songerein | open mingle 🍷 grand opening

Entry tags:

open mingle 🍷 grand opening

Who: Diluc Ragnvindr, Barok van Zieks, and anybody!
Where: At Day's End bar and winery
What: After a few months of preparation, Diluc and Barok's Fine Drinking Establishment is finally ready to open! So they're doing that. With a party! Bring your own toplevel.
When: A few days before the flower festival
Warnings: I mean. Alcohol?

Welcome to the grand opening of At Day’s End!

As a nod to the upcoming holiday, the bar has been decorated with carefully arranged flowers in addition to the planned garlands and lanterns to evoke a comfortable but festive atmosphere. Although the pair didn't exactly anticipate the sudden influx of emotion-steampunk-land natives, they have temporarily removed a few tables in the interest of opening up the floor for more visitors, and the weather is thankfully warm enough for the doors to remain open. Attendees are encouraged to try small tastes of different drinks before deciding upon a full glass, giving an easy opportunity to mingle with others.

At Day’s End serves a variety of locally-crafted wines and spirits as well as non-alcoholic options such as juice, coffee, and tea.

ALCOHOLIC SPECIALS
- Cider Special: Applebloom Cider - Apple cider brewed with apple blossoms. Light and floral. Usually only available during Windblume in Mondstadt, and similarly will only be available during the month of April in Songerein.
- Red Wine Special: Midnight Harvest - A sweet red wine with a very fruity taste and hints of nutty flavor.
- White Wine Special: Winter Moon - A dry, crisp white wine for those seeking a less sweet drinking experience.
- Cocktail: Thorns of Springtime - Whiskey, honey, chamomile tea, and elderflower liqueur. Served over ice.
NON-ALCOHOLIC SPECIALS
- Gray Valley Sunset: It’s just fruit punch with a fancy name.
- Rosé Bloom: A mix of juices made from only the finest red and white grapes, according to van Zieks.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ When Susato enters the bar, it is with Kazuma behind her. She isn't actively dragging him along, but one would be forgiven for thinking so, from the way she is urging him at the door. Once they are inside though, they seem to quietly take in the atmosphere. She watches Kazuma quietly looking around, possibly approaching the bar itself, and she herself is left a short distance away to admire the various garlands and floral arrangements.

She would have looked right at home among those decorations, had she been wearing her kimono. Go figure that she would choose today to try on a very particular coat that, quite honestly, she forgot about in her wardrobe until recently, when she brought it up at a certain picnic. Nothing else about her is too adventurous though; her hair is worn in her usual loops, and she is not shy in approaching the taller man, looking as dapper as she ever remembered him.

She may still find it difficult to meet his eyes, but she'll try anyway, before her gaze shyly drifts. In her hand, a couple of small bags can be seen, colored a Susato-flavored purple with a subtle floral design etched into its cloth, wrapped closed at the top with ribbon. ]

. . . C, Congratulations, Lord van Zieks. [ Eyes forward again as she bows her head. It's not quite her usual curtsey, but no less respectful. ] To both of you. Your hard work certainly shows in your presentation.

I am pleased to see that the sudden changes to the town did not set you back terribly much.

[.........

... he should have anticipated this, really. And he did, in fact, despite the instinctive voice within his mind that questions why she would ever want to interact with him again.

Even so, he didn't prepare himself for the possibility. Perhaps he had distracted himself from the idea with the busy work needed to make certain the opening was a success, so that he didn't have to delve into those thoughts. But when she speaks, much in the same way she does, he finds his gaze sliding off her to the side as if to further distance himself from the situation—and the mild twitch of discomfort in his lips probably doesn't help her confidence, either. At least there's no sudden chill to the air; he has enough of a hold on himself not to ruin the establishment's atmosphere with any messy emotions.

But she is here and in a familiar looking coat, no less, he recognizes as he turns his eyes back to her, and perhaps it is unfair to her to believe in his own thoughts and assumptions rather than her actions and words. Maybe he should attempt to pretend that nothing happened at all? Although she seems hesitant even to speak to him, he wonders how much of it is the fault of his actions while possessed versus his reaction (or lack thereof) to her communications afterward.

