[Complete] A Bottle Episode

[Emily]

Hyrule Castle Town had seen a dramatic decrease in the number of people working on it in the weeks since Queen Zelda's great push for progress. First, King Sidon, Chief Riju, and Boss Yunobo had been called back to their circles of responsibility, the people over whom they ruled once more requiring their presences. While all Sages are important to their people, that importance was somewhat more urgent when the responsibilities of a Sage overlapped with the responsibilities of a cultural or spiritual leader. Tulin was able to stay, though Teba made weekly trips back to Rito Village.

Zelda, naturally, had remained steadfast. Though she was also a leader, the Queen of Hyrule, she was uniquely positioned to be in exactly the place everyone expected her to be. Alongside her fabled swordsman, she seemed to carry no end of inspiration for volunteers and workers alike. It was a mixture of that unending determination, along with significantly impressive results, that had eventually attracted the attention of one Sable Atelia, alchemist-at-large. Tired of the stifling heat and predictable customer-base she had spent years cultivating in Gerudo Town, the colourful Rito found herself selling the sandstone location (apparently, while taking their romance classes, the Gerudo had never learned about franchising) and moving to the still under-construction capital city. There, she had spent a hefty portion of the rupees she'd only just gotten buying a storefront among the houses of East Castle Town. It was perfect: a large, warm space in front, plenty of cooking and brewing space in the back, and even a quaint living space on the second floor. Et voila !

Sable had opened only a few nights prior, using the first week to order comfortable seating arrangements, a proper bar, and plenty of stock. Plenty of flowers and greenery grew around the space, while a fireplace kept it warm. Her connections in Kara-Kara and Gerudo Town hooked her up with top-tier ingredients, while shipments of all manner of strange things had come in from every distant part of Hyrule. And thus was The Dragon's Roost Pub opened. And thus was it... well, not empty, but not as immediately popular as she'd hoped. Some people had shown up, mostly the people who lived in the district, but business hadn't been this slow since she'd first started slinging drinks.

Which brings us to tonight. Lightning periodically flashed through the windows, thunder momentarily overpowering the the crackle of the fire and low hum of conversation that itself drowned out the rain. You might say it was a dark and stormy night. Sable had popped to the back, where she was putting the finishing touches on a project that had been requested before the pub had opened. She'd been attempting to synthesise the particular enzymes within a restless cricket that mixed with boko or lizal parts to create energy potions. The restless cricket and tireless frog populations of Central Hyrule had taken a notable downturn in recent weeks, and while her request had specifically been to prepare stamina elixirs full stop, she had decided to go a few extra steps. After all, if the unthinkable happened and those creatures were to go extinct (Hylia forbid), Sable would suddenly have the only energy boosting recipe around! Well, people could eat food to energise themselves, but who would want to do something like that when a potion was available?

Don't tell anyone, but her most recent attempt used courser bee honey "acquired" from the locally-managed hives that were pollinating Castle Town's greenery. That wasn't the only ingredient of course, but it was a centrepiece, being apparently the only known liquid that could provide energy to someone and also be easily renewable. A couple more days, and she was fairly confident the results would speak for themselves. This, alongside the constantly-brewing health tonics and "strengthmaxxing" elixirs Hylian men seemed to order, though she was fairly sure they weren't fighting anything, Sable felt secure that she would be able to keep the pub afloat until its customer-base grew. And who knows? Maybe this very night would prove instrumental in picking up some new regulars!

[LuckyBlackCat]

Hudson's Construction had their work cut out for them lately, and a good day's productivity called for a good evening's rest.

Especially considering the storm that had kicked up. Workers had taken to their tents, the inn, the underground shelter to call it a night. Alyson's brisk footsteps splashed on soaked paving as she pulled her billowing Rito feather cloak tighter. Through the downpour, the newly opened tavern came into view just round the corner, along with the sign bearing the name in bold, proud letters. The Dragon's Roost Pub.

Hurrying out of the rain and into the warmth, Alyson grinned over at her friend, who stood at the back of the bar working on a new concoction. She and Sable had first met a few years ago, when they'd helped with the rebuilding of Gerudo Town. "Heyyy! Nice place you've set up here!" Her eyes flicked around the room, the crackling fireplace and the colourful array of plants adding to its cosy air. Sable had good taste.

"Got ya something I think you'll like." She hung up her sodden cloak on the coat rack and dug through a pouch on her belt, a belt that was considerably lighter than usual considering she'd left her tools behind - she had no desire to become a lightning rod. The small bundle of white, rounded, leafy-stemmed vegetables she pulled out and set on the bar was still fresh, the long-lasting roots gathered during her last foray into the sky.

"Stambulbs work wonders when you need an energy boost, so they're worth trying out." Of course, she couldn't provide too many - overforaging was always a concern with newly discovered resources. People in Hateno and Kakariko were learning to farm them, though, so it looked like it wouldn't be long until they became abundantly available. She and her colleagues would be glad about that, Stambulb being a tasty tangy snack when roasted or fried with goat butter, as well as a great pick-me-up. It gave them bad breath, but that was a small price to pay for the team being able to power through their work like a battle Talus.

She glanced at the honey-scented brew. If its smell was any indication, it'd taste pretty good as far as potions went. "Speaking of, how's the new tonic coming along?"

