(no subject)

[paidinbeer]

Who: Orc and you
What: Drinking to forget and failing
Where: The Bar in the Training Center (With special bonus thread set in his room later)
When: During the finale of the Arena
Warnings: Well he's a suicidal, depressed, short tempered drunk 15 year old boy trapped in a rock monster's body. I'm sure something will come up.

The bartenders and serving staff had gotten used to Orc over time. They knew if they kept the booze flowing and put him in a dark corner somewhere he would keep quiet...mostly. And the other customers wouldn't be as bothered by any rude sounds he made or if he was disgustingly slopping drink on himself or mashing food into his maw like a pig.

Orc had gotten used to the bartenders and serving staff. He knew that if he kept quiet and didn't shout they would keep bringing him drinks and not tell his handlers to get him out of the bar.

It was a semi-functional relationship that allowed Orc to try and numb every last feeling he had with alcohol and food.

That part was not as functional.

Part of the problem was there was a TV facing him. Normally the staff was smart enough to change the channel but today they had forgotten and he was watching the coverage of the games, complete with some of their top 10 kills so far.

His death at the point of Ellie's spear was number five.

Then there was the hot topic of who was dating who, some woman in a suit that looked like it was made from those fancy Christmas flowers...whatever they were called, was commenting on the possibility of Orc and...Eponine?!

"What the hell does Porcupine mean?" He muttered as the word was pasted under a picture of the two of them drinking together in the arena.

Comments

Back in his Bedroom the night

[paidinbeer]

Orc snored.

To say that Orc snored was an understatement.

It was an understatement in the same way that it is an understatement to say that he was big. The same that it was an understatement to say things like "The games were violent" or "Capitol fashions were over the top"

So when it is said that Orc snored, what it means really is that a sound somewhere between gravel in a blender, a chainsaw on concrete and a pig trying to imitate a motor cycle was filling his room and probably bleeding through the walls into the rooms connected to his.

He was on the bed, he had made it that far. But he had passed out ontop of the covers still in his food stained shirt and custom tailored pants. He'd gotten one shoe off but the other was still in place.

The occasional sleep fart had left the room with a vaguely disgusting scent that the air purifiers were working to correct. Every time Orc's body made such burst of gas a spritz of scented chemical was shot into the room from a box on the wall countering the smell of Orc's poor dietary choices with sugar cookies and cinnamon.

It was a strange battle fought only on the plane of smell.

As for Orc himself he was drooling into his pillow which was lodged between his massive stone arm and his craggy face. His other arm hung off the bed and an empty bottle was nearby. His last drink of the night.

Re: Back in his Bedroom the night

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard's seen Orc in such worse states that to see him only stinking from farts and belches, rather than urine and vomit and the general unshoweredness of the FAYZ, almost strikes him as classy. There's no lock that could keep him out, but honestly, Orc hadn't bothered tonight anyway.

"Hey."

Howard unties Orc's other shoe and pulls it off, letting it fall alongside its twin on the floor. Each of them is about as long as his own arm, honestly. He takes a seat at the foot of the bed and nudges Orc gently.

Sometimes when Orc wakes up suddenly, the blood rushing to his head makes the alcohol upturn his stomach. Sometimes Orc wakes up angry from a nightmare and takes a swing. Sometimes he yells because he wanted to sleep in.

So Howard goes about rousing him carefully. First nudges, repetitions of his name. When those don't work, he grabs a glass of water from the bathroom an tosses the cold liquid at Orc's face from across the room, a foot out of reach.

"Orc. Wake up."

Re: Back in his Bedroom the night

[paidinbeer]

Orc let out a yelp and sputtered swinging wildly in the direction the water had come from and sitting up so fast his arm swung around and slammed an elbow into the wall.

Surprisingly the wall survived and Orc let out a loud "FUCK!" Clutching at where the impact had happened. They had obviously reenforced the wall to stand up to even Orc's power.

"Howard?! What's wrong?" He squinted in the dark barely making out Howard's familiar shape in his blurry state of wake.

