[ the hand on his arm doesn't go unnoticed, but he also doesn't call attention to it. instead, roy keeps talking, though his tone grows progressively more exasperated as he does. ]
We may need it.
[ because, as they walk, there is definitely a crowd of people heading in the same direction that look as if they're the proposed entertainment. bards, and the like, who are about four drinks deep and ready to sing to the best of their ability. ]
What's the rate of currency, here, again? Gold? [ roy remains useless. ] I'll bet a piece of whatever it is that the young man in the purple hat gets kicked out before the night is through.
[ her attention does fall to the others wandering in the same direction. she's never really been a crowd person, so it doesn't exactly excite her that they're about to enter a crowded bar, but at the same time her curiosity is piqued. ]
Gold. [ riza answers, still looking over the four bards settling into their spots. with her hand on roy's arm, she lets him lead her to wherever it is they're going to find seats, making a thoughtful noise. ]
I'll take that bet. [ and then, when she looks back to him it's with a small smile. ] The blue vest will be kicked out first. For starting a fight on the purple hat's behalf.
the challenge causes him to look again, at the crowd, but the (admittedly also drunk) person in the blue vest is no more or less intoxicated than the rest of them. and they don't appear to be particularly connected.
but the challenge is set, and it's too late for him to change his guess now, so, after a moment of careful analysis where he doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary, roy steps aside to allow riza her pick of whatever seat she would like, to say: ]
Deal.
[ roy mustang is going to lose this bet. he's already made his peace with the loss of his gold coin. and once he's settled in his own seat (at a table in the corner of the place, to avoid some of the chaos, and allow for a proper view of the entirety of the room, because old habits die hard or not at all): ]
Out of curiosity, why the one in the blue vest?
[ he may as well know why he's going to lose before he loses. ]
[ she could see his curiosity pique as he looked over, suddenly uncertain of his own assessment. needing to know what he missed. riza feels her smile linger as she settles into the chair.
they're far enough in the corner to be unbothered, and she couldn't have picked a better spot if she tried. especially knowing, now, that there is an investment in entertainment.
at his question, she shrugs, leaning back a bit in her seat to glance over to the group as they begin to tune their instruments, almost ready to begin playing. ]
Look at the table closest to the purple hat. And look at the figure at its 6. [ her eyes move to the bar, then, looking for an attendant even as she continues. ] Then see how many times the blue vest looks at him. It's just a guess but. [ a shrug.
seeing things like this, always, is what has gotten her as far as she is. it really is an unfair game to roy, though the fact it's people, and close up, makes it more balanced. he can read people much better, but she notices details. like the tightening of a grip around a lute's neck, or a forced smile. ]
[ he leans slightly to his right, his shoulder resting against hers as he peers where she's looking. and, sure enough, roy sees the details she does, his eyes scanning the band quickly. and once he spots them, roy sighs (perhaps a little overdramatically), and shifts to pull a coin purse out of his pocket, withdrawing one gold coin, and sliding it to riza. ]
I'll just pay it now.
[ grumble, grumble. ]
I should know better than to challenge you at anything.
[ she leans a bit into him when he bumps into her shoulder, waiting for him to see it before she moves. while her smile does grow, it is almost imperceptible, her hand casually reaching across the table to slide the gold coin the rest of the way, pocketing it easily. ]
And yet you still do. [ chiding, of course. playful. ] Do you need me to pay for the drinks, or...?
[ how much money is he prepared to lose at bets tonight, anyway? ]
[ he almost sounds indignant, at the thought. he can buy dinner, thank you very much. but his eyes are still on the individual in the purple vest, because the moment riza turns out to be wrong, you can bet roy is demanding that gold coin back.
it's the principal of the thing.
and, to prove it: ]
I'm not planning on making another stupid bet in the next handful of hours.
[ he does sound indignant, but riza simply smiles at him, knowing that he's not looking at her. that his eyes are on the individual just to make sure what she said was right.
at this point, riza doesn't even care if she is right (though she is). this moment, this exact moment, is enough.
so she leans in a little closer to him, as if she's watching alongside, before her eyes flick over. ]
Probably a good idea. { her smile grows, just a bit, before she moves to stand. ] What do you want? We might have to get it from the bar.
