jigokulogs | ( open ) you doing anything to keep her by your side

[ a hollow pit starts to form at the bottom of eula's stomach when barton puts it like that. the slip of the tongue regarding the lawrence clan is a huge blunder on her part, but it's too late to turn back — like how she's already been disowned by the clan itself, really. it doesn't matter what he thinks of the nobility in general, right? she agrees with the sentiment, in fact.

and yet curiosity gets the better of her, as she rests her cheek on the palm of her hand and tries her very best to focus her gaze on him. ]

Didn't think you have such strong feelings towards the aristocracy too.

Edited 2022-07-14 17:43 (UTC)

Oh, yeah!

[ -- but certainly not as personally intense as any that eula may harbor, unbeknownst to barton. he lifts two fingers this time to hail for two shots. the topic is something he's enthusiastic to allegedly agree on, what with the askew grin and how his voice has lifted in volume. ]

There's this city - Lumopolis. Full 'a buncha nobles that talk 'bout the purity of bloodlines, crap like that... [ he waves a hand. ] Ah, it's 'bout high time they're knocked off their high horse. If if it were up to me, we'd have steamrolled 'em by now!

[ oh jeez, doesn't that sound familiar. the lawrence clan too would think that they're too good for the common folk at mondstadt, yet they still wish to exact vengeance on the city of freedom and take it back for themselves once more in the present day. ]

...They're all the same.

[ she's going to steal the other shot when it arrives at the table, knocking it back in one go. ahh, that one hit different this time. must be the spite she's feeling right now. ]

What's stopping you from eliminating them completely, then?

[ sniped! barton does let out a little hey! as it disappears, though there's plenty where that came from. he picks up his full shot glass. propping an elbow to the table, he leans forward conspiratorially, in a can you believe this shit kind of way. ]

Because the Committee and the Grand Marshal would have my head over it.

[ replied with a slight slur to his words. while he makes no secret of those ambitions, he probably shouldn't be sharing this much - he's banking on the presumption there aren't any other aurorians to hear, and it's not as if eula has a stake in this. ]

Ah, it's not something I could pull off with the Second Legion alone... Not enough man or fire power! And I wouldn't wanna pull my troops into a war we don't have authorization for, besides.

[ it's true that eula doesn't have a stake in it, considering how her noble family kicked her out a long time ago, but... wow. he doesn't seem to have a personal vendetta against the aristocracy, but he's still willing to go to war with them if the higher-ups would let him. that's almost terrifying to think about.

well, that's fine. she'll have to one-up him in that department. ]

You don't have to bring an army. Be more discreet and take them down on your own if they make you that angry. [ her hold around the shotglass tightens. ] I'll show them. I'll end the Lawrence clan with my own hands if I have to. They're on the very top of my list of grievances, after all. I'll...

[ her head nods a little. ah, she's starting to ramble there. ]

[ barton tips his shot back. should he order another one...? well, he has yet to succeed in getting the attention of their server. they actually look like they're going to fetch some waters for the table instead. ]

Ahaha! The only way I'm infiltrating is after I've dropped a missile on its dome.

[ -- lumopolis has the power of god and anime on its side, unfortunately. barton clacks his shot glass back to the table, peering at eula as she begins to rattle off her intentions. ]

With that kinda determination - yeah, you will! [ -- cheering this with a closed fist and all. though he also does sort of - laugh again. sorry, eula, it might be the flush to her cheeks, or that wandering declaration. while that definitely sounds scary - ] You don't look that intimidating though, right now.

[ if she were more sober she would've cringed at the idea of nukes being dropped at buildings. but nope, she's starting to tap out already. this still isn't enough though, she should order another glass at this rate--

but instead all she can make out is a glass of water that's been wordlessly delivered to them. hold on, let her drink that for a bit... ]

Didn't ask for your opinion on that. [ she's totally intimidating! look at her leer at your direction, barton, red cheeks and all. ] I may look like this now, but tomorrow... Tomorrow.

[ do they still have work tomorrow. please don't remind her. ]

Yeahh! Tomorrow's gonna be waaaay worse. [ he raises his glass of water to that point. ] But - but don't think 'bout that.

[ thankfully, past barton did at least ensure he didn't have any morning patrols. and the moment the server's snuck them some water, he doesn't have an issue ordering... whatever he'd had before. is there such a thing as being overserved in hell? ]

Ah, it's a good thing you can have it anyway, huh!

[ not to worry. he is always Ready to give an opinion. ]

[ too late, she's already thinking!! kind of. she's actually one of those annoying ass morning persons who'd sign up for morning duty since she's so used to them back home, but maybe she shouldn't have gotten one scheduled for tomorrow if she's gonna get this drunk...

oh well! she is a citizen of mondstadt, and they all... are kinda like this. so she places an order for a glass of lemon shochu for something completely different. and when it arrives, she swirls the glass around a little before bottoms up. ]

...Thanks, though. For going out with me today. I always end up drinking alone, so...

