Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

He didn't like how Quint and Francicso's expressions had changed, his own face turning to a frown as he felt a bit of worry for the small woman. There was no doubt that the General was fixated on her for now, but he wouldn't put it past him to break her if it struck his fancy. After all, only Cora and Quint were untouchable to him. Everyone else was at his mercy. Still, he hoped she would be okay when he got back to their cell.

Sabastian simply allowed Francisco to manipulate his body. Well, "allow" was an exaggeration since he wouldn't have been able to do anything if he wanted to. As it was, he also understood that this was going to sting, the man heeding Francisco's warning and taking a stabilizing breath before he was lifted.

"Ngh!" A little grunt of pain left him from the sting of his wounds, a few of the cuts opening and bleeding down his back a bit as he sat in Francisco's arms. He couldn't even grab onto the man, so he simply let his head rest upon his chest as he was carried out.

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"Alright mother hen"

Damien frowned and puffed his chest just a bit, "hey. I am not a mother hen." He looked over at Cora for back up, but she was too busy snickering with her face in the other direction. "Hmph."

"How about we do this. I'll go to bed right now, but I'm taking a bottle of booze with me."

In the interest of meeting Vin halfway, he begrudgingly nodded and crossed his arms. Just because he agreed didn't mean he couldn't be slightly disapproving. Though when Cora pointed out the bet they made, he caught her eye and the way she was looking at him. It seemed as though Cora was the true mastermind here, and he was more than happy to follow along with her plan.

"I'm pretty sure that the bet was that we would drink spiced wine if Vin lit the fire but... I doubt they have spiced wine here, so I guess I'll have to drink some of that bread-juice." The bartender chuckled and got another glass of beer out and passed it over, Damien taking it and giving Cora a little smile before returning his attention to Vin.

"Alright. Come on, let's get you to a room while you can still walk." Damien put Vin's arm around his shoulder and helped him off the barstool, collecting a key from the bartender for one of the upstairs rooms for drunk patrons to rest in. He didn't need to have Vin's arm over him, but he would rather make sure his friend didn't hurt himself. Very carefully, he helped Vin up the stairs, finding the room soon enough and directing Vin over to the bed before letting the man take a seat.

With that, he closed the door to the room and walked over to a bed-side chair, leaning back and taking the cap off his beer. He stared at it for a moment before taking a drink and mulling the taste over a bit. "Hm..."

 

[Drobabes]

Francisco used the sheet to try and catch some of the blood, not wanting it to drip on his hands. Once he had him situated, he made his way to the door, taking one last look at Quint before heading out. A while later, as they were standing in the elevator, he let out a sigh.

"He carved a wing into your back."

He turned his face a bit, to meet his eyes with his own.

"You asked what he did earlier? Well, it's a wing. Like a demonic wing or something, not some pretty feathered one."
________

He took his guitar, mumbling under his breath that Damien totally was a mother hen as he slung it over his shoulder, and then he looked between his two companions as they talked.

"I'm pretty sure that the bet was that we would drink spiced wine if Vin lit the fire but... I doubt they have spiced wine here, so I guess I'll have to drink some of that bread-juice."

"Hey, you forgettin who won that bet, smart ass?"

He had a good natured grin on his face as he said it, and although he didn't think he needed the help, he let Damien sling his arm around his shoulders anyway.

Once they were upstairs he found that he was actually grateful for the bed. It was soft underneath his tired body, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment. He sat his guitar down first, and then he untwisted the cap on the bottle, taking a slow sip as he watched Damien take a sip of his own. He swallowed with a grin.

"It looks like he gave you an IPA. I usually don't recommend those to people who are just starting out on beer. I would have gotten you an ale first."

He took another sip, and then reached over and tried to hand Damien the bottle. There was a bit of a shit eating grin trying to play at the corners of his lips, his eyes crinkling up just the slightest bit with mirth.

"So, seeing as I did win the bet, and seeing as we don't have a twelve pack, you're going to drink this with me."

 

[Poprockz]

"He carved a wing into your back."

Sabastian looked over to meet the man's gaze, giving him a confused look for a second. The words "carved a wing" immediately brought the image of a chicken wing, but he knew that wasn't right. The next image was of a bird's wing perhaps, but he was hesitant to think that Kuznet would ever draw something so nice upon his skin, so when Francisco followed up with what it really was, he was silent for a few seconds.

"A demonic wing, huh? Well, I suppose there's nothing I can do about it. At least if anyone ever calls me "cute" again, I can whip off my shirt and show them my gnarly demon wing carved into my back. They'll all say it's very metal." His voice was casual, but on the inside he was a bit somber. So that's what Kuznet meant by "leaving a reminder about what he really was." A monster, a demon. It made him wonder if Kuznet had planned on that design from the start, or whether he had adapted when Sabastian had told him that being a monster and looking like one were two different things.

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"It looks like he gave you an IPA. I usually don't recommend those to people who are just starting out on beer. I would have gotten you an ale first."

Damien raised his eyebrow, "I'm pretty sure it will all taste like bitter bread, so I'm not going to be super picky about what flavor of bitter it is. Speaking of which..." He raised the bottle and wiggled it slightly. "This tastes pretty bad."

With that, he lowered it and took another drink. "The aftertaste is pleasant though. Makes me feel like I've just had a piece of toast."

"So, seeing as I did win the bet, and seeing as we don't have a twelve pack, you're going to drink this with me."

