"I don't see why not," Titus relented, taking a moment to properly put away his things. He did not want to risk one of Hadrians wayward beasts ruining his stuff. "What kind of drinks do you have?"

Hadrian Nott

  

“You pick a country on that globe,” Hadrian said, nodding at one on the side (because why do things the dull way, when one could do them with flair?), “and I’ll introduce you to their best refreshments.”

Titus wasn’t wrong; beyond all the plants and creatures and natural wonders he had come across in his years of travelling, he had also racked up quite the collection of alcoholic drinks.

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set by bee!

Titus could pick his battles now and then and saw no reason to deny his brother a bit of whimsy. He went over to the globe and gave it a good spin. He stopped it with his finger and looked to see which country they had ended up. "Ah, Asia," he informed the other.

Hadrian Nott

  

“Lovely,” Hadrian said, as he led the way to a drinks cabinet down the hall, in one of the study rooms he had overtaken with his taxidermy collection. Asia. Plenty of choices. He surveyed a row, trying to decide just how kind or cruel he might be to his brother’s presumably-less-adventurous taste palette. “Alright – let’s be more specific. Will it be the best of Goa, of Java, or Maotai in China?”

Hadrian didn’t wait for an answer: he took down some bottles and began to pour his brother out a tasting flight of shots of all three. Feni, from fermented Goan cashew apples, fruity and pungent; some cap tikus from Java, homemade distilled and (highly potent) palm wine; and then a variety of Chinese baijiu, their grain-based liquor, from a town called Maotai.

A shot of all three might be enough to do Titus in, but they would see.

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set by bee!

Titus reluctantly followed his brother to the drinks cabinet once he was sure his ancient tomes would be secure. Titus knew of those places and of their offerings - but not so much how each thing might actually taste.

"You expect me to drink all three of these? I am not a drunkard." Still, Titus didn't find himself wholly adverse. After all, the shot glasses weren't so large as to alarm him about his brothers liver.

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“I never said you were,” Hadrian argued, grinning. “This is an important study of culture, I’ll have you know.” (That was why travelling the world was endless fun – there were so many new things to try and taste and do that simply couldn’t be gained from all Titus’ books.)

“Try the feni first,” he suggested, handing Titus the shot from Goa, his plan being to move swiftly on to the next option if it went down badly. (He suspected it might, but it should have some effect on loosening his brother up – it was as potent in alcoholic content as it was smelly.) “It’s an – acquired taste.”

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set by bee!