Spirits of the Night (Tarsus)

[Raron]

Tarsus looked at her glass awhile. He looked at it willing for what she had just done to have not just happened... it was not working. It had indeed happened. He was thankful she had not chugged it or he would be forcing her to throw it up in order to keep her alive... as it was... he sighed.
"Bartender... I need a pitcher of water for the young lady so she does not absolutely hate herself in the morning."
He shook his head. The primary side effect and cause of hang overs was two fold. Poisoning and dehydration from the alchol. Proper watering would keep that from happening to this young furre.
The bartender shook his own head as he filled the pitcher and handed it and a glass to Tarsus. He filled it and put her in front of her.
"I think you have had enough ma'am. I want you to drink this down and we will see about you getting a ride home."
He was not about to let her walk back in her condition... she could tumble off the skywalk to her horrible messy death.
Decided he discretely reached over and drained her glass of it's liquid death before she could. It wasn't stealing... it was his anyways.

[Vespa]

A sleepy eye peeled open and watched the goings on. The glasses were there and water was being fetch for some reason she couldn't really guess. But wait, that dangerous glass was closer then she remembered. And the vodka remained over there...un-sipped. She chuckled absentmindedly at the thought. And then it hit her. Smack in the face, just as hard as that poor wolf earlier. She didn't want to get that drunk. Just a buzz. This was really bad. The ethanol was working faster or something. She was passing sleeping and heading right toward grumpy. The kind of drunk you don't wanna be around. Not when it has a semi automatic rifle in hand.

Her smile drooped into one of the grumpiest frowns any furre could muster. Her voice was low and incomprehensible as she mumbled. Not just because she was nearly whispering but because it was all in Russian. Her voice rose in intensity. Almost in her own little angry world she payed no mind to anything Tarsus said. Outwardly she was ranting, her mild gestures indicating Tarsus was the root of it all. But she knew he was right. The unknown blood-alcohol content was more then the feline could handle and it was time to be done.

Her hand thrust towards the glass of water with a grumbling phrase. Down it went like the first tankard of ale of the night. The class clanked the table, the sound channeling the frustrations of the furre who placed it there. The rump slid from the seat and her boots clacked on the floor as Vladma rummaged through her coat pocket for some money. Not bothering to count it she slapped whatever money she gobbed into her fist on the bar top. One last foreign grumble before she looked the Dino in the eyes. “Is pleasure to meet but now is ovar I leaff.” Inebriation slurred her speech only enough to be detected. With a wobbly turn she huffed towards the door. Still grumbling curses under her breath as she gently slipped Alice around her shoulder.

[Raron]

Tarsus sat for a while wrestling with his concience before rooting through his pockets he slapped money as well. He didn't even look around as he walked after her, ignoring a few sniggers and comments about her "having his leash in hand.
"Wait up V."
His stride was not fast but long legs aloud him to quickly overtake her.
"Let me guess what you are gonna say. 'I can take care of myself, I am not that drunk, I am fine to walk home blah blah blah.' yeah get over it and accept the fact I am either giving you a ride, finding you a ride, or carrying you. If you are inclined to argue I can skip right to the carrying."
His tone. His posture spoke volumes. He was not threatening. He had pasted the point of threats along time ago. He only gave his word and made promises and no part of the furre's odd moral code would let her just walk home in this condition. He knew this city and it would swallow her without chewing.
"As an old man I used to know once said. 'Put on your big furre pants and deal with it.'"
He chuckled at the memories. A little more wobbly then he should have been.
"I think the owner has a room you could rent next to the bar. If you don't wanna show me or anyone else where you live. That is fine."
He looked at her with concern but a hardening of his features. Nothing less then a gunshot to the face could stop him now that he had made up his mind.
His mind had flashed back as he sat there. Flashed back to the first time he had taken a furre's life. It had been a normal job. He was bringing back a furre's daughter. He had figured out where she was, where she had been taken two weeks previous... when he had broken into the back of the building he had not expected to find a nightmare... girls chained naked to walls and blindfolded... the expressions on their faces. Some screaming defience and alternating between threats and pleading. Some whimpering quietly... but worse were a handful. They made no noises. Just sat where they were. Waiting for what came next. Their minds broken... their souls bleed out. He had gotten them out. But as for the group of furres in the next room.
He had decided that some monsters should not walk under the living sky. He still remembered the smell of the room those girls had been in... the smell of feces and urine... and utter hopelessness.
He blinked as his mind jerked back to the present and the furre before him.
"Fine... really."

