Birthday Shenanigans

[gatheringstorm]

WHO: Korrin, Open to any positive CR (even if it's 'we met that one time and didn't hate each other')
WHAT: Birthday pub crawl/a quieter gathering for close friends?
WHEN: Drakonis 25 for the dinner. The pub crawl is the next evening.
WHERE: Kirkwall (the docks and Lowtown)/Korrin and Araceli's dockside apartment (inside or on the roof)
NOTES: Consider this your chance to add new and stupid names for various taverns in the city. Threadjacking is a-ok and there's no posting order. Adding CW as needed.

Pub Crawl

The message, given over the sending crystals, is pretty simple. Korrin's birthday has arrived and she wants to celebrate it with good friends and good drinks. Since Kirkwall has a variety of places, why not sample them all, or at least the places that will allow a qunari? It's made clear that presents aren't necessary, so no pressure there. She's more interested in the company and making some good memories than anything else. Meet her at the docks by sunset, and prepare for a wild night.

Dinner with friends

You know who you are. If you're at all close with Korrin or Korrin and Araceli (especially both of them), then you're invited to a calm, relaxing night of good quality cuisine, wine, and maybe some music and card games. The menu? It's Korrin, so there's a distinct prevalence of northern fare; spiced wine, Llomerryn Red with roasted potatoes or fresh oysters, paella, and alfajors, among other things. Every dish -of which there is an abundance- is set up buffet-style, with comfortable seating in a semi-circle not far away.

Make yourself comfortable, and watch your plate or a certain fox might try to sneak off with your dinner.

Comments

{ pub crawl }

[aceso]

Christine doesn't expect to be out long. Heavy drinking is far from her idea of a good time. But she can at least start the night with Korrin and her fellow party-goers. The docks remind her that this part of the city can be dangerous, as she had a necklace stolen here once. The thief had been stopped by Elros, and that reminds her of a friend now gone and his love of the sea. Tonight, after she raises a glass to Korrin for her big day, she'll raise her second glass to Elros.

Once they're all collected and ready to go, the first stop on the trip is The Restless Nug: a lively little pub that has more dwarves in it than humans. But from the looks of the clientele, these are simple dock workers and not some devious members of the Carta or Coterie. A good deal of the tables are dwarf sized, and Christine lifts a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh as she pictures Korrin trying to sit at one. Thankfully, human sized tables are in the back and the bar is human sized too.

"Your first drink is on me," Christine says. "I insist; it is my present to you." Well, one of two presents, but she'll wait until they're seated. Look, she can't not get you something, Korrin.

[gatheringstorm]

The Restless Nug is only slightly familiar to Korrin; she's passed by it many times, but never really been inside before now. That it's mostly dwarves is not a problem with her in the slightest since there are also appropriately-sized tables for her larger self and friends. And since this isn't the Hanged Man, she isn't semi-working.

Turning to Christine, she grins. "Well, I won't say no to that. Thank you, Christine. Hm...some honey mead, then. What will you have for yourself?"

[aceso]

"I think I will have the same." Approaching the bar, she orders two and slides her coins across the bar top, taking a moment to look around the place as their order is poured. It's a small, homey place with a portrait of a nug dressed in fancy noble clothes hanging above the fireplace. One wonders if this is the restless nug in question.

But the drinks come soon enough and she hands Korrin hers. "Let's get one of the big tables before they are full up."

[gatheringstorm]

Taking her drink, Korrin nods and glances around. "The corner one over there is fine with me. And no, that's not because it gives us a good view of that very fine portrait."

She chuckles at that, striding over. "It puts you in mind of those nugs Seeker Darton was giving away, doesn't it? I was a little tempted, but Lux is enough of an attention hog. It wouldn't be fair to the poor thing to have that competition."

[aceso]

"I thought of that too!" she exclaims, taking a seat and settling her bag into her lap, opening the flap. "He gave me a little vest for Ponce. It is adorable, naturally." But she's more focused now on getting something out of her bag, wrapped neatly in brown paper and tied with a pale blue ribbon.

"I am sorry. I saw it and could not resist. Happy birthday." She places the small package in front of Korrin with a smirk. Inside, she'll find a decorative hair piece that hopefully appeals.

[gatheringstorm]

Whatever Korrin was going to say in response to Ponce wearing a vest is immediately forgotten as Christine hands over a package. Eyebrows raised, she ignores the drink for a moment in favor of opening it carefully...and she grins, holding it up to the light.

