CLOSED

[sulahnan]

WHO: Kostos
WHAT: Weird friends bonding over drinks!
WHEN: After elf shit I guess
WHERE: The Gallows, and then The Lost Tavern in Kirkwall
NOTES: Drinking, etc.

[ It's late enough that Athessa knows--assumes, anyway--that Kostos will be in his room. She takes the time to press an ear to the door just in case, and when there aren't any sounds that hint at Kostos having company, she connects her knuckles with the wood.

Rap-a-tat-tap. Pause. Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-- ]

Kostos? Y'there? [ Her whispered question is quieter than it needs to be, and definitely quieter than her tap-tapping, which doesn't cease. If she's annoying enough, she gets attention. She learned that early. ]

Comments

[exequy]

[ It's not too late to go drinking. It's exactly the right hour. And Athessa is decent company for it. And it hasn't actually occurred to him, yet, that he should wear more clothes.

So the fact that he plants his feet and pulls his hand back is just reflex. Reflexive stubbornness. He does it without thinking about why he's doing it, and then does think about it, and is left standing there frowning and feeling sort of stupid, like he's started arguing out of principle with someone he actually agrees with and doesn't know what to say. ]

—let me put on a shirt.

[ There. Nailed it.

When he goes back into his room to do that, he leaves the door open instead of shutting it in her face. That's a compliment. ]

[sulahnan]

[ She tips her head, shrugs one shoulder, leans against the doorframe. ]

I mean, if you gotta— [ At this point, thirst is just how they communicate, without expectation.

Not that she’d be against another go, clearly, but...well... ]

I’m thinking Lost Tavern. [ Sound good? Not that it matters. ]

[exequy]

[ He’s gotta. Boots too. But it’s nice to be appreciated, for once. ]

As long as— [ a gesture, while he’s busy with laces; he doesn’t know his name ] —the barkeep with the missing teeth is not working. He does not like me.

[ It’s warranted. He returns to the door. ]

And you’re too small to hide behind.

[sulahnan]

[ Wow, rude. And completely true. She is quite small. ]

Pretty sure Old Toothless [ she doesn't know his name either ] is dead now.

Choked on a tooth that fell into this throat while he was sleeping or something. Not sure if that's considered ironic or just gross.

[exequy]

[ Both, his expression says, in a contemplative way, while he shuts the door and heads for the stairs. ]

I wish I had known. I would have made time to spit on his pyre.

[ Not really. Probably not really. Maybe. ]

[sulahnan]

[ She let's out a snort of a laugh, which would've been embarrassing if she gave a shit about acting like a lady. ]

Yeah, like he'd be important enough for a pyre. They probably just dumped him in the gutter like the rest of us Lowtown trash.

[ That was supposed to be a joke but came out a little dark, didn't it... ]

[exequy]

[ A little.

He only gives her a look, in the moment, but later—in the tavern, which is free of toothless bartenders as promised, and half a drink in—he says, ]

Do you want a pyre? If you die.

[ As opposed to being burned alive. Clearly. ]

[sulahnan]

[ Her drink stops halfway to her mouth at the question, but it’s a brief pause. ]

Won’t need one. I’ll either never die, [ defense mechanism #1 speaking ] or I’ll go out in a blaze of glory fighting a dragon. Burnt that way, or eaten. [ and there’s defense mechanism #2. ]

[exequy]

There are worse ways to go.

[ He can respect a solid defense mechanism. ]

Unless she takes you to her young to pull apart and eat in pieces.

[sulahnan]

[ Ah. Somehow, she hadn’t thought of that option. Even to someone with her...particular interests, being literally torn to pieces is a bit much. ]

I mean...I could probably kill a few baby dragons... [ Ahem. Change the subject? Let’s talk about you ]

I bet you’ll get a pretty impressive pyre, huh? All black, even before it’s charred?

[exequy]

Probably. [ He doesn't sound thrilled. He takes a drink. A long one. Long enough for him to decide not to completely stonewall her. ] Nevarrans do not burn their dead. But my family is not welcome in Nevarra any longer, so—

[ He shrugs, but he's not a good enough actor for it to be a convincing demonstration of not caring. He cares. But not enough to have some sort of prolonged sulk about it. ]

Perhaps I will live forever, too.

[sulahnan]

Great! [ It takes only a second to assess that neither one of them is drunk enough to get really real about families in exile, not belonging, not being wanted or welcome, etc. so Athessa latches on to the more lighthearted option. ]

I won’t have to watch you die, and you’ll have my excellent company to keep you entertained.

[ She raises her drink in a mock toast and downs the last of it. ]

[exequy]

[ He tips his drink toward her in a more subdued echo of the toast and finishes it off, too. ]

Do you want another? [ A beat. ] Keep in mind that I am not carrying you anywhere later.

[ Empty threat. ]

[sulahnan]

Please. I'm gonna drink you under the table!

[ Even emptier threat. Probably not even physically possible. ]

But don't worry, I'll be gracious and carry you.

[exequy]

How kind.

[ He would pay to watch her carry—Nikos. Not him. He has his pride.

Anyway, he stands up, and adds, ] In that case, I can have two more.

[ Which he’ll be back with, shortly, and another for her as well. ]

[sulahnan]

[ As long as the coin goes into her pockets she'll embarrass herself trying to carry anyone.

