i've been drinking alone

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

A husky laugh leaves him at her response. A good time, indeed. “Exactly.” There’s the light hint of a purr in his tone, but he shakes his head and leans back a bit to take a sip of his drink, focusing on telling her his nicknames and alloting room for more. The comment of the rebel has him snorting as his lips curl again. “Doesn’t quite fit so much here, but back home, it was the better alternative.” Better than Traitor, that is. Better than Deceiver. “Hot Bartender Guy will garner no complaints.” He assures her with a knowing nod.

But his replies to her in jest and earnest are granted a small nod, of kissing Safrin and the stars, and monsters dying from magical flame. As he slides the drink over to her and she replies in the hopes it’s vodka, he leans a bit more into the bar, elbows resting along the top of it as he swishes his own drink. “You’ll thank me later.” He hums to her with a wink. And when she’s finished? Well, he can’t help the small twinkle of light in his eye as he sips from his own.

“Think you want more? Or let this one settle?” He asks, cocking his head. “I always appreciate pretty company, but not when it means cleaning up after you.” He teases her, setting his glass along the bar. What’ll it be, Priestess?

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA

I'm not beaten by this yet

She raised her eyebrows playfully at the purr in his voice but said nothing as he moved onto nicknames.

"Hot Bartender Guy will garner no complaints.”

"I'd ask you more about the worst things you've been called, but since Hot Bartender Guy works for you, I guess I'll have to stick with it," she replied, still grinning.

Then, having finished her water in about a second, she gave him a playful eyeroll. "Thank you later? When I'm what, sober and clear-headed? Who's to say I'm not sober right now?" she asked. "Two things about me you should know: I always want more alcohol, and you'll never have to clean up after me. I can drink a fucking horse under the table."

She slid her glass back towards him, and she gave him a wink. "Call me pretty again though, and you might find out a few more things."

You can't tell me to regret

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

He snorts at her initially, gaze lingering on her as she speaks and mentions worse nicknames, his smirk curling along his lips a bit more. “Ah, the worst ones are usually left for the bedroom.” He teases her once more, downing the last half of his drink with ease as he waits for her to finish her water.

At the mention of thanking him later, he gives her a small swift nod as he mixes another drink for himself and her — something stronger with gin to get some warmth back in his bones. Regardless, while he’s making them, his slate gaze slips up to look at her as she lays her terms out on the table. And he gives her a smooth lazy smirk at that. “Then you and I will get along, very well.” He hums to her with playfulness and arrogance.

As she slides her empty glass to him, he slides another full one toward her before leaning against the counter again. “Mmm, is that so?” He asks with a tilt to his head, gaze looking her up and down fully, blatantly lingering here and there before they land on her crimson eyes. “What do I have to say to get your name?” Another playful tease as he lifts his glass to sip from again, but as he goes to set the glass along the countertop and turn his attention to her, he can’t help but to add onto it by letting his tongue trace his bottom lip.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA

I'm not beaten by this yet

He snorted, and she laughed in reply.

"Ah, the worst ones are usually left for the bedroom."

"Well if I play my cards right, maybe I'll get to find out what they are," she replied, half-hoping it was forward enough to make him do a spit-take mid sip.

She watched him make the next drink with interest. He was right: when it came to alcohol, they probably had a lot in common. "I sure hope so," she replied with a chuckle.

Finally, her next drink was coming towards her. She took it in both hands and downed a few sips, but she didn't finish it completely for fear of being forced to hydrate more. She followed the hot bartender guy's gaze, having a feeling that he was staring at her boobs. She grinned. (Her pride and joy, right there.)

“What do I have to say to get your name?”

"What, Priestess isn't good enough for you?" she teased. "Guess it's your lucky day, because I'm giving it out for free. I'm Ingrid."

You can't tell me to regret

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

Oh, it might not get a spit-take, but it does cause a brow to raise and a huff of surprised amusement to leave him. He leans forward along the bar then briefly, giving her a smoldering stare. “You’re playing them pretty well so far.” He winks, before he begins to make the drinks, a knowing nod sent her way at her comment of hoping they got along. And he did think that they would, better than he had initially thought for a woman who came from the frosty north when he was nothing but a creature of warmth. The less layers the better, in his opinion.

Instead, he lets his gaze drift along her pausing here and there, pointedly looking and drinking her in before his gaze snaps back to hers, a hum of a chuckle leaving him as she questions if Priestess isn’t good enough for him. Perhaps for the bedroom, wondering if she’d be able to make him feel the religion she so proudly totes. He swallows the thoughts down with his drink, crossing his arms and leaning forward again on the bar.

“Ingrid.” He replies, saying her name slowly to let his accent curve over the edges of the sounds. “I’m Sunjata.” He offers, head cocking slightly as he tries to capture her crimson gaze with his own slate blues. “What else are you giving out for free tonight?” He teases her with a chuckle, a bright grin sent her way before he takes a deep drink of his own, hoping it’s clear that one was definitely a joke.

But that he absolutely wouldn’t mind showing her to one of the many bedrooms of the place, should she want to.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA

I'm not beaten by this yet

Eh, it was probably the closest thing to a spit-take she was going to get. Ingrid grinned. "Good to hear."

Then, he leaned forward, introducing himself as Sunjata. A name that actually has the word "Sun" in it? How fitting, she thought, sipping her drink.

"What else are you giving out for free tonight?"

Now that was a question. Ingrid hadn't exactly given anything out before, to anyone really. But she was here for a festival about Frey, and as a Priestess, she couldn't disappoint a God could she? Ingrid leaned forward too, stopping a few inches from Sunjata's face. "Whatever you want," she replied, giving him a wink.

