Well, dying is strictly prohibited on my watch so...
[He glances from Sesa to the alcohol shelf, then goes to fetch a stepstool. A fresh bottle is retrieved from one of the upper shelves, then cracked open. He pours out one, two, three shots of something that smells vaguely cinnamon-y, then sets them all in front of Sesa.]
Sesa doesn't even question what he's been served. He just grabs one of the glasses and immediately downs it-
Now, Sesa is Sargonian. He's used to all manner of burning, spicy things. But even THIS is a lot without being prepared for it, and because of that he quickly brings up a fist and coughs into it as it burns all the way down. It seems to settle in his chest and fester there too, until it eventually peters out and just leaves him feeling warm.]
[Is Luca just barely smirking as Sesa coughs and sputters. Serves him right for moping about on his bar.]
Mm. I thought you'd be able to handle that better.
[He reaches for one of the shot glasses, twisting it around in his fingers without sloshing the liquid.]
Where I'm from, we call it Phoenix Fire. Whiskey, mixed with a healthy amount of cinnamon. [The glass is set back down.] Do you want the rest of these, or am I going to have to waste it all?
[Hey now, isn't that what a bar is for? For moping?? He's paying for his drinks like anyone else would (there's a little growing pile of shells on the bar for his efforts, as a matter of fact), so as long as he isn't causing a scene, he can mope as much as he pleases, thanks.
He makes a face at Luca's gentle ribbing, yet is already- perhaps unwisely- reaching for a second shot glass.]
I drank it, did I not?
[He huffs, and if he were Draco, there would be smoke coming from his nostrils.]
I can drink them just fine, thank you. I would appreciate it if you allowed me this much.
[He's already slurring his words a bit. It'll probably be fine.]
[For most bars? Probably. And if it were just the spirit in charge tonight, there wouldn't be an issue. But while Luca isn't as romance-phobic as his sibling, he still isn't here to deal with the heartbreaks and various woes of others. He had his own problems, dammit.
But whatever. At least he's getting paid.]
Just keep the "coin" coming.
[And he probably should leave it at that. But if Sesa is gonna linger, bringing down the general atmosphere, Luca will probably let curiosity get the better of him.]
[Well, it's a good thing Sesa's head is on the table. He misses the way Luca's face pulls into a grimace. He hopes the Sargonian is aware of what a stereotype he is in this moment. Drunken and lamenting his love life.
Luca wants nothing more than to scream.]
Let me guess. Starcrossed lovers that would absolutely never work. Opposite sides of some sort of conflict?
[Absolutely deadpan. He's heard a story like this in every town he's been to.]
[Yeah uh huh sounds like something somebody WITHOUT a love life would say!!! >|
Nah Luca has a rock bf he's fine-]
Starcrossed? Hardly.
[He turns his head a little, so his cheek is resting on the bar instead of his forehead.]
I...despise him. He is everything I stand against. He wants me to act in ways I know that I would regret...
[...]
But yet- [Flopping dramatically to one side] -I cannot cast him from my mind. I cannot help but to fall for him every time he opens his mouth, like a...a....seductive temptress.
[You mean the rock bf he shared a bed with once, causing said rock bf to run away because they didn't leave room for another guardian to fit between them?
Yeah, his love life is great. And he is definitely not at all bothered by the familiarity of the situation that Sesa describes.
His tone isn't exactly softer when he speaks again, but he does seem distinctly less dismissive.]
Some men are infuriatingly charming, even when you know better.
[Luca isn't a very big drinker. Nevertheless, he does find a very particular bottle of wine from the bar and pours it for himself. He doesn't drink it yet, just swirls the liquid in a clear glass.]
There was a man I met in my travels. Though he was not involved, his organization was involved in a tragedy that befell my family. Though we did not know it when we first met... [He shrugs.] Sometime later, the truth of both of our identities came out. Yet despite knowing what monstrosity he and his cohort were capable of, I continued to gravitate toward him. And he continued to encourage it.
[Finally, he takes a long pull from his glass. After he swallows, he lets out a long suffering sigh.]
He will also sit up and down another one of those shots, against his better judgement. He is going to be the most hung over of his LIFE come tomorrow morning.]
That does sound much like what I am dealing with...I just.
[He runs a hand over his face, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose.]
I don't know what I'm doing. I just know I am incapable of stopping as I am.