[ she leans over to look at what he's looking at, even though riza knows full well what he is looking at, and roy sighs as she straightens to stand, to go get something from the bar.
defeated before he even started. the nerve. ]
Whatever you'd like.
[ easily enough, before he
slightly petulantly
places a few more pieces of money on the table, to slide toward her because he's paying for it, dammit. ]
I doubt anything in a bar can be bad once you've had a few drinks, so maybe start with that, and we'll forget the food soon enough.
[ and she will let him slide the pieces over, waiting for just a moment longer to make sure he's done before picking them up herself. ]
We are going to get food later, even if it means the rations I have up in the room. [ as much as she wants to deal with a blackout roy mustang, not tonight.
it doesn't take her long once she does make it to the bar, gathering two drinks - ciders, actually - before heading back to the table. the room seems to be filling, though, as she has to weave through something of a crowd before making it back to the table and sliding back in next to him. ]
[ by the time riza makes her way back over, roy has relaxed into watching the rest of the room. and, so when riza slides back in next to him, he has to adjust a bit so she can sit against him properly, as he reaches over to pick up the cider.
smooth. very smooth. ]
Interesting?
[ as he takes a drink, watching the people move through the room. ]
There's a woman who looks like a cat. Not sure if that's normal or not, around here, but I'm thinking it is, given no one's shocked at her ears.
[ as always, there is something to say about the easy way she slides right up against him, properly. that especially now, in the atmosphere of the tavern, something about the physical contact feels more right.
she shakes her head. ] No one seems shocked over anything here. Horns and tails are common, and these... [ she reaches up to flick at the back of her own ears, long and...well. not awkward, necessarily, but they feel a bit as much on her. ]
[ he glances over at her ears, but only for a moment -- before roy takes a sip of his drink. it's not the worst beer in the world, but definitely not the best... all the same: ]
I think I'm one of the few who escaped without being altered.
[ just a normal human wizard, that's roy. ]
They even gave me free pajamas to wear.
[ which he is not wearing because wtf are wizard robes?? no. ]
I'm insulted at your perceived lack of my own flexibility.
[ with a(n entirely dramatic) scoff, as he takes a drink of his own mug. but it is true... roy isn't entirely sure how he would feel, if his body suddenly changed. he feels rather fortunate, to be stuck as the same old him, without much fanfare. ]
I could definitely pull off being a demon, minimum. I even have the reputation to match.
[ he is 99% sure the devil of ishval has been tossed around more than once. ]
[ she watches his dramatics with little more than a raised brow. she's aware of the names he'd been given, and she's also aware of the names that hadn't been spoken aloud. but that doesn't mean she likes them - jokes and all.
but riza doesn't say anything about it. ]
I still don't think it'd suit you. Especially the colors. Red is just a little too...on the nose.
[ the raised brow causes him to pause for half a second, and roy is about to ask what? when riza continues talking. clearly not important enough to verbally mention, but ... ]
I like the color red.
[ mildly enough. ]
But not enough to become red. It might be a bit too much. A little too over the top.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( offline )
We may need it.
[ because, as they walk, there is definitely a crowd of people heading in the same direction that look as if they're the proposed entertainment. bards, and the like, who are about four drinks deep and ready to sing to the best of their ability. ]
What's the rate of currency, here, again? Gold? [ roy remains useless. ] I'll bet a piece of whatever it is that the young man in the purple hat gets kicked out before the night is through.
( offline )
Gold. [ riza answers, still looking over the four bards settling into their spots. with her hand on roy's arm, she lets him lead her to wherever it is they're going to find seats, making a thoughtful noise. ]
I'll take that bet. [ and then, when she looks back to him it's with a small smile. ] The blue vest will be kicked out first. For starting a fight on the purple hat's behalf.
( offline )
the challenge causes him to look again, at the crowd, but the (admittedly also drunk) person in the blue vest is no more or less intoxicated than the rest of them. and they don't appear to be particularly connected.
but the challenge is set, and it's too late for him to change his guess now, so, after a moment of careful analysis where he doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary, roy steps aside to allow riza her pick of whatever seat she would like, to say: ]
Deal.
[ roy mustang is going to lose this bet. he's already made his peace with the loss of his gold coin. and once he's settled in his own seat (at a table in the corner of the place, to avoid some of the chaos, and allow for a proper view of the entirety of the room, because old habits die hard or not at all): ]
Out of curiosity, why the one in the blue vest?
