[Complete] A Bottle Episode

[LuckyBlackCat]

The wind at Alyson's back battled with the storm's gale as she ran, boots splashing on the soaked path. Blinking away rain, she squinted into the network of dark streets. Not many people remained out and about in this weather, at this hour, and the knowledge that a possible murderer could be around made her tense up every time a shadow moved, the tailwind wavering as her focus did. Eventually, though, the medical shelter came into view.

Letting the gust peter out, she hurried inside. "There's... There's been a situation!" she panted, doubling over, hands on her thighs. That magical exertion had taken it out of her. "At the Dragon Roost Pub." Taking a deep breath and straightening her back, she relayed the evening's events, and what Sable had told everyone about the food colouring.

One of the medics approached, his grey eyebrows furrowed in a frown, while another left the tent, presumably to find a guard. "That's quite the eventful night. From the sound of it the patron should be fine, if a little groggy, but we'll give him a look over, and run some tests on that powder."

As the medic pulled on a coat and headed into the downpour, Alyson following close behind, the other doctor joined them. At her side was a stern-faced woman with a Boko horn spear, metal ones being rather less than practical in the unrelenting storm. "Thanks everyone! Uh..." Alyson looked up at the guard. "You didn't happen to see a middle-aged Hylian, with dark hair and a mostly grey bushy beard, did you? Dressed in a black top hat and cloak?" As soon as she said it, she realised how utterly ordinary the description sounded, the outfit being the only semi-notable part of it.

The guard's expression turned pensive. "Someone of that description did leave town a short while ago."

If that someone had indeed been Bob, that was unsurprising yet disheartening news. "There's a good chance that he - Bob - is the one behind this," Alyson explained. Although the fact that Moonfruit had survived, and the other patron most likely would too, lightened her steps with relief as she headed back alongside the authorities, a criminal had still set out to harm Sable, by endangering her patrons no less. And that criminal was still on the loose.


Laughter rang through the pub over the thunder, Lady CiCi cracking up in the comedown from the stress. And yet, ever the unpredictable one, she composed herself enough to blow Claria a kiss that would have been undeniably alluring in any other situation - before tending to the man she'd knocked out, resting his head on her lap, placing her glove across his sweaty forehead. As if she hadn't been the one to put him in that state.

Before Claria could say anything, Sable cut in with some choice accusing words as she approached. Claria gave a low grumble at the bartender's snark, yet the tension eased from her shoulders at the explanation that, in all likelihood, this wasn't a crisis. As an alchemist, Sable knew her stuff - as did Lady CiCi, having personally identified the poison, Claria reminded herself.

Sable, kneeling by the patron, gave her an apologetic look as she pointed out that Lady CiCi's escape from his restraint had been effective, if unconventional. The corners of Claria's mouth twitched ever so slightly, and a soft staccato left her throat at Sable's wording, the sound taking on a brief panicked quality as the world outside lit up and the sky rumbled. Dammit, was the laughter infectious enough to get to her too? Maybe they all needed the release. "That it was."

In turn, the iciness thawed from her own expression as her gaze turned back to Lady CiCi, who kept the guy comfortable. The rise and fall of his chest remained laboured, but steady. "Well, this evening's had more twists and turns than Faron's rivers," she murmured, "but the last of it should be resolved soon enough." Although she flinched at the flashes of light outside the windows, she kept glancing at the door.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before it opened, a drenched Alyson entering with two white-coated medics and a guard in tow.

[El]

A little staccato beat briefly startled her heart when Sable crouched down beside her. Initially it came from a negative place: nerves unbidden and weary suspicion carefully masked behind an empty smile of courtesy. The mask didn't last long however. Contrary to Ciel's pessimistic expectations the Rito's words were actually-... comforting.