I...don't know. I do not truly believe him to be a wholly cruel person, it is just that...the things he has done are cruel, and reprehensible. I should not be willing to accept much less forgive such things, especially when they go so starkly against my own worldview, but...
[Sesa groans, slumping forward on his barstool again.]
If there is a part of you that craves the violence he brings, it probably speaks to your character as well. [A shrug.] Or, perhaps you are a hopeless optimist, hoping that you can redeem someone that far gone.
I seek revenge. [ah] Revenge...for my brother's death. And- [For some reason, he can't bring himself to say Elliot's name outright, even though everyone with eyeballs would know who he's talking about.] -the object of my desire...and my deepest affections, I believe, holds the key to obtaining it. He wants to help me.
So. You would bed the devil in the hopes of attaining your more selfish and destructive desires. [He takes another sip of his wine.] In that case, yes, there is something wrong with you. But it is not so uncommon.
Craving vengeance is — forgive the phrasing, all things considered — very human.
You have the right of it, more or less, but...it isn't even just that. I doubt I would need to bed him to attain this. My affections for him matter not in that regard...
[He stares down into the glass of half-drunk liquor in front of him.]
I should be indifferent. My goals should be all that matter to me. Yet...seeing his smile means just as much, if not more.
So in your course for vengeance, you fell in love along the away. [Is he sneering? Just a little.]
Quite the storybook romance you've pulled yourself into. Now all you need to do is convince your lover the error of his ways and skip off into the sunset.
Oh, is it? I could not tell from all the whimpering and whining.
[Sorry, Sesa.]
There is no happy ending here. There is no perfect solution. This is what happens when you seek to bloody your hands in the search for revenge. Especially when you get tied up with another person. I would know. [He shakes his head.] But even if there were an elegant solution to be found, it wouldn't be located at the bottom of a shot glass.
I've worked many bars, in many towns, in many countries. Alcohol never makes you feel less sane.
[He finishes his glass off.]
If you truly want my judgement in this matter, I'll give you this. Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. Your attractions and your quest might indicate a certain inclination, but there is more to you than that. Certainly more than a surly bartender with his own issues would be able to diagnose.
[Sesa is silent as he listens. And eventually, he'll glance back up at Luca out of the corner of his eye.]
Well...good advice or no, I do appreciate you being willing to lend a listening ear. I merely came here to drink my sorrows away, so it wasn't something I was expecting.
Ah, you mean I could have kept my mouth shut while you wallowed? I'll keep that in mind for next time.
[And if Sesa is just playing with his drink, Luca might reach over to try and steal it. He's not the biggest fan but... the vouivre probably doesn't need more.]
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[He glances from Sesa to the alcohol shelf, then goes to fetch a stepstool. A fresh bottle is retrieved from one of the upper shelves, then cracked open. He pours out one, two, three shots of something that smells vaguely cinnamon-y, then sets them all in front of Sesa.]
Drink up, then.
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Sesa doesn't even question what he's been served. He just grabs one of the glasses and immediately downs it-
Now, Sesa is Sargonian. He's used to all manner of burning, spicy things. But even THIS is a lot without being prepared for it, and because of that he quickly brings up a fist and coughs into it as it burns all the way down. It seems to settle in his chest and fester there too, until it eventually peters out and just leaves him feeling warm.]
W-...what was that, exactly?
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Mm. I thought you'd be able to handle that better.
[He reaches for one of the shot glasses, twisting it around in his fingers without sloshing the liquid.]
Where I'm from, we call it Phoenix Fire. Whiskey, mixed with a healthy amount of cinnamon. [The glass is set back down.] Do you want the rest of these, or am I going to have to waste it all?
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He makes a face at Luca's gentle ribbing, yet is already- perhaps unwisely- reaching for a second shot glass.]
I drank it, did I not?
[He huffs, and if he were Draco, there would be smoke coming from his nostrils.]
I can drink them just fine, thank you. I would appreciate it if you allowed me this much.
[He's already slurring his words a bit. It'll probably be fine.]
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But whatever. At least he's getting paid.]
Just keep the "coin" coming.
[And he probably should leave it at that. But if Sesa is gonna linger, bringing down the general atmosphere, Luca will probably let curiosity get the better of him.]
So. What's the big deal?
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[That is the big deal.]
I feel so full, yet...conflicted. I am but a walking contradiction.
[his head thunks onto the table again.]
What am I doing? Why am I like this? What am I thinking? He would never...ugh.
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Luca wants nothing more than to scream.]
