[Jean] Chapter 16: The Ramparts

[pringerbeam]

     "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure she was a wonderful woman like her daughter."  Replied Jean.  "Lord Jean...  I do like the sound of that though...  A toast? "  He said with a raised mug.  "To the lovely women of house Seadhg, past and present."  With this last word he took a drink of the wine he had at hand and squeezed Lili from behind with the arm he had wrapped around her waist when she sat down on his lap.  He smacked his lips and set down the cup to eat some of the bread meat to him.  "So, when is the wedding going to be?"

Drinking tests

Rolled 1d20+22 : 2 + 22, total 24

Rolled 1d20+22 : 13 + 22, total 35

Rolled 1d20+22 : 18 + 22, total 40

Rolled 1d20+22 : 8 + 22, total 30

Rolled 1d20+22 : 20 + 22, total 42

Rolled 1d20+22 : 10 + 22, total 32

Rolled 1d20+22 : 10 + 22, total 32

Rolled 1d20+22 : 9 + 22, total 31

Rolled 1d20+22 : 5 + 22, total 27

Rolled 1d20+22 : 10 + 22, total 32

Rolled 1d20+22 : 18 + 22, total 40

Rolled 1d20+22 : 10 + 22, total 32

Rolled 1d20+22 : 9 + 22, total 31

Rolled 1d20+22 : 16 + 22, total 38

Rolled 1d20+22 : 5 + 22, total 27

Rolled 1d20+22 : 20 + 22, total 42

Rolled 1d20+22 : 3 + 22, total 25

Rolled 1d20+22 : 18 + 22, total 40

Rolled 1d20+22 : 10 + 22, total 32

Rolled 1d20+22 : 15 + 22, total 37

[Throndir]

"Aye, Ah'd drink tae that!" The king said as he himself took a drink. It was a long drink, but he finally finished. "Typically... A couple years  after yer engaged." The dwarf explained. "But Lili, n' ah aren't too concerned wi' tradition. Neither was her mother."



During the course of the rest of the evening, you had faced off against competitor after competitor in drinking contests. Once you had won the first few rounds with ease, drinking their toughest stouts, more and more of the dwarves wanted to prove their mettle and their worth. It got to the point that most of the male dwarves and a couple of the female ones started to crowd around you, starting large drinking contests where multiple competitors would drink at once. There was much cheering as you won each and every one of these. There had been a call to get more alcohol as well, even stronger than the norm, but even that you drunk down without much problem as the other competitors petered out one by one.

By the ends of it, most of the dwarves in the room was either too drunk to function, or unconscious. Lili lasted a surprising amount of time before finally giving way, and likewise Ren, who had started to like alcohol the more she drank was nearing her limit. The one was left standing was you and a finaly dwarf who hailed from one of the warrior castes.

"Juuuuisht ye'... aaaaand me! Hero..." He said, slurring his words. He gulped it down, while you gulped yours, and in that moment the dwarf blacked out, falling unconscious like the rest of his kin.

At that moment a new title appeared.

You have gained a new title 『Well-Appreciated』
You have gained +1 SP
You have gained a new title 『Drinking King』
You have gained +4 HP

Lili was unconscious. Ren was swooning and visibly drunk. Telamon managed to not be affected at all, even though she drunk her own fair share, but she seemed to smile pleasantly at the fact you were the final winner. Dalina, who had a couple drinks through the evening, looked like she was already tipsy, but not to the point of excess like the dwarves that lay scattered on the ground all around you in the hall. It was already well-past midnight, and there were some dwarves who didn't participate in the drinking (as much), primarily the royal guards, who went around ensuring everyone was on their side, and situated well in the chance they threw up. They had cheered along with the rest during the contest, and only looked at you with pure awe and amazement as they went out about their task.

Dalina clung tightly to you with one hand, and her other hand gripping the latest mug she was sipping at.

"I knew you... could do... it!" Dalina said, giggling a moment later. "You're so strong Jeanie Jean. I always thought so." Dalina said smiling happily, or perhaps stupidly, at you. Her eyes were absolutely warm towards you, and she held your arm tenderly.

You end the drinking contest at Stage II inebriation.

