Calliope strode into the Book and Bell smiling like a madman. She was in a circus. She was going to perform. She'd just sent a letter to her mum and dad. Life was good.

It was time to meet people.

Calli strode up to the bar, jumped up onto a stool and leant over the top.

"Hi!" She said enthusiastically, "Do you do mocktails?"

Jake sighed as he sat behind the bar, staring at the small slip of paper Stu had given him. Was he really planning on going through with this?



Jake picked his head up, Calliope's voice shattering the trance he was in. He turned to her, and was so startled by the near-insane smile on her face that he nearly fell off his own stool.

As he regained his composure, he realized she had asked him a question. He hadn't learned... well, anything at all about making drinks. He shook his head, then motioned to her to wait just one moment as he looked about the tavern for Stu or Ginny. He could have sworn one of them was here a minute ago...

Calli's face settled from severe happiness into a pouty breed of disappointment.

"Awww..." She said, when Jake shook his head.

He seemed shocked at the sight of her, for some reason...

((What time of day is it?))

Sarinah strolled slowly down the street, heading to the only bar in Vienda she really ever visited. She knew the B&B was part of the Party, but she didn't bother finding out anymore than that. Walking through the doorway, she stood for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the interior lighting, hands on hips. Finally, she sauntered to the bar and took a seat. There was a pouty young wick sitting a chair down from her and a rather confused looking young man behind the bar itself. Smiling slightly, she leaned over the bar to get his attention.

"Ho there kov, you ent got any whiskey up there for me have you?" She said in a soft voice. It seemed like all she seemed to do now was work, dance and drink. Her heart was just not in it anymore, it was out there somewhere with the traveling magician. Where exactly, she wished she knew.

((I knew I'd forgotten something... thanks for telling me! I just presumed the B&B is at night but that's bollocks.))



Calli looked over at the pretty woman sitting near her at the bar. She was stunningly lovely, something Calli had never managed to be. She didn't quite know how that worked, so she tended to admire anyone that made it look effortless. So long as they were nice too.

Calli could sense a field too, so the woman was a wick. That was a point of commonality right there. Calli clenched her stomach muscles and hopped three stools down, using her legs to help launch herself onto the next stool without touching the ground.

"Hi, I'm Calli." Calli said, extending a hand and not understanding that sometimes sad people wanted to drink alone. "You look a bit bummed, are you alright?"

Tristaan almost walked past the place, head lost in thought, as he wandered the Dives alone. He knew Calli had mentioned somewhere she'd be, and while he recognized the name, he was hardly paying attention by the time he arrived. Just being in Vienda had made his head buzz with memories of his childhood, and none of them were particularly pleasant. It was, however, a change in scenery, and Tristaan decided he couldn't complain about that.

Nothing a good drink won't fix, he figured, walking casually inside the B&B in time to see Calli leap some bar stools.

Approaching unassumingly, the passive removed his hat and leaned on the bar between the stools behind her, waiting for her to finish speaking, "Don't tell me you've been drinking already, beata." He teased, grinning over the girl's shoulder to notice the woman Calli had just introduced herself to, "Oh! 'Scuse me for interrupting," he would probably have tipped his hat if he hadn't already taken it off, "Who's your new friend?"

((Yay for being in Vienda and finally being able to check off some people to meet on my list. ))

There was a crash from the back as Ginny rushed behind the bar from the trapdoor behind the counter. The young witch was quite filthy, and still held a feather duster in one hand.

"Sorry, that," she said, flashing Jake a look. "Still cleaning up from that order of delightfully empty crates. Laoso tsuter bandits...Riot, you got their drink orders?" She looked apologetically at the customers, not recognizing them and realizing what a bad impression she'd given the bar - but dze, who cared. This was the Dives.

Calli smiled happily at Tristaan.

"Hi Tristaan!" She said loudly. "I haven't had anything yet, you... wait you don't know what I'm like... Anyway, this is my new friend but I don't know her name yet."

Calli smiled at the wick next to her.

"This is my friend Tristaan."



Calli sat up even straighter. "Someone stole your stuff? How cruddy!"

Calli remembered something she'd forgotten for 2.5 seconds.

"Oh yeah, do you guys do mocktails?"

Jake had never been so happy to see Ginny. Well, that is he was usually happy to see Ginny, but this moment was probably the happiest he'd been to see her.

Jake shook his head. His mind needed a thought valve.

He scribbled down a message to Ginny on a paper and held it out to her.

Anything you need
me to do right now?
It's getting a bit too
crowded for me over
here.

Ginny gave Calli a quizzical look. "Dunno what you're talkin' about, chippie," she said honestly, tipping her head to one side. "You mean liquor, right? We got whiskey..."

She quickly read over what Jake had written, and flashed him a quick grin.

"Ne, Riot, 'less you know what a "mocktail" is." She used air quotes. "You can go on break if you want, kov."

Jake smiled. A break would give him more time to consider which of the arguing voices in his head was the correct one to follow. As if he hadn't wasted enough time already. He scribbled down a message for Ginny.

Call me up if you
need some help up
here.

And with that, he retreated to the basement.

Sarinah turned in surprise and blinked at the wick. She wasn't quite used to being approached like this. And did she really look that down. Part of her thought she had been holding together well.



The brunette looked over at the man and smiled slightly. So far all she wanted was a whiskey, now she had two people wanting to talk to her. It was rather amusing, and nice. She took a breath to speak, but was interrupted before she could.



It was enough. Sarinah grinned, then laughed. Calli's bouncy nature had a nice effect on the dancer. It took the slump out of her. Turning to face them, she stuck out a hand.

"Wo chet Calli, Tristaan. My name is Sarinah. Pleased to meet you." She smiled warmly at the two, her usually seductive expression more relaxed and friendly.

