Congratulations! You now have a drinking problem!
"-I mean, it's possible, right? Look, ok, what do you believe in?" You ask while taking a rip on the half-smoked joint.
"We go up. We're burned, and our ashes go up. We go home and never touch the ground again. We meet who we've missed above the earth and get to rest among the moons and stars." Riya responded, taking the joint back. "You?"
"When we die, and we're buried, our soul goes back to the earth. We feed worms, trees, grass… no, wheat, cause… fuck, I forgot. Look, we get turned into food. And what if a pregnant girl eats the food we get turned into? Then we go back into the baby and return to life as a new person." You managed, slightly slurring. "So I'm sayiiiing, it's possible!"
"To you. It's possible to you. Besides, fischers believe a different thing. Like, they get thrown into the Dark Sea when they die." Riya slurred back before taking a puff from the boof.
"Well what if we're all right? If you get buried you return to the earth, if you're burned you go to the sky, and if you're put in the sea you go to the ocean?" You pondered, before finishing your beer.
"Shit… that makes sense." Riya said, looking like she was having her mind blown. Then she shook her head. "Whatever. Don't trust any ideas you have when you're drunk." She said laughing, before two plates of food were presented before both of you, the food you asked for an indeterminate amount of time ago. You got a large amount of some unknown pink fish fried and battered, topped with lemon juice and a small amount of white sauce that smelled like cheese. You'd never tried fish, but you assumed coastal communities knew what they were talking about. Riya on the other hand got a pan fried eel wrapped in seaweed and served with a topping of some lumpy paste called "roe". You thought it looked horrific, but she tore into it like she hadn't eaten for days. You devoured your dinner just as quickly. You'd been vegan all your life, and we're learning just how much you absolutely loved meat. You wished you'd gotten the courage to leave home sooner.
Two scrip for the drinks.
You got some looks on the way out. Some suspicious, some angry. Loudly debating religion in a public probably wasn't the best idea in a theocratic town. Then again, you were a badger eared widleute and a skyborn that looked exactly like some seemingly mythological figure important to this town carrying large birds. You were bound to get some looks. Whatever, you were high and drunk, and didn't feel a care in the world strolling out into the darkening evening and walking towards the epicenter of town. You nearly stepped on a seashell embedded in the dirt road you were walking on. You weren't sure why, but something compelled you to pick it up. It was beautiful, once you wiped away the dirt stuck on it. Perfect too, no cracks or chips in it. It literally came from the ocean, it was a perfect souvenir, and might make a good focus of water, regardless of how much you disliked that kind of magic.
You gathered from the scenery and posters everywhere that there was a festival happening tomorrow, celebrating the town's founding. Some had art of that same doppelgänger Riya seemed to have. Eh, probably nothing. When rounding a corner, you saw the siren glow of a tattoo parlor down the street. Still open, with people inside. You stopped in your tracks.
"What if we got tattoos?" You asked, giggling.
"That is a fantastic idea." Riya responded, walking towards it. You jogged to catch up. Originally you wanted one of those glowy tattoos all the fischers of the village seemed to have, but the artist explained they have religious significance and aren't taken lightly, or necessarily for fun, so you settled on a beautiful portrait of Gunther's face on your upper arm. Riya got one first, of what she claimed was her birth constellation. It was a bunch of dots representing stars connected into the shape of a four winged albatross. You knew tattoos were supposed to be painful, but it didn't feel too bad. It might have been the alcohol in you, as you barely had to squeeze Riya's hand while getting it. Gunther held perfectly still the entire time you got it, so the artist could work off a live model, and by the time he was done, your skin was red all over it, and it was stinging, but it was beautiful. Gunther was gently growling like he was complaining, but you could tell he loved it.
On the walk back to the airfield you discussed the significance of each other's tattoos. You told her how you raised Gunther from a hatchling at thirteen, how he's been the most loyal being you've ever had the pleasure of knowing, and almost how he was willing to sacrifice himself if it meant you could leave home, but you decided against sharing that much yet. Riya in turn told you about how her birth constellation symbolized confidence in one's own decisions and a love of new places. She claimed to have both to a fault.
You collapsed back into your hammock, grabbing Gunther off his post he sleeps on with a small gust of wind and hugging him tightly like a teddy bear. He wasn't getting out of snuggles tonight!! You kissed and nuzzled him over and over while he futilely resisted, before you simply ran out of steam and your brain just turned off.
You dreamt less vibrantly than the previous night, and couldn't remember much with your substance addled brain, you remembered how it made you feel. You felt loved. Whatever you dreamt of, you were loved in it, and that was all that mattered to you.
_______________________________
You awoke to the distant sounds of seagulls calling. You pealed your drool covered cheek off the cloth of the hammock, and more carefully stepped out of it. Goddesses, you felt disgusting. You needed a shower. And a clean change of clothes. You looked up at Gunther, who was holding a full grown seagull carcass in one of his talons and was picking at the meat.
"Sweet Rhona! Gunther! What did I tell you about killing birds!?" You scolded while trying to take the corpse from him. He just hopped off the ledge and flapped away to the upstairs again.
You climbed up the rope ladder again and found Riya overlooking the town, holding a tin cup gently steaming. She looked back at you and smiled. You smiled back. It was an overcast day, but not a gloomy one. You climbed up and leaned against the side of the ship's wall as well. She handed you a cup full of some black liquid. She spoke first
"I was thinking we get a job here. There's always work. Mercenary work, most likely, but work. And they'll pay well here." She said before taking a sip.
"Sounds good- what is this exactly?" You ask. She looks confused.
"It's coffee. Stars, seriously, where are you from?" She asked with a laugh.
"Commune, remember?" You said annoyed, taking a sip of your coffee. It was boiling hot and bitter as a bolete mushroom. You reflexively violently spit it out over the railing. "AUGH. FUCK." You said, continuing to spit. "Why do you drink this?!"
"It's an acquired taste. It wakes you up though." Riya said before taking another sip. "It's also just nice to do this. Overlook town. Drink coffee. Take it all in." You suppose she was right. It was nice to be up here. You cautiously took another small sip and forced it down.
"I guess you're right." You said, enjoying the gentle breeze and overlooking the town, with your new friend, while workers began their day and seagulls cawed.
You have discovered beauty! -1 Stress for that, -2 Stress for snuggle time with Gunther, and whatever comes of indulging vices! I'm gonna need two flat d20 rolls, and a 2d10+2 roll to Find Work!
Side note, I'm very, very happy that you all enjoy my work hopefully as much as I enjoy making it. I hope you all have a fantastic day! You'll get to make decisions in the next one, I promise lol.