For one, it was assuring to have some calculations to run on the man's survival. Yes, she had downright loathed him in the heat of the moment - perhaps she HAD, just briefly, wished fatal violence upon him - but it wouldn't be the first time her emotions had ran away from her. (And it likely wouldn't be the last either). The consequences of her reactions actions always hit her once the deed was all said and done: when the blinding haze of whatever passion possessed her in the moment finally fizzled away to unveil its drab and cold reality, like a slap of ice-water to the face. There were a lot of people Ciel didn't care for, but actually killing someone - herself - was a chilling thought. It sent goosebumps down her spine. But not simply because of some surface moral dilemma, though it played a part. The truth was far more selfish: the consequences beyond the consequences. Great Fairy Kaysa's potential wrath aside, the chances of such a deed corrupting Ciel were undeniably present. She could only push her luck so much.

Yet, oddly, that wasn't what actually struck her the deepest of Sable's words. Perhaps because it was so unexpected...? Though the barkeep had already been insisting on taking the blame for this ordeal on her own, beautifully-feathered shoulders, Ciel hadn't predicted the comment launched in her defence. They were just a few, small words, but they hit deep. Deeper than they should've.

Proud Ciel tried not to let it show, of course.

But still the hands upon her lap clenched, a twitch of her nose pursing her lips. Oh, the lady thought as her vision began to swim again, the tears from my laughing fit still aren't dry.

She refused to wipe them away however - knowing well how that would look - so instead her eyes averted downwards and narrowed under a stubborn strain, hoping that the moisture would dry away naturally. Quietly, she cleared her throat. Maintaining her play of a villainess was suddenly uncomfortable, the front of apathy and malicious seduction becoming stiff upon her face. Completely flipping the script and suddenly looking openly grateful was arguably even MORE icky though, so instead CiCi found herself weakly pulling the faintest and most vulnerable of small smiles. Claria's agreement squeezed even harder at her heart.

Sable had asked a question though. So Ciel was in the process of composing herself just enough so that she could raise a hand and illustrate - through a pinched teardrop of illumination - just how much she thought the man had ingested, when the doors to The Dragon's Roost Pub flung open. The abrupt entrance startled a jolt out of her, but Ciel quickly recaptured her breath when she turned to see who had returned: not just Alyson, but a heroic Alyson with what appeared to be two doctors and a guard in tow. Considering how quickly the Hylian had managed to find help, this 'Bob' fellow was looking increasingly suspicious.

Oh, right. But they were here to treat the twat on her lap.

Trying her best not to look too overtly disgusted - decorum and all that - Ciel carefully removed the man's head from her thighs and weaseled herself out of the way. She took care not to move too far though, in case the professionals had some questions that only she could respond to.

...Eugh, but the state of her legs! Look at them! Her? Kneeling in grime? Her pair of damp gloves quickly weren't her biggest problem. Returning home in this state like a naughty child who'd fallen in a muddy puddle was a no-no.

[Emily]

Sable often found herself hearkening back to her time in Gerudo Town when in strange situations. Her experiences there had given her a unique education as far as pub owners went. As far as she was aware, most pubs had a policy of "forcefully eject anyone who causes trouble". They'd employ bouncers or other large, muscular people in positions as preparation due to an understanding that Hylians, Sheikah, Zora, and Rito would sometimes get angry or aggressive when drunk and seek out a fight. To keep the peace, it was best to expel them from the premises in that type of situation. This was not the case with Gerudo pubs.

Sable had learned through her experience that Gerudo, especially those that hadn't travelled outside Gerudo Town, would often forego brawling when drunk, instead attempting to outbrag each other. They would start a strange battle in which they would one-up one another through stories of mighty beasts they had felled or comrades they had saved during battles. During these situations, there would often be an expected third role to be filled, an impartial mediator who would award one or the other the point. At the end of this verbal duel, all three would drink together. She had often found herself in that third position on account of always being present, and had picked up some very unconventional de-escalation techniques. And, as it happened, those techniques could work even in non-Gerudo bars, though they were less useful than just creating a culture of calm friendship among her patrons.

