Kririn and Luke ran around with crates of alcohol as they were chased by Andre and Iron. Sami, in her usual corner, seemed to be sipping on gallons of milk in her pink panther form, crushing a few tables here and there. Cam at the bar table was sipping on a cocktail beside Warren as they chatted about their stories here and there. Andre was on the couch, being fed by Steph, and a few more guards from Warren's ward, who had helped with evacuations, had started to pour into the living quarters. As the chaos brewed, in the back of the kitchen, Eidra calmly whistled a small tune. She was brewing stew for the injured as she looked back, seeing the mess behind her. She sighed as she looked to one of her assistants, "Can you get the others and help manage this, please? I will be heading over to the medical wards to help Miss Mayella, and I would like the place to be a bit more organized when I come back." The somewhat nervous newbie looked at the chaos as she immediately nodded, saluting, "Yes, ma'am, I will do my best!" She then scurried off to round up the other maidens.
Eidra sighed as she finished up the stew. She drew her mitts and picked up the couldron of stew, placing it on the cart as the sound of metals clanking could be heard. Walking through the corridor to the right and out of the kitchen, she made her way down through the dark and dusty stairs of the underground floors of the living quarters. As she made it to the bottom of the torch-lit stairway, she opened the rusted-up door, instantly hearing the bustling noises of the nurses scrambling to heal the wounded. While it was all a celebration up top, the grim truths reveal themselves in the under levels of Uru. The many bloody corpses that were transferred out of the healing wards, accidents from explosions, and the victims that suffered grave injuries before everyone was evacuated out of the cave were being transported wherever they could find space. This made the entire medical ward an incoherent, jumbled traffic that couldn't be easily navigated. Eidra sighed as she leaned down to grab the bottom of the cart, before lifting it up right above her head and carrying it through the crowd. Bobbing past and making sure not to crash into the apologizing healers and doctors, she made her way toward the distribution center. There, a few Maids welcomed her as she waved towards them, placing the cart down and setting aside the couldron where the others could distribute it to the unwell.
Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her as she set aside two bowls for her guests. "Ahh, Eidra, it's been a while since you came around here. I'm guessing you're here for the boy and our surprisingly esteemed helper." Eidra looked to see who it was chuckling, "Well, you've certainly grown much more informal for someone who was working under me, that's Madame to you, you know." A tall, slim woman, with streaks of brunette slightly highlighted from her just black hair, and striking sea blue eyes, chuckled, "Please, it's been quite a few years since I've finished my training, and you don't seem to complain when the other brats treat you the same way."
Eidra sighed as she took the two bowls full of stew, before flicking the woman she spoke to on the forehead. "That's because I hit them worse when it actually matters, anyway, help me take one of these bowls, we are going to see Noa and Miss Mayella." The woman winced, clasping her head. "Oh come on, you do realize I got-." Edira held up her fist, handing her one of the bowls. "That's an order, Layla, now come on, I don't have all day." Layla groaned as she reluctantly followed Eidra, "Fine, I'm coming..."
They made their way through another crowd, as they could see a young girl with brunette hair and green eyes helping around with the nurses, and a black-haired boy with icy, dead eyes, who lay near the girl on a thin white bed with a dirty blanket, bandages wrapping around his head. The girl then spotted the two women approaching her as she exclaimed, "Oh, Miss Eidra and Miss Carmillo, what are yall doing here? Is there anything I can do to help?"
Layla chuckled a bit, setting down the bowl of stew for her, "Yeah, there actually is. Could you go grab a beer for me? It calms my nerves." Eidra sighed as she placed the stew next to Noa before glaring at Layla. "Layla, how many times do I have to remind you that drinking on the job is not allowed, you're dealing with people's lives here" Layla groaned as she headed out, "Fine, never mind Ariana, you can continue what you're doing, not like I won't sneak one after-" Layla was slapped across the face twice by Eidra before she could even blink. Arianna looked in stunned silence as Eidra silently sipped on some tea that she always kept in a magical bag. "First, it's Miss Mayella, you brat; second, your incessant need to drink has been irritating even 8 years ago, so hush up and get a move on."
Layla looked in a bit of horror as she stood back up and straightened herself, leaving quickly. Ariana then looked at Eidra in amazement, "H-how did you move that fast?" Eidra smiled as she glanced at Ariana, "That was simply the product of my own gift; it's a bit long to explain. I'm just simply here to check on Noa, darling." Ariana looked at Noa as her face shifted into a hint of worry. "His eyes are open, somewhat, but he doesn't seem to be in the present at all. I've tried to talk to him, but he hasn't answered me once." Eidra chuckled a bit, "oh don't worry, hun, he simply sleeps with his eyes somewhat open. Ever since I've known him, he's always been somewhat paranoid of the people around him, even near Luke, he's always kept his senses sharp, wether it was to protect him or not, I can't say."
Ariana looked at her with curiosity, "Umm, Miss Eidra. I have a question if you don't mind me asking....How did everyone become this close and cutthroat tight group to begin with?" Eidra smiled, "Hmm....I guess it's an interesting enough story to tell, we'll be here for a while though, so I hope you have the time...."