The man reached out to take the bottle from Vin, now having two bottles of booze in his hands. He looked from one to the other, thinking to himself that if he drank both of these, it would be like having several shots, plus the one he drank earlier. He wasn't quite sure what the alcohol content was, but it seemed like it would be pretty low for the beer bottle at least. Seeing that Vin was going to be drinking the majority of the liquor, it would really only be like four maybe, certainly not enough to get really drunk by. His natural inclination was to keep in control of himself, liking the fact that he was much less likely to make a fool out of himself.

Taking a drink of the one Vin handed to him, he swished it around his mouth and swallowed, nodding. "Hm... That one is less bad on account if it not being beer, and sure. We're in a safe space, so I wouldn't mind drinking some booze. By the way... Why were you trying to get plastered? Celebrating?" Damien gave him a smile, hoping that Vin was in good spirits and that it would be a good conversation starter.

 

[Drobabes]

"At least if anyone ever calls me "cute" again, I can whip off my shirt and show them my gnarly demon wing carved into my back. They'll all say it's very metal."

He let out a soft snicker, shaking his head a bit as the elevator dinged open, and they began their walk back to the cells.

"Maybe you can even turn it into a good tattoo later."

Francis was tempted to say 'if you ever get out of here', but he had stopped himself from saying that type of thing some years ago. He had learned many things about Kuznet over the years, but one thing that had taken him a bit longer to learn was that the psycho hated hope. He hated it as much as he hated genuine feelings, like love and affection. It was the reason he tried so hard to break people, to carve and shave them down until there was nothing left. And it was the reason why Quint still threw it in his face, every chance he got...

It was a bit longer until they reached the cells, but once there, Fran walked them by Sayori's bed and took Sabastian over to his own, laying him down as gently as he was able. He knew the little blond was going to be asking him any moment now, where she was, and he would tell him the truth. There was no point in hiding it from him, nor had he been told not to.
________

Delvin laughed at his description of the beer, shaking his head a little. Perhaps it was bitter, but that only told the guitarist that Damien hadn't tried enough varieties yet.

"By the way... Why were you trying to get plastered? Celebrating?"

His brown eyes looked up, meeting his grey, and the smile dropped off his face. It was only momentary, as he quickly recovered and smiled once more, though this time he didn't really feel it.

"Ah. No" he chuckled.

"Honestly man, I'm fucking nervous. What the hell am I going to say to him when we do finally find him?"

He reached up to rub the back of his neck, sitting up a bit as he did so and looking at the door.

"He's so goddamn stubborn. I doubt some pleading words are going to cut it."

 

[Poprockz]

"Hm. Maybe I will. Maybe it'll be something poetic and shit like having a demon wing on one side and an angel wing on the other. Vin and I had talked about him giving me a tattoo, so who knows? I doubt Kuznet has an tattooing pen around here though." Sabastian gave Francisco a little half-smile, knowing full well that he would likely never get a tattoo, even if Vin ended up down here with himself.

When they reached the cells, he saw that Sayori's bed was empty and he felt a pit in his stomach. If she wasn't there in the cells, then were could she have possibly gone? Wasn't he supposed to be keeping an eye on her? His eyes moved to the officer and he opened his mouth, "where... is Sayori, and..." he swallowed hard, "is she okay?" His eyes betrayed a bit of fear, hoping that Kuznet hadn't hurt her in some way, maybe even killed her. That fucking psycho was capable of many awful things, so he wouldn't put it past him.

-----------------------------------------------------

Taking another drink of the liquor before handing it back over, Damien sat back in his chair with his arms on the armrests, crossing his legs in what some might call an almost elegant fashion.

"Well..." Damien's eyes slowly traveled over the various pieces of furniture in the room as he thought, his gaze eventually landing on Vin. "What did you do the first time? In the beginning, he shut you out for similar reasons, and we both know he was just as stubborn back then as well. I distinctly remember him doing everything in his power to hide who he was from you."

"How did you get him to talk?" He was honestly curious, seeing as he had gone to bed with Cora and woke up the next morning to see that somehow Vin had deftly maneuvered past Sabastian's defenses, even managing to get the man to get physical with him as well.

 

[Drobabes]

Francisco's eyes met his as he collected the sheets, bundling them up into a ball. He was under watch now, so he couldn't show the sympathy that he normally would have liked to.

Putting on a small grin, as if everything was just dandy and fine, he said, "oh she probably just got moved back to her own room. Quint seems amenable to helping out now, so I imagine The General wanted her in a more comfortable room. There,"

He pulled the thin, barely even a blanket, piece of cloth up over his legs and then gave him a little pat on the back of his thigh.

"You get some good sleep now, and those drugs will wear off in no time."

With that done, he gave him a grin, and then he turned to head for the door.
________

He took the bottle, taking another sip as well. Glancing over, he couldn't help but notice, in his alcohol induced state, how prim and proper the man was sitting. It wasn't wrong, but he definitely didn't look like he belonged in some old room above a bar. Damien looked as if he should have been sitting at a large conference table, overseeing some meeting, and Vin wondered about that. He never seemed to complain or show disdain for other people, other than the people who hurt them or threatened Cora's safety. He wondered, did he miss that old life? Or had it simply been something that he had never cared for? Perhaps even forced on him by his family?

"What did you do the first time?"

His brown eyes came up from the floor, having been staring at his shoes as he zoned out. A little grin lit up his face, showing just a bit of his teeth as he lifted the bottle up once more as Damien talked, though he paused to say a few words.

