[Nicolay]

“And if you see me packin', will you be cr-ryin'?
Beggin', "Don't leave me. Baby, I'll start cha-ngin'."
You see me leaving that door with our baby.
"Baby, I'm headin' for the Duskies, Baby."”

It was the same tune he had in his COM for his alert -- "Baby, I'm Heading to the Duskies" by Janna and Peggy. The chorus had just chimed out of the speakers when Nicolay tapped the empty glass of shot on the polished counter and looked at his COM for the message that just came in.

It was from Azul. “Sorry, Nic, I can't come. I'm over at Dom's.”

One company-less. “It's fine. Enjoy!” he texted back before he received his shot glass filled with a drink he can only liken to vodka, smiled at the tender, lifted his glass and drank it all down. With the drink burning in his throat and chest, he turned to the tall nymph with fiery brownish hair on stage, still singing his favorite song with a guitarist and a pianist, his COM at hand. Aside from him, the pub only had two other patrons and they didn't talk to each other. A golden light warmly lit the small shop and outside, he could almost see the autumn draft cooling down the city of Alexandria.

“Sure they're comin'?”

Outside the windows, he could see the portals. People disappearing and reappearing.

“Whoever it is you're texting, that is,” the tender went on as he returned a filled glass to Nicolay. “It is a quarter past 1:00AM, after all. Pretty late for most people.”

“...maybe,” that was all he said. Who else was he waiting responses for? Practically everyone, really, to come out there and join him for a few drinks. He smiled at the tender again, lifted his glass again and said, “Cheers.” and drank down the serving.

He turned again to look at the portal.

[Winnie]

Watch out Cupid, money is a sick muse
Pull your little arrows out and let me live my life
She said, "I'm with stupid", money is a sick muse
- - - -

---

Piper's Boutique · Song · Journal · Outfit


Bedtime for Winnie. Or at least, that was her goal at the moment. Her goals usually collapsed under the weight of her desire for more money. She was confident in her ability to get distracted by something shiny left on the sidewalk or some lady's bulging purse she was sure was full of dough. Already, though unsuccessful with any mealtickets, Winnie'd managed to steal three purses. She'd managed to sniff out the money in the purses and stuff it into various pockets in her dress and then discard the rest. She had no need for identification and coupons. It's not like she actually bought anything from stores nowadays anyway.

Winnie wobbled along the edge of portal plaza, worried about accidentally stumbling into a portal and landing Xanth knows where. She was a bit unsteady at the moment, her vision altered by alcohol intake. Boy, that stuff was strong. She was a bit dressy for 'work' tonight, to the point where an onlooker probably would not be able to tell how dirt-poor and constantly hungry she was, or that everything she was wearing was not, by law, hers. Her dress was short, and for once in a long while, she had heels on. Winnie was visibly uncomfortable and unfamiliar with heels. While she enjoyed the height advantage, she wasn't too pleased about the precarious position it put her in. One stumble and she could be face-down on the pavement. She wasn't used to that kind of thing. She didn't know how she was going to get home. She was too buzzed to focus enough to shift. It was most likely too late - or early, depending on your view - to hitch a ride to the bridge. In despair and a desire for idle movement, Winnie clutched at the necklace she was wearing, her clunky ring clicking as the surfaces of the stones in her jewelry connected. The young Therianthrope decided that waiting out the rest of Neme's reign over the skies would be the best course of action.

