Tipsy/Faded

"Tipsy/Faded" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread written on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
Akkey Black/Jin Juro: Akkey landed suddenly in the middle of the table next where Milae sat with his companions, surprising everyone seated around and causing at least one of the older deer half breeds to fall over and faint. The nix didn't seem to notice and hopped off nimbly, her face already suspiciously red under the setting sun as she went off to wherever she was heading to.
"She keeps popping out of nowhere and scaring the elders out of their pants," Juro piped up from Milae's other side while they were distracted by the half breed, and they jumped out of their own skins at his appearance. Nobody saw where he came from. The lanky blond grinned and eased himself into his seat, "Hello!"
Yun Milae/Bhaem/Tulli: Milae went completely unfazed by both appearances while Bhaem slammed the table in shock and Tulli made a chittering squeal, grabbing Milae’s upper arm. “As if you don’t do that,” Milae chided him, but he still smiled. “Juro, these are my friends from...the old days. Bhaem, Tulli, this is Juro. He is a...scribe, a record-keeper, of sorts.”
“Oh, g-g-good to meet you, J-Juro!” Tulli’s massive ears poked out from around Milae, and Bhaem only nodded, giving Juro a shrewd once-over.
Juro: "I came from somewhere else to pick up a few things. She, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered to walk the twenty steps from one end of the table to the other," he replied, a self satisfied smirk dancing on his face, before turning to Milae's friends. He knew of them, but never actually met them.
"Hello there! Pleased to make your acquaintance," giving both of them a friendly smile, tilting his head in greeting, "How goes the celebrations?"
Milae/Bhaem/Tulli: “It seems they’ve only just begun for everyone else,” Milae said in amusement, watching Akkey continue to wobble away; his ear flicked as he heard Blunt call her over. 
Bhaem rolled his eyes and leaned forward on his elbow, jabbing a thumb at Milae across from him. “For everyone else, he says. Mister Goat’s refusing to get drunk,” he said meaningfully, and Milae took a dignified swig of his non-alcoholic drink.
“That would be a disaster.”
“You’re the disaster,” Bhaem retorted, “the least you could do is be a fun one.” Tulli tittered while Milae bristled in good fun.
“As a seiðkonur--”
“Oh, shut up.”  
Juro: "Ah, well. I understand that," he nodded in sympathy, "That's why I brought my own samples from where I come from."
He reached from underneath the table and brought up a small, oddly shaped barrel with a knotted string around the neck, and curious brush strokes on the side. He pulled out tiny, plate like cups from his sleeve and poured out one for each of them. The drink ran clear like water, but there was a sweet smell and heat emanating from it.
"It's like a dessert drink we have, much like the bubble tea being served," Juro took one for himself and drank it in one go, hiding a twinkle in his eye just in time.
Milae/Bhaem/Tulli: The half-goat sniffed it suspiciously but ended up trying it, as did the other two. Tulli immediately lit up, humming in appreciation. “It’s good!”
“It probably won’t do it for me,” Bhaem said decisively, but he still finished it. 
Milae held his cup closer between his hooves, letting it warm him. “Well, do you have any important duties tonight, Juro? Or are you only here for the scene?”
Juro: "It mixes really well with beer," he nodded at Bhaem, "It gets fizzy so you have to drink it straight up."
"I am here for the party," with a big flourish of movement, Juro twirled the usual pen between his fingers and had his notebook open to a fresh page, "And for duties. Rebellion parties make for the best stories. Always." He grinned cheekily.
Milae/Bhaem/Tulli: Bhaem stuck out his tongue between his tusks as he thought about it, then he nodded and slid his cup back over to Juro for a refill to follow through with the suggestion. He got up from the table after he obliged, and then he nudged Tulli as he passed by her. “We should dance after I fill up. This is a good one.”
“Oh, me and you!?” she squeaked. “I d-do-don’t know how! They don’t dance in the dungeons...!”
“Well, I’m gonna teach you. Make up for those lost years. Come on.” Tulli hopped to her feet and skittered after Bhaem, waving to Milae and Juro before they were lost across the hall. Milae smiled to himself as he watched them go.