[Emily]

They had first met on warm desert sands, simultaneously taking refuge from the sun in a shop abandoned after the Upheaval- a shop that would ultimately become the original Roost. And though they had run into one another several times in the intervening years, Sable's memory always went back to that day. The sickly sweet smell of rotten food and spoiled drink being cleared from the buildings, the sandstorm that blew in that evening. Mostly, though, Sable felt a nostalgia for the feeling of optimistic camaraderie. They all worked with such purpose back then- they were doing something. Something important. Chasing that feeling was like an addiction, and what had ultimately brought her here.

More than just the source of a happy memory, Alyson was also quite handy to have around. Her work took her all over Hyrule, and she had a sixth sense for showing up with exactly the thing Sable needed at the time. Yet, the Rito never seemed to expect it- her eyes widened as she received the stambulbs. Fascinating, there were truly so few plants that restored vigour in a subje- customer. She flashed a large smile across to Alyson. "Now how did you know I needed this? Corporate espionage knows no bounds these days.

"These are lovely, thank you," Sable added. "I'll run some tests on them later and see what I can learn, no doubt they'll be wonderful aids to my research." And if they were particularly promising, she could look for a seed and plant one in one of the garden boxes out back, just to see what might happen. The bulb and stem appeared quite onion-like, perhaps not the most desirable potion, but getting a head start on food options would be excellent for business. And... maybe some sort of drink, perhaps with tomato and other vegetables. Call it... EnerV8?

At Alyson's inquiry, Sable followed her gaze to the experimental vial. "Hard to say how things are going. Science is like moving through mud, ever slow progress. I believe I'm close, maybe one or two more attempts and I'll have it. And if it doesn't work, I could start making mead."

Though... perhaps that wasn't wise either. The depressive effects of the alcohol might not mix well with the energising nature of the honey. Unless? Sable brought the vial to the bar and sat it next to her, attention now on the re-emergence of Alyson and the gifts she had brought. "Tell me, how did you find these? I swear I've never heard of such things before. And of course, what are you having tonight? I have all the old favourites, and in return for the story, it's on the house."

[LuckyBlackCat]

Alyson returned the smile, a huge, playful one. "No problem! And it's quite the story, the King Gleeok I had to take on to get these put up a tough fight..." she joked. "Nah, it was nothing that epic. I was just ferrying some botanists around the Sokkala islands, and we found a decent amount to forage. But there was something pretty interesting on one of the isles."

The moment she'd seen the particular sight stood out in her mind. The perfectly round pool in the centre of the island, a remnant of an ancient civilisation, shimmering in the afternoon sun. The rosy motes drifting above it that she'd taken to be unusual fireflies at first, only to gasp once she'd gotten a closer look. Eyes wide, she lowered her voice to a more serious tone, indicating she wasn't joking this time round. "Have you ever seen a fairy? Because I'm sure there were at least three of them! They flew away before I could get close..." She gave a slight wince of guilt at the memory of having startled the elusive beings. "But the pink sparkles, the shape of the wings, they fit the descriptions of fairy sightings to a tee!"

The sky islands, with their unique landscapes and life, never ceased to inspire awe in her. An entire different world, that was what they seemed to be, like the one in the old legends of the Loftwings. To her surprise, she'd even found low gravity fields on some of the archipelagos, and floating almost as effortlessly as a Rito just by jumping around had been a pretty amazing experience.

"As for drinks, thanks for the offer! I'll have the usual Tabantha ale." Nothing too strong, hangovers didn't mesh well with early starts and busy days (as she'd discovered the hard way in Gerudo Town after a few too many Noble Pursuits), but something to raise to the rebuilding of Castle Town. "Looking forward to trying that energy potion once it's done though!" She chuckled as she recalled those few times she'd volunteered as Sable's subject, particularly that one incident when she could have sworn everything had gone into slow motion around her. "I'll try not to bounce off of the walls like a Chuchu for hours again."


Outside the window, another burst of lightning split the sky. A growl of thunder followed.

Hunched in a far corner of the pub, Claria gripped her glass so hard she feared it would break. She wasn't a pub person, but as soon as she'd seen the first flash above, heard the first rumble in the clouds, she'd rushed to take the nearest cover.

Trying to compose herself, she sipped the sweet liquid, with its tart aftertaste. Voltfruit wine. Something she hadn't tasted before, considering voltfruits only grew in Gerudo Desert, a particularly inhospitable environment for someone like her. And she knew that despite the fruit's properties, it wouldn't actually make her fare any better against electricity - not even a shockproof elixir could offset a Zora's most debilitating weakness. Yet she'd hoped it would take the edge off of her nerves.

It wasn't working. Even as her head started to buzz, phantom pains still kept prickling along the extensive network of scars under her scale mail. Her ribs clenched. The left side of her face twitched. In her mind's eye, sparks danced. Shouts, and the croaky cries of Lizalfos, echoed through her memories.

She gritted her teeth. This was fucking ridiculous. A roamer of the Depths, reduced to a jittering wreck by mere bad weather, while safely indoors no less. What if Purah or one of the other higher-ups came in, saw her like this, and questioned whether she had the mental fortitude for any further chasm activities? She dimmed her luminescence as low as she could, and kept her fins tightly folded in an attempt to hide that they trembled like Korok leaves.

Ugh. She needed to focus on something, anything, other than the thunderstorm. From an Octorok skin pouch at her waist, she pulled some rolled-up notes Josha had lent her earlier. Paper, to her, had never seemed a practical writing resource - it became soaked and useless far too easily, the reason why her kind preferred to etch on stone slates. Others, however, emphasised its advantages, its lightness, its suitability for quick and easy note-taking. Which, she supposed, were fair points.

