Living the High Life

Of course, naturally, it would be him that
had to go home alone. For a majority of the night, Elias had been spending his
time enjoying what was a general consensus of perhaps too much alcohol in some
dingy alleyway bar. He was as elegant as barflies could have been, considering;
but even though he was alone, that didn't mean there wasn't a party. In fact,
the current location was as rowdy as these things come in. God, someone could
get smacked right upside the head with a chair if they didn't
watch their back close enough!
Eventually, though and as all these things do, the ruckus
began to die down, and the man embarked on his journey through the streets of
Bethnal Green to half-stagger home, to the Society. Slummy streets were slowly
beginning to become more dignified buildings as he walked, but Elias had too
little of his wits to take notice.
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie
pulled on his coat as he strode towards the main doors of the Society when one
of the lodgers opened the door and stumbled inside.* 
... Elias?
Decipherer:  Elias
looks rather relieved as he leans his back against the door and breaks into a
fit of laughter. Sometime while doing this, he glances towards Hastie and
offers a small wave. "Hey there!"
Hastie Lanyon:  ... Are
you alright?
Decipherer:  His words
are broken up by laughter and an occasional hiccup, "I'm wonderful!"
Hastie Lanyon:  *He
carefully walked closer to Elias.*
Forgive my rudeness, but... are you drunk?
Decipherer:  Elias only
briefly appears embarrassed, and when it leaves, another smile takes its place.
"... Just a bit."
Hastie Lanyon:  Well, you
haven't been drinking alone, have you? The only thing worse than a bad drink is
the lack of good company.
Decipherer:  He shrugs,
though his voice betrays his enthusiastic gaze. "Do I need anyone else?
Haven't before!"
Hastie Lanyon:  Tsk tsk.
*Hastie took out his pocket watch and checked it. He could take the night off,
couldn't he?*
My friend, you have a lot to learn in the art of drinking.
Decipherer:  Elias
snorts. "What, d'ya wanna join me, then?"
Hastie Lanyon:  Join you?
I'll teach you. Would you care to join me to my house? It's not far.
Decipherer:  Elias
doesn't seem to pause to consider it for even a moment. "Sure!"
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie
looked him up and down, a slight grin on his face.*
I do hope you can walk.
Decipherer:  Elias
rolls his eyes. "I'll be fine!"
Hastie Lanyon:  Alright
then, wrap up! It's a bit chilly outside.
*He opened the door and waited for Elias to pass through before joining him out
on the street.*
Decipherer:  Elias
completely ignores this and follows Hastie outside.
Hastie Lanyon:  *The two walked side by side under the glowing lampposts.
Elias was a little unsteady on his feet, but steady enough to walk on his
own.* 
So... how do you find your stay at the Society?
Decipherer:  Elias
visibly lights up at the question. "It's been great!"
He pauses, adding as an afterthought, "Even though I got chloroformed to
the face on my first night."
Hastie Lanyon:  Chloroformed
to the... well, it hasn't had any bad effects on you that I can see, at least.
Decipherer:  He
chuckles. "Fair enough."
Hastie Lanyon:  *They
walked in a comfortable silence. When they got to his house the they were
greeted by Hastie's butler, who then took them to the sitting room. A bottle of
fine wine and two glasses were served not long after.*
Decipherer:  Elias
chuckles, flashing another smile as he crosses his arms and stares into the
wine. "Really livin' the high life, then, aren't you?"
Hastie Lanyon:  Why, of
course. Chances are I'll be dead in a few years, might as well have fun while
I'm still alive.
Decipherer:  Elias
tilts his head questioningly. "And why is that?"
Hastie Lanyon:  If the
proletariat doesn't get me then something else will, just you wait and see.
Decipherer:  He snorts,
taking a sip of the wine with an amused smile. "Right, naturally."
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie
leaned back in his chair.* Laugh all you like, but they're a wicked bunch. *He
smiled and took another sip of his wine.* How about you? Are you going to grow
old and wrinkled?
Decipherer:  Elias
shrugs, his hands moving wildly as he speaks. "Assuming I don't get
murdered, sure!"
Hastie Lanyon:  Hm...
Let's hope you won't get murdered then, yes?
Decipherer:  He leans
back in his chair with a smirk, twirling his glass between his fingertips.
"That'd be for the best, yes."
Hastie Lanyon:  Anyway, I
didn't bring you here to chat, did I? What we are drinking now is a fine wine,
expensive I'm sure, best enjoyed in polite conversation. *He downed the
remainder of his wine.* But honestly, who has time for that? *Hastie got up and
walked to a cabinet in the corner of the room. When he opened it he revealed
about a dozen bottles of liquor.* So, where do we start?
Decipherer:  As it's
brought to his attention, Elias begins to drink more of the wine, moreso out of
the guilt that he'd been ignoring it. But, as he sees the liquor, he sputters
and nearly chokes on it. "... Wow."
Hastie Lanyon:  Now, rule
number one of drinking: never drink alone. It looks sad, and looking sad will
hurt your reputation, which in turn will kill you. *He pulled a bottle of gin
from the cabinet.* Rule number two is to never drink bad liquor. It simply
isn't worth your liver. *He also grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and
walked back towards Elias. Rule number three... *he set the glasses on the
table and filled them.* Enjoy.
Decipherer:  Elias
watches and chuckles almost out of disbelief at the display. He sits fully
upright and takes one of the glasses, grinning at Hastie. "That's an
interestin' set of rules to drink by."
Hastie Lanyon:  I should
hope so, I made them! *Hastie takes the remaining glass and raises it.* Cheers!
Decipherer:  He
snickers and raises his own glass, before taking a long drink. He smirks down
at it and clears his throat, "Heh, strong stuff."
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie downed the glass ad set it back down on the table
before refilling both of their glasses.*
It most definitely is!
Decipherer:  By the time they've had multiple glasses, Elias is an
even greater mess than before. Presently, he's rather poorly describing a story
from his younger years: "And I say, to... To this guy, I said, 'you're
crazy!' An'... And he went nuts!"
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie had taken off his jacket a while ago ("Who
needs to look proper?!") and was now leaning forward, listening intently
to the story Elias was telling.*
Wha- no really? Wha't'd ya do then?
Decipherer:  Elias
waves his hands somewhat sluggishly as he speaks. "He -- well, he punched
me! Right, right there, on the face. An' I kicked 'im, y'know, ri... right
between the legs!" He bursts into laughter, grinning proudly, "Out
like a light!"
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie
chuckled into his glass before downing the remaining liquor.* Bars really are a
lot more exciting than soarés.
Decipherer:  Elias nods
eagerly, setting his own glass down for the time being. "Oh, definitely!
Y'know, one time, I... I saw this lady smack someone. Right on the head! With a
chair. And -- and it started this giant fight!"
Hastie Lanyon:  *Hastie raised an eyebrow at him.* Really? Why?
Decipherer:  Elias
shrugs, resting his chin on his hand. "No idea! The place was crowded, an'
--.. I don't know!"
== Obtained From ==
Drinking Buddies
Category:Side Story
Category:Character Side Stories
Category:Tales from the ER