Hearing the clinking of glass and the shaking of ice, Kael opened an eye to peek over at the others through the side of his glasses. He heard they got ahold of some liquor, he just hadn’t been expecting a whole bar. It made him smile, though perhaps it wasn’t the wisest of ideas to be drinking when they were all waiting for the next step of their plan. Still, when Eris offered him a drink, he couldn’t help but accept. [+forestgreen “Sure, I’ll take one.”] Her second question brought an airy laugh out of him. [+forestgreen “We can, it just takes a little more to take effect.”] He placed emphasis on little, to make it clear he was understating it. [+forestgreen “We’ve got our own brand of stronger stuff that get’s us there quicker, but this will work just as well.”] He gave the explanation as he stood and came over to join the others. However, Kael was not the only one to join. Vanna came swooping on in to crash the christening of the night. It was her house, so that was probably just as well, but he could tell that Eris was not thrilled at her sudden entrance.
On the announcement that they would be staying, Kael was glad to hear that some sort of agreement was made, though he wasn’t so sure about staying here. Objectively, it was a good place to be. A thoroughly fortified stronghold set up by one of the deadly sins. There was every luxury a prideful being could ever want, and she just happened to be so enamored by her brother that they needn’t worry about being betrayed… however the snake was still iffy. There were too many strong personalities in this house. They were bound to butt heads. But what did he know, maybe they would all fall into line and everything would be just peachy? He was probably just worrying too much.
Trying to shake the uneasiness, the red-eyed man lifted his glass to the others and took his shot as they did. It was a show of solidarity that he decided not to repeat. He was going to plop himself right back where he had been sitting before, but unlike his friend he did so without a bottle. Perhaps he would have felt better to loosen up and enjoy the atmosphere, but for now he was content to sit back and watch the others have fun, which was more entertaining than it sounded. Eris was throwing back shots like they were juice and Dahlia was right behind her valiantly trying to keep up, but eventually found a more manageable pace for herself.
In all this observing, he was glad to see the maenad start to perk up some. She seemed more herself. And while it might have just been temporary with all the booze in her system, it was good to know she was still in there somewhere. He’d had his doubts at first, and he felt somewhat guilty about it. But now he was able to feel a touch more at ease. His bright gaze followed her, he was definitely staring, and he even had a bit of a smile on his face. No one seemed to be paying him any mind though, so it was fine. That was, until Vanna called to him and sort of brought him back from his reverie.
Holding up his hand in an apologetic way, his smile turned to the demoness, but it wasn’t quite the same. [+forestgreen “I’m afraid I’m boring over here, I haven’t been keeping up with all of you.”] He thought that might dissuade her without actually saying he didn’t want to be her company for the night, but it seemed she was unshakable as she snatched up some drinks and headed his way. What Kael didn’t expect was her to plant herself firmly in his lap. Vanna was usually playfully flirty with him, however this was to a different degree entirely.
Managing to keep a strained smile, he took the drink. [+forestgreen “…I guess that fixes the problem. Thank you.”] It took a second for him to relax, though saying he was relaxed was a stretch. He went along with her conversation, as it turned this way and that. She really had a lot to say, but Kael wasn’t mad about it. It stopped him from having to actually entertain her, which he had little doubt he would fail to do without ample flattery. Plus, even if he was sort of being forced into this situation he could still try and make the best of it. And therefore he was going through his drink relatively quickly. Letting the remainder mingle with the ice for a little bit, he finally put it all down and decided it was time for another.
Standing, the demon took Vanna right with him. [+forestgreen “Excuse me…”] He had her about the waist so she was secure as he spun her playfully around and placed her in gently the spot he just vacated. [+forestgreen “I’m off to get another drink.”] Kael shook the glass to indicate it was empty. [+forestgreen “I’m behind after all. I’ll be right back.”] And with that he had managed to escape for a short break.
