Merrion Priddy (merrymage) wrote in emillion, |
So far the day had been entertaining and Rivalen found himself not minding the festivities. Flowers, chocolate and merchants taking full advantage of the holiday by selling things at exorbitant prices. Not that his pockets were much lighter than when he had left home in the morning, gil was not to be tossed aside just for anyone and frankly he was not about to humour anyone today by purchasing them anything. Offended parties would get over it. At this point in the evening he was beginning to wind down, having been sitting at the bar a while now with a tankard of ale. The thought of picking up someone for the evening crossed his mind, then was dismissed; apparently the end of the evening was to be spent in his own company (a tranquility he appreciated). Or not. Across from the bar, on the side of the room he spotted the familiar profile of one of the Councilor’s of the Mages’ Guild. Merri. Rivalen couldn’t help but smirk, opportunities and all that — he ordered a second tankard of ale and then moved over to join the red mage, setting the drink in front of him as he sat down opposite. “Councilor, what brings you here tonight?” “Riv!” Merri smiled as he grinned at his friend. “It’s good to see you! And, I ah…” A blush covered his cheeks as he glanced back at the woman he had thought about ordering a drink for earlier. Somehow, working up the courage to do that without Ari here was harder than he expected. But it was still not quite so hard as to try to explain to Rivalen why he was here. Those who had given him something for St. Namorados, though strictly platonically, had received something in return from him, and it should have been enough. Most years, it was enough. This year, though, Merri still felt a hole in his life that he had no idea how to fill again. He wasn’t sure if he believed in the phrase, “It’s better to have loved and lost…” The pain had dulled, but it still didn’t feel right. “I’m just here enjoying the festivities,” he decided to answer instead. “How about you?” Rivalen was not sentimental, and he had never been remotely in love -ever- so he wouldn’t have understood Merri’s troubles (though he would’ve lied and said otherwise, patting the councilor on the arm with sympathy). “I’m here having a drink, so have one with me.” he pushed the second drink in Merri’s direction again, “Drinking alone on this day seems a little unsociable.” Even if he actually preferred that, but he liked making ties to people who were useful so, Merri was an exception. “Made a lot of gifts, Councilor?” Shark-like grin, eyebrows raised, Rivalen was eagerly waiting for an answer to that question. With a grin, Merri accepted Rivalen’s offer and took the glass. He expressed his thanks and sipped, though it was not the alcohol that colored his cheeks when Rivalen asked his question. “Ah… well, just friends,” he said sheepishly. “How about you?” A shake of his head, “I’m not here for holiday cheer. Just enjoying my day off.” Another long sip of his beer and he smiled across at Merri again. Was the Councillor blushing? He resisted the urge to laugh, pushing down the urge to poke more at it. “Well, I should leave you to enjoy your drink, shouldn’t I? Maybe you’ll find someone more than just a friend around here.” “You… you think so?” There was a tone of hopefulness in Merri’s voice as he glanced back behind him to the rest of the bar. He still doubted that he might find the love of his life here tonight, but he knew that all he had to have was a little bit of hope. Wouldn’t it be amazing, meeting someone to love forever on one of the holidays dedicated to romance? Smiling back at Rivalen, he said, “Thank you for the drink, Riv! It was good to see you!” |