Spreading the notes out on the table, she craned her neck and gave an involuntary strained yelp. What did paper's practicalities or lack thereof even matter when she was near-landlocked anyway, as the sudden stinging in her gills reminded her. The perpetual tight sensation in them was one thing, but the intermittent sharp pains that had set in since the storm's start were quite another. And her tense shoulders didn't help matters at all.

Dammit, she wasn't going to act like the frail little victim so many people back home saw her as. She needed to focus.

In the mingled light of her hands and the strange glass piping above her, she willed herself to study the scrawled text, the sketches of makeshift maps, information contributed by fellow researchers on how the Depths compared to the surface. Specifically, on how every significant landmark in Hyrule appeared to have a subterranean mirror counterpart. Mountains became valleys, rivers became stone walls, and beneath each town lay an ancient mine... What could be the cause of such a connection, she wondered as she took another drink of the wine.

A veritable explosion of lightning outside made her jump in her seat. Wine slopped all over the notes, the vermilion stain blurring the words and drawings.

"FUCK!"

She grabbed a napkin and mopped at the spillage, trying to salvage the papers, to no avail. "No, no, no..."

How in Hylia's name was she going to explain this?

[El]

The boom of thunder. A crack of lightning. For the briefest of moments the sky was bleached stark white, the heavens torn asunder in a violent rage that seared every scrap and chunk of shadow off the very bones of this Kingdom's skeleton. It was clean. Uniform. Radiant. A radiance which, with the fading of the optic-epiphany, lingered in a set of round, golden eyes.

They glowed still, illuminated by something deeper within. Yet the face in which they were set was obscured. The silhouette of a figure which had apparently materialised at the doorway of The Dragon's Roost Pub was difficult to understand in its entirety until the shape then warped and tilted: a crisp, punctual SNAP announcing the closing of an ornate umbrella.

Into the establishment, Ciel stepped.

She paused almost immediately, not with hesitation but with realisation, setting aside the sodden contraption in the nearest place of convenience. Its tip already bled moisture across the lovingly polished floor, pooling a dastardly slip hazard before it'd even come to a proper rest, but the young woman was too busy trying to squeeze the liquid from the ends of her brilliant blue locks to pay it any heed. Unfortunate really, that in drying one thing it merely transferred the wet to another.

A sigh slipped from her painted lips. She frowned at her patchy gloves as they wrinkled and clung to her knuckles. Thankfully her quick eyes had noticed the familiar glare of a fireplace; that would do, she thought, peeling off the uncomfortable fabric with barely-contained ick.

A peculiar beast of a Zora was swearing up her own storm at a solitary table, while at the counter two other women conversed warmly. Friends, Ciel assumed: their interaction held an intimacy no mere - sober - acquaintances could obtain. Sadly it seemed the most interesting part of their discourse had been missed, for now only names of drinks made it to the Blue Fairy's ears.

Still though... this was that Rito, was it not? She was beautiful in person, a remarkable palette of vibrant blues and greens made all the more extravagant by the tawny Hylian beside her.

A glitter of approving pleasure curled Ciel's lips, her gaze crinkling at its corners. Yes, she had heard of this one. An alchemist turned drinksmith who'd brewed up quite the reputation back in Gerudo Town. Sadly she'd never been able to become a regular at her original establishment, but now that the bird was here, right on the doorstep of her family's newly acquired territory, why it'd be simply criminal not to poke her nose into the nest and take a gander wouldn't it? In truth, usually Ciel didn't care much for ingesting drinks, but rumours of Sable's work promised a more novel experience. Kaysa Forbid, even now she felt a little butterfly of excitement pitterpatter at the ribs of her chest! The anticipation of a fresh new menu and all its palettable delights tingling her tongue in anticipation. Why even if they were HORRID she'd relish the experience: predictable monotony was a far worse nightmare. (How any self-respecting person with tastebuds to spare willingly ingested the same concoction over and over again, Ciel could never understand. Insufferable dullards, all of them.)

With a spritely, childish glee to her step, the young woman practically skipped over to the counter, breezing past the distraught Zora as if she didn't even exist and offering the unkept Hylian the most meagre of cordial smiles only because she was right where she wanted to be. In stark contrast a vibrant, DAZZLING grin was shone forth at Sable. Ciel squeezed her damp gloves to her chest and giggled. Sadly she had to tear her eyes away to actually look at the menu, her head cocking to one side in giddy, barely-silent anticipation while she read. To make the choice random? To ask for recommendations? Or simply to order them ALL? Decisions, decisions, decisions!

[Luca]

The door to the pub burst open with a suddenness that would give cause to suspect the wind had blown it clean off its hinges. The assorted patrons contorted themselves around for visual access to assess the flavour of the damage, be it the elements or bokoblin invasion. Almost menacingly, a large and rigid figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the periodic flashes of lightning. The edges of the silhouette seemed to ooze like a primordial beast as the waves of rain washed over its body.

Casually, a falcon head slid -- upside-down -- into view, craning itself into the doorframe that was too low for it to access, conventionally.

"Hello!" exclaimed the figure. "I am Moon-Fruit!" he continued and made a small flourish with his wings, relative to his head's current orientation. He continued to stand in the doorway and gave no indication of either wanting to enter the structure or to close the door.

A bewildered Sable stood behind the counter of the pub's bar, as if expecting something to happen. Moonfruit, too, appeared to be expecting some kind of event that was presently refusing to transpire.

"...Would...you like to come in...Moon-Fruit?" Sable asked with some degree of uncertainty.

