New Best Friends

[Orin Evans]

[Continued from ‘Building a Brotherhood’]

[ORIN] He nodded in response, sighing again. This had been an interesting and exhausting day. But he felt he wouldn't be able to relax until he knew all was clear and hopefully they had caught the last of the Saelisians. "I know," he replied, frustrated. He figured they could wait a while longer, in hopes that the other commanders would come to report to him if they found anything or not. So he sat quietly for a moment, before he was speaking to the Tresterian prince again. His voice low and serious, "Will you take care of her?" It almost sounded as if he were asking him to take over for him, as if he might be leaving Aralore.

[ARIC] Now that he was sitting down, he wasn't sure he wanted to get back up right away. Although he had lounged with Alexandria briefly, he too felt like he hadn't stopped since their initial meeting and his body was just tired. But Orin's words took him by surprise, and dark eyes blinked as they lifted to look at him from across the table. He stared, as though he didn't believe he had heard him correctly. "Of course," he finally answered. Aric couldn't help but wonder if those words had a deeper meaning, because yes, it did sound as though he was expecting to take over. Fully. "And I know you still will also." And Aric didn't mind that at all.

[ORIN] A simple nod was given in response to Aric's words. "Of course I will... For as long as I live." He laughed and leaned forward. "But I can only go so far...I assume it would be inappropriate for me to just wander into her...your room after you are married." He was insinuating the obvious, of course. "And then my attention will probably turn to hopefully a niece or nephew..." He grinned slightly and shook his head. "So I need you to take care of her for me..." Yeah, that wasn't awkward at all.

[ARIC] Orin really just said whatever he was thinking, didn't he? It was awkward and yet endearing...depending upon the circumstance. Right now, it was awkward, and he had the prince at a loss for words. Eventually, Aric laughed because it was too ridiculous not to. "I won't be making that mistake again. I'm getting locks. Everywhere." Nope. He had to stop talking because that came out in the probably the worst way possible. Her brother wouldn't understand that, for the first few times, someone had interrupted them right before a first kiss. Nothing more. Fucking hell. But Orin's talk of a baby made Aric forget everything else. His throat got sore and his heart suddenly ached...because he- only he- knew the truth. Alexandria had told him that she may not be able to carry children...and Orin couldn't know why. Swallowing that lump in his throat, he ran a hand down his face as if that would wake him up from this sudden emotional fatigue. "Heh, right. Yeah." Dark eyes wandered around, searching for something. "I think I need a drink. Do you need a drink? I think I need a drink." Did he repeat himself?

[ORIN] Again? Had he caught what Aric had said, correctly? His eyebrow rose, assuming exactly what he Aric feared he would. Though, Orin had to let it go. It wasn't any of his business and it was bound to happen anyway, at least in a few days, most likely. He sighed, quickly noticing that Aric seemed nervous about him bringing up them having a baby, and he suddenly wondered if the man had any plans on trying again, seeing that he had lost his daughter with his first wife. He frowned, but as soon as Aric mentioned needing a drink, Orin laughed and nodded. "Absolutely..."

[ARIC] Although they had spoken about it, he still didn't think much about it. Maybe because she said she couldn't, maybe because he was petrified of his past happening all over again were it even possible. Pinching the bridge of his nose, knowing he had made a fool of himself, he was thankful when Orin laughed...even if it was at him. He'd accept it. He managed a smile, although it appeared embarrassed. "Do these boys have something here?" It did appear as though the military liked to congregate here, for more than just training, so he figured he'd ask. A strong whiskey would help immensely right now.

[ORIN] He jumped up from his seat and walked over to the back of the room where there were shelves on the wall. He reached for a couple of bottles and some cups and returned to the table, setting a cup in front of Aric and one in front of his seat. He set one of the bottles down and then opened the other, quickly pouring what looked like whiskey into Aric's cup, and then his. There was an opened-mouth, laugh-like grin on Orin's face. He was clearly happy about this. It had been a long, tedious day, and this was what he needed. He sat back down and lifted his cup up to Aric as if toasting something. And he quickly downed the liquid.

[ARIC] What else were they to do while they waited? For the longest time, he had avoided drinking much of anything because, well...he wasn't all that pleasant when he had too much. That was when he was miserable and depressed, so it only accentuated it. But now, he prayed, it would lighten him up a bit more...because he could use it. It was a long day indeed, and when Orin came over with that wide, clownish grin, Aric slapped his hand onto the table in amusement. A finger pointed at him, "You, sir, are a godsend." He brought that cup up to his nose, smelling the burn of the whiskey, then held it up in a salute. "To everything finally going our way." It was hopeful thinking. Clinking it against Orin's cup, he took a quick sip, further feeling that burn down his throat. The cough that followed did little to suppress his grin

[ORIN] He laughed at Aric's words, filling his cup again once he finished and then was offering the bottle over to Aric as if asking if he wanted another. It had been a while since he had drank a lot. The night of the ball, perhaps? He had made himself a fool and caused some problems, and while he didn't care at the time, he later realized he had done more harm than anything else. He downed the burning liquid again before slamming his cup on the table, growling as it burned down his throat. "Tell me something?" He started his question after he coughed and cleared his throat. "What did you mean about 'not making that mistake again' and getting locks everywhere?" Yeah, he couldn't let it go.

[ARIC] Oh, he definitely wanted another. One measly shot of whiskey wasn't going to do anything right now. With the offer, he was pouring himself another, and down the hatch it went; wincing at the burn but he didn't cough his time. However, at Orin's question on a topic Aric prayed he would've just glossed over...he paused. Then he was reaching over to pour himself some more whiskey. He was going to need another. His laugh was quiet and a little flustered. "Uh, right...well-" It was innocent, why was he struggling with just telling him? Maybe because it was Alexandria's brother? Yeah, that might have something to do with it. "It started the night of the ball-" Another pause, he eyed Orin briefly because he, too, remembered that night. "She was upset and I tried consoling her...and I don't know what happened." He downed the whiskey in his glass and was wondering if he needed another even while he coughed. "We almost kissed...may have if a servant hadn't walked in. And this happened-" Eyes narrowed as he tried to remember. "Two more times? Three? Every single time." Yep, he was pouring himself another small amount, and emphasized his words with that hand in gesture. "So, yes...locks."

[ORIN] He wasn't really sure he wanted to hear Aric's answer, and hoped it was nothing. But before Aric gave his answer, he had poured himself another cup and was downing it again. When he brought up the ball and eyed him, Orin couldn't help but smirk sheepishly. Yeah, yeah... We all know what happened. His brow rose as Aric continued and explained what had happened two or three times. Orin sat there, staring at Aric with a serious, maybe angry expression on his face. When he finished, mentioning the locks, Orin didn't say anything at first. But, then, out of nowhere, he burst out into laughter, and laughed for a good moment before he calmed down and looked at him, the grin never leaving his face. "Oh man... That's hilarious..." Little did he know what pain or frustration it had caused the two of them, but it was funny to him. He took another drink, though this time he sipped at it and shook his head. "But oh so misfortunate..." He was laughing again.

[ARIC] For the longest moment, he wondered if he had said too much. Maybe those few shots of whiskey were hitting him harder and faster than he anticipated. Aric better watch himself, because in that very moment, Orin was looking as though he might reach over that table and choke him to death. But then, all of a sudden, the man burst out into laughter Aric had not once heard from him before...even mocking him to boot. He couldn't be sore about it because, in reality, in it was pathetically amusing no matter which way you looked at it. So, he couldn't help but join in the laughter, shaking his head in disbelief. "I know. It was...frustrating." And now, it had gotten even worse in a different kind of way, but he wasn't about to share that little tidbit of information. He cleared his throat, feeling how raw it was getting from just downing the whiskey like it was damn water. He should've known better. "I feel like I need to know something embarrassing about you now. This isn't fair." He chuckled again.

[ORIN] It wasn't often that Orin genuinely laughed. Especially not as much as he was now. Though, perhaps the whiskey helped a bit with that. He was downing what was left in his cup and he let his laugh slowly dissipate. He grinned at Aric's suggestion that he needed to know something embarrassing about him. "I'm a damn open book... Ask me something!" He really was. He may not share information, but if he was asked for it, he was blatantly honest. He tried to think of something embarrassing, but was having a hard time thinking of something on the top of his head. "But I have to ask.... Have you still not been able to kiss her yet?" He was wondering.

[ARIC] With how open and to-the-point Orin seemed to always be, Aric was wondering if the man ever even felt embarrassed. But even as he had stated this, he couldn't seem to come up with anything good to ask, nothing he had really wondered about. He just seemed to be concentrating on how that whiskey had really warmed him up. He was pouring himself another glass as Orin asked that blasted question, and he nearly spilled some of that beautiful amber liquid. Damn him and these awkward questions! No, this time he'd have a bit more control. Leaning back with his newly filled cup, he was bringing it to his lips where he would speak over the rim, "Why do you think I was in her room for so long?" His grin was maybe a bit too cheeky, and it was okay if Orin wanted to throttle him now.

[ORIN] Maybe he didn't get embarrassed too often. Though, Cassandra had almost gotten him there earlier tonight. And he was just remembering that now. He watched as Aric fumbled with his newly poured drink, seemingly surprised by his question. Perhaps Orin was prying a bit too much. So when Aric answered him honestly, Orin's smile quickly faded and he poured himself another drink. "I hope nothing more than kissing... The woman is injured for god's sake..." He lifted his cup again, downing the contents way too quickly, because he wasn't sure he wanted the answer to that question, but god, he couldn't stop asking these horribly prying questions. He didn't know why, either. Maybe he was trying to find another fault--something to dislike this man over, because suddenly, he was beginning to like him, as much as he didn't want to admit it. That warmth was getting to his head now, and he focused his eye on Aric, almost daring him to say the wrong thing.