This off-kilter method of diplomacy seemed to have worked, as she 'granted the point' to Lady CiCi. She was happy to see a laugh from Claria; perhaps it was something more tied to warriors than specifically to Gerudo. But at the Zora's response, Sable beamed- she was a firm believer that reinforcing behaviour she wanted to see in her establishment was just as important as disincentivising things she didn't want to see. "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be alright now."

Once the two medics and guard entered the establishment, Sable followed Lady CiCi's lead and stepped back to give them space. "He accidentally ingested what I assume is nightshade. At the very least, we've confirmed it's poisonous but doesn't affect Rito."

The healers began looking over the unconscious patron while the guard pulled Sable aside. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you how this is going to look, or how it's going to affect your business."

It was quiet enough that the other patrons shouldn't have been able to hear the comment, but Sable's eyes unconsciously flicked over Alyson, Claria, and Lady CiCi. Relatively confident they hadn't heard anything, she put on a smile and pulled the guard over toward the bar. Matching her quiet tone, she responded "I understand that none of us want what looks like an attempted murder to sully the atmosphere of a major city triumphantly raising itself back from the dead." Her gaze became sharp, though she didn't lose the smile. "How about I hand over the concoction, you have a talk with the victim once he regains consciousness, and we all agree never to talk about this again?"

"Miss Sable, I don't know if that-"

"If you prefer, you could shut my business down with full knowledge that a crafty, murderous alchemist is out there somewhere. It would be difficult to save face with..." she scanned the bar, counting the patrons watching the scene, "nine eyewitnesses, including someone who was poisoned. I can't presume to speak for you, of course, but if it were me, I wouldn't want this sort of thing to be common knowledge."

The guard cleared her throat, at which point Sable visibly softened. "Now now, guardswoman, it seems you're a little parched, no doubt from watching over all of us so thoroughly. How about a drink on the house? Once you're off-duty, of course, I would never want to sully your position by suggesting you'd drink on the job."

"I... expect we will have your full cooperation in an investigation?"

"I'm all yours," she responded, pulling out a half-full glass bottle of purple food colouring. "This was sold to me by Robert McKenzie Nightbloom, a local chemist. I can show you to his shop once this is all wrapped up."

"That would be wonderful, thank you very much," the guard responded, taking the vial and depositing it into a pouch at her belt. "I'll... I'll be in touch tomorrow, once the storm has cleared up."

"Thank you, guardswoman. And next time you have a free evening, don't  forget to stop by." Her smile was sweet, almost sickeningly so at this point.

At this point, the medics were hoisting the unconscious man into a seat and laying his head so that it rested on his arms on top of the table. Sable and the guard approached from the bar, met by the lead medic. "He seems to be fine. It takes some heavily concentrated nightshade to kill an adult, but he seems to be pretty out of it. If he was in an altered state, through drinking, high stress, or other stimulation, that would explain why he's unconscious. But he should wake up within the hour. Are you done here, ma'am?"

"Yes," the guard responded, her expression pensive. "Sable here has been extremely cooperative, and provided the offending powder that got into his drink. We'll have a talk tomorrow to make sure we're not missing anything, but for now it seems this was an unfortunate accident, and everything will be alright."

[El]

With keened, curious eyes Ciel observed the Rito's conversation. Prick as her ears might've, she could not catch their words in coherent strings, but the shift of expressions - the evolution of body language - proved intriguing enough to capture her attention regardless.

Despite the guard's initial swagger of authority she soon instead withered into the defensive, an amusing mix of reluctance and temptation warring across her features with every sparring word exchanged. Whatever tactic Sable had chosen, it was clearly effective. Her shining beak might've quipped many an obscured syllable, but it felt like hardly any time at all had passed before her victory was achieved. A quiet, lyrical hum of admiration sung up Ciel's throat and curled her lips.

