Drink Up, Fall Down, Then We'll Do It All Again

[Abraham Grey]

~TAG WILLOW~

Abe knocked back the rest of his sixth drink... Or was it seventh, no, it was definitely his eighth... Who even cared any more? At least he thought he’d knocked it back, but quite a lot of the firey amber liquid had spilled over the edges of the glass and dribbled down his chin. He wiped his mouth with the back of one hand, belched loudly and had to concentrate quite hard on placing the glass back onto the bar without knocking it over or setting the room spinning with too vigorous movements. ”Urgh,” The alcohol hitting his otherwise empty stomach was making him feel quite sick, but if Abe had stopped drinking the minute he started feeling sick he would have stumbled home hours ago.

”Barkeep!” He called, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes and rubbing at them to try and clear his hazy vision. ”Get me ‘nother.” The slur in his voice was yet another sign that he was more than a few firewhiskeys past his limit. When the bartender didn’t respond quickly enough Abe wrestled his wand clumsily from the pocket of his robes and tapped it sharply on the bar, sending gold sparks skittering across the wooden surface. ”Oi! I said-”

The bartender gave him a look that said ‘you’re a regular and you tip well so I have to be nice to you, but you’re pushing your luck, mate’ or something to that effect. Unfortunately Abe was nowhere near able to pick up the subtle nuances of body language at this point and anyway he was too busy trying to lean across the bar and swipe a drink of his own to notice it. ”I think you’ve had enough, sir.” He said politely enough, even if it was through gritted teeth, as he pushed Abe’s hands away from the bottle of very expensive Veelan wine he’d been grasping for.

”Dun’ you!” Abe moved to poke the bartender accusingly in the chest, but his finger ended up somewhere around the man’s navel as he almost overbalanced onto the bar. ”Never min’.” He slurred, drunkenly admitting defeat about five minutes too late. Waving a dismissive hand he pushed himself up from the bar and stumbled away with all the grace of a hippo with it’s shoelaces tied together trying to do a waltz. Without the immediate prospect of alcohol his bladder had decided it was time for a trip to the little boy’s room. Not even falling into one of the pretty blonde waitresses (his ‘ello darlin’ was met only with contempt) on his way could distract him from this mission for long.

His bladder emptied and his pockets considerably lighter Abe should really have called it a night. Some small scrap of common sense told him that he couldn’t head back to the school in his current state, but he couldn’t face returning to his rarely used apartment alone. Not that night. Not when the whole point of getting completely smashed was to try and stop thinking about the oppressive tragedy that was hanging over him for just one night. Company... He needed somebody to take his mind off things. Willow’s soft curves filled his mind and Abe smiled to himself, the expression not entirely, but mostly, lecherous. It didn’t matter to him that the kind of service that Willow offered was completely out of the question at that point, he had to see her.

The strip club was dimly lit, nobody wanted to see who else was watching the strippers working their magic and more than once Abe tripped over the leg of a chair or table as he tried to unsteadily navigate his way across the room. Willow wasn’t on the stage, so she had to be back in the staff section of the club changing or taking a break or something. It never occurred to him that it might be her night off; he wanted to see her so she had to be here somewhere. ”Willow!” He called pitifully through the door, leaning against it so it would stop moving. He tried to knock politely and just kind of slapped at the door with his palm. ”Will-”

The door opened and Abe fell at the feet of the person who had done so. ”Oof!” He yelped, not looking up because he was sure the ceiling was spinning to spite him again. ”Mmm, Willow.” Abe mumbled, grabbing for one thick, trouser-clad ankle. Somebody grasped him roughly by the collar of his shirt and hauled him mercilessly to his feet. Abe found himself face to face with a man who could have made a brick wall feel intimidated. ”Yer not...” His expression was a mixture of confusion and a desperate attempt not to throw up all over the burly security guard. ”Urgh...”

[Willow]

Dress

It had been a long day and it was set to be an even longer night. It hadn’t been a strong night for tips which always made life that little bit harder for Willow and her shoe and dress habit. Still, she’d be able to slip away from the drooling crowds and into the back room earlier than she had thought she might. She was paid to take her clothes off; but part of the fun for her was putting them on again. She liked the feeling of fine material against her skin. There was only one thing that rivalled it.

The purple material hit her skin and hugged to her toned curves. She zipped the side of the dress and clipped the small hook and eye beneath her armpit. She twisted her hair around her fingers. She let it loose over her shoulders and clipped her fringe out of her eyes. She checked her eyes for make-up smudged and topped up her mascara. She licked her lips. She had no clients booked for the evenings, once she was done in the club she’d normally have a glass of wine in the bar, relax and head home not long after midnight. Tonight she wanted something, she had a buzz about her. She wanted company.

