Drinking isn't a game

The music was so loud that to speak to one another, the trio had to shout or use hand signals to get their points across. This was easier than it seemed, since all that was being communicated was 'Same again?' and 'Your round.'

Boa swallowed the last of her third bottle of suspiciously blue, sickly sweet concoction and waited for someone to buy her another one. She hit Carrion on the top of his arm, dragging his attention away from the singer on the stage, and pointed to her empty bottle. Repeatedly doing both until he was forced to move, just for some peace.

Carrion set down his glass, shuffled out of his chair and went up to the bar, Boa watched him for a moment, and then decided to follow. She sat on a barstool next to him.

"Do you come here often?" she asked smiling, and putting her empty bottle on the bar.

"Knock it of Boa, you know I do," Carrion replied as he tried to wave the barman over.

"What is that you're drinking anyway?" Carrion turned Boa's drink around and observed the colour.

The conclusion that he came to was, that it was blue.

"Yeah, that's because it's blueberry flavour, duh!" Boa informed him, swatting his hand away from her drink.

"You wont get very far drinking that."

"But I like this one!" Boa exclaimed.

Carrion was still trying to catch the barman, since there were so many people waiting to be served, it seemed like they would be having a long wait. That was, until the barman realised who he was of course. Boa, annoyed that she no longer had his attention, began waving her empty bottle about in front of them.

"I'm not buying you another one of those, you'll have to choose something else," he snapped grabbing the glass out of her hand and putting it down. Too drunk to argue, Boa just frowned.

"Fine, well what's that?" she asked pointing.

The bartender, who had finally found a moment to attend them, picked up the bottle and filled two small glasses for them. Boa eyed it suspiciously.

"He didn't give us much, did he?" Boa complained holding the small glass. "It can't be that bad, nothing is ever that bad!"

The clear liquid burnt Boa's mouth, bringing tears to her eyes, and had the most disgusting taste she had ever experienced. She fell into a fit of coughing.

"And how was your first taste of… what the hell are we drinking?"

The Bartender showed them the bottle.

"Magic white rum, Mi'lord," he informed them.

Boa swallowed hard and tried to rid herself of the taste.

"Delicious," she replied blinking the tears away. "I want that one now!"

Carrion raised an eyebrow, but later became to drunk to even notice what he was ordering; they had pretty much had a shot of everything going.

Boa was laughing so hard that she didn't even know what she was laughing at. None of the women on stage were wearing very much, and that seemed hilarious. Some bloke had fallen over behind them, she couldn't pick up her drink anymore, and she'd knocked her leg on the edge of the bar and laddered her tights.

They were so distracted that neither was paying much attention to anything other than drinking. Suddenly Boa looked up confused. She started gazing around as if she had lost something, as if she couldn't remember where she had put it, or indeed what she had lost.

"Where's Quiffin?" she asked still searching.

"He probably left with that barmaid," was Carrion's flippant reply.

Boa almost choked.

"What?" she screamed, making people's heads turn around them. "Where'd he go?"

"He probably went back." Carrion waved the question away, who cared anyway?

"Yeah, but where's he gone?" Boa asked again.

"How should I know?" Carrion replied. "Have another drink."

"I can't have another drink, not when I don't know where he is!" Boa declared, climbing off her seat and waiting until her vision stopped spinning so she could take a step forward.

"Quiffin can look after himself."

But Boa wouldn't be distracted, she was on a mission, and a drunk person on a mission was not an easy person to reason with.

Even after he said so, Carrion was already following Boa to the exit.

"I have to find him," Boa said, stumbling to the side to avoid someone barging past her. Acting as if it was greatly important, as if Quiffin might be in some serious danger.

"Wait," Carrion asked grabbing onto her arm."Where are you going?"

He didn't want to loose her in the crowd, she was now a danger to herself, not that he was in any fitter state, but at least he wasn't near hysterical was his reasoning.

Boa couldn't remember, she didn't even remember how she had got to the door, suddenly she felt upset. Nothing made any sense.

"I don't know, I think I… I just want to go outside, I don't feel well…"

Carrion grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him. Boa followed faithfully, not able to steer herself or think to walk somewhere else, she was trusting him fully to get her outside before she collapsed on the floor in the busy room.

