Pour Me Another

Writers: Clancey, Eimi
Date Posted: 17th September 2005

Characters: N'klar, Birigundi
Description: N'klar tries to help Birigundi forget he was left standing with his usual poison - drunkenness via wine!
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 7, day 20 of Turn 3

N'klar

Birigundi

Birigundi waved goodbye as his mother's ride lifted off the ground. He was glad for a chance to see her, and even more glad he had avoided the usual tearful profession of faith and pride that followed his failure to Impress. Demalia had been a great help at sparing him that painful experience. But now that he was alone again, the frustration of the Hatching came back to haunt him. He needed a drink... a good long drink... N'klar understood the sadness etched in Birigundi's shoulders. He'd not Impressed his first Hatching, either. But Birigundi had been standing for so many now.. He liked the young man, though, so he went right over to him after he was left alone by sympathizers and well-wishers alike, and took him by the arm. "You are getting drunk in my Weyr tonight, young man. And we might find some company on our way... " As he joined the Candidate, he thought U'kaiah would be helpful in this little adventure, but the man hadn't been at the Hatching. Where the shards could he have been that was more important?

"N'klar, I thank the Egg for a man of your thinking!" Birigundi said as he allowed himself to be led. "Just performing a service, lad. Its going to be alright, you know.." He said softly, calling Julerith to give them a lift. As they were taken up to N'klar's Weyr, the bluerider prodded Julerith to see if he could get Kalamath to fess up to his rider's whereabouts, otherwise, he'd take care of Birigundi all by himself!

"Get settled, Bir...Its going to be a long night, and I've got lots of wine. Best selection in the Weyr." He added proudly. "That's the best news I've had all day," the candidate said with a grin.
"Of course I would expect no less from _you_, N'klar."

N'klar grinned at that and showed the young man to a couch in his cozy and comfortable Weyr. It was only slightly untidy, and to the right was a huge cabinet full of wines. The bluerider chose a particularly delightful red wine, and sprawled next to Birigundi on the couch.
Tossing him the flask, he said with a faint smile, "First drink to you, my friend." "To me and my pretty white tunic," Birigundi agreed as he raised the flask to his friend before taking a long, drawn out drink. "Ah, that's good stuff. I'm an ale man, myself, but I have to say this is good."

N'klar's grin turned saucy. "I can relieve you of that pretty white tunic, you know.." Flirting was second nature to the bluerider, unwelcome, welcome, or not. As he spoke, he raised his own glass. "Ale!
Pah on ale. Ale gives horrible hangovers... but wine, wine is the dragonrider's friend." He raised his glass again. "To all those who did Impress, especially the gorgeous greenriders-to-be." "Hmm, I'm not so sure I like that one as much, N'klar," the boy said as he took another swig of wine. "All those beautiful girls off limit for months while I am as free as a proddy green flit? It's sharding frustrating!"

"Ahh, but there are plenty of beautiful girls available here in the Weyr, you know, and boys too.. " the blueriders said slyly, winking.
"Let's drink to those!" And he raised his glass again. "All right, to all the pretty available girls, and boys," Birigundi conceeded before taking another sip. "And all right, to all the new beautiful green weyrlings, that are even more sharding beautiful now that they're off limits."

"Ahh but my dear Candidate, absence will make the heart grow fonder and the nights longer once they are available..." He took a healthy sip of his own wine. "Got your eye on someone in particular, do you, Biri?" "Hmmm. I guess there is one girl I am disappointed Impressed in particular," Birigundi said after careful thought, "but there are a few others I'm disappointed about too. Doesn't much matter. I'm sure I'll find another 'particular' before they graduate anyway."

"Ahh! A man after my own heart, sort of.." he teased. Birigundi didn't swing _his_ way, he was pretty sure, but he was pretty attractive regardless. "Hmm... I could help you find another particular, if you like. Let's drink to that!" Another drink was poured down his throat, even while he filled Birigundi's mug. "Another particular? Nope. I don't need another particular." The runner was already starting feel a warm glowing feeling that was extending to the tips of his fingers. "I just need sex. Lots and lots of sex."

Mourfully, N'klar peered at the handsome Candidate. "Are you absolutely _sure_ you don't like boys, Birigundi? I volunteer to help you, if you do..." He laughed, and swallowed more wine. "Lots and lots of sex is always good."