[pringerbeam]

     Jean looked at Dalina with bleary eyes clouded by the prodigious quantity of alcohol coursing through his veins.  "I...  Um....  Never really jrank that much before...  or really this much before?  You're shtill up too!"  He said as he tried to lean back into the makeshift bench, long since reduced to the just two chairs by the activities of the evening and closed his eyes for a single dizzying moment before opening them back up again, his other arm nearly slipping out of its position cradling his princess who had fallen asleep shortly after her attempt at challenging him to a drinking contest with some fiery liquor that tasted like blueberries. He looked at Dalina, seated next to him. "I'm sorry Dalina.  I know you didn't sssign up to follow me around while I got married and partied and drank and whatever yesterday was.  But I'm glad you're here... I can't...  I can't lose another summoner and I sent you away yesterday...  I...  Didn't think about the weather and when you weren't right there I thought you were gone..."  He blinked a few times to try in vain to clear the fuzziness from his vision.  "But you made it!  And now I'm getting married but I didn't think about you or Lili and now I'm going to be a lord and a captain and the master of the maniacal something that I said when we first met and you were naked but not really because there is no menageries just us...  just us..."  He looked Dalina in the eyes.  "Just us..."

[Throndir]

Hero Point earned.

http://www.youtube.com/v/tn1pxsgT4VQ

As you spoke, Dalina continued to giggle and smile that care-free smile. It was light and carefree, one that was no doubt affected by the consumption of alcohol along with the merrymaking of the evening through late in the night. Though slowly, her facial expression started to shift and change, and by the end she no longer had that silly and light-hearted smile. Instead, it was replaced by something more somber, and something just a bit more tender. And in such a way did small beads of water form around the green-haired girl's eyes You felt her tighten her grasp on your arm, as she hid her face in the cloth of the robes on your shoulder.

"... just us." She whispered quietly.

With Lili fast asleep, the few royal guards going about their business in taking care of those too drunk, Telamon helping Ren simply stay up from her swooning, indeed, in that still moment in time, and in that one breadth of space, there was just Dalina and her summoned hero.

[pringerbeam]

     Jean leaned his head against Dalina's and made no noise except to sniffle slightly as the moment slowly made its passing.  "I'm sssorry Dalina, I know I keep being so weird and making you hang arround when I'm with Ren and now Lili but I'm just so horny all the time ever shince you sssummoned me and I don't know what to do with it and my dick not working..."  He mumbled quietly and possibly incoherently as he watched the reflection of light shimmering off the surface of a long flat mug of ale in front of him.   "Dalina do...  you like me?"  He asked very sheepishly.  "I...  I've kinda ruined any chance of you settling down and getting...  married...  back on the aeland and now I'm getting married and you have to tag along and...  and...  Eloise..."  He sniffled again, tears were starting to bead in the corners of his eyes.  "So many others...  I love you all but...  I don't know if I'm doing the right thing...  I...  want you to be with me...  I thought I lost you before...  I don't want you to just die..."

     A thump and a clatter as Ren, despite Telamon's best attempts, tripped over one of the snoring dwarves shattered the melancholic peace and reminded him of the time and the place.  He sniffed one more time and blinked.  "We um...  Should be getting to bed."  He said softly as Lili's soft hair brushed against his neck when she moved in her sleep, reminding him of the bargain he had made just that morning.  Standing up, he carried the petite princess in both his arms, reminded of how small she was compared to him. "I guess back to the guest room.  Even though I think Lili would be safe here in her home, I don't know where her room is and she's...  vulnerable right now."  He looked to Ren and Telamon.  "Come on, it's time for bed."  He said just loud enough for them to hear, hoping not to wake anyone else.  "Let's go."

     He made his way through the field of slumbering dwarves and headed back to the guest room, his simple cloth shoes making little noise as they tread the silent halls of the palace.  They eventually made it back to the guest room despite a few wrong turns.  Finally returned Jean laid Lili in the bed.  Hot and flushed from the drinking, he took off his robe, stripping down to the simple cloth pants he had been wearing.  He kicked off his shoes and his hands went to the tie for the pants and he was reminded that he didn't have anything on underneath.  Dalina's people had offered him some boxer-like undergarments but the rough spun telma wool they had been made from was too uncomfortable for him compared to modern cotton.  The alcohol fueled inner heat was too much for him though and without the cooling breeze that seemed ever present on the wind temples hat drafted through Dalina's family home he abandoned his pants on the floor and crawled into the center of the bed next to Lili.  Before any sense of propriety could set in Jean was asleep.