Dahlia knew when Eris wanted a drink it usually meant they were in for a night. And just as she expected they were taking the second shot before she could even feel the first one. This was gonna be a doozy. She knew she wasn’t exactly expected to keep pace with her friend, but she did like to try. An attempt at solidarity, however, while she still had a clear mind she backed off from that endeavor. That didn’t last long though. The vodka hit her like a ton of bricks. Like Eris, her mood was lifted. They were chatty and the taller of the two was even corrigible with their hostess. Well, until she split off from them to spend some time with Kael. She didn’t seem too pleased about that, but that was to be expected. Dahlia was more than happy to help distract her for now.
[+mediumvioletred “Agreed. I don’t want to be alone.”] Not if they could help it. Being split up on the island, despite being mad at the time, was a bad time. And now, after so many strange and traumatic things happened, they needed to be there to support one another.
Dahlia hadn’t noticed Gaius’ staring, but she leaned in when her friend began whispering. Nodding, she was also curious what kind of deal the siblings had struck up, probably something basically unfathomable to her mortal mind. She felt bad to be the cause of it as well, but Dahlia didn’t see any way out of it. [+mediumvioletred “It’s still a story, just not one we can share…”] Her eyes fell to the floor. It was disappointing, but she felt worse for Eris. This was her passion. [+mediumvioletred “It got out of hand so fast, I don’t think there was anything we could have done to stop it.”] Or anything now that could untangle them from it. [+mediumvioletred “I feel bad too… but I don’t know what choice we have.”] While she wouldn’t say it aloud, they wouldn’t make it on their own. It was too dangerous with how things were. The dark eyed woman could only hope that things would change and they would be able to stand on their own again. And that they could find someway to repay Kael and Gaius for everything they’d done.
She was kinda starting to get in her own head when the maenad called back to the shots she poured. Looking back up, Dahlia smiled. [+mediumvioletred “Yeah, at least there’s that.”] Taking the one meant for her, she threw it back with a shiver. [+mediumvioletred “Besides, we have forever to be down about all this. We should have fun tonight.”] While they were someplace safe enough to do it, not to mention all the alcohol was free.
[+forestgreen “Sorry to interrupt.”] Kael cut into their whispering with an empty glass in hand. He didn’t seem all that sorry though. [+forestgreen “I was hoping to get another drink. Preferably something strong and… convoluted.”] With a flick of his red eyes back to where Vanna sat, it was a clear cry for an excuse to get away from her for any meaningful length of time. His voice was low enough to where he wouldn’t be overheard outside of their small circle, but his tone was not subtle. Even the fairly drunken Dahlia caught on. And she was kind of excited at the idea. This is exactly what Eris needed. Some quality flirt time. There was just one big problem. Glancing over at Vanna it looked like she was already antsy. No doubt she would follow soon behind Kael if he was gone too long. They needed a distraction for her, which is where Dahlia wing-woman extraordinaire came in. At least, that was what she was gonna try for. Seemed like Vanity was looking for a different kind of attention, but it was worth a shot.
[+mediumvioletred “Eris can do that! She can make just about anything. You know a bunch of those crazy mixed drinks, don’t you?”] Her smile turned encouraging as she looked up at her friend. They could talk later, like they said, they’d be bunking together. There would be plenty of time. [+mediumvioletred “I’m gonna go keep Vanna company, she got left over there by herself.”] Was it a flawlessly smooth transition? No. Did drunk Dahlia think she was clever for putting together this little plan? Yes.
Seeing the wheels turn in Dahlia’s head, Kael could have laughed, but he let her go about her thinking in peace, nodding her a goodbye as she left. Looking back to Eris he smiled, humored. [+forestgreen “Alright, maestro. What would you recommend?”]
Leaving those two to whatever conversation they ended up having, the human woman made her way over to the couch. She plopped herself on the cushion next to Vanna, sitting so that she faced the demoness. The big bubbly smile from before persisted on her face. [+mediumvioletred “Vanna, truth or dare?”] It was a game, so Dahlia thought it might hold her attention a little longer than a normal conversation, even if it was a little risky… She planned to be playing straight truths on her side. Dahlia didn’t want to learn what a demon considered a dare.