Can Any Of Us Even Get Drunk

[mikangirl]

Who: Space Bar staff and special guests
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Space Bar!
When: One fine night after closing

[The Space Bar staff made good use of the ever-replenishing alcohol supply at their last stop, and Nami and Remy got around to discussing the idea of testing various experimental mixes to come up with new additions for the menu.  I mean, add to that Nami hasn't made a decision which one of the applicants should take the main bar job, so clearly the best idea is to shove them all into one place and ply them with alcohol while they talk to each other and work it out after that.

No, it's a good idea.  Shut up.

...okay.  It may just be a good excuse for a party.  Sue her.]



((ooc: this is a mingle!  It's open to job applicants and regulars who hold their liquor and their plus ones.  If you think that might mean you, you're more than welcome here!))

Comments

[moseyin]

[Zack always was a 'glass half full' kinda guy, but more and more often Cloud's discovering that despite his penchant to look on the bright side, he's not as simple as he looks. He must've thought about what would happen if he were forced to leave this place. He must have wondered if Cloud would opt to go home instead of stay here, with them.]

I might say weird stuff, [Cloud points out, like Zack doesn't already know. In the back of his mind he can see Tifa's face, pinched and pained, anxious as she listened to his stories. To his lies.] I'll misremember things. I'll creep you out. I might even make you question your own memories.

You really wanna deal with that? [Talk about things. Reminisce. Hang around Cloud, as long as he can manage.]

[wingenvy]

Sure.

[There's no hesitation- not even a second's pause to consider it. He's had weird friends before- friends who were wrong, friends who struggled against him, friends who had more issues than any one person could handle. Way too many of them are dead, and maybe they wouldn't be dead if they'd talked their shit out with someone who'd been willing to listen. Maybe if he'd been older, maybe if he'd thought to ask, he could've been that for them. He knows better than to take on the lion's share of the blame, but he also knows there are certain things he could've done better.

He's not gonna run away from it, not this time.]

I know me, and I know my memories. If yours are different from mine and you're okay with that, then cool, that's just how it is. And if you wanna figure the truth out together, we can do that too. I want to help you, Cloud. And I know you can help me too. Better if we do it together- we're friends, after all.

[And it's not a question this time.]

[moseyin]

You really don't get how special that is, [Cloud says, a little awed though his expression is veering towards blank.

He knocks back the rest of his drink, tapping the glass back down onto the bar for lack of something better to do with his hands.] Okay, I guess. If you're all in then I can't really do anything else but pony up, right?

[wingenvy]

[Zack shrugs; he does, and he doesn't. He's never dealt with mako poisoning or the level of crazy that's been described to him. Never had an existential crisis or Jenova's ugly whispers in his head. It's still hard to remember sometimes that he even has her cells in him. If he could share whatever this unexpected immunity is around he'd do it in a heartbeat.

If helping a friend to suss out the truth from all of the lies from that alien bitch and her conspirators is what he can do, then hell yeah, he's doing it. It's not special to him, just the smallest of courtesies.]

That's the idea, yeah. But it's okay to go at your own pace too, so long as you're not bottling everything up too much.

[moseyin]

But that's my only coping mechanism, [Cloud jokes, kinda not-joking at the same time but at least enough that it doesn't sound as painfully vulnerable as it should.] ...Zack, I- I get what you're saying. But I don't wanna add any more weight to your shoulders. You don't have to take care of me anymore.

[wingenvy]

Yeah, no shit. I'm not trying to babysit you, man- I'm sure you could totally survive without ever dealing with the stuff you went through. All I'm saying is, why would you do that if you don't have to?

[And it's a pretty terrible coping mechanism, joke or not. He's witnessed how poorly it works in the long-term.]

If you want the truth, I just... don't want to lose anyone else to their own stupid internal demons, or whatever. Made that mistake too many times already. You're too important for me to just stand by and do nothing.

[moseyin]

Jeez, Fair. [FACE RED AGAIN.] Layin' it on kinda thick, don't you think?

[wingenvy]

It's only 'cause I love you.

[Zack ropes Cloud into a hugging headlock, casual as ever. Cloud's embarrassed, but he's not gonna be shy about it. He loves his friends, he loves the ones who are important to him, he loves people. Nothing's going to change that.]

