Heart strings

Heck of a party Final: you

The party was less beaming, most of the people were either going to their frat house for the rest of the night and others just went home. The ones remaining were just dealing with dizziness, clumsiness and a leg or two spread here and there. Lauren walked tiredly towards the bar counter, again. The raccoon looked at her with a different expression than his usual smiling face. It was concern. His worries fell from his tongue. "Huh perhaps you should stop drinking, it doesn't taste like alcohol but there is alcohol in there...you are the toughest though, I respect that. You were the only one ...almost the only one to drink this much and still be conscious"

Lauren: "Bitch please"

Lauren just sat there and fidgeted with her phone, she seemed thoughtful. The raccoon couldn't help but talk. "Something the matter?"

Lauren: "I don't know man...I mean have you ever been in a situation where you seek for something that you deeply look for but that same thing makes your life hard?"

The raccoon looked in the distance before looking back at her. "It happens...more often that one can think. I am...was someone with nothing special, just a random guy amongst the crowd but I deeply envied the cool people (*sighing*) so I decided to be like them...for a while I was able to blend in you know...but it was also forcing me to be a me I was not...and it cost me...everything...(*looking at her with a smile*) What I mean is think about what you really want and ask yourself if it is worth destroying yourself for it...I did and...listen fam, act responsibly, you're young and surely smart enough to understand, you can stand up for yourself, you don't need anyone validation...and even if it hurts you don't need validation from close people either, parents included"

Lauren looked at him, he was right on certain point, although he surely was kind of projecting a lot. She sighed and closed her eyes before speaking again.

Lauren: "What's your name?"

The raccoon looked at her with a surprise look and it turned to a soft gaze.

?: " I go by Frederick, but my friends call me Freddy"

Lauren: "Nice to meet you Freddy"

Lauren looked at the raccoon who gave her his usual smile but this time it was genuine.

Freddy: "Nice to meet you too, Lauren"

Lauren: "wait I didn't give you my name..."

Freddy: "it's my policy to know every freshman so I know how to make their cocktail...part of the magic"

Freddy had a soft gaze on his counter, he was looking at a bottle of wine.

Freddy: "That's one of the only thing I do right"

Lauren: "oh... I see"

Lauren looked at the barman arms, they weren't as built as that of the dragon with whom she had fun some times ago, but they were charming. And his eyes, she didn't know she could be mesmerized by such jewels. The last time she was amazed by the eyes of someone it was those of Wyatt, they were piercing but the raccoon one were deeper, melancholic even...somehow trustful.

Lauren: "How do you do that?"

Freddy: "Do what?"

Lauren: "how do you make people feel at ease with you, trust you?"

Freddy: "I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you...but I can tell you this, people are just like this wine, they can be good, they can be bad but somehow they all taste different. When I talk to people, I can feel their inner wine...that helps me know who they are and how to help them...let's say my inner wine is blank and adapts to the one drinking...most of the times people forget me, ignore me or just remember my drinks...you are the first in a long time to have asked for my name..."