Everywhere he looked, Finn saw a glass of wine. People were sipping them, clinking them, in red, clear, and golden. He suddenly realized just how thirsty he was. Was it the dense population, or was the palace always this hot and stuffy? He looked around for someone, anyone, who seemed to have plenty and enough to part with. His prayers were answered when he spied a man dressed in a silly looking outfit, carrying around a platter of something yellowish. If fortune were to smile down at him even more, the contents would be some good Bridgemontese beer or whiskey.

"Hey! 'Scuse me!" Finn shouted, running up to the costumed man, bumping and jostling a couple of idling guests to cries of outrage. He turned, and his eyes seemed to widen at the rapidly approaching figure. Finn jogged up, breathing heavily from his parched throat. "Sorreh, Yer . . . Sir . . . ness?" he said between breaths. The man stared blankly at him for a few seconds, and answered.

"Yes . . . my lord?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"I jus' happened to notice yeh . . . had a bit of the drink," Finn said. This was quickly getting awkward. "If yeh don' mind . . . could I take a drop of what yer having?"

". . . Certainly. It would be an honor . . . my lord?" he responded, once again waiting a pause or two. Was this custom here in Vertiron? The man pulled a cup from the platter and handed it to Finn, who eagerly emptied the glass in a single gulp. This nearly caused him to gag. Whatever it was, it certainly was not Bridgemontese beer! The drink was thick and sweet and cloying. It felt like drinking a cake. Still, though, it did little to satisfy his thirst.

"Could I perhaps take another, Yer Sirness?" Finn said, and the man quickly offered him another one, which met the same fate as the first. "Thank ye kindly," Finn said, setting the two cups down. The man bowed, and left quickly, probably to refresh his friends. Finn grinned at the receding figure. What a nice, generous fellow. Perhaps, he wasn't feeling so eager to return home later, he could change his course a little and pay a visit to the man's estate for a few days or so. He began to wonder about the costume, and it made him worry a bit. Was everyone supposed to have one?