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 Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 3:13 am
All buzzed-Kam really heard out of all of that was 'shots'. His eyes, temporarily averted to the baseball game that he couldn't keep up with anymore, snapped back to Ever just in time to see the end of his suggestive eyebrow wiggles.
"Alll over that, dude." He leaned back on the bar stool a little, with a hand holding onto the edge of the bar to keep himself stable while the other dug around in his pocket and reproduced the wallet he had briefly sported earlier. He flopped it onto the bar and opened it, producing a couple of twenties for the time being, and then shoved it back into his pocket.
He didn't really pay bills, or buy clothes or groceries for the most part, but he did like booze. His job was a good source of booze money.
"Hey," he used the same money-flag method on the bartender as before and, despite Kam's semi-rude attempt at grabbing attention, the guy came up to the bar with a brow raised in question. "Give me a couple of shots of 151 would ya?" Then, almost as an afterthought, he added: "And none of that stupid flaming s**t."
He slid the money over and then very casually splayed his hand to Ever in a 'your turn' gesture.
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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 11:42 am
Partly drunk Ever froze halfway to putting his own money down with his eyes gone wide. Kam had set him up for such an amazing joke that he wasn't sure he could let it pass. In a very straight bar like this, outing himself could be a mistake -- he'd certainly learned that one the hard way -- but it looked for the moment like restraining himself was all but physically painful.
He set the bill down slowly and gently, almost in slow motion, and could hear the words coming out of his mouth without really intending them to. His expression shifted to something innocent, teasing, his eyebrows raised. This was Ever's curse: to always say what he thought, even if he knew he shouldn't, "Same is fine, though I tend to like things flaming."
And then things clicked back into motion. He grinned, and even though it had been a terrible joke, he felt better for it. Ever wasn't going to hold his breath over potential consequences.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:15 pm
Kam's brows rose at Ever's deer-in-headlights expression, but he turned back briefly to look at the bartender while he was pouring his own shots. He watched as each one was set down before him, even turned them in a little semi-circle as if to make sure they were completely full and it wasn't an optical illusion. He wasn't usually a stickler, but he wanted his money's worth in his booze.
Then he heard Ever's words and his muscles stiffened for a moment. He was pretty sure the meaning behind that was impossible to miss, but at this point? Kam was pretty sure he was well on his way to 'too drunk to give a s**t'. What was one harmless joke from a guy that had been pretty good entertainment thus far? Jokes were harmless.
"However you take it, broski," he said before a chuckle that seemed disbelieving, but ultimately amused at what he took as a clever double meaning in his own words.
He slid his first shot closer and picked it up with one hand as the bartender set down a shot glass topped with a vivid blue fire for Ever. He held it out for a salute, but smirked as he narrowed his eyes on him. "Make sure you do it right, I'm not in the fireman mood tonight."
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 12:22 pm
"Do I look like a child?" It was jokingly defiant, except for the glimmer of something like uncertainty in his eyes. Other than the joke, Ever didn't actually have any interest in fancy drinks, in fire topping his booze, in brightly colored sugary-sweet crap or really anything other than vodka tonic. He wasn't scared of the s**t, it was just -- well, stupid. And the bartender would charge him extra for it.
Sometimes, though, he had to pay the price for running his mouth off. At least he did know what he was doing, had been through this at least once. He raised the glass carefully and blew out the flames before he went to down it. There would be no zapped eyebrows or scorched tongue, just hot and very strong alcohol slithering down his throat.
He set the shot glass down not-quite with a bang, and the expression on his face was a little dazed. Ever hadn't done this in quite a while. At least he didn't cough or gag -- just looked a bit like he'd swallowed a lemon. He didn't voice the emotion but it was clear enough.
Good god that is awful.
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Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:43 pm
Kam smirked at the defiant comment, finding it somewhat hard to believe that the stringy guy next to him spent much time downing fiery alcohol. Who was he to judge though? He'd had women half his size drink him under the table before.
He watched just long enough to make sure Ever didn't set himself on fire, then downed his own shot and grit his teeth as a different kind of fire burnt him straight to the core. It was a good fire that made him sigh in the aftermath. He set the shot glass back down on the bar and turned his attention to one very displeased Ever.