“It’s been a while,” he said to Juro softly. “I shall tell you their stories, too, so that they do not become lost as I once thought they were.” There was a true contentment and peace on his shoulders as he considered his old friends, and how fate had let them reunite against all odds.
Juro: He kept smiling down at the goat, but there was slight shift in his face that could have almost passed for fondness at Milae's expression, "That would be great. I look forward to it."
Juro tipped the jug to refill both their cups, drank his own straight then immediately poured another for himself, "So what have you been up to, hmm? I was half expecting you not to show up, actually..."
Milae: Allowing himself another smile, Milae continued sipping on his drink and then pulled a sealed letter out of his bag, holding it between his only two fingers for Juro to see. Stonegit’s name was scripted on the front.
“I got it.”
Juro: He raised his brows and immediately flung a hand up, and they landed on the ground of the Library temporarily. He leaned forward, another fire lighting up his amber eyes, intense curiosity practically emanating from his entire body, "You got it."
He grinned, "Can we read it?"
Milae: Milae had jerked the letter away in reflex when Juro moved, and he blinked in surprise at their new surroundings. He looked back up at Juro and shook his head while also looking gratified at his enthusiasm.
“Góðir guðir, no,” he said, reproachful. “Not while the demon it belongs to is still independent, for one. The less minds that know, the better. And for another, this was incredibly unique to obtain. I can’t get into it for fear of attracting his attention, but the bottom line is, if you, or anyone that can understand what this is, learns this before actually using it, our efforts will be made worthless.”
Juro: Juro pursed his lips, but relented and sat back up. It wasn't the first time he was refused information, so he didn't press it. Still, he couldn't help his disappointment and pouted a little.
He crossed his arms and hummed, "Okay, sure. So what are you going to do now? Do you want me to call the bodyguard? Do you even wanna give it to him? It'd be great if we did, I wanna get the tea about his side." He rambled evenly, not seriously but not jokingly either, the smile finding its way back on his face.
Milae: “I’m certainly going to ask about his intentions. He handled the Warden’s name poorly, but beyond that, I believe he understands many of the risks involved.” Milae did make a bit of a sour expression, though it was harder to tell due to the non-human nature of his face. “I suspect this will end up in her hands, now that I think on it. I do not appreciate that. But if anyone is powerful enough to have an archdemon at the end of a leash, it would either be her, or her sister, Sol.”
Juro: "Hmm, okay," he nodded thoughtfully, but he still sparkled with a misplaced excitement despite the nature of the situation, "So after Fall Fest we'll go have a little talk with Stonegit, and take it from there."
He pulled something in the air again and they were back on Haligan once more, still sitting in the same spot, like they hadn't left at all. Milae's drink had gone a little cold, though.
Milae: “Thank you.” He downed the rest of his drink while the older half-breeds next to him finally got up and scurried away out of exasperation. “You don’t necessarily need to put yourself in harm’s way, you know. It’s something I can handle alone.” He paused before saying, “I’d rather you not get hurt in all of this.”
Juro: He twisted the corner of his mouth in a usual smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes this time. He refilled Milae's cup immediately, "I won't get hurt, don't you worry about me. I'm kind of really difficult to injure, actually. Until Hel calls me to a job I am here for the ride."
He drummed his fingers against the table once, "I thought we already established that you aren't alone, hmm?" He said, his amber eyes flashing again before he swallowed his own drink.
Milae: Milae circled a finger around the small rim of his cup, making a tiny, scraping bell-like noise. “To a degree. Yes.” His words were clipped with self-consciousness. 
Juro: "You aren't. And you should act like it," Juro hummed, the words sounding harsh but his tone almost fond. And sad. But still his face never changed, "Starting with accepting my decision to tag along."
Milae: He took a deep breath, staring down to hide his face from Juro again, and he slowly got to his feet, almost abandoning the rest of his drink before thinking better of it and finishing it off all at once. “I suppose I can live with that,” he finally said, sliding the small cup back across the table to Juro and meeting his eyes again. They were an odd pair, with odd pasts, and strange traumas. Record-keepers and explorers of time itself, two sides of one coin, the dark of Valhalla and the light of Hel. They danced around each others’ stories like two slow, lazy fish in a dark pond, keeping their distance and their peace, but always moving, always working, for fear of being unable to live once stopped. Always assessing threats and dangers.