Re: Back in his Bedroom the night

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard cringes at the bang and stays where he is, away from Orc's hands. "Easy, easy, big guy."

He doesn't know why it is that it's so damn important to talk to Orc right now. Maybe it's that the last he saw of his friend was with his brain skewered. Maybe he just has to make sure they're still alright, or that Orc knows they're alright.

He doesn't turn on the lights. He spares Orc's eyes that.

"What isn't wrong? We're in Hollywood Hell with fucking murder games."

Re: Back in his Bedroom the night

[paidinbeer]

Orc groaned a bit at the response and lay back down in his bed rubbing his eyes. The sound it made when his fingers massaged the stone covered eyelids was like a car rolling over a gravel driveway.

"I thought something might have happened." He explained though it was obvious what he'd been thinking.

[onlyimmune]

She went looking for him. She didn't know where to look, but one of his escorts gave her a tip and eventually she found her way to the bar.

Her stomach squirmed, her gut twisting sharply, as she stepped past the people and caught sight of Orc from the corner of her eye. She drew in a shaking breath, geared herself, and walked over.

"... Orc?"

[paidinbeer]

Orc looked up slowly and peered at her like he didn't recognize her. That only lasted a minute though as his eyes focused.

"Oh...it's you."

Was the most welcoming and friendly greeting he could consider at the moment as about five different kinds of alcohol were having a race around his stomach with a steak sandwhich he'd just eaten.

[onlyimmune]

Ouch.

Ellie visibly winced and her eyes dropped to the floor, coming to a stop a little further away than she'd meant because that wasn't a particularly welcoming greeting, and Orc was...

Well. Self medicating was the kindest way she could put it.

"... Yeah. It's me." She thought for a moment about turning tail and running, but no. She wasn't going to back down about this. He could yell at her if he wanted, but she was going to say her piece.

"Orc, I-- I'm sorry."

[paidinbeer]

Orc held up a hand to stop her. The hand was as wide around as a shovel and like the rest of him...covered in rocks.

"You did what you had to." He took up a drink and began gulping it down, letting out a very impressive belch.

"It was you or me. You made the right choice." He slurred feeling a sickness settle in his guts. It must be guilt. Clearly.

Not at all the assault of food and drink he was sucking down.

[onlyimmune]

She could have taken it. Could have let his words give her permission, or forgiveness, or whatever, but the fact is that they didn't.

She could have told herself that this was a really bad time for this conversation, that she should wait until he was a little more sober, but she was in it now.

"Bullshit," She said, though the word was soft and she still didn't come any closer. "You were upset, and I hurt you. That wasn't the right choice, Orc. Hurting you never would have been the right choice."

[amplifying]

Beck didn't like drinking. Drinking alcohol, anyway.

He was used to drinking energy. Energy was sweet, energy was bitter. Energy was what kept programs running and alive. He wasn't used to drinks that had one specific flavor. They were either too bland or too sweet. Water was the only thing he truly liked in the User world.

Beck only had booze once. And that was the last time he ever had it.

But he found himself wondering into here for some reason. Maybe it was because the bar was a place he ever went to...never. Why not?

When he walked in, there was only one person there, watching the tv with a bottle nearby. And of course, the Capitol was showing the top ten deaths. He couldn't understand these Users. Then again, he was sure nobody did.

He decided to get himself a drink, sitting on the booth next to him. Thankfully he only died of an infection...

[paidinbeer]

It was slow right now so there was no way Orc couldn't notice the guy who had just arrived.

It still felt so weird to him...being surrounded by adults. At first it had been because he'd gone so long without adults. Now it was because due to his body...more people treated him like an adult.

And he didn't know the first thing about being an adult.

He wasn't even sure he knew about being a teenager anymore.

With a sigh he put his head down on the table and held up a finger signalling the barmaid to bring him another.

[amplifying]

...this was awkward.

It was bad enough that they were watching this morbid tv show here. But when he saw one of the deaths being from the very guy beside him...well.....it made him feel bad. And awkward. And a lot of feelings that weren't good.

No wonder why this guy was drinking.

