[PRP][FIN] Morning in the vineyard (Maoszi + Coracias)

[Daisicle]

Coracias shrugged again. "Dunno where my sister is these days honestly, and I don't have much else in the way of family. I had teachers when I was younger, but I haven't heard anything from them in years... Last I heard, my hometown doesn't even exist anymore." She yawned before looking up at him with a keener eye, "Your family has been based here for generations, right?"



Now finished, and wearing her distinctive polite smile Enikő, gestured over the plates and, as she took a step back, urged the patrons on. "Please enjoy - call for me if you need anything."



"Tabbouleh is..." she paused as she mused on the best way to describe it, "...basically a salad of herbs and grain plus a few other veggies. You should try it if you haven't before! It's a specialty of Kekomura... though it obviously is easy enough to replicate elsewhere too. They don't make it quite the same here, but its pretty good." As for herself... she grabbed one of the provided small plates for the pair and started placing some meats and cheeses on it before taking some bread and dipping it in oil to start. "Mmm~ Yeah, Koehaira really does make the best cooking oils~ <3"

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Masozi regarded the salad with interest, then himself took a small plate and put some meat, cheese, bread, and a small amount of the tabbouleh onto it. "Oh, so you're not from Kekomura originally?" he asked. Then, "I have a sister, too, but, uh...." he trailed off slightly before continuing. "I don't know where she is either." And good riddance.

Determined not to get grumpy about that particular piece of his personal history, he wrapped a bit of cheese with a piece of meat and popped it in his mouth. When he'd finished chewing appreciatively, he continued. "Mhm. My mother and my aunt and my aunt's wife sort of created Koehaira since we were all living here already. The vineyard started small, and then got bigger as other villages started having interest in the wine."

Masozi made a dismissive wave and dipped his bread in some of the oil. "Ah, but you don't need a history lesson."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

She shook her head as she took a bite out of the bread, pausing just long enough to swallow before continuing. "Not originally - it's not even the second place I lived. I come from this old trading hub called Agauni. Maybe you've heard of it... or at least of the rumors?" She finished another bite before smirking and leaning closer, "They say they Guardians, in their eternal love and sadness, smited it for fraternizing with the heretics. Who knows, perhaps she was one of them..." Cora gauged his reaction to her latest prodding some before leaning back and pairing some of the cheese and salami this time.

"Ah, so this really is a family-run enterprise, huh? It seems that all villages down here have similar starts... One family decides to do some sort of business and then they populate the area. With more decedents to them, they're able to diversify and scale the business to a size that allows for exports, which then inevitably leads to trade, which then invariably results in further growth in the area, which in turn creates the foundations for a village." She'd kinda hoped this place could have been more interesting - what a shame. The truth was kind of boring after all, which was fairly obvious with the way her tone had seemed to grow more disinterested as she mused out loud.

With a sudden movement, Cora brought the rest of her cider to her head and tilted her head back to finish the rest of the glass in one go. She slammed the glass onto the table before turning to look over at Enikő and yell out,

"Another!"

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

"Well, you make it sound so dreary," he said, popping an olive into his mouth. "I mean, it probably is real boring. The irony is that my aunt just wanted to live in a little cabin in the woods. That's why they--we--don't live in the City." He chuckled a little to himself. "And now look at it. Bigger by the year."

He listened to her talk about her hometown with interest. Agauni. It sounded familiar but not enough for him to comment on. Masozi shook his head. "Can't say that I have," he said. "Although it sounds familiar--maybe my mother knows someone there. Or knew, I guess. Yikes." His eyebrows went up at her last statement. He wasn't sure he believed all that. Not that the Guardians wouldn't be like that, but he wasn't sure he believed they would bother. Masozi was what you might call a "casual believer" in the Guardians.

