For owlits

[blade_beam]

[ Cloud wasn't one for socialising with unfamiliar faces. Those that didn't know him put it down to that mysterious, Ex-SOLDIER bravado that he simply decided that he didn't want to waste time with unknowns. The reality was that being exposed to large groups of people made him feel uncomfortable and withdrawn. If he went out and was unnoticed he thought there was something wrong with him and if he went out and was inundated with new faces giving him attention then he felt claustrophobic. He couldn't win either way.

However, there was one place where he didn't feel that sort of discomfort - Seventh Heaven. Tifa's bar, as he had come to know it. And while Tifa and Barret were away on business he felt more at ease in this parochial pub than anywhere else in Midgar.

Dressed in his usual attire of black jeans and a high-collared top he sat perched at the bar, pouring himself another shot of whiskey from a bottle with a large sticker that read "Cloud's" on it. ]

Comments

I'M SO SORRY THIS WAS SLOW cat stuff is so gd hard in japan cries

[rhygret]

[ You know you frequent a bar too often when there's actual stickers for your name on bottles of booze. Like that's...that sure is something there, Cloud. And don't think a very certain patron of this fine establishment hasn't noticed that label either; Rhys might not be the most observant person in the world on a good day, but that's part of why he went and did the whole ECHO Eye thing and had one of his eyes scooped out and replaced by a cybernetic one. It affords him all sorts of neat information.

As well as being able to zoom in on whatever he sees to read very Telling labels. ]

...You must come here a lot, [ he pipes up, going for wry amusement as his lips quirk upwards in a tiny half-smirk. ]

Not a problem! <3 Hope kitty is ok!

[blade_beam]

[ For someone who had every reason to drink, Cloud wasn't as regular a drinker as the label insinuated. He had conditioned himself into liking whiskey as he'd convinced himself that it was a drink be-fitting the image he wanted to portray but even now there was still a hint of a warming shiver whenever he took his first sip of the copper-coloured liquor.

The comment caught him off guard when his mind had been drifting through nostalgia as he let the booze heat his belly. He turned to acknowledge the voice's owner - showing more than the back of his head for a change.

Cloud was an interesting-looking man, a balance of pretty, big, blue eyes and relatively angular, sharp features (particularly his cheekbones and chin). He could somehow appear to be delicate and harsh all at the same time. When he spoke, however, that country-boy Nibelheim accent softened his image greatly. ]

You have no idea.

[ He chimed back, picking up on the wry tone of the original comment. ]

;v; more like trying to get one

[rhygret]

[ It's a strange combination, those soft features amongst the rough exterior of his overall appearance. Rhys can't even boast skin that soft-looking, and he moisturizes before bed. So he's wondering just what this guy has going on that he looks so pristine. Maybe some sort of product?

..Bit of a funny accent though. That makes him feel just slightly superior. ]

Were you worried someone would drink it?

[ As to why there's a label on it, he means. ]

Oh, crumbs... good luck!

[blade_beam]

[ Honestly, Cloud wasn't used to having an actual back and forth with a total stranger. Was he being teased... or flirted with? He couldn't really tell - he assumed it was the former.

A soft, brief chuckle and the hint of the smile remained in a sort of amused smirk. ]

Yeah, you know how a post-it note will really ward people off.

thanks ;v;

[rhygret]

[ To be fair it's predominantly the first? But he's also pretty amused and intrigued by it too. Who labels their booze like that?

Apparently baby-faced merc-types with charming smiles. ]

Oh, totally. You definitely won't have to worry about all the borderline alcoholics in here trying to nab a drink.

Of course *n*

[blade_beam]

I'd like to see them try with me attached to it.

[ Cloud jested, but he was keeping the bottle rather close. That being said, he took the bottle and shook it gently asking. ]

Since you seem so interested, do you wanna try some?

[ Cloud didn't wait for a response, he leaned over the bar and grabbed a clean-looking tumbler glass for his new drinking buddy. Pouring our a generous shot he left it on the bar for him. ]

[rhygret]

Oh, that's uh--yeah, thanks. [ It wasn't what he'd been going for but Rhys isn't one to turn down what looks like a free drink. It's a pretty welcome gesture actually and the quirk of his lips turns a bit more genuine (not so pompous) as he nods his head and settles with his arms braced on the counter. ]

...I'm Rhys. [ It feels like he should say that. ]

[blade_beam]

[ Rice?

Cloud didn't judge the name, he'd had enough people mocking him for his after all. That being said, he did think it a little bit strange. ]

Hey Rhys. You probably figured out my name by now, right?

[ Picking up his own glass he gently clinks it against the one he offered Rhys before taking another sip. ]

[rhygret]

I've got a hunch. [ Which is of course, coy and obvious. Their glasses clink, and Rhys copies the motion and takes a sip of his own as he nods his head towards the bar. ]

You know the owner or something to get that kind of star treatment?