04-12-2009, 07:39 PM
Sage found herself faced with a fairly bland salad and an equally uninspired tomato soup, and was surprised to find herself looking at the other dishes at the table longingly. Steaks and chicken and... she sighed. She had to set an example, she reasoned. Proper diet was essential, but Ashe’s steak looked a lot more appealing than her salad did. Where was Ashe, anyway?
As if on cue, she plunked a fistful of glasses onto the table. A long discussion ensued, but Sage couldn’t help but tune it out. She was staring at her wine glass, visibly disappointed. Not at Ashe’s gesture, but at herself. Sage didn’t drink. She had no moral qualms about it, she just didn’t get it. It burned her throat and tasted awful.
“I’m not sure I want any of it,” she managed, wincing at her own words. She wanted to apologize, but she already felt too horrible to talk.
“I got you apple juice, to be fair,” Ashe replied, sliding the glass closer to her, with an oddly humored look. Sage eyed the beverage again, looking at it more closely, and shrugged. Ashe wouldn’t lie to her.
Suddenly, everyone was raising their glasses. Sage feebly chimed in, out-of-time with everyone else, and in her rush, took more of a gulp than a sip, and suddenly found herself coughing. She cleaned her mouth with a napkin and groaned. “I think this apple juice was made with sour apples.”
Sage took a few tentative sips at the drink, trying her best not to be rude, but couldn’t get over the fact that it seemed... off. It tasted too strong, too sharp. But... it was growing on her. “How’s it going?” Ashe suddenly interjected.
“I think it was just the first few sips. It definitely tastes better now,” she replied with a meek smile. The pink haired girl’s expression shifted, and again, Sage couldn’t really place it. Everyone seemed be sharing knowing glances except for her. Did she tune out during a joke?
“Thanks, Ashe. It was good,” she managed, setting the now-empty glass in front of her. Oddly enough, the student snatched the glass away, but it didn’t really bother Sage, just confused her.
“No problem,” was the reply. “If you want some more, just let me know.”
At this Kaden began to laugh. The red-headed lady - Kaden said her name was Piper - spoke up, as if saying what Sage was thinking. “What’s so funny?”
The azure haired girl wanted to know, too.
But instead of answering everybody, Kaden leaned in to whisper to Piper. What did I miss?! Sage growled internally. Are they trying to hide something from me?!
Suddenly, Sophia shrieked in pain, causing Sage to nearly jump out of her chair. Apparently Kaden had kicked her as a joke. The hybrid agreed with the priestess’ protest - that wasn’t funny. Maybe he didn’t mean to kick so hard.
She looked back at her food, and sighed at it. “Hey, Ashe,” she managed.
“Yeah?”
“Where did you get that juice? I want another glass,” she replied. Suddenly, Kaden pounded his hand on the table and looked away. What an odd person he was.
“Uh... yeah, I can get you another-” Ashe seemed somewhat flustered - probably at the blond man’s bizarre outburst.
“Well, I could-”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll get one for you,” the pink haired girl insisted. Sage couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She was capable of getting her own drink, she just didn’t know where to go. So she watched Ashe. If she saw where she went, she could get her own drink next time.
Oddly enough, she stopped at the bar, speaking with the bartender for a while. Suddenly, the man erupted into laughter, and poured a pair of drinks. One was Sage’s apple juice - she could tell from here - and the other was some kind of fluorescent pink slushy... thing with an umbrella in it.
Ashe returned to the table, sliding the juice to Sage as she plopped into her chair and began drinking from her bizarrely colored beverage. The hybrid happily drank from her glass - the juice tasted a lot more appetizing than her soup did - and finished it almost immediately, trying hard to stifle the coughs. It was strong. She set the glass down with a light clink, and started picking at her salad.
She should have been starving, but she couldn’t eat. Just poke, poke, poke, with the fork. Push the greens around a little, maybe pick one up here and there. Chew on it for much longer than necessary. The others were talking again, that was good. She was glad people were having a good time in spite of her, but sorry she felt that she couldn’t join in.
“-then one of those stupid things puked on me!” Kaden exclaimed, his expression contorting into one of disgust.
“Yeah, imagine how ugly someone has to be for a zombie to throw up in disgust,” Piper chided half-heartedly.
“You-” the blond set his jaw, but shook his head.. “That was an... interesting mall, to say the least.”
