InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Have you tried soaking it?"

Caradoc Dearborn (caradoc_) wrote in scotopia,
@ 2008-06-06 20:26:00

Who: Caradoc and Dorcas
Where: A pub
When: June 6, evening
What: Drinking the Night Away
Warnings: Well...drinking, and probably free use of language.

"Meadowes!" Caradoc called as he knocked on his friend's door. Despite what some people thought, Caradoc enjoyed a fun night out--even if to him, a fun night out was filled with alcohol and sarcasm. He hadn't gotten truly drunk since his attack; he'd been to cautious to let himself get out of control. He wasn't sure about that night, though. Nothing had really happened in the last month and a half, and nothing that could be traced back to knowledge he may or may not have given out.

So maybe tonight was the night. "Standing in front of your door isn't much bloody fun, you know."

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	caradoc_ 2008-06-15 06:35 am UTC (link)
	"Definitely not the Prophet," Caradoc groaned. "Given what we do, you know, communicating information, we're sadly lacking in our ability to actually communicate well with one another. No, I mean...oh shit, here I go, drinking and talking about things I shouldn't. I just...know people. Kind of an organization, I guess, against You Know Who and all his." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

dorcas_
2008-06-16 04:28 am UTC (link)

Dorcas has been half-distracted, trying to catch the bartender's eye, but something suddenly clicked and suddenly all her attention was back on Caradoc. She stared.

"The vigilante group the Prophet was on about. Fuck me, it's real? And it's you?" And then something else clicked, too. "And that's why they went after you, isn't it?" Dorcas had a few too many thoughts about all this to process them at the moment, and she probably couldn't have put how she was feeling into words, but a note of something close to hostility came out in her voice.

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caradoc_
2008-06-16 03:01 pm UTC (link)

"Fuck, keep it down, would you?" He knew they were in a Muggle bar and the chances of someone there having any knowledge of what they were talking about was quite slim, but he'd had reason lately to be paranoid. "Yeah, it's me. Or it was. And yeah, that's why they came after me." He met her eye. "There it is. My big secret." He could blame the alcohol for making him talk so much, but he knew, subconsciously, he'd wanted to tell her. He'd wanted to tell her for a long time, but he felt oddly protective of her; and besides, he'd never really known how to do it.

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dorcas_
2008-06-16 04:48 pm UTC (link)

"Bloody hell, anything else you'd like to share while we're at it? Robbed any banks lately? Questioned your sexuality? Jesus." She knew it was childish of her to sound hurt, but she couldn't help it. She liked to think she didn't keep anything from Caradoc, at least not anything as big as all this, and anyway, focusing on the fact that he'd kept a secret from her was easier, right now, than really thinking about what that secret was, and everything that meant.

"And what d'you mean, was?" she added, trying to send a little less petulant.

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caradoc_
2008-06-16 06:06 pm UTC (link)

Caradoc was surprised by her reaction, though as he thought about it he hadn't really put much thought into how she would react to begin with. "Well hell, it wouldn't be much of a secret organization if I went around telling people about it, now would it?" he asked. "You're the first person I've even hinted about it to, alright? So don't get all upset." He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Bar stools were only all right for so long. "Yeah, was. Sort of. Don't worry about it."

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dorcas_
2008-06-17 12:18 am UTC (link)

"Sorry," Dorcas said, staring down at her empty glass and looking somewhat chastised. "Not like I can blame you, really, what with me being a huge blood fascist and all." She let that hang there just a second too long before her mouth suggested a smile and she darted a look at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't think you can just tell me not to worry about it, though," she went on, looking serious once more. "Even if it is in the past tense. 'Sort of.'" She looked like she wanted to go on, but the bartender finally passed by their end of the bar, and she abruptly said, "I'm going to need a stronger drink," and flagged him down to place her order.

