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]

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.

[healplz]

[ ...Oh. :C He doesn't have to consider it long before he's looking immediately depressed again, and tossing back the rest of his drink. After a second of thought, 'depressed' starts looking a lot more like 'angry'. ]

Do you know, you may be the most noble man I've met here? There is no reason for that. None.

[deadelfwalking]

[He's more than a little taken aback by this sudden expression of feeling. Rather than jump straight to being a dick about it, he pauses.]

--what do you mean, exactly?

[healplz]

I've given you nothing but causes to hurt me— kill me, even— and you've taken none of those chances.

[ He pauses, frowning, because that's not entirely true. So an amendment: ]

—And even when forced to, you stopped yourself. And this— with Martin, Bariyan— who else has worked so hard to do right by it?

[deadelfwalking]

[frowning, because it definitely took a lot of willpower not to attack Ashraf--both when they first met, and in the forest. He had certainly wanted to, first because of Ashraf's aggression, and then because of his hysteria. But to fight blindly, for no reason, and against his will--these were things he definitively did not want.

And as for Bariyan and the child ... he shakes his head.]

My efforts were for naught.

[healplz]

I know. [ oh god, this again. ] I know well. But— you tried, did you not? No monster would have tried.

[ He heaves a sigh, flopping back into a recline with arms lifted to cushion his head. He has just enough presence of mind to know that he's kinda embarrassing himself here. ]

Forgive me, Koltira— I've had quite a lot.

[deadelfwalking]

[It'S ON HIS MIND OK IT HASN'T BEEN THAT LONG. Koltira's eyes follow the flop.]

I'm going to guess that you do not drink often.

[healplz]

Not often, or much. [ Kinda mumbling into a hand, here. ] It's frowned upon, in the Church.

[deadelfwalking]

[pouring him more, because Koltira is a good influence. Holds the glass over him.]

You're a long way from the Church, friend.

[healplz]

That hasn't gone unnoticed.

[ He eyes the drink for a few seconds, warily, but then smiles and takes it, propping himself up just enough to sip. ]

Pour yourself another, if you pour anything for anyone. It also hasn't gone unnoticed that I'm speaking far more loosely than you. [ read: embarrassing himself far more. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[atta boy. Koltira obliges Ashraf's request, of course. He's quite a ways away from anything even resembling inebriation, but he has made it to the 'pleasant buzz' stage.]

My speech is rarely loose.

[healplz]

[ He sets his drink down half-finished, because that seems like a safer thing to do, and makes a face at Koltira. ]

That's hardly fair.

[deadelfwalking]

[he picks up one of the bottles from the nest surrounding him and drains it.]

Such is life. [princess..]

[healplz]

[ huff, whatever. He's quiet for a few seconds, watching the lake with a small frown. ]

You know... [ What does this have to do with anything? Nothing. Is he saying it anyway? Yes. ] It's difficult to tell when you're looking, sometimes. I can't be sure I've made eye contact with you.

[deadelfwalking]

[stares. directly. at him.]

No? I will endeavor to make myself more obvious.

[healplz]

[ uh THIS IS SUDDENLY KIND OF UNCOMFORTABLE. He frowns, shrugging an arm up to shield himself from it. ]

My... thanks. That's very kind.

[deadelfwalking]

[he laughs.]

And yet you clearly cannot tolerate it.

[healplz]

Tolerate it? I can tolerate it.

[ ...This arm-shield isn't going anywhere, though. ]

...I only choose not to subject myself to you and that scrutiny, is all.

[deadelfwalking]

[he's teasing, but his voice tends to be just as inscrutable as his eyes. dead-pan darth vader etc.]

What's to scrutinize? Your expressions, by contrast, are always perfectly clear.