Edit: did a large edit

[Throndir]

Same song for atmosphere.
http://www.youtube.com/v/tn1pxsgT4VQ

Dalina had followed in silence, her thoughts whirring in her head without much hope of trying to get it all in order. There was already a lot of things on her mind, and the drinks of alcohol she's had that day didn't make processing it all any easier. She never really drunk a whole lot. None of the priests did. Though, at times ceremonies required the use of alcohol made from the grain crops they grow on the island. Not only was she not used to it, but she was already wrestling with all sorts of... emotions right before. And then... he asked that question.

"Dalina do...  you like me?"

How... was she supposed to answer? Her turbulent thoughts came at her even more compared to before. Other sorts of emotions started to flood her: embarrassment, awkwardness, and this weird flight feeling of what felt like butterflies in her stomach. It was all getting too much for her. Feeling herself lose control, likely a side effect of the looseness of alcohol, she instead willed herself to simply be silent. Yet she found herself continuing to hold on to his arm.

The clatter of plates as Ren tripped echoed out as he started to gather everyone else. Soon enough, the princess Lili was picked up. Ren and Telamon were called over too. As for Dalina, she followed along silently behind. The journey back to the room was almost a daze, the trip surely must have been longer, but one moment she was walking out the large doors of the feasting hall, and a second later they were in the room. Once there, Dalina vaguely recalled seeing a familiar robe, and undergarments drop to the floor. And not long after that, everyone was asleep, or at the very least, trying to.

Dalina approached the bed, to one side was Lili, on the other side was Ren. With the bed large enough, Dalina too simply crawled into bed, next to Ren. She thought back about the question that had been bothering her since they left the feasting hall. That question that seemed to lock her up so completely.

"Dalina do...  you like me?"

She heard him say again in that memory. Of course she doesn't! He had blatant disrespect to the temple priests, didn't have have a shred of decency, they've only known each other for a week or two, not to mention he did something unspeakable when they first met. But yet, Dalina continued to flush red as she thought about him. There wasn't anyone else who made her feel like she was important save from Anja. The week they spent together waking up in the same room, bringing food to him as he trained with their martial instructor, surviving through onslaughts of demons, and facing the servants of the goddess of earth. All of these memories came to her.

When the dwarven king announced Lili's potential betrothal, Dalina never realized how much that would affect her at all. She didn't think it would, but that was all she kept thinking about. She was happy for them! Of course she was! Unions were such a sacred thing, it was a time of great joy for those partaking in it back in the temple. But... It was the first time she had to face these... feelings that were bubbling up inside her. Or rather, that probably have been bubbling up for some time now. Sitting up in bed next to Ren, Dalina mumbled.

"I don't like you." She said resolutely. In a quieter voice she continued.

Spoiler

"I love you."

[close]

She finally had to admit it to herself. But she continued to think how stupid she was at the same time. Though her eyes were teary, she couldn't help but smile at the futility of it all. What could she do with these feelings? Would she even tell him? How could she even start? Did she even want to tell him?

A mumbling voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"He... loves... you... too." Ren mumbled half-asleep, wrapping one of her tentacles around the priestess. That hit her hard, and though she stayed silent, she couldn't help as the tears started to flow more freely. Ren opened a lazy eye towards Dalina, then simply used her powerful tentacles to wrap the priestess up and dump the teary-eyed girl next to her. And as the two fell asleep, Ren simply caressed the priestess' cheek, wiping away that salty liquid she had come to recognize as 'tears'.

In your sleep, a new notification appeared.