[ her voice is inaudible and possibly even unintelligible? but she may as well say it now before her drunkenness will make her forget. ]

[ barton basically has to lean over the table to hear, nearly knocking aside one of his empty glasses, and still fails to catch the first part. it takes him a moment to piece that together, processing - ]

Eula. You gotta speak up...

[ he'll pause on slamming back another shot; he can't be sure of context, but drinking alone? that tends to be pretty discouraged in illumina. and so, with enough volume to spare, ]

Why the fuck does that happen?

Edited 2022-07-16 03:06 (UTC)

[ she's not LIKE YOU, barton. but maybe that's why he's never experienced drinking alone, huh. she flushes a tad more than usual when he tries to get closer to hear though, and promptly cants her head aside. ]

Because they'd... they'd usually make me leave. I'm lucky if I manage to sit down without anyone breathing down my neck.

[ not in hell, though, which is a refreshing change of pace for her. she takes another sip of her shochu and shakes her head. ]

Everyone here's been nice, to me. Something I'm not entirely used to. Especially you. So... thanks. [ she can't help but let out a small burp here, but. that's normal. ]

[ barton gawks, dumbfoundedly, for a solid moment - did he really hear that right? drink abandoned, he's scooted his chair over to eula's side, nearing enough to place an arm over the back of her seat. ]

Huh? What's wrong with people?

[ he doesn't understand, so his immediate reaction is that it's infuriating to hear - it sets his blood boiling. he doesn't even register the gratitude; what the heck is there to thank him over? treating her with basic decency? he punches a fist into the air, and his stare towards her turns almost beseeching. ]

I'll beat the crap outta 'em for that—!

Huh...?

[ wait, why did he move seats? as if eula's not red enough on the face as it is, but it's not as though she has it in her to make him go back. oh well, she'll have to improvise and steal barton's other shot as an convenient excuse. bottoms up again! ]

You don't have to... I can do it by myself.

[ the road to vengeance is lonely and unforgiving. the guy can probably handle it, but this is a battle that she should only face on her own. the last thing she wants is to bring other people down with her, and besides, if he ever finds out that she has noble blood--

but ah, that final shot must've been too much for her, and she wobbles in her seat a little before falling sideways and resting her head on barton's shoulder to close her eyes for a bit. she's fine, she's had too much as usual, shut up. ]

I could do it with you..!!

[ almost whined; this is, in fact, not true, but the alcohol has him believing the sentiment behind it to be enough. eula's head plops against him, and barton slips his arm over her shoulder to steady her in place. he's quiet a moment - he even, remarkably, stills. she looks pretty... peaceable there, and he doesn't want to - ]

[ unfortunately, the server takes this as a cue to slide their bill to the table. barton reaches for it. ]

Unbelievable...! [ what's unbelievable, exactly? is he still annoyedly muttering about how people have treated eula? is it the fact that he's realized all those shots he ordered weren't, in fact, included in their all-you-can-drink special? hard to say! barton slaps some cash onto it - probably too much, but he's in no state to do math right now. ]

[ he gives eula a gentle squeeze to her shoulder. ]

C'mon. Wanna get outta here?

[ nope, those other drinks weren't included in the promo, including eula's lemon shochu. should've told him that from the beginning.

eula isn't paying too much attention at what he's saying at first. do what with her? she doesn't know. and even if she does know, she doesn't want him to. he's probably just running his mouth like he usually does.

still, though. everything feels hot all over, from the drinks she'd consumed to the arm comfortably wrapped around her shoulders. who knew he's capable of being gentle either? but as much as she wants to stay here a bit just to rest, it'd be better to call it a night for now. she lets out a small hum of agreement.

without opening her eyes, her hands clumsily fumble around her purse, and she nudges a set of keys at barton's side. she rented a car just to get used to its controls after getting her license, but it's pretty funny how barton still ends up being her driver anyway. ]

[ and barton accepts automatically. with a jangle of metal, he dangles the keys in front of his face - like he needs to figure out what the set matches to. she'd drove here? he'd taken a taxi, and they could very well, probably, return in a taxi. no doubt most public transport has shut down for the night. ]

[ so nah. he's still got his shit together enough that he can do this, obviously, and not a youkai here is going to stop him, either - this is hell, after all. he finds he's not particularly eager to part from eula, slipping that arm around her waist. it's time for them to stumble for the car. barton forgets there's an automatic unlock button, instead clumsily scraping it into the keyhole to manually unlock it. ]

[ leaning heavily on it, he can at least hold open the door for eula to clamber into the passenger seat. ]

[ of course, she drove here! that was the whole point of this entire celebration, right? she needed to prove that she deserved that license!

only for her to hand the keys to the care onto her fellow drunk, but. details, details.