“If you can call being chased around by a giant zombie monster ‘interesting,’” Sophia retorted. “I, for one, was pretty happy to get out of there. The smell was-”
“You weren’t stuck in a sewer,” Ashe retorted. “Don’t you complain to us about smell!” she gestured to herself and Sage, suddenly noticing the girl’s empty wine glass with an arched eyebrow.
“Did you have to contend with scorpions?” Piper shot back, throwing a confident look at Kaden. Giant mutant scorpions - that was a hell of a trump card.
“Actually...” Sophia replied with a nod, “Yeah.”
Sage, too, nodded, but found herself shocked that suddenly everyone was regaling each other with the horrors they had witnessed, and laughing in their efforts to one-up the other. It was absurd! People were being killed in this game! The girl’s fingernails found themselves digging into the table, but she said nothing. There had been too much death for there to be so much laughter.
“It’s hot,” Sage complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead, totally oblivious to the effects of the alcohol. She was beginning to feel a little odd. Things were getting fuzzy, but in a way different from the Valium. Her head felt heavy, but... strangely good. It all concerned her, though, because she didn’t know why. The bothersome heat remained. “I need another drink.”
“Sage, maybe you-” Sophia began.
“Nah, let her go; it’s good for her,” Ashe interrupted, prompting an icy glare from the priestess. Sage hoped they weren’t angry with one another - Ashe and Sophia were such good people. The diminutive girl made her way to the bar, and waited patiently until the bartender noticed her silently waiting for her.
“Oh! Hey, kid. ‘Nother ‘apple juice?’” he asked with a smirk. Unbeknownst to Sage, he was in on the joke. She nodded, and he poured her a glass from a dark bottle - an odd choice for juice. Deciding it must have just been for atmosphere, she thanked the bartender and downed the drink in a heartbeat, asking for another. The man just laughed and refilled Sage’s glass. The girl thanked him again and returned to the table. That weird, uncomfortable sensation that went with drinking this stuff was starting to feel really good.
Sage sat down in the middle of another conversation. It seemed they were discussing music. “-and their best stuff was when they were still playing without a label. Once they got signed they sort of sold out but they’re still pretty epic,” Ashe explained.
“...I don’t think I’ve heard of them,” Sophia responded, seemingly uninterested.
“You didn’t exactly have a jukebox back at the temple,” Kaden retorted with a grin. Sage was happy to just watch the conversation play out. She was feeling dizzy, and suddenly didn’t think she’d be comfortable on her feet. Her head was swimming, but she kept drinking.
As if on cue, she plunked a fistful of glasses onto the table. A long discussion ensued, but Sage couldn’t help but tune it out. She was staring at her wine glass, visibly disappointed. Not at Ashe’s gesture, but at herself. Sage didn’t drink. She had no moral qualms about it, she just didn’t get it. It burned her throat and tasted awful.
“I’m not sure I want any of it,” she managed, wincing at her own words. She wanted to apologize, but she already felt too horrible to talk.
“I got you apple juice, to be fair,” Ashe replied, sliding the glass closer to her, with an oddly humored look. Sage eyed the beverage again, looking at it more closely, and shrugged. Ashe wouldn’t lie to her.
Suddenly, everyone was raising their glasses. Sage feebly chimed in, out-of-time with everyone else, and in her rush, took more of a gulp than a sip, and suddenly found herself coughing. She cleaned her mouth with a napkin and groaned. “I think this apple juice was made with sour apples.”
Sage took a few tentative sips at the drink, trying her best not to be rude, but couldn’t get over the fact that it seemed... off. It tasted too strong, too sharp. But... it was growing on her. “How’s it going?” Ashe suddenly interjected.
“I think it was just the first few sips. It definitely tastes better now,” she replied with a meek smile. The pink haired girl’s expression shifted, and again, Sage couldn’t really place it. Everyone seemed be sharing knowing glances except for her. Did she tune out during a joke?
“Thanks, Ashe. It was good,” she managed, setting the now-empty glass in front of her. Oddly enough, the student snatched the glass away, but it didn’t really bother Sage, just confused her.
“No problem,” was the reply. “If you want some more, just let me know.”
At this Kaden began to laugh. The red-headed lady - Kaden said her name was Piper - spoke up, as if saying what Sage was thinking. “What’s so funny?”
The azure haired girl wanted to know, too.
But instead of answering everybody, Kaden leaned in to whisper to Piper. What did I miss?! Sage growled internally. Are they trying to hide something from me?!
Suddenly, Sophia shrieked in pain, causing Sage to nearly jump out of her chair. Apparently Kaden had kicked her as a joke. The hybrid agreed with the priestess’ protest - that wasn’t funny. Maybe he didn’t mean to kick so hard.
