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[extent]

user name: nick
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[extent]

if u get the urge to call ur ex, dont
dont take pills from strangers
drunk genius ideas make for hungover injuries

there a purpose to the bender?

[chrisisofaith]

he wasn’t an ex but I did love him and also already slept with him so guess that ship sailed

rest i’ll keep in mind

and yes of course there is, but I’d rather stop my emotions for a bit than talk about it, no offense, nicky

[extent]

if u loved him past tense that totally counts as the ex category, just fyi. no drunk calls.

dw, i'm not the talking type. want company?

[chrisisofaith]

fuck alright

and maybe. you sure? you’ve been down as the moon at sunrise last bit.

[extent]

sry to break it to u 💛

stuff's just messy rn, but isn't it always? anyway ive never met a problem that getting blind drunk hasn't fixed

[chrisisofaith]

the worst part is all the reasons I fell for him are still true…but like most of the reasons i stopped are also true. that and going home for a bit.

maybe i should just give my phone to the bartender.

see, ok that sounds like a problem for problems…but also i don’t have the heart to keep us on the better path right now, so.
yeah sure. pick a place.

[extent]

just swap phones w me, problem solved

u ok with the down? i mean i dont mind the scratch but like i generally
try to avoid drinking up there as a rule

[chrisisofaith]

look at you beauty and brains.

down’s just fine with me. The only thing I don’t do down here is sleep unless it’s around. wherever’s fine


oh except the spread eagle, not having my phone’s not gonna do any good there

[extent]

u can always sleep it off at my place if we're not up to wobbling home

i know a place, long as ur not opposed to sticky floors and gum under the table
its pretty gross but no one rly goes out there, thats why i like it

[chrisisofaith]

might take you up on that. i’ll be gone by dawn anyway.

sounds perfect honestly, almost like some of the hovels back home. lets do it

thank you

[extent]

now ur starting to sound like MY exes lol

youll be doing me a favor too, no need for thanks. just let me know when ur free boo x

[chrisisofaith]

no. shit. fine i can stay, i just have to get up before dawn to pray.

well suppose i don’t have to if i’m not switching spells so i can play hooky

give me 10 and i’ll meet you

[extent]

chris dont worry u would have to be a hell of a lot more terrible to make that list haha get up for whatever reason u want babe, u dont need an excuse

pls follow my directions to the letter

[ the directions in question are actually a crudely drawn map on one of the post-it notes that litter nick's lab, from the theatre out to a small bar a decent walk away, far out enough that most LIERs don't wander that way.

but more helpfully, an actual location pin follows as well, because cartography is not nick's passion and he knows it. ]

[chrisisofaith]

what an artist you are

[It’s a charming little map, as much as it is useless, and he saved it to his phone regardless. It can live there with the other random little things he’s saved.

But the pin is easier and takes Chris from where he’d been loitering halfway between Haven and the theatre to the far flung and dingy bar. It was exactly the kind of place you likely weren’t meant to go if you knew what was good for you.

Part of Chris hoped there’d be an excuse for trouble, but the rest just hoped to sink peacefully into a bottle and Nick’s company.]

[extent]

[ it's exactly the kind of place that someone isn't meant to go if they know what is good for them, which is exactly why nick likes it so much. he likes that everyone here minds their own business and he likes that there's weird graffiti carved into the tables, and that no one bats an eye when nick asks for a bottle and takes it without a glass, off to a booth.

nick waves when he sees chris though, raises that bottle with a wide grin--though it's not going to last long with two of them, so he gestures to the bar just as quickly. but he slides across into the next seat over and frees up the one next to him for chris to join him in.

...once he's got more booze, though. ]

[chrisisofaith]

[His task is clear and he flashes a smirk as he turns to the bar to buy a bottle of something amber and strong. Amnos had recommended it before he’d vanished and anything that whet a dwarf’s constitution was sure to do the trick.

He turns to the table with bottle in hand and saunters over to Nick. He flips into the chair and scoots it back far enough to stretch a leg out onto another chair as he uncorks the bottle.]

Lovely little place, perfect as advertised. Try this, it’ll melt your throat.

[He places the open bottle on the table between them and settles in to unashamedly watch.]