Moonfruit remained motionless, as if the words of the question were shipped off in discrete packages to be opened and processed, working their way through the gears of avian industry before being melted down and reforged in a response. "Yes." Moonfruit said at last. After an additional pause, he bent his neck even more and folded the rest of himself through the doorway. He didn't shut the door, but it fortunately elected to do so on its own. He stepped into the light to reveal a bright white and cyan stripped rain jacket that was in the exact pattern of his existing feathers. As he discharged the jacket, his appearance remained relatively unchanged.

"Welcome, Moon-Fruit," Sable said. She glanced toward the woman to whom she had been speaking, then to the blue-haired Hylian, and then back to the Rito. "Can I get you anything?"

"I did not receive a ballot," Moonfruit said plainly. He stood expectantly and rather uncharacteristically motionless.

This caused Sable to pause, becoming herself uncharacteristically silenced. After a few seconds, she blinked. "A ballot? Was there a vote?"

Moonfruit's head, though just his head, moved in closer to Sable. "I wish to VOTE in the Election!"

"But this is a monarchy," she replied. "We are led by Queen Zelda, who is not elected."

"I  w i s h  f o r  a  b a l l o t," Moonfruit responded. His beak was now but mere millimetres from Sable's face, his torso extended such that his lower body now draped over a significant volume of the bar table. Amber coloured lantern light flickered the shadow of his head in split directions across the ceiling. Surely these tricks of the light indicated he was not as large as he appeared just now.

Sable struggled to keep up with the logistics of Moonfruit's request. She didn't run a post office or a government outpost or wherever someone might get a ballot, she owned a pub. "What election are you hoping to vote in?" she chanced.

Prrrriiimmeee mmmiinniisstterrr?" The response was long and uncertain, like the extraction of a tape worm.

Now that she had the upper hand in the conversation, Sable felt more comfortable. She pulled out a menu, perhaps somehow laminated despite that technology not really being a thing in Hyrule, and placed it on the bar between her and Moonfruit. "Can I perhaps interest you in a drink instead?"

"Oh yes thank you." Moonfruit diminished to the outward side of the bar. With the ambient light more plentiful and unobstructed, he appeared an order of magnitude smaller than he was but a moment ago. He noticed a jar of purple viscous fluid on the bar top and his eyes widened with the unexpected alacrity of service. He took up the container and threw its contents to the back of his throat like a shot glass and gently returned the beaker to its previous position.

Instantaneously, his head impacted the bar at sonic speeds and he collapsed, unmoving, to the ground.

"No wait, not th-" Sable attempted to stop Moonfruit from drinking the experimental energy potion, but was too late. As Moonfruit sank to the ground, she jumped the bar and looked him over. She checked around the pub, but could not find a doctor, or at the very least anyone attending a pub while simultaneously dressed in a white medical coat and stethoscope. Terrified of the answer, she felt for a pulse in the typical Rito place, but it was in vain.

"Moonfruit's dead!" she exclaimed with horror.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Despite the weather - or possibly because of it - the pub was quickly livening up. A sprightly, pale-skinned young woman clad in elegant black and white attire skipped over, blue curls bouncing. Alyson blinked. Had she just imagined the otherworldly gleam the girl's skin had seemed to give off, for a split second, in the lantern lights?

Shortly afterwards, the door swung open again, a falcon-like Rito making as drawn-out and dramatic an entrance as possible, introducing himself as Moonfruit. Instead of ordering a drink, the first thing he did was start pestering Sable for... a ballot?

"Ehh..." With an uneasy smile, Alyson held up a hand, trying to de-escalate the situation as Moonfruit leaned right over the bar. She hoped Sable didn't have to deal with difficult customers like this on a regular basis. "Do you mean the election in Hateno Village?" The traditionalist Mayor Reede and the innovative fashion designer Cece had been rivals for a long while, and she'd heard from her parents that this conflict was soon to culminate in an election.

Thankfully, Sable succeeded in turning the subject to drinks, causing Moonfruit to back down. Alyson gave a soft sigh of relief. However, it only took a moment for the situation to take a much, much worse turn than the direction it had seemed to be going. Before anyone could stop him, the Rito grabbed the vial of experimental elixir and poured it down his beak.

"Stop! That's not fini-" It was no use. No sooner had Moonfruit downed the entirety of the contents than he collapsed, his head whacking the bar with an awful thud.

"Oh Dinraal above..." Alyson stared in shock. "I'll find a medic!" She sprinted towards the door, only for Sable's cry to stop her in her tracks.

It was too late.

Moonfruit was dead.


The newcomer's sudden arrival made Claria jump again. A Rito by the name of Moonfruit, as he loudly announced, before striding over to the bartender and harassing her over a ballot of all things. Either he mistakenly thought he was being funny, or he'd already had a little too much at some other establishment.

Abandoning the ruined notes, Claria scraped the chair back and stumbled to her feet. Her bodyguarding reflexes kicked in, her muscles tensing further, as she prepared to intervene and get this Moonfruit guy to back down should he become violent. Not that she'd likely do a great job of it in her current state, startling at every lightning strike, buzzed from the two large glasses of wine, and unable to so much as turn her head without wincing. Still, she'd have to pull herself together and try.

To her relief, the troublemaker calmed down once the bartender mentioned drinks. Claria re-seated herself, turning her attention back to the mess she'd made of the notes. She was overreacting, just as she was to the goddess-damned weather. This wouldn't inconvenience Josha too much, she probably already had all the information saved on a Purah Pad anyway, or at least Claria hoped. It would be fine, she told herself, it would be fine...