Maybe not realizing that it was safer to school. 
He blinked to clear the haze of thought out of his eyes and found his friends across the hall. He looked back at Juro, a bit apologetic.
“I should get back to them.”
Juro: He locked his eyes into his, the usual mirth gone for a moment as he stared so intensely, as if he was capturing that frame into his mind. Then he blinked and nodded with the lazy grin again, "Go ahead. I'll be around hunting for some stories." He stood and waved him away, pen already in hand for his next victim.
The Changeling: As he walks away Juro gets a familiar sense of dizzyness and Milae feels it too, probably for the first time in his career as a timeline hopper, as there is a flash of teal light followed by a loud crash as someone lands on the table. "Owww." It grumbles as it sits up rubbing it's head. It is a female dog half-breed, but what is most noticeable is the familiar tattoos on their body. As they finally open their eyes to glance at their surroundings they instantly see Milae.
"...Well shit."
Milae: The goat stood absolutely shell-shocked for several seconds, his eyes flicking over the Changeling’s markings, and then he strode forward and gripped the demon by the wrist, yanking them off the table. A stream of slightly-inebriated ancient language spilled from him as he dragged them towards the door of the hall.
“Ég sver við alla fjandans guði í Valhalla, you will explain to me what exactly you did and where you went,” he said heatedly, “and I’m going to fix it, tonight, með helgu blóði nornarinnar.”
The Changeling: They grumble as they are dragged off. "For Grandma's sake, I didn't even do anything. I was just exploring." They let themselves be dragged along for a few more feet before they pipe up again. "You know I'm letting you do this right? Like I'm way stronger than you. Okay, just so long as you know."
Milae: Milae ignored and shoved the demon outside and grabbed their arm again, his own scars pulsing and glowing erratically across his fur and through his shirt. “This is not a game,” he growled. “I bled for these. I died for these.” He jabbed a hoof into his sternum, making a ripple of light cascade over his seal. “This is my hell, and you treat it as tourism?”
The Changeling: They him as they think about his words. "Mmm that is what I was doing, yes."
Milae: “I–” Milae looked like he was going to explode. He bared his teeth, and there was a teal glint in his eye as the light intensified around him. “You demons are all the same. Meddling, filthy, arrogant, selfish spawns of Hel, dýr án samvisku…I ought to have the Norns wipe you off the face of the earth. This is unforgivable.” A few of the rebels were gawking out of the front door at the two of them, and the public attention only made his warm fur hotter. 
The Changeling: At this they frown and rip their arms free from his grasp. “Now you fucking listen.” They said, venom dripping from each word. “It’s not like I went, let’s see how bad I can fuck over Milae and the rest of the time stream. It’s not like I went around seeing what kind of trouble I could go cook up. But that’s not really why you’re mad is it? You’re mad cuz you aren’t some precious fucking snow flake anymore with the the special power that only you have. Well guess what, suck it the fuck up. Did you ever consider that maybe, just maybe, having more than one person who is able to do this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage? Or were you too far up your own ass of a hero complex to ask for help?”
Milae: “You don’t deserve this!” Milae cried out, further drawing the attention of more rebels. “You cannot just…take what…was given to me, it wasn’t meant for you to have! This isn’t a world you can understand, no one can. This is beyond you!”
The Changeling: They frown and just shake their head. “Thank you Milae.” They mutter. “Thank you for proving my point. Who cares if I ‘deserve’ it or not.” They say, making air quotes. “Why does it matter if someone deserves their power, rather than how they wield it?”
Milae: “No, you don’t…” He grabbed the Changeling’s wrist in the middle of their movements, but it was less restrictive and more desperate, like he was using them to stay standing. “This is not your responsibility. This is mine. Whatever you do. It will be on my shoulders. And I cannot…control you.” It pained him to say it. “You will ruin everything. Please.”