ARIC] He gave him a pointed look, like he was asking if Orin really needed an answer to that. And not because he wouldn't like it (since, no, nothing had happened), but because Aric had far more sense than that. His expression was still vaguely amused, but it had sobered up just a little bit. "No," he answered flatly. "I know what it's like to heal from a side wound." It hadn't been terribly long before Alexandria's own injury that he'd been shipwrecked and impaled. The memory of being wounded had him looking back to the man and his bandaged face. "How is the..." Trailing off, he gestured towards his own face, silently asking about his eye.

[ORIN] He seemed a bit relieved at Aric's answer and his face softened a bit, as he sat back in his chair. He didn't take Aric as the type who wouldn't have that type of sense. He was just...checking? Arms folded across his chest and he fell silent for a moment until Aric asked about his eye. He shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't looked at it yet, since this morning." He honestly didn't want to, either. He didn't want to know what it looked like. "It still burns and stings quite a bit." He reached for the bottle of whiskey again and poured more into his cup, though he didn't reach to drink it just yet. He laughed. "I'm such an ass...." He shook his head and rubbed his face. "Want to know something embarrassing about me?" He began, and he sat straighter in his chair, finally lifting that cup of whiskey to his lips and downing it again, coughing slightly at the burning sensation that was now making his throat raw. "I can't seem to keep a woman in my life... I always fuck it up somehow..." He laughed, then and pointed at his bandaged eye. "Now I'll just scare them off..."

[ARIC] It was, perhaps, the worst place to have an injury. He could only imagine and wouldn't speak too much more on it if it bothered him. He could only nod in empathy as he poured himself another shot of whiskey, but he, too, didn't drink it right away. All of a sudden, Orin was opening up a little more, and Aric's brow furrowed in thought. He did chuckle about the "scaring off" comment. To lighten the mood just a little, he spoke, "Well, why? What did you?" He was insinuating that it had always been Orin's fault, but he was quick to wave that bad joke aside in quiet apology and downed the amber liquid. Oh yeah, his throat was getting pretty raw, too. "Why do you think that is?" he asked in both mild curiosity and in more seriousness.

[ORIN] Yes, everyone would assume it was his own fault he was still single, and maybe perhaps always would be. And maybe it was his fault. He certainly blamed himself. But he wasn't entirely sure why. At Aric's question, he just sat there quietly pondering the answer for a moment. His shoulders lifted in an exaggerated shrug. "I'm a stubborn ass?" He wouldn't throw the blame on any of the women he had a relationship with, it probably was his fault one way or another. He laughed, setting his glass down. Aric was starting to look a bit blurry and he strained his eye for a moment. "My embarrassment isn't as amusing as yours is, though... Maybe we should pry some more out of you. Or I can tell you things about Alexandria if you'd like to know. You just can't tell her I told you..."

[ARIC] Although he chuckled at his stubborn comment, Aric felt a little sad for him. Or it could be the whiskey making everything seem worse than it was. Not that he would know the difference right now. The drink had warmed him to the core and he was strangely and delightfully amused. Not broody and miserable for once. When Orin gave him a choice, however, he was suddenly torn. He'd stare down at his empty cup for a moment before shaking his head, maybe a bit too exaggeratedly. "Oh no, you opened that door again, I want to know more." It had almost been random, Orin speaking of his love life...or lack thereof. Now they had to talk about it like a pair of ladies at court. Because, you know, whiskey. "Sooo, is there someone? I can help, seeing as how I'm not a stubborn ass." Well that was just an outright lie. Yes, he may have had too much to drink in too little of time.

[ORIN] Damn, he thought for sure offering up information on Alexandria would deter Aric from talking more about him. But it did not. He laughed, lifting his empty cup up to his lips, but then suddenly realizing he didn't have anything left in it. Then came that question and he almost instantly shook his head. Was there someone? But then he hesitated for a moment, squinting as if he were thinking. He thought back to before the war, there had been someone--but she left Aralore just before the war came. Something about wanting to go back to her family. Whatever. He just had horrible luck, perhaps. But then, in that moment of thought, why was Cassandra suddenly entering his mind? Her green eyes… The way she bit her lip to try and stop herself from laughing. Her fiery attitude… How she had started to open up to him… Realizing that he still hadn’t given the man an answer, he shook his head again. “No...Sorry to disappoint…I’ve just been..” He paused, thinking again. “...Busy?” In all honesty, Orin had sort of closed himself up, realizing that he had horrible luck with love and it just wasn’t worth going through all that trouble. “Besides…” He grinned. “Women can’t handle all of this…” He motioned to himself before laughing out loud. That definitely wasn't something a sober Orin would say. He was feeling good, and warm. So warm. "Is it hot in here? Are you sure you don't want to talk about Alexandria? Might get you some points to know things..." He moved to take his jacket off, draping it on the chair behind him, before he'd look back at Aric with a daring smirk.

[ARIC] Oh, it had been hard not to take that bait...and it might be something he'd still ask him about later. But the man knew too many embarrassing things about him now, so he needed to level the playing field. It was becoming increasingly more difficult with every ounce of that whiskey he dared to drink. "Psssh! You're always goin' to be busy," he replied, his words slurring together just a tiny bit. He'd lost track of how many quick shots of that warm, soothing liquid he had, but it was certainly catching up to him tenfold now. "You, sir, need to learn how to charm properly." From what he could tell, Orin was too quiet and broody. Oh, didn't that sound just like somebody else? But look at Aric now, all chatty and amused. His cousin would be proud...not that she was going to find out about this, because it would only prove that they really were related, no matter how much he used to deny it. However, all of these random thoughts ceased the moment Orin spoke again, leaving Aric just staring at him blankly. As though he didn't catch it right away. When his muddled brain finally caught up, he was bursting out into laughter. Wow, Orin Evans had a sense of humor! When he was able to catch his breath, the prince leaned forward with narrowed eyes, looking at him with suspicion, like they were in a conspiracy. "What's the price for this...information?"

[ORIN] Maybe he did need a lesson on how to charm. He hadn't a clue. He was too broody. He laughed, "Oh is that so? Is that what you did to Alexandria? Charmed her? How in the hell did you manage to do that?" He put emphasis on the word, hell, because from what he knew about Alexandria's love life, she was almost as bad as he was but perhaps with higher walls and more of a broken, shattered heart.
He was suddenly taken aback when Aric burst into laughter so hard. He hadn't ever seen this man laugh, and it nearly shocked him. He started laughing, too, not realizing what he had said would be that funny. But hey, he'd take it.
When Aric stopped and questioned him of the price for the information, he laughed again, leaning forward, whispering quite loudly then. "Depends on what you're looking for... There are the stupid little things....Like favorite color...flower... whatever... though, I suppose those could be important at times..." He leaned closer to Aric and whispered some more, "there's things about past relationships...." He sat straight and tapped his chin in thought. "Or you can simply ask questions and I can give answers... Different categories...different prices, perhaps..."

[ARIC] "I listened to her," he answered him, so matter of fact, as though it were so obvious. "I consoled her when she needed it, gave her hope when she thought she would crack and crumble beneath the weight of everything. I held her up when she feared she would fall..." Hold on, this was sounding familiar again. Maybe because she had actually charmed him, for the most part. But Orin didn't really need to know any of that either. "I was just...there for her. And she for me." His voice had gotten so sincere for the briefest of moments before the liquor was bringing him back to the humorous moment at hand. Then, he was grinning again while they conspired (not very quietly anymore, mind you) across the table. "How about...you give me an answer and in return I'll give you a tip on how to woo-" He was waving his hand in gesture again. "Whoever it is." Aric was passed being just tipsy, but he still noticed how slowly Orin had been to answer that there was no one striking his fancy. It was a lie...or maybe the man was just being slow right now. That was very possible, too. "We'll start small." Taking just a second to think, he asked, "Alexandria's favorite flower?" That was always something good to know.

[ORIN] He carefully listened to Aric explain how he had charmed his sister. His smile faltered slightly and his expression became serious as Aric admitted to how he had been there for Alexandria, making it obvious that she had been struggling if he needed to do all of those things for her. And he realized that maybe hadn't been there for her all that much. That sincerity in Aric's voice though, suddenly struck him further that he really did love his sister. He sighed and reached across the table, clapping his hand onto Aric's arm, squeezing it firmly after. "Well...thank you for doing and being all of that for her..." His tone was slightly saddened. The funny thing was, Orin could do all of those things too, and he always had... it just didn't seem to last for him though. This was getting too serious now, and he was glad Aric's drunkenness was pulling them back into a lighter mood. Finally, the man was grabbing his bait and they were done talking about him. He grinned widely at his suggestion and he nodded firmly, extending his hand out to shake as if they were making a very important deal. And so their new game was beginning and Orin was excited as if this was the most fun he had had in a while. "Uhhhh... favorite flower... easy... peonies... or maybe lillies... No, more so peonies... Just NOT roses... way too overdone..." He nodded firmly, "everyone gives roses...be different."

[ARIC] It had been mostly things that, sadly, Alexandria couldn't tell her brother...but even in his drunken state, Aric wouldn't say that. He would not give away any of her secret, because he too didn't want to see Orin spiral out of control and into darkness. Aric had been there himself for far too long, and it was nearly impossible to find the light at the end of the tunnel. He simply nodded and grinned lightly from his thanks, reaching to pour them both a little bit more of that whiskey. There was just hesitation about drinking it. His grin grew into a full fledged smile as Orin began answering him. "No roses, understood," he replied firmly. It was always roses, wasn't it? Why were roses such a popular flower for love? While his mind was trying to get stupidly philosophical about roses, he remembered the price. "Alright, so...the key to grabbing any woman's attention is to know what she enjoys. You'll find the ladies at court love anything that shines or sparkles- but they're also usually insane, so...tread carefully." He chuckled. Most of them were crazy, to some degree. "But it's her true desires you need to cater to, what really interests her. And simply provide it." Right. Because it was just that easy. Sipping that drink again, he thought about his next question. This could go on all night until they heard back from the captains. "Where is Alexandria's favorite place to be?"

