Friendship And Hardship

[Chapter 19] - Acid, Wine, And A Winding Road To Nowhere

"I'm seriously going to be so hungover tomorrow, and you expect me to fight a battle?" Parker asked.

"Just sit him down, talk all of your... battles over, I don't understand why you're still fighting," Inkling suggested.

"Does it look like I know? Some dudes come to the island, and they expect me to act natural and cool about it? I don't get what Barnacles means whenever he tries to get me to talk things over with them, like it would work."

"Have you tried?"
"Multiple times. You'd be surprised at how different our ideals are." She chucked at the thought.

"You say that as if you've tried to change someone before."
"Before the battles?" Parker asked.
"Have you? Before the battles?"

She sighed as if it were the stupidest question she had been asked in her lifetime, which it wasn't so far.

"A long time ago, but mountains, like Theo, don't dance in the wind like grass does."
"Is that supposed to be a derogatory comparison?"
"Take it how you will," Parker said, shrugging and almost tipping her glass directly on its side.

"Well, why are you still fighting?"

She paused for a moment. Why was she still fighting?

She leaned back in her chair, swinging the stem of her glass in between her fingers.

"I fight for what's right. That's all anyone needs to know," she finally answered.
"But what's right? What is the definition of right in your head?"

Inkling swears he saw her eyelid twitch at the question.

"What I fight for is right, and I fight for what is right. Is something not adding up?"
"What if you aren't fighting for the right thing?"
"Professor, if you're trying to condone Theo's actions, it isn't getting you anywhere good," Parker stated, cracking her knuckles with the clench of her hand.
"I never said that."
"What are you saying then?"

Knowing that Parker wasn't easy to break down, he held his tongue a bit longer.

"Look, I'm depressed and I'm not arguing with you, so," she added, downing the rest of her drink.
"That's not a shot glass."
"I said I'm depressed. If it kills me, it kills me."

~

There was no way that they'd wake up tomorrow and be completely fine.

Parker can't tell if Inkling has a monocle or a pair of glasses on, and Inkling can't understand why Parker is speaking in ancient tongues again.

"We have Captain Shithead over here, acting like he knows what he's doing," Parker flipped the cork onto the desk, mumbling, "but he really doesn't, but he's not self aware."

"You could gaslight me into believing that's his actual name and I'd totally fall for it," Inkling muttered, staring into his half full glass.
"That's the point of gaslighting," she stated, squinting her eyes at him.
"Oh, no, you're right."

Parker silenced, sinking down in her chair. "Should I be worried about being hungover tomorrow?" she asked.

"I wouldn't think about it too much."
"Being hungover isn't going to be easily ignored."

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying don't think about tomorrow," Inkling said, pointing at her with his pen. "You've got a couple more hours left of today, so I wouldn't think about tomorrow."

He was the first person whose words she'd actually take into consideration.

"I don't understand why though, why do they want to fight?" she asked, sitting up. "Theo and Micah- they know me. I know them."
"You knew them," Inkling stated. "They don't seem like the people you'd hang around."