sinbound. [Akira & Earinor] [ENG]

Ronan wouldn't argue over a game played fair, nor would he try and talk himself out of his loss - this was, what had happened and it was just fine that way. After all, a loss in card game wouldn't predict the outcome of todays tournament and it sure as hell wouldn't tell him whether or not he was to actually find time to beat Caelan - if all went like he wanted it, he wouldn't actually have to join the tournament, but this was merely a wish that nobody was willing to fulfill, not even he himself, unwilling to insult himself and his own honor to begin with. As the blonde returned, with water in tow, he watched him pester Orlando for a while so that the fellow noble wouldn't die from his headache later on, let alone have to deal with it tomorrow in horrible conditions when he actually should be doing something else - someone like Orlando wouldn't be fighting in the tournament, would he? Except for Caelan and maybe Cameron, Ronan didn't think that any of them were really interested in raising their weapon of choice and trying to beat their opponent, but also unlike those two, Ronan was the one that got coaxed into it by Caelan's incredibly sweet words and his voice, that probably could sound like honey if he wanted it to.

"He won", Ronan admitted, not even sour about the outcome, though, the smile had disappeared and was replaced with a bit of confusion, as Caelan had decided that he was going to give his attention to him instead of his date - why would he? "Good to know - I feel honored", he responded. Compliments felt nice, even if they came from someone he barely knew and made him realize what exactly he had missed all these past years - and, of course, he couldn't decline now, could he? "I'd love to try and beat you again and put up a fight while I go down!" Ronan wasn't believing in the fact that he'd manage to beat Ethan, but at least he had his fair share of fun while losing, even more so now that Caelan had returned and was offering him ... a hand? "Hm, if you actually put your mind to it and don't halfass it, I don't see why we shouldn't try", he responded to Caelan, before he faced Ethan again. Was this against the rules? No, after all, Ethan was the one that had helped him in the earlier rounds and he could still use the excuse that he was a beginner himself, still yearning to learn more. "Is that alright with you?", Ronan asked, having found some more confidence under the heap of trash he called his emotions. "Oh, also - is there anything you wanna bet on?" Why was he doing this? Did he actually need the thrill?

Caelan had been the one that had told him not to do something as stupid as to bet something when playing with Ethan, but Ronan was the one that was hellbound on making this game more interesting and not wasting away the rest of this day by being stuck up and prude, seemingly unwilling to engage in anything but pleasantries that only scratched the surface. "Good, then it's settled!", the black haired noble announced, full of vigor and some excitement, unwilling to let himself be shaken by the new revelation. If they were going to play this, then it would be fun and if it wasn't, they still had some wine to keep them company. Of course, nobody provided it so some younglings could drink their hearts out, or play silly little games, but that was what it was going to be used for, if one liked it or not barely ever mattered. "You did, but I'm going to ignore your warnings and see how this will turn out", he said, emptying out his glass of wine and shoving it off of their mountain of pillows, after making sure not one droplet remained - and so that nobody could offer him any more. "Two bottles for us and one for you is perfectly fine for me, so if Caelan agrees, and those are your conditions, I'm happy to play with those!"

Ronan took it upon himself to get his hands back on the cards and try his hand at shuffling them. Was he going to win, just because he had a big, strong, kind of dumb man by his side or was he going to get beaten by Ethan again and forced to drink at least one bottle of wine? Whatever it was, he was fairly certain that he'd be able to deal with it - there wasn't anything in Lavern that remotely tasted as horrible as some alcohol in Alster or Fhaergus did, so a singular bottle wouldn't kill him or Caelan, yes? Once he was sure that he had shuffled them throughoutly, his gaze went back to Ethan, before he gave both him and himself some cards, just to get this whole mess finally started with. "Well, we both picked this - so you either help me win, Caelan, or we will both suffer because we dared to place a bet with Ethan!", Ronan chimed, almost anticipating that he might lose, but instead it was just that this whole situation had gone from not that enjoyable to actually kind of funny. Now, he only had to win or lose and who knew, maybe, just maybe, if he got Caelan drunk somehow, some way, he could drag him back to his room and en-. No, absolutely not. This was out of question, they had to win. No matter how much he wanted to rest his head on Caelans soon to-be exposed chest, this wasn't going to happen.

