After Hours

**Date Started:** July 17th, 2021
**Date Completed:** July 17th, 2021
**Previous Role-Play:** N/A
**Users Involved:** User:Blackdagger, User:BQD
**Setting:** Clover Kingdom
**Characters Involved**: Nadia Silva, Kagura
**Other**: Unamed Bartender.

“Another ‘job’ finished…” Nadia Silva enjoyed the solitude that came after missions. As a Senior Magic Knight of the Blue Rose, as well as a member of House Silva, the tasks she could perform were near endless, but few times had they actually been enjoyable. Escorting ambassadors, entertaining both royal and noblemen, and the occasional dinner or two organized outside of even Clover’s realm. It was all quite taxing, really, and much more for a person like Nadia. A person destined for greatness, riches and glory. She’d been gifted since she had been born, yet now here she stood, a member of a squad rather than a Captain.

**SLAM!**

Nadia slammed her cup against the bar’s counter, causing the bartender to look in her direction. That solitude she enjoyed? She rarely had it elsewhere than in her own mind, in fact, she had so little of it that she’d ordered for the bar to be emptied before her arrival.. Much like every time she finished a mission, Nadia found herself in her “private” pub, rented through her own funds as a Magic Knight and her authority as a royal. Alcohol ran down her throat as if it was water, the girl showing little visible reaction to the alcohol. “I’ll take another one. Quick.”

But even in this place, with all her wealth and power, she could not quite find that solitude. "Na-Na! You're getting a little too good at that. I haven't even finished my first glass yet." A voice spoke out from the direction of the woman sitting in the stool beside her but with a glass to the woman's lips she couldn't possibly have said it, and she hadn't. The voice came not from the woman's lips but rather from somewhere near her shoulder. "

You gotta let me be better at something, what will I do if you take drinking champion from me?" The voice spoke again, though this time it had an origin. Kagura's left hand was raised up, her ring and middle fingers pressed against her thumb while her pinkie and index were held up almost as though she were trying to cast a shadow puppet of a dog on some unseen screen. Lowering an empty glass from her lips, her hand puppet moved in tandem with the disembodied voice. "Another one here too." It said, the girl turned her head toward the Silva with a smirk on her face. One Nadia was surely familiar with by now, the signature smile of her voiceless squadmate.

"Ehhh?" Nadia turned to look at Kagura. So cheery, it almost made Nadia puke, and she hadn't even drank that much alcohol. Her eyes narrowed at her comrade's appearance, how had it been so long, yet Nadia still couldn’t get used to it. Of the fact she couldn’t speak, at least not normally that was. “As a royal, I’m supposed to be better than you, Kagura. Don’t take it personal.” The bartender placed two cups in front of each of the girls respectively.

"I guess that makes sense." Her psuedo voice spoke as she raised her glass to her mouth, stopping just before the liquid touched her lips. "But I don't think drinking is the sorta thing most royals take pride in doing." She said, taking a big gulp of the clear liquid in her glass. Her eyes looked up toward the ceiling in thought, the alcohol slowly draining down her throat as she did so. "Well, unless it's that nasty rotting fruit juice we see them drinking all the time. What did you all call it again, Na-Na?"

"Even if you can speak whilst drinking, it's bad manners to do so. You know that, right?" Nadia responded, taking a small sip, espceially when compared to Kagura. "And it's called wine. W-I-N-E. Wine. It tastes better when you don't complain." Nadia said, quite seriously.

Relenting to her squadmate's words, she lowered the glass from her lips before it was finished. "Oh? It doesn't really cross my mind when I do it. Sorta like..." the voice hesitated, clearly looking for something to compare it to. "Like breathing, you don't really think about it till someone points it out. Then you start to do it on your own." She explained, the voice came from her puppeted hand, her chest beginning to rise and fall manually as she became aware if her own breathing like she'd explained. Swirling the glass in her hand she looked to the shelves behind the bartender, the wine bottles high up on the shelves. "As for this 'whine' stuff, maybe you're right. But the only time I've ever tired it I was reminded of that time someone let the fruit in the headquarters kitchen spoil and I didn't look before grabbing one." Holding up her glass for Nadia to see, her grin widened as the clear liquid moved in the clear container. "Now I wouldn't believe this was made from potatoes if I didn't watch some being made once. It doesn't taste anything like them, especially not spoiled ones."

“Bartender, bring us some wine!” Nadia ordered, taking another sip of her current drink. “I understand it is difficult but please keep it in mind. Blue Rose members need to be perfect after all….or as perfect as they can be.” Nadia sighed. “When was the last time we had an actual battle?”

