(120-11-21) Curses and Drinking Songs
Curses and Drinking Songs
Summary: Lady Mormont invites a motley crew for drinks at her manse.
Date: 21/11/2013
Related: None
Players:
Arn..Aeron..Bryn..Eonn..Maera..

Appletree Wynd - Upper Hightower Street

This clean wynd does not contain any apple trees, only stone cobbles underfoot and stone houses on either side. It's wider than many, allowing the little manses to gain light and air through their broad windows. It also allows access for smaller types of wagons, and many of the residences have stable doors alongside their neatly kept entries. There's even a fountain in a wall at the end of this tidy alley, allowing the neighborhood easy access to water.
CONTENTS: Maera(P) Arn(P)
EXITS:
Sailmaker's Manse <SM>
Hightower Street <HS>

Bryn enters the wynd from Hightower Street.
Bryn has arrived.

Maera is leaning against the gate to the Sailmaker's Manse, speaking to Arn. "Honestly? It's quite silly. I have never been further south than Winterfell, and so I thought…why not." She offers Arn another stiff smile.

Arn gives a little chuckle at that answer, "Well there is nothing wrong with that reason, after all if one has the means one should see what they can of the world." he is late afternoon as the pair speak.

Aeron walks down the Wynd at a languid pace with a young boy at his side. "So, this is Appletree Wynd. I hear that this is a popular place to live if you have a lot of coin." Looking down at Bryn he asks, "I would have thought there'd be apple trees."

Bryn follows Aeron along the road, looking around with curiosity. He's likely never even been in this rich a neighbourhood before. He looks back up to Aeron and says, "Maybe there used to be, when they picked the name."

"You must be a special guest of the Hightowers, then. If they trust you enough to see to the safely of the city." Maera speculates idly in her flat voice. Her eyes turn from Arn's face to that of the approaching Targaryen and his pet urchin. She says to Arn,"Is that some sort of style here? Keeping little orphans as companions?"

Arn looks over to the arrival of Aeron and Bryn and gives his fellow nobleman a bow then he replys to Maera under his breath, "Not that I know if but it never heart ot have ears on the street." He then waves to the pair, "Good afternoon, Ser." he says to Aeron.

"Maybe," Aeron agrees as they continue to walk down the wynd. He had intended to walk past Arn and Maera, but when he is addressed by Arn, he changes course slightly to come to a stop a comfortable distance for a conversation. "Hello," he says to Arn. With a pleasant nod to Maera, he asks, "Did your sister enjoy her gift?"

Bryn is still looking around curiously as they approach the pair, but his attention turns quickly back to Arn and Maera as the former greets Aeron. "Hello," he adds, not as formal as he likely should be speaking to nobles.

"It needs lead in the hilt." Maera says to Aeron. "It's too light for the silly thing. When she gets a real sword in her hand it'll be too heavy." Remembering her manners, she gives Aeron a small little smile and a nod of the head. "We did use your idea, though, and we've only had four broken bottles so far." Bryn's hello earns another little nod from her.

Arn gives a nod to Bryn's hello and even respond with a, "Good afternoon." He raises an eyebrow as the other two speak of gifts and hten asks, "What brings you by this way this afternoon?"

Aeron smiles in approval to Maera, "I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully no wine was lost? Only water?" The smile widens and is turned to Arn. "Ah, well, I thought we'd take in the sights. Perhaps see what homes could use a little burgling." He looks down at Bryn, and gives him a wink even if he doesn't catch his eye.

Eonn enters the wynd from Hightower Street.
Eonn has arrived.

Bryn giggles just a little at Aeron's comment, giving him a grin, but then he looks back to the others again. Rocking a little on the balls of his feet, he doesn't make a comment himself, just looking to see their reactions.

Maera is leaned against the gate to the Sailmaker's Manse, speaking to Arn, Aeron, and Bryn. Arn is in closer proximity while Aeron and Bryn are several feet away. She says in a dry voice to Aeron, "And here I thought all Targaryen's had an ample allowance."

