A bottle of white, a bottle of red

[fleurdesel]

WHO: Open to anyone that wants wine and warmth and a little company.
WHAT: Wine and no whining.
WHEN: After the mage meeting wraps up.
WHERE: Close to the healing tents, specifically the Orlesian section.
NOTES: There will be wine, drinking, unwinding, and nibbles.

The meeting had been stressful for just about everyone involved. Tempers had flared, opinions made known, a few rounds of confetti and arguing before some manner of accord. Whether it would last or however long it might? No one could truly say. In the interest of being quite done with the stress and headaches such debate brought on the Orlesian healing tents clearing out the potions, bandages, and poultices in favor of what cushions and braziers they had on hand for light and for heat. The space was open, warm, and inviting with an odd assortment of tin mugs or clay glasses set around flat side tables propped up with stones to keep them from wobbling and tipping the whole mass onto the ground. There are some dried fruits and hard cheeses, dried meat and hard crusted bread- whatever scraps they could scavenge or spare and a few bottles of wine or brandy. Across the entrance to the tents there was a sign:

Bring a bottle or food to share for entry.

Tacked below was a list of rules:

• Everyone is welcome, don't make a fuss
• Don't hog the wine
• Don't hog the food
• Don't fight or argue
• If you finish a bottle open a new one, don't recork it for someone else to find
• Clean up after yourselves

Comments

[girlinthebox]

She lingered close to the tents anyway, when she wasn't meandering through the castle. Simon usually preferred her close to the tents where he might keep an eye on her. So when there's a larger number of people around the area than usual, investigation seems the natural course of action. She was by nature a curious girl, and there was a lot to sift through.

Things were anxious, tightly wound, skittering, but trying to unknot and unravel. Lubrication of the alcoholic variety, then. The wine wasn't really to her taste. She found one bottle uncorked, sniffing the lip delicately before wrinkling her nose and quickly passing it off before investigating another.

She might well end up uncorking all of them, if allowed to.

[serannas]

Ellana comes by to fill her cup, taking note of the girl sniffing the bottles. She watches for a moment, green eyes curious before she speaks.

"Do you need help deciding on one?"

[girlinthebox]

"They're very confusing..." She selects another, without looking up immediately.

"One bottle makes his eyes water and remember his father's disappointment. The other has laughter and stories, and it bubbles, but it's always so bitter after. Sharp, like elfroot tonic...something in the fermentation process. It's hiding."

Another cork is plucked loose with a particularly stubborn tug. One whiff is all she needs before making a face, her tongue sticking out, before handing the bottle off to the pretty elf.

"For talking to girls and saying the words wrong, remembering in the morning. Terrible idea. He'll want that."

[serannas]

Her words are confusing. Obviously she's talking about others, but who? Not those who already drank from these bottles, because she's uncorking them. They're newly opened. Those who bottled them, perhaps? But how could this girl know that? Is she making up stories?

Taking the offered bottle, she sniffs it too, nose scrunching up a little. It is rather strong.

"That's strong," she says in echo of what she's thinking. "But who are you speaking of? Who will want this?"

[girlinthebox]

"The taste is bitter, but he's tasted worse. Drunk deep to drive the poison out, but the apple's already turning black on the branch. Waiting to fall."

Instead of sniffing the next bottle, she puts her ear against the glass, as though listening for something stirring inside. Besides the obvious slosh of wine. Frowning, she lowers it again.

"No, doesn't come from inside. It draws them out and puts them in, but it doesn't carry them inside. It's...reactive. Reagent. A piece of the puzzle." The words come faster, a little more agitated than before, and she reaches to uncork another bottle.

[serannas]

"I don't understand," Ellana says, watching this with furrowed brows. "Please, they shouldn't be uncorked until people are ready to drink them. Let's speak of something else instead."

[girlinthebox]

"There's something missing, but it's not at the bottom. Nothing there but bad memories, welling up with the wine when you can't keep it down..."

Clearly, the bottles had committed some sort of grievous wrong, and the next step appeared to be turning the bottle over entirely. It splashed against her feet, cold and sharp, but that didn't appear to be deterring her in the least.

[amygdalae]

Bruce lingered around the edge of the crowds as he usually did in things like these, so he was quick to notice the strange woman who seemed to be occupied with the bottles of alcohol that had been brought to this gathering. He watched as she started with one, after after the first two or three it was pretty clear that she wasn't one for drinking.

"You should probably stop that before the others notice," he says, voice quiet as he slowly approaches her.

[girlinthebox]

River's eyes dart upwards at his approach. It's him, the one with the strange echo in his voice, screaming but silent. Her head cocks curiously before her eyes stray back to her task at hand.

"The labels are wrong. Places and times don't signify. It's not what they're searching for, and it's too far too the bottom," she replies tentatively, offering up a bottle as though that might explain everything.

[amygdalae]

There's a pause where Bruce blinks at the words, mildly surprised at that. Her manner of speech is certainly reminiscent of--well. The less thought about him, the better. There were still nights where Bruce considered putting all of this behind him - it was only responsibility that kept him here, sometimes.

He quickly puts thoughts about strange speech patterns aside and tries his best to discern what she might mean. Was she talking about the year labels on the wine?

"What are they searching for, then?" he asks, hoping that at least could give him a hint on her words. He's trying, but even for him the words are a bit too vague.

[girlinthebox]

She pauses at that, head lifting, eyes passing over the crowd around them. No. Not quite around. They were all mingling, one body, many voices.

Not the two of them, though. Always some degree of separation, even if she doesn't know quite what to do with that realization yet. It's all still too raw, too new. Her brow furrows, teeth grazing over her lower lip.

"...hope." There's disappointment in her voice at the conclusion, and it shifts down to the bottle in her hand. "But it's not here. Laid down and didn't get up again."

