#pips-tow

[ricorper-tow-blog]

Haven’t done one of these in a while s o - Nectar Event tonight

There’s an event at Nectar tonight called the Janus Festival--the fliers that went out have the god’s face(s) and the list of anticipated revelries. There’s no cover charge; apps from various Isle restaurants and small giftbags will be provided. Drinks are as follows:

Raise Your Spirits - Pomegranate-Champagne Margarita: A festive, fizzy drink that’s sure to get your feet moving--it allows the drinker to levitate a few inches off the ground as consumed. €12 a glass.

Make Rum for Next Year - Hot Buttered Rum - A warming drink that makes the imbiber feel comfortable and content; this drink also has the ability to make the dead feel alive again, if only for a night. Available in boo-booze. €15 a glass.

All Acquaintance - Raspberry-Lime Vodkas - These delightful beverages will let you forget your worries for a while. Your memories will come back to you in the morning, but the hangover level on these is really low, at least. €14 a glass.

Resolutions - Hard cider & cinnamon - A specialty of Nectar’s, these fresh apples and alcohol will ease ailments when consumed. Have a head cold? You won’t after you down one of these. They also sate hunger and ease exhaustion. €14 a cup/apple half.

No Sham Champagne - Champagne, Lemon zest, Bitters - The final specialty beverage of the evening is the No Sham, which, upon consumption at the 12th hour, will force the drinker to confess something in order to get it off their chest. Once confessed, the secret should no longer trouble them. As this is a gray area drink, its price is somewhat higher: €20 a glass.

It’s advised you come dressed as your favorite era, but find a way to morph your outfit to what you think 2017 will be by the end of the night. Magic and costume quick changes highly encouraged. There will be prizes and some live music interwoven with the club sounds.

[ricorper-tow-blog]

The five main specialty drinks of Nectar this year are:

The Stake n Shake: a jell-o shot served either with actual blood or blood orange depending on the drinker; with a “stake” of brown sugar and ginger down the middle. 2 pounds a shot unless it’s real blood; then price varies according to the blood type rarity. May also be slightly hallucinogenic, as people have said the liqueur in this [blood orange or bitters and vodka to offset the blood] makes the room come alive with auras they didn’t previously see.

The Bubbling Brew: Served for parties of 4 or more in a smoking cauldron, this highly alcoholic beverage is a moonshine of Pips’s own creation, enchanted to taste like the drinker’s favorite beverage--only one cauldron per table, thank you, and twenty a cauldron [but serves 2-4 glasses each depending on how well you use it]. 

Toast of a Chance: Champagne spirits can also drink; or at least, absorb. Served either chilled in a flume glass or as a fine mist in an enclosed space, this bubbly has been known to raise the dead--and the living--from the floor, either in the form of mild levitation or just a giddy dance. Twelve pounds a glass, this stuff isn’t cheap to make.

Poison Apple Spider Cider: Served in an edible candy apple with green apple vodka, caramel drizzle liqueur, chocolate drizzle, and a candied center, this drink is very potent and served warm [so drink it quickly!]. Suspiciously described as hangover-free, it’s said that whoever you kiss first the evening you imbibe this drink will instead suffer for you. Quite the trade-off at the low-low price of nine pounds a sweetie.

And finally, Mummy’s Tonic: A vermouth, sage, cardamon, and ethanol mixture served in a pyramid-shaped glass that’s as harsh going down as it sounds--but, drink this enchanting liquid, and you’ll find nothing troubles you for the remainder of the evening. All aches and pains gone. Pips swears it’s just the drink, but there’s definitely some healing properties in this elixir.

All drinks are set around a theme of early 1900′s “remedies”--Fanden suggested a beverage called “snake oil”, but Pips just gave him the Look until he left the premeses. It worked, for once.

[ivyrper-tow]

Squeezing Lambda's hand lightly, Pips worked out the lump in his throat as best he could before speaking. When was it he'd gone so soft? The answer, of course, was years ago. He wasn't sure what it was about Lambda. Her good heart coupled with her devilish streak, perhaps, had stolen his heart. And, like all his people, Pips felt protective of her. Maybe moreso than the others. "Ah--well--" he cleared his throat, let go, and sat back again. "Now that--that's over with--you accept your raise?"

The moment his hand let go of hers, she blinked quickly and wiped her hand across her eyes, getting rid of any stray tears that might have risen. Once that was done, she nodded, pushing her usual grin back into place.

“I said yes, didn’t I? I know you’re old, but don’t tell me you’re getting senile and losing your hearing already,” she laughed, trying to will her voice back to normal. “Is there anything I have to sign?”

[antoinette-tow]

pips-tow answered your post: *holds mic up to the crowd* how yall d...

