[F29 | SP] Alcoholics Notorious | <<On The House>>

[Acanthus 0]

A Drink on the House
243551 | CD 4 | Peach Cider

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Entering the bar one more time, she rubbed her eyes in shock. Her legs grew weaker with each heartbeat.

“E… Edict? Oh my god. Edict. I thought you were dead.”

“That’s funny. I don’t really feel alive.” He stared at the back of the bar, avoiding her gaze. She continued with trepidation, as if every question bore the risk of disintegrating her friend. “...I saw your name on the Monument. You’re dead.”

“Different guy.”

“Different?...”

Edict cocked his head, still talking to the far wall. “In a game with 10,000 players, you’re bound to run into someone with the same username.”

“In a game that *started* with 10,000 players.”

“Yea.” Edict looked down at the bar. “Yea.”

Acanthus slid into the bar stool next to him. Part of her wanted to press him. She’d never seen two people in Aincrad with the same name before. Something in the back of her mind thought his remarks were nothing more than an attempt to deflect. But the last time she’d pressed him, he had left. So maybe it wasn’t worth pressing.

Morose stare aside, Edict and his full regalia looked out of place in the tavern. His flowing blue cape was spotless, untouched by the grime and decay of Floor 29, and his armor caught some unseen light, reflecting into the room as though the stars shone through the dingy roof of the bar. Edict was everything she remembered him to be before he… before he…

Acanthus reached out and touched his shoulder to make sure he was more than a figment of her imagination. When Edict recoiled, Acanthus drew back in fear. “I’m sorry. Edict, I’m sorry, I wanted to—”

“No, I’d do the same thing. I’m solid at least. For now.”

“For now? What’s happening? How long do we have?”

“We have a bit, so don’t worry too much.” He eyed the drinks Acanthus brought in. “Why don’t we have a drink? It’s on the house.” Without warning, a glass popped into existence in front of her. It filled with Peach Cider. “No thanks, I’ve already got one.” She showed Edict the bottle she’d been carrying around the entire time. The last few dregs swirled in the bottom. He eyed the bottle with vague disgust. “That looks vile. Did you really drink that?”

“And two others. It’s not like it matters. You can’t get drunk off it anyways.”

“Sometimes, that which doesn’t kill you doesn’t make you stronger either.” Acanthus declined to respond, and Edict continued in a low, concerned voice. “When I met you, you were busy trying to sample every cafe in Aincrad. Now you’re drinking flavored toilet water out of ancient bottles. What happened?”

“I don’t think I’m ready to answer that. Let’s drink.”

“Only if you promise to treat yourself better.” He motioned to the cider. Wordlessly, she released the expired swill and let him fill her fresh glass. After pouring, Edict reached for his whiskey, and he raised it to her. “Kampai.”

* * * * *

At the end of her glass, Acanthus felt a warm, familiar feeling. Someone had wended through her brain to turn off just enough switches. Everything still made sense and she wasn’t falling over herself, but all the high-precision equipment was suddenly asleep. She glimpsed a new status effect in her HUD.

“I’m buzzed.” She said quietly. Then, she giggled. “I’m actually buzzed.”

“Do you want another one?” Edict asked softly. He offered a pour, and Acanthus thrust her glass out roughly. He chuckled. “<<It’s on the house.>>”

“Edict, you had a funny accent there for a second.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry, it was a bug caught in my throat.”

When Edict reached back to pour his own glass, Acanthus found Edict’s hand and squeezed it, feeling each of the fingers like a careful doctor. “Everything ok?” He asked simply. She nodded numbly. “I still don’t believe that you’re real. You disappeared in some kind of glitchy haze facing down an awful, unkillable creature. You ran away when I went looking for you in that weird, glitchy labyrinth. So now that you’re here for this weird, glitchy quest, I’m worried that you’re going to disappear on me for good.” Edict set the bottle down and put his hand on top of hers. “I don’t want to lead you on. I’m not gone for good, but I can’t stay right now.”

She cleared her second drink with a single gulp, and let the glass clatter on the counter. The filter was dissolving, and there was little she could do about it. “And in true martyr style, you’re going to keep your cards close to the chest. You won’t tell me anything ‘FoR mY SAfeTy.’” She pitched her voice sarcastically.

His response surprised her: Edict honked with laughter. It was that same, silly laugh he’d been so embarrassed about during the Search for Hoya. And just like before, his cheeks blushed ever so slightly. It really is him, she thought to herself. After a moment’s pause, she picked her glass back up, and leaned gently on his shoulder. “Another drink, please.”

“Sure.<<It’s>>—hm, It’s On The House.” Acanthus retrieved the drink from him, head still planted firmly on his shoulder. Even leaning against the hardened pauldrons, she felt comfortable. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend she wasn’t here on Floor 29. Or in Aincrad.

It was Edict who nervously broke the silence. “Not trying to throw myself under the bus, but… you aren’t going to ask why I can’t stay?”

Her eyes stayed closed as her mind formed a leisurely response. “Would you tell me if I did?”

A pause. “No.”

“Then I won’t ask.”

* * * * *

Acanthus wasn’t sure how much *real* alcohol cost in game, but she was grateful that whatever she downed was on the house. The count disappeared sometime between the second and third hour. By her math, Edict had kept pace with her, but he seemed almost entirely sober. A hint of flushed cheeks was all that gave him away.