So she headed into the nearest nearest public place where she could sit. It happened to be a pub. 'Aha! I can just get more drunk!' she thought, only half-joking with herself. There was a band playing up on stage, giving a more relaxed atmosphere. Winnie's blue stare skimmed the pub.
"Wow. This place is a bust." she said under her breath. There was hardly anyone there, only three people, not including the help. Shrugging, she sad down at the bar, exasperated and glad to give her aching feet a rest. Sure no one would mind, not that anyone was really here, the dirty blonde girl removed her pumps with a relieved exhale, and rubbed her feet. She set her shoes down on the floor and let herself melt into the scenery, happy to be alone to herself. Until, of course, the bartender interrupted her solitude.
"Do you want anything?" the man asked. Winnie put on a light smile.
"Water?" she asked. She was also hungry, but unwilling to offer any money when she could easily wait until morning and nab some food from a vendor.
The tender hesitated, and then gave a slight shrug and went off to get her water. In the short moment he was gone, Winnie managed to examine the liveliest looking patron. He was either Human or a fellow Shifter. She wasn't sure which she would have preferred at the moment, but she didn't have much time to ponder it because the soft 'clank' of glass on the counter drew her attention away. She gave another soft smile to the nice man and then gripped the glass in both hands, bringing the cup to her lips and guzzling down water. It was freezing, crisp and fresh and delightful. The cup was empty in no time, in which she plopped it back down on the counter and sighed in bliss.

- - - -
Everybody, everybody just wanna fall in love
Everybody, everybody just wanna play the lead
Play the lead, play the lead

[Nicolay]

By now, the song had finally finished with a sad ending and the singer bowed to a sparse applause.

Nicolay was among them, giving a polite clap before he returned to his shot and downed it again. His face crumpled itself as he set the glass aside, forced the burning liquid down as the pianist began a contemporary piece. “It's true what they said, it gets worse the third time, this drink...”

“You're just new,” the tender laughed as he swiped Nicolay's drink away. “Water?”

“Fine. And then maybe a glass of Xanth's Tears, I could use something sweet...”

“You really do intend to get drunk tonight, don't you?” the tender asked Nicolay as the Therian received the glass of water from his hands and downed it in a single gulp. “Drunk without friends, that's not a very happy story.”

“But if I don't get drunk,” Nicolay returned the empty glass as he leaned forward a little, elbow on the counter, the smallest smirk on his face, “Then what under Hel am I doing in this pub? People tend to drink to get drunk, I think, with or without friends.”

“Then what under Hel are you waiting for their replies for?” he shrugged, “If you don't seem intent on waiting on them...”

“I'm thinking,” Nicolay said simply. “Now where are my Tears?”

The tender's response came in the form of a tall, narrow glass he waved to the man before he turned and began to make the concoction.

Nicolay looked at the mouth of his empty glass as he traced the perfect thing with the tip of his middle finger. “If I won't have friends, might as well have some fun on my own, right?” he said to no one in particular.

[Kiel]

Like, Kiel wasn't usually out at this time of night, for one reason or another (mostly 'cause he was normally tucked up in bed by now ready for a 4am start) but Zeph had been a bit moody tonight and Shane was playing with Derry, so when Nic texted, he was all, like, "Dude, yeah!"

Except on the way, Chloe rang (she started early, too, and was a couple hours ahead of him) to tell him one of the cousins had, like, broken a leg "pulling a Kiel" (which, like, apparently meant he'd tried mounting one of the dragons against his mother's advice). Kiel in turn promised to call said cousin the following morning (since he'd be, like, in bed right now) to wish him well and send him a present, even though, like, the kid was probably all mended by now (having a couple of healers in the family was totally awesome, man).

And then right after Chloe hung up, with Kiel edging out the door of his house, Laces called just to "check in" before she went off to work. Man, the girls in the family sure liked to talk.

“Dude, Laces. I'm at the pub right now, I gotta go. Yeah, no. I'll tell — yeah, uh-huh. I'll t... I'll tell him already, sheesh!” he cut in, having let his sister do most of the talking for once just so he could, like, race down to the pub. It was a weird area for Nic to want to meet up, and further from Kiel's place than he'd usually go at night, but, like, as long as the guy didn't mind him being all sweaty... “See you, sis. Tell Addy I'm so gonna cut that caterpillar off his face next time I see him, okay?” It was the default goodbye between him and Laces, but as long as her husband had a moustache, Kiel still hadn't gotten around to shearing it off.

“Yo, Niccy, Niccy, Niccy! Wahahahahaha, I'm here, I'm here!” Hopping into the bar with a "ta dah!" pose, Kiel held it for a second before glancing around (still holding the pose) in search of his buddy. It took him a second to spot the Therian at the bar, and then he skipped across the room with a girlish giggle. “Wahahaha, how come you're propping up the bar by yourself, man?” he asked then, conveniently forgetting that it had taken him so long to get out of his calls and across the city.

