#tavernacle

[local-gun-witch]

Drank all the drinks. Ate all the food. Had all the fun.

[aancunin]

Tav's idle glass-washing paused as he eyed the vampire curiously, attempting to gleam his intentions.

Flirting? Possibly.

Spilling words he'll regret tomorrow because he's drunk? Tav glanced down at the glass in Astarion's hand; probably not, unless the elf had an embarrassingly low tolerance to alcohol, which he doubted was the case.

Tav did quite enjoy the stranger's company, it was a considerable improvement to his usual clientele barking their orders at him and otherwise pretending he didn't exist, though he didn't necessarily mind that either. People watching was a hobby of his; of course, he only picked up the passtime because he had gotten bored standing in the same place for hours, but at least it made the hours go by faster.

Another moment of hesitation, but his guest's velvety voice convinced him. He set the cup he had been tending to on the bar and threw his hand towel over his shoulder as he turned and examined the racks filled with bottles that rested against the wall behind him. He settled on a red, Baldur's Grape. He thought the name was so hilarious he made himself sick when he was sloshed several years ago, and the memory, albeit embarrassing, made him chuckle, and the taste wasn't too bad either. He poured himself about a half glass and sent a silent prayer to any gods listening that his boss didn't wander in as he raised his glass to his lips, though before he took swig, he asked, "What's your name?"

♥️ Tavernacle

“Astarion.” he said curtly to the question. Amused that the other had finally caved and did what was requested. Although it wasn’t out of malice he was trying to get the other to drink. In a way, he felt a sort of pity that the other insisted on keeping busy even when there was quite literally nothing to do. Spare for breathing and maybe staring at a wall, listening to the spawn drone on and on to fill in the silence with his voice.

“If I recall correctly it means “little star”. My parents gave it to me fondly, however, I sadly do not the full reasoning behind it. So there’s no cute little story to go with it, which is unfortunate. It seems to make a name more interesting.” he laughs, taking another sip of his glass. His eyes flashed with a sort of tired pain before disappearing behind the rim of his chalice briefly as it raised upwards.

“So, Tavernacle, surely being a innkeeper wasn't your first choice of a job. How’d you end up here?”

[aancunin]

Tav's shoulders raised as a single chuckle escaped him, "No. I don't know if it's a cultural thing for tieflings or if it's just the ones that come here."

His eyes flicked to Astarion's and stuck there for a moment. Were red eyes common amongst elves? Tav didn't know the answer to that question, most elves had either brilliant blue or green eyes that seemingly everyone complimented, or the underappreciated brown or hazel. Perhaps it was just the candlelight making him mistake brown for red.

Red was his favorite color, after all, so he made sure to tuck the possibility into the back of his mind for later.

After what was definitely long enough to constitute as staring, Tav looked back at the already clean glass in his hands. He decided to opt for another glass that was also already clean, but doing so might make his working performance more convincing, he thought.

As he did so, Astarion's words caught him off guard, causing him to knit his brows for a moment. He quickly assumed a more neutral expression, though his tail betrayed his facade and continued to flick with irritation.

He would be the first to admit that he wasn't the best conversationalist, hells, he wasn't even a good one, even when he tried his best... but being called out on this wasn't what he expected when he left for work this evening.

"It's hard to compete with the Elfsong," he stated plainly, "If you want somewhere classy, you go to the Elfsong, if you want somewhere that's... well, the opposite, you go to the Blushing Mermaid. I suppose we are... the middle option, if you want neither, or both," he shrugged, "But most people don't like doing things halfway."

♥️ Tavernacle

"Ah yes, but if I went to either of those I wouldn't be spending my time here with you, now wouldn't I?" he smiles rather sweetly, his eyes half lidded as the words melt from his mouth. Perhaps he was teasing the Tiefling, he didn't really care if it bothered him or not. But the spawn found it intriguing that despite everything, even the emptiness of the inn, the Tief continued to do his duty. No one was watching him and he doubted that any other staff were even present. Hells, perhaps he was his own boss, but that probably was thinking too far into such a mundane situation. The other was alone for the night, alone with Astarion, he probably could have wanted better company than a prying vampire spawn. But at some point in time, loneliness does welcome strange company if you're bored enough.