His response is... subdued. But he's trying.]

... You have my thanks. I confess we had a few concerns regarding our capacity and timing, particularly given the upcoming... festival.

[god this is awkward]

[ This is... messy.

If she appears hesitant, it is only because of her perception that he must not want to see her again, though a part of her is scared of him, too. That's silly, though. It was a dream, in the end. A shared dream? Lord van Zieks wouldn't hurt anyone under normal circumstances, and things are certainly not going to become less awkward by not talking about it.

Boy, does she hate having to be the one who has to initiate all the difficult conversations. Why has she done this so much already, here in Reverin? (Or is it Verens, now?)

She can't just come out with it, either, though it might be in her nature to do so. She seeks something more gentle... tactful. ]

I wondered what you planned to do with the grapes I saw growing near your home. [ Besides keep them for his personal use, which is honestly probably what she assumed. ] I am glad they weren't... I'm glad I didn't damage them.

[ A pause. She can feel the weight of the apology she's not saying, but it's not enough to pressure her to say it outright. Her grip tightens on the gift bags she's carrying. ]

Did Maria give you the charm as I asked?

[It's really only at this point that he realizes he... never actually spoke of his intentions with the winery, with anyone but those who began a conversation with him first? Hum. What is being social and speaking about your interests...

Unfortunately, van Zieks continues to avoid the more difficult aspects of the topic. He replies to her remark as conversationally as he's able, his years of wearing a stoic facade (and life as British nobility besides) aiding in the endeavor. This is meant to be a party, and he has no intentions of bringing the atmosphere down any further than his stony expression does already.]

I assure you the damage I inflicted myself was far worse than anything you may have done. Thankfully, I had the aid of one already skilled with the magical growing of plants.

[He remains silent during that pause, and ultimately nods in response to her query, however uncertain he may remain over the charm's intent. ... well, it's not like he wants to suffer any further injury or nightmarish possession, and he imagines she feels the same way. It makes enough logical sense to think of the charm as a preventative measure.]

It was delivered safely. [He could certainly remark on the bags she's holding—his eyes move to them for a brief moment—but he does not.]

[ The first person that comes to her mind is not, in fact, the literal flower druid she's never met (a travesty that must be fixed), but she does think of Soldier 76. She knows they're acquainted, at least, but that doesn't seem right. His affinity for plants was recent, and with him still trying to figure it out, she would hardly called it "already skilled."

Luckily she catches this, and she closes her mouth to reevaluate before she says anything. In the end, once he confirms the delivery of the charm, she can only nod in acknowledgement. ]

I see.

[ That's good, she thinks, and perhaps she meant to say it, though the words end up caught in her throat. Some other ones rise up instead. ]

Well, speaking of deliveries... this is for you, too. [ She may have noticed him eying the bags, so she'll save him the trouble of asking by handing him one. These don't have a Wild Harvest tags, at least, but if he does open them, he'll find cookies with a base that is dark like chocolate, and a blue frosting-like substance that seems to glow, even in the light. ] It's rather rude in most cultures to ignore a hand-made gift. Regardless, I wanted you to have some to commemorate the occasion... and of course that means your partner as well.

[ Hence the other bag. No, she wasn't going to let him off that easily, it seems. Noble or no. ]

Edited (i added like one word it's fine) 2022-04-06 16:00 (UTC)

[Van Zieks folds his arms; it's as much an offensive gesture as it is a defensive one. He doesn't yet accept the offered bag, and his continued rudeness is only barely offset by his typical expression of regret:]

Pray forgive the discourtesy of my silence in the matter. I have no excuse.

[But if she wants to cut to the heart of things, very well.]

I simply question the wisdom of your involvement in my affairs, Miss Mikotoba. Would your time and efforts not be better spent elsewhere?

[Does she really want to be here? Speaking to him, of all people? Why go through all this mess and trouble for a bitter middle-aged man from the other side of the world?]