Beck bit his lip. "...are you okay?"

Very good question, Beck.

[paidinbeer]

Orc raised a craggy eyebrow and glanced Beck's way for a moment studying him before returning his gaze to his drink.

"Are any of us?" He countered. It was a frequent response when people asked him questions like that. Things were still messed up. That much hadn't changed.

[amplifying]

...
Good point.

Beck found himself staring in front of the open space as the bartender handed over the giant his drink. "I guess..."

He fell into silence after that. But it was awkward.

"What are you having?" Beck pointed to the new drink in the other's hand. "Is it good?"

[wantwhatiwant]

Ian had made a point of not watching the televisions. Especially now they were on to showing reruns. He had no wish to see his death, and no pressing need to know how Blaine and Kurt died. He'd rather not know, give them some privacy.

He saw Orc and swayed his way over to him, he was in the tribute center because his escort had told him to stay in. But he was still drunk, because there was a bar, and he planned to ditch the escort once he was distracted. He was getting good at that.

"Isn't it like a hedgehog?" He sat down, no lamb today it seemed.

[paidinbeer]

Orc nodded slowly and continued nodding about ten seconds longer then necessary before he remembered to stop.

"But why are they calling me and Eponine a Porcupine?" Neither of them were particularly prickly as best he could tell...though the scenes of Eponine with Howard proved she could be sharp.

[wantwhatiwant]

"I don't know. They're fucking freaks." He shrugged, "They probably think it's clever or some shit." Ian doesn't know, Ian hasn't been paying attention at all.

[paidinbeer]

"Maybe." Orc agreed and looked for the waitress to refill his drink and plate. "I don't get anything around here. It's all complicated and wrong. But they sound like they know what they're talking about you know?" It didn't even occur to Orc this was the most he had spoken all day.

[wantwhatiwant]

"Yeah it's called talking bullshit." Ian got another drink as well leaning back. "Talk out of your ass but sound like you are completely right and you'd be surprised how many idiots will believe you."

In the bar

[gardienne]

Well... that was awkward.

Eponine had managed, by some miracle, to remain completely clueless about their 'relationship'. She tried her best not to watch the broadcasts and, quite frankly, she just wasn't interested in the gossip. And she was having too much fun bouncing on Eva's beds.

Even now, at the bar, she had been far too concentrated on her own drink and her own need to be drunk to even notice Orc. Until he spoke. And then she looked up, and grinned.

"Monsieur! You are here as well - I did not notice you. Excuse-moi!" She called to the barman, who looked at Eponine with mild surprise. Apparently he was still unused to orders in French. Still, he managed to pour a brandy for Eponine, which she pushed over to Orc.

"Now this - remember I promised you in the arena? Try it, Sir."

Re: In the bar

[paidinbeer]

Orc blinked confused, like he needed a minute to recognize her. She looked so different from how they had both looked in the arena.

But he smiled weakly and nodded taking the glass as delicately as he could in his thick gravel coated fingers. He brought it to his lips and slugged it back, unaware of the proper way to drink brandy.

He swallowed hard and his eyes watered. But Orc was an old pro at drinking things that burned so he didn't cough. Instead he let the flavor wash over him and the fireball that exploded in his stomach spread heat through his limbs.

"It's like drinking a hug." He concluded adorably.

Re: In the bar

[gardienne]

She began to laugh, and ordered another couple of brandies, this time using her fingers to make sure that the barman understood 'two'. She pushed another over to Orc, and began to sip her own.

"See, I told you. I told you it would warm you up. Is it not good? You drink a few of these, you know, and you will be dead to the world. It is a good thing sometimes."

Re: In the bar

[paidinbeer]

"Don't tempt me." Orc chuckled bitterly "If I die who's gonna look after you and Howard?" Another dark joke as he had failed them both. He didn't laugh after that one.

Re: In the bar

[gardienne]

"And why should you look after me?" She leaned back on her bar stool a little, swinging her leg. "I am not much to you."

She nudged the brandy across to him. "And Howard is too much of a rat to deserve your help, Sir."