.....................................................................
"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"
A few hours later, Kirirn found Layala and dragged her towards the party. Currently, a drinking competition was happening as everyone was watching the finals. Luke, Andre, Iron, Sami, and many others were knocked out one by one. The Last three remaining were the heaviest drinkers of the party: Kirin, Warren, and Layla.
Layla laughed as she finished her 5th jug of mead, tossing her coat away as she excalimed standing up, "Hah! Come on, boys, is this all you got? You really wanted to put up with me?! In a drinking competition, please, I've never lost." In truth, though, she was close to her limit, but her opponents seemed to be too full to go any longer, so victory seemed to be in her reach.
Warren sighed as he pushed away his jug, leaning back and shaking his head. "Yeah, you win. There ain't no way in hell I'm having anymore, I might throw up if I do." His guards, as well as any of the cohort members who managed to stay awake at the time, struggled to cheer him on. However, he profusely refused to keep going, stating he had enough. Layla cheered, punching her fists into the air, "YES! Come on, baby, where's my trophy?!"
Suddenly, however, a loud slam was heard, and everyone turned to see who it was. Kirin held up his fifth cup as he waved it around in a drunken manner. "You...you aint won nothin...yet." Layla looked in astonishment as her jaw dropped. The crowd looked in awe as the whispers arose. "H-how, hasn't his max always been like 3, and he seemed to barely push four?!" Andre questioned furiously. Sami was clapping excitedly as she cheered Kirin on, and Luke wobbly approached him as he wrapped his arm around Kirin's shoulders. He then drunkenly exclaimed as if he were announcing, "On our left, we have the three-time reigning champion who's taken the crown of the heaviest drinker in our city, Layla Carmillo, who has taken the bottle of wine we only get every three years three god damn times by now! On the right, we have our fiercest competitor yet, who has been the only one other than Layla to cross 4 jugs of mead and has set a new record for himself! Today, we'll find out if Layla is truly unstoppable, or if the new rookie of the year can rip the crown from her head." He then fell unconscious, falling to the floor asleep.
Kirin narrowed his head, his face cherry red from his fluster. He slammed his fist on the table, slightly cracking it as he demanded two more jugs, one for him and Layla. A silence then brewed as the room grew more tense. No one could anticipate who would take the first sip, who would stand their ground first, who would win, and who would lose.
Layla sighed as her eyes glared at Kirin. "You god damn fuckign brat, you should have quit before you destroyed your liver for nothing!" She then immediately took the jug that was handed to her and started chugging away, every gulp building up anticipation. She seemed to be a bottomless pit, endlessly raising the cup as she drained the jug, before she came to a sudden halt. Everyone could hear the rumble in her bell before she slammed the jug down, and eight of it still there, before she ran outside, tightly sealing her mouth.
"She-....she didn't finish..." Everyone then looked toward the determined kirin, staring daggers into the Mead jug in front of him. He then grabbed the handle and the base, and with whatever strength he had left, he slammed it through his throat. Everyone watched in amazement as his little belly expanded, until the jup was in line with his back. After which, he slammed the jug down as he flailed his arms into the air, "H-here...C-c-comes the newww...CROWN BABY!"Warren sighed as he checked Kirin's cup, and his jaw dropped, "he...he finished it
The crowd erupted in cheers as they raised their new champion high. Cam, Iron, Steph, Andre, and Sami all jumped onto Kirin, wrestling him in all sorts of ways. After a few minutes of barfing, Layla entered back into the living quarters, grunting, "god fucking damn it, kid, how the hell did you get the stomach for that?"
As they carried Kirin to the legendary bottle of wine, Warren sighed as he got up, picking up Luke as well before splashing him with water, "Alright, you idiot, you know what time it is, we've got to head down to the office." Luke quickly woke up as he shook his head. "Oh fuck....ok think my heads back, how long was I out?" Warren looked at him before sighing, "You missed Kirin winning if that's what you want to know, but in any case, that's not to worry about. Get dressed properly and come to the office, we need to report, remember." Luke sighed before nodding, "Yeah, alright...Maybe I should have tried a bit this time, I could have shown off...oh well."
Warren and Luke went their separate ways. Luke quickly headed for his room upstairs, where he sighed as he took off his dirt brown coat and black sleeve, revealing an intricate black floral design spanning across his right arm. towards his neck, at least the part he covered, revealed a black rose. In its center, a black obsidian heart could be seen, emanating a deathly presence.
Luke then softly smiled as he made his way to his closet. At the very back, a black book could be seen, almost camouflaged into the wall. He took it out as he opened it, revealing a small folded-up picture of a wolf woman, just like Luke; however, her eyes were a sapphire blue, and her fur was a pristine white with streaks of red designed throughout her. She was in a beautiful emerald dress, and behind her was a children's academy. Below her was a younger Luke in black tank shorts and a dress tee with a black vest and red bow. Behind Luke was a man in a black tux with a white bow and an intricately designed cape wrapped around all of them. They were all smiling as the younger person held up a certificate.
Luke sighed, "Man...it's really been ten years, huh...."