she lets herself be guided by him, head still swimming in alcohol. even back home she usually just waits until she's sober enough to walk home on her own, so having someone hold her like this feels... different. so's riding home in a drunken stupor. once the door's opened, she practically plops onto the seat and lets her head loll to the side--

but not before fumbling to buckle her seatbelt. she's gonna need it.

but maybe, she dimly thinks while she waits for barton to turn on the igntion, she shouldn't let him drive. isn't he drunk too? but maybe if they go slowly, they won't run into late-night traffic enforcers who would actually look into why two sergeants of the department are DUI-ing. hopefully. ]

[ it's not his most impressive ride. he's driving more slowly than he might usually, trying to make sense of the swimming traffic lines. corners are taken a little too sharply, and there's definitely a few squealing tires as he hits the gas too hard taking off from green lights. at some point, sirens do pass, but it's another cop gunning for two youkai that have decided on a race in the middle of the night. a short-staffed department didn't have the time for a traffic check tonight on this route, apparently. ]

[ but they're lucky (so is anyone else, for that matter). it's when barton parks, crookedly, that he pressed the gas pedal instead of slowing. boom. the car jumps over the curb and bumps the corner of the enma apartment's solid concrete block of a building. ]

Agh! Damn.

[ looks like a portion of its hood has been crunched, a headlight probably obliterated. barton stares at the unbothered building corner, and shifts into reverse to uh... dislodge the car from around that. whoops. ]

[ the impact was enough to stir eula from her alcohol-induced stupor, blearily squinting through the windshield to get a better look. she was having a good nap?? ]

What... did you do?

[ she doesn't sound mad for now, addled as she is, but tomorrow will be waaaay worse. that's what he said earlier, you know. foreshadowing galore. ]

[ the prophecy..... ]

[ barton has switched off the car now that they're parked diagonally again. good morning, eula. with a sigh, leaning back in his seat, but spoken confidently, ]

Nothing! The car just had a lil' bump, that's all. Hey, we've survived way worse.

[ this rental's a trooper, it is. barton's gonna get out, though, and actually kinda glance at what happened. tbh, he's already over it and ready to go. ]

[ well, if he says so. eula will inevitably kill him in the morning anyway.

it does tell her they've arrived though, and she attempts to stand up from her seat. she succeeds, but not without a lot of wobbling before leaning her back against the car for support. oh god, she's still out of it. good thing there aren't a lot of people out around this time of night. ]

A little... help?

[ hi, she still can't walk on her own, ]

[ ah, yes... who knows how successful this attempt will be - barton nearly stumbled over the curb himself, but does eventually meander his way over to eula's side. while eula's tall, he stoops slightly so that she can grab onto him better, however she may, while he snakes an arm around her waist. ]

[ his vision's spinning, but not as unpleasantly as it felt while trying to stay in his lane. ]

Which -- Which one's your apartment, again?

[ like he said, they'd survived worse. if they can make it inside the building in this state in one piece, they've won. but for now, eula wastes no time in clinging onto the arm that was offered to her, her hand making its way around barton's waist as well. ]

It's...

[ she tells him, and then they're off on their own sluggish but careful pace. aside from the odd looks they're getting from the guards, there doesn't seem to be any signs of lost souls roaming around the premises at this time of night. for once she's grateful that a bunch of them are inherent honor students who wouldn't dare go out at this hour.

up the elevator, and soon they arrive in front of eula's door. just give her a moment to get her keys before she can unlock it. ]

...Thank you. I had fun tonight. [ until she sees what he did to her car, that is. for now her bashful smile is all he needs to know. ] Can you...

[ "stay?", but somehow she's able to hold back the urge to ask that. of course he can't, he has places to be. ]

--make it back on your own?

[ barton leans against her doorframe, casually, even if the gesture is mostly a front for keeping his balance. her bashful smile is easy to respond to with a grin of his own - it's not as if they're ending the night having had any other unmet expectations for it, after all. ]

[ because even while he would like to stay, that's not the question he's asked. instead she's met with a good-natured chuckle. what if he couldn't? would she help him back--? ]

Yeah, not like my place is far! I got this. [ of course. he stumbles back from the frame; as this isn't falling, he takes it as further proof of impending triumph. with an impressively sloppy salute, one that would bring shame for him to witness soberly from anyone, ]

G'night, Eula.

[ no, she would honestly have him stay a while. but she's still sensible even when drunk and... well. let's be real, they have to be professional here. they'd just narrowly avoided DUI violations, after all.

later on, though. she'll dwell on how that was probably the first time she'd had fun here without being obligated to. she may have spilled her feelings a little too much, but it may as well be worth it? he supported her all the way for some reason, and it gave her a nice kind of warmth that's different from what the drinks had provided. the department can be stifling, after all, so every little bit of fun counts.

and besides, he did say he wants to see her vengeance sometime, right? better get ready for that payback for that fender bender, then. :)

for now, she laughs at that clumsy salute as she slowly closes the door. but not before saying her own quiet: ]

Goodnight, Barton.

( open ) you doing anything to keep her by your side

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