Arn shakes his head, 'I will assume that was a joke." He does however give Bryn a bit of a stern look. He then chuckles a bit, "I am sure the good Ser is not in that dire need of funds."

"Expensive tastes," Aeron replies to Maera, bringing his smile back to her and offers a little shrug, feigning some bit of innocence and probably failing. "Not a Ser, sergeant.. or captain, perhaps? No, not a Ser, just a humble lord of Targaryen trying to make his way in this unforgiving city…" His voice lowers a bit, "…to the taverns and brothels that is." His volume returns to normal and adds, "You can just call me Aeron."

A brown tabby cat comes down the wynd, waving its tail.

Bryn grins a little more at the stern look from Arn, but he answers, "I'm not a burglar. Too small, couldn't carry enough away to be worth it." He might be joking, here, or might not, but he's still grinning.

"My poor Lord of Targaryen." Her voice lowers as well as she says, "Surely the madams and tavern owners would have pity on you." Maera gives Aeron a rare genuine smile that causes little dimples to form in her cheeks. At the sight of the tabby she shakes her head softly before observing, "Another one."

Arn nods to Aeron, "Just Aeron it is then." he then introduces himself, "I am Ser Arn tully." He extends a hand to the Taryargen. He then gives a bit of a grin to Bryn.

Aeron ponders Maera's words and returns the smile. "I like your thinking. I shall try that tactic." He clasps Bryn's shoulder. "See, Ser Arn? Too small to carry enough away. Nothing to be worried about with this young lad here." Aeron removes his hand from Bryn's shoulder to take Arn's with a firm grip. "Another what?" he asks, breaking eye contact and looking skyward. "Oh, I see. Another what?" he repeats, but directs the question to Maera.

Another cat, a white one, appears at the mouth of the wynd a few heartbeats before Eonn does.

Bryn's violet eyes show suddenly even more curiosity as he looks to Arn when he reveals he's a knight, but he gets distracted from any questions he may ask as he, too, looks to see what Maera's talking about. "Cat," he answers Aeron, spotting what Maera was looking at. Then he giggles a little again as he sees Eonn, "Yep, thought so."

Maera stands up straight, and opens the gate to the Sailmaker's Manse for the brown Tabby, "In you go, you little beast. You'd better be a better ratter than the last."

Arn notices the cats the nods ot Bryn, "Usually they are not far from him." he then raises a hand and waves to the sellsword, "Good afternoon.' He greets the man.

"Ah…" Aeron says and directs his attention towards Eonn for a moment. "Yes, quite the collection he has." He looks down at Bryn, then at Arn, "Do you suppose he's cursed?"

Eonn doesn't seem unhappy about the cats that follow him. He comes along the wynd, lifting his hand to reply to Arn. "Good afternoon."

Bryn shakes his head quickly to Aeron, "No. It's not a curse, he likes cats. He'd hate them if it was a curse." He looks back to Maera then, and asks, "Even nobles have to deal with rats?"

"Rats do not understand such concepts as high or low born." Maera says to Bryn, "Castle and Manse kitchens are the worse place for rats. They love all that food."

Arn nods to Bryn, "Everyone has to deal with rats.' he smiles, "someone wiser then I would find a lesson there but to me I think it is just one of those things." he shrugs, then he comments, "Well it would be a strange curse." He then asks the sell-sword, "How dod oyu fare this day?"

"Unless he falls in love with a woman who hates cats," Aeron remarks in a deadpan voice. "Or perhaps he did love a woman who hated cats and he did something in affront to the Seven and was cursed to always have cats around him for the rest of his days to keep him apart from his love." His eyes lose focus for a moment as he stares off into the distance. "That would make a great song!"

"I fare well enough, my lord," Eonn tells Arn. He bows a bit to Maera, adds, "My lady." When he straightens up he looks amused. "I never loved a woman who hated cats, and I don't particularly /feel/ cursed," he remarks.

Bryn looks perhaps a bit thoughtful as he thinks about those answers. That lasts just for a moment, however, as he soon looks back up to Aeron and grins at his idea of a song.