"I cornered him."

He took a small sip, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand before passing the bottle back.

"How did you get him to talk?"

He chuckled a bit, remembering how Sabastian had outright refused to take the eyepatch off.

"I told him to show me his eye, but he wouldn't. But I had already backed him up to the wall, so what was he going to do, push me out of the way? He was trying to hide his strength."

Vin then hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should tell Damien exactly what he had done, although in hindsight he thought it was pretty goddamn funny. With a little chuckle, and the alcohol heavily convincing him to open up, he made up his mind to go ahead and spill it.

"I took his eyepatch off and threw it across the room where he couldn't get it. And then he stood there with his eyes shut, just refusing to open them. You know I think he would have stood there all night like that if I had let him" he laughed, reaching back to take the bottle again.

"So," he said, bringing the bottle up.

"I kissed him. Should have seen the look on his face-he was so shocked."

Vin had planned on taking another drink, but the memory came flooding back, so fresh and clear to his mind, that he couldn't help but start laughing. He has to put the bottle down as he tries to get himself under control, and he brings his free hand up to cover his face, his shoulders shaking hard with mirth.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian's face turned to an frown, knowing that being alone was the last thing she probably had wanted, the woman seemingly having been very excited to have a cellmate again. Sayori was a nice lady and pretty in a youthful way, but he wasn't sure why the General had suddenly decided to tuck her away, as though he wanted to isolate her. Sure Quint was compliant now, but it wasn't like Kuznet really gave a shit whether she was comfortable or not.

He really disliked that fake-happy tone of voice Francisco used. It was understandable that he had to put on an act for the cameras, but it was grating on his ears and made him want to stomp on the man's foot. Sabastian glared at him as he headed for the door, "sure. Don't mind me. I'll just lay here in the meantime, letting the zombie blood from my demon-wing ooze down my back. I almost want to say that the purple blood is more viscous than human blood. It just kind of drips slower. I'm sure it would make a slightly different sound if you stepped in a pool of it with just a sock on."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"I cornered him."

Damien hadn't been expecting that answer, a little smile on his lips as he raised his eyebrows as if to say, "really?" before he took another drink of beer.

Throughout Vin's story, a grin slowly grew on Damien's face. He could definitely imagine it. Vin seemed like he could be pretty stubborn when he wanted to as well, so it seemed that in the battle of wills, he had won out by making a surprise attack on Sabastian. There was no doubt in his mind that Sabastian truly would have stood there all night with his eyes closed for the express purpose of keeping his little secret.

The image of Vin throwing the little blonde's eyepatch across the room was particularly funny, the man chuckling a bit at that part. Sabastian had probably been sweating bullets at that point, having been "unmasked."

"So... I kissed him. Should have seen the look on his face-he was so shocked."

Damien actually laughed at that part, though it wasn't quite as uproarious as Vin's. Just thinking about how Sabastian's eyes had probably looked like saucers was hilarious.

"You're a genius. I bet he never even saw that coming." He grinned and brought the beer bottle up once more and made a dissatisfied face for a moment. The beer wasn't super good, so he might as well just get it down. Bringing the bottle up, he chugged the bottle, his adam's apple bobbing as he gulped down all of the amber liquid. Once it was gone, he let out a satisfied gasp and panted slightly, setting the empty bottle on a little table nearby and seeming exceedingly pleased with himself.

"So, I suppose just up and kissing him won't work this time, but I bet you it would loosen him up a bit. As for the cornering... I definitely think you'll have to do that again. He's a slippery one, so I would be willing to bet that he'll do everything in his power to get away from you before you can approach him."

He paused for a moment, taking the other bottle back from Vin and taking a swig, a nice buzz going on now in his body. "What do you want to say to him?"

 

[Drobabes]

Francisco didn't bother to turn around for the little blond, the only response that he got from the older man being, "you're so salty Sabastian. Maybe I'll get you some pudding to balance it out."

After that, he started laughing hard, making his way out of the cell and leaving the man to his own devices.
________

Damien's own laughter only intensified his, it being one of the few times he had heard the steely eyed man genuinely laugh. Still, despite the momentary good feeling it brought, Vin couldn't help but start to feel that same melancholy once more, and as he wiped his eyes a bit on the back of his knuckles, he let out a little sigh.

"So, I suppose just up and kissing him won't work this time,"

He shook his head, looking over to his side slowly and then reaching for his guitar.

"No. No, I don't think it will."

Vin then started to pluck the strings, not playing out any particular tune, but seemingly just playing with the way he could make it sound.

"What do you want to say to him?"

He looked up at him, his smile faltering before he looked back down.

"Nothing...everything."

He was quiet for a moment then, using his longer nails to strum, having had lost his guitar pick somewhere along the way. When he did finally decide to speak again, he was a bit hushed, as if he didn't really want Damien to hear, though the alcohol made it difficult to keep good control of his volume.

"Maybe if I had told him before...maybe he wouldn't have ran. I wanted to, when we were out on the lake, but I hesitated. Like a big," he plucked his guitar harshly.

"Stupid,"

Another pluck.

"Idiot."

Suddenly he didn't feel in the mood to play, but neither did he want to put that guitar down. His guitar.

 

[Poprockz]

The only response Francisco got was a little, "hmph" from the blonde, the man sighing and closing his eyes after Francisco was gone. He should probably try to get a bit more rest. After all, it wasn't like he could do much of anything else, what with his body being as useful as a limp noodle right now.