"Practice a little more and you might make someone think you didn't completely hate that." But there was amusement in his tone and laughter that followed immediately after, short and genuinely playful. His hand was already reaching for the next shot that the bartender had give him, though for the moment he just seemed to be turning it in little circles with his fingers.
"You good?" That was about all the concern Ever was getting.
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Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:04 am
"I'm -- " The bartender was leaning forward to pour more impossibly-high-proof alcohol in a float on top of his second shot. Ever forgot what he'd been about to say and instead shot a hand out to block him, to prevent the flicker of fire over the top of his drink, his own mouth spreading into a somewhat sheepish grin.
"Yeah, I know, 's funny when I make an a** of myself. Once is enough though." His tone and his expression were pitiful enough to elicit a smile, at least, and the man didn't light up his booze. Safe, for now, Ever drew it in closer to himself and took this one more slowly, even with his eyes still watering from the last.
Instead of slamming his glass to the bar, he upturned it gently.
"Mostly drunk, now."
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 1:02 am
Kam chuckled as the boy shot his hand out over the glass, a deep belly laugh that was part amusement and part alcohol. Even if Ever wasn't fond of scorching his throat a second time, Kam applauded him for taking the other shot.
"Damn right it's funny." He picked up his own shot glass and upended it in the same fashion as before, but this time let out a low hiss from between his teeth. One fisted hand came up and thumped softly against his chest, as if willing the burn to fade away with a little abuse. Finally he just dropped it and leveled his slightly unsteady gaze on Ever.
"Good, that means its time for some pool." He slid off the bar stool and landed with a thud on his feet, the rubber soles of his boots sounding dully against the floor. He waved one hand at an empty pool table at the back of the bar (they were lucky it was a game night) and then just sauntered in that direction to begin racking up the balls without another question.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:52 am
"P...I don't really..." Kam didn't give Ever time to argue, not really, and that was probably a good thing because it sounded very much like he wanted to. For a long moment, he just sat and blinked stupidly after the other man. Dark eyes swung back up onto a still-amused bartender and he found himself flushing, flummoxed, driven into silence for a moment.
He had to catch his breath, chewing on his lip -- and then, with a sigh, he slid down off of his stool. Skinny as he was, with that much alcohol in his system, Ever wobbled as he walked, the tips of his fingers finding anything they could for support. The edge of the bar at first, following it as far as he could; a pushed back chair, which got a flicker glare from another patron, who had been caught up thoroughly in the game; Kam's elbow as he approached the pool queues and finally the edge of the pool table.
He didn't collapse onto it. That was goot, at least. But he balanced between the table and his pool queue, eyes taking in the careful rack of balls, Kam's easy comfort. "...didn't agree to play for money, did I? Because. I don't. I don't have any."
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:04 pm
Kam was nearly done racking up the balls by the time his skinny, wobbling friend started to make his way over. The fact that he was squinting a little and going a little slower than normal was just everyone's imagination.
"I didn't say anything about money," he commented calmly as he removed the rack and let it hang back on the hook beneath the table. Then he made his very careful way to the wall, taking slow deliberate steps even if his gaze was on the array of pool sticks. He chose two that didn't look any different than the others at a quick glance and walked around the pool table to hold one out to Ever.
If he noticed the condition he was in, he wasn't letting on. It either meant he didn't care or maybe that he honestly was losing his own observation skills. Kam was a big, sturdy guy - sometimes people weren't aware he was drunk until he was flat on his face.
"We're just playing. You want to shoot first?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:11 pm
That got a tip of Ever's head, pausing to really consider the rack of balls, pool queue curled in both of his hands. About a million comments rattled through his mind, all of them twisting on his tongue and not quite making it out into the bar. Probably for the best, all things considered, except for proving that he was much drunker than he'd thought...
"Uh. You're going to kick my a**." It was mournful, but he stepped in all the same. He wasn't completely oblivious to the game, and he wasn't completely terrible, either. Ever knew to chalk up his queue, though he did it fumblingly, and he knew to lean in farther than most brand-new-beginners to the game did.
That did not, however, mean that he hit the cue ball center, nor did it mean that he hit it hard enough. The break was an embarrassment, and when he stood up, staring at the barely-touched cluster of balls, cue rolling off to a useless corner of the table, Ever was just grateful he could blame it on alcohol. He grumbled, looking up at Kam.
