Abson was another name for absinthe. Some said the liquor took its name from its first brewer, a forest elf called Abson that lived in the mountains of Central Asia, much as monkey wine took its name from monkeys. Others claimed it was invented by a wizard named Abson and was therefore called Abson liquor (Note 1).
Of course, legends were legends because no one could prove them.
One thing people said about the liquor, however, could be verified. It had a rich, fragrant flavor but tasted light, with a hint of bitterness. In a sense, it combined the lightness of Green Bee with the aroma of Amber Light.
After reciting a short poem, Sephrano sipped his drink, smacked his lips, and sighed. "Absinthe may be the most poetic thing in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and the setting sun? I can feel great clusters of tulips caressing my soul..."
Why do all the big shots love talking about poetry and philosophy so much? Arthur Ness grumbled to himself.
Listening to Sephrano was painful. You could miss something important without realizing it, but if you paid close attention the whole time, you felt as though you were being hypnotized.
Arthur Ness had heard members of the Xiangqi Society complain about it under their breath more than once, though he had never thought much of it.
Which wizard in Alpha Castle didn't love quoting the classics and speaking at length? Sir Friedman was no exception. Before getting to his point, he always liked to spend five minutes recounting the glorious history of the Callan Family and the weighty legacy of the Black Family.
The older a young wizard's family, the more pronounced that habit became.
"You seem uneasy?" Sephrano abruptly stopped talking about the wine