[ORIN] He grinned as his cup was filled again with the wonderful whiskey they were drinking way too fast. It probably wasn't going to be a good sign for the commanders to find them this way, but Orin didn't care at this moment. He listened intently as Aric gave him a tip, and laughed as he called ladies at court insane. He'd drink to that. Lifting his cup he saluted it in the air and laughed, drinking only half of the contents. "Hmmmm..." Orin thought carefully. Yes, it didn't seem that easy as Aric sort of made it sound. But at his next question, Orin was thinking again. "She likes to spend a lot of time in the library.. But I think she likes the cliffs the most.. She draws... did you know that about her? And she seems to draw the view from those cliffs a lot..."

[ARIC] He, at least, was going to regret this in the morning. But for now, he'd simply enjoy it. When Orin mentioned the library, there was an almost secretive grin that curled his lips, yet he refrained from making any sort of comment. He liked the library, too, but to know that the queen liked to draw intrigued him. "No," he replied. "I didn't know that." He'd not once seen her with chalk and paper. She had never even mentioned it before. Blinking the wonder from his eyes, he tapped the table with his finger. "See? This is a good example," he slurred on. Woo, whiskey. "A woman loves to draw, you can get her new paints. Bring her to a place you think she might like to sketch." Maybe he would do that, actually. Pausing to think, he looked down into his empty cup; wondering if he should ask the next question that was suddenly on his mind. It might be too sensitive a topic...for him. "Tell me about Eoin?" Dark eyes looked at Orin, his expression suddenly sober considering his blood was probably more whiskey than not now. He didn't mean to ask in any sort of malicious way. Maybe his curiosity was getting the best of him.

[ORIN] He nodded, as if he had just given away another thing about Alexandria, so he was really getting a two for one kind of deal. "I don't think she has done it since before the war..." He was sure she had given up with a lot of things, as the war had done its toll on her. Orin squinted, looking at Aric as he gave him another tip. He nodded and tapped his temple as if he were storing that information in his head.
Then came that question. Eoin. And Orin suddenly frowned slightly. He sighed out loud and rubbed his face as he leaned back, tipping his chair back even as he thought of how to respond. Obviously Alexandria had told Aric of him if he was mentioning his name. His expression becoming serious again, he let the chair fall back flat on the floor before leaning closer to Aric. "Do you really want to know that? Why? To see how you add up compared to him?" He gave him a curious look. He wondered what this man wanted to know specifically.

[ARIC] That was just it...she had simply mentioned him. Aric knew that she had loved the man dearly, and for all he knew, Eoin could have been the true love of her life. What was sad about all of this was the fact that he couldn't be mad about it if it were true. Eoin had her heart first, and it was only fair. First loves- first true loves- always remained with you. Aric knew this from experience. Pushing his cup aside, he leaned back in his chair as well with a heavy sigh. Thinking on it, he didn't really know why he even asked this question, because he didn't know what he planned to gain from it. "No, not to compare," he admitted in defeat. "I suppose I'm just...curious about him. I saw it in her eyes, her loss and her heartache over him...so I assume he was a good man. A very good one." His brows furrowed together while arms folded across his chest. "She just...never really speaks of him." And he could also relate to that. He understood it.

[ORIN] He assumed that Alexandria didn't speak of Eoin for a few reasons, which he understood. "Probably because she doesn't want to make you feel like you have to compete with him. He's gone and she's trying to move on, I suppose. She rarely speaks of her past. Too painful maybe?" His shoulders lifted in an exaggerated shrug. "I mean... I suppose he was a good man..." He leaned back in his chair again, folding his arms over his chest. "You'll find this hard to believe, but I didn't like him..." He laughed, "But Alexandria loved him. Too quickly, if you ask me. Like, he came at the perfect moment for her. She was being forced into a marriage from Saelis...because they simply felt a woman could not rule on her own." He began to explain probably more than what was needed, the alcohol was making him ramble. "Aralore used to be part of their council or whatever... so they had control over us. So, along comes Eoin... and he was probably the first man who treated her with kindness and didn't seem to want to be with her just because he wanted her kingdom.." He paused and changed the tone of his voice as if he quickly had to add in a side comment, "which happened a lot... Like the fucking asshole Brennus... wanted to be king..so he threw himself at her and desperately tried to win her over." He shook his head, "but that's another story... Eoin..."
He tried to remember where he was in his little story. "Yes...he was kind and fair....he had the same ideals as she did. He, like you, didn't care about becoming king or taking over the kingdom... So he offered to marry her so she wouldn't have to marry into Saelis." He sighed, "She was happy with him.. always smiling, joking, playful..." He frowned slightly as he remembered her that way, and had missed seeing her like that. "But he was constantly leaving her to go places? So when he'd return...it was like they were always starting over... that new love kind of feeling?" He wasn't really sure..it was just what he had observed. "I once threw him overboard the ship we were on..." He grinned, laughing suddenly. "I asked him what his intentions were and why he loved her...and he told me 'because I do...it's not your business'" He laughed again. "That was great...." Then his expression turned serious again. "He saved her life, too, once... Saelis had kidnapped her, were about to burn her to death and he found her and brought her back..." He had just rambled so much.

[ARIC] He might've been too drunk for this. Aric gave him his full attention, but that whiskey was doing a number on him. Perhaps he just expected a simple answer...but there Orin was, spewing off everything he could remember. He both appreciated and hated it, because it was making Aric suddenly feel guilty about asking. Maybe it wasn't his right to know. However, if anyone was going to be brutally honest, it was the queen's brother. He never failed to tell things how he saw them. Which was why he was glad to be sitting there with him now, not holding much back. "Well then..." he finally said with a sigh, trying to find any more words to say in response to all of that. Luckily, Orin mentioned throwing the man overboard...and it was so very difficult not to laugh, as much as he didn't want to make fun of those who had passed. At least the tension had eased somewhat, because the rest of the story was a surprising one. It just made it all the more clear that Saelis was dangerous and that they had to be diligent and careful with how they handled everything. Another war right now could mean far more devastation to a kingdom that was only beginning to get back onto its feet. "I, uh...thank you for your honesty, Orin." What could he really say to any of that? He didn't know Eoin so he had no opinion on the matter. And it was wrong of him to feel even slightly happy that the man was no longer around, because it brought him to Alexandria. He wouldn't have known her otherwise. He needed another drink and was already pouring himself another one. For the moment, he didn't have any other questions.

[ORIN] He pushed his cup towards Aric, signaling him to refill it for him while he was at it. He gave Aric a nod at his thanking him. As he said, he was an open book, really. Orin watched Aric and how he seemed uneasy by what he had just told him. So Orin leaned forward and spoke quietly, though it really wasn't. "What are you worried about?" He scratched his head and finally lifted his refilled cup to his lips, as if about to take a sip, but he stopped and suddenly lowered it. "If she didn't care for you, you still wouldn't have been able to kiss her..." he grinned, remembering the story Aric had told him about trying to kiss her and failing several times.

[ARIC] He gladly refilled the man's cup and now idly sipped from his own. Perhaps he should have been taking it slow from the beginning, but where was the fun in that? When Orin asked what he was worried about, he didn't say anything right away. Instead, he wound up chuckling again at his following words about Alexandria, but the smile on his face was still unsure about something. "I'm just...happy," he said, but there was a heavy weight in those words. "And normally things don't go well when I am." Aric wasn't trying to bring the mood down, but he may inevitably have. "But-" A pause, he tried to sound a bit more optimistic and lifted his glass up for another toast. "Here's to Edward, my brother, who is clearly a seething, insufferable ass...but without him, I wouldn't have met your sister, or have the pleasure of your amusing company right now."

[ORIN] His cup went to his lips again and he took a small sip before setting it down. He listened to his words and laughed slightly. "You sound like her now... She says the same thing about herself. When I..." He paused and fell quiet for a moment, thinking before he pushed forward. "She had given Eoin a necklace. To remember her by, I suppose... I found it in the forest at the end of the war. I searched high and low for him...but didn't find him anywhere. But there were fire burns.... So I think he burned to death... I brought Alexandria the necklace and..." he frowned. The alcohol was making all of this more depressing. "The look on her face still haunts me..." He sighed and shook his head. "But she told me she wouldn't allow herself to fall in love again because nothing ever works out for her. That she's not allowed to be happy... and couldn't get close to someone again because she couldn't survive another heartbreak. I don't blame her, really... " He sighed. "But here you are... " He rose his visible eyebrow and looked at him like he was supposed to pick up on his very important message.

[ARIC] The emotions of this conversation were continuously fluctuating. Aric wasn't sure how to really feel anymore. "I'm sorry..." he said quietly, at what Orin described, that Eoin quite possibly had been burned to death. It was horrific and something no one should have endured. And he felt even more sorry for Alexandria, a heartache he wished he couldn't relate to. He vividly remembered how much it hurt to stare down at Maria's pale face, the way her arms still clung to the lifeless newborn against her chest. The damn whiskey was making everything worse because he felt the sting of unshed tears in his eyes, but he'd be too proud to shed them. The more Orin said, the more he understood the meaning behind them...and he was thankful for it. "I will do all in my power...to make sure that she is happy. And safe. This I promise you a hundred times over."

[ORIN] Another sip of his beautiful cup of whiskey was taken and he thought he should probably stop...but he could still feel all the emotions and he didn't want to anymore. He looked at Aric after he made his promise and couldn't help but smile. "I think I like you now.. " He grinned, trying to finally lighten the mood back up. He raised his cup again, "to Aric's insufferable ass of a brother!!!" He shouted out loud, before he broke out into laughter. He downed the rest of the whiskey in his cup and slammed it down on the table. "Ok ok...hit me with another question... but not another deep and depressing one." He gave him a mockful stern look.

[ARIC] Orin's words were enough to bring him back out of that slowly darkening mood. He meant every part of it, which was why he was overly concerned with this situation with Saelis. The whiskey and the man's company was doing wonders during the long, agonizing wait to hear back from the others. Aric was laughing again when he said that he liked him, and that was a very good thing. "So, no throwing me overboard, then?" He still wouldn't put it passed him, if Orin was bothered enough. That idea made him chuckle once more. He took another sip and tried to come up with another question, although he wondered if he should actually be asking the queen all of these instead. "How about you telling me her favorite color...and then you can ask me questions, hmm?" Might avoid deep and depressing ones.

