Stolen Enchantment

Conversing with The Drunk

"You know Alhaitham, I'm surprised you even agreed to come to drink with me. You don't strike me as someone who likes to go out even a bit."

Kaveh was on his third drink by now, his hands flying over the place as he spoke. Alhaitham didn't take too much into it, simply nodding his head in acknowledgment but nothing more. He had a drink for himself, it was his first. Nearly half empty, he wasn't too much of a drinker.

Especially not for beverages that didn't taste extraordinary. By the next hour, the entire bar had gotten overcrowded, voices dancing so loud that Alhaitham could barely manage to hear Kaveh who didn't care about the volume of his voice. In the midst of chorale, Kaveh suddenly slammed his fist against the table in a peal of barking laughter. Alhaitham was caught off-guard, his body slightly going back against his seat as he gave a short smile in response. Awkward, but it was enough to keep Kaveh speaking randomly about other things.
Alhaitham's mind began to wander into deep thought, all the sounds surrounding him dispersing into soft clouds. Because of this he was immediately drawn back by the sound of a glass tipping and shattering along the floor.

Alhaitham's eyes fluttered like the beat of a butterflies wing, his head turned to the edge of the table where Kaveh stared face to face with a drunken man. To be fair Kaveh was just as tipsy himself, Alhaitham quickly gathered that the man had bumped into their table. Spilling his own glass, to be quite frank he didn't care a single bit. The alcohol wasn't good anyway, yet somehow Kaveh appeared to be the one most offended by the accident.

"Watch where you're moving, you knocked my friend's glass over clutz!"

Kaveh gestured with his hand gripping the glass bottle which he was literally drinking out of. The man's brows wrinkled as he frowned,

"Maybe tell your friend to watch where he places his drink! If it had been in the middle I wouldn't have had to bump into it."

Kaveh stood up and pointed a finger in the guy's face, their heights were practically the same, making the interaction ten times more intense than it would be if one of them had to look up. Alhaitham sighed annoyed that he had been pulled out of daydreaming. He stood up and placed an arm out in between the two to halt any more hostility.

"My apologies, he's fairly tipsy at the moment. It's just a glass after all."

Alhaitham's expression was cold, halting any anger that might've boiled in the man's chest. Kaveh stood intensely behind Alhaitham's arms, appearing pissed off more than he is when arguing with Alhaitham. The man scoffed before walking away, Alhaitham turned to Kaveh who almost didn't want to back down from the argument.

"Watch your tongue, especially whenever you drink."

Kaveh's gaze moved away from him, glancing back down at the wine bottle sitting in his hand, he shrugged and took a swig of it again.

"Yeah, yeah I hear you. Idiot for bumping into our table."

Alhaitham found no reason to argue any further, as Kaveh sat down Alhaitham took the time to bend down and pick up the shattered glass. At some point, his finger brushed against the side of a shattered glass. His hands were already stained in wine, so it was rather difficult to tell the difference between blood and alcohol.

Alhaitham didn't appear to care much, in fact, he watched as it bled down his slender finger. The strip intermixed with the dark color of wine creating an interesting mixture. He arose from the ground, his other hand placing the rest of the glass onto a spare napkin. He reached back for his handkerchief and pulling it out he was about to wipe away the blood. Kaveh had other ideas, he reached over and snatched it away.

"And dare I ask what that was for?"

Alhaitham asked irritated, Kaveh's smile had faded. There was a light blush at the corner of his cheeks from drinking so much, but he simply reached over with it and began to wipe the blood away for Alhaitham. It set him aback for a moment, but he never pulled away. It was only fair, after all, he had to clean Kaveh's cheek a few days before. Once Kaveh finished, he brushed his fingers gently over the wound in slow gestures. Almost examining if it continued to bleed if he touched it enough. Alhaitham interrupted his curiosity by clearing his throat, pulling his hand away he stole back his handkerchief.

"I didn't realize you had manners, thank you."

Kaveh leaned back in his seat, folding his arms arrogantly. He put his boots up on the table as if he owned the place. Alhaitham's calm expression instantly followed down into disappointment, what was he even expecting?

"Nevermind, I take back what I said."

Kaveh clicked his tongue and laughed wholeheartedly, he made finger guns in Alhaitham's direction. Holding a cocky smile.

"Can't take back this, I can tell you meant it too,"

Kaveh exclaimed with a wink, his eyes shutting closed as he felt relaxed in this position. To be fair it made him feel and look confident. Alhaitham shook his head and chuckled briefly,

"Trust me I can, back to that temple at least, also you're drunk."

Kaveh's eyes snapped open in a frenzy, he took his boots down from the table as he leaned forward shaking his head in quick motions. He appeared almost scared as if taking that statement seriously.

"You aren't being serious, are you? That place is such a hellhole why would you even take the time to drag my ass back in?"

Kaveh spoke confidently in the end, a smug little smile curved at the edge of his lips. Alhaitham nodded his head in understanding, Kaveh wasn't wrong. He hated him a lot, but not enough to waste his own time to that extent. He already wasted three days waiting for him to wake up.