Almost before he'd finished asking, he spotted the chick further up the bar and waggled his eyebrows. “Duuuuuude,” he exclaimed, almost a whistle. “Hahahaha, does Lazzy know you're cheating on her, man? Hahahahaha.” It was a joke, a joke! Because, like, as far as Kiel knew, the pair still hadn't got their act together.

[Winnie]

now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend

you crack the whip, shapeshift and trick the past again.
SEND YOU MY LOVE ON A WIRE --- ❤

The song ended, and Winnie gave a half-hearted couple of claps. She was being awfully generous tonight. Smiles and claps? Next thing you know she'd be using 'pretty please's and handing out money to charity. She shuddered at the thought. Charity was for the mega rich who had nothing else to fill the void of their meaningless lives.
There was quiet, and she quite liked it. She was aware of the other person sitting nearest to her at the bar conversing with the bartender and looked up in curiosity. Who talked to the help? Winnie generally treated them as if they were invisible. They were generally worse off than than she was - working long hours in to the morning and forced to deal with drunken imbeciles all night. It was perhaps the last job she'd ever want, if she ever got a real one. Of course, there were drinks...
But on the other hand, Winnie and drinks went together like olive oil and vinegar. It was all fine and dandy at the beginning, but then one began to overtake the other and it became a mess. The faint pounding in her head was a reminder of that. Perhaps she should drink more. That would keep the subsequent headache at bay for sure. That, and of course removing her headband, which she proceeded to do. It was pressing on the pressure points near her ears and giving her a jaw-ache, as if one of the teeth were rotten.
Out of sheer boredom, Winnie was about to ask the man, who, according to what she'd heard from his conversation with the bartender, waiting for friends that probably weren't coming, and then something made her jump. A new arrival had bursted through the door, shouting to/about someone or something called 'Niccy.' At first, she thought, given the newcomers demeanor, that he was a kid, but as he moved to the other guy, who she presumed to be this 'Niccy,' she realized he was older than her. Or at least, looked it. She peered at him with a cutting, calculating blue stare, partly because he already annoyed her, and also to study him.
And then suddenly his gaze was on her. The first thing she noticed was that his eyes were... pink?. She couldn't help but snicker at that.
"Duuuuuude!" the boy-man blurted, and, for a moment, seemed to totter at the edge of a whistle. He wiggled his eyebrows, making Winnie tear her gaze away uncomfortably. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and found her feet suddenly very interesting. "Does Lazzy know you're cheating on her, man?" the boy-man continued, obviously directing it towards 'Niccy.' Her head flicked up again and she glared, hoping for his sake he was joking.

TAGGED, Nic & Kiel OUTFIT, Here! WORDS, 464 MUSIC, Click.

thread template made by MOSES OF BODOM of caution 2.0

[Nicolay]

“Well, does Zephyr know you're cheating on him?” Nicolay quipped back with a brow raised. Maybe the alcohol made him smarter.

All jokes aside, though, he really was glad Kiel could come. He wasn't going to lie that he was sort of hoping that Lazuli might take up his offer but Kiel had always been good company. He'd always managed to brighten up Nicolay's time, somehow...or otherwise, do the exact opposite.

“Sit down, you. What took you so long?” he asked of the man as he presented to him an empty stool just as his order had finally arrived. Turning to the female Therian who Kiel clearly thought was girlfriend material, he said to her, “Excuse him, he's always drunk.”

He took a sip of the lilac mix, the minty, sugary flavor filling his tongue before the alcohol burned bitterly and then he set his drink aside as he crossed his arms over his counter top and asked his friend, “Anything to drink?”