A thud. Cries. Claria leapt back up, rushing to where Moonfruit lay motionless by the bar. She fervently wished she had an affinity for healing magic like some other Zora were known for. "What the fuck happened...? Healer! We need a healer over here!" Despite the crowd gathering around the unmoving Rito, nobody came forward to treat him. All the frantic bartender could do was check his vital signs - and confirm the worst.

[El]

Praise be to whatever divine entity ruled over chaos and mischief! Why, not even a singular drink had been emptied down Ciel's hatch yet and already the night had taken such a dramatic turn. The booms of thunder and shuddering lightning, the ambient and deceptively cosy lighting of a cackling fire. She could've applauded really, her fingertips tingling with a little flutter of excitement at how perfect the whole setting was for-... all of this. For what had initially begun as a foreboding and uncomfortable customer service affair had abruptly escalated into a crime scene.

...In truth, Ciel hadn't cared much for the peculiar Rito the instant she saw him.

It had started off well - his appearance was unique enough to pique some interest, his odd mannerisms all the more so - but the rank stench of sodden plumage quickly offended her nostrils, and as if that hadn't been bad enough, his perception of PERSONAL SPACE was grossly inaccurate. (Honestly, only Ciel was allowed to cross those boundaries please and thank you, and he was definitely not handsome enough to be an exception.) She had looked on with unmasked disgust and growing contempt while the maddened creature accosted Sable. And while she silently applauded the barwoman's quick wrangling of the situation, steering it back into more pleasant pastures with the artful grace of a seasoned professional... it had been for naught.

The lunatic Rito was dead. Dead AND ballotless.

In truth, if Ciel hadn't already noticed beforehand the jar he'd quaffed (of his own accord), she would've thought Sable had done it on purpose. Not that she'd blame her: who in a customer-facing job HADN'T fantasised about killing off one or two insufferable pests? The Kingdom would probably be better off for it. The only difference between those daydreams and this, was that Sable actually had the power and balls to act on it. Theoretically.

...

Wow, he really was dead though huh.

The whole establishment had erupted into a panicked uproar, screams for assistance, gasps of horror, clattering chairs as the death was confirmed, but Ciel remained at the bar, quietly resting her chin upon the knuckles of a pale, delicately slender hand. Selfish creature, why'd he have to down the whole thing? She was curious now, but it seemed like not even a drop remained in the flask. Well, at least that bode well for the experience of Sable's other concoctions - Ciel felt her expectations flourish into even greater heights!

...Though, actually. No. Hang on. If someone had just died that meant law and order and questioning and probably a close of business and yada yada yada. Eugh. Did she really come all this way for nothing? Not even ONE drink?

A sigh slipped out as she barely managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

For a brief flutter of a second she debated leaving, but no, no it was probably important for her future happiness that she stayed. There was potential here for Ciel to play a vital part in safeguarding Sable's continued business. A shame that this was so public, really, she could've helped assist in getting rid of the corpse and avoid the whole messy shitshow that was likely to come. ...Maybe it'd prove entertaining though.

[Emily]

"Bob, please go get a guard and a doctor," Sable said, turning to one of the few regulars she'd amassed. A middle aged Hylian with hair still mostly black and a beard already mostly grey stood up, grabbed a raincoat from his table, and exited the establishment. The Rito was already working through the possibilities, and had come to one immutable truth. Bob didn't know about the potion before she'd brought it out, and he hadn't left his table the entire night. There was no world where he could have done this.

Everyone else, unfortunately, was suspicious, and would have to be kept inside the pub until the authorities could arrive. She looked to them, arrayed around like a strange tableau. A mysterious Zora near the wall, clearly jittery and unstable. She had looked annoyed about Moonfruit, and had made a movement just before the new arrival died. There was simply too much a possibility of some invisible magic. Alyson, though a friend and all-around known quantity, had been standing next to the vial for several minutes before Moonfruit drank it. She had brought the strange flora, perhaps hoping to fuel even more murders. The mysterious, enigmatic figure dressed so properly had also stood too close to the vial for comfort. She had also looked annoyed at the presence of Moonfruit and was clearly annoyed that his death was causing such a setback. And, if she were being entirely fair, Sable herself couldn't be removed from suspicion. She had, after all, created what appeared to be the murder weapon.

"Please have a seat, everyone," Sable sighed, making sure Moonfruit was laid out in a comfortable fashion before standing up. "The guards and a doctor should be here within a half hour. We might as well try to figure out what happened while we wait."

A crash of thunder.

Sable took a spot behind the bar again. "We should start with introductions, and a drink on the house. I'm Sable, I run this place. Unfortunately, I was trying to synthesise a potion that would enhance the drinker's energy level. I suppose it didn't work out."

She began making a Noble Pursuit for herself. A Gerudo classic, it was once said to be such a perfect drink that it could make those on death's door travel leagues across the sands just for a sip.

[LuckyBlackCat]

The strength seemed to leave Alyson's limbs as she took a seat at a bar stool. She glanced at the Rito laid out on the floor, and watched for a twitch, listened for a murmur, but he remained still, silent.

He really was dead. A murder really had taken place here.