It was a little saddening however. And as that realisation sunk in her smile stiffened, sobering into something colder and more bitter. Oh how she had fantasised earlier over helping the drinksmith to dispose of a corpse! How she'd swoop in with a rupee-bejeweled cape and bribe away all of her opposition to rescue her business! She was the one with the spirit-tingling senses and the ironclad stomach, the legacy of wealth and the glowing fingertips to weave its magic as she saw fit. Earlier that storm-battered eve Ciel had imagined herself a dashing heroine, but instead, at the end of it all, she'd knelt in the wet dirt and cried like a sulking pup - and Sable had never needed her at all. Evidently.

Hmph.

Well, at least I DID get to taste something interesting, the lady mused with a resigned sigh. That had been her initial goal after all - to sample the beautiful Rito's creations - even if her desires had taken a different turn later on. All's well that end's well...?

Ciel cast her golden gaze across the rest of the pub, silently marking down a few memorable faces, before finally landing on the patient as he was propped upright. Considering the medical diagnosis they really had overblown his condition: he'd sleep it off in an hour?! Psh! She regretted wasting her emotions on him!

Regardless, the conclusion was nigh and she rarely ever stayed to hear the end credits narrated. And so, boredom rising once again, Ciel attempted - for the second (or third, really) time that night - to depart on her own terms. (Only this time she did ensure that the latest arrivals approved first, with an impatiently scrawled note that prompted any necessary questions and any required information thus exchanged.) Her sodden gloves were pulled back on. Her umbrella was seized. With a throat still slick with cloying sweet poison, she snapped open the lace-trimmed awnings and swung aside the door. Ciel kissed the storm hello and disappeared into its embrace.

She didn't say goodbye.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Hanging her coat back up and sweeping the sodden strands of hair that had straggled loose from her bun out of her eyes, Alyson watched the guard take Sable aside. Her fists clenched by her sides. She'd had to get help, both for the sake of the poisoned patron, and because the authorities needed to know about a would-be murderer on the loose. Yet in doing so, had she just brought down the business that Sable had poured considerable time and effort into building up? Things that took years to create, as she knew too well, only took a matter of moments to destroy.

She couldn't hear exactly what the two were murmuring, yet the guard's solemn, almost regretful expression said it all. Sable, however, put on a smile, a sign that she had this handled. A smile that grew ever sweeter as the conversation progressed, and the guardswoman visibly mellowed. Of course Sable would know how to maneuver the situation to her advantage.

It was on civil terms that the guard made her farewell, praising Sable's cooperativeness and saying that everything would be alright. Right after she headed out into the night, Lady CiCi followed, not that Alyson could blame her after all that. In her rushed explanation, she hadn't told the authorities exactly how the patron had ingested poison, but she couldn't imagine Lady CiCi would want to stick around, in case the medics asked the witnesses any awkward questions. At least they'd confirmed the guy would be fine.

Alyson's sigh of relief turned into a laugh as she grinned up at Sable. "Well, that turned out for the best... Mostly, anyway." A slight wince soured her expression. It didn't erase the sheer stress of the night, or the betrayal Sable now had to deal with by someone she'd trusted, or the fact that the criminal had escaped. Yet Moonfruit was alive, the patron would recover, and Sable would keep her business. Alyson held out her arms in case her friend needed a hug after all that.

"With the Dragon Roost Pub here to stay..." Her eyes took on an impish glint. "Does the offer for lifetime free drinks still stand?"


As the medics tended to the sleeping patron, Claria stood up on shaky legs. While they didn't seem too worried, it was the guardswoman who wore a frown, asserting her authority over Sable despite her hushed tone. Should she remain unyielding, Claria steeled herself to intervene and talk her down - she hadn't yet worked with this particular guard while volunteering here, and convincing her while in this state from the storm and the wine would be far from an easy task. Yet Sable didn't deserve to be punished for something that was in no way her fault.