Let me guess. Starcrossed lovers that would absolutely never work. Opposite sides of some sort of conflict?
[Absolutely deadpan. He's heard a story like this in every town he's been to.]
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Nah Luca has a rock bf he's fine-]
Starcrossed? Hardly.
[He turns his head a little, so his cheek is resting on the bar instead of his forehead.]
I...despise him. He is everything I stand against. He wants me to act in ways I know that I would regret...
[...]
But yet- [Flopping dramatically to one side] -I cannot cast him from my mind. I cannot help but to fall for him every time he opens his mouth, like a...a....seductive temptress.
[What does this even mean]
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Yeah, his love life is great. And he is definitely not at all bothered by the familiarity of the situation that Sesa describes.
His tone isn't exactly softer when he speaks again, but he does seem distinctly less dismissive.]
Some men are infuriatingly charming, even when you know better.
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Sesa squints, turning his head even further so he can try to look at Luca without lifting his torso off the bar.]
You speak as if you have experience.
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[Luca isn't a very big drinker. Nevertheless, he does find a very particular bottle of wine from the bar and pours it for himself. He doesn't drink it yet, just swirls the liquid in a clear glass.]
There was a man I met in my travels. Though he was not involved, his organization was involved in a tragedy that befell my family. Though we did not know it when we first met... [He shrugs.] Sometime later, the truth of both of our identities came out. Yet despite knowing what monstrosity he and his cohort were capable of, I continued to gravitate toward him. And he continued to encourage it.
[Finally, he takes a long pull from his glass. After he swallows, he lets out a long suffering sigh.]
Men, right?
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[Sesa huffs, in complete agreement on that front.
He will also sit up and down another one of those shots, against his better judgement. He is going to be the most hung over of his LIFE come tomorrow morning.]
That does sound much like what I am dealing with...I just.
[He runs a hand over his face, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose.]
I don't know what I'm doing. I just know I am incapable of stopping as I am.
[He gave him a RING, Luca.]
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If you are incapable of stopping, then do you believe he is capable of changing?
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I...don't know. I do not truly believe him to be a wholly cruel person, it is just that...the things he has done are cruel, and reprehensible. I should not be willing to accept much less forgive such things, especially when they go so starkly against my own worldview, but...
[Sesa groans, slumping forward on his barstool again.]
Perhaps there is just something wrong with me.
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[Sorry, Sesa.]
If there is a part of you that craves the violence he brings, it probably speaks to your character as well. [A shrug.] Or, perhaps you are a hopeless optimist, hoping that you can redeem someone that far gone.
Either way, I don't envy you.
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[No, it's more like...]
I seek revenge. [ah] Revenge...for my brother's death. And- [For some reason, he can't bring himself to say Elliot's name outright, even though everyone with eyeballs would know who he's talking about.] -the object of my desire...and my deepest affections, I believe, holds the key to obtaining it. He wants to help me.
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So. You would bed the devil in the hopes of attaining your more selfish and destructive desires. [He takes another sip of his wine.] In that case, yes, there is something wrong with you. But it is not so uncommon.
Craving vengeance is — forgive the phrasing, all things considered — very human.
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[He stares down into the glass of half-drunk liquor in front of him.]
I should be indifferent. My goals should be all that matter to me. Yet...seeing his smile means just as much, if not more.
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Quite the storybook romance you've pulled yourself into. Now all you need to do is convince your lover the error of his ways and skip off into the sunset.
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This is a serious issue I am having, you know.
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[Sorry, Sesa.]
There is no happy ending here. There is no perfect solution. This is what happens when you seek to bloody your hands in the search for revenge. Especially when you get tied up with another person. I would know. [He shakes his head.] But even if there were an elegant solution to be found, it wouldn't be located at the bottom of a shot glass.
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[He sighs heavily, swirling the contents of the last glass silently.]
But I did think it would help me feel less...insane.
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[He finishes his glass off.]
If you truly want my judgement in this matter, I'll give you this. Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. Your attractions and your quest might indicate a certain inclination, but there is more to you than that. Certainly more than a surly bartender with his own issues would be able to diagnose.
The point is, don't listen to me.
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Well...good advice or no, I do appreciate you being willing to lend a listening ear. I merely came here to drink my sorrows away, so it wasn't something I was expecting.
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[And if Sesa is just playing with his drink, Luca might reach over to try and steal it. He's not the biggest fan but... the vouivre probably doesn't need more.]
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