[ORIN] Another laugh escaped him at Aric's comment of not throwing him overboard. He grinned and shook his head, "not unless you give me reason to." He went to take another sip from his cup, but it was empty, so he set it down and slouched in his seat. "Green..." he said simply, "but more like a greenish blue" Then he remembered he had given Aric all this information and hadn't gotten his advice yet, so he pointed at him, "you owe me...like...." he looked at his hand and started counting his fingers. "Like... three things now..." He laughed and started to try and think of some questions. "What do you like about her the most?"

[ARIC] He certainly hoped he never gave this man reason to hate him in anyway, so he would keep that in mind. Nodding at the color, he laughed lightly and shook his head. He really didn't have many tips for seducing anyone; it all depended upon the person, really. "Right, right...well, it's all a matter of the woman. Like I said, you have those who will be happy with mere trinkets, but it's too easy. The chase is the best part, to find a beautifully polished stone in the middle of all the same, glittering diamonds. That's the one you want to pursue. The one who expects different things. The one who makes you feel..." A pause, he tried to explain. "Like a better you, I suppose." He didn't know if that was three different things, but he has already rambled on for awhile there. At his question about Alexandria, he only took a second to answer, "Her determination. When she finds the strength to do what she knows she must, she no longer hesitates."

[ORIN] He listened to Aric's advice again and simply nodded. He didn't want a woman who was the same as everyone else, anyway. He grinned and let out another laugh, "like Alexandria? She is all of those things you just described?" Orin's legs were starting to get stiff so he tried standing to stretch, but there was a quick rush that went to his head, making him dizzy, and he quickly fell back into his chair. "Yeah.... I'm just gonna stay down.... fuck...how much did I drink?" He lifted the bottle and saw it was nearly empty from the two of them. He laughed and shrugged his shoulders pouring the last of that bottle into both their cups.
As Aric gave his answer on what he liked the most about his sister, he nodded. "Yeah...she's even more stubborn than I am....so...good luck with that" He laughed, taking a sip from his newly filled cup. He really needed to stop. He really couldn't think of another question in that moment, yet, so he just kind of sat there staring at his cup before randomly bursting into laughter. "Locks, man... what is wrong with you? You should have locked the doors in the first place if you didn't want to be interrupted..."

[ARIC] "Whoa there..." There was a weak attempt at trying to reach over the table, as though he'd be able to help steady the man before he ultimately collapsed back into his seat. Good thing Orin tried it first, now Aric knew not to stand up so swiftly. Not that they were ready to go anywhere just yet. How long had it been since he sent the men out? He'd lost count. Laughing, he nodded, "Yes. Yes, she is. If not more." He stopped himself before getting sappy again. Then, he was grumbling as Orin poured the last of that amber liquid into their cups. They had made it this far...why not finish the entire bottle? Oh, his head was going to hurt tomorrow, and he promised to check up on Alexandria in the morning. Maybe Cassandra could make him one of her strange, little concoctions so he wouldn't feel like he got kicked in the head by a horse. "More stubborn than you?" he repeated with a laugh. "Dear God, save me..." His smile was hidden behind the rim of the cup as he took another sip, nearly spitting it out when Orin brought up the damn locks situation. Again. Perhaps he shouldn't have ever told him that. "Now look-" he said, pointing a finger at him as if to show authority...but you couldn't look very tough when you were struggling not to laugh. "I didn't plan it, alright? They were moments where...it nearly just happened. You'll understand if you ever get your head out of your ass and find yourself in such a predicament." He meant that with the utmost respect, of course. "And when you look at her...when her eyes draw you in and you want to taste her sweet mouth...then I pray to God that someone interrupts you." Another chuckle and another sip of that whiskey.

[ORIN] Yes, this was going to hurt in the morning. He silently prayed that there were no more Saelisians in Aralore that he would need to deal with, because one, he wasn't going to be able to. And two, he wouldn't feel good after drinking half a bottle of whiskey. Another clown-like, open mouthed grin formed on Orin's face and he laughed, clapping his hands together. God, was Alexandria stubborn. It drove him insane. And now Aric got to have a taste of that. "Yes... Good luck with that." He repeated, his grin not fading from his face.
And then Aric was putting a curse on him regarding being interrupted in the heat of a moment, describing his desire to taste his sister's mouth and suddenly, Orin was raising his hands to his ears. "Ok, stop, stop... Don't want to hear those kind of things..." He laughed and then lowered his hands and raising his cup to take another sip. It didn't burn so much anymore.

[ARIC] Did they really just drink that whole bottle? How were they not tripping over themselves yet? Perhaps because neither attempted to up from their seat since Orin tried the first time. He was laughing again at the man's reaction, finishing what was left in his cup. "Just you wait. You'll feel that pull...and you'll understand the woes." He longer feeled the burn anymore either, but he was going to be sorry tomorrow, for certain. Aric chuckled, murmuring to himself, "Fucking locks..."

[ORIN] He laughed and shook his head. "Oh, I doubt it...but if you say so." He didn't think he'd find someone who would be interested in him. And if so, he wasn't sure he'd be interested in pursuing anything anyway, because it wasn't worth all the trouble that Aric was describing. He finished what was in his cup and laughed again at Aric's mumbling about the locks again. And for that reason, Orin shared his inner thoughts. "I think I'm good." He lifted his cup and studied it's emptiness and suddenly frowned. Eyes looking at that second bottle he had brought and set on the table. He thought about opening but hesitated for now. With a sigh, he tapped his fingers on the table, finally having run out of things to say or ask. Then, suddenly, he gasped and had a look on his face like he had the best idea ever. "We should go to the gardens! You could pick flowers!!" He laughed, suddenly hearing how silly that sounded and even more at picturing Aric doing just that.

[ARIC] The prince was definitely done. He had noted that other bottle not too long ago, but he was already going to be miserable in the morning...he probably shouldn't make it worse. "Well, with that attitude..." he commented wryly. No wonder he was having problems, but he wasn't going to say that. He wasn't that inebriated yet. Agreeing with him being done, Aric pushed his cup to the middle of the table as though that would help him stop. When Orin exclaimed, uttering words that he never thought would fall from his mouth, he stared at him as though he had gone insane. Wow, drunk Orin was interesting. Laughing, he shook his head. "You, uh...you can go right ahead and do that. But remember, no roses." He tapped a finger against his temple to further note that he remembered.

[ORIN] He thought it was a good idea but Aric was shooting him down. "You don't want to get your future wife some flowers? But not roses..." He repeated. And for whatever reason, Orin started to giggle. Like crazy. The whiskey was getting the best of him now. He was goooonnne. And he couldn't stop laughing. He was picturing Aric with a bouquet of flowers and he somehow found that the funniest thing ever. Between breaths he started to give advice to Aric. "Make....sure......" He started crying he was laughing so hard. "You bring locks with you...." Orin was uncontrollable. "When you bring the flowers to her."

[ARIC] Uh oh. Orin was completely gone. That laughing fit was pure evidence of it, and it was hard for Aric not to start laughing as well. "You...have completely lost it," he commented, running a hand down his face to try and wake himself up. The thing about whiskey was, it made you tired real fast, and they just polished off an entire bottle in too short of a time. So, once he started laughing, he couldn't seem to stop...and the whole military was probably going to think they were nuts. Trying to catch his breath, he managed to speak, "Maybe I should get you back before you hurt yourself." Though, the thing was, he probably couldn't walk a straight line, either. "No!" he suddenly burst out, like a child finding a shiny object and becoming bored with the last. "I should serenade her...right now." What time was it anyway?

[ORIN] Oh, he was dreading the crash. But right now, this was fun. And if any of the commanders came back soon to find them both this way, it was probably not going to look so good. Maybe even a bit inappropriate. At the thought, Orin stopped laughing and tried his best to calm down and look serious. But then Aric was suddenly coming up with a new idea and Orin's eye widened with surprise, like Aric was a genius. "You can sing???"

[ARIC] Maybe it was inappropriate, or maybe the men understood the pressure they were under and thought it possibly justified. But he wasn't exactly thinking about it anymore, because he was too far gone for very complicated thoughts. Which was why he let that little tidbit slip that he could carry a tune. Or, at least, he used to. He hadn't in awhile, and the closest he got was when he hummed a random tune for Alexandria in the library after the ball, since she hadn't gotten the chance to dance. Aric cleared his throat, wincing at the rawness of it as he leaned back in his chair, trying to act coy. "I, uh...well, I used to. Maybe. I don't know."

[ORIN] One could only hope no one would hold this against them. They had been through so much in the last few days, they needed to unwind.
He grinned as Aric admitted he used to sing. And Orin clapped his hands together and held his hands out as if to tell Aric to sing away. "C'mon, let's hear it, then..." He smiled and rested an elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand. "Pretend I'm Alexandria." He cleared his throat and spoke in a high pitched voice, trying to pass as a female voice, "oh, Aric! Lock the door and sing to me!!" He covered his mouth to try and stifle a laugh.

[ARIC] Oh dear God, what was happening? It was like he was sitting across from a totally different person right now. It was almost frightening! Hilarious but frightening. When he made his voice higher, Aric visibly cringed while laughing at the same time. "I think you're broken, mate," he chuckled. "Maybe you need to find yourself a woman, or a hobby. Something." In all honesty, he couldn't wait to tell Alexandria about her brother. This had been a breakthrough...but it also may have made the man snap in the most amusing way. His eyes flickered around the room, wondering if any of the commanders had returned yet.

[ORIN] He sat up straighter and narrowed his eye at Aric, pointing his finger at him. "Take that back. I don't need a woman...and I have.....plenty of hobbies..." He was starting to slur his words a bit more now. "Besides..." He started giggling again. "You decided to throw more responsibility on my shoulders ...so... No time for a woman." He shook his head violently and then finally lowered his pointed finger. "I'm still waiting, lover boy..."