[ Typical Lord van Zieks. It's probably a good thing he didn't try to make up an excuse, because she probably would've seen through it. It's to the point where Susato hardly reacts, though her hand with the offered gift bag does lower from its weight when he doesn't take it. She doesn't pull it back just yet, however; she merely gives him a blank expression while she thinks.

You visit the bar One (1) Time, on opening night, no less, and suddenly you're "involved in his affairs." ]

Truthfully, I haven't given it any thought since the last time you asked me. [ And how could she forget, when she's wearing the very thing she got from that trip? Now that she is thinking about it again, maybe she does have an answer after all. Maybe. But first... ] Does it bother you that much? ...To know that I care and wish to see you succeed?

[ Her, a lowly Nipponese. ]

[As she notes, it's far from the first time he's questioned her desire to help him or want to think of him at all, and it may very well not be the last. It's hard not to think she's too forgiving and generous for her own good.

If it were a distant wish, perhaps that he wouldn't question as much. A desire that would place her safely remain apart, unaffected by whatever new mess he might find himself in and make worse, would seem more reasonable. He answers her question with yet another.]

Is it worth the suffering I am responsible for?

[ We endure pain and grief for those we love. And in that twisted moment, however brief, she did love Lord van Zieks, or at least, she knew what it was like to love him.

Fingers tighten around the gift bag, and she frowns. It really doesn't feel like there's a good way to respond to this question. "You're not" is the perhaps the easiest choice, but she is already too tired for that argument. ]

If I say that it is, will you please take the bag? [ And, you know, actually open it, and maybe don't throw it away like he probably did the charm. ]

[The fact that she can't even give him a straight answer is all that he requires. He simply holds out his hand, his usual stoic expression masking anything else.]

... There is no need.

[He won't embarrass her by refusing her gift in a public event.]

[ That's not fair. What is it about this that feels unfair? He hasn't said anything, yet Susato feels it, even as he complies and holds out his hand. She'll set the bag there anyway, though she feels sucked of all the energy she would've used to explain things. About the Glowing Dawns, about how special the cookies were.

There's no need. Sure. But she'll say it anyway. ]

It is worth it, but I don't hold you responsible. [ At one point in time... perhaps. Now, with her morality continuing to grey, all she can think is that he would have never attacked, had it not for the bleeding heart. ] Besides... my reasoning may be more selfish than you think.

[He only keeps the bag in hand for a moment before setting it aside, onto a small table nearby, to investigate later. He expects that she'll explain regardless of any inquiries on his end, so he makes none; he'll find out eventually, either way.

More selfish, she says? Somehow, he has his doubts.]

And those would be?

......

[ She averts her eyes for a moment to think without the pressure of knowing he is watching. Even though she knows exactly what she wants to say, it feels increasingly silly in the grand scheme of everything, the longer she doesn't say it. So the clearly the solution is just to say it. ]

I wanted to know. If you would someday see in me, what you saw in them, when you looked into their eyes. That... [ What did he call it? ] unwavering integrity, and merit.

[Not only is she willing to put herself at risk to help him, as well as consistently reach out despite his unpleasant demeanor, but now she's implying that she seeks his approval??? He's so dumbfounded by the idea that he draws an arm up defensively, momentarily left speechless.]

Er...

[You can't just put him ON THE SPOT like this in his own dang place of business.]

Edited 2022-04-26 03:28 (UTC)

[ APPARENTLY SHE CAN? Uh. That reaction catches her off guard, and she may have taken a defensive stance, too. She tries not to stumble back too far, though; he's already taking this in all the the wrong ways.

Er... or is he? Honestly, so this is why people are never this direct and honest about their feelings. Her voice is slightly huffy. ]

Wh... What is it? [ Something she said? She said something stupid again, didn't she. She doesn't even voice this, because she's afraid he'll agree. ]

[He takes a moment to regain his senses, covering his face with one hand to shield himself from the embarrassment of the conversational stumble. But after that, he shakes his head in disbelief, letting out a breath that's almost a sigh.]

Why? [He lets the question hang in the air for a moment, but then clarifies:]

I am far from the sort you should be looking to for such things.