[ he may as well know why he's going to lose before he loses. ]
( offline )
they're far enough in the corner to be unbothered, and she couldn't have picked a better spot if she tried. especially knowing, now, that there is an investment in entertainment.
at his question, she shrugs, leaning back a bit in her seat to glance over to the group as they begin to tune their instruments, almost ready to begin playing. ]
Look at the table closest to the purple hat. And look at the figure at its 6. [ her eyes move to the bar, then, looking for an attendant even as she continues. ] Then see how many times the blue vest looks at him. It's just a guess but. [ a shrug.
seeing things like this, always, is what has gotten her as far as she is. it really is an unfair game to roy, though the fact it's people, and close up, makes it more balanced. he can read people much better, but she notices details. like the tightening of a grip around a lute's neck, or a forced smile. ]
( offline )
I'll just pay it now.
[ grumble, grumble. ]
I should know better than to challenge you at anything.
( offline )
And yet you still do. [ chiding, of course. playful. ] Do you need me to pay for the drinks, or...?
[ how much money is he prepared to lose at bets tonight, anyway? ]
( offline )
[ he almost sounds indignant, at the thought. he can buy dinner, thank you very much. but his eyes are still on the individual in the purple vest, because the moment riza turns out to be wrong, you can bet roy is demanding that gold coin back.
it's the principal of the thing.
and, to prove it: ]
I'm not planning on making another stupid bet in the next handful of hours.
( offline )
[ he does sound indignant, but riza simply smiles at him, knowing that he's not looking at her. that his eyes are on the individual just to make sure what she said was right.
at this point, riza doesn't even care if she is right (though she is). this moment, this exact moment, is enough.
so she leans in a little closer to him, as if she's watching alongside, before her eyes flick over. ]
Probably a good idea. { her smile grows, just a bit, before she moves to stand. ] What do you want? We might have to get it from the bar.
( offline )
defeated before he even started. the nerve. ]
Whatever you'd like.
[ easily enough, before he
slightly petulantly
places a few more pieces of money on the table, to slide toward her because he's paying for it, dammit. ]
I doubt anything in a bar can be bad once you've had a few drinks, so maybe start with that, and we'll forget the food soon enough.
[ sound policy, from future fuhrer roy mustang. ]
( offline )
We are going to get food later, even if it means the rations I have up in the room. [ as much as she wants to deal with a blackout roy mustang, not tonight.
it doesn't take her long once she does make it to the bar, gathering two drinks - ciders, actually - before heading back to the table. the room seems to be filling, though, as she has to weave through something of a crowd before making it back to the table and sliding back in next to him. ]
Anything interesting happen?
( offline )
smooth. very smooth. ]
Interesting?
[ as he takes a drink, watching the people move through the room. ]
There's a woman who looks like a cat. Not sure if that's normal or not, around here, but I'm thinking it is, given no one's shocked at her ears.
( offline )
she shakes her head. ] No one seems shocked over anything here. Horns and tails are common, and these... [ she reaches up to flick at the back of her own ears, long and...well. not awkward, necessarily, but they feel a bit as much on her. ]
( offline )
I think I'm one of the few who escaped without being altered.
[ just a normal human wizard, that's roy. ]
They even gave me free pajamas to wear.
[ which he is not wearing because wtf are wizard robes?? no. ]
( offline )
[ she laughs a little around the words, looking him over for another moment or two before shrugging and drinking from her mug. ]
Not sure you would have pulled off horns and a tail well anyway.
( offline )
[ with a(n entirely dramatic) scoff, as he takes a drink of his own mug. but it is true... roy isn't entirely sure how he would feel, if his body suddenly changed. he feels rather fortunate, to be stuck as the same old him, without much fanfare. ]
I could definitely pull off being a demon, minimum. I even have the reputation to match.
[ he is 99% sure the devil of ishval has been tossed around more than once. ]
( offline )
but riza doesn't say anything about it. ]
I still don't think it'd suit you. Especially the colors. Red is just a little too...on the nose.
( offline )
I like the color red.
[ mildly enough. ]
But not enough to become red. It might be a bit too much. A little too over the top.