She slipped her feet into a pair of strappy heels and grabbed her clutch bag that matched from her dresser. Even if she didn’t make any money tonight, she could still have the fun she wanted. It wasn’t a difficult affair. The right expression with the right smile and the right tilt of her head. With one toss of her hair in the right direction and she would have what she wanted. The bar was full of desperate and willing men. They didn’t even have to look like anything, they just had to satisfy the need.

She sat at the end of the bar on the edge of one of the bar stools. She crossed her long legs at the ankles and surveyed the room. The barman would have her drink in her hand within the minute she had nothing to fear. She thanked him as he deposited her usual on the bar in front of her. She saw him then, making somewhat of a commotion at the other end of the bar, ”Abraham,” she said under her breathe and smiled. If ever the reliable client. She tried not to laugh at her stumbled away from the bar towards the toilets. Perhaps tonight was not his night.

She assumed anyway until she heard his familiar tones calling her name across the bar. Only when she searched him out he wasn’t looking her way. She laughed. Only Abraham Grey could get himself into such a muddle. She hadn’t seen him all that much of late and she’d heard rumours. She finished her drink in graceful timing before she swooped over to play the hero, ”So sorry,” she apologised to the burly guard, ”He’s with me,” she said snaking her hand around his shoulder and smiling up at the bodyguard, ”I said meet me in the lobby, honey,” she said apologising to the guard over and over.

”Come on,” she said into her companion’s ear as she lead him towards the fresh air of the night. She didn’t know quite where she was leading him, or maybe he would start leading her, all she knew was that buzz that she’d had five minutes ago was long gone.

[Abraham Grey]

And then she was there, her hand on his shoulder and her voice reassuring even through the drunken haze that seemed to be making it difficult to concentrate on anything for very long. She was like an angel. No, something much better than that. Sinful, but deliciously so. Abe straightened clumsily, his arm going around her waist more for support than anything else and he gave the security guard a smug smile. ”Sssorry sweetheart.” He slurred, looking incredibly proud of himself for keeping up the façade for the confused-looking bouncer.

As she leaned in to talk to him the soft, floral scent of Willow's perfume reached his nose. ”Mmm,” He leaned in closer still, the hand that he had resting on the small of her back slipping lower than was entirely decent as he did so. ”You smell good.” It was a line he could easily have pulled off under normal circumstances, but the slur of his voice and the alcohol on his breath rather undermined the poor attempt at flirtation.

”Where are we...” Abe trailed off, having to lean heavily on the petite blonde to remain upright as they walked away. The rush of the cool night air seemed to press in on fog of alcohol that was dulling his senses. The effect was hardly sobering, the number of drinks he'd consumed that night meant that even a good strong sobering charm would do little to combat the alcohol coursing through his veins, but it did seemed to dispel any illusion that Willow was helping in any capacity more than as a friend.

”Home,” He mumbled, giving her a pleading look as his stomach roiled once more. ”Take me home.” Apparating was out of the question. With this much alcohol in his system he'd splinch himself and if by some miracle he managed not to then the spinning, lurching sensation that was unavoidable when apparating would definitely cause the alcohol sitting so uncomfortably in his empty stomach to make a messy reappearance. Ironic really that moments before his empty flat had been the last place he'd wanted to go...

[Willow]

There was little less than a smile on Willow’s face as she excused them from the bouncer’s company. There were certain to be questions about it the next time he saw her, but they knew little of her life outside of Scores and they certainly didn’t know anything of her private life past what she did them as small favours. There wasn’t a member of male staff there that hadn’t been serviced by one of them at any one time.

”Let’s you get us home, honey,” she said with one final look to the bouncer as they departed. He was heavier than she had anticipated. It might have been due to the fact that he was using her like a crutch as she guided him out of the building and into the street, ”We’re at the club, Abraham. Honestly, how much have you had to drink tonight?” she asked him knowing fully well that the answer was more than a lot. He didn’t usually get I a state where he tried to get out the back of the club.

Willow looked around; she knew he was in no state to lead a disapperation and she had never been that good to risk taking a passenger along for the ride. She looked around and quickly spotted a London taxi cab with the orange light illuminated above it. She hailed it. There was no walking back to his place with the fifteen minute cab ride without traffic and it would be more hassle than it was worth to get him onto the tube. No, she always carried muggle money for just in case circumstances like these.

She aided Abe into the backseat of the taxi. The driver waited expectantly. She smiled at him but turned her attention back to Abe. She’d never been to his home before. Every appointment had either been at a hotel near the school, in London or at her flat, “Abraham you’re going to have to give me your address,” he mumbled an address which she reiterated to the driver and only wished that it was right. It would certainly be very Abe to get it wrong.

”What happened?” she mumbled against the top of his head as he settled against her shoulder, half drifting on as the taxi moved away. She gently soothed her hand over his arm. She wouldn’t do this for just anyone. The perks of being ones favourite and best customer certainly had its payoffs.