Rialdian
Rialdian let the last note linger, careful to regulate the deep breath he'd taken in preparation. There was a moment of silence after the note died out before the crowd errupted into applause. Another succesful performance. Rialdan waited for the rest of the ensemble, two gitarists, a flutist and a drummer, to join him before taking a deep, sweeping bow.

He grinned as he looked out over the dispersing crowd and clapped the drummer on the shoulder. "Well done, Thrin. I say we all head for the wineskins."

"What, you thought we'd go somewhere else?" Thrin replied with a grin. "Just don't let Rennia find out, she's convinced that we ought to keep sober to save our voices."
"I say the drunker you are, the better your voice," Kamino, one of the gitarists remarked as he carefully placed his gitar back in it's case. "We're not expected to perform for another sevenday anyway."

"You are all disgusting," Rennia declared from where she was busy cleaning her flute. "We do have to be sober enough to stumble onto the boat tonight if we want to get to our next performance."

"You wouldn't let any of us fall over the gangplank, Ren," Rialdian insisted. "Especially me. Whatever would you do if I caught a cold and couldn't sing?"

"Jump for joy," Rennia replied. "And don't think I wouldn't laugh while you were freezing your hind end off in the water either."

"Naw, you'd fish him out to make sure his front didn't suffer any harm," Yazin, the other gitarist, wondered and ducked in time to avoid a slap from Rennia, who kicked him instead.

"I swear, I'm not sure why I joined an all male ensemble," Rennia complained. "I get nothing but grief from any of you."

"You know we love you Ren," Rialdian assured her. "And whatever the rest of them have to say, I think you'd make a lovely bed ornament."

"You're all the same, and that's exactly the reason why I go elsewhere for romance," Rennia reminded them. "Maybe if you weren't so shallow."

"Oh come on," Thrin drawled, "what's that wimp Darikan got that we don't have?"

"A brain that's not located in his trousers, thoughts, eyes that always find my face, muscles, a great sense of clean humor" Rennia replied, counting off the reasons on her fingers. "Need I say more?"

"Boys, I believe we've just been severly insulted," Kamino announced. "Us, and the entire male gender except for Darikan."

"I am not shallow nor do I think from my trousers!" Rialdian protested. "And I've been working on that eye thing."

"Alright," Rennia grabbed Rialdian's chin in her hand and pulled his face towards her. "Look me in the eyes. Nope, still looking down."

Rialdian rubbed his chin. "May I say that you're wearing a very lovely tunic tonight?"

"May I slap you?" Rennia retorted.

"If you two are done flirting," Yazin drawled, "I was thinking it might be nice to have something to drink this turn."

"We're not flirting. Just wait til we're drunk," Rialdian scoffed. "Then you'll see some flirting."

The five harpers started towards the drinking tables, various instruments swinging at their sides. They found an empty table with plenty of wineskins and claimed it as their own. Withing fifteen minutes, they were all roaring drunk.

"I'd like to make a toast," Thrin said, raising his wine goblet with a wobbly hand, "to everyone in our group," he paused to take a sip. "To Rialdan, may his voice survive, to Rennia, may her un-shallowness survive, to Kamino, my his fingers never get hurt, to Yazin, may his wine last, and finally to me, may my cup always be full!"

He promptly downed the rest of his wine and then refilled his goblet, wine sloshing over the side. "You men are so disgusting," Rennia, drunk as any of them, remarked. "It just makes me want to slap someone." She reached out and slapped Thrin, who grinned and tried to kiss her hand.

"I'd like to make a toast too," Rialdian added, holding up his wine goblet and spilling wine down his front in the process. "Also to Rennia. May she make sure to get more of those 'special herbs' before she sees Darikan again so she doesn't get- ow! That was mean!" Rialdian shook his now wine-soaked hair, for Rennia had silenced him with a hit on the head from her goblet.

"That's rude!" Yazin agreed, and gave Kamino a crack on the head with his own goblet. "How'd that feel, Kam?"

Kamino downed the rest of his wine and hit Yazin back. "Like that!" he replied, and then broke down into hysterical laughter.

At some point that evening, the Captain of the boat which was scheduled to take Rialdian and his ensemble to their next performance came and herded them onto the boat. Rialdian collapsed greatfully into his bed, dreading the inviteable hangover as he drifted into sleep. � � �
When Rialdian awoke the next morning...