The best mistake one could make, so to speak, was sometimes fucking himself over to have some fun and if that meant sabotaging not only him, but also Caelan, Ronan would be willing to do whatever - but he wouldn't go down without putting up a fight so that it at least looked like he wasn't doing any of this on purpose. Although, he wasn't even trying to lose - this was nothing more than a combination of wits, luck and maybe some fate - the outcome would be whatever he set his mind on. Did he need Caelan to be drunk? Not necessarily. Should Ronan himself be drunk? Maybe, to get rid of the stiffness and his own mental restraints, holding him back. In the end, however, it was him, Caelan and some cards in his hands, sitting across from Ethan and trying to read his face, though, Caelan was a great help at that - while Ronan himself could just guess what was true and what wasn't, Caelan seemed to know his friend quite well, for the most part anyway. Not only was this an advantage but also something he had anticipated from the start; good for him, after all. What was he actually trying, though? Caelan came so close that he could feel his hot breath on his clothed skin yet again and the arm, resting on him as well, felt uncomfortably warm and somewhat pleasant, but also like it was burning itself into his skin as a reminder that all of this was wrong and that his ulterior motive, in the end, was nothing more than this.

That he wanted Caelan for himself, to not share him again for the rest of the day but that meant that he'd - probably - have to be smart and come up with something equally smart, instead of stupid like he tended to be. "Oh, trust me - I am", the black haired noble responded. It felt nice, despite the fact that it wasn't exactly cold right now and he was wearing a coat anyway, to have Caelan around to warm him up yet again. All of this was great, the game was fun and the extra advice he got wasn't something he would say no to when Caelan offered it and in the end, it got them this far - only to see Ethan seemingly out of luck. "Then this is a rare sight to behold, huh?", Ronan asked, as he looked down at his own cards - and immediately tensed up as the blonde decided to get a little closer, a little more ... friendly with him, as he'd put it. His heart was pounding all of a sudden and his eyes wavered, instead glued onto the arm over his shoulder, before he caught himself and looked at Ethan. "You think he is?" Honestly, he probably was, by the way this looked - sadly, that wasn't the case and Caelan was - for the first time - actually wrong about the behavior of his friend. This, however, also meant they had just lost - and Ronan gritted his teeth for a second, before snorting and laughing almost silently. "Well, I guess he wasn't - but hey, we almost had you!"

"Only scared, huh?", Ronan asked, as he watched this entire situation unfold - fate wasn't something he was bound to believe in, but he did anyway and in the end, that was what had formed their opinions and their misinterpretations of various situatios, causing them to blow all of this out of proportion and eventually losing. "It's fine, I could have just not trusted you and we've had won - this wasn't something easy, so, that means, we'll beat Ethan soon enough, don't worry", he reassured the blonde noble, just before their supposed enemy got onto his feet to find them some wine and water. Ronan wasn't a lightweight, he just didn't indulge in the simple things but rather wanted some of schnapps or other alsterian beverages to burn the back of his throat, just to numb himself in the end - there wasn't anything else. "Don't worry, I can handle myself", Ronan retaliated. When was the last time he actually drank alcohol for fun and not to lock out the pain and have a good nights sleep? It all culminated in the fact that he was depressed anyway and that he needed to clear out his head of unnecessary thoughts from time to time, so this was something new, but not something he despised.

"I thought it'd be fun", he answered, earnestly, and kind of anticipated what would come after this. They both were lost souls in a sea of people, but that didn't mean that they couldn't have fun - and Ronan, who claimed to be nothing more than someone inherently shy and misunderstood, finally found time to indulge in carnal desires without needing a justification for it, other than having fun. "If you can't handle a bottle of wine, you shouldn't have agreed!", Ronan said, a faint but mocking smile on his thin, soft lips. Why, exactly, did he do this, though? Wasn't his ulterior motive to get Caelan drunk and drag him back to his room? Wasn't that just a scummy idea altogether? Why should he, of all people, need to lay his hands on an intoxicated friend? Ronan sighed, as Ethan returned with the two bottles of wine, the cork already gone and ready to be drunken in one go. Ronan sighed. "I'm not a little kid, Caelan", he sighed, as he put the bottle up to his lips and started to take one big gulp after the other - this was, in the end, childsplay. The red liquid tasted everything but good in the back of his throat, but he didn't care enough to stop and after he had downed it - made sure every last drop was gone - he set the empty bottle aside. "Well, I've had worse - what about you, Caelan?"