[Kiel]

Winnie's glare made Kiel flinch back a little bit with a startled “Wah!”, but he was quickly distracted by Niccy's retort. “Wahahahaha, don't tell him, don't tell him! He'll totally, like, string me up and turn me into girly stockings, man, for sers!” The procedure for turning a 'Varian into stockings was utterly beyond him, but he was positive Zeph would somehow make it work if Kiel ever really did cheat on the dude, but it was all fun and games because, even though the girly-haired freak was neglecting him lately, Kiel was still in that whole "loyal puppy-dog" phase.

He was starting to wonder if he'd ever get out of it, really, that whole "near-kiss" thing with Phenny notwithstanding...

Rather than sitting on the indicated stool, Kiel hopped up and down on his toes as he pulled absent-mindedly on the bar. Nic's "excuse him" remark was almost (but not quite) missed 'cause, like, Kiel totally took that "what took you so long" seriously and launched into an episode of "Daily Life with Kiel", barely pausing to catch his breath and elbow Nic in the gut with a quick “Not drunk, not drunk!”

Nic by now seemed to have gotten used to the whole "if you want to talk with Kiel, just barge in mid-sentence" thing. Unperturbed by the interruption, Kiel switched subjects in a flash and leaned around Niccy to peer at the chick who'd glared at him. “Hey, hey, like, what's in that? Is it tasty? Like, it looks kinda gross but I'm not into girly drinks like Niccy, hahahahaha.” With a grin, he nudged Nic with his elbow again, wondering how mad Zeph'd be if he rolled up at 3am totally blitzed. Like, not that that was likely to happen, though, 'cause, like, Kiel didn't like getting mad-faced drunk. A little tipsy wouldn't hurt, though, right?

[Winnie]

“Well, does Zephyr know you're cheating on him?” quipped 'Niccy' to the boy-man. Winnie quirked an eyebrow in surprise. Him? He certainly hadn't seemed gay.
"I suppose the eyes should have been a dead giveaway," she snickered quietly to herself.
"Excuse him, he's always drunk." said this 'Niccy' to Winnie. She eyed the 'Vari (or at least, she assumed he was a Dracovari, but which Sept he belonged to Winnie could never be sure, she scarcely knew anything about her own race) in curiosity. He seemed too... hyper to be drunk. Or at least, too coordinated to be drunk enough to be so obnoxious. The boy-man seemed to agree, jabbing his elbow into 'Niccy's ribs and yipping "Not drunk, not drunk!"
How could someone so old (she knew 'Varis aged slowly, and he looked older than her anyways) be so immature. She crinkled her nose at him.
And then the annoying one turned and looked at her, and, asked “Hey, hey, like, what's in that? Is it tasty? Like, it looks kinda gross but I'm not into girly drinks like Niccy, hahahahaha.” Or at least, she presumed he was asking her. You never knew with people like this. She pointed to the empty cup in front of her, "In here? Because this is- er, was -water," she, in turn, pointed to the glass the other guy had and continued, "Or in there? Because I have no idea, but it looks good." She shrugged.
As if awakened by the talk of things that looked good, her stomach roared. Winnie stared down at it in surprise. "All right..." she mumbled. She lifted a hand to flag down the bartender. He swiftly walked over. "Yes?" he asked.
"Do you have any snacks? Like taquitos or something?"
"Er... I guess."
Winnie slammed cash down on the counter. "Plate of ten, please."
The tender nodded, took the money and sped off, leaving Winnie grinning in anticipation.

[Nicolay]

Nicolay turned to smile secretly at the lady, one that was etched with the message, I'm sorry, please excuse him, I never wanted this and he hasn't been known to help it and you don't deserve this.

“Here, too,” he said to the tender with a flick of two fingers up before he returned to his drink. After a sip, he commanded Kiel, “Sit down, seriously now,” with a meaningful eye as he straightened up and plucked out the babana fruit sitting on the rim of his tall glass. “I invited you over to keep me company, not to bounce around like a...baby's toy,” he almost said "little girl". He tossed the fruit in and chewed.

The door opened again and he turned to look over his shoulder. A Dardanian had just walked in, looking every bit like his native land, armed with a sack and a guitar case. There was a look of brilliance in him as he gazed around the pub, beamed at an empty spot and marched purposefully to that direction.