[Get better role models, Susato.]

Because.

[ She lets the answer hang in the air for just as long. What if she just left it at that? What if that is the only explanation she can offer? This is Susato, though, so of course it isn't. And it's not about role models. ]

When I stood in that courtroom as a lawyer, I swore it would be first and last time, but what if it isn't? [ A pause. She seems to be thinking about something and her gaze seems distant as a result, but then she continues. ] It is simple enough for my father say I am trustworthy, that I did well. My friends, my family... they know.

But you... Lord van Zieks. If you can look past your hatred once more, the same way you did for Naruhodo-san, maybe then I'll finally know that I am worthy to stand as his equal.

[Is that the way of it, then...? She seeks to be seen not merely as an assistant, however valuable her work has been in that aspect. But frankly, there's so little hatred left in him for those of her country, and the vestiges he catches in his thoughts merely direct that hatred right back towards himself. She has less hurdles to jump over for Van Zieks's appreciation than she believes. ... assuming he can get over himself in other ways.]

... You are certainly a woman of singular determination.

[That's all he can stand to admit to at the current moment. It's one thing to praise a man when you consider your words as having little meaning, but to have such stock put in one's opinion...

Look, he's embarrassed, alright. Time for some redirection.]

After witnessing that dream of yours... I'd wondered if you hadn't wished that your roles had been reversed, in some way.

My... My what?

[ Dream? Now what is he talking about? Though she can't pretend for long, even if it has been some weeks since she thought about that dream. It's the only one... so far, at least, of hers, that has ever been recorded. ]

[ Her face twists with embarrassment. ]

I, I can't believe you remember that. That was just...

[ After remembering her conversation with Kazuma that night and Yujin the following morning, she doesn't want to dismiss it as a childish fantasy like before. She simply trails off, shaking her head. ]

None of that actually happened. But I would have been honoured to be given a chance to fulfill his dream.

I was reminded of our first discussion here.

[So it stuck in his mind. The idea that the young woman would have taken up those same trials, struggling to escape a system that forbade her and weather a system that would likely look down upon her... Could she have met the same success? However much determination she may have, he'd have to wonder.]

It made me consider such alternate possibilities, however pointless it may seem now. ... though I wonder if at the time, the dream you'd envisioned him pursuing was truly his.

. . .

[ He most likely remembers the way she almost spilled hot tea on him, too. She's just winning all over the place with him lately. She loves it here.

But to heck with that uncomfortable silence, because she's tired of it. ]

Obviously not. We did not have the full story of his intentions until much later, but at the time... in the dream and in reality, I believed in his virtue and righteousness.

Knowing what I do now, I still do.

[While van Zieks might not necessarily agree fully about said virtue and righteousness, he can't deny that the young man has the potential to become a skilled prosecutor worth his efforts. He won't nitpick on those details, however skewed he thinks Susato's judgment may be.]

Even so, your paths have diverged.

[... in their present, at least, even if not in Reverein.]

Whose dream is it you follow now, Miss Mikotoba?

[There is a right and wrong answer, in his mind.]

[ He didn't need to remind her. She'd made the choice to leave herself, upon realizing that their paths had diverged, and she might hate it that she doesn't know if she would make the same choice as she is now. (So maybe the reminder is more needed than she'd care to admit.) ]

The choice was always mine. Stay in Great Britain as his assistant as I was always meant to be, or return to Japan with Naruhodo-san and help him make it a better place through its judicial system.

At the time, I had to make the choice that was right for me... so I suppose the short answer is: my own.

[It's what he expected to hear, but he's no less glad to hear it, however difficult that may be to tell.]

To take the dream of another as your own burden... is a childish notion.

[He speaks not only of Susato, but of his own past, and of recent horrible goings-on and the state of mind that went with them. Indeed, he would extend that even to a certain Mr. Naruhodo. But he'll let her reach those conclusions herself.]

That you have moved on from such things is a sign of maturity.

[sir, this is a ~~wendy's~~ bar.]

open mingle 🍷 grand opening

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🎀