"It's beautiful, Christine. Thank you! And don't apologize, it's more than fine. Presents aren't necessary, but they sure as hell aren't forbidden either. The company always counts more, but I'll definitely use this. In fact...."

She shakes loose her hair from its messy braid and gathers it up for the hair piece to hold up. "There, is it on straight?"

[aceso]

"Ah, lift the left side up just a bit and it will be!" She grins, pleased that Korrin likes the present. Christine sometimes finds it difficult to get things for others, because her practicality is always in the forefront of her mind. It usually requires more effort to be sentimental. Hence, a gift that has a function.

With that out of the way, she takes a sip of her mead. Their duties to the Inquisition have kept them moving in different circles lately, and she feels the need to catch up. She's unsure if Araceli ever revealed the details of their fight to Korrin, but for safety's sake, Christine won't mention the woman at all.

"What have you been doing with yourself within the Inquisition lately?"

[gatheringstorm]

Adjusting as directed, Korrin is satisfied with it after that and leaves it be though she'll definitely point out the new adornment to anyone who joins them. Gifts that are practical and decorative at the same time are definitely among her favorites.

"I just came back from Antiva, actually, tracking down slavers. Fenris, Adasse, Julian and I ended up busting a den of them, though there's another link in the chain that's off at sea somewhere. I think that's where my other project is going to come in handy, sooner than later. It's a break from Kirkwall, at least. What about you, have the new armor runes helped?"

[aceso]

Though she's not familiar with the men Korrin traveled with, she's impressed at what just the four of them managed to accomplish. It shows on her face, and she sits up a little straighter in her seat.

"A den of them? That must have been quite the encounter! And you have all come back safe and sound, I take it?" She figures Korrin would have mentioned it were that not the case. "As to that, yes, I can say that they have. I have been able to stay in the lab longer with the red lyrium without any ill effects. It has increased the amount of work we get done."

It seems her life has been consumed with work lately, and for a workaholic such as herself, recognizing it means it is a serious thing indeed. But it always feels like they're just on the cusp of another breakthrough, and she simply can't stop; not when lives could be at stake. Their mission in the Sunless Lands proved that.

"Can you believe we have been in Kirkwall around a year now? I was so unhappy when we arrived."

dinner;

[foxsays]

Their home isn't the largest of homes so it's a precautionary measure that Araceli's shut Lux away in their bedroom for the cooking so he wouldn't be underfoot, and because if anyone did somehow find themselves in there then he'd yap enough to get them out. (Some places should stay private after all.)

"You realise that if people don't like fish or don't eat meat that they're going to go hungry?" It's a little dramatic, there are plates of vegetables as sides but that doesn't really change the focus of the meal tonight. "They could fill up on garlic toasts I suppose."

Life goals etc.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin leans against a counter, shaking her head. "No starving allowed. Dalish Deep Forest Comfort, maybe? Nari might like that, and it's meat and fish-free, plenty of veggies. Or we could just do vegetable paella as an alternate main dish, since we have all the ingredients for that anyway." She doesn't mind heading out to get more if need be, but the more time they have for cooking, the more satisfied she hopes their friends will be in the end.

[foxsays]

Araceli's eyebrows rise at the very idea of paella without seafood in it. What sort of abomination is that Korrin, in her own kitchen? Maybe other people would but after a moment to recover herself as the knife comes down a little more forcefully than necessary on a potato, she looks over, smile too calm to be good. "The Dalish dish, paella without is just-- it's wrong. How many people are you expecting anyway? I know we can take the leftovers that won't keep up to the Gallows since people there won't begrudge a free meal but so I know how dry the cabinets might be."

(Minus the good stuff that got stashed because those were gifts and/or comprise the emergency stash so they aren't for anyone but them. Sometimes you need strong brandy just to get through a hard week.)

[gatheringstorm]

Those raised eyebrows are met with a shrug in response before she reaches for the recipe box. Korrin strongly prefers her seafood paella, thank you very much, but she's trying to think of alternatives for those who inexplicably don't share her awesome sense of taste. "Hey, you don't need to persuade me. Tama always makes it with seafood, and that's how I'll always want it. Let's see...squash, butter, garlic...do we have any crushed hot red pepper left?"