“Looking for luck and glory, methinks,” the barkeep muttered to the threesome by the bar, setting down Nicolay's and the lady's ordered plates. “Seen a lot of them since I started working here. Convenient place to stop by, after all, being so close to the portal.”

Nicolay had just consumed a piece of chip when he nodded and looked over his shoulder, past the window, again.

[Kiel]

“Ah, wah, here too, here too!” Kiel yelped, accidentally ignoring Niccy's re-request for him to sit down so that he could hop around with his hands in his pockets searching out his wallet, still finding time to, like, stick his tongue out at Nic's "baby" comment. His eyes sparkled with the thought of food, but he eyed the pretty chick's glass suspiciously. “Like, are you sure that's just water?” No wonder it looked kinda gross.

Hands still in his pockets, he didn't pay attention to who walked in at first, glancing up at Nic with his mouth open to say something, then stopping as he realised that, like, the dude wasn't even looking at him. Following his and the bartender's gaze to the new bloke, his eyes lit up. “Duuuuuude, hahahaha. We should, like, totally buy him a drink, man, for sers!”

Beaming at the thought, he turned back to the bar, still fishing for his wallet. “Dude, I'm starving. I haven't eaten since, like, well I had a hot dog before I came over but Shane stole half of it. Half!” He was still grinning, though, and Niccy probably already figured he wasn't really complaining. Shane could probably bite his toes off and he'd think she was cute...

The thought of Shane made him pout for a second. “She loves Derry more than me!” But then his fingertips landed on his wallet, and he ripped it out of his pocket with a “Yeehaw!” Except, like, half the contents of his pocket also came out with it, so now he was dithering between which to do first: pick it all up, or slap his money on the counter.

Not wanting to miss the chance for food, he chose the latter and practically threw a few bills at the bartender. “Like, what they're having, okay, and, like, what he's having —” He pointed at Nic's drink, having no clue whatsoever what was in it. “— and and and! Like, give that guy a drink and a sandwich or something, okay?”

Order made, he squashed his near-empty wallet into a different pocket so he'd, like, know where it was (like, hahahahaha), and then flopped to his knees to pick up all the crap he'd dropped. “Hey, hey, like, anyone wanna mi... Actually, I dunno what that is.”

[Winnie]

"Like, are you sure that's just water?" asked the man-boy, after having obnoxiously ordered taquitos as well.
“Yeah, I'm sure!” she barked. Hunger made her cranky. Well, crankier than usual. The coral-eyed man-boy then proceeded to drop all of the contents in his wallet. This proved to be a point of interest for Winnie, but just then something even better came along: Grub.
As soon as the bartender was back with the plate of taquitos, which were covered in quacamole and sour cream (just the way Winnie liked them), she picked one up and dug in. Her whole body seemed to sigh 'Foood...' ; her shoulders slumped and her eyes rolled. She looked over at 'Niccy' to see that he also had a plate of ten. Ten was a lot for a snack, but if he was a Therian like her, his appetite would make up for it.
Having been waiting for her food, Winnie now realized that there was a newcomer, a Dardanian. She would have flirted but food was more important right now. Plus, it's hard to look appealing with a mouthful of beef flautas.
The obnoxious one was still struggling with picking everything up by the time she'd practically inhaled one of the taquitos. She contemplated helping him for a moment, her mind teetering between this rare charity and not giving a hoot. With a sigh, she got up, abandoning her lovely foodstuffs and striding over to him. She stood for a moment before him, wiggling her toes behind her pantyhose and contemplating the wiseness of stealing something from him. He was, however, a 'Vari, and while he wasn't exactly the Hulk, he could still probably do some damage. So, she did the impossible and asked, “Need some help, sir?”

Piper's Boutique — Saoirse Ronan — Journal

[Kiel]

Kiel paused in his picking-up-itis, sitting back on his haunches to look up at Winnie. Like, uh, nice legs, you know?