Tristaan took the offered hand in a gentlemanly fashion, smiling at familiar wick words, "Junta! It's always a pleasure to meet a friendly face." He had left his sword, pistol, and over-cloak with the circus, nervous to draw too much attention to himself and his freedoms. While not entirely unarmed or underdressed, he still felt a little out of sorts. The passive did his best to keep it all under the surface, however, and his friendliness was genuine.

Releasing Sarinah's hand with a nod, he turned briefly to Ginny, "Did I hear you mention whiskey? Because if I did, I could use some."

Whistling merrily, Tito appeared through the door with his guitar over one shoulder. His wolfy friend Jack hung close on his heels, eyes half-closed with disinterest.

In moments, he was up the stairs and heading into his room to change.

"Hi Tito!" called Ginny cheerfully, waving to him. "Got any good songs for us tonight?"

Calli smiled back, face lighting up like a lamp at night time.

"Nice to meet you Sarinah!"

Calli turned to look at Ginny. "Mocktails are like cocktails but with no booze. Bad things happen when I drink, I'm not allowed to do it anymore."

She twisted around again when Tito walked into the bar. A musician? She loved music! She wondered if he'd play anything she could sing along to... She decided to give him a few moments to set up before she went about hassling him.

Ginny was...confused. No...booze?

"I'm...well...er..." She tried to wrap her head around it.

"I guess I got some wine in the back," she said uncertainly. "That ent got liquor in it, right?"

Calli thought about it for a moment.

"I don't know... but I'll have some. Thank you!" Calli pulled both her legs up so she was balanced cross legged on the stool and kept smiling brilliantly.

"Hey... Tristaan, you haven't seen Teagan and Dorian have you?" Calli's voice dropped and she brought a hand up to her face like she was hiding the words, "I'm kind of hiding from them. They're being weird again."

Sarinah looked at Tristaan and smiled in a knowing way. Wine indeed, didn't have liquor in it, but by Alioe it could send you to the floor if it was good enough.



The brunette chuckled, but kept quiet. The young must learn for themselves.



This made Sarinah laugh again.

"Oh chip! All kov's are weird. Ent you learned that by now? Pretty little thing like you must have them clawing at your feet." She turned to lean back on her seat, facing away from the bar, elbows resting on the wood. Her red lips turned into a cheeky smirk, her dancer attitude kicking in.

Calli gave Sarinah a wide-eyed look. She leant in a little closer.

"This has never happened to me before!" She whispered, though fairly loudly. "I dunno how to make 'em stop. They'll be normal for like a day and then I'll ask if anyone wants to go to the shops and they'll be on the ground again, elbowing eachother."

Calli looked between Tristaan and Sarinah.

"What would you guys do about it?" She sat up attentively, tips of her feet waggling.

Tristaan smirked at the woman's response, resembling that remark. He laughed a little, waving a hand dismissively and arching a slim eyebrow at Calli, "Not all kov's are weird, but surely, you've caught on by now, beata?" He'd traveled with the whole circus crew from Old Rose Harbor, and wondered how the young witch couldn't notice they boy's youthful, awkward glances. It was rather charming, in a nostalgic sort of way. Poor things.


Tristaan looked amused, but replied with a hint of mischeviousness, "Do you really want my answer?" The passive slid into a seat, leaning back against the bar and setting his hat on his knee. He paused to rub his slightly stubbly chin, trying to think of the right way to reveal something that was apparently obvious to everyone but Calli. "I mean, they ent moony or anything ..." He chuckled, gray eyes laughing with his voice, "They're just a little sweet on you, ye chen? Why else would a couple of young kovs be reduced to drooling awkwardness ...it surely must mean they find you a pretty rosh."

Ginny returned with a dusty, well-worn bottle of wine. Not being a connoisseur, she didn't know whether it was still any good; little did she know that with wine, the older the bottle the stronger the drink.

The young witch poured Calli a mug full of the rich, red liquid and passed it over to her. "There y'are, enjoy."

Calli picked up her wine.

"Thanks!" She said to the barmaid, taking a sip.

She turned back to Sarinah and Tristaan.

"No, I really don't chen." She said, confusion powerful in her voice. "I'm like a bendable pole with a bucket for a head, seriously, up until like two months ago the rest of the boys in the caravan used to call me horse-face... Hey, this is really good. I detect a note of summer fruits..."

Calli took a swig of her wine.

Sarinah raised the other eyebrow and chuckled. She didn't think Calli would like what she might do about it. Instead she looked at Tristaan again.



The black and red haired woman nodded sagely, feeling he'd said it as appropriately as it could be said.



Sarinah sighed and turned, facing Calli directly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"It's like this chip. Did those bochi also pull your hair and push you into the mud? Kov's are a strange species, and when they like a girl the younger ones tease because they don't know what else to do. But the older ones, like your two circus boys, they know how to deal with chips. And if they both like ye, they will fight over you. A nanabo thing like you is bound to get attention. These Dorian and Taegan fellows sound like they're smitten with you." She grinned.

"I could show you how to drive them crazy, how to ignore them without being nasty so they will be bowing at your feet begging you to date them." Laughing, she took the glass from Calli for a moment and had a sip of her wine.

"Oes, this is a good wine. But you don't look like much of a drinker Calli. Take it slow, wine goes straight to your head and before you know it we will be up on the bar, dancing till dawn." She gave the glass back.

Calli smiled.

"They used to try." She said in reply. They had been largely unsuccessful.



Calli twitched a little. This did not sound like something she was well equipped to deal with.



"I don't think I want to send them crazy..." It occured to Calli that Sarinah had just implied something about her beverage. "Wait... Oh no."

Five minutes later she was sitting on one of the rafters, close to the roof.

"I don't like the way you're looking at me, mister!" She shouted at one of the punters below.