"I don't want to lose to him again, but I sure as hell want to try and beat him again", he announced, while looking at Ethan and deciding for himself that, maybe, next time he'd do everything to have his opponent lose, except for, maybe, cheating. Other than that, Ronan was fine doing whatever Caelan would propose and just - maybe almost brainlessly - listening to him, just because he liked the smooth voice of his newfound friend and maybe also because he had a crush that was literally impossible to deny. Shame upon him, that was for sure, but he didn't necessarily mind if he were the one to receive the blame, this was - after all - nothing more than a game and nobody blamed anyone. "I won't, trust me", Ronan said - and he very much didn't. Wine was wine and whereas he might have complained, this was just fine to him - all in all, why not enjoy the night and try to make Caelans friends his own? Mainly because it felt wrong, because he didn't actually care all that much for them - except for Caelan - and whatever he needed to do to get closer to him, he would do, no questions asked, ever.

"Oh, it will be." What else except fun was there to be had? Ronan knew that it wasn't good to let himself go and just enjoy all of these festives, but here, away from the crowd and huddled up with a few strangers, it didn't feel so bad - in fact, he even felt like he didn't have to hide himself and the idea of bringing a book, to spend the night quietly in a corner, was a stupid one to begin with. What else, except Caelans attention, did he even want? "Alright", was all he had sad, but except for apologies and a glass of water, there was nothing more to this conversation. Downing the transparent liquid, Ronan set all of it aside after making sure that Caelan didn't want some himself. "That's good to hear", was all he had said, before the drunkyard next to him tried to get on his feet and looked like he struggled for the frist time - Ronan found it quite endearing. "Sure, I could use something, I think", the young noble said, before he grabbed Caelans hand and helped himself up to his feet, only to grab him by the wrist and leave with him, so that they'd at least have a somewhat quick walk and wouldn't lose one another in the crowd. "And you're really alright?", he asked, as soon as they were out of hearing proximity for the others. He himself wasn't drunk yet and not dizzy at all, just hungry.

"No one said we're playing any more today, so don't worry your pretty, little head about it", Ronan laughed. On one hand, he was having fun and enjoying the calm air between him and Caelan, on the other it somewhat felt like he was not going to grasp anything anytime soon - they both were doing their best to keep the other on edge, as it seemed, but Ronan knew that all they were doing was purely platonic and he finally should stop talking himself into how it was okay to want to put his hands on Caelan and how it was perfectly fine to be himself for now, to actually allow himself to feel something for the young heir of Fhaergus. After all, even if their feelings were mutual - which they'd never be - they had countries to rule and duties to fulfill, so it was almost impossible to even think about a liaison with the fellow noble, no matter how much he wanted it. "But you did well, we both worked really well together, if I'm honest." Them fighting against one another at the tournament was something Ronan was, in fact, something that Ronan anticipated, but knowing himself and his luck, he'd probably be the one that lost again, even if it was just because Caelan distracted him too much.

"Because I can, you dork", was his short answer and as he peered into the face of the noble, he saw his grin - it was almost infectious and sickening. "If you want to touch me, by all means, you are welcome to hold my hand so I don't lose you in the crowd", this was a purely platonic proposal that wouldn't look weird at all, or would it? Ronan wasn't trying more than to keep the conversation between them going, no matter what direction it took and no matter how fast and far the alcohol could infect his system. "If food will fix the problem, eat however much you like, but make sure you can still move after that - I doubt that I can carry you back to your room", he sighed, but to be honest, he himself was quite hungry already and he'd die for just a bit of meat, if he was entirely honest. "I'm just worried that I'll be blamed for your misery tomorrow, that's all", he added, before he had finally found a pretty much deserted table - or, well, unused one - that still had some platters of food on it. Yes, Ronan of Alster could - in fact - die for food, just about now. "After all, I want to beat you in a fair fight."