Kagura bit her tongue inside her mouth, knowing Nadia was likely to make her drink some. And while she knew drinks always tasted better in good company, it often required the drink to taste good to begin with. At Nadia's question, Kagura's head swayed from side to side. "I got in a bar fight a month or so ago.... But I'll assume you mean on the job." "If that's the case, not for a long while. But that isn't so bad is it? Personally, I wish we got more jobs outside of Clover. Recently it's just been little local jobs here or there." Kagura stuck her tongue out at that, as though disgusted by the thought before washing it down with what remained in her glass before slamming it down on the table. "I wanna see the world! It's why I chose the Blue Rose Knights after all. Sure, we've been all over the four kingdoms but there's gotta be plenty of places we haven't seen yet, right?"

“I never understood that desire of yours.” Nadia side-eyed her teammate. “Surely, you know Clover is the greatest kingdom. No matter where you go in the world, there isn’t a kingdom like ours.” Nadia claimed. She drank the rest of her drink without so much as a change in her expression, before the two cups of wine were placed in front of the duo. “It’s always this way with the Blue Rose, it’s why I gunned for the Silver Eagles…tch.”

"It's not so much about better or worse, it's about seeing everything the world has to offer." Her sound magic produced voice spoke out even as her own eyes remained transfixed onto the glass of redish purple liquid in front of her. A look of reluctance on her face. "A-Anyway, you may not be in the Silver Eagles but once you're Captain of the Blue Rose you can change the direction of the squad however you want, right?" She voiced her support for her drinking buddy's goals, also trying to keep the subject off the wine in front of them for as long as she could. Two birds, one stone.

“Perhaps…and maybe that way I’ll be able to reclaim my place as the proper leader of House Silva, you’ve done well to remain in my good graces, that way you’ll be able to drink as much as you want, Kagura.” Nadia noted. “On that note, better drink that wine.” Nadia smirked softly.

"In your good graces? Aw, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Kagura responded with a smirk that faded when she turned her head back to the wine in front of her. Taking the glass in her hand, she brought its rim to her lips but a moment of hesitation was clear and evident before she finally worked up the courage to taste it. It was different than the ones she'd tried before, sweeter, but it only really served to mask to rotten taste underneath. But it was bearable, though even if it weren't she knew better than to waste a gift. Especially when that gift came in the form of a drink from her drinking pal. Downing a good bit of the drink, relenting and pulling it from her lips when the sweet taste was no longer enough to fight off the sour rotting taste. She sat the glass onto the counter, a look of discomfort flashing across her face as the aftertaste set in but the look faded as quickly as it had appeared.

"Thank you, Na-Na. It was different from 'whines' I'd had before." Reaching to her belt, she untied a gourd from her belt and held it up to the Silva. "For giving me a taste of the sort of things my sort wouldn't normally be allowed to taste I think it's only fair I return the favor." A wide, mischievous grin on her otherwise motionless mouth, "This is my own special brew, if it doesn't knock your socks off then next round's on me. We did just get back from a Job after all, coin purse is a little too full for my liking anyway. Throws off my balance."

“I’d rather not drink that, Kagura. Who knows what kind of…substances you’ve put in there.” Nadia interjected, shaking her head. She much more preferred wine, or well, it wasn’t so much that she preferred it as she had been taught that wine was good, and so, she’d always say it was good, a proper drink for a royal. “Speaking of our jobs…” Nadia interlaced her hands, resting her chin atop them. “Why did you of all people join this squad?”

With a shrug of her shoulders in response to her rejected offer she popped the cork from the gourd. The moment she did the burning scent of alcohol could be smelled coming from the opened hole. Taking a quick swig she replaced the cork and sat the gourd down on the counter with a silent sigh of content that carried the same burning smell, like she'd just exhaled an invisible flame. "The Blue Rose Knights?" Her disembodied voice asked rhetorically before continuing on. "Well, that's easy. Thought I'd told you before, but it was because they're the squad that travels the four kingdoms the most." She picked up the glass of wine and sipped it without thinking, a look of regret appearing on her face as she sat it back down with a shake of her head.

"I know I'm not exactly the 'diplomatic' type, I don't have any grand ambitions like you and that's why I can fully support yours. But I still have my own goals, my own dreams that being in the Blue Rose helps me achieve." She explained, leaning an elbow on the counter and resting her chin in her palm as her eyes stared far past the room they were in, looking into the past in deep thought. The thousand yard stare faded as a toothy grin replaced the more solemn look on her face. "I really gotta say, the girls aren't too bad a reason either."