"Unfortunately, N'klar, I am very sure I don't like boys as anything more than drinking buddies," Birigundi said with a mournful sigh. "It would be easier if I _did_ like both since that would give me twice the reasons to forget..."

"Well, Shards. No one is perfect!" the bluerider grinned and poured more wine. "Well, one thing I can offer you is one rousing good drunk.
Let's toast to finding non-Candidate ladies to offer that distraction...or getting so drunk we don't need the ladies, or the men."

"To all the available ladies!" Birigundi called as he raised his glass high in the air, sloshing a bit here and there before bringing back to his lips. "And I would appreciate it, N'klar, if you could leave the ladies to me for a day or two. I don't think I can handle the competition!"

"Bother! You're no fun Biri!" His words slurred a bit as he drained his mug for the umpteenth time. "I _like_ to share. But I'll take the men just as fast.. " He eyed the young man beside him for a long moment.
"You're lucky I can control myself, you know. And, truth be known, I sometimes prefer a good wine... and good drinking partners. But only _some_times!" "Well, I would prefer a good wine if one's in my cup," Birigundi said as he stared sadly down into the empty vessle. "Are we out yet?"

Aghast, N'klar stared at him in disbelief. "Birigundi, this is _me_.
What kind of question is that!? Do we have more wine!? We have as much as we need to get us so drunk we forget where we left it..."

The bluerider stumbled on up to his feet and walked fairly steadily to his pile of flasks.
**We'll be here all night, Julerith, love, make yourself comfortable..**

"Good, 'cause I am still remembering too much." Birgundi said as he stood up to follow the man. He found the standing was a huge mistake as the whole room began spinning violently. "Except one thing I can't remember. Where is the sharding toilet! Point me on my way N'klar or you'll be getting all your wine back right here!"

"Just th'ere..." the bluerider pointed to the necessary, but couldn't manage to rise to his feet. "We better keep drinking though, so hurry up. I think I'm still sober! And that is a tragedy!"

Birigundi ran to the toilet as best as his shakey legs could carry him. Luckily he made it in time, but spent a quarter candlemark paying for his hasty drinking. He emerged with a sheepish grin. "I guess I should slow down a bit, N'klar. That was a close one!"

"Bah! If you can make it, you're still too sober.. Drink up, lad." And the bluerider poured more wine, his hand shaking a little and his eyes going blurry. "I seem ta be drin'ing myself into a stupor often lately. Do you s'pose thatsa bad err.. habit?"

"Yeah, they say its not good to drink to much." Birigundi actually was feeling a little clearer after losing a lot of the alcohol from his stomach. He grabbed the wine and with a deep breath took another sip. "Of course, in the tavern sometimes we would get men who were just constantly drunk. We had a policy of cutting them off and kicking them out if they made too much a habit of it."

N'klar's eyes crossed as he looked at his house-guest. "What a ..*hiccup* tadegy.. err.. tradegy..err.. tragedy! I would have ta hurt you, you know, if you took me wine."

"Well, just make sure I'm here to monitor you," Birigundi smiled. Suddenly he seemed to be faring much better than his host. He decided to play with the poor man a bit. He knew it was cruel, but the runner needed a bit of fun right then. "Man, N'klar, is it hot in here?" he asked as he stripped off his tunic.

N'klar eyed him narrowly through several mugs of wine. "Now, Birigdi..Blast. You an' U'kaiah need easier names." He cleared his throat a moment. "Now, Biri. You should not take your clothes off in my Weyr unless you intend to share! Naughty, naughty candidate..." His words were still slurring a bit, but his gaze was still a bit too steady. "Well, let's have a toast to naughty candidates then." Birigundi topped off his glass and filled N'klar's to the brim. "To naughty Candidates like me!"

"Well who wouldn't drink to that?" And so he did. A few moments later, after some silence, the bluerider found himself unable to resist heckling his friend. "And just what else did you want to take off, and do I need to go find Sarian or some other willing lady to keep you company while you do it?" "If you find a willing lady, I'll take it all off. Here, to willing ladies!" the boy refilled the bluerider's cup and raised his half empty glass.

"Then we definitely need some willing ladies!" And he emptied his own mug once more.

Last updated on the September 17th 2005

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Pour Me Another