You have gained a new title 『Loved』
You have gained +1 SP

[pringerbeam]

11:12 am

     Jean's eyes creaked open to the dimly lit guest room ceiling.  An inescapable throbbing in his head made the minimal lighting somehow manage to feel too bright.  His head felt like it was swimming in an ice bath with each subtle movement colliding with stinging pain.  Or maybe not an ice bath, that actually seemed like a good idea given how hot he felt.  His brain, moving at the speed of a snail rodeo, tried to think of what was hot but could still manage to feel like being pelted with ice cubes while he shifted his arms.  One was free enough to press to his temple while the other seemed to be trapped under something.  He looked to see what it was and saw Lili resting her head on his arm which was wrapped around her.  She was dressed in day clothes, or at least day clothes that were in a disheveled, slightly sweat moistened, partially undone state.  Jean was not.  Jean was actually naked except for his socks.  His brain was desperately trying to get into high gear to send him a very important message but Jean had never driven a stick shift and neither had his brain apparently.  Instead all he could manage was a slight groan.  Looking over to his other side he saw Ren and Dalina, apparently intertwined and sleeping deeply.  He closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, inadvertently pulling Lili closer into his chest and sending vital blood to the sleeping arm that had been trapped under her head, his arm tingled and his nose did as well when it picked up the subtle fragrance of the princess's hair.  Was it perfume?  Soap from her last bath?  Just the way dwarven princesses smelled normally?  His brain, possibly dead in a car wreck trying to drive something they had no business driving, decided to take a bit of a break from whatever it was trying to do before.

11:?? am

     Jean slipped back into sleep for a few more blissful minutes before his brain finally made it back to headquarters on a stretcher to deliver its important message.  Was it the fact that he was naked and in bed with a peacefully slumbering princess and that he didn't really remember much from last night after that one dwarf with ruby crusted rings in his beard challenged him to drink an entire bottle of...  what did they call it?  cloaker butthole?  No definitely cloaker anus...  No!  Cloaker venom!  That's it, made with real cloakers but not actually venom and it tasted like scotch go figure.  Then there was more drinking and Dalina said something and Lili's hair smells nice.  Like real nice.  Just like whatever he was hugging right now.  But he was just awake a second ago and Lili was there and Dalina was there and Ren was there and...

     "Telamon..."  Croaked Jean, eyes still glued shut from the booze as he kneaded his hands into the comfortable body pillow that he was hugging.   He inhaled deeply and got more of that nice smell.  The body pillow was odd.  Not like, lumpy from use but like way too smooth, and maybe there are hard bits and metal bits but also really soft bits, like the part around his stomach.  He caressed that bit with his hand.  It was really nice. "Telamon what time is it...  What day  is it?  Fuck I'm so hung over.  Where are we?"  He wasn't even sure if that made it out of his mouth before he nuzzled into the ultrasoft end of the body pillow up by his head.  He was fighting  a hard battle to not go back to sleep, especially with this killer body pillow.  "Ugh...  Gotta...  Wake up...  Telamon...  Telamon lights?"

[Throndir]

There was a slight moan from the pillow you were clutching so tightly. It took you a moment to realize it was Lili's voice, it took you another moment to also realize that the 'soft bits' was actually Lili's breasts. Lili's bleary eyes opened slightly, then widened a lot more when she noticed it was you.

"J-Jean! y-yer... Y-yer touchin my..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it, but instead turned completely red.

Telamon, sitting comfortable at the table like the night before spoke up. "11:32 AM, and the year 10314 in the Feltheno Standard calendar. Good morning master."

[pringerbeam]

     At the sound of Lili's voice Jean managed to finally creak open his eyes.  He squinted to try and see through the sleep still blurring his vision.  Lili was close to him, her face mere inches from his, her breath playing across his face, one of her breasts cupped in one hand while the other held her waist.  "Ah..."  He said, finally realizing what the pillow he had been fondling was.  "Ah!"  He exclaimed, practically flying out of the bed, tripping himself up on the sheets that had haphazardly enveloped him with his nocturnal tossing and turning.  Jean, the sheets, and Lili chaotically rolled off the edge of the bed and onto the floor in a flurry of linens with a solid thump.

