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[ Bariyan makes a small protest (are you certain?), but does take the wine back, and drinks from it again. He very much likes the taste of it. Much sweeter, far more palatable.

He nods briefly back towards the martini. ]

That one's too strong for me, I think. I hope you're having a better time with it. [ Bariyan swirls the glass, and frowns. It's already more than half-empty. He's drinking much faster than he'd intended to. He sets the glass down for the moment and grins at the other man. ] How well can you hold your alcohol, Koltira?

[He's going at a decent pace, and the martini is nearly gone--but the glass was also a bit smaller compared to the wine, to be fair. He signals to the bartender for another; the drink has grown on him. He side-eyes Bariyan with a smirk.]

I'm no dwarf, but I manage well enough.

[He takes a deep drink from the fresh martini once it's placed in front of him, as if to underscore the point.]

[ Bariyan laughs, shaking head. ]

That wasn't a challenge. I figured as much, anyway. You'd probably drink me under the table.

Not, ah, that I intend to see if you can. I'm not sure that either of us have enough money for that.

[Aww, too bad. His attention diverts at the mention of 'money', though, as he actually ... has no idea about the currency here. Koltira withdraws some gold pieces from a pouch on his belt and scatters them on the counter; they glow dimly in the weak light.]

Hmm. I hope she'll accept these.

Hm... [ Bariyan looks over at the bartender, who is busy tending to someone else at the other end of the bar. Then he picks up one of the gold pieces and examines it. ] Not sure.

[ He reaches for his jacket and digs around in the pockets until he produces a plastic card, and sets that down next to some of Koltira's coins. ] I have this, too. It's worked for buying other items here.

[ But he pockets it again, quickly, and laughs as he pushes the coins back to Koltira as well. ]

Did you invite me out here without thinking of how to pay? Or were you expecting me to take care of it? [ Bariyan neither looks nor sounds offended, or even surprised -- his eyes are crinkled with amusement. ]

[WELL ... THAT MIGHT BE ... a slight blush on his cheeks, there. Ooops. He hadn't thought about it, honestly. He had just assumed that gold would be sufficient, because it always has been, and why would anyone deal in currency that wasn't real?]

Er, that is--I thought I would be able to take care of it. Ah. Perhaps not? [He rubs the side of his face, clearly chagrined.] My apologies.

[ Aww. Bariyan's charmed. He leans in, taking note of the blush, laughing as he reaches out to pat Koltira on the shoulder. ]

It's all right. Keep your coin, Koltira -- I'll take care of this one. You can make it up to me some other day.

[ Or... perhaps not. Bariyan was still not fully convinced that he would be around long enough for that. This all seemed so dream-like, so temporary; surely he would awaken soon. Back to the edge of a cold blade.

Some of the warmth fades from Bariyan's expression as he draws back, though his smile remains. He deems now a good time to finish off the rest of his wine. ]

I will, of course.

[If I can. He means what he says, but the future is as much mystery to him as anyone else. Better to take it moment by moment, especially in these strange circumstances. He drinks down the martini; soon he'll be in the market for a third.

Koltira glances at Bariyan over the rim of his glass.]

Careful with that wine. It's a deceptive sort of drink.

Is it, now? [ Bariyan watches as the bartender refills the glass, and gives her a smile and a nod when she finishes. He drinks deeply, regardless of Koltira's warning. ] I could use a little deception in my life.

[He watches Bariyan with concern, though his own actions are beginning to take a toll on him. He feels somewhat more lightheaded than usual ... perhaps he ought to slow down with the martini.]

Ah ... if you keep on like that, I'll have to carry you out of here.

[ Bariyan sets the glass down and laughs. He turns in his seat to face Koltira, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, eyeing the other man up and down. ]

That'd be unfortunate. I'm not sure if you'd be able to.

[He makes a 'tch' sound in his throat, leaning forward.]

Please! I could could do so right now, were I inclined.

[ Bariyan leans in as well. He picks up his glass again and drains it, slowly. Then he raises an eyebrow. ]

I don't know. I may be shorter than you, but I'm still quite heavy.

[His eyes flick from the glass to Bariyan as he replies. The light, airy feeling of being just a bit drunk pervades his mind, and he wonders if Bariyan is feeling similar.]

You do look solid ... but --

[He flexes an arm, grinning.] These aren't just for show, you know.

[ This feels strangely dangerous. Bariyan knows that he has no right to be this carefree, to be flirting with a relative stranger like this -- he half-expects Catsovi to show up and put an end to this nonsense.

But he can feel his skin warming after the wine and, hell, if it is all a dream, if it was all temporary, then why not enjoy himself for a bit? ]

Well. [ Bariyan waves the bartender over once more to fill up on the wine. He stretches his legs out as he does so, smiling contentedly. ] You may have a chance to prove yourself, soon. Careful with my back when you do, I'm an old man and my spine's wearing out.

[ That, and some of his more minor injuries still remained around his lower back. Bariyan shook his head, and put that out of mind. ]

[Koltira hasn't forgotten how Bariyan flinched over his touch, but what the hell. Bariyan's shown some comfort with him since then, and he's a little bit soused besides. If there's any rejection this time, Koltira vows to accept it quickly and graciously, as before, and not to force the issue.