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"Nothing...everything."

Damien didn't say anything, simply listening intently so as to encourage the man to continue. He got the feeling that there was more to it than that and that Vin had probably run over several scenarios in his head already to try to decide what he might say once they caught up with the stubborn little marshmallow.

"Maybe if I had told him before...maybe he wouldn't have ran. I wanted to, when we were out on the lake, but I hesitated. Like a big. Stupid. Idiot."

He cocked his head to the side a bit, wondering what it was that Vin had wanted to tell Sabastian. Based on the context, he had a bit of an inkling, but he wanted to make sure he was correct. "First of all, I think you're being too hard on yourself- we all thought we would have more time. Second... Was it that you wanted to tell him you loved him? Is that what you wanted to say at the lake?"

In the aftermath of Sabastian's departure, it had become abundantly clear that Vin truly loved him. He had thought that maybe Vin had confessed to Sabastian from the way they seemed very affectionate toward one another before, but it seemed that he was probably wrong. So Sabastian most likely didn't know Vin loved him, probably thinking that while they were in a committed relationship, it wasn't that big of a deal for Vin since he had dated before.

 

[Drobabes]

"Was it that you wanted to tell him you loved him? Is that what you wanted to say at the lake?"

His brown eyes looked up for a brief second before looking back down, his hand resting on the neck of his guitar. He tried to laugh, to chuckle, but it simply came out as a choked sob.

"I wanted to. I should have."

Damn that booze was catching up with him though. He recognized it, but all it made him want to do was drink more. So that's what he did, reaching out and grabbing the bottle and taking another few drinks, trying to shrug off the pain and memory of hearing Sabastian tell them to run. The way he had looked, so alien and yet, so scared. He had been so scared...he should have just picked him up and held him when they found him out in those woods.

"It's just...been so long since I actually loved someone. I was scared to say it, I think."

He took another drink, not caring at this point if he downed the whole fucking bottle. Maybe the booze would wash him away tonight and he wouldn't have to face the problems of tomorrow.

 

[Poprockz]

"It's just...been so long since I actually loved someone. I was scared to say it, I think."

"Love can be scary... There's just so much to lose." Damn, that probably wasn't super helpful. The man felt a bit bad for such a morose response, but he was distracted by Vin inhaling the booze.

Damien quickly swiped the bottle out of Vin's hands before he could finish it, seeing that there was basically only a quarter of the bottle left. In one fluid motion, he downed it. He downed it all. It burned to drink all of it at once, but he really didn't want Vin to consume any more than he already had. If there was one thing he knew, it was that depression and alcohol were not a good combination. Besides, he wanted the man to be conscious so he could actually talk him through some of his shit in the hopes of making him feel better.

Once the bottle was drained, he set it on the little table and sighed. Damn, he was starting to feel it. How much had he had at this point? A beer, one shot, and maybe half a bottle of liquor? Ah well, it didn't matter. It wasn't like he had ever gotten too drunk on about five shots. What he didn't realize was that he was drinking on an empty stomach with nothing to soak up that booze before it soaked into him.

The steely-eyed man was quiet before he spoke in a gentle tone, "Knowing him, he would probably have tried to break your heart anyway. He would have said some bullshit about you only thinking you loved him, or about how you would get over him eventually. Again, he's damn stubborn; he would have found a way to run. Feeling like you don't deserve something... or that you'll only harm them in the long run... It eats away at you, and there's nothing anyone can do to chase it away forever." He stared at the floor, lost in thought for a moment before he blinked and looked up at Vin as though having had to bring himself back.

 

[Drobabes]

He looked like a child that had just had his favorite toy taken away and then sent to bed early without supper. As he watched Damien drain the rest of that bottle, his shoulders slumped a bit before he took a slow look around the room, as if there would be any more booze within easy reach.

"Feeling like you don't deserve something... or that you'll only harm them in the long run..."

His eyes came back around, staring at his friend as he spoke.

"It eats away at you, and there's nothing anyone can do to chase it away forever."

Damien would be met with a look of confusion, but also a bit of sympathetic pain. Was the steely eyed man just talking about Sabastian with those words? Or was he talking about himself as well?

"Well..." he said slowly, the booze beginning to slur his speech a little.

"Maybe not forever, but, there's this sweet thing called music..."

He looked back down then, adjusting the dragon to better fit across his lap before trying once more to play something.

"It's got this, thing, this way, of letting us feel stuff, that we normally would fight off or deny. I think it can talk for us sometimes, when you can't think of the words. Or it can let you get your head out of a dark place for a minute. Or, best case...scenario,"

He scooted back a bit on the bed, the pillow that he had been leaned up against moving back with him.

"It can just shift your perspective altogether."

He went a little quiet after that, just strumming for a minute. And then, with a little grin, he asked,

"So who said it first? You, or Cora?"

 

[Poprockz]

He observed the look of confusion and sympathy, wondering if he was thinking about how Sabastian must feel. Shit he was starting to feel drunk. It was weird, he hadn't expected the booze to hit him so quickly.

"Well... Maybe not forever, but, there's this sweet thing called music..."

It took everything in Damien not to roll his eyes at Vin, instead keeping a neutral expression in response to his drunk speech. Sure, music was great and could be a bit of an outlet, but he talked about it as though it was a game-changer. Unspoken feelings? Changed perspective? If music was truly as helpful as he made it seem, then he would have been a fine, upstanding gentleman a long time ago. He mused to himself that it was probably just his cynicism talking though.

