theo. (escutcheon) wrote in emillion, |
The encounter with Alys, however brief, had left Divina with a lingering irritation. The obvious recourse had been to indulge. Inebriation kept the thoughts at bay for a time; the remainder of the afternoon was enjoyed without incident. However, as Divina began to sober, the agitation again reared its head. And so she found herself breaking off from her company. Foxed still, the fell knight retraced her meandering way back to the tent Theo had been stationed at. When she arrived, she saw that the revelries had attenuated in this particular venue. It was thus no difficult matter to pick the berserker out of the thinning crowd. His back was turned to her. Impulse became action: a hand shot out, curled around his wrist. “Finch.” Theo turned around. Finally at the end of his shift, he had only now begun to unwind. With an enormous tankard of Kerwonian ale in hand, he gave an appearance unlike before, when that sister of Juliette’s (what a fucking difference in mien that was) had thundered up and started poking his chest--on duty, of all things. Circumstances had not been in his favor then, especially with Divina present, but here his guildmate was again. Thankfully without accompaniment, or so it seemed. “Aye,” he said, and it was a greeting growled into his tankard, wary as if that Alys girl was likely to pop out of nowhere once again. Divina nodded at his drink. “You’ve been released, then.” A frustrated pause. There had been some drunken rationale here, but it now eluded her. Lamely: “You have not eaten yet, have you?” “No,” simply answered, and Theo shifted to turn to her more directly. Face to face, him the more sober by far as yet (perhaps by the end of the celebration this would change), he looked down and wondered what Divina had approached him for. “Suggestions?” “Kerwonian chefs flew in for the tent—” Was it the tent down? she wondered. Two tents down? “—nearby. Ought to be worth our while.” Theo gave a brief look around. The smell of beer and grilled meats permeated the air and, if he looked hard enough, he did indeed spot a temporary cooking station lodged nearby, the smoke wafting through the heavy crowd lined around it. He chewed on her words, worth our while. Ought to have been more pissed off, considering, put up more of a fight. Part of Theo felt stubborn to be sure, but he tried to remind himself whom, exactly, was offering. A comrade, a friend. “Remains to be seen,” he said after a minute, grinding out the concession. Invitation accepted. Theo began to elbow his way through the tight crowds of people, giving Divina a shrug which suggested she accompany him (no friendly hand placed between her shoulders, no arm-in-arm). Mug still in hand, he took another drink as he walked, knocking back the lingering remnants of his sour mood. Her own somewhat improved, the fell knight followed along the path he paved—for once, without complaint. |