Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Chapter 48

As most people were outside enjoying the festival, there were several empty tables despite the crowd. The tavern on the ground floor was brightly lit, with pink and purple lanterns hung on every corner.

"Travelers held up by the festival?" A barkeep asked in a friendly tone.

"A pleasant misfortune," Dulce replied.

"Ensbury Spring Festival welcomes everyone. In the spirit of the festivities, the inn will generously supply an endless stream of flower wine if that sparks your interest."

Dulce’s eyes sparkled, intrigued, wine was far too expensive to indulge in, so he wouldn’t turn down such a generous offer. "How kind."

Soon, the table was laden with food and jugs of lavender wine to start. Ruoxi picked up his clay jar of wine, bringing it to his nose. It was heady, the scent of lavender spilling out of the slender neck of the clay jug.

He brought it to his lips for a tentative sip, it was a wine with a subtle but rich taste and a low alcohol content. It was treated like a refreshing drink, and even children and women could freely drink it, yet it stung his tongue, which hadn’t tasted flavor in centuries.

Ruoxi didn’t let that deter him, tipping the jug up and emptying the entire container in one long, deep drink. When he put down the jug, there was a contagious light in his eyes. Despite his eyes being an eye-catching gold, there had been an emptiness about them, but that deep cavernous space was now filled with a little light.

"Is it pleasant?" Dulce asked, reaching for his jug as well.

"It is." Ruoxi answered, his tone a little too heavy for the casual question. He turned to the spread of food in front of him and dug in without reservation, wanting to try a little bit of everything.

"Can you even handle your wine?" Kath’tan stared down Dulce, a disapproving speech about to spill out.

Dulce scratched his head, "A little, do you want to drink with me?"

Kath’tan scowled but reached for his jug, disarmed by the harmless request. "Flower wine is no different from water-"

A loud slam succeeded his words, Ruoxi dropping to the table in a dead faint, his hair nearly getting in the food.

"Maybe not for that shameless fool," Kath’tan went on, drinking down the entire jug at once as well.

Dulce placed his jug down without drinking, gathering up Ruoxi’s hair. The Incubus didn’t stay down for long, rousing shortly to resume eating as if nothing had happened.

"Perhaps I should drink carefully then," Dulce cautioned himself, taking a sip. It was an incredibly pleasant taste, far nicer than the more common grape wines.

Asael quietly ate, putting away large portions of food like he always did. His jug of wine remained untouched, and he showed no interest in it.

"Would you like me to help you with your drink?" Ruoxi reached over to take the jug, the tips of his ears and the corners of his eyes a faint red.

"Perhaps not," Dulce reached across the table to intercept the Incubus plans, taking the jug for himself.

No longer interested in food they could easily get at any city or town, Dulce drank down his jug of wine like it was honey water, emptying Asael’s jug next.

This caught the attention of the table, three Demons staring at him like they expected him to drop to the table as well.

But the Vampire just smiled harmlessly, pale as ever. "Barkeep?" He hailed the attendant over, who was quick to clear out the empty dishes and fill the space with jugs of wine.

Dulce picked up the next jug of wine, sniffing delicately, orange blossoms filled the air around him, the scent of sweet citrus spilling out of the jug. He went through another jug just as fast, turning to the only person who could drink with him.

"Won’t you drink with me, Kath’tan?" He asked again, already clutching another jug of wine to himself.

The clay jugs were much smaller in Kath’tan’s hands, but he picked one up anyway, even though he didn’t care much for flower wine. They were cloyingly sweet, it left a displeasing aftertaste.

Dinner continued peacefully, Asael focusing on his meal and Ruoxi made to do so by Dulce who stopped him from drinking more wine.

Meanwhile, Kath’tan indulged the Vampire, drinking down jug after jug with him, each clay jar sweeter than the last. Soon he slowed to a stop, simply watching Dulce empty jug after jug with a happy smile on his face.

The table was soon cleared save for the ever-increasing jugs of wine the barkeep kept supplying the table, impressed and pleased with Dulce’s ability to put away so much wine. Even if their alcohol content was low, drinking as many as fifteen jugs at once was enough to bring a heavyset man to his knees. So the feat being done by a waifish man was doubly impressive.

Asael reached out to place a palm over the next jug Dulce set his sights on, "You shouldn’t drink any more."

Dulce let out a little burp, catching himself. "You’re right," He backed down, the wine was wasted on him anyway.

He rose to his feet, his balance perfect. It had also grown quite late, although it was difficult to tell with the music of the festival and the people milling around.

It had been a while since Ruoxi had his jug of wine, but the Incubus weaved on his feet slightly, his eyes drooping. It was difficult to tell if it was from being drunk, being sleepy, being satiated, or a drowsy mix of all three.

Without even attempting the walk up to his room, Ruoxi directly warped away. No doubt heading right to bed, the Demon slept as frequently as a human.

Dulce reminded himself to make sure that the Demon safely got to his room when they went up to the stairs, going to Ruoxi’s room first.

The Incubus was laying on the pale pink sheets with all of his clothes on, seeming to be fast asleep.

Dulce was about to walk in to make him more comfortable, only to be caught by Kath’tan and pulled out.

"You still need to feed," The Fiend said impatiently.