[extent]

[ nick's nose scrunches as he gives a little smile at chris and at the arrival of a new bottle, and it's not one of nick's big beams but the crinkles in the corners of his eyes are more genuine than most get lately.

he switches the two bottles quite happily, pausing a moment to inspect, but there isn't much scrutiny done before he's taking a bold swig. honestly, most alcohol doesn't touch the sides with him these days, he's not expecting any different with this. it's actually a pleasant surprise when the burn makes him cough. ]

God, yeah, that'll do it. Check this out. [ the thumbs over some wonky lettering scratched out into the table in front of them. ] "L+R", do you think they were actually "4eva"?

[chrisisofaith]

[He grins bright for the good handling of that first gulp. Good boy.

He takes his own gulp of Nick’s bottle and swaps them again as he eyes the letters.]

You a romantic, Nick? Got a belief in soulmates and ‘for life?’

[extent]

[ the 'no' is ready on his tongue, the same answer he's had for years. nick is not a romantic, but thinks about promises made to find people out of here, and all the work to find some loophole, and every time he's held someone's hand and thought this is worth it. nick isn't a romantic--except for the fact that maybe he is.

he's more moderate with the second swig though, and it goes down a little easier. still with that telltale burn that nick isn't used to though, and that's nice.

maybe that's some kind of a problem, but tonight isn't a night for pulling it apart. ]

You want to know a secret? [ a third swig, and then he hands the bottle back. ] I think I am. Like— just a tiny little bit, you know. Just a little.

[chrisisofaith]

[Chris takes his own large swig and winces for the burn. Perfect.]

A little? You and Nate attached at the lips but like…sweetly. Think it might be more’n just a little, but sure. Your secrets safe with me.

[He takes another drink and let’s his finger trace over the carvings, the wood cleaning itself with a pale lavender glow as he goes.]

I don’t think I am. I wish I was. These two…probably split or got separated in the way people are here. Life just does that. Doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. I wonder if they remember doing this, if it makes them smile.

[extent]

You don't have to be a romantic to make out at work, you know.

[ complete with a little eyebrow waggle, naturally, because who would he be if he didn't slide a gentle proposition in there.

it's not his best work though, abandoned quickly in favour of tugging one of his feet up onto his seat, looping an arm around his leg to hug it to his chest. he's too distracted by swigging from his own bottle again, a long few swallows, to seriously flirt. ]

What about soulmates, do you believe in those?

[chrisisofaith]

[Chris smiles but shakes his head. Of course not, he'd make out with any of them whenever they wanted and none of them were even dating him, but he's also sure that isn't the point.

Chris shifts and sinks down in his chair to use a foot to yank the spare chair over closer to Nick, then re-settles in it so his leg is back up in the chair, but his boot is lightly touching Nick's shoe.]

Yes and no. See...in my world, people have life-threads, representations of their lives that my god looks over. No one is born attached to any but those that birthed them and can detach their threads as their lives go on based on choices made. But, two or more threads can tie themselves together and if those threads are especially strong, they'll resonate brighter and hold tighter. So, I think you can find and make a soulmate, but no one person was born for another. It's a choice and effort same as any.

[extent]

[ nick listens with a captive expression, broken up only with a quick swig from the bottle, and when the chair gets dragged closer nick opts to drape one of his legs over chris' instead. close enough. ]

That's a bit romantic, you know. I know it's not....star crossed lovers or whatever the fuck, but-- [ he shrugs, swaps for the bottle with a kick again, face scrunching briefly as he drinks. ] Choice is very romantic. Sexy, even.

[chrisisofaith]

[That works for him, he settles into the small contact comfortably and chases a swig of one bottle with another. They mixed fine enough, what could even be tasted of the stronger one.]

Don't call me out, Nick.

[He croaks and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.]

I don't know. I like sweet words, sometimes I tangle myself in them and sometimes they come better than some poets I've heard. Nice to think someone might be endeared enough to that to tie up with me. [He pauses.] I mean here, I've two boyfriends back home, but not sure they're tied to me so much as just taking the path with me, you know?

[He waves his hand a bit as though to brush that out of the way. It didn't matter.]

So, you wanna talk about who you're tying up with that's got your head here and halfway into a bottle?

[extent]

[ nick is not a bitter person. even when things are awful -- and they have been truly horrendous at times -- he's not the kind of person that gets angry and bitter over it. he wallows, sure, gets sad, absolutely, but not bitter.

so it's an unusual sort of sound coming from him, the bitter little laugh before he clamps down on it, shoves it back down with all of the other feelings that nick doesn't feel, chasing it down with a long few swallows from one of the bottles. he's losing track of which is which, now. ]

I'm much more interested in talking about your boyfriends. What are they like? Are you in love? Have you known them forever, are they new?