He wanted to be a good friend, so he imagined saying something bitter about music in general wasn't the right move. Instead, he simply nodded and made a "Mm." noise of acknowledgement. Besides, he did enjoy the song Vin was strumming; even while drunk, Vin's fingers seemed to be talented when it came to his instrument.

"So who said it first? You, or Cora?"

"She said it first. I'm not sure she meant to, but it just came out in conversation. We were talking about going out to find a printer after things went to shit, and... she said she was worried about me." The fact that she had been worried for him had made his heart melt, Damien smiling dreamily as he remembered. "She was worried that I could get hurt and... No one had ever looked at me like that before, and I was swept away. Then she said it in passing. I thought I was going to vomit I was so happy."

Suddenly his smile faltered and faded until he looked extremely sad, his dark eyes seeing something far away in his own mind. "Sometimes I wonder..." He murmured softly. Did she love him or was it Stockholm's syndrome? Did she love him out of pity for his past? How long would it take before she realized how flawed he was truly? His mother's poison would continue to flow through his veins, the man convinced that he was worthless, a leech, disappointing... That's all he had known. Of course his business affiliates would compliment him from time to time, but he knew they had simply been trying to cozy up to the CEO. None of them were genuine in their praise, greedily reaching for power. Power was meaningless though, it did nothing to ease the dark thoughts that permeated his being.

Even when his parents were gone, he had chosen a disgusting path. A path that had led him to capturing Cora and then her heart. By all means, he didn't deserve her, nor did he deserve to be there. Still... for some reason she wanted him. If only he could have been a better person, worthy of her affections. She had such a kind heart, so he couldn't help but wonder if she was simply in love with the idea of taking care of him or leading him on the right path. Or perhaps she was held hostage by the worry of what would happen to him if she left.

The sad look settled into something that simply looked resigned, the man uncrossing his legs and slumping down in the chair a bit with a sigh. "It's a shame they hadn't invented a time machine... I think my life would look a lot different if I had one. I think... there would be a lot of things I would change. What about you... Would you want a time machine?"

 

[Drobabes]

Delvin kept strumming as Damien talked, soon switching over to something similar soft, though a bit more lighthearted. The little pause after the man spoke made him look up, and that dreamy smile on his face made Vin himself smirk before he looked back down at his guitar. He was starting to feel a bit better, the light conversation and the major buzz making his thoughts softer and fuzzier.

"Then she said it in passing. I thought I was going to vomit I was so happy."

He laughed lightly, knowing the feeling all too well. It was very similar to the way he had felt when Sabastian had been out in the woods with him, at the lake, and when they had confessed to each other that they wanted it to be more than just something casual. Of course, that feeling had quickly given way to passion, but he would be a liar if he said it hadn't been him in the best damn mood lift he had had in years. His head had been buzzing for the rest of the day, and even though they had basically spent the whole day together, Vin had felt like he simply couldn't get enough of the little blond.

"Sometimes I wonder..."

"Hm?"

Vin looked up, his fingers hesitating on the chords for just a second. He recovered quickly enough, trying to play it off as if he had simply been switching songs, or forget the one he had been playing, but the look on Damien's face had him worried. He was much too to make the connection between what the steely eyed man had just been talking about, and his sudden mood shift. All he knew was that his friend was sad all of a sudden, and he should really try to do something about that.

Strumming a bit, he tried to think of what he could play that might lift his spirits. Damien had rarely requested any songs, unlike Cora and Sabastian, but what had he asked for before? Right as he remembered, Damien spoke once more, and it made Vin pause, momentarily just holding his hands over the cords.

"A time machine?"

His face became very serious for a moment, his eyes staring off into the void as he thought hard. Would he have used one, if he had the chance? He had to admit, the idea was tempting. Would he have been able to stop her if he had been home that night? Or would she just have found some other way to hurt him, later down the road? It didn't matter now, and he still was halfway convinced that Damaris was right. Fate chose-no matter what he might have done differently, if he could have, Fate would have found a way to make it happen anyway.

"It's...difficult to answer that."

He leaned forward a bit, his hands going to grip the neck of his guitar, like he needed something to hold onto.

"I want to say yes, I would have used it, but I don't really believe it would have worked. Or if it did work, what would I have been sacrificing to pay that price? If I went back and changed things, would they have changed for the better? Would I ever have met Sabastian, or you and Cora, if I did that?"

He laughed suddenly, his eyes misting up again.

"And that's the Catch 22. I think I might almost have been willing to sacrifice this if it meant I could change it...eh, but," he sniffed, wiping at a few renegade tears, and then starting to strum again softly, playing Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head.

"It's not possible, so there's no use torturing ourselves with the what could have been."

 

[Poprockz]

"I want to say yes, I would have used it, but...Would I ever have met Sabastian, or you and Cora, if I did that?"

Damien nodded, thinking about that sort of query. If he used a time machine to go back and murder his parents early on, what would have happened? Would he have lived a better life? Honestly, that didn't seem very important. What was important was that he would have been able to prevent a lot of pain, saving the people whose lives he had impacted. He wouldn't have met Cora but... maybe that was for the better. If he hadn't met her, then she and her brother would probably be fine right about now, heading out of the city together to find a place to live. The selfish part of him was glad that going back wasn't an option since he had someone that loved him, but that same thought made him guilty.