The bartender, however quickly gained the upper hand in the verbal power struggle. By the time the two of them headed back from the bar to the front of the pub, the guard's demeanour had become almost friendly. Whatever Sable had said, those had been quite some impressive tactics.

More of the tension lifted from the atmosphere as the medics propped the unconscious man into a seat and confirmed he'd make a speedy recovery. Claria gave Lady CiCi an apologetic look and a small smile, conveying that she held no further animosity towards her, yet the enigmatic Hylian was done with the whole situation, swinging the door open and making her exit after the guardswoman. At the sight of the white flashes outside, Claria couldn't help but stagger back, fresh tremors running through her body.

"Miss?" One of the medics approached her. "Are you alright there?"

With a terse nod, Claria took a seat, lest she grow dizzy again. "I-I'm fine." Her jump at another flicker of lightning said otherwise.

The doctor leaned in, a reassuring smile on his face. "You know, fear of thunderstorms is pretty common," he said, voice low. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Try to take steady breaths and talk about something you find comforting."

Claria startled, her panicked gaze shifting from patron to patron. Nobody had overheard that whisper, had they? "What? N-No! It's nothing! Really, it's nothing," she blurted. "But since we could all use something comforting after that, I suppose there's the way Castle Town's coming along nicely - and people will still get to drink to it here."

She looked over at Sable. "Speaking of the town, I'll be at the gate tomorrow morning." Ugh, she could only imagine what fun that would be, between the aftereffects of the deceptively strong wine and how unlikely she'd be to get any sleep if the storm didn't let up. "So I'll keep a look out in case we haven't seen the last of him." It wouldn't surprise her if this Bob had up and left town altogether, but she'd watch out nonetheless.

[Emily]

As the guard and medics gathered their things, preparing to leave, Sable released a breath she had been holding. Good, somehow she'd pulled it together and come out the other side. Though she had done her best to hide her negotiation from her patrons, they seemed to have noticed what was going on. But if that was the major failure of the evening, that wasn't the worst thing. Perhaps her tendency toward aggressive negotiations would even be considered a boon to those who frequented the pub, unlike the response such a reveal would have gotten in Gerudo Town.

She watched Lady CiCi slip out the door, attempting to fight against the feeling of disappointment and regret that rose in her gut. Part of her discussion with the guard, part of getting out ahead of the story as soon as the medics entered the establishment, was to protect the enigmatic Hylian from taking on any liability. After all, while she might have done the deed, it had been in self-defence with a weapon provided by Sable. In the end, Sable couldn't blame Lady CiCi for anything she had done in that evening. They'd all been under a large amount of stress, had all said and done things they might not have appreciated in the end. But she couldn't control, and wouldn't attempt to control, someone who wanted to leave.

Sable pressed on an otherwise-unremarkable section of the series of cabinets and drawers behind the bar. A muted click released the locking mechanism behind and allowed the hidden drawer to pull out. Inside was the original vial of nightshade, half empty now that she had provided half of it to the hapless authorities. She pressed the drawer closed again, another muted click locking it in place.

"Does the offer for lifetime free drinks still stand?" came the impish question from the equally-impish builder.

Sable scoffed, the ghost of a smile entering her eyes. Of course, no matter what happened, running a pub was always going to be a desirable business, and people were always going to want drinks. She leaned on the bar, gesturing for not only Alyson but Claria to come and sit closer. "Of course. Alyson, Claria, what will you be having? Let's chat- after all, if we're talking and drinking, it'll be like nothing at all is going on outside!"

With the fire roaring, the food and drink flowing, the three would chat into the night. The other patrons, disappointed to find out they weren't included in the free drinks but also benefiting from not being considered suspects earlier in the evening, filed out little by little. Once the last of them left, Sable would lock up. There were extra beds on the upper floor for those who might be unable to make their way back to one of their own for the night, and she would offer them to her friends, one new and one old, for the night. But only after they were all well and truly toasted.

the end