[ARIC] Why couldn't he stop laughing? This was so absurd, and he knew there were eyes on them right now as they sat at their table in the corner, laughing incessantly. Aric honestly couldn't remember the last time he laughed this much, and it was making his throat far more sore. "Alright, alright..." he said, as though he was conceding to his demand. But not really. "Continue to be a broody ass, that's fine." Except for right now, he was the complete opposite. A snorted chuckle, he sat up straighter in his seat, clearing his throat. He hesitated, contemplated this dumb idea for a long moment before he sighed, struggling to calm his laughter down. Then he was opening his mouth to try and sing this bastard a damn song. "Black is the colour-" Stop laughing. "Of my true love's hair..." His throat was hurting, and that was enough to help those chuckles eventually die down enough. "Her lips are like some roses fair...She has the sweetest smile, and the gentlest hands...I love the ground whereon she stands..." And that was all he was getting. If Aric wasn't afraid of falling over, he might have gotten up to offer an exaggerated bow. "That is how it's done. Take notes."

[ORIN] He kept laughing too. And he couldn't stop. "I will be a broody ass...because that's who I bloody am!" Maybe? Yes, that's who Orin was. He nodded hard. "I'm not going to change who I am for some...stupid woman... Who just can't handle all of this..." He motioned up and down his body, once again, and burst out laughing. And then Aric started to sing, so he tried to calm himself down and listen. When he finished, Orin clasped his hands together and then went back into that high pitched mocking girl voice. "Oh, Aric... that was beautiful... You melt my heart!" And he pretended to faint, only... It caused him to fall right out of his chair and go crashing to the floor. He just laid there, not even bothering to get up, and he continued to laugh hysterically, stomping his foot on the ground, as he went into a laughing fit.

[ARIC] Dark eyes rolled into white at Orin's horrible attempt at a feminine voice, even while he began laughing again at the absurdity of this all. He didn't really know why he complied...maybe because he was drunk enough to. But, he was fabulous, and Orin's idiocy didn't make him think otherwise. The laughing only intensified when the oaf fell right out of his chair. "I know, I'm wonderful...calm yourself before you hurt yourself," he commented, his stomach hurting from laughing so hard for this long. Aric rose from his seat, meaning to go over to help the idiot up, but nearly stumbled over his own feet. So, instead, he grabbed a hold of the table to steady himself. "Whoa, we, uh...might have a problem..." How were they going to get back to the castle without killing themselves? He kicked Orin lightly with his foot. "You need to get up." It was a very good thing that Edward wasn't making him get married tomorrow...because that would have been horrible.

[ORIN] But he couldn't stop laughing as he laid on the floor there. He saw Aric try to get up and nearly fall over himself. So when he said they had a problem, he glanced up at him, to try and figure out what the problem was, as if he had no idea. And now Aric was kicking him. He grabbed his foot and pulled at it. "Help me up! You damned singing bard." He got himself to his hands and knees and tried to grab onto the chair he fell off of, but he couldn't steady himself to pull himself back up. "Ugh... yeah... we have a problem, indeed..." He laughed, resting his face on the seat of the chair. His shoulders were shaking violently as he laughed, sitting hunched over the chair.

[ARIC] "Stop! You're going to pull me down!" he yelled at him, trying to kick him off as Orin attempted to use him as leverage up onto his own feet. When he failed, and Aric managed to steady himself again, he nodded in agreement. They were ultimately stuck there right now. "Do you think we'll make it back?" He could kind of guess the answer already. It was possible they could stumble out of there and make it back to the castle...but it was dark, and they couldn't even stay upright without help. "Maybe..." He trailed off in his thought as he fell back down into his seat, leaning forward to rest his arms and head onto the tabletop. "Maybe we just stay here, yeah?" That sounded like a plan.

[ORIN] At the sound of Aric's voice again, Orin lifted his head up off the chair and looked over to him. "I thought I already asked you that?" He looked confused. "Or.... Was that in my head?" His eye widened and he looked to Aric like he was amazing. "Did you just read my mind?! How did you do that!?" He thought he had just asked if they were going to be stuck here for the night. But apparently not. He tried to push himself up off the floor again, stumbling horribly, but he finally managed. "Maybe the cold air will do us some good, though..." He scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders, plopping back down into his chair. He reached across the table and placed his hand on Aric's head. "You're a good man, Aric....I think I like you now..."

[ARIC] He didn't even bother to lift his head up from the table, shutting his eyes briefly but he was still listening; knowing the moment Orin managed to climb back up into his seat. It was only when the other began freaking out over something, did he look up just enough to peek over his forearms. "I told you...I'm wonderful, I'm amazing...why aren't you listening to me?" Really, Aric didn't even know what he was responding to. Orin just seemed to be amazed about something. Oh, his throat was killing him. Putting his head back down, he groaned in annoyance. "But...that means I have to get up...and walk..." Stumble and fall most likely. When he felt that hand on his head, his shoulders shrugged in his silent laughter, his voice muffled when he replied, "I like you too, grumpy man." A hand blindly reached up to pat Orin's a couple times before falling back to the table with a thud.

[ORIN] He laughed again, "Ok... you can get off your high horse now." He said, as Aric was calling himself wonderful and amazing. He was fighting the urge to put his head down, because he knew once he did, it was all over. He slowly forced himself to stand up, and he held onto the table, shuffling over to Aric's side. He grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to sit up. "Come on... We can go together. We'll be unstoppable..." He was trying to pull Aric up to his feet, then. "If we don't make it to the door without falling, then we'll stay here..." It was like he had just come up with a brilliant plan.

[ARIC] He grumbled again, trying to shake Orin off as he was attempting to pull him up to his feet. "I just...need five minutes..." Now he was whining a bit, and the other man wasn't listening, managing to annoy him enough to get him up out of his chair where he swayed uneasily for a moment. He reached out to grab him by the shoulders, praying Orin wasn't currently unsteady. "Right, unstoppable...we can do this..." But he wasn't sounding so sure. Throwing an arm over Orin's shoulders, he attempted his first few steps towards the door. He assumed, if any of the commanders had news, they could alert them at the castle.

[ORIN] He was holding onto the table as Aric suddenly got up and grabbed his shoulders. He wobbled a bit but was able to steady himself enough to hold Aric up. He put his own arm around Aric's shoulders and nodded. "Yup... We've got this." He took a few steps towards the door, his eye squinting to look down at the floor at his steps, to make sure he wouldn't trip over his own feet. He stumbled a bit, but was able to catch himself onto a nearby table, or chair, or the wall, when they got to there. He glanced over at Aric, and started laughing, to the point where he had to stop to hold himself, and Aric steady. "Almost there..." He pointed at the door and slurred his words again, "It's right there..... Sooo close.... but so far away..."

[ARIC] Just one foot in front of the other. Then another...and another. Alongside Orin, he moved slowly, shuffling forward and only stumbling a couple of times. The problem was, if one of them fell, the other was sure to follow. And it was why that door looked so damn far away! This was going to take forever. "Promise me something," he began, whispering and leaning in to make sure Orin heard, because this was very important. "If I don't make it back..." A serious pause. "Check on Alexandria in the morning for me." A few more stumbles, they managed to make it through the door where the night air instantly washed over them, chilling him to the bone. That seemed to wake him up a little!

[ORIN] Yes, this was going to take forever. He was suddenly regretting this decision. But, it was too late to turn back, they had already committed to this. He leaned into Aric as he asked him to promise something, and he stopped so he could listen to him, in case this was something very important. He nodded, waiting to hear it. And when he finally got it out, Orin laughed, "what makes you think I am any better off than you right now?" He stepped out through the door and into the cold, realizing he had forgotten his jacket on the chair. Whatever. He'd get it back eventually. He clapped the man on the chest and nodded. "I will, but you're going to make it. You've got this. Sing me another song."

[ARIC] To be honest, he much rather sleep in his own bed than on a hard table, so he was going to push through this even if he stumbled and fell off of a cliff. They weren't close enough to the cliffs...right? The cliffs Alexandria apparently used to like drawing all of the time. He'd have to ask her about that...if he remembered in the morning. He didn't bother replying to his question, which was basically rhetorical as they both clamored on in their drunken stupor, chuckling like idiots. He nodded to Orin's words of encouragement before he was requesting another song. This time, Aric was more than happy to oblige and didn't even hesitate. After drawing in a deep breath, the intoxicated prince belted his voice out into the night air, "Since first I saw the love light in your eyes...I dreamt the world held not but joy for me!" His free hand outstretched towards the dark castle in the nearing distance. "And even though we've drifted far apart...I never dreamed but what I dreamed of thee..." A quick stumble, he barely righted himself as he wasn't done singing...and hopefully he wasn't going to wake anyone up as they neared the looming castle. "I love you as I've never loved before...since first I met you on the village green..." Another stumble, it was enough to shut him up.

[ORIN] He walked alongside the Tresterian prince, holding onto him tightly. As he began belting out the song, Orin couldn't help but grin and laugh at him. Another love song, it seemed. He shook his head and waved Aric off. He was a lost cause, claimed by his own sister. "Bahh.." He showed his disproval of the type of song he was singing, though he wasn't actually half bad this time, despite his drunkenness. As he stumbled, so did Orin, but he was able to catch the both of them and steady them back on their feet. The castle was close. As they reached the door, a guard opened it for them, blinking in confusion at the sight of both of them together like this. He asked if they needed any help, since both of them seemingly couldn't walk in a straight line, or fully upright.

[ARIC] Concentrating on trying to sing was making it easier to forget that he couldn't exactly walk straight. It also made the lumbering distance go by faster. For a few moments, his voice had lowered, and he was simply murmuring the lyrics to himself as the two men trudged on. Finally they made it to the castle, the guards watching them in odd suspicion as they walked inside into the warmth. And that, for whatever reason, was when Aric decided that he wanted to sing again. And being inside the stone corridor, it was loud. "Last night I dreamt I held your hand in mine...and once again you were my happy bride!"