/taps mic. ahem. what the fuuuUuuUUdge is uUuuUuup /autotune

[ivyrper-tow]

Pips was silent for a long moment as he took in Lambda's words. Her fears and doubts were, while upsetting--ones he could relate to. All the hardness drained out of the fey's pointed face the longer he spoke to her. In certain lights, he looked more human--simply tired and frustrated on her behalf. After a long, long moment of quiet, Pips held out a hand for Lambda to take if she wanted, and simply said, "I'll sit on the floor if I need to in order to make sure you know even I look up to you."

The edge of her eyes began to feel wet so she blinked a few times to get rid of the feeling. She couldn’t look at him if she was about to cry. Not only would it be embarrassing to cry in front of one’s boss, but it felt like a stupid thing to get so upset over. So she stayed staring at the wall, trying to keep her eyes focused.

Regret gnawed at her. She should have just lied, or not brought it up. Why did she bring it up? Pips really didn’t need to know one of his worker’s emotional problems. This was supposed to be a review after all. Not some therapy session.

When she hadn’t gotten a reply, she thought she had merely bored him with her issues. Pips had probably heard about this type of stuff numerous times in his life. He was old. So many of the people on the isle were old. Far, far older than her. Maybe that contributed to the problem she had: that there were people that didn’t look that much older than her but were already far wiser than she’d ever be. It annoyed her to think about it. Made her bitter, even.

When she finally heard Pips speak, her throat felt tight. She chanced a glance in his direction and stared at his open palm. Lambda kept blinking before she just shut her eyes tight and nodded slowly, taking his hand. She was too afraid of how her voice would sound if she spoke.

[ivyrper-tow]

There was a hesitation wherein Pips seemed inclined to change the subject--but, secret softie that he was, he couldn't just let it lie. So he looked at Lambda--really, firmly looked at her--set his jaw, and leaned forward slightly, burly arms resting atop his desk. When next he spoke, his voice was direct without being curt; to the point--but softly. "What makes you say that?" He inquired. "You're good at a great many things. Believe me, I know. I've seen a lot of unskilled people in my day."

Lambda rolled her shoulders in a shrug, and looked away, embarrassed that she had even mentioned that. Her mouth opened as she tried to think of something to say to brush the whole thing off, but nothing came to her. At last she sighed.

“Oh, you know. Just. Some people think I act or... look too childish. I mean... I guess I don’t really help sometimes. But it happens even when I do try to be the better person, or I’m just joking, or--...” she stops, her arm propped up against the chair rest and her palm held her chin, still not making eye-contact with Pips. “Even when it was me and my dad, I...” she cleared her throat and shrugged again. “It feels like... a lot of people look down on me. It just gets. Tiring, I guess.”

There were days where she felt like being a different person. Throwing away everything to just try and be someone else. Even if she knew it wouldn’t help any. It didn’t use to bother her, but if words are spoken enough times, they tend to have their affect and wear someone down.

And Lambda felt considerably worn.

[ivyrper-tow]

"As tree rot," Pips intoned firmly, tapping the recycled paper that was Lambda's renewed contract. "Says it all right there. Part-to-full time employee status at your preference with advanced pay in salary for job well done." He hesitated, then folded his hands and leaned forward, watching Lambda once more. "You're--a sound investment," said Pips finally. "Not just--superficially. I am proud to have employed you. You've done nothing but impress me from day one. Just--know that. Okay?"

Lambda snorted.

“You make it sound like I’m stock with the whole ‘investment’ talk,” she replied. She looked the contract over once more before looking back at him, red eyes soft. “But yeah, thanks. Really. It’s nice to know that some people think I do well at... something, I guess.”

[ivyrper-tow]

He cracked a more ghoulish grin at that, shoulders shaking with a vague rustle of hidden wings. "Well, I learned from the best," he countered, pointing at Lambda. "And I dunno, reimbursement has such an ugly ring to it." He turned her papers toward her without delay, letting her see the ten-pound pay bump he was giving her, and every other employee he found satisfactory or above in their review. "But this might ease matters a little, maybe." He glanced up warily "That is, if you wanna stay.".

“You better not be implying me, because I am in no way that bad,” she replied, running her hand down her face. She sat up, smiling now. The imp could appreciate a good prank, even if it was at her expense.

Her line of sight fell towards the papers immediately and she stared at it, blinking. She gave him a questioning look. “Are you serious?”

Looking back to the numbers shown, her smile came back even bigger than before. “That’s--wow. Thank you.” She did, however, scoff at his last words. “Are you kidding? I was serious about the whole being happy here thing. Why would I want to leave? I mean, yeah, the better pay is nice, but I would have stayed regardless.”