She looked back at her food, and sighed at it. “Hey, Ashe,” she managed.
“Yeah?”
“Where did you get that juice? I want another glass,” she replied. Suddenly, Kaden pounded his hand on the table and looked away. What an odd person he was.
“Uh... yeah, I can get you another-” Ashe seemed somewhat flustered - probably at the blond man’s bizarre outburst.
“Well, I could-”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll get one for you,” the pink haired girl insisted. Sage couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She was capable of getting her own drink, she just didn’t know where to go. So she watched Ashe. If she saw where she went, she could get her own drink next time.
Oddly enough, she stopped at the bar, speaking with the bartender for a while. Suddenly, the man erupted into laughter, and poured a pair of drinks. One was Sage’s apple juice - she could tell from here - and the other was some kind of fluorescent pink slushy... thing with an umbrella in it.
Ashe returned to the table, sliding the juice to Sage as she plopped into her chair and began drinking from her bizarrely colored beverage. The hybrid happily drank from her glass - the juice tasted a lot more appetizing than her soup did - and finished it almost immediately, trying hard to stifle the coughs. It was strong. She set the glass down with a light clink, and started picking at her salad.
She should have been starving, but she couldn’t eat. Just poke, poke, poke, with the fork. Push the greens around a little, maybe pick one up here and there. Chew on it for much longer than necessary. The others were talking again, that was good. She was glad people were having a good time in spite of her, but sorry she felt that she couldn’t join in.
“-then one of those stupid things puked on me!” Kaden exclaimed, his expression contorting into one of disgust.
“Yeah, imagine how ugly someone has to be for a zombie to throw up in disgust,” Piper chided half-heartedly.
“You-” the blond set his jaw, but shook his head.. “That was an... interesting mall, to say the least.”
“If you can call being chased around by a giant zombie monster ‘interesting,’” Sophia retorted. “I, for one, was pretty happy to get out of there. The smell was-”
“You weren’t stuck in a sewer,” Ashe retorted. “Don’t you complain to us about smell!” she gestured to herself and Sage, suddenly noticing the girl’s empty wine glass with an arched eyebrow.
“Did you have to contend with scorpions?” Piper shot back, throwing a confident look at Kaden. Giant mutant scorpions - that was a hell of a trump card.
“Actually...” Sophia replied with a nod, “Yeah.”
Sage, too, nodded, but found herself shocked that suddenly everyone was regaling each other with the horrors they had witnessed, and laughing in their efforts to one-up the other. It was absurd! People were being killed in this game! The girl’s fingernails found themselves digging into the table, but she said nothing. There had been too much death for there to be so much laughter.
“It’s hot,” Sage complained, wiping the sweat from her forehead, totally oblivious to the effects of the alcohol. She was beginning to feel a little odd. Things were getting fuzzy, but in a way different from the Valium. Her head felt heavy, but... strangely good. It all concerned her, though, because she didn’t know why. The bothersome heat remained. “I need another drink.”
“Sage, maybe you-” Sophia began.
“Nah, let her go; it’s good for her,” Ashe interrupted, prompting an icy glare from the priestess. Sage hoped they weren’t angry with one another - Ashe and Sophia were such good people. The diminutive girl made her way to the bar, and waited patiently until the bartender noticed her silently waiting for her.
“Oh! Hey, kid. ‘Nother ‘apple juice?’” he asked with a smirk. Unbeknownst to Sage, he was in on the joke. She nodded, and he poured her a glass from a dark bottle - an odd choice for juice. Deciding it must have just been for atmosphere, she thanked the bartender and downed the drink in a heartbeat, asking for another. The man just laughed and refilled Sage’s glass. The girl thanked him again and returned to the table. That weird, uncomfortable sensation that went with drinking this stuff was starting to feel really good.
Sage sat down in the middle of another conversation. It seemed they were discussing music. “-and their best stuff was when they were still playing without a label. Once they got signed they sort of sold out but they’re still pretty epic,” Ashe explained.
“...I don’t think I’ve heard of them,” Sophia responded, seemingly uninterested.
“You didn’t exactly have a jukebox back at the temple,” Kaden retorted with a grin. Sage was happy to just watch the conversation play out. She was feeling dizzy, and suddenly didn’t think she’d be comfortable on her feet. Her head was swimming, but she kept drinking.
![[Image: Sage.jpg]](http://rebecca.florizone.com/sig/miscsig/Sage.jpg)