"I think I might almost have been willing to sacrifice this if it meant I could change it...eh, but... it's not possible, so there's no use torturing ourselves with the what could have been."[/I]

That made him look up at the man, regarding him with curious eyes. What was it that Vin was willing to give Sabastian up to change? It almost seemed like he had something dark in his past that weighed on his soul. Damien really wanted to ask what it was, but he thought to himself that Vin might not like him prying.

"Hm. That's kind of like what Cora said. She said that sometimes all you can to is focus on doing your best right now and in the future. Of course I plan to follow that advice, but I don't want to dismiss the past either..." He quietly sat for a moment before he realized what Vin was playing. Perking up, he straightened up a bit and started humming along, his low hum pleasant and smooth. Wow, he was really feeling the booze, the man feeling very relaxed in Vin's presence.

He stopped humming and gave Vin a drunk smile, "hey. You know, when Sabastian worked at my estate, he worked in the kitchens and then for my mother as her butler? He even wore the traditional butler outfit with the black bowtie. My mother was such a cunt... I was like a ghost in that house until my parents were dead, so sometimes I heard things. There were several guys that had crushes on him, but my mother fired them when she got wind of it. God, she was a fucking jealous bitch... I felt a bit bad about it, but mentioning it would have only fucked him over more."

 

[Drobabes]

Vin thought about his words as he strummed, his mood being lifted and shifted around to something a bit calmer, and, for the moment at least, happier. He could see Cora saying something like that. He didn't know the cruelties that the women had lived through, but she seemed very down to earth and focused on moving forward. At least, that was the impression he had got from her thus far.

When Damien started to hum along, Vin closed his eyes and smiled softly, putting a bit more focus on what he was doing with the strings to really make that guitar come alive. He really enjoyed it when people joined in with him, feeling as if the music acted like a bridge, bringing people together.

"hey. You know, when Sabastian worked at my estate, he worked in the kitchens and then for my mother as her butler? He even wore the traditional butler outfit with the black bowtie."

He kept strumming, switching over to some unknown tune that yet to have a name or any true origin-simply something that sounded good on those strings-as he slowly opened his eyes and gave the man a smile. Upon the mention of Sabastian wearing a butler outfit, the smile became more genuine and almost into a full on grin. He could really picture the little blond in a cute little suit and tie, and he hoped that he would be able to see it someday.

"My mother was such a cunt... I was like a ghost in that house until my parents were dead, so sometimes I heard things...God, she was a fucking jealous bitch... I felt a bit bad about it, but mentioning it would have only fucked him over more."

His smile faultered a bit, but he didn't want to ruin the good mood between the two of them, so he turned his eyes back to the guitar and busied himself with adjusting the position of his hands on the chords, taking a brief pause before he decided to speak.

"What do you mean? Why would it have effected him? And what do you mean about being like a ghost?"

He was pretty drunk at the moment, but he was still with it enough to think about it. He had been wondering for a while now why Damien had acted so violently in the woods when he had thought he had touched Cora. The steely eyed man had seemed extremely possessive and jealous to him at the time, though he had been quick to apologize and admit his wrong once Vin had knocked some sense into him. Still, behaviors were often, if not always, learned, so Delvin couldn't help but be curious about it.

 

[Poprockz]

"I mean... she was already fixated on him anyway. If she knew it bothered me though, she might have been more bold in her actions. I don't know... Like..." He thought for a moment, trying to find a good example.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, glancing at Vin before looking away. "When I was really little I had a dog once, and before it-" he paused for the slightest moment, "-died, she always used to step on its paws with her high-heels because she liked how it would make me upset."

That memory was a particularly bad one from his childhood. He had begged for one, and when he saw the pain that poor dog went through at the hands of his mother, she had thrown it in his face, telling him that he should have thought about the dog's wellbeing before asking for one. He had begged for them to return it, his mother then telling him how pathetic he was for abandoning the dog now that he had it. His father had taken him aside and told him that there was a way he could prevent the dog from being in pain ever again. "Take a good look. This is what it means to be without suffering, Damien. Now... put its body in the fireplace."

The man shifted, and he suddenly wished he had more booze to gulp down. Talking about those sorts of things was never easy, but he at least wanted to give Vin a general answer to his questions. Absentmindedly, he rubbed his thumb up and down the smooth wood part of the chair's arm.

"I never got confirmation of it, but I'm pretty sure my mother scared away anyone from talking to me at length. They would all... avoid my eyes, hurry along, almost treat me like I didn't exist. It didn't matter as much to me when I was young but when... when I was about nine, it became more painfully obvious. My dad was more often than not away on business, and when he was home I wished he wasn't. My mom though, she got her kicks from playing with people." He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, remembering those violet eyes as she had appeared in front of them again at the mansion. Damien wished that Cora had never come into contact with her, but in some ways he felt just a little validated that Cora also recognized what a snake his mother had been.

A moment of silence came from Damien, the man seemingly lost in thought before his grey eyes looked up at Vin and he gave him a little smile, "but enough about me. What are you going to say to Sabastian when you see him?" It was a pretty obvious conversation changer, but he figured neither one of them wanted the mood down for long.

 

[Drobabes]

Delvin tried to keep strumming as he listened to him talk, but eventually, he found his hands petering out and simply resting on the guitar. He watched the steely eyed man speak; not outright staring but simply looking to catch his facial expressions and better communicate.