Her gaze flicked around the room, from person to person. Who could have done this, and why? The lanternfish-like Zora who'd called for a healer visibly trembled, startling at every noise. Unlikely as it was that she'd sneaked over unnoticed with those lights gleaming from her fins, arms and tail, who was to say she hadn't used magic? Then there was the monochrome-clad girl, who'd been hanging around the bar just a little too long without ordering anything, and wore a look of detached curiosity about the whole fiasco. Or it could have been... A knot of dread tightened in Alyson's stomach. Not Sable. Surely Sable wouldn't commit such a crime. Yet as much as Alyson hated to consider the possibility, she couldn't rule anyone out.

And it wasn't lost on her how suspicious she must look to the others, having provided little-known plants just now.

Sable, once again behind the bar, offered drinks on the house, but Alyson found she felt too sick to even think about a beverage. Besides, what if more drinks were contaminated? She stared as Sable started mixing a Noble Pursuit, and hoped against hope nobody had tampered with any of the fruit juices or liquors.

Composing herself the best she could, she looked around at the crowd. "I'm Alyson. Builder and engineer for Hudson Construction, and sometimes I explore the sky islands, hence the stambulbs." Someone here had to know what stambulbs were, and be able to vouch for their edibility. She turned her attention back to Sable. "Speaking of components, what was in that potion?"


An energy potion. Claria's eyes went to the vial on the bar, empty save for a few purple drops. Incorrectly brewed elixirs were known to cause sickness, but instant death? That was unheard of. Which could only mean it was no mere energising elixir.

She seated herself near the bar, hands clenched in her lap. "I'm Claria. I've..." She twitched and gasped, muscles so taut they ached, at another burst of lightning. "I've been helping guard the walls." And yet as well-guarded as Castle Town was, a murderer had still gotten into their midst.

She shifted her position slightly, movements stiff as fresh pangs jolted through the old wounds all over her neck and chest, and studied the crowd, watching for anything that may give the culprit away. Which, despite being well used to looking out for suspicious activity, she'd be better at right now if not for the combination of alcohol, pain, and anxiety throwing her judgement off.

All she could glean was that the blue-haired Hylian leaning on the bar looked a little too blase about the whole thing for comfort. As for the begoggled girl who'd introduced herself as Alyson and explained about the sky plants, what if she'd laced them with something, or was trying to pass poisonous herbs off as harmless vegetables? And of course the bartender herself would have to be considered suspect. As would everyone gathered here. People cast wary glances around the room, some of which briefly settled on Claria. Not that she could blame them. She knew all too well that her terribly-concealed nervousness was anything but a good look right now.

"As for drinks, thank you but I'll pass on that." One, she needed to keep as clear a head as possible. Two, it wouldn't do to take any risks.

[El]

Well, if Sable had intentionally murdered the unassuming Rito she was doing a wonderful job of acting otherwise. She toed the line between visibly rattled and professionally-composed most elegantly: Ciel especially enjoyed the detail of her pouring herself a drink.

The invitation of introductions felt a little unnecessary though: were they doing casting calls now? It hardly seemed like anything fruitful would come of it, hells, on the contrary Ciel suspected it would only further fan the flames of suspicion she already felt twitching so many eyes this way and that. Besides, it wasn't unheard of for a creature to simply drop dead. A lot of folks had underlying health issues they weren't (or were) aware of, had crossed some powerful entity, or simply ingested something that wasn't compatible with their unique digestive system: severe allergies, heart-attacks, lethal curses, or even internal bleeding from a concussion suffered prior at a completely unrelated location. (The Rito HAD been acting very oddly, and was obviously not in the place he thought he was - as the Hylian labourer had pointed out prior, regarding the Hateno elections.)

But well, maybe that was Sable's intent: if not to continue the show, then to at least keep them all suitably enraptured - and imprisoned - until official bodies could legally hold them under due scrutiny. It was a most wicked distraction, Ciel mused, covering her smile behind the delicate hand her chin had been leaning on.

Ah. But she supposed she probably shouldn't be openly smiling, huh.

Nonetheless, the bartender had ushered everyone back to their seats -  not that Ciel had budged - and even had the brass to OFFER DRINKS. (It was incredibly tough to withhold her laugh at that one.) Neither the Hudson employee who introduced herself as Alyson, nor the incredibly-shaken Zora who just about managed to name herself Claria, (...a guard? Were we sure about that one?) took her up on the free libation. It was interesting to hear of someone who had firsthand experience of the sky islands however - a place Ciel had yet to set foot upon. But surely mere stambulbs aren't the cause? Unless they're toxic to Rito.

"Speaking of components, what was in that potion?"

She felt herself nod in agreement - a good question. Even if the concoction was later proven innocent, Ciel's curiosity had long been piqued about exactly what it was comprised of. Assumedly since it was intended to boost energy levels it probably had more than one alchemical ingredient of that nature. Perhaps it was TOO potent, for poor Mr.Feathers, like an unfortunate Rainbow Sparrow catching a stray bolt of lightning. She bit back another completely inappropriate smile.

She did have an idea though, as outlandish as she was sure many would find it. And since it felt like it was now her turn to speak - given the many expectant eyes boring holes into the back of her head - she decided now was as good a time as any to propose it. So, from the relaxed comfort of a stool, she lifted a pale finger and painted the air with glittering swirls of cursive text punctuated by a cute doodle of a glass vial:

Could you make it again?

The inquiry's intended recipient was made obvious by the way Ciel regarded Sable, the golden jewels of her eyes flashing with curious resolve. Once she was sure the initial question was received - the letters dispersing into cascading sparkles - she continued:

It will be of no harm to me,
but I should be able to tell if it's toxic at least.