[ORIN] He looked at the guard and laughed slightly. "We might be alright..." And there went Aric, belting out another song. Another love song. He busted out laughing again and shook his head. "Alright, lover boy... Take it easy." He held onto him, moving over to a wall so he could hold onto it and keep his balance as they moved down the halls. "Do you know any songs that aren't about love? You're going to make me throw up all of that whiskey..." He laughed, his voice echoing loudly down the halls.

[ARIC] He was going to wake everyone up at this rate...but Orin had wanted another song. So he had gotten another one. It just seemed now that once he started, he couldn't really stop. When they stopped to rest against a wall, he slapped him on the shoulder. "That's because you don't understand," he slurred a bit. After a brief moment of thinking, he came up with another song that wasn't some sappy love ballad. And once again, he was loud, attempting to walk again in the process, "Rolling up, rolling down, we all get drunk in Tillbury town! Twenty-four hours to turn around, we go rolling down the river!" Orin really needed to stop him.

[ORIN] Oh, but now he was so amused by seeing this side of this broody man. Why would he ever stop him? In fact, when Aric started to sing the next non sappy song, Orin became excited again. "I know this one!!!" And he started to loudly sing along with him, his free hand coming off the wall to wave it around to the tune of the song. He stumbled a bit and laughed through his singing. His voice clearly wasn't as good as Aric's. He maybe might have killed a few nearby cats with his voice.

[ARIC] His eyes lit up right away when Orin knew this one and joined in, their voices obnoxiously bouncing off the stone as they continued to stumble along. Stairs were the trickiest part, but somehow they would manage and make it down the proper hallways, still just repeating the chorus part over and over again. Aric had forgotten most of the lyrics, but it really wasn't important. What was important was this spectacular display and this budding comradery. Well, maybe not for everyone who was bound to hear them if they didn't shut up…

[CASSANDRA] Who in the bloody hell was singing in the middle of the night?! Cassandra had just managed to doze off after staring at herself in the mirror, at that welt that was slowly disappearing from her cheek. She requested a bit of ointment from the healer, but it was still putting her in a horrible mood. The loudmouth was making it worse. No, there was more than one. She heard them as they tried walking down the hall. With a huff, she threw a robe over her shoulders and charged to the door where she flung it open. Lips parted, prepared to berate the idiots...only to fall short when she saw exactly who they were. Green eyes were wide in surprise, her voice caught in her throat. It took her a moment to find it. "Are you...drunk?" It was obvious that they were, but she still couldn't believe it. And they were drunk together?

[ORIN] He hadn't a clue of what time it was currently. To him, it was still early evening. Where had the night gone? He was laughing, stumbling and yelling the words of the song out, grabbing hold of Aric occasionally, to shake him as he got into the song. He, too, couldn't remember most of the song, just the part they seemed to keep singing over and over. As they were passing Cassandra's room, Orin briefly stopped and just looked at the door momentarily, but continued on with Aric, until that door swung open, as if he had done something when he looked at the door and made it open? He turned around and looked to see Cassandra there, questioning them. His mouth had been wide open in mid-song, and he stopped suddenly and looked her up and down, suddenly remembering she had been teasing him with that chest of hers earlier. He laughed and nodded, "Very.....very much..."

[CASSANDRA] Oh yes, it was by the magic of his lovely voice that summoned her to the door. If only. Those two probably did kill a few cats along the way, and Aric could usually sing, last she remembered. Right now, it was just horribly obnoxious. Now, she was half a mind to slap Orin across his already injured face when that one eye of his trailed too casually. Instead, she was rolling her eyes. "For fuck"s sake," she murmured under her breath. "How did this even happen?" Didn't they hate each other or not trust each other...or something? This was wonderful, but not for those trying to sleep.

[ARIC] In the middle of their serenade, Aric managed to say, "Are you going to be my best friend now?" He didn't really have one of those...now that he thought about it. "Rolling up, rolling down, we all get drunk in- Cassie!" The biggest smile creased his face as he draped his other arm around her after she emerged. He didn't even seem to realize or care for her scrutiny. "Didn't know that you were still awake!" He was struggling to stay upright, and Cassandra would probably have one hell of a time trying to lead both drunken fools along easily. Aric leaned in close as if to whisper to her, but Orin would still be able to hear, "This man...he's swell. New friend right here."

[CASSANDRA] Whiskey. She could smell it right away when her cousin drew her close. Lord help her. "Yes, yes, he's so damn swell," she stammered half ignoring him, struggling with his weight against her. Cass still tried to steer them down the hall, and she was half of mind to just dump them both into some random bedroom and be done with it. Honestly, that wasn't such a bad idea... "You two idiots need to shut your mouths before you wake the entire castle up. Alexandria included." Those green eyes were scathing now. Surely they wouldn't want to wake the queen who was trying to heal and rest up?

[ORIN] He was grinning like an idiot as Aric complimented him to Cassandra and said he was his new friend. "Awwww... new friend.. why didn't we do this soooonerrr?" He was slurring and laughing as Cassandra was steering them down the hall. And then they were coming close to Alexandria's room. He noticed the three guards there now and he grinned, yelling out to them. "Thank you for watching out for the queeeeen!!!" And then he turned and slapped Aric on the back. "Alexandria!!! Now's your chance! Sing one of those lame love songs outside her door! Ugh... I told you we should have stopped by the gardens!" He was excitedly pointing at Alexandria's door, urging Aric to serenade her, just as he had suggested instead of going to pick flowers.

[ARIC] "I know! So much time wastedonbullshit," he replied back to Orin, his words beginning to slur together a little bit more. At least he wasn't singing, but he was happily and tiredly humming as they walked along. The only one that wasn't happy was his cousin, and he hadn't the slightest idea why! When Orin piped up about who's door they were passing, Aric brought them to a grinding halt. He turned abruptly, grabbing Orin by the shoulders and looked completely panicked. "You're right, I should've gotten flowers! What am I going to do?" Because, of course, now it was the end of the world. Orin's loud mouth kept sputtering out words and Aric knew what he had to do. But before he could sing out with his angelic voice, something sharp hit him in the back of the head.

[CASSANDRA] What he felt was Cassandra's small hand slapping him hard upside the head. "Don't. You. Dare," she whispered venomously. She took a moment to look over at the guards in apology, but they seemed thoroughly amused by this whole display. She could only assume they didn't see much action during the night. "Do not wake her up, you understand me?" Was she going to have to kill him? Maybe. She grabbed Aric by the arm, only to wheel around on Orin. "And you, one more word and I'll make you completely blind. Are you listening to me?" Cass didn't wait for an answer, because she was grabbing his arm as well, attempting to drag them, once again, down the hall. They wouldn't get too far before her cousin somehow managed to trip over himself, nearly bringing her down with him as he stumbled, skidded, and fell up against Alexandria's door. The guards looked terrified and guilty.

[ORIN] "SOmuchtime wastedonbullshit!!" Orin repeated. He was slurring and he thought he was speaking quietly, but his voice was loudly echoing down the halls. When they stopped at Alexandria's door, Orin looked to Aric as he started to panic about not having flowers. He tried to think of something, but it was no use. "Don't ask me... I'm the ass that can't get a woman!" He laughed. "You better hope your song is enough, though!" But then, Cassandra was whacking Aric upside the head and yelling at him. He fell quiet and watched Cassandra, his grin formed on his lips. He looked as if he might be afraid that she actually would make him blind. But he'd take the risk anyway. "You're cute when you are angry..." She was grabbing his arm and pulling him away then, and Orin started to protest. "Comeon! Aric needs to sing to Alexandria! She neeeeeeds to hear his voice!" But then they all came crashing down to the floor against his sister's door. He laid there on the floor, for the second time tonight, and he just burst out into laughter.

[ALEXANDRIA] She had slept soundly through most of the night due to her exhaustion and pain. That is, until the noise from outside her room woke her up. The queen sat up, confused, glancing around her room, trying to figure out where the sounds were coming from. She recognized Orin's voice but couldn't hear what he was saying. Slowly and carefully she slid out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor as she made her way towards the door, throwing her robe on and tightening it around herself. The door was carefully opened and she peered out, seeing the crowd right outside of it. What in the hell? She had three guards at her door, Orin, Aric and Cassandra. Her brows furrowed as she looked extremely confused. Was she still sleeping? Her hand rose up to smooth her hair and rub her eyes. "What's going on out here? Is everything alright?"

[ORIN] When the door opened, Orin gasped and quickly sat up. "'RORA!" He claimed, probably overly excited. "Want to meet my new friend??" He pointed over at Aric. "He really looooves you." Little did Orin know that Alexandria hadn't heard him tell her that he loved her, yet. "He has a song to sing to you... But don't get mad he didn't get you flowers like I told him he should... We barely made it back to the castle..." He laughed and laid back down on the floor. "I need to lay down..."

[CASSANDRA] She wanted to laugh. She really did, because this was a miracle that the two were so easily getting along. However, did they have to bond in the most obnoxious way? Orin's comment had her pause, and the smile that curled her lips was a snake-like, sarcastic one, her tone to match, "Oh? Well, then I'm about to get damn beautiful if you keep this up." Because, yes, she might kill them. Then, her cousin was bringing them all to the floor at the queen's door, and she groaned in discomfort as she felt Aric's knee in her back. At Orin's laughter, she annoyingly reached over to swat at him. It wasn't long until Alexandria herself alarmingly opened her door to find the three scrambled upon the stone. Cassandra sighed, awkwardly laying there in defeat. "I'm sorry," she apologized to her. "I tried to get them to their rooms, but..." Arms outstretched in gesture at the two fools beside her. "They're drunk...together." Finally, her smile was sincere because it might mean something to Alexandria that her brother and husband-to-be were getting along. "Happy...early wedding gift..?" Sure. Sitting up, she tried shoving her cousin away who managed to keep kicking her in his attempt at getting up.
[ARIC] It wasn't long before that door opened, and he further fell over at Alexandria's feet. He was on his back, looking up at her while his head was swimming. It was Orin's voice that snapped him out of it, and he realized the queen really was standing there, completely confused. Struggling to get at least to his knees, it would take him a good, long moment to do so; tilting his chin up so that he could look up at her lovely face. One of his arms gestured behind him, to wherever he thought Orin was without having to look. He wasn't as pretty as his sister was. "He likes me now...isn'tthatgreat?" Shuffling a little closer, still on his knees, he embraced her around the legs and sighed happily. "I do love you," he murmured. He'd probably regret that he hadn't been sober when he said this. "And I'm sorry I didn't get you flowers..."

