• Solo • A Little Thundered Last Night

[Havonae Tryys]

Ashan 44, 717

The Harpy Inn, the Earth Quarter

It used to be, when she was younger, that Havonae would leap out of bed with the first light of mornings during Ashan, when the sun would first be returning after its hibernation during Cylus. She would have gotten up early with her sisters and the four giggling girls would have clambered into bed with their parents to snuggle and laugh and talk about their expectations for the new arc. The first couple of days after the sun’s return were still chilly, but the family of six was always warmed by their love and cheerfulness. Havonae could remember a few times when she and her sisters would wake their parents up extra early so that they could go down to the wall and watch the sun rising over the horizon, a juvenile and adorable ritual that they used to do at least a couple mornings an arc.

Snap back to the present, and Havonae could not possibly imagine waking up before the 12th or 13th break. And as the sun made its return, Havonae did little more to celebrate than attempt to block out its rays with her window’s shutters and burgundy curtains, rolling over onto her side and tucking her head under her bedcovers.

On this morning in particular, when the sun’s rays managed to sneak in through the slats in the shutters and poke imploringly at her sleeping form, Havonae’s head was pounding. She allowed one eye to open for a moment, before rolling over quickly and burrowing deeper into the warmth of her bed. Her memories came back to her, despite her near-desperate wishes to return to sleep, and the night before came flooding back.

That merchant, the one with the graying beard, had been buying drinks for the entire tavern way late into the night. And, being the obedient to anyone that was willing to tip her nicely, Havonae had participated. The drinks kept flowing until well after 1st break, and even after Arthur had sent all the patrons to their rooms and kicked all the visitors out, she could remember drunkenly cleaning the tavern and stumbling to bed. It wasn’t often that she drank enough to get so thunderingly drunk, but last night was one of those nights.

And she was decidedly paying for it this trial, by Ilaren.

With any luck, Havonae’s good Rharian blood and generous upbringing would kick in sooner than later and the hangover wouldn’t last too long, but for now it was storming. Her head throbbed with every movement.

Of course, having Celina come a-calling didn’t help any. Not one bit.

The woman a couple arcs Havonae’s senior was courteous enough to give a couple sharp knocks before allowing herself into Havonae’s room. Havonae didn’t have to look at the visitor to recognize her by her loud voice and quick manner of speaking. “Are you gonna get up sometime this trial? You know you have to work tonight, you can’t take the evening off before you got thundered last night.” She plopped herself down on Havonae’s bed, causing the poor girl to bounce, her head feeling as though she was being struck by lightning.

“Come on Celina, just another break or two? Please?” came a grumbled plea.

The older girl pulled the sheets back from Havonae’s head and pursed her lips when Havonae cracked her eyes open to gaze up at the blonde woman. “In Ilaren’s name hun, what on earth were you drinking last night? You surely took a few bolts to the head.”

Much to the girl’s surprise, Celina had brought up a glass of water. Havonae sat up, jarring herself as she tried not to jerk too much, and accepted the glass. “Mead I think. That merchant… I dunno, I wasn’t paying attention until it was too late. He kept slipping me coins though, so I guess that was nice…” She sipped the water carefully, swishing it some to wash the taste of the night before away. “I came up here and stripped my clothes off, only to have coins fall all over the floor from tucking them into my bosom.” The two looked down at the floor at the shining metal, causing them to break into giggles.

Giving the younger woman’s cheek a pat, Celina made her exit. “Sober up quick hun. Arthur’s on a little bit of a tirade after the mess we left last night, so we’re all on cleaning duty before the party starts again this evening.” If there was one thing the Harpy’s barmaids hated, it was having the inn’s proprietor upset with them. Arthur was slow to anger typically, but he meant serious business whenever he did happen to boil over.

Havonae nodded and sipped her water. The silence Celina left behind was filled with the twittering of birds outside her window and the sounds of patrons moving around the tavern and the inn’s rooms around her. Leaving her drink on the bedside table, she picked up her belongings from where she’d dropped them. She pushed the curtains aside and opened the shutters, allowing the piercing light to fill her little room. Havonae blinked at the brilliance, but she could already feel her headache subsiding.

Kneeling before her chest and opening it with the key she kept tucked away, Havonae nestled the tips she’d made beneath the little tinder box her father had given her, which she then tucked beneath her other belongings. She’d never been robbed, thank Ilaren, but one could never be too careful. Especially living above a tavern in the Earth Quarter.