Honestly, the poor guy sounded like his parents were fucking psychos. Stepping on a dogs foot just to see the pain it brought to someone else? Not letting anyone talk to their child? A child, not an teenager or adult who might have been able to better deal with that social isolation. It all sounded so fucked up, and Vin wished he knew what to say in that moment.

His own dad had not been a model parent-far from it, but even though he had been shitty and cruel to them, and just generally a sad and mean person, the worst he had ever done to them was hit them with things like shoes or their toys, sometimes grab their arms or hands too roughly, and of course, yell and fight with their mother. It had steadily gotten worse over the years, the man raising his actual fist to Damaris having been the last straw, but even throughout their first portion of their lives, Vin couldn't remember a time in which he had ever been subjected to such obvious and blatant manipulations or head games.

When Damien tried to change the subject, turning the topic back around to Sabastian, Vin was sitting with a bit of an angry and concerned scowl. He has to visibly force himself to shake it off as he clears his throat and looks to his side, something on that pillow having been poking into his skin for the better portion of their conversation and needing to be dealt with before he could answer.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to tell him the truth, for starters..." he said, reaching out with a slow hand and shoving fluffy fabric away. He was going to continue that line of thought, but, when he shoves the pillow over, he finds a little jackpot beneath it.

There, having been hidden under the bedding, was a small assortment of single shot bottles of vodka, four to be precise. It looked as if someone had been planning on continuing the party, though perhaps they had simply passed out before getting around to opening them.

With a big grin now lighting up his face once more, Vin reaches out and scoops them up, then looks to Damien as he tosses two of the little bottles right into his lap.
___________

Cora was just about finished with her hamburger, enjoying the soft music of another musician, although she was beginning to wonder if Damien and Vin were doing alright up there. She certainly didn't want to interrupt them if they were bonding, but she was growing just a bit bored and tired. Perhaps after she was done with her meal she might wander on up there.

 

[Poprockz]

Being that his eyes were closed and he hadn’t been looking at Vin, he didn’t notice his tense reaction. “The truth...?” Damien asked, sitting there for a moment before opening his eyes. When he did, he saw Vin with a goofy grin and two bottles of vodka about to be tossed his way. He was surprised, but caught them anyway. Well, caught them was an exaggeration as the most he did was keep them from rolling off his lap. Taking them in hand, he studied them for a moment before giving Vin a grin.

“Jesus, you’re really trying to get me shitfaced, aren’t you?” Damien chuckled. “Where did you pull this out of?” He stared at them for a moment, contemplating as to whether he was actually going to partake. If he drank much more, he might end up getting a bit sloppy. Still, his self control was already at a minimum, so he was sorely tempted to drink more.

 

[Drobabes]

"Jesus, you’re really trying to get me shitfaced, aren’t you?"

He let out a hardy laugh, unscrewing the lid to his own little shot.

"They were under the pillow. And come on-when are we going to get another chance to let loose and just relax?"

Tipping his head back a bit, he let the contents of the bottle spill out, knocking it back with relative ease. He was already so many shots in that the taste didn't bother him nearly as much as it normally would have. The other shot was still sitting in his lap, though he didn't drink it just yet, but instead wiped his chin and gave Damien a grin, half challenging Damien to keep up with him. If he didn't partake and drink those two shots in his lap, then Vin might even toss him the third. After all, we was already well ahead of the tall man.

"Alright" he said, cracking his knuckles and then shifting his guitar strap off of himself.

"What we in the mood for? I could try some Santana, but I don't think anyone can make a guitar sing like that man."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien couldn't argue with the man's logic, knowing that this would probably be the safest they'd be for a while. It was the perfect opportunity to let oneself go, and he thought to himself that maybe it would be nice to simply go with the flow today- the flow of booze, that is.

He watched as Vin knocked his back, meeting his grin with a smirk of his own. Opening the cap of one of the bottles, and then the other, he knocked one of them back, and then the other. He was the type of guy who liked martinis after all. Though this cheap booze was a bit more harsh on the tongue than the chilled, smooth vodka they used for his favorite drink. Still, soon he was two shots further in with no signs of coming back sober.

The grey-eyed man smiled a bit smugly, proud of his drinking prowess even though this technically wasn't a contest.

"Hm...." the way he made that playful hum was very indicitive of his inebriated state. "I don't know... Maybe if you play something Cora likes, she'll be summoned into the room like some kind of sexy demoness. Or... maybe more like an angel. Except you can't summon angels can you? Hm..."

 

[Drobabes]

He laughed again, watching him knock both of them back with ease, and then he clapped for him when he was done. Vin was honestly having a lot of fun, seeing a side of Damien that he had suspected was there all along, but that the shy man had been unwilling to show so far. It could have been said that he always had fun when someone was drinking with him, but there were certain people that he just got along more easily with.

"I don't know... Maybe if you play something Cora likes, she'll be summoned into the room like some kind of sexy demoness. Or... maybe more like an angel. Except you can't summon angels can you? Hm..."

Vin laughed again as he shook his head a bit.

"Alright, but before.."

He had to stop momentarily, his hand going to his chest for a brief moment as he let out a little belch. Damn that room was starting to spin though.

"Before, we do that, I am telling you right now-you two are going to get your own room tonight."

He tried to keep a straight face as he said it, the words becoming jumbled and a bit harder to pronounce with each passing second that that last shot worked through his system, but the way that he half-assedly wagged his finger at the man made even himself lose his composure and smile.