"I am parched." Maera decides suddenly. "So, you all may remain out in the street talking about cat curses, but I am going to go inside and have a glass of wine." She opens the gate to the manse wider. "You are, of course, welcomed to join me."

Arn thinks about that for a moment then says, "Wel li could use a drink myself but I do not want ot abuse your hospitality." He then nods to Eonn, "I do not see you as wone would would feel cursed."

"Well, a good story for a song nonetheless," Aeron replies. Of course, he perks at the invite to drink, "I would be delighted to!" He's not bashful about passing through the gate and stops just past to help hold the gate open. "I surely hope this is not a charade to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me."

Eonn looks at Arn curiously, nods. "You are probably right about that," he says.

"Now, that is just outrageous." Maera says to Aeron as she lets him take a hold of the gate. "Everyone knows us Mormont women take Bears to husband." She pauses to peek around the gate at the men, "None of you are bears, are you?"

Bryn looks up to Maera again at the seemingly open invitation. But, he hesitates before following them inside, asking to be sure, "Me too, m'lady?" The idea of a noble inviting him inside their home is so strange to him, he has to ask to be sure.

Arn shakes his hea, "Well I am surely not a bear." he hten moves to enter the gate. "Besides we should be safe if we stick together." He chuckels a bit at that.

Aeron laughs heartily at Maera. "Oh, I like you."

"I /could/ be," says Eonn. "But it doesn't seem likely. Why would you want to marry a bear, anyway?"

"I'm sure the cook could find a tart for you in the kitchen." Maera says to Bryn. She offers Eon one of her vague little half-smiles, "How else could we find a man who could best us in a fight?" That said, the lady heads beyond the gate into the Manse.

Aeron continues to hold the gate, closing it behind them once everyone has passed into the manse grounds proper.

Bryn smiles brightly at that and says, "Thank you, m'lady." He's remembering his formality now that she's being nice to him. He follows along after the nobles quickly.

Eonn comes in after, waving Aeron in ahead of himself.
Maera goes into Sailmaker's Manse.
Maera has left.
Bryn goes into Sailmaker's Manse.
Bryn has left.
Eonn goes into Sailmaker's Manse.
Eonn has left.

You enter Sailmaker's Manse.
Sailmaker's Manse

This modest stone manse is well appointed, with three levels, each about thirty feet square.
The lowest includes a main hall with a massive stone fireplace, and an exit into the stable. There are no windows facing the wynd, but an arched door and wide windows give a view of a walled garden in the back. The back garden wall is the wall of a house the next alley over, and its windows and those of the surrounding residences might offer a view of the garden, but no access.
The floors above house several chambers of varying sizes, a few with fireplaces joining the single big chimney.
CONTENTS: Eonn(P) Bryn(P) Maera(P)
EXITS:
Appletree Wynd <AW>
Arn comes in from the wynd.
Arn has arrived.

Arn enters the Manse and does give it a good look over and he smiles, "This is a fine house." He says. He htne gives Maera another quick bow, "Thank you for your hospitality."

"The pleasure is mine, ser." Maera says to Arn as she leads her newly acquired guests into the main hall of the manse. She says to a young servant girl. "Bring wine, and see if your mother has any sweet rolls or tarts left for the boy." The girl curtseys before scurying off, and Maera heads to the table to sit down at the head.

Following the party, Aeron breaks off to take residence next to the stone fireplace. He nods appreciatively at the interior and eagerly awaits the arrival of the wine. "Do you Mormont women sing any drinking songs, or do you leave that to your bears?"

Eonn doesn't come to sit down, at least not yet. Instead he pads about the rooms. He wears soft-soled boots and is practically noiseless, slinking about.

The wine is promptly brought out, along with a sweet roll and a cup of milk for Bryn. She passes the wine out before curtseying again and scurrying back into the kitchen as quickly as she came.

Arn takes one of the glasses of wine nad sips it, "Thank you, Lady Mormont." he then smiles, "Well I could regal you with songs from the Riverlands but I do not want ot me kicked out so soon." He chuckles.