Oh. Oh right, she was supposed to introduce herself too, wasn't she? Hmmmm. Maybe just a simple-

~ Yours, Lady CiCi ♥

[Emily]

Sable continued crafting her drink with steady, practised hands. While the Noble Pursuit had a storied and almost mythological history within Gerudo Province, it was also one of the most highly-requested drinks within the city. And while Sable might be a mixer of fine potions and potables at heart, her tastes still often aligned with the mainstream on things like this.

Making the drink also helped project an air of stoic patience. The guards would be there soon, and if she could keep a group— including a potential murderer— from leaving the premises or murdering again, it would only do good. And she could listen for any giveaways. If they didn't think she was particularly tuned into the situation, the murderer might accidentally give something away. And once she'd seen all the responses, it was starting to feel more clear. Alyson and Claria both sounded quite shaken ("There wasn't much in it yet, to be quite honest," she admitted to Alyson with a sigh. "So far it was mostly water, honey, purple food colouring, and extra flavouring.") lessening her suspicion of them.

Lady CiCi on the other hand, now there was a suspicious person. She didn't speak, she seemed entirely unfazed by the death of someone in front of her, and worst of all. Sable felt herself freeze up more than she'd meant to give away upon seeing the request for another of the potions. The remaining text seemed to clear things up somewhat, but she still couldn't help but wonder- what? Why would someone want to ingest something that had potentially killed another, unless they knew for certain that it wasn't deadly?

"That's your requested drink?" she confirmed. After a beat, she downed her own drink and began working to create another energy potion, carefully ensuring she misplaced nothing in the process.

[LuckyBlackCat]

As Sable mixed the Noble Pursuit, Alyson watched the crowd in case anyone made a suspicious move. If only she were better at picking up on the presence of magic. Some mages could sense it with ease, but this scenario made her painfully aware that by focusing on wind manipulation, she may have overspecialised.

There was, however, a skilled mage in their midst. Namely, Lady CiCi, as the sparkling calligraphy she painted in the air spelled out. If not for the strange request, Alyson would have found herself a little more at ease - she'd initially taken the mysterious woman's silence as suspicious, but now it was clear that CiCi used writing as her primary means of communication. Why in Dinraal's name did she want a potentially deadly potion though?

Looking over the bar, Alyson saw Sable tense up. None of the ingredients she'd listed were particularly unusual, or sounded like they could have caused a dangerous chemical reaction, but what if somebody had mixed something into one of them? No way would Sable want to risk another death on her conscience.

Alyson dug her fingernails into her work-roughened palms as Sable downed her drink, but thank Hylia, the Rito suffered no ill effects. Her hands unclenched, only to stiffen again when Sable complied with the request and set about brewing another energy elixir.

"Uh... Lady CiCi?" She turned to the fellow mage. "Do you know if there's any residual magic around?" Thinking about it, that was probably one of the things CiCi planned to check about the second elixir. If nobody had used magic to tamper with the potion, that would narrow the list of suspects.


Slowly, carefully, Claria turned in her seat to read the glittering writing in the air. She wobbled and leaned against the bar - ugh, if not for the bartender being a suspect, she'd order a glass of water to offset the tipsiness - but saw the enigmatic Hylian's request just before it fizzled out.

Sitting up straight, she frowned. Why had the girl requested that of all things? The text Lady CiCi continued to write raised more questions than it answered. How would an unknown substance that had caused someone to drop dead on the spot be of no harm to her? Claria had heard of some people building up immunities to certain poisons by taking small amounts on a regular basis, but said immunity depended on the type of toxin. And the way CiCi seemed more curious than anything else about the whole debacle - that was a potential warning sign. Yet it was too early to jump to conclusions.

Especially as it could have been Claria's hyper-alert and panicked state talking. Every burst of lightning sent her thoughts into a frenzied whirl that she could barely make sense of over the pounding of her heart, the shortness of her breath. On reflex, her gills kept flaring, as did the burning in them. Fuck. She needed to damn well keep it together. Needed to help make sure the culprit didn't sneak away, or worse, harm anyone else. And to be of any use here, she'd have to keep her wits about her.

"If you don't mind my asking," she addressed Lady CiCi, doing her best to keep her voice from trembling. "What... do you mean by that?"

[El]

...Did this technically count as an obstruction of justice? If there WAS a murderous culprit to be had, Ciel was doing a spectacular job of distracting everyone for them.

But, well, it wasn't her responsibility either way; she was enjoying the attention, and even if the attention was misguided it amusingly tasted all the sweeter for it. Why should she be blamed for what other people assumed anyway? It wasn't her fault these people didn't read enough murder-mystery novels - red herring, anyone?

There was, however, the mildly troubling thought of Alyson's expectations. While the young woman's respectful tone was endearing, it quickly became evident to Ciel that she thought higher of her abilities than she was probably capable of actually achieving. Was a bit of illuminated glitter really that impressive...? It certainly seemed to have shifted many opinions of her - for better or worse. Regardless, paying attention was an easy enough task: both to humour and to execute.

A hum, melodic and playful, thrummed in Ciel's throat. Leaning back onto the support of her wrists - fingers wrapped around her seat's base - she allowed her eyes to drift to a close. Her nose twitched. Her ears perked. For a few, long moments - unnecessarily drawn out for dramatic effect, of course - she simply rested in that silence, not even seeming to breathe her stillness was that complete.

Hmn.

When her crimson eyelashes finally fluttered open she turned her head, a smirk playing with the corner of her painted lips when strangers startled under the lingering stare. Eyes, wide and round, glided across the room.