[ALEXANDRIA] She stood there, perplexed at whatever this was that was going on at her feet. But as Cassandra apologized and explained what was going on, Alexandria couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. Her tired, sapphire colored eyes glanced over to Orin as he spoke, admitting that Aric was his new friend and that he loved her?" What in the hell had the two been talking about in their drunken stupor? She was just getting more and more confused, and she wondered if she was dreaming all of this. Eyes fell to her feet where Aric was, and he was bragging now about how Orin liked him now. Something, she didn't think would ever happen, so it made her smile slightly. She only wondered if this would last once they sobered up. Then, she felt Aric embrace her legs, and she stumbled slightly, not prepared for it, and he was admitting that he did love her. She blinked, looking down at him. Was he being truthful, or was it just the alcohol speaking for him. She laughed again and shook her head. "It's alright...." She spoke quietly. "Come on... All of you in here, before you wake someone else up..." She held her door open, and glanced at the guards, as if asking if they could assist the two drunken men into the room. Her eyes fell upon Cassandra, then and she couldn't help but shake her head. "Maybe some tea might help sober them up?" One of the guards nodded and dismissed himself, stating he would find someone to bring them some tea.

[ORIN] He just laid there on the floor, the alcohol finally starting to make him crash. He could hear Aric and Alexandria's voices, but hadn't a clue on what they were saying. Suddenly, he shouted out. "Don't yell at him, 'Rora! He tried! He's trying to wooo you." His arm raised and he waved it to emphasize the word 'woo', before he let it crash back down on his chest. Then, he felt one of the guards grab hold of him to try and help him up. He groaned and fought against them, moaning. "Nah.... just leave me here.... save yourself..."

[CASSANDRA] What a mess this was. Then Alexandria was suggesting bringing them both into her room, and Cassandra wanted to question her. Did she really want to deal with that? But she didn't say anything, simply laughing quietly as she looked to the queen in amusement. Managing to get to her own feet as Aric was stumbling to do the same thing, one of the guards was trying to get Orin up...who was being a child about it. Another sigh, she nudged him in the ribs with her foot. "Come on, cyclops. You can't stay on the floor." Eventually, she forced him up with the help of the castle guard to drag him into Alexandria's room.

[ARIC] He was definitely going to regret being this foolish in the morning. And this wasn't how he should've told her. Maybe she already knew, understood that he in fact loved her...but he never actually said it to her again. It took him a couple of tries, but Aric got to his feet, trying not to lean on the queen because, even in his drunken stupor, he did not wish to hurt her wounded side. "Mm, tea," he whispered. "With whiskey?" He vaguely remembered her suggesting that one time...the time he had gone back with her to her room and they nearly kissed. Fucking locks! The grin that fell onto his lips was almost sly as he looked at her, remembering a lot of things at once...but it was quick to disappear when he noticed Orin was being dragged into the room as well. Cock blocked.

[ALEXANDRIA] She had dealt with her drunken brother several times--though he was never this happy while drunk. Alcohol usually had the opposite effect on him. But she hadn't seen Aric drunk before, nor did she ever imagine it--so this was quite interesting. She crouched down only slightly, to help Aric up to his feet, with the guard's help of course, and they carefully helped Aric into the room and sat him down in one of the chairs. Alexandria laughed at him and shook her head. "I think you've had enough whiskey for tonight..." She wondered what Orin had spoken to Aric about, and how it had ended up like this.

[ORIN] He felt the nudge to his ribs, and he overreacted with pain. "Don't doo that!!!" He looked up at Cassandra as she called him cyclops again. "And why not? I'm quitecomfortable..." But the guards were pulling him off the floor and dragging him into Alexandria's room again, sitting him in another chair. "Oh, okay... this is more comfortable..." He slouched in the chair, resting his head back. "Isn't anybody gonna say how great this is that Aric and I are friends?" He lifted his head up and everything started to spin. "And..." He tried to find Cassandra and pointed at her. "She... she tried to tease me with her breastestess...." He couldn't quite say the word, so he burst out into laughter.

[ARIC] He frowned. What was the point of tea if there was no whiskey in it? Whiskey was good. When both he and Orin were put into chairs, the prince waved to the guards, "Thanksssss!" Then, with a wave of dizziness, he decided to put his head down onto the table, suddenly getting a flashback to when they were in the military building. Wait, were they still there?! Was this all a dream? "Mhmm...the bestoffriends," he echoed Orin, his shoulders shrugging as muffled laughter could be heard...until he heard what else Orin had to say. His head shot up and he had to blink and push through the swimming room. "She what?" Dark eyes drifted from him to Cassandra then back to Orin again. "You didn't look...did you?" Uh oh, what if this hurt their newly formed best friendship? Funny thing was, he didn't seem to care right now that it seemed to have happened. Too...much...whiskey.

[CASSANDRA] This was absurd. "You sure you don't want the men to bring them to their rooms?" she quietly asked Alexandria. Prince and cyclops didn't appear to be winding down any time soon. At least they were seated and not mobile, because that was when it got difficult. Suddenly, the bigger fool was pointing directly at her and blurting out something she didn't exactly plan on. Emerald eyes were wide, and she was half tempted to break that pointing finger. For once, Cassandra didn't even know what to say (or if there was any point in trying to argue with a drunkard) and simply sighed as she leaned against a wall; her face falling into her palm. From behind it, no one would be able to see that she was still trying so hard not to laugh.

[ALEXANDRIA] She stood beside Aric, resting a hand on his shoulder when he put his head down on the table. Her eyes moved to Cassandra at her question and she nodded. "Yeah, they're fine... This is actually quite.... comical?" Or something. She laughed, until Orin was blurting out about Cassandra, and suddenly, Aric was reacting to that. She rubbed his shoulder again and looked to Cassandra, raising a brow to her in question, but she was laughing. What in the hell was going on tonight, while she slept?

[ORIN] At Aric's reaction, he held his hands up. "Of course I didn't... Maybe I wanted to... but I didn't!" He laughed and slouched further into the chair. "I was just checkingtomakesure...." He was slurring heavily now, and realized what he was about to say and stopped himself. Nope, Alexandria couldn't hear that last part. She wasn't supposed to know about the attack. "I'm tiiiirrreeeeddddd...." He groaned, resting his head down again.

[ARIC] He was reaching over for Alexandria's hand on his shoulder, patting it as though he was consoling her. "Glad we are...comical," he echoed quietly. But, yet again, Orin's words had his quiet demeanor instantly change. "Youwantedto?!" Now, both his hands were reaching over the table, which was smaller than the last one, to try and grab him by his shirt, also to maybe subconsciously shut him up from saying anything more about what had happened.

[CASSANDRA] Oh no. This was all just escalating again. Indeed, it was comical, but not when Orin nearly made things so much worse. Her lips were pressed together tightly to keep herself from smiling or laughing as she rushed over to the table, separating Aric's fingers from Orin's shirt. "Nothing happened; he's lying, cousin. Come on now, it's time to relax." They were like children, and now she finally giggled because it was impossible not to. While she casually stood there, she secretly reached over to Orin to dig her nails into his arm in warning. But she should know better than to think his drunk mind would understand that threat.

[ALEXANDRIA] Honestly, she didn't know what was going on, and wasn't about to ask for clarification on anything at this point. She was sure none of it would make sense anyway. But when Aric was reaching across the table at Orin, she held his shoulders, trying to pull him back. "Aric, please..." She stood behind him as Cassandra was prying his fingers from Orin's shirt, so she wrapped her arms around Aric from behind, resting her hands on his chest, and she leaned down and kissed his cheek before whispering into his ear. "He's just as drunk as you are... And doesn't know what he is saying. Relax..." She would try to calm him down.

[ORIN] Oops, had he said something he shouldn't have? Why was his new best friend grabbing him by the shirt and getting mad? "You're getting mad at me? I didn't get mad at you admitting you kissed my sister!" Then Cassandra was coming to his rescue, and digging her nails into his arm. He groaned and looked up at her, grabbing her wrist, pulling her down closer to him, and he whispered so only she'd hear. "I do like it rough, how did you know?" He winked at her with his good eye before letting go of her wrist.

[CASSANDRA] It was probably a good thing Alexandria didn't ask. Not that these two would make much sense, or that the truth coming out of their mouths now would be believable. But they were beginning to bicker as though they were the married couple. It was cute, really. A gasp fled her lips when Orin grabbed her wrist to pull her down, whispering to her in a voice that was raspier than usual thanks to the whiskey. He was being an idiot, but it still made her stop breathing, her heart beating unusually faster. She could only find air again once he released her and she could stand up straight. Oh my. Drunk Orin was...interesting. Fortunately she didn't have to stand there for much longer looking dumbfounded as the bickering continued, because there came a knock at the door. Cassandra took it upon herself to open it and take the tea from the servant- they didn't need to witness this obnoxious display. Setting the tray on the table, she'd place the first two cups in front of the drunkards. She really wished she could have whiskey in her own now…

[ARIC] Dark eyes were rolling into white as Orin continued to rant. "Because we are betrothed. Cassie is married already." Were he sober, he may have noticed how his cousin faltered in her step, trying to suppress the strange sadness that washed over her face. He knew Henry was a good man...but their marriage wasn't really one. However, unfortunately, he was too drunk to notice much of anything, except for Alexandria's presence. The kiss to his cheek and the way she embraced him seemed to instantly calm him. Either forgetting they weren't alone, or seeming not to care (because Orin was being an idiot), he pulled her down to gently sit on his lap; arms wrapping protectively around her waist. Tea? He didn't need tea.