That decided, he leans in; mmurmurs.]

I'll be gentle, I promise.

[and with that, he kisses Bariyan gently, his lips just brushing Bariyan's cheek.]

[ Well, that makes putting things out of mind much easier.

Bariyan blinks at the kiss, turns his head, and-- freezes in the moment. He looks at Koltira blankly, much the same as he had when Koltira had first touched him. His mind immediately races to ask what Koltira wants of him -- how to best please the man -- how to mitigate the situation -- before he realizes this is entirely the wrong way to think.

He thinks about Koltira, instead. Koltira, who has been nothing but kind to him ever since Bariyan arrived. Kind, warm, well-meaning. Bariyan likes him, certainly. Perhaps a little too much, considering that Bariyan's days are numbered.

But.... ]

Ah. [ Bariyan drops his eyes and inclines his head just slightly, his cheek pressing briefly against Koltira's jaw in something like a nuzzle. The warmth of Koltira's skin pressed against his own spurs him on. ] I'd appreciate that. Very much.

[ He pulls his debit card back out and slides it over the counter for the bartender. And then reaches for Koltira's hand. ]

[Koltira doesn't want anything in particular, at least not precisely for himself. Despite the humor and the smiles, Koltira can tell that Bariyan is just a little too given to laughter; that his cheer is, at least in part, an affectation for the benefit of others. He doubts that he can convince Bariyan to let it go--doubts they have enough time for that--but he hopes to at least provide some measure of relief.

The blank expression worries him, and he's about to withdraw, but then Bariyan seems to reciprocate. Koltira takes his reaching hand, holds it with gentle firmness, and kisses Bariyan again--this time on the lips. He's soft, uncertain, still worried about frightening Bariyan away, but he does his best to convey what he's feeling through the kiss: I'm here for you. I'll look after you. I am your friend.]

[ Cat, Catsovi, Cat, the name runs through his head as Koltira kisses him -- oh, gods, would Cat have been angry. But Cat's not here. Cat has long since gone, left on his own way, as hard as Bariyan had tried to hold him back.

And Bariyan wants this.

Bariyan breaks away as gently as he can before the bartender returns with his card. He doesn't take his eyes off Koltira as he pockets it again, as he shrugs back into his jacket and slides out of his seat. His hand is still closed around Koltira's.

He smiles again, betraying none of the uncertainty that he's feeling. ]

Let's go, shall we?

[Koltira squeezes Bariyan's hand, nodding, sliding off of the seat. He's a little dazed with drink, but his equilibrium is intact; he has no trouble walking forward with even steps--though he can't stop looking at Bariyan, either.

He murmurs.]

Yes, I think that would be a good idea.

[ Bariyan leads them out. His steps are surprisingly steady, all the way out, only halting at the door. But as soon as they've cleared the building, Bariyan abruptly turns around and stops, his hands gripping Koltira's upper arms.

He looks at Koltira again, reaches up and cups Koltira's jaw in one hand. He laughs, brief and quiet and a little broken. ]

You're beautiful. [ Bariyan draws closer. He moves his hand to the back of Koltira's neck, and pulls down. ] I....

[ He stands on tip-toe, wrapping his other arm up and around Koltira's neck as well, drawing the other man down to him for another kiss. He opens his mouth and runs his tongue across Koltira's bottom lip, questioningly. Shivering in the wet air and the evening chill. ]

[Color rises to Koltira's cheeks at the compliment, but he nearly forgets it once he feels Bariyan's tongue across his lip. He takes that as a cue, one that suggests he is welcome, at least for the moment. So he wraps his arms around Bariyan's waist, lifting him slightly off of the ground, and returns the kiss with much more energy than before.

When he speaks again, his voice is low, husky.]

You're not so bad yourself.

[He sets Bariyan back down reluctantly--nice as it would be to just stand there and keep going on, the weather out here is not agreeable. Nor does he relish the idea of wandering around a strange place in the dark. He keeps his arm around Bariyan's waist as he starts to move forward, though.]

[ Bariyan sticks close to Koltira, almost leaning against the other man as the wine starts to hit him. He wipes his mouth off on the back of his hand, laughing quietly again, secure and content in Koltira's hold. For now, at least. ]

Where are we going? [ He shivers again, though he tries to repress it. ] Somewhere warm, I hope.

[He scratches the back of his head with his free hand, slightly embarrassed.]

Well, I don't actually know many places aside from your apartment ... if that's all right.

[There was that cabin, too, but he doesn't want to bring Bariyan there. It's a long ways from the city, for one thing, and for another, it gives him the heebie-jeebies.]

Of course it's all right. [ Bariyan presses himself a little closer, drawn to Koltira's warmth. He sticks his hands into his pockets.

It's not too far from where they are back to housing, and Bariyan would rather be there sooner rather than later -- he likes this weather not at all -- but he lets Koltira set the pace. He's not sure how else he ought to conduct himself. It's been a while since Bariyan last properly courted someone... and he'd never quite encountered anything like Koltira, before. ]

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