[moseyin]

[R U TRYIN TO MAKE HIM MORE EMBARRASSED, YOU BASTARD? Cloud ducks his head, face burning all the way to his ears as he digs an elbow into Zack's ribs (but not hard enough to push him away).] Zack. We're supposed to be working this place, y'know-!

[wingenvy]

[MAYBE A LITTLE BIT

Zack loosens his hold a bit, not letting go but making it easy for Cloud to slip out if he wants. Subtly.]

What? It's fine, Nami's not even paying attention.

[She's half-drunk across the bar by now, probably.]

[moseyin]

I can't believe this. Haven't even got the job yet and you're already slackin'. [Shoves Zack off after a minute, just for the distance.] Make me another drink, Fair. Somethin' hard.

[wingenvy]

Hey, take it up with the boss. She's not paying me yet.

[He laughs, though, and goes to prep a proper SOLDIER drink- a nice, powerful mix using the special enhanced brew Nami gave him. Just a shot's worth, since their inventory is limited, but enough to feel the kick. He slides it over.]

Try that on for size.

[moseyin]

[This one definitely doesn't smell like normal liquor, so when Cloud downs the shot he does it with a little more care than he usually would. It packs enough punch that even he can feel the burn sliding down.] Whoa. Nami mentioned she had specialized stuff, but damn.

[Soaps and rinses the glass himself, looking around for a dishtowel to dry it with.] You ever get those SOLDIER shots in Costa del Sol? The ones at the second story place on the corner, near the port.

[wingenvy]

Hell yeah, I did. That bar was a nice place and Shinra got discounts, so I spent a lot of time there.

[The rare occasion where being with the company was a perk.]

[moseyin]

Did you try, uh...what's it called, [Taps the glass atop the bar as he thinks, trying to recall-] -Junon Sunrise. Y'know, the one that's orange on the top but all cloudy and blue at the bottom?

[wingenvy]

Junon Sunrise... it's not ringing any bells, maybe they came out with that one after I'd gone. Do you know how to make it?

[moseyin]

Nah, didn't really pay attention. I guess the orange stuff was probably orange juice but that's all I got. [They probably don't have the same ingredients here for it anyway.] Maybe we'll get lucky and a Midgar little black bar book will show up in the library. Real literature.

[wingenvy]

Oh man, that would be a dream. Even just a bottle of the mako booster would be amaaazing.

[Zack crouches back down to examine the contents of the supply. He's feeling adventurous.]

What did it taste like? Let's try and recreate it anyway.

[moseyin]

Ah geez. Uh. [Cloud leans back against the bar, folding his arms and scowling down at his boots in thought.] The blue stuff was kinda thick and syrupy. I think it had booster in it.

[wingenvy]

Okay, well that's first...

[he sets another shot of the extra-strong liquor on the counter and starts sifting through the options at the bar.]

I found the grenadine... dunno if we have blue syrup. Oh, maybe the blue flavouring on the ships would work? Do we have that here?

[Maybe he'll check with Nami.]

Do you remember what kinda booze it was?

[moseyin]

Prrrobably tequila. [Takes a second before downing that shot, because while he's not worried about the liquor he kind of hasn't eaten much today and it's still not pleasant on an empty stomach.] Wouldn't the blue stuff be back in the kitchens?

[wingenvy]

[There's a clinking of bottles and Zack emerges again with a dwindling bottle of tequila and some blue colouring. Found it! ...Hey.]

The shot wasn't for you, man, I'm trying to make the drink! Ya lush.

[He goes to pour another and sticks a cup upside down over the shot.]

What would make it cloudy? Milk, maybe? Wait, that sounds kinda gross.

[moseyin]

Yeah no way, that would be disgusting. There's orange juice in there, Zack. [hand creeps toward that shot anyway]

[wingenvy]

Oh, orange juice... yeah, that's an idea. Sunsets are red too, we should use grenadine.

[He pokes his head up from under the counter again, eyeing Cloud, and then drags the shot below with him. Stop that, supplies are limited.]

[moseyin]

[SIGHS, rests chin in hand.] You don't really have to remake it, just put your own thing together. Get Nami to drink it, she'll hire you on the spot.