[ALEXANDRIA] She was suddenly being pulled onto Aric's lap, and he embraced her. Her eyes widened, cheeks flushed with a deep blush, especially since they were not alone. She honestly didn't know what to do. Had he been sober, she may have enjoyed this a bit more, and kissed him even. But her brother and his cousin were in the room. So she just sat there awkwardly, before finally reaching for the cup of tea on the table, lifting it to Aric's lips. "Here... Drink some of this." She held the cup to his lips, her free hand resting on one of his shoulders, before lifting to his unruly hair. Gently, she smoothed it out, running her fingers through it. He needed to sleep this off, but he and Orin needed to calm themselves down, first.

[ORIN] He had hardly noticed Cassandra react to his words, but when Aric offered up an excuse for why it was okay to kiss his sister, and why he wasn't allowed to look at Cassandra's breasts, he suddenly frowned. As if those words stung him hard. But then he was suddenly laughing. "See... What'd I tell you?" He started, blurting something out that he most likely never would admit had he been sober. "I can't get women....because theonesifindinteresting.....are already taken!" He had hardly noticed that he blurted it out...almost as if he had said it to himself and no one else was in the room. He saw as Aric pulled his sister onto his lap and he rolled his own eyes, though only one visible. He groaned again and just slouched even more in his seat, closing his eyes.

[ARIC] Even as drunk as he was, he kept his hands in a modest place, simply wanting to hold her. He could have been a jerk and made a spectacle of it just to annoy Orin, but he wouldn't do that to Alexandria. He respected her far too much. Taking a couple of sips of that warm liquid, Aric sighed happily. "Thank you," he murmured, adorably hugging her closer and placed a kiss to her arm, which was the closest thing to him. Her fingers felt good through his hair, and it was enough to lull him to sleep. That is, until Orin's big mouth interrupted the moment. The man was slurring, so it left Aric blinking and confused. "What...what did he just say?"

[CASSANDRA] Maybe they were beginning to wind down, and they could get help from the guards to bring them to their own rooms. But Cassandra couldn't help but watch the queen and her cousin, the way he simply held her, smiled up at her. Even in his drunken stupor, he still had that same loving glint in his eyes... something she never thought she would see on him again. It was enough to give her pause, a smile creasing her lips...and then Orin was breaking the gentle silence again. Only this time, his words surprised her more than the last. She had been placing another cup onto the table when his strange, slurred admission made her flail. Cass gasped as the contents spilled all over the table, and she was scrambling to find something to wipe it with. "I'm sorry," she apologized to no one in particular. Flustered, she didn't know why her vision was a little blurry, wondering if the beautiful sight just seconds earlier had her tearing up a little.

[ALEXANDRIA] She couldn't help but smile as Aric held her close to him. She set the cup of tea down onto the table after he drank from it and her eyes drifted to her brother as he admitted something quite surprising, but confusing at the same time. Her gaze found Cassandra as she spilled the tea over the table, but Aric was snapping out of the relaxed state she had begun to put him into and was questioning what had just been said. She leaned back into him, pressing her forehead into the side of his head, whispering into his ear. "Shhh... He is just mumbling things..." She kissed the side of his head before she looked back to Cassandra, noticing the troubled look on her face. It caused her to frown slightly. "It's okay..." She spoke gently. Her response was not really meant for just the spilled tea.

[ORIN] He just sat there silently, his head tilted back to rest on the back of the chair, eyes closed and it looked as if he might have fallen asleep. But the noise of the tea spilling over the table startled him, and he sat straight up, looking around the room. He saw Cassandra trying to find something to wipe up the spilled tea, but there didn't seem to be anything around. So he pulled his shirt over his head and began using it to wipe up the spilled hot liquid for her. He hardly seemed to notice he was topless now, and that goofy laughing grin he had been wearing previously, was now more of a groggy, somber expression. He quietly wiped up the spilled tea and happened to glance up seeing Aric and his sister again, in each other's arms. His head was starting to hurt and he wasn't seeing things clearly. So he put his head down on the table, using the now soaked shirt as a pillow.

[ARIC] He believed Alexandria when she told him it was mumbling nonsense, but then Cassandra was spilling tea everywhere, startling everyone. Was she drunk, too? Instinct had him sitting up straighter, as though he were ready to help her, but with Alexandria on his lap, he couldn't budge. Especially if she kept kissing and soothing him like that. While Orin decided to show off by taking his shirt off (something his jumbled mind couldn't quite comprehend why), he tilted his head to rest upon Alexandria's shoulder.

[CASSANDRA] Why was she suddenly so flustered, so much that she couldn't get her nerves under control? Her hands were even shaking, and she was silently cursing herself with how idiotic it was. Perhaps she shouldn't take anything he drunkenly mumbled to heart...but what was bothering her the most was that, perhaps, she wondered if it was true. Maybe she even wanted it to be. And that couldn't be. She wasn't breathing again when he, without thought, drew his shirt over his head to clean up the mess. Cassandra caught herself staring for longer than she should before she quickly turned herself away; fingers pressing against her lips. Alexandria had spoken to her, and she was afraid to decipher the tone of those words. She was afraid the queen would know just what was going on through the Duchess' mind.

[ALEXANDRIA] She began combing her fingers through Aric's hair as he laid his head down on her shoulder. It would seem the two were finally starting to settle down now, as long as they stopped talking and riling each other up. Her brother was taking off his shirt and using it as a rag to clean up Cassandra's mess. It could have just been left alone, but for whatever was running through Orin's mind, seemed like it was a big deal and he needed to take care of it, before he laid his head on the table. He was done, it would seem. Her eyes fell back on Cassandra, noticing her staring at Orin for a moment, but she'd not say anything. Finally, she whispered to Cassandra. "We should probably get them to bed..."

[ORIN] He heard his sister mention something about getting them to bed and he lifted his head slightly. "Yeah... yeah.... I can take a hint." He said, annoyed, as if someone had told him that he needed to leave. He pushed himself out of the chair and tried standing, stumbling a bit before he caught himself, throwing his wet shirt back on. It was warm from the hot tea, and strangely felt good as it clung to his skin. "Goodnight sister.... best friend..... MRS. Davenport..." He tried bowing, but stumbled again, quickly catching himself before he made his way to the door.

[ARIC] He was oddly comfortable where he was, and may have even managed to fall asleep seated there if they allowed him to. He heard Alexandria whisper something about sleep, and all he could do was grumble a low, "Mhm..." Sleep was a good idea, but he couldn't move until she did, and she was so warm. He would definitely need help walking, though. Aric could already tell he wouldn't be able to walk well on his own, and his exhaustion would only make it harder.

[CASSANDRA] All of this had been funny to a point, so when did it suddenly not feel like that? At Alexandria's suggestion, she nodded. Yes, that was a very good idea, but Orin was still tripping over his own feet, emphasizing her married name in the process. It shouldn't have bothered her, but it did. She hated that it did. Even still, she turned to the queen, "I'll make sure he's alright." She bowed her head in goodnight before following Orin to the door. "Slow down before you hurt yourself," she commented, taking him by the arm to steer him. A part of her kind of wanted to let go to see if he'd stumble down a set of stairs.

[ALEXANDRIA] The alcohol was starting to hit her brother now the way she was used to seeing him. He became more stubborn, and cranky in his tiredness, so she frowned as he seemed to be offended by nothing, and walked out of the room. As Cassandra offered to make sure he'd be alright, Alexandria nodded a thank you before she'd turn to Aric. She leaned into him and brushed her lips against his temple, whispering gently to him. "Aric? Let's get you to bed..." She loosened his grip around her waist and slid from his lap, standing up. Honestly, she hoped he'd have a little bit left in him to stand up and move to the bed, because she wasn't sure she had the strength, right now, to get him there, without hurting herself. The queen took hold of Aric's hands, and tried to help pull him up from the chair.

[ARIC] "Yes...sleep..." He was already anticipating how amazing it was going to be to just crash against the pillow as he lied down. The exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave, but although he grumbled, he managed get to his feet with her help. He tiredly grinned down at her, "Sorry for waking you up." To be honest, he couldn't even remember how he had even gotten here.

[ALEXANDRIA] She smiled up at him and shook her head. "It's fine." Carefully, she moved to sling his arm over her shoulders, and she slowly led him over to her bed before guiding him to sit on the edge of it. Before he'd lay down though, she helped him remove whatever type of layers he wore, until he was down to just his shirt. Then she'd help him lay down and she moved to the foot of the bed and removed his shoes, setting them down on the floor. Quietly, she moved to the other side of the bed and climbed into it, laying down next to him. He most likely would already be asleep as soon as he hit the pillow, but she still moved close to him, draping her arm over his chest and rested her head down on his shoulder. "Goodnight, Aric." She whispered quietly.

[ARIC] Maybe he should be questioning why she was leading him to her bed, but he wasn't. He didn't care. All he wanted to lay down and sleep and was happily flopping down onto the bed as she removed his jacket and shoes. Indeed, the moment his head hit the pillow, he felt the loving lull of sleep...but her voice pulled him out of it, just enough for him to smile. Eyes still closed, he gathered her small hand in his as it rested upon his chest, lips parting as if to echo her goodnight. Instead, he began to sing. Quietly this time, and without the obnoxious tone he had been using not too long ago. His voice was low in his chest, raspier from the whiskey, and he sang the tune lovingly before the darkness of sleep could fully claim him. "Black is the colour, of my true love's hair...Her lips are like some roses fair. She has the sweetest smile...and the gentlest hands..." He drew in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "I love the ground...whereon she stands..."

[ALEXANDRIA] She gave his hand a light squeeze after he took it into his own. She closed her eyes and nestled down against him. Then, she heard his chest vibrate with the sound of his voice as he began to sing to her. She couldn't help the smile that crept along her lips as he did, listening to his voice as he sung. And very slowly, she drifted off to sleep.