[Vespa]

The door was right there but no! He couldn't just leave her. A heaving sigh stopped her and she spun about. She was gonna say it, and he knew it. Before her lips even spread he was giving her the ol' speech. Her eyes weaved around the room, she couldn't, and didn't want to look him in the eye. His face wasn't one she wanted to see. Not the look of it innately, but she hated the serious concern. Serious was never her thing. Posturing and fidgeting her stance while he talked she listened the all too true speech. She knew it wasn't best to go home alone in her state but being drunk inhibits some logic.

Rolling eyes preluded a growling sigh as she heaved her body towards the door; voice raised in some kind of profanity. She made it out and slowly strode from the bar. She wasn't very quick about it. If Tarsus knew Russian he's know she wanted nothing to do with him. Wobbling she tried her best to stride away from him, stick it to him. She just wanted to go home and fall asleep! But the liquor was really kicking in now. It was only an invisible pebble. But you know how they just tackle you to the ground when you're drunk. Vladma was not impervious to these attacks. Only a few steps from the door and her face got to know pavement better than it had in a long while. Another rail of curses rocketed through the crisp night air.

[Raron]

Tarsus looked down at his new found drinking partner and mumbling curses upon all drunkards he walked towards he.
"I warned you. Everyone here heard me warn you."
Sighing in the doorway a puff of his breath became visible due to the cold of the air coming in. He shut the door and then reached down and flipped her over onto her back and took a quick look for injuries. Nothing scrapped or cut.
"No cure for a fool indeed... but look who is talking."
Nodding to himself he put on hand under her knees, the other under her back and lifted her into his arms. He head against his chest he began to walk. His heart beating in her ears. He held on tight but gently. As if afried she would struggle and fall.
"Yo Todd! I'm gonna borrow your room is that okay?"
The Bartender nodded. Tarsus was always good for his bills. He reached under the counter and hurled a set of keys at the large furre who grabbed them in his mouth and spat them into his pocket. A slight applaud went through a few members of the drunken public who always liked a little theater with their drinks. Rolling his eyes he carried her effortlessly. As he did so he remembered like situations. Past jobs where he felt the breath of a woman on his chest... usual their breath smelled ALOT better.. He contemplated asking the crowd for breath mints but decided he would rather not have his brains blown out by a drunken sniper.
"Now keep quiet or I will carry you over my shoulder instead... and you better believe I will."

[Vespa]

Before she even peeled her face off the ground monstrously large hands were man handling the drunken ball of fur. Vladma had been cycling between a grumpy drunken rant and an alcohol induced state of unconsciousness. Her limp body rolled about as he checked her over; mindless babble dribbling from her lips. The beat pulsing in her ears it was almost like a lullaby. If she wasn't so paranoid she'd have just...fallen asleep. He had only gotten her in his arms before the rant started again. She squirmed and wriggled as she shouted more slanderous phrases. Inebriation often brings delusions of all sorts. Already she had forgotten Alice rest at her back, slung there before even leaving the bar.

He no sooner then threatened to sling her over his shoulder when she attempted to willingly sling herself. Scrounging to go back toward where she believed the rifle to be. There was no accurate concept of space or the real world in her head any longer. Somehow the little victim managed to put an English sentence together; or at least a better portion of one. “Go novhere without Alice! Put down now!” And the rest slumped back into her native tongue. Her hands rapped at his back, at this point it was no more than a pat for the armored beast.. Conversation will likely be a good deal more difficult than most of the drunks he's handled before. But if he couldn't get through this she wasn't staying anywhere for long. At least not until the last bit of his evil little elixir kicked in.

