Devil's Nest, Monday, September 12, 2022

[texted3times]

Eric came into the bar still looking a little smug from his successful date on Saturday.

Well. "Date."

He slouched into a bar stool and glanced over at Tiny who was sipping something with evident enjoyment. "What are you drinking?"

Tiny rumbled an answer.

"Tino's homemade malort," Eric repeated. "Pass."

The Devil's Nest was open. Don't drink the malort.

Comments

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden had been meaning to check out the local vampire bar, although he had ended up checking out the local vampire first. The vibe was...not quite the same as the vampire bar back home (less public nudity, for one thing), but he might be into it. Especially if he could actually get drunk here.

Not on malort. That shit was nasty.

"Little more," he told the bartender as he poured Tru Blood into his drink. "Little more...stop. That's good. Here goes nothing." He was doing science and hopefully getting drunk! Winning!

[texted3times]

"Is it good?" Eric asked.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"It tastes right," Raiden said, considering his glass. "I just don't know if it's working yet. It takes a lot of booze to get me drunk anyway. Hi!"

[texted3times]

"Well, fortunately you've come to the right place. We have a lot of booze," Eric said, smirking. "Hi."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"As long as I can skip the malort, I know I've come to the right place," Raiden said, smiling back at him.

He was politely not commenting on what it smelled like.

"Do you stock real blood at all here, or just this stuff?"

[texted3times]

"I have a few in the back," Eric said. "Most people don't come asking, some prefer it fresh from the source--" he waved his hand in a "what can you do" sort of motion. "But I do. Do you have a type preference?"

[carbsliftthespirit]

"As far as blood goes? Not really." As far as not blood went, tall blond vampires were really doing it for him these days...although he also would not be opposed to biting Eric, if that were a thing Eric was willing to allow. "Alcohol doesn't work on my kind without either blood or ambrosia in it," because of reasons, "unless it's absinthe," also because of reasons, "and who wants to sit around drinking absinthe all night? So I was just wondering in case the Tru Blood stuff doesn't turn out to do the trick." He eyed his drink critically. "Like I said, it tastes right, but I'm gonna need about three or four more of these to be able to tell."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had been oddly insistent on Marc going out that night. Marc wasn't sure he trusted it but maybe Steven was feeling guilty about how much time he had the body over the weekend. (Marc didn't care. Steven having a normal life was the point.)

Whatever. Not like Marc was going to turn down an excuse for a drink. He made himself comfortable at the bar and ordered a whiskey.

[texted3times]

Eric gave him a little wave. "Marc."

[hasaknightjob]

"Eric," Marc replied. He looked Eric over. Something seemed different. "You look... cheerful."

Marc was totally guessing. Hell if he knew what a cheerful Eric looked like.

[texted3times]

Eric smirked. "It was an interesting Saturday night."

[hasaknightjob]

At that moment in time Steven had kept a solid lock on the events of Saturday. Marc knew he'd had a date with Watts so the natural assumption was whatever happened was the kind of thing Marc emphatically did not want details on.

So Marc guessed. "New sculpture medium at the bar?"

It would explain the smell.

[texted3times]

"Speed dating at Caritas," Eric said. "I met him."

He nodded at Raiden.

Smug. Smug smug smug.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc took a look at Raiden, then saluted Eric with his drink. "Hopefully the speed part was limited to the introductions."

[fates_jaye]

You know what Jaye's face said? Jaye's face said "Mm hmm.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc spotted Jaye. And that was when Steven decided to share a (carefully curated!) selection of information about what he'd done on Saturday night.

Marc immediately turned to face the mirror behind the bar. No surprise that Steven, that busybody little asshole, was already there. "I will kill you."

Be nice! Steven told him, pointing in Jaye's direction. He was looking far too smug. Which, actually, helped place what the expression on Eric's face was earlier. Try saying you're sorry.

"Leave, Steven," Marc said, not loud enough to be heard by most people but if someone was standing near to him (or had superior hearing) they probably did.

Of course to all appearances Marc was talking to his perfectly normal and silent reflection.

[fates_jaye]

"New schtick?" she guessed.

[hasaknightjob]

"Unfortunately not," Marc said. Though he was thinking longingly of the days when he and Steven weren't able to talk to each other.

You don't mean that.

"Shut up," Marc muttered. Then, to Jaye, "Not you."

[fates_jaye]

"As a tip, when I start calling someone's behavior weird, that's a bad sign," Jaye told him.

[fates_jaye]

"Did you guys just do a deep cleaning?" Jaye checked.

It was the only excuse for the smell.

[texted3times]

"I hope so?" Eric said. "It smells like--"

Yeah, like that.

[fates_jaye]

"I don't like it," Jaye said. "It could drive away a customer."

Just make others drink it, she'd stay for the reactions.

[texted3times]

"In Fandom, only the strong survive," Eric said, snickering.

[fates_jaye]

"I'm weak," Jaye stated. "Completely."

[texted3times]

"Malort will put hair on your chest," Eric said. "Possibly literally."