!” she defended, “I have seen some people sparkled with the drink and they talk all bubbly and bright, like that, so I only assumed.” The Silver shrugged her shoulder, “But I myself would not know. I have only ever had one drink before, with Tristram, and I didn’t much enjoy it…” The rum had not been to her liking.


Satoshi makes a dismissive sound low in her throat, head given a shake. "You just have to find the right folks to drink with, then, and the right drinks. I never touched the stuff myself, not until after Kasyr sired me. Didn't like what it did to my magic. But blood wine? And this?" Again she holds up the mug, using the gesture as an excuse to take another drink. A delighted sigh follows along with a quick, cattish shake of her head, as if she's had her whiskers tickled. "It's delightful. None of that harsh kick, it's all fuzz and amusement~."


Hildegarde was evidently interested, considering the way she leaned forward slightly and absorbed the information that Satoshi offered her. “Really?” she asked, “I suppose we fear similar things then. You feared what influence it might have upon your magic, I worry what influence it will have upon my brawn and my head,” she explained. “Blood wine though…” she frowned, “sounds a little vampiric to me!” the knight smiled, implying that blood wine was definitely not the drink for her.


Satoshi sticks her tongue out at Hildegarde, the expression remarkably childish and at complete odds to the indignant tone that follows. "I happen to -be- a member of the Undead, remember? Blood and lifeforces are my sustenance, thus it makes a suitable drink. Not so much for yourself though, no. This would be more up your alley, Mithril." Satoshi slides her mug over to the Silver then, her other hand gesturing to Drargon for another round. Her comment to Hildegarde is only a half-truth, for while the brew is smooth, with only a tickling sensation upon drinking, it also carries a considerable potentcy. It's downed Undead and Dragons alike since Drargon created the concoction.


Hildegarde laughed heartily, “I was merely saying that blood wine does not sound like a drink that I would enjoy! I was not discrediting it as a whole,” she assured! “Not trying to get me drunk now, are you?” she asked gently, grasping the mug and raising it to her lips for a cautionary sip. Of course, it was a smooth brew, good taste with only a tickle to suggest there were alcohol in the brew. Obviously, the knight must have liked it for she drinks more from the mug, eventually setting it down with a sharp inhale, “What brew is this…?”


Satoshi is partially through her second mug before she acknowledges Hildegarde's question with a sly look. "Just the finest brew in all of Frostmaw." From nearby, Drargon can be heard clearing his throat expectantly. In response, Satoshi hastily adds, "And likely all the land, if I could be bothered to try the other swill they offer~." The kit makes a peculiar sound then. It might have been a hiccup, or perhaps a squeak, but whichever it is, it's briefly distracted her from the conversation as she busily rubs at her cheeks and whiskers. "Ssss. Tingles~."


Hildegarde was not a drinker. In fact, she had only ever had one drink before in her life and that was because Tristram had been shocked that she didn’t drink! The Silver had unwittingly downed a mug of Cryothain’s Tears, the most potent drink in pretty much all the land. For a non-drinker, that was a considerably stupid thing to do. The knight can feel the slight pressure in her temples, the buzz within her head and the sensation that she might be quite ill if she moves too swiftly. “Tingleshh?” she semi-slurs.


Satoshi chuckles in a way that sets her whiskers a-quivering. "Oh yes, definitely tingles~. Drargon won't tell me the ingredients, but there's something arcane in it, I'd bet all nine of my tails on THAT. Whatever it is, my whiskers get all sorts of the fuzzy-tingles when I drink it~." Without any of her usual graceful subtlety, Satoshi slides the remainders of her mug toward Hildegarde, curious if the knight will drink more--and curious just how much a dragon could take of the powerful brew. Even if Hildegarde is a lightweight of a dragon.


Hildegarde never knew what booze could really do to a person. She had no idea that once you begin drinking and succumbing to the effects of alcohol, you would do unseemly things, such as take someone else’s mug and drink it dry! Or even say things that you wouldn’t dare to say otherwise. Or worse, you might just pass out. The knight’s head dips for a moment; briefly ‘thunking’ against the mug before straightening up once again. “I have alwaysh wondered…” she blinks slowly, “how shoft your fur is,” she remarked with a drunken kind of awe. “Actually!” she perks up, “I wonder if you can fight with a halberd, that would be, hic,” she pauses, “remarkable.”


