food in the woodsen

Koa

Don't you just wanna wake up dark as a lake
Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?

Pip chirps something halfway between agreement and annoyance at Zavien's comments, melting like a damp noodle as he scratches beneath her chin. Koa snorts at the exchange; "What she wants is more people around to pet her," he drawls, but leans across the table obligingly, giving his companion a quick scritch between her horns.

Oh, but now he's done it. With the arrogance of youth Koa had assumed Zav knew all about his failed romances; now he realizes that there's no escaping dishing out that dirt. He can't help the wince at the mention of Flora, that particular well-scabbed, now, but still sore. But the other, deeper, older one? The one that keeps threatening to be reopened, that he sometimes feels aching like it has its own damn pulse? For a second Koa's silent, jaw clenching and working as he makes up his mind; finally he shrugs, seeming to give up his internal fight. "Soh. Sohalia. We were... well, we weren't anything, I guess, because she was in love with someone else."

Studiously, Koa avoids checking Zavien's face to see how he responds. Instead he's focused on his whiskey glass, staring as he bites uncomfortably at the inside of his lower lip. Maybe if he looks at it he won't be tempted to down the whole damn thing, because right now with the direction things are going, the temptation to be far, far drunker is making his fingers itch.

If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great
But while in this world I think I'll take my whiskey neat