You can't tell me to regret

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

She continues to sip from her drink, and his gaze lingers on her longer as his question of what she’s giving away reaches across the space between them, him remaining leaning against the edge of his bar, arms braced as she leans forward. He doesn’t move away from her, instead he’s almost eager in a sense to see what her answer may be. And what an answer it is, his lips quirking into a sharp smirk.

“Is that so?” He hums to her, voice deeper as he lets his gaze dip a small amount to her lips before he focuses on her again. “Let me know when and where, Priestess, see if you're good to your word.” A hint of sultriness to his voice that he doesn’t mask, not as he remains within her space, giving her a wink in response to her own. The bar’s mostly dead now anyway, the others he has that work for him could certainly manage it if he were to slip away.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA

I'm not beaten by this yet

Ingrid smiled at his wink.

"Well there is about to be a whole fucking festival for Frey..." she said quietly. "So I guess there's no time like the present."

Then, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Y'know that old saying, "life is a box of chocolates?" That's wrong. Life is a fucking bar, Ingrid thought. She hadn't expected the evening to go this way, but that's what made bars so incredibly fantastic, aside from the alcohol obviously.

"I've never gotten to stay past last call before," she added with a grin. "I don't suppose you'd do m the honor of not kicking me out until say, tomorrow morning?"

You can't tell me to regret

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

“That there is.” He hums with a light chuckle, pulling away from the bar as she says no time like the present. Well then. He smirks to her with a small nod, slipping over to one of the doors and beckoning someone else to come take over the bar, before he moves to the other side of the bar where Ingrid sits, steel gaze lingering on her when she mentions she hadn’t gotten to stay past last call.

And he gives her an amused smirk, a dip of his head. “You can stay as long as you like.” He offers, tilting his head toward the back toward the rooms – lingering briefly before he starts to step down the hallway toward one of the furthest rooms, off a second branch of a hallway, rather far away from the rest of everything else. He opens the door, pausing by the door frame to ensure she makes it to the room.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA

I'm not beaten by this yet

If there was still alcohol left in front of her at this point, Ingrid downed it before pushing herself off her bar stool to follow Sunjata into the back. She headed down a long corridor to a side room, and a thought flickered through her mind: this was definitely how all murder stories started... Whatever. He was hot.

"You can stay as long as you like."

She paused a few feet from the door. If she just walked in there, he'd probably make the first move, and Ingrid got the feeling that he made the first move a lot.

She couldn't exactly let herself be routine now could she? So without another thought, she strode towards him, letting herself walk right into him as she put a hand on his shoulder for balance. Her other arm wrapped around him and her hand landed on his back, keeping her in place with what little pressure she could muster given her absolute shit strength stat.

"So?"

You can't tell me to regret

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

He half expects her not to come with, but she downs the rest of her drink and focuses on him, and he can see that she intends to see it out. As far as murder stories go? His is far more self defense oriented, but he’s not about to tell her that he’s killed people before, that he’d lived with blood on his hands for far too long, fae too much of it. Tonight is about fireworks, celebrating Frey, and simply enjoying one another.

Who is he to complain to that?

He waits by the door as she finds him, and she’s correct in her silent assumption that he often made the first move — it was usually how these things went. So he is surprised as she encroaches on his space, pressing into him enough he can feel the door frame dig into his back, feel her hand on his shoulder, the other around his back and he gives her a bright smile, his own arms trailing to her face to rub his thumb along her jaw. “So, Priestess, it appears you want to be in charge here.” He rumbles to her, accented and deep and husky as he leans down a small amount to angle her face up toward him, his other hand reaching for the small of her back to pull her closer into him. He leans down further to catch her lips with his own, chaste and testing, ensuring she doesn’t change her mind, giving her time to if she does.

But if she doesn’t change her mind, he’ll support her enough to slip into the room and shut the door behind them, keeping her body pressed against his so long as she allows.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA

I'm not beaten by this yet

Change her mind? Hell no.

Ingrid trembled as his thumb moved over her jawline.
“So, Priestess, it appears you want to be in charge here.”
He put a hand to the small of her back, but she hardly had time to register it because the next moment he was kissing her and taking the both of them into the room. The door closed with a click.

Ingrid moved her hand from his shoulder to behind his head to deepen the kiss, pushing herself up on her tiptoes because, well, the fucking height difference. If he went along with it, she kissed him for a few moments longer before breaking it.

"Wow. You've practiced kissing a lot, huh? You could probably start a school," she said with a grin. "So wall? Bed? Floor? I can't be in charge the whole time, you know."

You can't tell me to regret

and if you want, i could tell you the truth

that this life takes a toll on you. i spend nights

He feels the light tremble beneath his touch, but she gives in as soon as he closes the door behind them, lips meeting his as her hand moves to his hair, pulling him closer. He leans down a bit more to make up for the shift in the height difference, following her motions of deepening it while he supports her, keeping her close against the muscle of his torso.

She breaks the kiss and he snorts at her question. “A few times.” He winks to her, shifting a small amount to guide her back toward the bed, leaning into her to kiss along her jaw if she lets him, ending beneath her ear along the soft part of her neck. “Personally I prefer the bed or the wall, but I’ll let you decide.” There’s a playful tease to his tone with this, but he gives one lingering kiss with the ghost of teeth against her skin before he pulls away to pull his shirt off, hands finding her waist and brushing his thumbs along her skin.

stitching up the loose threads of my soul

so in the morning i'm bullet proof

SuNJATA