"So you travel around then, from interesting place to interesting place?" Masozi wasn't so dense as to not pick up on Coracias' increasing boredom. He worried that she might leave Koehaira soon, searching for the next interesting place. He watched her face as he nibbled on a piece of cheese.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

What a troublesome girl this one could be. With a stilted smile hiding a bit of an otherwise-wry expression, she nodded and replied, "With pleasure, another apple cider coming right up," before pausing slightly to analyze at Masozi's drink.

Sure, he hadn't said anything about wanting another, but it'd been quite a while since she'd seen the guy open up so much. If a little spirit helped keep those lips of his loose... Why yes, she most certainly could ensure it kept flowing. She'd be damned if it was midday and midweek - the other workers would understand if he showed up a touch inebriated to his shift... or if he missed it just this once. Course, in a small town like this, they would probably already know about this little lunch come sunset anyways.



She nodded at his on-the-nose assessment of the overall state of the area. "You certainly can't call this place a stick in the woods at this point, not with the establishment of agriculture and trade anyways. It's become a village through-and-through... though with it's own quirks, that's for sure. It's the first place I've seen so much Demon Script - Agauni and Kekomura used Common exclusively, while Kurt's Village uses Angel." She smiled a little, "It's been fun to learn a new one - I've almost gotten it down... I think anyways."

She moved to add some grapes, olives, and a bit more cheese to her plate as her eyes slightly glazed over and she dove into her memories,

"So in Agauni, there was... Criofan and his husband Ei-Kal, along with Texas, serving as the main leaders, while their and some other families participated in many other sorts of finance and industry. When I left, there were a few family lines...

The O'Kanes, with Criofan and Ei-Kal as the family heads, their eldest children were Zaria and Kheliot, both from prior relationships, while the younger ones - Cazir, Ilazia, and Zakira - where their own. And then Hotaru was the lone grandchild. She was still a teenager last I saw her...

The Pete line - solely headed by Texas - included the faun Vangelis and Texas' son Ignatius, while the Vis - likewise solely headed by Magnis - included Mikasi.

There were a number of others, including my sister and I, but those were the main three families." Plate filled (and with a bit more cheese than she'd actively been intending to get) she sat back in her chair and shrugged rather nonchalantly. "Not that any of that matters anyways. After all... they're all dead now." She'd all but confirmed the ruins herself on her way from Kurt's Ranch to Kekomura. Perhaps she should have sounded a bit more emotional about the whole thing, but she'd long since gotten over it.

As she tossed a few olives into her mouth, she nodded and seemed to visibly light up at the change of topic. "Pretty much! I like to visit different villages to learn their craft, their languages, their culture, and, most importantly, their recipes! So far I've been a merchant in Agauni, a rancher in Kurt's Village, a herbalist in Kekomura, and now I'm here in Koehaira to learn all about winemaking... and maybe some of the oil making too? Haven't thought that far ahead."



"Please excuse me~" Eniko figured it'd be a while until the conversation would lag this time, and so instead simply inserted herself while holding a tray with two drinks on it. She placed one cider in front of the now-excited Cora before turning to place another glass of red next to Masozi's near-empty. "This one's on me - I do hope you enjoy it, sir~" She offered a mischievous smile and mental words of encouragement before politely taking a step back and excusing herself from the table.

He'd find that this red was a bit different than what he'd been drinking previously, as she'd instead switched to a variety that would pair better with what remained on the table.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Masozi had been listening with interest as Coracias chattered about her experiences. He loved it. She was so worldly and intelligent, a sharp observer. However, when she started in to the genealogy of Agauni, Masozi nearly choked on the wine he was sipping.

His mouth dried out and the color drained from his face. Criofan O'Kane. Now there's a name he hadn't heard in a long time--which had been nice. Masozi quelled the urge to spit on the ground. He might've, if they'd been outside. He realized that his facial expression must be quite strange for the conversation Coracias thought they were having, but he couldn't control it. The idea of his father married, with more children, a loving happy family, while Masozi and his mother were over here as a completely broken family, cursed to be unlucky in love...Quiet rage seethed inside him, until Coracias had wrapped up that discussion with a neat little bow:

They're all dead now.