"Oh, you do not want to hear me sing." Maera says in an apologetic tone, "Lady Ulyka is quite a talented lute player, but she is out at the moment." She has a swallow of her wine before nodding her head towards Aeron, "Undoubtably, you have a song or two?"

Aeron nods affirmatively as he takes a few generous sips of the wine. "A few you all would know and many more you haven't," he says. Raising his wine glass to toast Maera. "And none of them suitable for young master Bryn's ears." He grins widely at the revelation.

Eonn stalks silently up the stairs.

Arn looks to Bryn and then to Aeron, 'Well if he is like most children on the street he likely knows them as well as youdo but still there is something o be said for propriety.'

Bryn smiles brightly as the picks up the sweet roll, "Thank you." He takes a bite, quietly listening while the adults talk about singing, but at Aeron's comment he rolls his eyes. "My mum owned a tavern. Probably heard them all already."

Maera's eyes turn to watch Eonn go up the stairs, but she makes no move to stop him. "If you are around when lady Ulyka returns perhaps she can play the lute to accompany you."

Aeron follows Maera's out of curiousity; curiousity that is sated by another long sip of the wine. "So, you say," he says to Bryn. "Well perhaps you all will be delighted to hear one of the drinking songs from the Free Cities, then?"

Arn looks over to Aeron, "I would not mind a song, though that choice is really a matter for the lady of the house."

Bryn nods to Aeron and smiles, definitely looking interested in a song from far away. He doesn't say anything, though, just quietly eating his sweetroll and taking a drink of milk.

Maera lifts her cup of wine in way of giving consent. "Please do."

Aeron finishes the wine in one swig and walks to refill the goblet. "Very well," he says and clears his throat in a most exaggerated manner. "Let's start off a little easy first." His foot taps the floor and he begins singing, barely passably, the drinking song, "I am the jolly prince of drinkers, ranting, roaring, fuddling boys ! Who take a delight in tossing full tankards, Filling the ale-house with my noise. Ten gallons at a draught did I pour down my throat. But hang such silly sips as these; I laid me all along with my mouth unto the bung, and I drank off a hogshead at my ease!" He repeats the song a couple of times, trying to encourage each person to sing a line with gestures from his wine goblet.

Eonn comes padding back down the stairs, now pausing to look at the source of the song. He appears rather skeptical, and hesitates for a bit before heading to the table to help himself to a glass of the wine.

Arn smiles adn appluads the song, but does not sing a line of his own he will though repeat a bit of the song when the goblet is pointed towards him.

"Oh dear." Maera says once Aeron is finished with his song. She claps in a polite manner before asking, "And which free city is that from?"

Bryn grins at the song. When his turn comes to sing a line, he does so with exhuberance. He's actually got a decent voice, untrained but a natural singer. After his turn, he returns to finishing his sweetroll, but swinging his feet under his chair in time with the beat until the song ends.

Aeron makes an exaggerated bow and upends the goblet, much like the prince of drinkers in the song. "That, my dear lady, was a song I learned while in Pentos. Perhaps you all would like to hear one from Lys?"

Eonn swallows. He's got a 'why is this happening?' sort of expression on his face, but he doesn't say anything. He swallows some wine.

Maera looks amused, but she has yet to join in with the singing. "Goodness, I thought the last one was from Lys, what with the fuddling of boys." She casually takes a sip from her wooden goblet.

Arnlooks over to Eonn and says, "You look as if yu are not used ot merriment." He then looks back to Aeron, "I will not speak against another song."

Bryn glances up to Eonn, sipping his milk, but doesn't make any comment. He looks back to Maera and Aeron. Probably because he doesn't know anything about Lys, he doesn't seem to get Maera's comment. He nods quickly, though, "I'd like to hear it."

"Very well, tis a long one," Aeron says and takes a long sip. "At least that's what the lasses tell me." He chuckles and waggles his eyebrows. "Now… when I point to you, master Bryn, you will sing "She was young and fair, the birds were singing in the air". And when I point to the rest of you, you sing "Fa la lah la lah dee dah". Savvy?" He doesn't wait for acknowledgement and begins the song.
"It was on a beautiful evening they say," he points to Arn.

