Give it back!|Malagard, Khelek

[Northen Light36]

It was the end of another school day in Khelek, and it had been a hard one for Harmony, since some of the kids had fallen back on their old games of tormenting the young girl.

So the sight of the worst of the bullies, Jordan, and his gang lying in wait at the school house door probably wasn't welcome. But Jordan was smiling, almost warmly, and called, "Hey Harmony, why don't you walk home with us? We're going to stop at Jake's Dad's tavern and have some spiced wine."

"Don't ask her," one of the other boys remarked. "She's too much of Daddy's little goodie goodie to drink. Just a silly baby."

"That's not true," Jordan replied and smirked at Harmony. "Right, Harmony? You're not a baby, are you?"

[Kender Bard]

"Goodie goodie?" Harmony repeated with a raised brow. "You really don't know my father do you?" She gave a mean little smirk right back at Jordan. "Of course I'm not a baby. I love to drink in fact."

Though she recalled dimly how once she'd tried to drink wine with the other adults and wound up sick as hell. But she'd be careful this time. Moderation. That was the key. Or, at least, she dimly recalled being told it was.

Thank Soahc and Efil and all the Forces that this is my last year, she thought. Or it would be if she had any say. She was almost a full grown woman, after all, and adults didn't go to school.

"Let's go," she said with a challenging look.

[Northen Light36]

The boys exchanged smirks - apparently Harmony's acceptance of the challenge hadn't spoilt their fun yet. "Right this way," Jordan replied, leading the way to the tavern in question where Jake talked his father into drinks for them all.

"Here Harmony," Jordan remarked, passing the spiced wine over to her and giving her another friendly smile. "Jake's dad makes the best spiced wine around. What do you think?"

[Kender Bard]

Harmony sniffed the wine and tried not to grimace at all. It wasn't that it smelt bad but it smelt odd. Take a nice sip, but not a small one. Don't gulp it. Savor it. Don't spit it out if you don't like it. Prepped thusly with her own admonitions, she took a moderate sip of the stuff. Despite her own advice, she swallowed it hastily and gave a cough.

Trying to maintain some grace, she added, "G-good. Very good. Thank you."

And, actually, as she more savored the taste on her tongue, she was surprised to find she did enjoy the flavor. She took another, more cautious sip and grinned. "You're right. My compliments."

[Northen Light36]

Jordan grinned. "Glad you like it," he remarked. "So, this is my last year at the school. I've got an aprentiship at old Troilus' blacksmith. What about you? This your last year or will you be staying on at school?"

[Kender Bard]

"Last year," Harmony replied quickly and emphatically. "I'm gonna..." She hesitated on the answer. She'd expressed wanting to work for the royal family numerous times and to assist in teleporting them. Though nowadays it seemed Nagi had that under control... Well, there was one other thing. "I'm going to be Princess Locket's lady-in-waiting," she announced with some pride.

[Northen Light36]

"You are?" Jordan replied, gestering idly for one of the other boys to top up Harmony's drink when it started to get low. "I'm surprised. Somehow I didn't see you as the servant type."

[Kender Bard]

It didn't take long before Harmony began to feel the buzz of alcohol singing in her veins pleasantly. She kept drinking. "Not a servant. It's like..." She blinked a few times in silence before going on. "It's like... Being a professional best friend. I'd keep her happy and occupied and she can confide in me and things... And advice if she wants it, but she's a lot wiser than I am. So mostly for company. Besides. 'Lady-in-waiting' not 'servant-in-waiting." She laughed merrily. "I'll be Lady Harmony Veilborn!"

[Northen Light36]

"Ah, I see. Sounds like you'll have a good time," Jordan replied, chuckling. "Sounds like you're having a good time now, actually. Don't drink a lot, do you?" He smirked, amused.

[Kender Bard]

"Course I do," Harmony lied easily even though her own tipsiness belied the lie. "My father's a Soahcian priest--I could drink all I wanted and he wouldn't bat an eye. It's great."

She smiled with a happy smugness. "He'll let me do anything if I wanted to."

Her smug smile faded away briefly and her eyes took on the unfocused look of a Mind in telepathy. It was brief, though; an ugly look of anger passed over her face. She closed her eyes tight for a moment and gave a quick shake of her head. "Mothers," she mumbled in what was part disgust, part pain. Then she took a bigger drink.

[Northen Light36]

"Family troubles huh?" Jordan remarked. "Parents can be such a pain, can't they? At least your father's less annoying then most, it seems." He continued to chat for awhile then remarked, "Say, whatever happened to that friend of yours? The girl who used to follow you around? What was her name, seaweed? Seems like she just disappeared one day."

[Kender Bard]

"Coral," Harmony answered. She was feeling unusually friendly towards Jordan at this point and was willing to talk about it. "She left. Got some family in Ilyamen and went there. Her aunt was a complete bitch. I miss her." She stared morosely at her mug. "She was my best friend. Now I've got Libre but I don't get to see him that often either."