Masozi felt a wave of relief and regret wash over him. After all, he thought that one day he might find and reconcile with his lost sister. The thought that now he'd never get the chance....came as a pang in his chest. On the other hand, he took a somewhat perverse pleasure in knowing that his b*****d father had gotten what was coming to him.

He sort of lost track of the rest of what Coracias had said, until the server came back with more drinks. "Thanks, he said rather absently.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Coracias wasn't so caught up in herself to not notice the distinct change in Masozi's expression as she leaned back. She took a sip of her cider, her face slipping into something more neutral as she softly prodded, "I take it you knew some of them then?" before following up with his next reaction with a shrug and another sip, "You ain't exactly the best at hiding your expressions Chief."

She pointedly let the silence hand in the air as she started eating her food - it'd be pretty rude to keep talking about herself if he needed a moment.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Masozi coughed a little and nodded, straightening in his seat. Boy, this had sure veered from the light, romantic lunch he'd envisioned. He drained the last of his glass of wine and set it carefully on the table.

"I mentioned I had a sister. Criofan took Zaria from my mother when we were babies and I never saw them again. Well, I saw Zaria once after that, but she....she didn't know who I was. He didn't even tell her about us" Masozi's hand curled into a fist and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, you didn't ask to hear all this. It's just, uh, a lot to process."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Aaaaaaaahhhhh... Well that would do it for sure. She had to concur that he'd never brought up anything about his prior relationship, only that Zaria wasn't Ei-Kal's biological daughter. Nothing about the other parent, nothing about him having another child. To hear that... well... it kind of soured her own generally-favorable impression of him, that was for sure. To think that dependable guy was also kind of an a*****e... Eh, like she'd said, he was dead now, so it didn't really matter who he was anymore.

Still... Who would have thought she'd end up meeting his son.

"Well... If I've learned anything, it's that the easiest way to process negative information is with alcohol." This wasn't a suggestion, this was a declaration. She turned around to make eye contact with their waitress. "Eniko, I know you got some brandy in the back..."



Well this was troublesome... technically they weren't really supposed to be producing their own spirits, and it was an open secret at this point, but you really weren't supposed to just come out and say it per say. She pinched her brow before sighing and disappearing into the back... only to return soon after with an unlabeled liquid in a lovely decanter - it'd been a special order made to Kasmai personally - along with a trio of matching glasses. She delicately placed one in front of each of them before opening the glass top of the bottle and pouring about an inch of the liquid into each of the cups.

As was customary, this included a glass in front of her.

She recorked the bottle and placed it in the center of the table before reaching for the glass meant for her and gingerly drinking it in one pass - it was a demonstration given to one's guest to show that the home-distilled liquor served to them was safe for consumption. She gingerly set her glass down on the table before clearing it off all now-emptied dishes. Only when finished did she add it to her load.

"Please enjoy yourself... although perhaps only so much." With that little warning, she took a step back to take the dirty dishes to be washed.

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Masozi watched as Eniko poured the dark liquid into the small glasses. A small, amused smile crept onto his face. He'd never seen this for himself, but had always been curious.

"I've never been great at processing negative information, so I certainly hope you're right." He picked up the delicate little glass, lifted it to Eniko first and then clinked it against Coracias' own glass before drinking it in one pass. "Hey, that actually isn't b--" He cut himself off by sucking in a breath through his teeth. "Wow," he squeaked. Then cleared his throat and looked at the glass. "Boy, that's really something," he said appreciatively.

The liquor had a warming effect down into his core, and he leaned back in his chair, trying to relax. He ran a hand through his curly hair. He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "So they're all dead. Huh. I, uh, I can't say I'm shedding too many tears about my 'father'," he made sarcastic quotation marks with his fingers as he said the word. "But you knew them? What were they all like?" He was finding it hard to stop the words from coming and was thankful that he'd stumbled onto a question, and an excuse to shut up.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Coracias waited until Eniko finished her little customary spiel before reaching over to take up her glass. She tilted it ever-so-slightly to judge the clarity and color with a please expression, before noticing Masozi and reaching forward to clink in tune and sip on the liquor, rather than taking it as a shot. A wry smile touched her lips as she saw it hit him - yeah, this was pretty good stuff, wasn't it?