"I can take it back if you want to insist on being ugly, prince charming." Caelan was, by no means, someone that wasn't attractive - he had a nice face, blue eyes one could get lost in and his blonde hair was probably softer than it looked. All in all, Ronan wouldn't turn him down if he was a damsel and the fellow noble his suitor, but he knew well enough that - despite the fact that he was enjoying himself right about now - it would end sooner or later and he, albeit not out of his own free will, would go back to being the moody and brooding person he always was, that Caelan wouldn't even touch with a ten foot pole. They both hid their secrets and that was, well, better than not doing it for sure. "I never said you're useless, but your attention span could use some work, ya know", he suggested, as he could almost feel his own mouth watering, simply because he hadn't had much since they rode from their camp and the wine alone wasn't going to do him in, not now and not before he couldn't at least drag Caelan down with him. "Some meat and some vegetables probably, I'm starving either way", and that way he would eat more than just meat and most likely not stuff himself to the brim.

"And you were the one that grabbed me and dragged me away like a toddler, wanting to show me something - isn't that right?" They both were up for joking and picking at each other as it seemed and eventually, this would become a brainless back and forth until one of them had to give up and call it quits - but for now, this wouldn't stop. At least he wasn't drunk yet and still having fun, knowing himself he'd either get really sleepy in a few bottles - if he drank some more - or horribly depressed, having failed to numb the pain and doing god knows what, just to get rid of the additional one that crept up his throat and crawled out of it while he was wailing like a lost kid in a deep, dark forest. "I said, I can't carry you back to your room so don't keel over or I WILL wake you right back up and if I have to stab you, I will", though, the only thing he could use for that without causing serious damage would be a fork that he could, potentially, ram into one of Caelans thighs. "We both can own up to that, trust me", was, what he ultimately had understood from their little squabble. "Even if you drink another bottle? Not alone, but still."

"Well, no - you have quite the pretty face, not marred with scars and not taken up by a pesky beard", he answered. Caelan was, in fact, quite the handsome fellow - that was something Ronan wouldn't decline, no matter if he had a crush on him or not - it was obvious why most of the ladies had a softspot for him; there was barely anything this puppy wouldn't do for them and then again, they probably also exploited him to hell and back. All of these things could be so easy for Caelan if he only wouldn't spend time with them, but Ronan knew that that was impossible, that he himself should be like him and if he had to force himself to it, so be it - he didn't care, not one damn bit, as long as it brought him enjoyment to continously torture himself by falling for someone that was out of his reach, then he had fun - more, than he was willing to admit. Suddenly, he pulled Caelan forward - only a bit - and stood on the tips of his toes, how annoyingly tall this man was, was beyond him. "Oh, but I want more of it - as much as you're willing to give me, unlike your little date from earlier. Didn't look like you were all that interested", Ronan whispered into the nobles ear, grinning wide.

"True. Didn't think I'd have that much fun, especially with people you call your friends - they're pretty decent, but also somewhat nosy", Ronan said, as the grin disappeared from his face again. "Aw, buhu. How sad", the complaint was fake, which was why he let go of Caelans arm in the first place and grabbed a plate of his own, just to get some of the food that looked decent enough. Once the drunkyard opened his mouth again, Ronan felt like he just had said something he shouldn't - and that was obvious. "Don't tell me you can do whatever I want you to, or else I might get the wrong idea - good to know you can still stomach some more alcohol, though", was all he had to offer, before the whole thing continued - should they go back out side or nab one of the tables here so they could actually eat without being watched all the time? "Well, we can drink however much you like - I don't mind, I'm used to drink til I'm numb after all", however would this pan out when he found himself back in his room later? Not good, probably. "Speaking of our bet. I owe you one, because Orlando is pretty nosy. What do you want?"

"Caelan, you're one weird fellow - did anyone ever tell you that?", he asked, not meaning it in a bad way - if he was terribly honest, this was how he was. Honest, but mean - and easy to piss off, but currently his mood was too good to actually even consider what should offend him and what not. "Not that I mind, though", he added. All of this was but an elaborate game that they both were playing, or so he thought, and nothing was supposed to make sense in the slightest - they all had their fair share of problems and currently, they were trying to combat them together as much as they could, even if that meant to eventually give up and hunker down in their rooms again, never to resurface from there. Maybe, that would be how Ronan of Alster would meet his end, so that his father could tell everyone that he was indeed a sickly child that finally succumbed to his own body trying to murder him, only because he was the sole reason that his son was constantly on edge. "You?", he asked, eyeing Caelan. "Don't be silly, what do you gain from spending a night with me? I can't entertain you the same way your fine date can, you know", theoretically, he could - but as if Caelan was interested in Ronan sinking to his knees in front of him.