Arn laughs a bit and sings out when he is pointed to. "Fa la lah la lah dee dah". Savvy?", maybe he was a bit to literal with his understanding of the instructions. It turns out despite his earlier comments he does nto have a bad singing voice.

Aeron grins and contines, "When a lady was walking a lonesome way. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! The king and his soldiers came riding along." Aeron points to Eonn.

Eonn shakes his head a bit to Arn, but stands there drinking wine and listening to this singing with considerable skepticism. When pointed to he justs holds his hands out in that exaggerated shrug that means, 'who? me? what?'

Aeron shakes his head and continues, "Fa la lah la lah dee dah! They'd been away from home so long." Aeron points to Maera and then to Bryn.

Maera doesn't sing. She says in her flat voice, "Fa la lah."

Bryn, when Aeron points to him, sings with a cheerful smile, "She was young and fair, the birds were singing in the air."

"They suddenly stopped when they spied the maid. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! 'Why are you walking alone so late?'" Aeron sings and points to Arn.

Eonn gives Maera a questioning sort of look.

"'I'm on my way from my grandmother's home.' Fa la lah la lah dee dah! He said, 'This is a dangerous place to roam!'" Aeron sings and tries Eonn again with a gesture of his goblet and also points to Bryn.

Eonn just shrugs this time. He sings, "Fa lah la la lad dee dah," correctly. Not a bad voice, really. He's not exactly into it, though.

Arn sings along more coerrectly this time and then finishes his glass of wine, "This is fun but I fear i must be departing, i do have other matters that I should attend to." he then gives a quick bow to Maera, " I thank you agian.'

Aeron nods to Arn, waving a farewell and continues "'So come with me to my castle grand,' Fa la lah la lah dee dah! He smiled at her and he kissed her hand. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! There's one condition before I agree. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! There's something between your legs I'd like to see. He now points to Maera.

Eonn watches for Maera's response to that one.

Maera rises when Arn says he shall be departing. "Ser, thank you for joining in with us." The servant girl, pressed against the wall and watching the scene with a wide-eyed look, steps forward to escort the Tully knight out.

When Aeron points at her she doesn't sing. Instead, she kneels down to take a dagger from her boot, which is technically between her legs, and casually tosses it on the table. "Something like that?"

Aeron holds back a chuckle and sings 'Fa la lah la lah dee dah!' with a wide grin on his face. "The king he blushed and dismounted his horse. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! He wanted to take the lady by force. Fa la lah la lah dee dah!" Aeron sings and points to Bryn again.

Arn goes out the main door to the wynd.
Arn has left.

Bryn blinks as the dagger is pulled out, looking surprised, but he's smiling again and sings his part once again when Aeron points to him, "She was young and fair, the birds were singing in the air."

"She jumped upon his horse so quick. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! He soon realized her insidious trick. Fa la lah la lah dee dah! 'Farewell, dear king, you're generous and fine.' Fa la lah la lah dee dah! 'What's been between your legs is now between mine!'" Aeron finishes, his voice breaking from the inability to hold back laughter, and then raising his arms to encourage everyone to repeatedly sing the final chorus, "And then she went away! Fa la lah la lah dee dah! Over the hills and far away!"

Eonn puts a hand over his eyes and drags it down his face.

Maera doesn't sit down. Instead, she picks up the jug of wine and makes her way towards Eonn. Tipping wine into his glass, she offers him a little smile, "Drink up. You'll feel less embarassed for everyone else."

Bryn, though it seems to only be him and Aeron singing now that Arn's left, joins in on the final chorus as well, smiling.

Eonn glances to Maera, nods, and obeys. Maybe a little eagerly.

Aeron tips back the goblet and makes another little bow. "It does sound better when there's minstrels playing. If you all will excuse me, I need to locate the nearest chamber pot." He sets down the empty goblet and waits for direction.

"Jeyne." Maera calls to the young servant girl. "Go find your mother, and have her direct our Lord of Targaryen to the privy." The girl does so, and soon enough a husky looking older woman comes to direct Aeron to a place to piss.

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