drinking buddies

Checking his watch at a precise interval of every 10 seconds, Oliver waited for his blind date at the table he dutifully reserved multiple hours in advance.

Despite his nerves, Oliver was very much looking forward to this. The Church of Sulfur recommended this blind date service they provided when he sought help with branching out. He had all this newfound freedom after devoting less of his time to work, and he was grateful to the church for helping him put it towards enjoying all of life's pleasures.

So far into his waiting, he had only ordered water, as well as refills whenever his anxiousness drove him to drink it dry. He desperately hoped whomever they were, they would arrive soon.

---

On the way to the date, Lynn could hardly contain her excitement. She happily participated in these events every year, eager to find just who she would get to mingle with this time around. It added just a little spice to her usual activities and something to look forward to.

With a spring in her already energetic step she entered the bar, right on time they agreed to meet at. Locating the right table wasn’t hard at all; one, because the host pointed her right to it, and two, because it was one of few tables occupied by only one person, sipping what she could only assume was water. She wouldn’t have judged them for having a tall glass of vodka, though.

Although Lynn maintained an aura of nonchalance on the way, it all dissipated when she came close enough to slam her hands down on the table.

“Heya! Waiting on someone, hot stuff?” She greeted him with a grin plastered on her face, leaning down and over the table some more. 

---

Startled silent, Oliver could only look at his date with wide eyes and arms raised in front of him for a good handful of seconds. As he assessed this person who just lit his fight-or-flight response on fire, he slowly untensed.

Was this his date? She was definitely attractive, but… if the table-slamming was any indication, Oliver was about to have a rough night.

“Um, yes… Are you… Uh,” Heart still pounding, Oliver checked his phone’s notes app, “Lynn?”

---

“That's me!” Lynn proudly pointed to herself with her thumb, then promptly slipped into the seat across from him. His reaction to her entrance wasn’t entirely unexpected, she was aware of the strength of her presence, but the lack of enthusiasm on his part could become a reason for concern later. Despite it all, her smile wasn’t going anywhere. “And you must be Oliver! Didn’t mean to startle you too bad!”

She took a moment to observe him some more, one cheek pressed into the palm of her hand. Yup, his energy was certainly much different from hers, but she could work with that. It would be rude to write off a date before it had the chance to really start, after all. This could still be a fun night, even if she had to rein it in a little.

“I love what you did with the horns!” Lynn tilted her chin upward, gesturing to the jewellery adorning Oliver’s horns. Some compliments to ease the tension could never hurt. “Sooo… what brings you here?”

---

Oliver visibly relaxed fully and invisibly thanked the demons below. It seemed his date was not going to be one scarefest after the other. Some excitement he was used to—he wouldn't have survived working at a nightclub otherwise—but too much might cause his heart to give out.

The compliment caught Oliver off-guard, but in a pleasant way this time. “Thanks…!” he chirped with a smile.

His fingers came up to play with the charms hanging from his horns. It was always a treat when people noticed them; it made him feel like it was worth putting in the extra effort every morning to get them just right.

The question, on the other hand, was more challenging to respond to. He mentally broke out a checklist.

She didn't mean ‘what brings you to this bar?’ since that would, of course, be the blind date that they were both here for. She must have meant ‘what brought you to signing up for this?’ or something along those lines.

Realizing he was taking too long to answer, his response came out too quick to sound natural. “I wanted to try something new! I’ve never done this before, so…!”

Even he was aware he was far too high-strung right then. He glanced at the drink menu standing on the table. Surprised at himself that he hadn't done so already, he cracked it open. “Should we start with some drinks? Uh, what kind of alcohol do you like?”

---

Lynn quietly exhaled in relief. The compliment worked, unloading some of the tension lingering between them. The charms shimmered in the colorful lights of the bar in a way that made her almost a little jealous her own horns weren’t as fit for dangling decoration.

The prolonged silence from Oliver following the question made her raise her brows at him. She could swear she was able to hear the gears turning in his head; or that she would be able to, had they not been inside a noisy bar. When the answer finally came, she couldn’t help but chuckle a little. The nervousness in his tone was kind of cute.

“Hey, that’s great! Sometimes you gotta dip your hooves into something new.” Lynn nodded in agreement. That was one of the very reasons these events were held in the first place. As soon as Oliver opened the menu, she almost flew out of her seat to pick up the other one. A bit more sitting around and just staring at each other, and she would have asked to order drinks herself.

“Hell yeah, let’s get the night started!” She cheered, flicking through the pages with her long nails until something she wanted would catch her eye. “Rum’s my usual choice. Love me a hearty swig of the good stuff after a long day! You?”

---

Oliver smiled wide; this was by far his favorite topic of conversation. With how often he tended to drink a hole in his nightclub’s liquor supply, how could it not be?