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	caradoc_ 2008-06-17 12:25 am UTC (link)
	Caradoc placed an order as well, keeping with his usual. He waited until the bartender was out of earshot before continuing. "Worry what? Worry I'll be kidnapped and tortured and memory-wiped about it all?" he asked wryly. "Don't know if it gets loads worse than that. Maybe everything is looking up from here." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

dorcas_
2008-06-17 12:51 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, you see, I didn't get to worry about that the first time, because it was just sort of sprung on me. But now I get to worry about it happening again!" Dorcas said brightly. "And, there's always death." Her voice caught unexpectedly on the last word, and when the bartender fortuitously showed up with their drinks just then, she snatched hers fast and knocked back about half of it.

Then she coughed, clinked her glass against Caradoc's, and said, "But yeah, here's to everything looking up from here."

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	caradoc_ 2008-06-17 01:06 am UTC (link)
	Caradoc raised his glass a bit to their toast, then took a drink. "Wouldn't it be brilliant if that were true," he muttered. Nothing, in truth, was looking up for him, or for the state of the world in general. On the other hand, that's what nights out at dive bars were for: to forget about the bad things. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

dorcas_
2008-06-18 06:04 am UTC (link)

Dorcas ran a finger around the rim of her glass. There were still a lot of questions jostling for attention in her brain-- was he still affiliated or not? and if not, why not? and how had become part of it in the first place? and what did they do, really? and why hadn't he told her before? and, and, and-- but she had the feeling she could try to pry answers out of Caradoc all night and still never be satisfied. At the same time, she couldn't just forget about it, or act like he never mentioned it. She just wanted the night to be normal again.

"Well," she said, finally. "Don't think you're off the hook about this forever, alright, but maybe we could try to be fun drunk for a bit instead of gloomy drunk, because I really shouldn't stay out too much longer." Particularly considering the fact that once she did finally make it to bed, she was fairly certain she'd be staring at the ceiling for a few hours trying to process what she'd learned and visualising Caradoc dying in a thousand horrible ways. She took another long sip of her drink.

"Or, I don't know, maybe I should go."

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	caradoc_ 2008-06-18 03:30 pm UTC (link)
	"Hey," Caradoc said softly. "Hey, I didn't mean to make this a downer night out," he insisted. "C'mon. Stay out, one more drink and end on a happy note, yeah? Unless you've got to run home to your secret boyfriend or something." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	dorcas_ 2008-06-18 05:41 pm UTC (link)
	"Alright," Dorcas conceded with a slight smile, "the secret boyfriend can wait. But only so long as its an actual happy note, and not an awkward, forced happy note, alright?" she added, giving Caradoc a mock stern look. "First sign of forced cheer, I'm out of here." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	caradoc_ 2008-06-18 06:18 pm UTC (link)
	"Fair enough," Caradoc agreed. He even smiled a little, though not to big to keep it from looking fake. "No forced cheer. Got it. So... what's cheerful, then? Kittens? Weddings? Pretty photographs? You're going to have to help me out on this one." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	dorcas_ 2008-06-18 06:51 pm UTC (link)
	"ENH! Forced cheer!" Dorcas crowed accusingly. "But instead of leaving, I think I'll just make you do a penalty shot." Shots were one of the quickest ways she knew to unforced cheer, too. She grinned mischievously as she waved down the bartender yet again and asked Caradoc to choose his poison. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

caradoc_
2008-06-19 01:38 am UTC (link)

"Hi, I'm Caradoc, have we met? Because everyone who's ever known me knows I'm not a cheerful person," Caradoc cracked, considering his shot options. He was fine with just pure liquor of some kind, but felt since it was a penalty shot he should be a little more creative. "All right, then, barkeep. Give us a shot of something strong and terrible tasting so she'll regret asking for it." The bartender smirked and, a moment later, returned with their mystery shot. "All right, bottoms up!"

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dorcas_
2008-06-19 07:23 am UTC (link)

Dorcas punched Caradoc lightly on the shoulder. "Oi, only the person who forces the cheer is supposed to have to drink!" she protested, but really, Dorcas could only protest so much with a shotglass in her hand. She knocked it back obligingly and tried to keep a poker face but soon lost it, gagging. "That was... really foul," she managed, looking a bit green. "Someone ought to revoke that man's license." Even so, she couldn't keep herself from adding, "But first, I think we need something to wash that down..."

And there, things were back to normal again. Or at least close enough, for the time being.

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