Drunkly, and a little dumbly, Mai kicked a golf-ball sized rock that belonged to the prison before its integrity was compromised. The rock flew and struck another pile of rubble, bouncing off and clattering. It was rather silent tonight. Her buzz was now more of a numbness.
She took a final swig, and poured the remaining booze onto the ground in front of the prison. Sort of for the deceased of Maelstromclan, sort of because she was pretty sure if she finished the whole bottle she would be sick. At least she knew her limit.
She set the bottle down on a fallen wooden girder that had been dragged from the wreckage. It had some rusty colored blood on it.
"You should be in bed." Etoah said bluntly, his silhouette shaping in the unsettled dust behind Mai.
He'd left the Clinic as soon as Jeremiah's death had reached his ears, and begun walking the streets with no particular goal in mind. The exhaustion of grief in his heart had reached the point of desensitization.
She put her hand overtop of his, then turned to face the deputy, removing it from her shoulder but still holding onto his hand. She laced her fingers through his. The normal night time chirping of the frogs couldn't be heard tonight, and it was bothering her.
Her breath smelled like alcohol and the candies she had been eating along with it.
"Ida saved you some rum if I'd known you're out here." She slurred.
The deputy glanced down at their hands before looking back up at her. "Excuses, excuses. You know I don't sleep, I'm always out here." He jested wryly before dutifully turning and tugging her along down the smoky street. "I know things are tough right now but I need you to stay with me, alright? I don't blame you for coping like this, but now's a time to be careful." Looking over his shoulder, Etoah gave her a playful smile. "This hangover is sure going to beat your ass in the morning."
"I'm with you." She murmured. "If anything happened, I'm sharp 'sa tack. Adrenaline cancels out booze. I think." Her sister had told her that once.
Mai snorted, following suit and quickening her pace to walk next to him. Most of her focus went on evening out her gait, as to not stumble around like a drunkard. "The secret-- My secret is t' funnel water before you go d'bed. Cuts it in half."
"Have a drink with me. When we get home." It was a statement and a request.
"Alright, Mai." Etoah laughed softly, nodding and giving her a gentle shove with his shoulder just as she had done to him earlier that day. A drink sounded great, despite the wise words he'd just preached.
"Your place, my place, or the pub?" He asked, not wanting to assume any intrusive ideas. The streets were quiet and smoggy, the cobbled stones sticky with ash under their feet.
She stumbled a bit after being shoved, laughed and caught herself.
"Hmm... Mmmmine. No pressure to get hammered. Just to take off the edge... Edge off. Y'know?" She furrowed her brow, trying to figure out how that turn of phrase went. "You've had a long day s' what I'm saying."
"Hey, 'member when you had long hair? It was beautiful. I always wanted to braid it. Guess I could still braid it now but not the same way."
Etoah smiled shyly, looking down at the passing stones. "Yeah, it was such a bright silver then too. I've given up trying to figure out what's going on with it now." Raising his free hand, he brushed away the dark metal-gray strands that had fallen from his top knot. It felt good to talk about something so frivolous. Really good.
"Alright, I like this." He said, looking over at her as they walked, "For the rest of the night, no talking about anything depressing. You hold me accountable. Only good, nostalgic, or stupid topics." As the deputy spoke, they drew near to the little cottage.
"That's fantastic! Because, I only know stupid topics." Her numbness was becoming more of a buzz again. Approaching the door, she twisted the handle, shouldered the door and barged right in. Mai never locked the place, she could care less if somebody went in or out. In fact, she wasn't sure if she even had a key.
Immediately inside the cottage bungalow was a large room that was a mix of a dining area, kitchen, and living space. There were only two other doors in the place. The place wasn't at all dirty, but it definitely appeared lived in. Lots of watercolor paintings lined the walls. Some dishes lay in a basin. Laundry in a basket brought in from the line lay half folded on an armchair. She released his hand and grabbed a box of matches to light a few sconces on the wall.
A small circular dining table was situated by a large window just adjacent to the door. On it, a sconce with three candle holders but only two candles. She lit only one of the two, motioned for Etoah to sit at the table, and walked over to a cabinet.
"Okay... I have whisky, whisky, and... whisky." She looked over her shoulder, smiling a big goofy smile. "There's mudah cordial, too, to mix with. Or do you like it neat?"
The deputy followed inside, his strange white eyes adjusting as the candles were lit. Walking over to the walls instead of sitting by the table, he looked at the paintings with a small smile of admiration. "I'll take whatever you're having, it doesn't matter." He said distantly. Even in the lowlight, the pictures enchanted him.
"Oh... Someov 'em." Mai laughed, embarrassed, turning back around to pull a few short glasses from the same cabinet. She provided Etoah's glass with a heavy pour of straight liquor, and herself a bit less. Always polite to drink with a guest, she thought, but she was already near her limit.
"That's kind ov you, but they aren't fancy." She stayed turned around fussing with the bottle while she forced her blush to fade. The paintings she did were brightly colored pinks, purples, blues, greens. Mostly fields of flowers, houses too, with the occasional portrait of a person here or there.
She focused intensely once again on not wobbling, and walked over carefully with his glass to offer it to him.
"I could do one of you for you. Or fr' me if you don't want it. Maybe not t'night, 'cause it might end up looking like something the kiddos do for arts 'an crafts." She said, rambling.
"If you didn't need sleep I'd insist on it tonight for that exact reason." He said, slipping her a mischievous side-eyed grin (the special, rare kind only a parental Etoah could give).
"But certainly not of me." Taking the offered glass, he immediately downed the drink in one swallow. The man winced as the liquor seared his throat, but it was nice.
"Something lovely instead..." His voice quieted and his eyes lowered as he seemed to grow shy again. Opening his mouth, he seemed to want to say something, but instead he cleared his throat and turned away.
"I know I'm not supposed to say this, being a symbol of stability and all," Etoah started, sitting at the table and running his hands over his hair exhaustedly. "But sometimes I- ah, nope," He smiled at himself and picked up his little glass, eyeing the empty bottom. "-No depressing topics. You come over here and say something stupid." The deputy eyed her with that grin again.
Mai blinked in a surprised manner, not expecting him to throw back the drink so fast. It made her giggle. She wasn't sure why but she had thought him to be a sipping gent.
"Well. I think you are so lovely. That paper would be lucky t' have you on it." She brought the bottle to the table and set it there as an open option, sitting at the table just next to him. "Speak nicer about yourself."
"Say whatever you wanna say, big man. But if you want stupid..." She paused, sipping at her drink. "How many chickens would it take to kill a wolf?"
