“Greeting young traveler! What brings you this, our fine establishment?”
Julie, with permission that she not wander too far, had left the reception area to explore the lobby of the hotel. Currently she found herself in what she assumed to be a sort of food court or bar. The exterior had been modeled after a stereotypical European fantasy tavern., and the inside seemed to follow suit. Immediately after closing the large oaken door behind her, she began to smell the various drinks and refreshments they had to offer. The “tavern” was a rather spacious area consisting of the main bar and a few dining areas with large wooden tables. It was quite full, with patrons chatting away in every corner. Quite a few of them were in costume as all kinds of fantasy races: Elves, Dwarves, and even an Orc or two. The bartender was a young man, dressed in fantasy peasant garb of tan trousers and a black vest, and a puffy sleeved white shirt underneath. He smiled warmly as he cleaned out a large beer mug. Behind him Julie could see several large barrels. She quickly noticed that although they looked like authentic wooden barrels, the taps more closely resembled those of a soda fountain you would find in a modern restaurant. However, she didn’t recognize the brand.
Julie, who lived for this kind of cheesy nerd stuff, quickly got into character.
“Good, sir, might thou hath something for this *poor*, *parched* *soul*? I have traveled many moons and am in great need of invigoration.” She announced, intentionally emphasizing her words melodramatically. The bartender chuckled. “Indeed we do mine fair lady.” He quickly pulled out a menu(naturally, it was in the style of worn parchment paper and the words were in “Old English Text” font for maximum effect) labeled “for Princes and Princesses”.
Taking the menu, Julie took a look at the soda section. Each one was named after a fantasy race and a flavor:
Pixie Fruit Punch
Orcish Orange
Dwarven Dewberry
Dragon-Fruit
High-Elf Honeydew.
There were others, but those were the ones that stuck out to her now. She contemplated for a few minutes before making her choice. Unbeknownst to her, her choice would make her vacation take a turn….for the fantastical.