The scent of liquor and sweat was strong having been allowed to seep into her clothes overnight, but Havonae didn’t have much of a choice other than to put them back on. “I’ve got to remember to do laundry… and soon” she muttered as she pulled her boots on, trying to decide if she wanted to convince some of the other barmaids to go to the baths tomorrow to wash and do laundry with her or if she wanted to go alone. While other girls might run a comb through their tresses, Havonae knew better than to attempt to tame her curls. Taking along her trusty leather hair thong, the girl wound her hair up into a tight bun on the crown of her skull and left her bed chamber swiftly, taking care to lock this door as well, before fleeing down the hall to tend to Arthur’s wishes.

[Havonae Tryys]

Turns out, Celina wasn’t lying about the tavern being in a tizzy. The six barmaids and three bartenders on duty were all hustling to get whatever job they’d been given done and to the most precise order that they possibly could. Arthur was getting onto some poor girl that was supposed to be sweeping, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the patrons that were grabbing a mid-day meal at the Harpy. However, it was the consensus of the employees of the Harpy Inn that Arthur’s low, angry voice was much scarier than his loud, angry voice, and Havonae put on a brave face in an attempt to rescue her hapless coworker.

Smiling, Havonae waltzed up to Arthur and gave the tall man a hug from the side, mindfully praying she didn’t get slapped in the process. After getting over his initial shock of being interrupted, the proprietor turned his sour attention on her.

“’Bout time you woke up! Did you get so thundered you thought maybe you’d sleep all day? What kind of an establishment do you think I’m running, girl?” If his voice hadn’t been so deep and low, Havonae might have described his tactic of speech as hissing.

She kept her face open and cheerful, smiling while taking the brunt of the frustration. “Good morning Arthur~ Isn’t this the most beautiful trial? The sunshine is absolutely lovely.” Her intention wasn’t to change his mood, simply to redirect it.

The older man shook his head. “If you don’t take this seriously Havonae, I won't hesitate to punish you.”

Havonae put her hands on her hips and frowned. “I don’t want to upset you any more, sir. But look, you’ve already got two of the maids to crying and Celina’s toing to rub clean through that table trying to get it to shine for you!”

Arthur looked around, then shook his head and pointed a finger at Havonae. “Don’t you think you can get away with this, girl. There will be repercussions for your impudence.” Turning on a heel, he made his way to the front door. With a wave of his hand, he barked “Yulis is in charge! And if this place isn’t as clean as new when I get back, so help me…” His threat trailed off as he left, taking his upset with him.

Havonae sighed with relief, allowing her body to shake with fear. There for a moment, she was more than sure that she’d taken too much of a liberty and was going to be fired. The woman whose lecture she intervened wrapped equally shaky arms around Havonae and whispered thanks in her ear.

Dalton Yulis, the Harpy Inn’s head bartender, chuckled from behind the bar. He was leaning on the counter as if he didn’t have a care in the world, watching the chaos that had been unfolding before him. “We should get Tryys thundered more often, she’s got courage!”

Celina smacked him soundly on the shoulder, “Don’t you be mean too.”

Havonae shook her head, her quakes calming. “We all work better when we’re not being yelled at. But let’s make him happy, please? Dalton, what do you want me to do?”

Dalton gave out orders, his regular, cool manner a much-needed breath of fresh air after Arthur’s yelling.

Havonae was asked to sweep, taking over for the girl that she’d rescued from Arthur. In turn, Dalton asked the girl to help him dry and organize glasses and mugs behind the bar.

Taking a deep breath, Havonae started on one side of the tavern room and worked her way across the floor. She didn’t mind sweeping, definitely preferring the mindless activity to confronting her boss. Her hangover was almost gone, with just a hint of a headache in the very front of her forehead, but it didn’t slow her down. The exercise made a burning sensation start in her upper arms and shoulders as she pushed her muscles to complete the task.

When she reached the middle of the room, she pushed open the front door and swept the pile of grime out onto the stoop. Havonae propelled the dust away from the stoop, sweeping the area just outside the inn’s door as well. The sunshine was still out in full force, it was only about 13th or 14th break by her guess. She basked in it for a minute, facing it and closing her eyes to allow it to soak into her skin. It felt really refreshing, like a soft kiss.

After another break and a half, the Harpy Inn’s tavern was cleaner than any of her employees had seen it in a long while. Fairly pleased with themselves, the barmaids and bartenders came together to take a celebratory shot of whiskey.