Starting to set aside items as she goes through the list, the Vashoth woman is silent for a moment. "And...maybe a half dozen, at most. I left the pub crawl open for anyone, but wanted to keep things relatively small for this." She falls silent for a moment. "If Twisted Fate hadn't been sent on another mission, I'd have invited him too. When he gets back, remind him that he owes me one." It's not just him, there are far too many absent friends either from Skyhold days or who departed from Kirkwall at one point or another. Some absences hurt more than others, especially a certain young man who she's tried not to mention by name. But her eyes are shadowed for only a moment, determined to keep going as she always does.

[foxsays]

"Brunilda put spiced sausage in it once and I put her out of my kitchen Korrin. You don't put things that don't belong in paella in paella and some things always need to be in it." It's a point of pride when it's a traditional dish that people have literally had duels over in the street when she's been attempting to buy some on the way home, it's something she never got to ask about regarding Antiva but she wants to now. Rising up on her tiptoes because this is how life is, the thing you need is always on the shelf almost out of reach that requires arching, finger flicking and awkward hand hooking motions, Araceli just about-- "Bastard, come here, I have you will you stop-- Yes!" And the pepper is passed to Korrin when she manages to get hold of it.

Just.

That done, Araceli leans over to test a sauce with a spoon of her own before offering one to Korrin, eyeing the bottle of wine speculatively in case more is needed. "Where's the pub crawl starting? Or ending? The same place for both? I've done them where we had a circuit and it was how many people made it to the end but if it's ending at the Hanged Man I'm coming home to clean up the kitchen, I can't do the Hanged Man after a full night of drinking." Plus there's the curfew but she's not going to mention the curfew, she's just aware of it, able to make an excuse in case she's too far from home to get there fast enough when she might be with people who'd make the locals hiss enough as is. "You know I don't think I ever really met him more than in passing? So many people that just...come into a life for however long they will before they depart again. I always wonder what Zevran would be up to, some of your other loud friends."

Bruce, Ruby, Jamie. Them as well as Kas would've made very welcome additions to tonight.

[gatheringstorm]

"Thanks, kadan." Taking the pepper, Korrin continues assembling what's needed before starting the process of squash-cooking. Once it's in the oven, she'll tend to chopping and dicing the rest.

Able to multitask, she leans in to sample the sauce offered, making an approving noise and nodding. "It's good as is, but if you want to add a little more wine, go for it. And I'm partial to either starting at the Hanged Man or leaving it out entirely. I work there, and I don't want to be roped into being responsible that night. Besides, there are some other pubs nearby that don't get nearly enough credit. The Sea Dragon isn't one of them, but if we start there, everything else will seem better by comparison."

A productive moment's silence, but Korrin's never quiet for long. "I know where some of them are, at least. Maybe it's time to start sending some care packages, let people know they aren't forgotten. And Zevran's little boy deserves to be spoiled."

[foxsays]

"Now this is what's better about Kirkwall - you have to admit, we wouldn't have been pulling this off in Skyhold." No kitchen of their own, haggling with merchants to even attempt to get half of this while still paying at least twice as much? It's been a hard year that's gone by so damn fast her head has spun trying to keep up with it all but this is what the future could be like. Being settled. Being safe. Well fed and happy, working but with friends.

Having a life that she becomes accustomed to.

Reaching for the wine that she glugs in generously before the lid goes on, the next pan checked before it's time to take up a mortar and pestle for a garnish so heavy that sliding it about the counter has left marks by now, Araceli nods. "I went for Herian and Saoirse's birthday because that's where the whole thing was - Herian and I had no idea what was even good there, everything just...smells - but you know where I end up most nights." The Blooming Rose. It's not even homesickness now, it's just preference to be among the sort of people she was raised by, to sit and drink a better kind of drink, to laugh, to tell the right sort of jokes, to feel safe tucked away up there before she makes it home before curfew. "I-- don't go out drinking here much. I drink with people I end up knowing. Or in the office. Or in here. And you don't need to take coin since that's on me tonight, you don't buy drinks."

Perks to your Castilean girlfriend, to your health Korrin let her buy you the water of life besides she'll literally climb over you to get to the bar unless she goes home first.

"He'll be walking and talking, less grabby and slobbery by now, yes? I gave Zevran books for Lucci, a whole stack of them, if they're being read to him now he should be on the way to learning all the things he might ever want. I had a compass by his age, a sextant, tools for a life at sea." Her father was a captain, she had those at birth but the first few years of life and a Castilean picks up enough to make them ready for the world.