Nadia leaned slightly forward, nose tingling softly. For some reason, the smell of wine was freshly intoxicating to her. The nose of a noble was able to discern the quality of substances such as wine, what it was made of, how much alcohol it had, all of it. Or perhaps Nadia was simply pretending to do something her parents too did.

"Leave those girls alone, Kagura. You're a little too old for them."

A look of pain crossed her face, as though Nadia's words had been given physical form and stabbed her through the chest. "O-old? How could you say something so mean? Especially after you said something so nice only a little bit ago?" She spoke, a puppy dog look on her face as she feigned hurt from the Silva's words.

"Besides, not every Knight is some rookie ya know? There are plenty of girls my own age... close to it anyway. Only a four or five year difference." She raised the glass to her lips again, forgetting once more what was in it. The taste of wine filling her mouth and turning her expression sour, though she didn't make the mistake of sitting it down this time. Instead, downing the rest of it so she wouldn't pick it up again.

"Gin and tonic!" She ordered from the bartender, pushing the wine glass away from herself before turning her attention back to Nadia. "Or maybe you're just jealous?" She teased, the look on her face making it clear she was far from serious on this topic. "You don't have to worry a single hair on your head, Na-Na. I'd never go out drinking with any of those girls. Don't wanna be carrying any of them home, such lightweights around these parts." Her chest rose and fall as though she were laughing but no sound came from her throat

Nadia scoffed in response, drinking the rest of the wine along with Kagura. It’d be disrespectful otherwise. “No, I’m not jealous, I’m superior to most, if not all members of our squad. I wouldn’t trust you with any of those girls either...” Nadia yawned loudly. Alcohol made her sleepy. “Did you know Feuer’s 25?”

Taking the drink handed to her by the bartender in her hands, she took a moment to listen to Nadia. "The Captain? I didn't. She looks so young, in the face anyhow. Weird how young these Captains are. Seem to be getting younger and younger every time we get a new one." Raising the drink to her lips she caught a piece of ice, the crunch of it under her teeth being the first sound to genuinely come from her mouth that night.

"The vice is twenty-two... Man, talking about it like that really does make me feel old." She leaned forward, resting part of her upper body on the bar as though she intended to rest her head on it. "What do you think of our Captain by the way? I don't think that's something I've ever asked you. I know you're aimming for her job and all, but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean you have to hate her. Does it?"

Nadia remained motionless initially, choosing her words carefully. “She’s powerful, quite powerful I may add, and the fact she’s become a Magic Knight Captain is respectable. I don’t dislike her, no, but I’m still keen on becoming Captain. Only then…will I be acknowledged.” @angri boi

"Maybe I don't understand because I'm not a noble so I don't really have to think about those sorts of things, but as long as you're aware of your own abilities and the skill you possess, I don't really see much reason in caring about being acknowledged." "But I know it matters to you for one reason or another, so I'll help out in anyway way I can. Legally of course, though I'll settle for questionably legal if you ask nicely." The tone of voice half teasing, sure that Nadia was sharp enough to pick up when she meant what she was saying and when she was playing around by now.

A stare of death came from Nadia. “I’ve learned to play by the rules, you should too, Kagura. I expect it, that you don’t understand. You see Kagura, my ancestors formed this great country, therefore it is my duty to make sure House Silva is still doing its best. And I believe there is nobody more capable than me.”

@Kagura nodded, unphased by the stare Nadia gave her, "Of course. I agree, though you're the only Silva I know so you could call me a bit bias on that front." Finishing her drink she sat down the glass and didn't order another, not right now. She didn't want to get drunk. Not tonight anyhow, a light buzz was more than enough right now. "So then, I imagine you have some kinda game plan? Maybe a schedule on how you'll become the Captain of the Blue Rose Knights?"

“….” Silence as Nadia remained looking forward, pondering whether to continue ordering or not. “Nope. No sort of game plan. I’m a simple person, I thought given my skill I’d be able to rise through the ranks rapidly. However, the lack of important missions makes that…impossible.”

"Well, in a way you should see that as a good thing, right? It means your kingdom is safe, that everything your ancestors fought for is bearing fruit. Sure, it's inconvenient for you. But the Na-Na I know wouldn't let that get her down." She spoke in a chipper tone. "It might be the slower road, but you're not the sorta person to let that stop you. The destination is still the same. And when you become Captain we'll celebrate."

Nadia nodded. “Maybe then, you’ll learn to appreciate wine…”

"Heh, don't count on it."