Satoshi looks thoughtful for a moment--or she's just trying to will away the tickling sensation in her whiskers. She hasn't had a particularly large amount to drink, ever careful of her limits due to her heritage, and so Satoshi is in a better frame of mind than the knight. "I've never used a halberd, but I do use a scythe. I imagine the execution is similar in nature. You can always find out when you're steady on your feet~. I'll even make you a deal: you best me, and you can find out how soft my fur is. Buu~uut if I best you..." Satoshi makes a sound caught between a sniff and a laugh, "I'll think of something~!"


Hildegarde laughed and jerked out her hand, “Shake on it, lady, hic, m’lady!” her hand even swayed slightly as it hung there, waiting for the Queen to shake on said deal. “I’m sure you’ll, hic, think of some question or secret of mine to ask for…” she smiled, “The heart with her knight on her sleeve…” she frowned, “that’s not right…” The Silver shrugged, as if it were unimportant, “The…” she mumbled the rest, “…sleeve, but still has her, hic, secrets!” After a few moments, the knight blinked slowly again and thought aloud, “I may need to find something to eat. Like a bear… Or a mammoth. Mmh. Raw mammoth. Hic.”


Satoshi, were she a kinder person with a sense of morals and boundaries, would have refused to make a deal with a drunken knight. But Satoshi is no such person, which is precisely why Hildegarde will find the magus' claws in her hand, sealing a deal forged under questionable conditions. A firm shake is given before Satoshi releases her grip to once more settle back in her chair. At the Silver's comment, she shrugs. "You may need food, yes, but I've a feeling you'll not be managing that anytime soon. Might be wiser to see if you can't get yourself to your room~." Drargon isn't known for letting his unconcious patrons come to harm, but Satoshi also doesn't want to have to try and lug the hefty knight up stairs by her lonesome either. Composed as she appears--save for the twitching and giggling--Satoshi isn't entirely steady on her feet either.


Hildegarde offered a rather emphatic nod to Satoshi’s words, “I will move… when I can feel my legs,” she assured her Queen wholeheartedly. So the knight would sit there for a while longer, until her legs regained some strength and certainty, before climbing the stairs slowly as if she were merely very tired and little else. It is safe to say, however, that Hildegarde would be rousing to a mighty headache come dawn.


Satoshi is at least dutiful enough to follow and ensure Hildegarde doesn't break her neck, or only make half the journey. She's not THAT terrible of a person, after all. Although she is terrible enough to return shortly afterwards and collect her winnings from Drargon for claiming another victim of Cryothain's Tears. The barkeep grumbles something about the unfairness of vulpine wiles during the exchange--while likewise skimming off some of the money to pay for Frysta's destruction of his roasted pig.


Hildegarde is fortunate that Satoshi is not *that* terrible a person and has the decency to see her to her room at least. For the knight staggers to her bed, swaying backwards and forwards only to grasp at Satoshi to try and steady herself. But her strength exceeds her normally thoughtful boundary and she pitches forth, presumably with the Queen attached to her arm. “Aw…” she smiled sleepily, “you’re so kind, hic, to hug me. Nobody does that,” she mentions, “it’s the face,” she explains with that well known sage nod of a drunkard, “it is so good to know my Queen loves, hic, me. It does, hic, make one feel appreciated. But you may go,” she dismisses the Queen. Fortunately, Hilde is drunk, or else she might throw herself off a cliff for that remark, “I, hic, must sleep. So go, Queen, hic, Queen Fluff. Goodnight!”


Satoshi is thoroughly ruffled, squished, dismissed, and bemused when she goes to harass Drargon moments later. She's also armed with blackmail should, for some inexplicable reason, Hildegarde gets out of hand. Mortifying the knight may be necessary some day in the future, after all. Or maybe Satoshi will just want payback for being called Queen Fluff, who knows.