[gatheringstorm]

"Oh, I freely admit that this would never have happened back in Skyhold. I think that's partly why I didn't care to celebrate, before. If I couldn't do it the way I wanted, then it could wait." And what would be the point of a pub crawl limited to one tavern? The Herald's Rest is fine as is, but it doesn't make up for the lack of variety.

She nods at mention of that shared birthday and where it was celebrated, with a fond smile as she knows the atmosphere of the Blooming Rose has meaning for Araceli. Given that Korrin herself didn't know either of them that well, she'd decided not to risk a trip to Hightown. The guards care little for anyone not of the elite, especially when they're non-human, and they make that plain. But her mind shifts quickly from all that as Araceli's generosity earns a brief break from meal preparation to bend down for a kiss. "You know how to spoil me, kadan. Thank you, I'll see that it's put to good use.

And I see no reason why we couldn't include a tool set among treats and stuffed animals. Might as well get him learning about such things while he's young, right? He's bright like Zevran, I'm sure he'll catch on quick."

Pub Crawl

[lyriumcarved]

You had him at the word "pub", of course, Korrin. Fenris is glad to come along and check out the various drinks that Kirkwall's establishments have to offer. Not even he could have possibly been to them all, despite his time previously spent here. There are plenty of newer places that have sprung up here and there since he'd returned, anyway. It's definitely worth sampling something from everywhere, while celebrating Korrin's birthday in the process.

When he arrives in the area, he sees Korrin, heading right toward her with one of those rare smiles of his. "Is this where the party is starting?"

[gatheringstorm]

"Hell yes, it is! Good man, we'll show these lightweights who can really handle their drinks." She reaches out and claps a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "If another watering hole aside from the Hanged Man comes to mind, maybe we'll begin over there. That's the one spot I'd like to avoid, just in case they try to rope me into working."

Fuck that, she doesn't want be responsible for ejecting drunken assholes tonight. Not when she's intent on being a noisy problem herself.

[lyriumcarved]

"I for one wouldn't mind finding a place where I'm less recognized, anyway." Which is hard to do, of course, but of all places, the regulars of the Hanged Man tend to know him and his companions as well, for that matter. He pauses, thinking about that, then gestures off in a certain direction. If nothing else, he knows this city all too well, so he's got a general sense of where they might find some places. "There are plenty of taverns and such off this way. I can't speak to all of their quality, but it's worth a try for a change of pace."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin gestures ahead, to a building with an appropriate sign. "I can't say the Sea Dragon has a lot to recommend it, but on the other hand, it'll make every other place we visit seem better by comparison." What a waste of a name, it deserves a better tavern. But that's a grip for another day; right now, she's more invested in good times. "...just don't try their 'gumbo surprise'."

[lyriumcarved]

"Let me guess... it's more 'surprise' than gumbo? I'll gladly pass." Who knows what said surprise even consists of, after all. But he's all for Korrin's strategy, anyway. He nods agreement, as he starts to lead the way inside. "Let's start here, then... I'll treat, of course." It's her birthday celebration, after all.

[gatheringstorm]

"Why, thank you. I'm in the mood for...hm, I'm not sure. How about you surprise me? As long as it's not dwarven, I'm game." She holds the door open for him, then steps inside afterward. The area is noisy and dimly lit, perfect for conducting shady business unnoticed or...just getting stinking drunk. It definitely has a nautical theme going, with nets and anchors and such decorating the walls, with the aforementioned sea dragon a driftwood carving placed above the bar. The body odor of the dockworkers is pervasive at first, but time spent within makes it easier to ignore.

[lyriumcarved]

"Ah, the finest that Kirkwall has to offer," Fenris remarks dryly as he takes in the surroundings. It's perfect, of course, even more of a dive than the Hanged Man, and that's saying something. Points for sticking to a thematic decor, though. He turns to Korrin with one of those rare amused expressions. "Let's see what they have to offer." He heads over to place an order, coming back shortly afterward with a couple of drinks in hand. "We're in… luck? They brew their own specialty ale. This is bound to be an... experience. But the night has to start somewhere." He raises his glass to clink it with hers before taking a sip. As expected, it's so bad that it's… almost kind of good. Definitely what one would expect, a nice high alcohol content masks any particularly weird flavors.

[gatheringstorm]

"Ooh, that's nice and dark." She leans in for a look before raising her glass and takes a long swig. With questionable brews from questionable places, she's learned it's best to just dive in. Slamming her glass down, she coughs. "Wow, that's pretty intense for a non-qunari brew. Have enough of that and no one's going to give a shit what it tastes like."