(so faris is apparently annoyed that i haven't paid her enough attention lately and is eating my brains, send help)
The tavern door creaked open with a steady thump, prompting Butz to look up from the loose leafs of sheet music. He glanced a second time, when he realized it wasn’t another wayward scholar out for a midnight snack.
“What time is-...” The clock on the far wall fielded the answer, and his question changed to, “Where have you been all day?” As she passed the table, she dropped a bag in front of him, which clinked as it settled heavily. Without thinking, he reached for it. “What’s this?”
“Highway robbery.”
“You’ve been robbing people?” His forehead creased in contemplation as he weighed the purse in his hand. “I thought we weaned you off of that.”
“Naah.” Faris reached over the bar, pulling out a bottle at random. She blew at the host of flyaways that scattered in her face as she righted herself, then pushed them into place behind her ear.
“They tried to rob me. End o’ th’ damned world – two worlds at that – an’ catchpenny jackals still can’t let it lie.” She jabbed a finger at him around the neck of the bottle she’d purloined. “Do ye know how much paper an’ ink be involved in collectin’ bounties?” Not waiting for an answer, she scoffed and shook her head, then started to work off the wax seal with her fingernails. “Not bloody worth it, I’m tellin’ ye.”
Faris took one swig of the bottle’s contents and choked. Managing to swallow the mouthful, she eyed the black-blue glass with suspicion and set it aside.
“So you’ve been out... what, fighting would-be bad guys?” Reaching behind the counter again, Faris pulled forth a dusty brown bottle. She brushed it off and worried at the seal. “Alone? All day?”
“Better’n sitting around, scratching my arse,” she replied before sampling the contents of the brown bottle. Judging by the way her face twisted up, it was hardly more agreeable than the blue, but she took a second, less than scrupulous gulp out of it anyway. “An’ a far sight better’n waitin’ for Exdeath to pull somethin’ else I love into the vast empty nothin’ while a bunch o’ misbegot scholars sit around scratchin’ each other’s.”
Butz rolled his sheets back into their case, haphazard and out of order. He joined her at the bar, folding his arms on the counter. It took him three times, but he managed to start, “Look, Faris, I know you’re hurting-...”
“Do ye really,” she muttered, twisting to set her back to the bar.
“Yeah, I mean...” Butz glanced at the bottle on the counter for inspiration, then back to Faris. “Reina was your sister, and that’s gonna hurt, and she was my friend-...” He winced; no, that wasn’t the way to say it. “Okay, so maybe I haven’t had as much tangled up in this as you do, but I know what it’s like to lose someone close, and I...” Crud. He’d had time to plan this all day, why hadn’t he? “I guess what I’m trying to spit out is, I care, alright? I care, and I don’t know what I can do to help, or if I can help, but I’m here for you and want to help you through this.”
Regarding him coolly, Faris took another swig off the bottle. Butz sighed, rubbing his eyes. “If I can.”
Faris swirled the liquor, then set it aside. “Th’ kid asleep?”
“Krile?” Butz scratched behind his ear, glancing to the stairs. “I-... yeah. Why?”
“‘Cause.” Without warning, Butz found himself shoved against the bar, at a complete loss, with a pirate’s teeth scraping against his lips. Keeping him pinned in place with her knee, unnecessarily at that, Faris leaned back to shrug out of her jacket and throw it aside. Voice raw, she murmured into his throat. “I could use somethin’ a wee bit harder than rum right now.”
[BlitzKiss!] The Hard Stuff, FFV, Faris/Butz, PG-13
The tavern door creaked open with a steady thump, prompting Butz to look up from the loose leafs of sheet music. He glanced a second time, when he realized it wasn’t another wayward scholar out for a midnight snack.
“What time is-...” The clock on the far wall fielded the answer, and his question changed to, “Where have you been all day?” As she passed the table, she dropped a bag in front of him, which clinked as it settled heavily. Without thinking, he reached for it. “What’s this?”
“Highway robbery.”
“You’ve been robbing people?” His forehead creased in contemplation as he weighed the purse in his hand. “I thought we weaned you off of that.”
“Naah.” Faris reached over the bar, pulling out a bottle at random. She blew at the host of flyaways that scattered in her face as she righted herself, then pushed them into place behind her ear.
“They tried to rob me. End o’ th’ damned world – two worlds at that – an’ catchpenny jackals still can’t let it lie.” She jabbed a finger at him around the neck of the bottle she’d purloined. “Do ye know how much paper an’ ink be involved in collectin’ bounties?” Not waiting for an answer, she scoffed and shook her head, then started to work off the wax seal with her fingernails. “Not bloody worth it, I’m tellin’ ye.”
Faris took one swig of the bottle’s contents and choked. Managing to swallow the mouthful, she eyed the black-blue glass with suspicion and set it aside.
“So you’ve been out... what, fighting would-be bad guys?” Reaching behind the counter again, Faris pulled forth a dusty brown bottle. She brushed it off and worried at the seal. “Alone? All day?”
“Better’n sitting around, scratching my arse,” she replied before sampling the contents of the brown bottle. Judging by the way her face twisted up, it was hardly more agreeable than the blue, but she took a second, less than scrupulous gulp out of it anyway. “An’ a far sight better’n waitin’ for Exdeath to pull somethin’ else I love into the vast empty nothin’ while a bunch o’ misbegot scholars sit around scratchin’ each other’s.”
Butz rolled his sheets back into their case, haphazard and out of order. He joined her at the bar, folding his arms on the counter. It took him three times, but he managed to start, “Look, Faris, I know you’re hurting-...”
“Do ye really,” she muttered, twisting to set her back to the bar.
“Yeah, I mean...” Butz glanced at the bottle on the counter for inspiration, then back to Faris. “Reina was your sister, and that’s gonna hurt, and she was my friend-...” He winced; no, that wasn’t the way to say it. “Okay, so maybe I haven’t had as much tangled up in this as you do, but I know what it’s like to lose someone close, and I...” Crud. He’d had time to plan this all day, why hadn’t he? “I guess what I’m trying to spit out is, I care, alright? I care, and I don’t know what I can do to help, or if I can help, but I’m here for you and want to help you through this.”
Regarding him coolly, Faris took another swig off the bottle. Butz sighed, rubbing his eyes. “If I can.”
Faris swirled the liquor, then set it aside. “Th’ kid asleep?”
“Krile?” Butz scratched behind his ear, glancing to the stairs. “I-... yeah. Why?”
“‘Cause.” Without warning, Butz found himself shoved against the bar, at a complete loss, with a pirate’s teeth scraping against his lips. Keeping him pinned in place with her knee, unnecessarily at that, Faris leaned back to shrug out of her jacket and throw it aside. Voice raw, she murmured into his throat. “I could use somethin’ a wee bit harder than rum right now.”