Acanthus had peeled her head from his shoulder and now draped an arm around him like a long-lost war buddy. “S ay, Eid ct. Im goinng to say somethig, but you have to Pinky PRomise to not runn away when I ass sk it.” Acanthus felt his shoulders tense up, but he did his best to appear nonchalant. “Shoot.”

“Nnah,     you  have to pinky promise ffirst.”

Edict set his elbow into the table and dramatically extended his pinky out. Acanthus grinned and wrapped her own pinky around his, staring him dead in the eyes.

“W h y the aCtual      ffuck did you decide tto t ryy and drop a confesssssion on a stranger RIGght before you ki lled y our self? Al most killedd.”

Edict sagged for a moment, but Acanthus tightened her grip around his finger. “Nnnhn. Youu promised.”

“Promised I wouldn’t run. Not that I would answer.” Acanthus maintained a vice-like grip, hoping to make him tap out, and he finally relented with a dejected shrug. “It was stupid. Emotions were running really high, and for a moment, I thought I wasn’t going to see you again. I’m not going to sit here and lie to your face. I really was about to say—”

“Nno, don’t say it right now. Doesn’tst countnt.”

“Fine. But it’s not like I was proposing or anything. I wanted to—I wanted to tell you how much our conversation that day had meant to me. And how I wouldn’t be content to leave you without a proper goodbye. That I was coming back, no matter what.”

“Coulda j us t said that.”

Edict snorted. “With what time?! This isn’t some Italian opera. I don’t get thirty minutes and an aria for my death speech.”

Acanthus took a few seconds to process the comment. Had it been that funny? Maybe not, but it didn’t matter. She began to laugh: a deep, belly-shaking laugh that rocked her stool and made her cry from laughter. I’m laughing. Not just a giggle, or a quick chuckle. I’m honest to god laughing. How long has it been? Something inside of her had been desperately trying to escape. That filter she kept firmly in place was Pandora’s Box, crafted to keep all highs and lows inside, where they could be moderated before release into the wild. But the laugh had been desperate for any excuse. With the way loosened by liquor, her happiness escaped.

Edict appeared uncertain with the development. “Acanthus, that was a pretty terrible joke. Are you sure you’re ok?” Still laughing, she threw her arms around his shoulders and drew him in for a hug. “Edict, you sillyb oy. I’m FIne. Just let me be F Ine.” He waited for a moment before hugging her back lightly. Warmth flooded her from head to toe as her hand moved up and into his hair. He smelled like fresh cedar on a campfire. She squeezed with the hope that she could stay in place for just a moment longer. Finally, Acanthus pulled back, hands on his shoulders, and she made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Those stunning, beautiful, bright blue eyes. For a second, she was lost inside a world where she was no longer a prisoner.

“EEdic,t I want you to kiss me but i”M not sure how to aks.”

Edict remained motionless. “Acanthus, you told me on the third floor—”

“Iknoaw I know. But drinking factory resets me. Makes me normal.” She giggled. “So you better do it quikc, ebfore The quest ends.”

Delicately, Edict shed Acanthus’ hands from his armor. The shock was a dash of cold water to her senses. “   .   wh at did I do—”

“I don’t like that. The way you talk about yourself.”

“Cmo n, I’m just sayi ing that someti mes I’m need a little encorgment to do th ings.”

“Acanthus, am I ‘normal’?” The question derailed her thoughts. Where did that come from? But Edict looked deathly serious. Acanthus fought through the haze to find her filter, but the words came first.

“No, you’re really p rett y. And you’re fun ny. ANd i haev a hard time around people. But your not people. You’r e you and I lkie th at. Alot.”

Edict studied her carefully. “Not people.”

“ABsolutely not. And I lov e tha t ab out you.”

Her hands were now on the glass in front of her. Edict was pouring; his face was blank. “Have one more. <<It’s On The House>>.”

There was that weird voice again. She raised the glass to her lips and
 

Edited yesterday at 02:22 AM by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus came to sprawled in the floor of the filthiest bar in Aincrad. Her head pounded without mercy—not a new experience, regretfully. Her eyes shot open. “Edict—”

As she expected, he was gone. Not a trace of their conversation remained. The bar had been emptied, as if she had never been there or made a shipment. Instead, the same vile bottles from the bar’s initial selection graced the shelves. The only evidence that last night had been real were her memories and a strange status effect that refused to go away.

Her memories. She bolted upright. Didn’t she try to kiss Edict? Oh, *fuck.* And then he got angry with her? She felt a surge of embarrassment all over again. Why can’t you be normal, you idiot. Climbing over a stranger. And after you got mad that he confessed his love after two quests! You’re no better than him, you stupid girl. She almost wished some horrific monster would wander into the bar and kill her now. Better that than ever seeing Edict again.

She groaned and rubbed her head. That wasn’t true. Hangovers always gave her a flair for the dramatic. But still. She would have a lot of explaining to do if she saw Edict again.

“And how I wouldn’t be content to leave you without a proper goodbye. That I was coming back, no matter what.”

When she saw Edict again. She would explain when she saw Edict again.

[Acanthus 0]

THREAD SUMMARY

Experience. [Word Count: 8572/10 = 857.2] * [True Tier: 8] * [Group Factor: 1] = 6858 EXP (Note: I did not count the weird spammy code ChatGPT I wrote in the post #10. I *did* include the words that the binary spelled because those are actual written words :eyes:)
Col. 400 (bonus page) + 1028 (Laurel Wreath) = 1428 col

Other. The ability to get toasty, baby. (<<Lightweight>> debuff applied. Can now get intoxicated.)

Edited yesterday at 02:35 AM by Acanthus