Nope.

Simple. Anti-climatic. Disappointing. Ciel herself was frowning when she resumed her initial posture, lifting a hand to paint out the miserable word.

That wasn't the end of her interrogation however, for even the shaken Zora had approached her with a question of her own. A-... more tricky question. Ciel felt her lips tighten into a small, pressed smile. Ooooh how many things she could say, but how tiresome they'd be to quite literally spell out. More dire consequences of the truth aside, she genuinely didn't enjoy the idea of menial labour and that proved to be the first - most overbearing - obstacle in responding to Claria promptly.

Lady Cici sighed. Wistful or annoyed, it was hard to tell which.

But, realising that SOMETHING must be said - well, written - she begrudgingly wrote the simple statement of:

It's a quirk of my digestive system.

-which wasn't a lie! It was incredibly over-simplified, but not a lie! And she punctuated it with a smile so sweet and deep it crinkled her eyes, a lighthearted shrug splaying her lifted hands in innocent surrender. Considering Sable's earlier description of the drink's ingredients, Ciel's expectations of its experience had drastically plummeted though. She certainly didn't expect such a mundane concoction to be harmful even to a regular creature.

And though it was terribly sweet of everyone to assume she was trying this tincture 'for the greater good' - at least on a polite surface level - Ciel had to admit that if she had TRULY wanted to get to the bottom of all this she would have done things differently. How? Well, communing with Moonfruit's spirit to get some answers straight from the source would probably have proven more-... fruitful. Poor Mr.Feathers and his empty head had seemed entirely unaware of his impending death, but learning more of his background and earlier experiences would've been illuminating in one way or another.

...

...Thing is, Ciel didn't care enough.

She wasn't emotionally-invested - not yet anyway. Besides, what good was a brand new play if you skipped a bunch of chapters? Ciel was enjoying her time as it was. Offering more aid was unnecessary and would potentially spoil the fun.

And she wanted to taste one of Sable's drinks.

But...
Are you sure you haven't already ingested something suspect yourself?

The inquiry came after another long, thoughtful pause. Thoughtful not in the productive sense, but rather in the way one was drawn from meandering daydreams by the particularly crisp rustle of a dead leaf or the creak of a branch close at hand. Claria's constant jittering and trembling was incredibly distracting. And as Ciel looked back up at her, the realisation struck her that it wouldn't have been at all surprising if SHE suddenly dropped dead too. Was that a nervous sweat she was spying? The onset of a fever? Poor creature needed to hydrate pronto.

It was likely the stranger would shrink away from any sort of physical contact in her presently anxious state but Ciel extended a pale, cool hand anyway: reaching forwards (and stretching far too high for comfort really) to press it against her forehead, as if to check her temperature.

[Emily]

Sable listened intently to the discussion happening even as her hands kept busy. The first time she'd synthesised this potion, the alchemist had committed great time and focus to the task. She would readily admit it currently amounted to little more than various kinds of sugars stuffed together in water, but that hadn't stopped her from taking two days on the current product. Each step had been thoroughly researched and documented. Fortunately, that meant that it would take much less time this time. She had taken a quick jaunt to the back, where she had grabbed the various ingredients and her workbook full of sketches, diagrams, and formulae. The rest was second nature.

As the other patrons had begun questioning and turning their attention toward the most colourful person in the bar right now (which would of course normally be Sable, but was today Lady CiCi), Sable seemed to relax just a little bit. It appeared that the people here were competent and, if she were delivering a report to the constable right this moment, she wouldn't know where to point the finger. She knew she hadn't done it, she knew there was no way Bob could have done it. There was no world where a regular would be suspected of doing anything untoward in a pub. Though Lady CiCi was by far the most suspicious of the lot at the moment, she also seemed to be the most useful. Or at least, her unique abilities in terms of an iron stomach and being attuned to magical goings-on in the area provided an excellent cover of being helpful while actually lying to the rest of them.

She closed her eyes and gave a quiet sigh. Sable hated being suspicious of people. It was so much better to just trust someone and be trusted. Though it wasn't a conscious choice, Sable had come to realise this was one of the major reasons she had moved to Gerudo Town all those years ago. The Gerudo, usually, tried to be honourable. And if they weren't honourable, they at least wanted to be seen as honest and upstanding. During her time in Gerudo Town, Sable had seen exactly zero drunken brawls, experienced zero thefts. There was one singular occasion where a woman had left without paying for her drink, but she came back the next morning out of a sense of necessity. And that was so nice! This was the first moment Sable regretted moving to Castle Town, new and exciting as it was going to be once it was finished.

Not that she thought murders would be a regular thing.

Voila! A little bit of honey dissolved into flavoured water, along with a little bit of fanciful purple food colouring, she produced yet another vial. Sable double-checked the notes just to make sure of her measurements. Mhm, proper amount of honey (from the same batch, even), warm water into which the honey was well mixed, a little less flavouring maybe, but it was hard to tell. Ah, well, she had accidentally mistaken a couple tsp for a couple tbsp on the food colouring due to being understandably stressed, but it was finished all the same. The mixture was, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from the concoction Moonfruit had ingested. The only differences were the food colouring (wow what a vibrant purple this one was) and the amount of time it had had to mix. But they didn't have a couple days to wait, so this would have to do it.

She looked up to see Lady CiCi reaching toward Claria. "If you're sure this won't harm you, Lady CiCi, it is ready. I will give you another drink of your choosing on the house for this, should you still want it afterward."