“Wahahahaha, naw, man, thanks, it's cool. Like, this happens all the — Ooh! A xanthos!” Snatching up the shiny coin that had probably been lost in his pocket for, like, ever, he inspected it and twirled it through his fingers so it reflected the low lights in the pub. The face on it had almost worn off so it was weird that it was still shiny. “Like, maybe it has a cousin in here somewhere...”

It was kinda hard to tear his gaze away. Like, normally he didn't have a huge problem with shiny stuff, you know, mostly 'cause he dealt with paper bills instead of, like, coins and stuff. Although, he and Derry did have, like, a tug-o'-war once with a particularly expensive looking dagger. Except, like, in the end, he wound up letting the imp dragon win, just 'cause she was so cute and those ice bubbles of hers were f-f-freezing!

((Sorry, Liv. Figured I'd post since Winnie spoke to him directly.))

[Nicolay]

Oh good goddess in Xanthsville, this was insane.

Nicolay was actually starting to regret now that he'd texted Kiel to keep him company. The man, after all, could never seem to stay quiet or still for even half a second or less and he clearly didn't understand why Nicolay chose such an inconvenient pub in the first place: it was quiet -- was quiet -- and gave him space to think. He wanted someone to talk to, sure, but really, if conversation was going to have to be done -- if it happens at all, that is -- and one that made sense, at least...well, Kiel was basically just not stirring to that direction.

And worse, he'd forced a stranger to get off her comfortable porch to extend a helping hand.

“No, really, he's fine,” he insisted to the lady, still trying to sound nice and instead of tapping her away from his friend he decided to just take another chip and pop it in, then wash it down with his drink which he finished in that one gulp before he returned the empty glass to the confused bartender. “Something to pair with these chips, nothing too hard or expensive.”

“Sir...unsolicited as this may be but...you're sure about this?”

“About getting drunk, you mean?” Nicolay shrugged. “I've had a couple of shots and with this kind of company? It's no different, trust me.”

The bartender nodded uneasily about that...then presenting Kiel's money, he opened his mouth to speak.

“Do whatever you want with it, keep the change, everything.”

The bartender promptly clamped his lips and nodded obediently as he turned and shuffled to his tiny kitchen.

Sighing...or groaning, whichever, Nicolay placed his left hand over his right and leaned his head to the back of it.

[Winnie]

In responding to her offer of help, this man-boy had revealed two things to Winnie: one, that he was a klutz, or perhaps just an idiot; and two, he was easily distracted. She was leaning more towards the idiot side of things, though.
“Suit yourself.” she said, shrugging. She sat down, but instead of sitting as far away as she had been before, she decided that she'd already become entangled in the happenings of these two, at least for tonight, and took a seat just a bit away from 'Niccy,' with one seat between them for the man-boy she now deemed 'Obnoxious'. She reached out and caught the edge of her plate with the tips of her fingers and dragged it back to her. “What are your names, anyways?”
She cast a glance over her shoulder to see Obnoxious gazing intently at a xanthos. A shiny one. Her eyes widened and she, too, leaned in intently. She wasn't stupid- she knew 'Vari had a natural attraction to shiny things, but that didn't mean she couldn't either. Besides, most animals were attracted to shiny doohickeys as well, so it didn't seem that odd for a Therian like herself to find such things fascinating. That's how Winnie rationalized it, at least.
And so she sat there, staring like an idiot at the worn, shiny Xanthos and fighting the urge to snatch it from him, when Obnoxious spoke and she snapped her attention from the trance, the blurry backdrop of his face in her vision sharpening as she switched her gaze on him. She quickly leaned back into her seat, a bit embarrassed at having acted similar to one as seemingly idiotic as he.

Piper's Boutique — Saoirse Ronan

[Sorry that took me so long guys. I got my laptop back and got a new game, so I was kinda distracted. I meant to post yesterday but it was already bedtime.
Also, do you like the name Winne gave him? ]

[Kiel]

Like, Kiel was pretty sure Nic was being a meany-head. That was, by the time he wrenched his gaze from the shiny and collected all the crap back into his pockets, that was.

“Do whatever you want with it, keep the change, everything.”