"Probably going to be embarrassing."
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:17 pm
"Probably," Kam was already grinning at himself as Ever stumbled forward and tried to line up a sloppy shoot, "but it's okay, I always kick a**." He finished it off with a little chuckle at himself and leaned casually (or so he thought) on the pool stick he had grounded. It looked a little dangerous beneath his weight, like he might snap it in half, but for the time being it was holding up.
"It would only be embarrassing if you weren't drunk." He stepped forward and took his weight off of the pool stick, probably to both the owner and the pool stick's relief. He walked around the side of the pool table until he could line himself up with the little white ball (he was sure it was not usually so blurry) and leaned down to line his stick up with it.
He pulled back and slammed the stick forward - way too hard. It collided with the ball and then sent it flying over the side of the pool table from the force. It rebounded off the wall and hit the floor with a crash against both surfaces, then rolled under the table. The whole time Kam remained leaned over the side, grimacing slightly with each crash.
Thankfully few of the patrons even bothered to look over and away from the game, and Kam finally stood up with a lazy smile in Ever's direction.
"Okay, so maybe I'm not kicking any a** tonight."
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 12:19 pm
Ever's reaction to the noise and the clatter was to flinch -- and to freeze, unmoving, as the ball thudded down behind him, skating along one side of his boot before coming gently to a halt. Unproductive. If it had flown through the air toward his face, he probably would have done the same, and then where would he have been.
"...did you get the table?" It was quiet, at least, still flinching, his eyes flitting nervously from Kam to the crowd around them. Ever licked his lips in a decisively nervous way. "They only really tend to get pissed when you scratch the table, make a mess...tell me you didn't get it."
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Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 9:13 pm
"Uuuhm," he drew out, then finally leaned forward again and squinted unfocused eyes on the green top. He reached and rubbed a finger along something that could have been a scratch or his own imagination, then clicked his tongue between his teeth.
"I don't think so," he said as he stood back up, but it was quiet, as if he wasn't really keen on anyone overhearing. He calmly leaned his poolstick against the wall behind him and shoved his hands into the pockets of his baggy pants. After a casual rock from the the balls of his feet to the heels, he looked back up at Ever.
"Maybe we should go though, y'know. Just in case?" He pulled his hands out of his pockets and began to walk very casually towards the door on the other side of the bar.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:58 am
Ever's reply was a blink, serious, that slowly split into a grin, the threatening edge of a laugh behind it. He rolled his shoulders, just sprawling his own stick across the table before twisting on his heel to start after Kam. He didn't manage 'calm' half so well, didn't play casual so much as retreat, flicking one brief glance toward the door before he stepped out into the fresh air.
His fingers were already dipping into his pocket for a mostly-empty pack of cigarettes and a battered lighter as he drew in a deep breath. It was steeling, squared him a bit better on his feet, head tipped to consider the quiet street. He should have pilfered tips on the way out. It wasn't like he was likely to come here again any time soon...
"...they'll live, anyway." One cigarette between his lips, he held out the pack toward Kam as he spoke, rattling it. There were two more inside, bouncing off of each other with the gesture.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 9:36 pm
"Can't be the first time some drunk a*****e ******** something up in there." He shrugged and rolled his eyes lazily to look at Ever and the almost-empty cigarette package that we he was shaking at him. He normally didn't smoke, just lived in the haze of Penny's cigarettes, but social smoking was a different story. After a few drinks, who cared?
He reached out clumsily and pinched one of the cigarettes between his fingers, then drew it to his lips and fished a lighter out of his pocket. Cigarettes, but no lighter. Combine the dreads and Kam was just one giant, walking stereotype. He shoved the cheap bic lighter back in his pocket and drew deeply on the cigarette, letting the smoke billow out past his lips. He watched the smoke drift up and away, following it with his eyes in silence.
"We should probably get out from in front of the place regardless, though." He blew out the remainder of the smoke in one long breath, pointing down the street with the hand that was precariously balancing the cigarette between two fingers. "I'm not looking to take on a bar full of sports fanatics tonight, especially if they lose."
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