Even Kostos' pride. ]

Know any good drinking games? [ She asks it as he's sitting down, the drinks set between them, and she grins from behind hers. It's her way of letting him set the pace of their inebriation, because if he leaves it up to her, she'll set them on the quickest path. ]

[exequy]

[ He's quiet for a second—situating the multiple drinks, thinking about other times and other people—before offering, ]

The one where you tell two truths and a lie. Or never have I ever—they've played that one on the sending crystals.

Or we could flip a coin and try to call it.

[sulahnan]

You said two truths and a lie first, so let's go with that one.

First person to go is whoever lied last. [ Cheeky. Kind of like starting the game early, in a way. ]

[exequy]

That would be you, [ obviously, ] saying you were going to drink me under the table and then carry me.

[sulahnan]

That doesn't count, it hasn't happened or not happened yet! So it's not a lie, it's--

[ Grasping at straws. They both know who has the advantage at both drinking and carrying, here. ] --a prediction.

[exequy]

A prediction you know is horse shit.

[ He takes a drink, prematurely, because at this rate starting the game might take a while. ]

If I told you I would fly home, that would be a lie, too.

[sulahnan]

Oh fine. [ She wants to point out that he has magic, he probably could fly home. Maybe. Can mages fly? Hm. ]

I can do the splits, [ He should knows that one, ] I've never broken a bone, and...I don't like wine.

[exequy]

[ Splits one is obviously true. The other two—he tries to imagine Athessa's life, what he knows of it, without a single broken bone. Improbable. Not impossible, but since he has to guess: ]

Surely you've broken something. A toe.

[sulahnan]

[ More than just a toe, but he guessed right. ] I have broken toes before, and then some. Fingers, too. This arm, these ribs, this collarbone.

[ She takes her loss and drinks it down. Lightly drums her fingers on the table. ]

Your turn.

[exequy]

I’m thinking.

[ Halfway. Self-examination isn’t his strong suit. And he’s distracted. ]

How did you break your collarbone?

[sulahnan]

Don't strain yourself.

[ Hmm. She purses her lips. ]

You want the long or the short version of that story?

[exequy]

Short.

[ Or long. He doesn't care, except that he can't start letting people think he wants to hear them go on for ages about anything, friends or not. ]

[sulahnan]

[ She shrugs. ]

I fell off a balcony.

[exequy]

[ After a moment of reluctant deliberation: ]

Long.

[sulahnan]

A while back I was in Rivain, pulling odd jobs and trying to make a name for myself, and I ended up with a theater troupe who needed someone flexible. I started off just doing the simple bendy stuff, but then they wanted someone to do flips and I said Eh, why not? because I can do flips--

[ This is actually not even the long-long version, so be grateful for this stalling time, Kostos. ]

--but then flips became aerial contortionist tricks and I had to swing from one side of this theater to the other, land on the balcony, and transition to the next trick. I fucked up the landing and ended up falling backwards over the railing.

[ She shrugs again, like it's the kind of story everyone has about their own life. ]

Still your turn.

[exequy]

[ It isn't the sort of story everyone has about their own lives. He's pretty sure, anyway. He doesn't know a lot about people's lives outside of the Circle—all that time, all that space—but he knows enough to narrow his eyes at her like he thinks she might be shitting him but isn't willing to call her on it. ]

Right.

[ His turn. ]

Mm. I bit my first Circle instructor. My great-grandmother was a pirate. And I've memorized the Canticle of Transfigurations, but none of the others.

[sulahnan]

That one. The last one. [ She doesn't know what a Canticle is but you don't just add addenda to something that's true.

Aaand not that he'd need a reason, but...]

Why'd you bite them?

[exequy]

Because I didn’t want to attend lessons. He tried carrying me.

[ But he doesn’t drink. Just gestures expectantly to hers.

He’s not some sort of amateur. ]

[sulahnan]

Does that mean you'll bite me if I carry you home?

[ So disappointing that his great-grandmother wasn't actually a pirate. But she takes a drink anyway. It's hardly losing when you get to get drunk off of it. ]

Ok, ummmm... I have never worn shoes, can't tell the difference between red and green, and... [ She taps her fingers on the glass. ] I almost bit through my tongue once.

[exequy]

[ He nods, straight-faced—he will bite her if she carries him, yes—and then spends a moment contemplating her face (and not her feet) before he decides. ]

The first one.

[sulahnan]

Okay you're too good at this, [ Of course it can't be that she's a notoriously bad liar.

She takes another drink, and puffs out her cheeks. ]

I really gotta up my game, huh.

[exequy]

What? No.

[ He frowns at his drink, then at her. ]

I was trying to lose. I want to drink. Fuck. What do you mean, you can't tell the difference between red and green?

[sulahnan]

They look the same! [ This makes all of three people who know that about her. ]

Gwen had me try on shoes for that dumb etiquette party.

[exequy]

They are completely different.

[ How does this happen! Why didn't he learn about it as a child! ]

Can you tell when the leaves change colors in the fall?

[sulahnan]

[ She frowns and shakes her head. What, no, what the fuck are you on about? ]

I mean they kinda get darker I guess? I didn't know there were different kinds of apples until someone asked if I wanted a red one or a green one.

[exequy]

I suppose that means you can't tell me whether they both look red or both look green.

[sulahnan]

You suppose right. C'mon, it's your turn. The longer we talk about colors the soberer we get.