“Wah!” Hopping up onto the stool the chick had left between she and Niccy, he slapped the bar and stuck his tongue out at his buddy. “That was for that guy, you know? That's mean, it's mean.”

But Kiel couldn't get mad for something like, so as he fidgeted in his seat - a bit like a dog turning in circles until it could find just exactly the right comfy spot to lie down - he declared an answer to the chick next to him like their names were an utter miracle and it hadn't been, like, an age since she'd asked: “Kiel! I'm Kiel. And he's a meany-head, but you can call him Nic, hahahaha.” Nic had probably already told her by now, anyhow.

He clapped Nic on the shoulder a little harder than intended, forgetting his own strength, to show that it was all in good fun, and fidgeted again. “Like, what's yours? Do you got a boyfriend? 'cause, like, we're both spoken for, you know? Except Niccy won't admit it 'cause he's shy, he's shy! Hahahaha.”

[Nicolay]

By now, Nicolay was nursing a stout glass of drink that was just a shade shy of being violently red. He did offer the lady a small smile of his own when he was introduced as a mean person, asked her, “How do you do?” before another chip from his plate disappeared and he dabbed his fingers on the napkin that the plate came with.

In the background, the bartender had approached the new Dardanian in his corner table, excused himself as the lad paused from strumming his guitar, then offered him a tray of sandwich, some chips on the side, and a tall glass of ale. Then, he gestured to Kiel's direction, and from beside the Dracovarian, Nicolay could see the foreigner beaming and waving to his graceful payer.

Nicolay gave a small chuckled as he sipped from his tiny drink. “Well, someone's--” his lungs nearly broke down when Kiel slammed his hand against his back.

“Like, what's yours? Do you got a boyfriend? 'cause, like, we're both spoken for, you know? Except Niccy won't admit it 'cause he's shy, he's shy! Hahahaha.”

“Goddess damn it, Kiel, would you stop shouting for one second of your life?” Nicolay winced, hissed, as he plugged his left ear with a finger, itching it a little. “You're making my rings ear.”

What? No, that didn't sound right.

“I mean,” Nicolay took a moment to gather his thoughts, “You, are making my ears ring.” There! See? He could still do it.

[Winnie]

"Kiel! I'm Kiel. And he's a meany-head, but you can call him Nic, hahahaha."
Kiel. She turned it over in her head. It seemed rather fitting, like a child's name. Nic's name... Well, it was a name. Plus, she kind of already knew it. She just didn't want to call him 'Niccy.'
"Like, what's yours? Do you got a boyfriend? 'Cause, like, we're both spoken for, you know?..." He drabbled on a bit longer, but Winnie didn't really care much about anything he was saying. Winnie stared at the two for a moment, but before she could answer, Nic began to complain, “Goddess damn it, Kiel, would you stop shouting for one second of your life? You're making my rings ear.”
Winnie fought back laughter, and then covered up her spluttering giggle by masking it as a cough into her arm, “Drunk!” The man quickly corrected himself, and only then did Winnie finally answer. She decided the truth was fine this time, she wasn't working and she doubted either of them had enough money to be counted as targets.
“Winnie,” she said, although she appeared to be telling her food, as he attention had once again turned towards her plate. She took a large bite, and then forced it down with another gulp of water- successfully emptying her second glass -and tapped the cup with her finger as a summons for a refill. She took a moment to half-heartedly answer Kiel's second question while heavily contemplating her taquitos. “And no, I don't 'got' a boyfriend, nor do I desire one. Not that it has anything to do with anything else.” She fixed Kiel with a sideways glare before chomping down on her next bite, then another.
And then a wicked smile curled on her lips, and swallowing the rest of her food, she leaned nonchalantly against the counter, facing her company, and asked, “So, is Nic gay, too?”

Piper's Boutique — Saoirse Ronan

[Is Kiel pronounced Key-ell or Keel? I'm curious.
And Winnie is such a meanie-head sometimes. A sadist. Yes, that's what she is.]

[Nicolay]

OOC: This time, I'm the one butting in! Also, lol, that's a brush against the fourth wall, kind of. ;D Oh irony.

