Raise a Glass [OPEN]

[lordshield]

Who: The XV Cast and You!
When: June 6th
Where: Curti Center, Jiminy's Juicery (bar)
What: After saving innocents from the Dream Width, some people just need a drink.
Warnings/Notes: Alcohol consumption, possible violence, whatever people do in bars.

Their first foray into the search and rescue business in the Dream Width had been intense, to say the least. Stressful, heartbreaking, exhausting, and enlightening were other words some might use to describe the experience. After a night of rest and a day to somewhat sort things and people out, the next evening brings about a mighty need to head to the local tavern. Some drink to forget, some drink to remember, some drink to relax. There are even representatives of the Bard's Guild providing live music. You can try to make a request, but chances are they don't know your foreign songs.

Maybe you were invited by one of the excitable young men from Lucis, or maybe you came on your own. There's enough room in the bar for quite a few people, so long as they're of age. Sit right at the bar, or pull up chairs around a table, the choice is yours.

[OoC: Make your own toplevel or tag around. Please put content warnings as necessary. Have fun!]

Comments

[shinra_dog]

"Reno." He held out a friendly hand, the one without a drink in it obviously. To clarify some things, he nodded over his shoulder toward one of the blondes in another corner. "Prompto gave me a pretty good description."

He's built like a behemoth!

"All good things, a'course, he's said about you."

[hashtagdaddy]

Holding out a hand of his own, Gladio shook Reno's outstretched hand and offered a more polite grin.

"I find that hard t'believe, but the kid's got a heart of gold so maybe he left some things out."

The fondness he held for the blond would be obvious in his voice and on his face, and he tried not to offend the newcomer when he continued.

"Can't say we've had many conversations about the people they've met here, so I haven't heard much about you. How'd y' meet up with Prom?"

[shinra_dog]

"You just got pulled into a pile of trippy-ass shit. I wouldn't expect you to hear about me," Reno chuckled.

"Actually, I met 'im on the ship when we arrived. We came in at the same time an' from a distance I mistook him for someone else. Someone I knew from home." Reno shrugged. "We got to talking -- he looked pretty freaked out. I'd already met Ignis so when he said they were friends, I figured..."

He'd figured he'd stick around, make sure things went alright.

"He grew on me," Reno admitted fondly. "Yer friends are pretty cool."

[hashtagdaddy]

"Yea, the pipsqueak does that. Hell, first time I saw him I thought he might be a bad influence for Noct so I tried to be all intimidatin' and scare him off. Didn't stop the two from bein' friends and sooner'n I could blink he'd gone and made a friend outta me too."

Gladio raised his glass, sadly noting the dwindling amount of alcohol in it, in acknowledgement of the compliment paid to his friends. "They're the best. We've been through a lot together."

That was the understatement of the millennium, but the truth of it was what mattered.

"Thanks for lookin' out for him. I'm sure the others appreciated it too. So where are you from? Or what did you do on your home world?"

[shinra_dog]

"Bad influence?" Reno was incredulous. Was this the same Prompto he knew? He knew Noctis was royalty and all, but Prompto just seemed so harmless... Or maybe that was the problem, that Prompto didn't seem serious enough. If Reno had to guess, though (and he kept it to himself), Gladio probably kept most people away from Noctis.

Reno smiled, proud of Prompto for sticking to it. He knew he had a good feeling about the kid. "Gotta give 'im credit for perseverance." It was a good trait to have.

He shook his head. "No problem. It's been nice, y'know -- on my home world, I had a close team I worked with. Haven't had that in awhile." The way Ignis, Prompto, Noctis -- and now Gladio -- were like a family made him miss the Turks. But it still made him smile to see it other places and feel even a little involved.

"Ah..." Reno let his head fall back as he thought about the question. "Well I came from a place called Gaia, but this is actually my third world now? So... yeah."

[hashtagdaddy]

"Hard t'know if someone's tryin' to befriend Noct for his position, his money, or for his real self. And the kid dressed like a punk. Seems to be his style though - lookin' all badass but actually being the most kindhearted person I know." Another fond smile crossed Gladio's face, thinking back on the earlier days of their interactions.

"He's always been determined and when Prompto has a goal, ain't nothin' gonna stop him from reaching it." Gladio paused and considered Reno's words. Then he considered the man, not that he knew him well at all, and made a decision (one that he knew at least one of his friends would appreciate).

"Third world? That's pretty ... impressive? M'not sure how you feel about world hoppin' so much. But as long as you're here consider yourself part of th' family."

With that, he clapped a hand to Reno's shoulder, his brooding buzz giving way to a more pleasant drunken demeanor. This Reno guy took care of his friend and clearly missed having a close-knit group. Prompto seemed to like and trust him and that was good enough for a less-than-sober Gladio, though he still planned to get to know the redhead better himself.

"What did you n' your team do?"

[shinra_dog]

"Heh, don't trust a guy on his clothes, eh." The Turks wore suits and they were all vipers. Though, he supposed, they were professional about it, for the most part.

Speaking of the Turks...

"We were an elite private security team," he said, not exactly lying. "I worked for the president of a major energy company, so there was all sorts of stuff. Bodyguardin', some covert stuff. But there weren't a lot of us, so it meant we were all really close. When I left home, there'd only been four of us left."

[hashtagdaddy]

"Private security, huh? You'll have t' let me spar with you one day." Some people threw the word 'elite' around like it was a joke, like it didn't mean anything, but Gladio had a feeling this Reno guy knew how to use it properly.

Sparring with him might be fun.

"Smaller teams make for tighter bonds. An' less mistakes. What was your specialty?"

[shinra_dog]

Reno grinned. "That'd be awesome. You remind me of my old partner in build. Gotta wonder if you handle yerself the same, yo."

It was a shame he wasn't ten years younger, of course. He'd be damned if Gladio would best him.

"As far as combat? Blunt weapons, I guess." If he considered his EMR. "We all had firearms training but it just wasn't really my thing, y'know? It's like I gotta feel what I'm doin'. Otherwise, uh, did some minor tech stuff, helped push through some corporate sales. Got my pilot's license."

That was probably the best part, hands down.

"Anythin' that had to be done with finesse. Rude was just a block a' force, y'know? I was the finesse."