[amygdalae]

Hope, laid down and never getting up again. That all hit a bit too close to himself once more. Was she truly like that strange boy? Could they both see inside of him? The thought of having to deal with both of them was a bit too much to handle.

Still, she didn't quite state it as clearly as the strange boy, so maybe he was overthinking this. But it was sitill better to be safe than sorry, nonetheless.

"There's always another day," he says instead, since that's what people needed to hear, from what he understood. "Perhaps tomorrow they can get up and try to find it once more." And maybe they'll actually succeed. These people here at least deserve a success for once.

[girlinthebox]

The strange boy. The thought makes her smile ever so slightly, her hand pausing. No, she's not Cole, not a spirit in skin looking to heal hurts. Cole may be unique, but he has a purpose. That's more than she could say.

Her fingers toy with another cork. "Dull casings for knives, knowing they wait just out of sight. It's not true." Dark eyes cut towards Bruce after a moment, almost wry.

"You don't believe."

[fleurdesel]

"...Do I want to know why you are opening all of the wine, River?" Were Adelaide a touch more sober, she wouldn't be half as amused. Honestly she did not think wine or cider or mead to be something to hold the girl's interest- perhaps she should fetch her a mug of tea.

Once she learned what she was doing, that was.

[girlinthebox]

"Yes."

Which was apparently all the answer that was necessary for such a question, unusually succinct. But she was on a mission, determinedly making her way through the selection of spirits gathered for the party. The bottles were a fascination for a while, turning them over in her hands before examining their contents closely.

[fleurdesel]

"...why are you opening all the wine, River?" Clearly there was something she was looking for in them, of them. An answer of some sort would be forthcoming. Whether or not she understood it, well.

[girlinthebox]

"The labels are wrong. No. Lacking. Books with blank covers."

With a huff, she handed one of the bottles to Adelaide, gesturing for her to take a look at it herself. See if she couldn't tell what was wrong with this picture without having to have it explained.

"It says one thing and means another."

[fleurdesel]

"It says it is from a particularly underhwelming vineyard and vintage." she lifted it to her nose to sniff and frowns. "And it is exactly that. How is it lying?"

[girlinthebox]

"Circumstantial details. That's not what they're looking for."

She drew the bottle closer again, staring into it. "...this one will make him angry with his father. But he doesn't know yet. It doesn't say. So we have to be sure."

A sigh left her lips as she lowered the bottle, reaching for another.

[noleechesneeded]

Simon could have sworn it had only been five minutes. Maybe more. Alright so maybe he'd lost track of time. Simon had found a book from the library, one of a scant few on Tevinter magical philosophy and was pouring through the thing while River was nearby. At least he thought she'd stayed close. Yet all at once Simon came to the horrible realization that it was too cold and too quiet in his tent, and the mage looked up to find the opening left untied and swaying in the evening air.

He'd nearly left the medical tents completely, convincing himself that he wasn't afraid and that they were safe, he just needed to know where she was... Yet when Simon heard the voices coming from one of the larger tents, signifying a gathering, Simon had the thought to slip in and try to ask if anyone had seen her.

That was how Simon found River with a growing collection of open bottles surrounding her and a group of mages collectively looking unsure of the situation. Maker he hoped she hadn't been drinking any of it... Simon took a steadying breath and stepped inside, coming along upside River and gently reaching for the next bottle she did.

"River...what are you looking for?"

[girlinthebox]

"The one that will make it better. The labels don't signify."

It came out matter-of-fact, as though Simon should have already been well aware of the fact, giving her brother a knowing look before thrusting a finger at the bottle. "Names. Years. They don't know what's at the bottom. I have to find the right one or it'll start all over again."

There was too much tension in the air. Alcohol could lubricate stuck gears and make the turning easier, everything falling into place. Or it could bring even more fighting to the forefront. Not that anyone had turned that way yet, but the anger and fear were still their underneath.

Everyone was just trying to pretend it wasn't.

[noleechesneeded]

That...that almost sounded like the old River. The same bratty tone that would slip into her letters whenever she needed to correct him on some small detail, putting something between a chagrined grimace and a smile on Simon's face. Still, he took the bottle to examine the label for himself...rather than let River start to open it too.

"I don't think this is going to make it better," he said carefully. It wouldn't help with River's problem at least. Thank the Maker she hasn't actually tried drinking any of it from what he could tell.

[girlinthebox]

"That one isn't. Full of ghosts. Gray into blue and then red, and he'll want to fight. He didn't before."

Better that Simon take that one, in the long run. Still, she seemed to be taking a break in her brave crusade against alcohol-induced bad decisions and slumped down, her brow furrowing tightly.

"They can't be louder than the storm, but they're trying anyway. Won't stop the rain, but..."

She gives the bottles a considering look.

[noleechesneeded]

So...maybe it wasn't actually for her. Simon frowned as he put the bottle back down, squeezing her shoulder gently as he felt it slump. 'Trying to be louder than the storm', it could be the voices bothering her, but it doesn't make enough sense. He'd been translating River's riddle-speak for months now, one would think he'd start getting better at it.

"Is it better if they're quiet, then?" he asked, looking at first down at River and then up to the gathering of mages. Most seemed to be a few cups in, still chatting with each other and more than a few were quite animated--

Ah. Those were ones River was talking about.

"Things can be smoothed over more easily with even tempers..."

[girlinthebox]

"We aren't with them."

It's a question, even if it isn't phrased as one. Simon doesn't attend the meetings, neither does she. They never bring attention to themselves as mages, and she understands why well enough.

But maybe, if anyone could understand...

"I wanted to help." The bottles are given an accusatory look. "Sometimes the bottles hold the wrong things. Open old wounds. Too irregular to be used medicinally."