Dalton raised his glass to his peers and smirked. “Here’s to a happy Arthur and a clean Harpy. Let’s have a great night!” The crew threw back their shots and laughed.

Havonae let the warmth of the whiskey settle in her stomach and went around to the back of the bar to clean up, scrubbing her face and hands and forearms of the dirt that had accumulated there during their cleaning. A cleaner girl was bound to get more tips than a dirty one, and she much preferred to be as clean as she could manage when starting her shifts. After working at the inn for so long, she had given herself over to the fact that she was going to be covered in drink by the end of the night, but it was the least she could do to attempt to start out clean.

[Havonae Tryys]

The Harpy Inn had never been called the swankiest of Rharne’s taverns. And it certainly could not compete with some of those that served patrons within the Glass Quarter. But it was always busy enough, and typically reliable: the Rharnians in the Earth Quarter knew it as a place for a warm meal, good conversation, and occasionally, a good brawl.

Havonae’s tasks as a barmaid weren’t overly complicated, as long as she was pleasant and hospitable to the best of her abilities. Patrons would come into the Inn, seat themselves, and wait for a barmaid to get to their table. Sometimes they would request a particular girl, or even ask if Dalton was available to serve them, but those that came into the tavern weren’t too terribly picky. They were just there to have a good time, to get out of their homes for the afternoon or evening, and/or to get thundered.

More often than not, they came in to get thundered.

Tonight wasn’t looking to be too unusual an evening, though Havonae wasn’t too terribly upset with the prospect of a calmer night after getting so drunk the night before. She thought a silent plea to whoever was listening, asking for a quieter night.

The girls had divided up the tables amongst themselves, and Havonae typically got three or four. Tonight the tables she was serving were along the western wall, easy enough generally. The first to sit there during her shift were a pair of quiet men who ordered a couple of brews and watched the going-ons of the bar with hooded eyes. They didn’t say much, though Havonae saw them converse quietly a couple of times, and they paid their dues and dismissed themselves after finishing their drinks. Havonae collected their coins from off the table and wished them a good evening, at which they nodded and went about their way.

The night went on, and the folks coming in were bright and bubbly with the warming weather. The changing of the seasons always brought about a cheerful air in Rharnians, and it brightened Havonae’s mood too.

As the tavern became busier, it was a chore to attempt to clean each table as they emptied before another group took over, with the scramble to get a choice table or even to get a table at all. Dalton and another couple of barmaids worked behind the bar, drawing up drinks and pouring brews to fill orders, and Dalton would look out over the crowd frequently, keeping an eye on the happenings of the establishment.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and one of the girls informed Havonae that her service had been requested across the tavern. With a wide smile and a swish of her skirt, the blonde-haired girl greeted the folks that had just come in: it was a couple of boys and a young girl that Havonae and her sisters had known growing up. The group ordered some beers and were eager to listen to Havonae’s latest gossip, but she winked and reminded them that there were other patrons present that required some of her attention as well.

One of the boys pounded his fist on the table, swearing. “Tryys! Tis but I that require your attention!” He slurred a little, having obviously been drinking before arriving at the Harpy, “Give unto me your affections and… your beers!” He made a pass at her skirt, his companions roaring with laughter, and Havonae slapped his hand.

She couldn’t help but laugh through her “Behave yourself boy, don’t go causing trouble for me.”

“Oh no Havonae, you’re too dear to me!” The man grabbed her hand instead and kissed it sloppily. “No trouble milady, no trouble!” This set his companions to rolling all over again.

Havonae shook her head at the nonsense and went to order them another round of drinks, going around to her other customers as well and making sure that they were also taken care of.

In the Harpy, the atmosphere changes as the nights wear on. The company generally split themselves into two categories: those that get somber as they drown themselves in their brews, and those that get thundered out of their minds. Those that grow somber tend to keep to the shadowy tables along the walls of the establishment, while the roaring drunks gather near the middle to fight, sing, and laugh amongst themselves. Havonae didn’t really have a preference whether she got placed with tables nearer the walls or nearer the middle of the chaos, but tonight she was certainly content with the quieter part of the room.

An older gentleman was sitting by himself, had ordered a meal with a couple of ales, and was observing the thundered men near the middle of the tavern. Arthur had greeted the man, and seated him himself, giving Havonae orders to treat the man well. The girl was unable to conclude much from the gentleman’s appearance, whether he might have been someone of office or just a friend of Arthur, but she took great care to tend to his requests and softened her smile whenever she approached his table with another drink.