"Well, I'm quite the annoying person too, so of course I fit in with you, I guess", he said, shrugging his shoulders and taking a moderate amount of food with him - he didn't need more, even if his body could stand to be not as thing as it was. He wasn't unhealthy, but theoretically he was missing all those well-toned muscles that he liked to admire so much, so he had to start somewhere - but maybe not today, on a stomach full of wine. "How did you know?", he asked, a sly smile on his face - Caelan had caught him red-handed, but he could at least claim it was the alcohol that led to all of these things now, to horrible answers for shitty questions. Thankfully, he was fully aware of what he was doing - the alcohol barely was fazing him, but a bottle or two more would do wonders for him, to give him a bit more courage than needed. "Do you wanna know?", he asked, deadset on not telling him unless he wasn't getting something in exchange. "Normally I don't drink. It usually numbs the pain, nothing more, and because Alster only has shitty schnapps and stuff like that, I've grown somewhat tolerant." There wasn't more to that, especially now that he had laid his problems on Caelan, he could just freely talk about whatever. "Take your time, I'll do whatever."

"For me it's just unbelievable how well you can hide some things, as well as how nobody ever suspects a thing despite you being in a good mood almost constantly, it seems ... weird, you know? Not, that you are a weird person yourself, but you just seem to cope in a questionable way", was what the young man answered. In the end, they were nothing more than travel companions and to-be friends, heirs to two neighbouring countries and they'd do well to actually get along, so they eventually could drive out the bad blood between them and give one another a chance to breathe, to actually have a nice life beyond their obvious shackles. "It doesn't, it just gets annoying after a while, but I'll learn to deal with it sooner or later, after all, friends stick together. That means I'll probably have to endure you for the next few years." Unless he chose to die - which, currently, not unlikely - he'd be the next Duke of Alster and no longer some pitiful youth that couldn't even best his own father in a simple match. However, he knew that physical strength wasn't everything - he was witty himself, but rather on paper than in combat. "Did you even talk about anything worthwhile? I stopped listening right about when Cameron opened his mouth and the only things I understand were ... well, bullshit." They both saw eye to eye on this, which wasn't rare, but still enjoyable and meant that Caelan didn't have a sponge for a brain like so many others their age did. "Don't worry, you can still go back to her when you feel ... socially obligated to. I had my fun with Ethan."

"What's so funny about that, huh!?", Ronan joked, as he himself laughed a tiny bit, obviously unfazed by the comment and the well meant nature of it. Both of them were idiots, that much he knew, and it was painfully obvious that one of the idiots had a crush on the other, but as long as they were drunk, they had an excuse for all their stupid behavior that was about to ensue. "How you ...? What?", suddenly he was a bit confused, maybe even perplexed, but then Caelan alread opened his mouth and spewed ... straight facts. Actually, Ronan was counting on him talking some weird bullshit, but this was, in fact, nothing more than the truth and - as if Caelan had known - the black haired nobles cheeks flared up, were probably warm to the touch and he had to bite his lower lip. "Okay, fine. For one, I was actually cold yesterday and you were pretty warm, I like that. Secondly, I would have let you go sooner or later and THIRDLY, you caught me red-handed on that one, yes I was", he sighed. Of course this night had to go into that direction and yet, he couldn't command this idiot to anything - not now, or later, especially not if he didn't drink some more wine or he'd be blissfully embarrassed, even more than he already was. "You really want to use it for something like this? Are you completely sure?", Ronan asked and, with a full plate in one hand, he grabbed a bottle of water with the other, just to make sure that their hangover wouldn't be horrible. "Alright, but in moderation - I won't be responsible if you can't stand on your legs tomorrow!" What exactly was he getting the two of them into? Something horrible for sure. "Or we could not go back to your date with the personality of a sheet of paper and just ... look for an empty spot on the balconies? I mean, we also could just go back to my room if you want to sit back and relax."