(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

[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."

[paidinbeer]

Orc looks befuddled by her denial and shook his head looking down at the empty mug in his thick fingers.

"Neither is letting yourself get killed because a monster is having a tantrum."

in the reflection of light on the outside of the mug he could almost make out the face of his first victim. Confused and scared as she died.

[onlyimmune]

"You're not a monster!" She snapped it a little too harshly and then tried to pull the emotion back, casting her eyes to the side as her fists balled up.

"You're not a monster. I know monsters, okay? I-- I know them. You were angry, and you were hurt, but I-- I've seen it on the televisions, you know, I know what happened and I would have been angry too. I should have gotten out of your way, or told you that he'd gone in a different direction, or run, but I should never have hurt you. There isn't an excuse for it, okay? I'm not- I'm not going to excuse myself, and neither should you."

[paidinbeer]

Her response was so sharp and passionate it made Orc sit up and his eyes widened a little in shock. Listening to her justifications for his actions just made the pit of guilt in his stomach open wider though.

Still...she was so determined.

"Well I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I'd hurt you, no matter what the reason." He grunted and relaxed back into his seat. "So we both screwed up." Though he secretly still thought that she did the right thing.

And obviously she was wrong, of course he was a monster.

[onlyimmune]

"... Yeah. We both screwed up," She said, relaxing a little now that he seemed to at least mostly taken her apology.

And now she just felt really awkward, standing there, and she reached a hand out to fiddle with the edge of the counter top.

"Anyway. Yeah. That's all I... wanted to say, or whatever. What are you doing?"

[paidinbeer]

He shrugged his significant shoulders once more in a sort of default response.

"Trying to feel better." He confessed in opposition to his shrug suggesting he didn't know. "It's not working." He added. There were any number of contributing factors to that but he wasn't about to change anything.

[onlyimmune]

"With booze, huh," she said, glancing back at the bar before looking back at him. "Not really surprised it isn't working, to be honest." She hesitated.

"What are you trying to feel better from?"

[paidinbeer]

"Almost hurting you." He started "Not protecting Howard." He added and then with a growl "Not killing Aunamee." The one who had taken Howard away and tormented him.

At least one of those things he could fix.

[onlyimmune]

"Well you didn't hurt me, and Howard's okay now too, so don't beat yourself up about it, okay?"

He face fell a bit when it came to Aunamee, and she shifted her weight again.

"Aunamee. That's the guy that tied up Howard, right?"

[paidinbeer]

"Messed him up." Orc corrected "Howard's scared of him for a reason. He's one of the worst monsters we've seen...and we've seen alot."

That was some speculation on Orc's part, because Howard wouldn't tell him and he'd only seen parts of it on the broadcast.

But Howard was more afraid of this guy then Drake or Caine back home. That spoke volumes. The only person more frightening was Penny. And Penny was thankfully dead now.

[onlyimmune]

"Yeah, I've seen a lot too," Ellie said, but her brows were knitting and her frown was deepening.

Sure, she hadn't exactly known Howard all that long, but she liked him. He was one of 'hers', despite the fact that her list of people tended to end with 'deceased' after every line, and she really didn't like hearing about someone fucking with him.

"What'd he do?" She asked, a dark edge to her voice.

[paidinbeer]

Orc shrugged.

"Howard won't tell me...but if the TV is honest? I think maybe he made Howard love him or something." Which sounded wrong on a number of levels but it was what had been shown to him on the screens.

"Howard's scared of him, just knowing he was back freaked him out. And I let him just walk in and take him away." His voice rumbled low with anger and self loathing.

[onlyimmune]

"Made him love him." She had seen bits of it on the tv. Aunamee tying him up, the fight to rescue him...

And the guy had manipulated him on top of that?

Her expression darkened further.

"It's not your fault, Orc." She said, soundly. "Shit happens in the arena. Don't blame yourself. If he fucks with Howard again, we'll make him pay. Yeah?"

[paidinbeer]

"Yeah." His voice was a low growl. "He's not gonna get another chance. Howard may be a rat...but he's my best friend. I've let him down too many times already." As much as he'd like to not blame himself...it's just not in his nature. He used to blame everyone else.

But death has a funny way of changing your perspective on things.

[onlyimmune]

Ellie frowned slightly, her eyes narrowing at 'rat', and her lips thinned.

"Howard's awesome." She stated, as pure fact, and she wouldn't accept anything else.

"But it doesn't matter how much rock you've got on your skin, Orc, you're still human. No one does well in those games, okay? They are fucked up and they are meant to fuck up. But we'll keep trying because that's what friends do. Okay? You'll make it up to him."

I think the way you play Ellie has convinced me to go buy The Last of Us this week.

[paidinbeer]

He wanted to argue...but she sounded so sure of herself.

"Yeah...yeah I'm gonna make it up to him." His fingers curled into a fist.

"If I'm gonna be stuck here...then the least I can do is make him feel safer."

:D good

[onlyimmune]

"Good," She said, firmly, having absolutely no idea what she had just encouraged and got him into.

She reached out to pat his back, the weird rocky texture grating against her palm but she did it anyway.

"We'll all be alright, Orc."