Amentia

Chapter 40 - Quite a night

The celebration didn't end after the play. The audience didn't let the troupe go back to the caravan without a proper thank you for the laughs; they hadn't asked for payments after all. Az insisted they didn't need to do this, that plenty of creatures had given them gifts the day before. It was of no use. In less than half an hour, the neighbors of the area organized a feast. They brought out tables, cutlery, snacks and drinks. Basically, it was a party. They wanted to celebrate both the play and the creatures they had lost in those terrible events. Somehow getting drunk and dancing to improvised folk music in the park was a respectful way to honor the dead. The girls had no complaints about it.

Nati and Anna were glad to finally be able to have an alcoholic drink around here. There was a drink that tasted remarkably similar to vodka and another one that tasted bittersweet like fernet, so both Anna and Nati were pleased to have found something that reminded them of home. They didn't get blackout drunk but they were certainly tipsy, feeling relaxed after so many days of troubles.

Zoe was fully against drinking alcohol because it severed her connection to the earth while the effects lasted, so she had to find her fun differently. Nina didn't really care for alcohol, although she did try something that was like champagne but made out of flowers instead of fruit, mostly because she was intrigued by the sweet smell; she only had two glasses of it. As for Meiko, she did enjoy a drink or two if she was in the mood, but she was a sad drunk so she usually avoided it. That night she tried a few different drinks just to find out what the taste was, and since the mood of the place was so cheerful, she was glad to find it contagious. She didn't get drunk enough to dance around carelessly like Nati and Anna did, but she did enjoy herself, which was quite new for her in a place with so many strangers.

Almar and Meira got particularly drunk as well and engaged in quite explicit displays of affection all over the park, though no one seemed to mind or think it inappropriate. Ruvyn and Azariah were responsible for their troupe, so they only drank water and juice and kept an eye on everyone's whereabouts. When no one was watching and away from the big crowds, they slow-danced together even though the music was upbeat, and exchanged sweet glances and knowing smiles as they twirled each other and grabbed their hands and waists again.

Nina was sitting on a table from where she could see the band playing and people gathered dancing around them. Anna was among those people, trying to get Meiko to get up from her seat and dance with her, but Meiko was too shy about it; Nina could see her red cheeks even from a distance. Anna held Meiko's hands and danced in front of her to try to lure her. It made her smile, but it wasn't enough to get her to leave her seat yet.

Adam filtered through the crowd dancing and his eyes found Nina's. He smiled widely, stopped dancing and went over to sit next to her on the table.

"How is your first Amentian feast treating you so far?" he asked ceremoniously, gesturing around with a stretched arm.

"These parties are a regular occurrence?" Nina asked, still looking at the scene in front of her.

Nati approached Anna and helped her convince Meiko to dance. They each grabbed one of Meiko's hands, danced in front of her, and gently pulled her off her seat to drag her to what would be the dance floor if they weren't in the middle of a park. And the three of them danced around together, Meiko slowly loosing up and gaining confidence, and eventually even laughing.

"Creatures sometimes want to thank us for entertaining them by entertaining us back," explained Adam with a smile, his tongue getting a little tangled on the long words.

"You're already drunk, sir!" Nina said to Adam, faking surprise and outrage. "You might want to be careful who you go around dancing with, you could start a fight."