"Well, I haven't actually found their corpses or anything, but the old village is nothing but ruins now... that, I have seen. It's been gone for a while now... since before I took my apprenticeship in Kekomura. If they were still kicking, I'd like to think I'd heard something through my old information network..." She shrugged rather dismissively. "Perks of having been a merchant at some point I suppose...? This is unrelated, but let me tell you something, don't burn bridges with your traders."

She took another sip of her brandy as she glanced upwards in thought and crossed her arms. Her eyes slightly seemed to glaze over as she started sorting through her memories. "Well, they were good paeple, if a bit more concerned with profits and goods than with personal relationships in general. Not that they were unsociable... just... how to say... most of their relationships outside of their personal familial lines seemed fairly transactional. The 'I'm kind to you so you will see me in a favorable light and do this for me in the future' sort of vibe. In many respects, they were all short-sighted and childish, but you had to respect their keen eye for business and seemingly intuit luck..."

She finished her drink and placed the emptied glass on the table as she enjoyed the small warmth in her stomach and made eye contact once more. "Is that enough to satisfy your curiosity, Chief?"

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Masozi listened and hung onto Coracias' every word. At the description of the O'Kanes as "transactional", he huffed a snorty sort of laugh. That tracked perfectly with how his mother had described their limited interactions. The sort of person who would think, ah, two children, that's one for me and one for you, and then disappeared, never to be heard from again? Yeah.

As she finished her recollection, Masozi sighed and sort of, relaxed? a little in his chair. This was as close to closure as he was going to come, he figured. "Yeah. Thanks."

Then, after a moment, he cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "Well, that's enough dwelling on the past for one day, yeah?" He grabbed the water glass he'd ordered with his first glass of wine--heretofore untouched--and drank deeply, as if to cleanse something. He took a bit of cheese and wrapped it with a slice of cured meat, and popped it in his mouth. "Let's change the subject," he suggested cheerfully.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Coracias grinned in an impish manner as she watched his emotions dance across his expression - was it the spirits or was it his disposition that made every look of his simply delightful to watch? She reached forward, uncorked the decanter, and served each of them another two shots worth of brandy - him first, then herself, as was considered good manners - before recorking it and setting it once more on the table. She'd wait for him to have the first sip before continuing herself.

"This is your first time drinking stronger spirits, yeah?" Her speech dropped back into the informal tone she preferred to speak with to most as she stared right at him. "You've been doing it aaaaaaall wrong after all - could cost ya a favorable business transaction if you're not careful. Merchants do love their luxuries and their silly traditions after all~" She leaned forward as she gauged his expressions with keen interest. "Though, you've had quite a bit to drink at this point, yeah? Might be best to teach you good manners at a time you'll remember..."

Menelie

 

[Menelie]

Masozi made a hand gesture to decline the drink. "Yes, I've had quite a lot to drink at this point, and I've got to switch to water now or else I won't be fit for work this afternoon." He took an illustrative drink from his water cup. "Besides," he continued. "Iiiiiiiii don't conduct business transactions. That'd be my aunt." The first word he said with almost a sing-song tone. "I just make sure we have enough help to plant an' harvest, an' that everything happens on time."

Boy, he was toasty. He was feeling that spirit now, on top of the wine, and feeling very pleasantly hazy in the brain.

"But," Masozi continued, leaning forward. "I'm always willing to learn new things."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

"See, that right there's a no-go with merchants," Cora gestured to him refusing the drink before sighing, shrugging, and reaching over to pour his glass's contents into her own. Much like their waitress, this angel was highly confident in her tolerance.

Unlike him, apparently.

She waved him off with a couple of flicks of her wrist as she sipped on her now-quad shot. "Maybe next time buddy."

Menelie