( Astrid sniffs the cup, and her nose wrinkles but she also can’t help but grin at that eye-watering astringent strength of it. )

I’m gonna make you try my akvavit. I’ve got some steepin’ down at the tavern, it’s just got maybe a week left. I forced some people to be taste-testers for the herb mixture earlier, so you’d get to be experiment number two.

( Then she goes ahead and takes a swig; maybe a little too much, unwisely, so her face crumples into that potent blow and she wipes off her mouth with the back of her hand. And it’s thanks to her strong stomach, her preference for liquor that can punch you in the face, the Avvars’ tendency to drink so many people under the table, but: )

What are you talking about, this is great.