Catching up and breaking up (Dante)

[Henry Renold]

Henry wandered in to the Black Bear Tavern, nodding at a few Brotherhood members that he recognized but didn't know well enought to actualy speak to. That was how it was within the brotherhood- you didn't make friends, you just "knew" people.

The place was dark and dank, but it was actually one of the cleaner bars in the slums, mostly due to the fact that the brotherhood owned it and so had a little money to spend on it. The bar and tables were scarred with many cuts and dents from battles, but they did have a dull shine where they had been polished so well.

Henry pulled up a seat at the bar, ordering himself a mug of the cheapest ale they did and settling down to wait for Dante. The two of them had become firm friends fast having got through various scrapes together and Henry smiled as he thought of how he had wanted to fight him when they had first met. He hadn't seen him for a few days though and he was eager to find out what was going on in his world, for hsi own had been very exciting over the last few days. He eagerly anticipated the arrival of his friend, not able to think of a single reason the two of them might ever fall out.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante strolled into the dimly lit tavern and nodded to the few patrons he recognized. He saw Henry sitting at one of the many tables and smiled at him. He went to the bar, ordered a drink and pulled up a chair next to Henry. He hadn't seen his friend in almost a week now and wondered how he was doing.

"So Henry, how goes it?" He asked and took a deep swill from his tankard. When he had first arrived in town he had frequented the Ram but lately he could be found at the Bear more often. The ale was cheaper and didn't taste quite as sweet but he felt safer here. He could freely show his face here without having to worry about being seen as almost all the patrons were Brotherhood members anyway.

He and Henry had known each other a while now and they had done several exciting, dangerous things together. Dante was glad he had found such a good friend in Camelot. He knew that Henry must feel the same way otherwise he wouldn't have saved Dante from his fate in the gallows.

[Henry Renold]

[ooc: i have written this as though Henry is now out of the stocks, hope thats ok!]

Henry nodded from behind his tankard as Dante took a seat beside him, having drained his ale already he called for another pint before turning to make conversation with his friend.
"Alright?" He asked as a formality, expecting no reply. "Hows life?"

Henry explained what had happened to him in the last few days, from his trip to the apothecary where he had met and quickly got angry with Grace to his adventures with Gill that had left him in the stocks for three days.
"She's just so...stubborn!" He finished. He had been talking about Gill almost all night and Dante was bound to be bored -having not got a single word in- but Henry had barely ntoiced that she had been topic of conversation for more than half of the evening.
"It's just, that she's so "I'm so great working in the kitchens!" He imitated in a high pitched voice, "Look at me I'm Gill!" He took another swig of ale from his fourth mug that night, hiccupping loudly and banging it down on the bar.
"Another good sir!" He called, laughing at his 'wonderful' impression of the nobles and of Gill herself.
"Have you met Gill?" He asked Dante for possibly the third time that evening.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante listened intently for the first while while Henry went on about Gill and his spell in the stocks. He was easily keeping up with Henry alcohol wise but was larger, so he was getting much less inebriated by it. He snickered at Henry's impression of Gill, though he thought it to be far off. Perhaps Henry should lay of the booze for a few rounds, Dante thought but it was never vocalized.

"Yes, I met Gill, actually it was the night you got sent to the dungeons. She seemed pretty upset." He commented over the top of his mug as he took another gulp of it. He hadn't gotten to tell any tales from his life lately but he figured it would just be better to let Henry finish venting then he would tell him about his evening with Evie and meeting Grace and Gill.

As Henry went on about Gill a bit more Dante interjected, "I bet you love her." He chuckled a bit to show he was just joking, and hoping that his friend would realize it. He took a deep drink from his tankard, number five done.

[Henry Renold]

Henry's eyes flashed up from his mug of ale as Dante mentioned that he had met Gill.
"You met her? When I was in the dungeons? What were you doing? Why were you with her?" Henry was flustered and the drink was causing his temper to rise quickly. Despite being grumpy and often getting into a sulk, Henry didn't usually have much of a temper, and it took a lot to make him want to attack someone. But at the mention of Gill and Dante meeting, he was furious.

Luckily enough for both the men, Henry's drink was gone and he was distracted just long enough to forget his anger and the urge to fight. When he was happily seated with another tankard, he began again.
"Oh buh she hates me nohww. Did I tells you she actually throwed cabbage at myself?!" Henry slurred over his drink, pausing to take swigs every couple of words. He had probably mentioned this several times already but he had no recollection of anything past five minutes ago.
Finally Dante jumped in with a jibe. "I bet you love her." He laughed, clearly just joking with his friend, but as before Henry was drunk.
"What!?" He yelled, causing many of the Black Bears patrons to turn and stare at him. "Whaddya know, 'bout..mee?" He slammed his mug down on the table, sending the last of his precious alcohol sloshing over the table.
"Now looks!" He yelled again, picking up the tankard and banging it repeatedly on the table in front of Dante. "Its gone!"

In floods of tears and still yelling incoherable curses, Henry fled out of the pub. He was angry, confused and intoxicated- A deadly mix. Sadly Henry only made it a few yards down the street before he collapsed into a gutter in an alcohol induced sleep.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante put his face in his hand after Henry's unexpected tirade. As he heard the door slam shut and Henry's curses fade off down the street he looked up and almost every eye in the tavern was on him.

"What the hell are you looking at?" He yelled, his usually song-like accent taking on a hard edge. They all immediately turned back to their drinks and Dante rose from his seat and casually tossed a few coins to the bartender to pay for his drinks and he stepped out of the door. He had to talk, or knock, some sense into Henry before he hurt himself.

Finding him wasn't hard, he was face down in the gutter passed out only a dozen steps from the Bear. He called his name but got no response. At least one of them was sober to be reasonable.

He walked to Henry and called his name a couple of times without a response. He sighed and kicked his leg hard enough to rouse his friend. "Henry, what the hell is the matter with you?" He asked in a tone that was more annoyed than it should've been. "It was a damn joke. Lighten up."

[Henry Renold]

"Eurrgh" Henry moaned from his bed in the gutter. He was tired, achey and now extremely dirty. He hadn't the sense to be reasonable.

"Lemme up!" He yelled, trying to get up, and just slipping back down into a slumped sitting position. He started to laugh, but the intoxication meant he didn't really know why, and soon he just sat looking miserable.
"I needa go home?" He asked Dante, who stood looking at him, slightly annoyed. "Urgh my head!"

Soon Dante had Henry standing up and he began to stumble back towards his home. It was a long and arduous process that contained many falls and trips. Tomorrow Henry would be covered in cuts and bruises and probably wouldn't remember one of them. Still, the cold air and the long walk was bringing him back to his senses slowly as he sobered up.

"Thanks Dante." Henry said quietly when they reached his hovel.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante patted his friend on the back and nodded. "Don't mention it." He said, opting not to take a jab at Henry's level of intoxication. His last joke hadn't gone over so well and he didn't want to reopen fresh wounds. He helped Henry to the door and said "I'm coming back tomorrow to check on you." He said with a serious tone.

Henry was a temperamental boy, but he was a good friend. Dante thought that if he wasn't such a gloomy person he would probably have a lot more friends, but he didn't say anything. He simply smiled at his friend, said good night and made his way home to pass out in his bed, or on his floor.