cuz though the truth may vary...

[healplz]

Date & Time: Forward dated to the 15th, evening
Location: Koltira's lake
Characters: Koltira & Ashraf
Summary: so a priest and a zombie start drinking together...
Warnings: PROBABLY NOT

[ Ashraf warps himself to the lake within five minutes of ending the call with Koltira, a bottle of scotch in one hand and two glasses in the other. He doesn't intend to drink very much, but... enough to relax. It's been a trying week and a half— nearly two weeks, really.

Just thinking of it makes him sigh. He starts toward the skeleton of the half-constructed cabin at the side of the lake, glancing around for Koltira. For once, he's moving at normal speeds, without his almost constant spell of agility. ]

Comments

[deadelfwalking]

[Koltira's sitting on the shore, staring out over the lake's expanse and already drinking. There is, in fact, a decent collection of bottles clustered around him, some of them empty, most of them not. Ashraf is just a welcome addition.

When he hears footsteps, he glances up, his ears twitching. After another long swig from the bottle currently in hand, he offers a greeting.]

Bal'a dash. You look prepared.

[healplz]

[ Well damn, looks kinda like he didn't even need to bring his own at all. He heads for Koltira, taking a careful seat next to him (after arranging his robes and moving a few bottles, of course). ]

Bal'a dash. [ Carefully said, mostly correct. ] What does that mean?

[deadelfwalking]

[grinning against the bottle's rim.] Simply, 'hello'. It is a little formal, but I know how you appreciate such things.

[healplz]

Well, thank you.

[ A little dry amusement, there. He sets both glasses down between them, feeling juuuust a little silly for having brought them. ]

You seem well collected for the amount of bottles you've amassed here. [ why aren't you wasted?? ]

[deadelfwalking]

[UNDEATH IS A HELL OF A DRUG. He fills both of their glasses, then lifts his own.]

Hopefully I can change that soon.

[healplz]

[ That's what he's going to go ahead and guess, because... a normal guy might be suffering alcohol poisoning right about now. ]

Good luck, my friend. [ AS LONG AS KOLTIRA'S DRINK IS LIFTED Ashraf will just tip his toward it in a quick little toast. ] I'm afraid I had a small head start in the clinic.

[ Gonna take a nice swig, here. ]

...I'm also afraid I may be somewhat more susceptible.

[deadelfwalking]

[he is totally impressed that you pre-gamed, Ashraf. He downs his cup in one shot, then quickly pours another.]

Well done. Keep it up.

[healplz]

I intend to.

[ WELL IF KOLTIRA'S FINISHING HIS DRINK then dammit so will Ashraf. And then pour himself another, two can play at this game.

After another drink: ] I shouldn't be indulging in the clinic, I think. But with the sort of week it's been... [ it's kind of hard to resist :C ]

[deadelfwalking]

Well, fortunately, you are no longer in the clinic, and are therefore free to indulge to your limit.

[knocks back another one. Try to keep up, buddy.]

Or beyond that.

[healplz]

[ This is starting to seem like a bad idea, but... ]

That seems unwise. There will still be work to do tomorrow.

[ ...BUT HE DOES. Because if Koltira is doing it, surely he can too?? ]

[deadelfwalking]

There's work to do every day. And, as I recall, you are not the sole proprietor of the clinic. [the worst of influences. POURS MORE. Yes, Ashraf, surely you have the tolerance of a dead man whose blood moves like sludge. Surely.]

[healplz]

It would be bad form to leave all the work to Anders.

[ ...But tempting, nonetheless. And at the rate he's drinking, maybe inevitable. He sighs, setting the drink aside. ]

I'd probably better pace myself, or Anders will shoulder the entirety of the burden. I don't believe he has any resurrection spells.

[deadelfwalking]

[sounds like a bunch of excuses to him, to be honest.]

You've earned a little indulgence, priest. [inclines his head at Ashraf's cup.] Let's go.

[healplz]

In a moment, knight. [ That with a small smile, because oh that's a pleasant warmth setting in. Nice how it goes straight to his head, too. ] I thought I might give the poison some time to settle in before I completely drown myself.

[deadelfwalking]

[takes both cups, then, and downs them successively.] Suit yourself. I think a little drowning is in order, to be honest.

[healplz]

[ dear god that dead man can drink. He watches him, somewhere between impressed and alarmed, before nodding and glancing out toward the lake. ]

How are you doing? [ Quiet, concerned. Even getting wasted ain't gonna dull this compassion toward living (and unliving) things, man. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[he keeps working his way through the current bottle as he responds.]

Oh, perfectly well, aside from choking under the weight of my own failure and so forth.

[healplz]

[ Oh. :( He reaches a hand to clasp his shoulder, frowning. ]

There was no easy resolution. We did the best we could.

[ And man he really hopes he doesn't have to break out an inspirational and/or consoling speech, because he's had too much too fast to drink for that. ]

[deadelfwalking]

Did we, truly? Did we ultimately achieve anything at all, except wasted time?

[staring down into his cup, his expression clouded. He definitely doesn't think he helped the situation one bit. In fact, he'd readily admit that perhaps he made it worse, just by his presence.]

[healplz]

[ ...Yeah, he's ready for that drink he turned away just a few seconds ago. He pours another from what he hopes is his previous glass, and takes a deep drink. Only when he's done does he answer. ]

...I don't know. I'm sorry, I— [ He shakes his head. ] Truthfully, this is far beyond my scope of experience.

[deadelfwalking]

It is not so foreign to me.

[he looks up, out over the glittering, frozen lake, his eyes now seeming far away.]

I have seen many children become monsters.

[healplz]

[ This, his rapidly blurring mind decides, is a terrible topic of conversation. If he doesn't change it now, they're going to be worse than miserable all night. He takes a quiet second or two to rub his face, comb his fingers through his hair to brush it back, and take a deep breath. When he glances over again, it's with some purpose. ]

Koltira, will you tell me about your home? It should make for brighter talk than... this.

[deadelfwalking]

[he blinks, stopping with his cup half-raised to his lips.]

Do you mean my world? Or my birthplace, Quel'thalas?

[he pauses, and goes ahead and presumes the latter.] It was beautiful, of course. It remains so, though I have not been back there for many years.

Our magic keeps the forest suspended in eternal autumn ... the trees are always bright with gold and red leaves; the breezes are fresh and cool. And Silvermoon, with its jeweled spires and shimmering domes ... [he trails off, sighing.]

A magnificent city. You might have liked it, at least back then. We had many priests of the Light among our people.

[healplz]

Might have liked it? It sounds difficult to disagree with.

[ He's smiling a little at the description of it, or possibly just at the much-more-pleasant subject. Both are good, man. ]

You've been away, though? What has kept you from it?

[deadelfwalking]

[he gives him a look like 'Really? Really.' He downs the drink.]

Use your imagination.