The cold air was what Boa's lungs needed, so filled with the heat and smoke of the room, the fresh air woke her up and her eyes began to see again. Carrion led her away from the crowds.

"Right, that's the last time I take you out," Carrion announced holding her up.

"Shut up!" Boa told him, and then she bent over and away from him. "Oh, I feel sick."

Carrion let her go, and Boa sat down on the floor, her head in her hands.

"Mind the shoes."

Boa looked at his shoes, how many was he wearing? One, two, three, four…and they kept moving, or was she moving? Side to side.

"You are so unkind, do you really not feel sick? I could throw up ten times! Maybe more!" she said looking up at him, but finding that angle made her head worse, she went back to her former position.

"Go on then," he teased. "I can wait."

Boa found his lack of compassion very annoying, she was sure that she was dieing here on the floor, and he just didn't care!

"Ew! You're disgusting, I'm not going to throw up for your amusement!"

"Who said I was going to be watching? I think its you who's being disgusting, not me."

"No I'm not!" Boa replied as if it was the most important argument in the world.

"I think you are," Carrion retorted, enjoying how wound up she was getting.

"I am so not! It's your fault I feel sick anyway, if you hadn't of taken me here in the first place… ahhh, you're so annoying!"

"I guess we should go home then, since you're good for nothing now."

"I am so good for nothing! Wait, no, good for something, like… like… well ok, maybe not right now… but I so am."

"What are you talking about?" Carrion asked. He had totally lost the tread.

"What?"

"Great, you don't even know."

"What?"

"You can stop that."

"What?"

"That!"

"What? What am I doing?"

"Right, we're going home, get up," he demanded, forgetting Boa wasn't sitting on the floor out of choice.

"I cant!" Boa whined, hitting his hand away. "You'll have to carry me!"

"I'm not carrying you."

"Why? Because you've got weedy little arms?" Boa pushed herself up; she was surprised that she was still able to move since her head was still swimming.

She grabbed hold of the top of his arm for support.

"Alright, so you don't have weedy arms," she concluded, trying to poke him in the arm, but missing and poking him in the chest. "But that means nothing Mr!"

"Are you saying I'm not strong enough to pick you up?" Carrion asked, tightening his grip around her so she couldn't get away.

Boa shook her head and grinned.

"I know you can," Boa said as she was lifted off the floor in a tight hug.

Boa put her arms around his neck and rested her head on him, she felt tired, and happy to be held, it was making her feel much less vulnerable.

There were multiple flashes of light, one after another, lighting up the entire road for the briefest of moments. Boa looked up at the sky.

"Lightning?" she asked, her face skywards. "Will it rain?"

Carrion didn't answer; he was looking more towards the shadows. The press had found them; it had taken them long enough, but let her think it was the weather if she so wished.

"Let's get inside," Carrion suggested putting her down.

"No, lets stay like this," Boa whined, reluctant to move, he had been keeping her warm.

"Come on."

Carrion hailed down a passing carriage. The occupant looked out the window annoyed. His disposition changed however, and so did his destination, when he realised who the hitchhikers where.

"Of course My Lord, please my carriage is yours! I was just going to the towers, I always do so on my way home; I go to admire their greatness and splendour."

Liar, Carrion thought, but they had a ride. Let the man sell his story to the papers, he looked the type.

'Princess Boa couldn't keep her hands to herself. The majority of the ride had found her locked in a passionate kiss with his Lord Midnight, to which our witness had felt obliged to stop the carriage and vacate his seat.'

Carrion could see it now, at least some of it would be true, and who knew the girl could be so clingy. As for the man getting out of the carriage, he'd have done no such thing.

"100 paterzem for your silence sir," Carrion offered as they got out.

"My words are worth more."

"Do as you will with your words," Carrion said throwing the money at him. "Your silence is mine."

"I don't understand. You want me to tell the papers?"

"I think you do understand very well," Carrion said, careful with what he said lest Boa should overhear.

Carrion might have felt a stab of remorse for is actions when he saw Boa's face later when she found the paper, but it wasn't her he was trying to hurt, it was Finnegan. Let him be filled with rage, let him come after him. He was winning now, let him try.

Author's Note: Tsk, what drink does to you hey... at least she didnt fall over, that will be saved as my party trick me thinks.