"Besides, it's not all bad, I do quite like this. At the Elfsong it's overpriced for wine that tastes like shit- and the blushing mermaid well, if you like vomit on your pants and some drunk hanging on to your every word and body. Well, that's a place to go now, isn't it? No, this place is nice, quiet, rather comfortable change of pace. I almost am surprised no one comes here, and the wine..." he picks up his glass, swirling the liquid around. "Well, it's not the worst thing that anyone has ever served me, but it is good considering how much you charge for it." he takes a long dragged out sip, savoring the drink as it coats his tongue. "Drink with me Tavernacle, I'm sure you can afford a night of leisure for once. Especially with how rather dull it's been."

[aancunin]

Tav paused a moment, thoughts in his head swimming around faster than he could process them. Words were spilling out of his mouth before his brain gave the go-ahead to say them.

"When I think of magistrates, I think of men in power," he visibly cringed, wincing as if his words were daggers digging into his own mouth, "But uh, perhaps it was a rude observation to make, apologies."

The elf sitting at his bar had a certain charm about him, a charm that had him babbling like an idiot and talking more in the last two minutes than he had probably had all day before Astarion's arrival.

"Hah, I uh... I was born shortly after my parents visited the Stormshore Tabernacle to pray to Tyr," he chuckled lightly, cheeks dusted pink with embarrassment, "They named me after the place, but they uh... they spelled it wrong."

Astarion's words made him tilt his head slightly to the side, his tail flicking with curiosity. The elf wasn't wrong, the tavern had been rather slow this evening, perhaps that's why he was so eager for conversation when he would normally be content with silence. "I suppose, but I'm paid to serve, not socialize, so it doesn't really bother me."

♥️ Tavernacle

Astarions brow raises at the man, tickled by his stumbling of words and rather, inability to socialize. He always assumed that barkeeps were supposed to be good at this sort of thing. But clearly he was wrong. The man was practically incapable of socializing, or at least, struggled to do so in a way that made conversation appealing.

He shrugged this off in favor of continuing, perhaps the awkwardness was just because they started on the wrong foot. He smiles rather sweetly once more, chuckling to himself before lifting his glass and taking a drink. "Interesting, do you share the same faith in gods as your family? I mean, clearly they had some sort of respect towards a deity to name you after a literal house of gods."

He places his glass down, propping his head up with his palm as his eyes glance to the side. Observing the rather dead interior of the tavern. "Well, you're not going to be able to do much of both anyways if it keeps staying dead like this. Is this a regular occurrence for you? Perhaps you should try to socialize, maybe you'd have more come in regularly."

[franklinforgedesigns]

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Surprise nautical themed pirate pub crawl! Quintupled our evening and such a great group. Pop in for some great music, tasty drinks, and some fun pirate companionship! - #pirates #pubcrawl #piratepubcrawl #slc #utahisrad #livemusic #allrequest #livepianos #duelingpianos #barlife @tavernaclesocialclub #tavernacle #tav (at Salt Lake City, Utah)

[franklinforgedesigns]

Tonight was a fun design period for me- “Le Monsieur Baldwin” was a hit; it’s aromatic and bitter components strike a favorable palette with the Caravella Limoncello and earthy sweetness of the house made rosemary simple. This was a fun board to showcase our special. Enjoy the night folks! #barlife #cocktails #specialdrinks #chalkboardsigns #chalkboard #chalkboardart #chalkart #draw #doodle #sketch #tavernacle #tavernaclesocialclub #pianobar #duelingpianos #duelingpianobar (at Salt Lake City, Utah)

[franklinforgedesigns]

If you were looking for some fun- here’s your sign! This was a blast to do up. Hope you folks enjoy! #chalkboardsigns #chalksign #chalk #barlife #drinklist #tavernacle #tavernaclesocialclub #duelingpianos #pianobar #pianobars #greatnight #getout #havefun #drawing #doodle #sketch (at Salt Lake City, Utah)

[franklinforgedesigns]

The #electricglow of the neon #lights is something of a #beauty. Had a moment to appreciate these signs tonight at work. When seen from the right angle they are something more than a #billboard for a particular #brew, they are almost #magical and #beautiful. Hope you folks enjoy! #neonlights #electric #glow #fattireale #beer #neon #neonsign #art #beautifulmoments #seeitdifferent #littlemoments #tavernacle #social #club #bar #work (at Tavernacle Social Club)