The Changeling: They sigh as they can feel the desperation rolling off of him. They gently take his hand in theirs. “Milae, it is not good for you to continue all alone. The weight of the world is a heavy load to carry. Let alone the hundreds, the thousands that you have visited. Eventually you will give out under the strain and we will lose you. It’s not so bad to receive help Yun Milae. It is not so bad to rest. Instead of worrying if you can control me, trust me.”
Milae: “I can’t.” Milae shuddered and hung his head. “You can’t be trusted with this, it…”
He felt a small pair of arms wrap around his middle name from behind, and when he grabbed at them in surprise, he felt Tulli’s thick fur, and he silently squeezed her arm, shutting his eyes.
“Quit yellin’ and whinin’,” he heard Bhaem say gruffly. Milae hadn’t realized their scene had drawn the attention of both his friends. “You’re lonely and sad and you think all this special bullshit helps? It makes it worse, idiot.”
“I know that,” Milae said through a thick, closed throat.
“Then…” Bhaem whapped him on the shoulder, making Milae look at him. He gestured at the Changeling. “Think for a second. Look at this. This would take such a load off your stupid goat back. But instead you just go pissin’ around about responsibility. You need a damn vacation.”
“But you don’t know what you’re doing,” Milae protested towards the Changeling.
The Changeling: “Then teach me.” They said simply, still holding his hands and projecting a soft comforting aura.
Milae: Milae wrinkled his nose and looked down at the Changeling’s paws around his hooves, curling his fingers in slightly. “It is dangerous,” he finally mumbled. “I will…I will sleep on it. Gods help us if the Norns find out…” He hadn’t seen them in weeks, in fact. It was a blessed lack of distractions, but the length of time was starting to worry him.
The Changeling: They nod and let go of his hooves before wrapping their arms around him in a hug. “You deserve a break Milae. Starting now, go enjoy the rest of party.” They pull back and smile at him before letting him go and start to head out, planning on following their own advice.
Milae: He watched them go, and then he turned to his friends, still holding Tulli’s hands, as she refused not to make contact with him. “I think I’d like to get drunk now,” he muttered to Bhaem, and the boar’s eyes gleamed.
“Have I got the beer for you. That Blunt guy brought in some heavy stuff.”
Before they could walk off, someone crossly spoke up from behind them. “Are you youngsters quite finished yelling now?”
Milae’s heart stopped and he turned around. There was an elderly half-breed sitting amongst several small pups playing around her outside, and she wearily got to her feet and dusted off her paws.
“Gran?”
Her silver, furry moustache quirked and she stepped forward at the same time Milae did. “Boy.”
He gripped her ashen, silvery paws gratefully and looked up at her in shock. Despite her age, she was still far taller than him, and proud and stern as ever. “I don’t believe it…you came to the Rebellion?”
“Visiting for Fallfeast,” Gran corrected him, making a motion towards the children around them. “A trip to great Haligan did us some good.”
“It’s dangerous here,” he said urgently.
“Don’t give me that. It’s dangerous everywhere, boy. It seems you made your home well enough here.”
“You could say that.”
She lifted the edges of his cloak away from his sides, inspecting the fabric, and he saw the hint of a grin under her whiskers. “I told you this would do you some good.”
“Yes, it did. Thank you.”
“Giving Central the good old spanking they deserve, I hope?” she said briskly.
“We’re hoping to,” Bhaem grunted, unfamiliar with the context of the conversation. Tulli nodded quickly. Gran eyed them and harrumphed.
“You’d better. It’s harier than my arse the further east you go. Factions. Raiders. Monsters. People are talking about you all. You’re their biggest hope.”
Milae was used to the feeling, but not being openly expressed to him, of all people. “The Chief and the Commander are strong,” he said. “We’ll move out soon. They won’t know what hit them.”
Gran released a satisfied breath through her canines, a hiss that held the touch of a lust for war that had long been put to bed by age. “Good,” she said simply. “Give them Hel.”
She trotted back to her spot, leaning up against the outside of the Great Hall and lighting a pipe while half-breed pups continued to wrestle and chase around her.
Milae turned and faced Bhaem once more, a new energy in his eyes. “I’ll hold off on the drink for now. I have a letter to deliver.”