"And, what does she like? I mean, besides country. Or better yet, here"

Suddenly he was leaning forward, handing Damien the guitar while trying to keep himself from simply leaning too far off that bed and meeting the ground with his face.

"Serenade the little lady."

Vin started laughing again, wondering if Cora would go for that. Delvin imagined she would find anything the man did to be serenading, even if he didn't know how to play. Now they just had to hope she came up anytime soon.
___________

Cora had finished her meal and cleaned herself up with some water and a rag, and now she was just sitting and tapping her foot on the barstool. She really didn't know what to do to keep herself occupied, but the longer she sat there by herself, the more down she started to feel. She really didn't want to be sitting there alone, stewing in her own thoughts. Although, it was late, and she was at a bar...

"Excuse me, bartender? Do you have enough supplies to make a bloody mary by chance?"

She paused, biting her lip a bit while she thought about it.

"Maybe make it a double."

 

[Poprockz]

"Before, we do that, I am telling you right now-you two are going to get your own room tonight."

Damien couldn't help but snicker at the way Vin had belched and waggled his finger as well, knowing that he was probably referring to the fact that already Damien was pining for the gorgeous lady. Though at the same time, he wondered if Vin wasn't also planning on jerking off to the image of Sabastian in a bowtie and butler outfit.

"And, what does she like? I mean, besides country. Or better yet, here... Serenade the little lady."

"Oh um..." He awkwardly accepted the guitar and stared at it like he didn't really know what to do with it. After a moment though, he shifted it and held it like Vin had been doing, putting one hand on the neck and the other around the base, resting his fingers against the strings. Hesitantly, he strummed once, a surprised look on his face as it didn't sound bad. Granted he had no idea what he was doing, but it didn't sound awful. "Here goes, I guess..."

Damien sighed and started randomly strumming it, moving his fingers on the neck to hold down random strings in random places as he strummed. His voice came out, slightly slurring but mostly all there. It wasn't bad, but he certainly wasn't a superstar, especially when he had to come up with a melody on the fly, while drunk no less.

"Oh Cora, No woman before ya, I just want more-a, more of you!
She's got the prettiest fucking eyes, and the prettiest fucking face,
I don't ever want to be apart from that... um... that angel of lace?
Her hazel eyes are the best, better than the rest, but I also love her chest, but not as much.
She's the kindest heart with um... the brains to spare, but don't you dare zombies, she's mine!"

Damien laughed in the middle of his impromptu song, finding it to be a bit ridiculous and fun to be just randomly singing. Maybe that was why Vin liked it so much.

"I~ am the goblin king, and she's my goblin queen!
I'll juggle all the fushigi balls if it'll make her scream my name.
Bowie is my right-hand snake, he's the cutest snake!
He likes to drag my goblin queen, all across the lake!"

 

[Drobabes]

While Damien started to play with the strings, giving them a few test plucks, Vin went ahead and opened up the other shot. He was way beyond recognizing a healthy amount of booze at this point.

"I don't ever want to be apart from that... um... that angel of lace?"

He laughed, and then he sat the now empty bottle down on the bed. After his hands were freed up, Vin started to join in by clapping his hands together and then slapping them on his knees, trying to give Damien a bit of a beat to follow along to.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Cora had slugged back most of her drink and requested one more for the road. With a good meal in her stomach, and knowing they would be heading to bed soon anyways, she wasn't really worried about drinking it too fast. She was just about halfway through the second Bloody Mary, and almost to the door, when she heard the singing.

""I~ am the goblin king, and she's my..."

She paused, the glass still touching her lips, and she smiled. Was that Damien trying to play? Or had Vin gotten so hammered in that time that he couldn't keep his fingers straight?

"Bowie is my right-hand snake, he's the cutest snake!
He likes to drag my goblin queen, all across the lake!"

Cora tried not to snicker and giggle, but as she very slowly and sneakily opened that door, peaking in on the two boozehounds, she couldn't help but bite off a laugh. She watched with curiosity, and an immense amount of amusement, as the two men made their little impromptu song together.

Suddenly Vin opened his eyes, drunkenly looking up at the door, and threw his hands up in the air.

"Cora! Look, your summoning spell worked!"

"Summoning spell? What are you two doing in here?" she laughed, stepping into the room.

 

[Poprockz]

Vin's encouragement had only served to get him more into it, the man having lost his reservations about appearing foolish in front of the other man. It was really nice to be able to just mess around with someone else without any pretense or care in the world. It was a warmth that filled up his heart with joy, the man having a big smile of his own by the time he saw Vin throw his hands up.

He paused as Vin alerted him of Cora's presence, his head whipping around very slowly, eyes wide. "Holy shit, I'm a wizard!" he exclaimed in wonder with a big grin growing on his face. Turning his body slightly, he showed her the guitar and strummed it playfully. With that, he got to his feet and promptly wobbled to the side slightly, though he was able to catch his balance quickly. He looked like a kid who had been given the most exciting Christmas present.

"Cora. Look. I'm playing Vin's guitar! Obviously I've already surpassed his skills. There's nothing more he can teach me." Playfully, he held the guitar and ran his fingers through his hair as though almost preening himself for her, his demeanor changing to one of mock smugness. He approached her and started strumming it rhythmically (or at least trying to do so), starting another verse of his serenade.

"Oooh, Cora. The beautiful woman with a kind-hearted smile!
They see it for miles and miles and miiiiiles.
You light up my heart with all of your care,
The only thing more silky than your voice is your und-"