     Jean squinted his eyes in pain as his head sloshed with leftover alcohol and he tried to hold down the churning of his stomach as he blinked.  Looking up from his back to the princess laying on his naked chest he stared into her eyes.  "Um...  Good morning Lili.  Sleep well?"  He asked, acutely aware that his very naked body would be directly in contact with his fiance save for what she was wearing.

[Throndir]

Lili continued to be red in the face, and even more so when she realized you were completely naked with her on top of you. Her eyes widened then looked away, but then back at you a moment later. "Y-yes... slept lik' a rock." Lili mumbled, quickly trying to pull herself off. then finally sitting at your side, staring into your eyes with her blush still completely noticeable.

Telamon who had been watching let out a small giggle, as Ren and Dalina began to wake up due to the sheets being pulled off of them.

[pringerbeam]

     "Good!  Good.  Good..."  Stammered Jean as he bunched the sheets around his waist.  "I uh don't think we explained it that well yesterday but um we all sleep together and well... since we're getting married and you're one of us now...  well...  we couldn't just leave you back at the feast and um...  yeah..."  Jean stood up but his hungover brain did not agree with this plan so he made a compromise and stood doubled over, hand on his knees while his guts churned.  "Ugh...  I'm uh...  pretty hungover..."  He said as he tried to swallow the spit welling up in his mouth.  "I don't suppose your people have some kind of remedy for that?"  He asked as he ventured the feat of standing up like a normal person.

[Throndir]

"Fill yer belly up wi' somethin'. Or 'ave some o' th' mushroom pears." Lili responded. The mushroom pears she was describing was something you had the night before during the feast. Some of the mushrooms in these depths grew what the locals called 'mushroom pears', which were sacks of mushroom meat, usually sweeter in taste than the main flesh, that grew underneath the gills of a few of the larger mushroom species.

State any plans for rest of the day! If there's specific day plans you do, make a mention of them in your Calendar sheet to both give you a reminder, and give me a heads up for prep work if I need to. Eg, exploring the caverns, talking to the townsfolk, etc. You can also just do training all day.

[pringerbeam]

     "Right, pears..."  He said, the prospect of eating seeming less than appealing at this moment.  "How uh...  do we do the normal breakfast thing?  There a dining room or something?"  He asked as he finally made it completely vertical.  "Or do you want to change first?  We can meet you there if you want.  I should get dressed too I think unless you don't mind hanging around?  I mean...  it's not like you won't see it all at some point but we have also just met..."

     After managing to get dressed and completely waking Dalina and Ren, They set out following Lili's directions to a more informal dining room.  As they walked, Jean looked out one of the windows to the warm glow of the cavern outside, reminded of some important things that lie beyond the dark cavern roof above..  "Do you have people monitoring the surface weather?  If it's cleared up Dalina and I need to go back to the mountain and handle some stuff.  You could come with us I think, we could show you the world above."

Day Plan A
If the weather is calm, or there is a way to circumvent the storms of the mountain peaks (possibly by taking a train to the foothills or something).  Jean will take Dalina and Lili back to Mount Velothia.

Day Plan B
Jean will tour the city, trying to make himself visible to the people and to visit the Anvilshield family to see about what kind of weapons or armor they could smith for him as well as work on his reputation with the smith caste.  Then spend some time training depending on how long that takes.

[Throndir]

Lili had blushed when you mentioned changing. "W-well... Ah'd rather change separately... fer now... N' breakfast isn't that formal... But we can get a breakfast made if ye'd like."



"Th' weather above won't be clearin' up anytime soon." Lili explained. "It's one o' th' ways th' dwarves keep 'emselves outta th' world above. These mountain peaks across are always cold, and th' journey isn't keen for travelers either. If we're planning tae head out, we 'ave some magic crystals ta keep us warm fer that purpose. We used ta have other exits to lower ground on the surface world, but those entrances 'ave sine bin collapsed by me grandfaither in his day. Th' only way in and oot are the elevator shafts to th' peaks."

[pringerbeam]

     "Collapsed?  Like on purpose?  Well maybe it's time to reopen those tunnels.  Any of the southbound ones should be safe from demonic attack I think." Said Jean as they made it to the dining room.  "Does that mean then that there isn't any other choice but to brave the storms?  If that's the case then it's probably better to go sooner rather than later."