“Oh, I like everything. And I'm not just saying that—I mean it. Favorites depend on the day. Right now…” His eyes flitted over the drink menu. So many varieties! This place knew what it was doing. “Rum shots sound good to me, yeah.” He preferred drinking right out of the bottle, but that would've been hard to share. “They have multiple brands listed here, do you like Cavern Bay?”

“Everything? Now we’re talking! A bun after my own heart.” Lynn didn’t hide her delight, showing off her sharp teeth in a grin once more. That meant one thing: they could order just about anything and not spend half the date deciding the drinks, or worse, arguing about their tastes. The choice of rum shots sat just right with her; what better way to get to know each other than to split a bottle of the good stuff? The only thing missing was the sound of crashing waves and salt hanging in the air.

---

“Oh, I love Cavern Bay! How did you know?” Her shoulders shook as she chuckled and put the menu aside, her mind already made up. She sat back and threw one arm over the backrest, looking around the bar. At the sight of one of the waiters nearby, she waved at them to get their attention, then turned to Oliver again. 

“You know, one time I traded some old necklace for a whole crate of that stuff! Wasn’t sure I wanted to part with it at first, but it was totally worth it. You ever been to the beach, Oliver?”

---

Contrary to what he expected at first, Oliver was actually kind of having a good time. Lynn was still a touch too loud for comfort, but he anticipated liquid relief soon.

“Not once, actually. I’d like to see the beach someday, though!” he responded after a quick pause to place the drink order with the waiter.

The drinks came out very quickly, though perhaps it was unsurprising, seeing as it was just a matter of placing a bottle and some shot glasses on the table. No mixing required.

---

This marked the real beginning of the night, something they both were clearly looking forward to. Lynn eagerly filled up the glasses and passed one to Oliver, lifting hers up for a toast with the other hand, careful not to spill a single drop. “And someday you shall. Cheers!”

The all-too-familiar flavor and warmth of the rum was always comforting in a way, allowing not just her body but her tongue to relax as well. Another couple of anecdotes about her adventures made its way to the front of her mind as the contents of the bottle continued to dwindle with each round of shots; she spoke with such ease as one would while catching up with an old friend. Perhaps that was just the default for her.

“...aaand that’s how I got banned then unbanned from the same bar in one night! One!” Lynn tapped the glass against the table as if to emphasize her words, followed by a drunken burst of laughter as her other hand nearly missed the near-empty bottle she reached for, ready to empty it for good this time. She gestured with it to Oliver first, however. “Last one?”

---

“Mmph… Yes, pleeeease!” Oliver drawled before a giggle fit ended his words. He managed to pause it long enough to slam the rest of the bottle back, but only just that long.

Any nerves he had left had been completely melted away by the warmth of the booze. Not only was he no longer stressed about this being his first ever blind date, but he was also greatly becoming fond of Lynn’s boisterous energy and what exciting company she made for. Oliver always found it much easier to befriend people a bottle or two in.

Idly spinning the empty rum bottle with his fingers, Oliver pulled himself together to ask Lynn a question. “‘Scuse me I’m being too forward, but can I, uhhhhh… get your number? You’re reeeeeally fun to talk to…”

---

“Here it goooes~!” Lynn leaned over the table to pass the bottle then reeled back, a bit sluggish but clearly pleased with how the date was going.

She didn’t mind Oliver helping himself to the last bit of rum remaining—there was little left in there to share either way. She would have many other opportunities to polish off a bottle by herself whenever she wanted, and seeing him become more and more relaxed as the night went on was like a reward in itself.

The following question came as a surprise; Lynn paused messing with the empty shot glass and blinked at Oliver. The moment it clicked, she had to sit right back up, a giddy smile on her face. “Ab-so-lutely!! We reallyyy need to hang out again– gimme your phone!” She made a grabbing motion over the table and hastily typed her number right into Oliver’s contacts, then handed him back the phone along with her own for him to do the same.

---

As quickly as his alcohol-fueled body could muster, Oliver took Lynn’s phone and entered his number. He gave a little dopey drunk smile as he handed it back to her.

After deciding to split the tab 50/50, the pair left the money on the table and got prepared to leave.

“Hmm… Willya need any help getting home? I was gonna ask a friend to pick me up, he could probably take us both,” Oliver asked, looking up at Lynn.

---

“Mmmm, I’ll take you up on that, actually. If your buddy doesn’t mind.” Lynn nodded, running a hand through her hair. The cooler night air sobered her up a little once they were outside, but she wouldn’t say no to such a generous offer from a new friend.

They needed not wait long until their ride arrived and before they knew it, they were already parting ways with each other’s numbers saved and the promise to meet again for drinks sometime.