A magnificent spray of cherry-colored whatever sputtered out of Nicolay's lips and his glass was henceforth drained and empty. He coughed for a couple of breaths, thumping his chest with his right fist before he pointed -- rather shakily or lazily -- at Winnie with his left hand. “Now that is a ridiculous accusation, Winnie.” he paused for a moment to turn away and give out a solid cough. And then he turned back to the lady with them, “Now, just to be clear, I have nothing against gay people, why else would I be sitting here with Kiel? But I am actually in love with a woman right now and her name is--” What, what the hell was he going to say?

Nicolay let his breath roll out of his nose and his eyes around their sockets. And as he grabbed his plate and pushed his seat aside, he pretty much told Kiel (sorry, man) to screw himself sideways and all ways as he departed the conversation and moved himself to a more isolated corner of the counter about five seats away from his friend.

OOC: You can safely say that Nicolay cussed Kiel.

[Kiel]

((It's pronounced "Keel". ))

Aside from the fact that, like, Nic was clearly drunk — or why else would he get his words backwards like that? — Kiel was stunned to be told off. Like, “Wah?”

Like, he was used to it from some people. Zeph was always telling him to shut up and stop fidgeting, and his mom, and... well, like, most of the family, actually. And Marty. And, like, basically everyone he met that wasn't as happy-go-lucky as him.

But, like, there was a huge difference between a sharp "Sit down already!", and actually getting so mad they'd leave. And, because he was so happy-go-lucky and couldn't hold a grudge or stay mad at people for more than, like, a second... Kiel just really couldn't quite grasp the fact that his friend was pissed at him.

“Like. Wah?”

It hurt, man. He wasn't sure exactly where he was hurting, but something hurt — playing on his insecurities and dredging up memories of all those times when he was left out in the cold just 'cause he was too much for most people to handle — and he was suddenly wishing he just hadn't answered Niccy's text, man, you know? Like, Niccy knew who he was, man, so, like, why would he ask for his company if he didn't want it? And to curse at him?! Like, that was something you only did to people you hated!

“So. Um.” Everything showed on Kiel's face, the good and the bad, but even he could figure out what having somebody yelling and swearing and physically trying to get away meant. So he was leaving, and hurting too bad to even wave goodbye at the chick he'd just met.

“Man. I just hope Zeph's in a better mood when I get home, you know?” he told the door as he yanked it open and slipped through it into the night.

[Nicolay]

What-- oh Jesus.

“Kiel, don't be--” such a baby, “--that way.” Nicolay called to him from his spot by the corner, one chip on his hand, a beautiful rose's blush on the height of his cheeks as he watched the man shuffle his sorry way to the door. “Kiel,” he tried again -- louder this time, and when his friend actually pulled the door open, Nicolay finally set his foot down (literally since it was on a bar under the stool) and called out, “Kiel, come back here! Kiel, I didn't mean it!”

The door said no, swinging close obediently to Kiel's intentions.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered hotly under his breath as he hopped out of his seat and hurried to the door. One hand on the handle, the barkeep made a noise of protestation but Nicolay told him quickly, “I'll be back.” Then added, “Winnie, I'll be back!” as he left the pub.

Boy did his world swim! What the hell was in that Not-Bloody-Mary? He could feel his heart leaping excitedly, chained as it was by his many veins and stuff, but up ahead was Kiel's taller form, a mile or a yard away from Nicolay, he didn't even know anymore.

“Kiel, wait!” Nicolay called out to him for the 500th time as he jogged (a little sloppily) to the man's direction. “Kiel, I didn't mean what I said, all right? Y, y...you know you're not supposed to shout at a drunk man.” He wasn't drunk but it was a convenient excuse!

Or maybe he was drunk. He could be sitting on a ram now running straight into a speeding train and not make out the difference.

“Kiel, don't go. Please?” For added effect, Nicolay apologized for being a hole.

OOC: 1.) I always thought it was Kee-yehl! 2.) You can safely assumed, again, that Nic is apologizing for being an a-hole.