[Raron]

"Why... really why is it always me... I could be mean. I could just let her drink herself unconcious."
He randomly began talking to the crowd.
"I mean it would be easy. Hand her drunken butt another drink."
His eyes were drawn to said butt as she tried to reach over his shoulder to where she thought 'Alice' was. It WAS a nice butt. He shook his head clearing the perversions.
"But that would not be the right thing to do..."
He reached over her shoulder and in a smooth move unhooked 'Alice' from her strap and held it before the drunkard's eyes.
"Look. Her she is... please don't throw up on my jacket."
He began to walk towards the side door with an iron grip on what was unknown to him one of the deadliest snipers working for the Angels. Even if he HAD known he would not have changed a single action. He truely believed in living with no regrets.
Taking the keys he had spat into the pocket and unlocking the door he closed it behind him. He would lock the door when he left and put the keys next to the table with a note explaining what she was doing there. He doubted she would remember much...
"Now look. It is a bed. Nice soft bed... sleepy bed. I think Alice is tired. Maybe the two of you should take a nap for a couple of minutes."
Mentally he pleaded her to listen. Otherwise he might have to sit on her till she passed out to stop her squirming when she started hallicinating again... he did not mind so much... parts... pressed and moved against him when she moved. But the build up without a morally acceptable place to release the build up was not pleasent. Sighing once more he placed her on the bed upon her back.

[Vespa]

A theatrical performance this was turning out to be. An out of tune duet and Vladma was singing lead. The oblivious little song bird rattled at his side until there it was. Smack dab in front of her face. Lucky for her partner the joy overwhelmed the raging fist he'd have gotten if not for the current state of mind. Instead she grasped for it, carelessly lunging toward the precious firearm, arms a-flailing and narrowly missed his snout. His strong grip spared her another trip to the pavement.

It was like a pacifier to a screaming baby. It was time for another of those infamous moments Dimitri and this little feline shared. Cooing and petting the lengthy projectile launcher she contented in his arms. She laid where rested for a moment. Murmuring softly “night night”. But it didn't last long. Like a catapult she sat up. In silence she sat there for a moment. But if he was really as experienced as he believed himself to be with drunks he'd know that face. The one that's just waiting, moments before it all comes up again. Gagging she lurched forward and tried to shuffle herself off the bed. If only she knew where the bathroom was. Or at least could get outside. One way or another it was coming up no matter how hard she tried. He just had to go and bring it out. He couldn't just have left her to the stuff she could handle.

[Raron]

Tarsus's eyes widened. He knew that face. He knew it too well... it was a universal symbol for "act quickly or you will be wearing pre-chewed food".. on a scale of one to ten of bad things to see it was a three... but a bad three.
"Omigosh please hold on..."
He looked around quickly. The place was a mess. Obviously used for storage. There was a bathroom. The door was blocked partly by boxes. No time for moving boxes... time for action. Luckily he was fast on his feet. In an instant he had once again scoped her in his arms, and spun half way at the edge of the room. His tail continued moving due to the laws of physics... and physics happened to the window... and the window lost. A crash of insulated clear plastic rang out as did the Bartenders voice.
"TARSUS-"
"I'LL PAY FOR IT!!"
"OKAY THEN CONTINUE!"
With a grin at his own cleaverness the older furre carefully scaped his tail in a circle around the window knocking loose pieces of sharp plastic to prevent his little drunken friend from getting hurt. Then he stuck her head out the window and prayed there was no one far below.
"Let her spray!"
He sighed. His life was indeed full of glamour... so full indeed.

[Vespa]

A hard pressed hand couldn't contain the whining moan but luckily for the dino, that was all that escaped. He had seconds and she did her best to give him more; intentionally or not. Her body was intent to take care of what the Ankylosaur wish he didn't have to. When it couldn't digest the hard liquor fast enough it was going to get rid of it the only way it knew how. Too bad for her she'd already taken more then her fair share. The next thing she knew the room was whirling more than it had been. So much was happening around her but there was no telling what exactly what it was that was happening, it was all but a blur, an uncomfortable, more nauseating blur. Her eyes clenched closed trying to stop the twirling. That might not have been the best move on his part but he was pretty quick for an oldie. A paw let her lips loose to try and curse at the beast. Before a word left her mouth it took it's chance.

With it's trademark sound the refuse burst free and down it went. His timing was lucky as her head popped out of the side of the building just as it hurtled down to say hello to whatever stopped it's descent. A few coughs later and her eyes peeled open but the gaping distance was all there was to see. The Amur Leopard had no idea how she'd gotten there, but she didn't want to remain there any longer. She wriggled in his grip and mumbled curses. It was taken care of and now she was ready to actually pass out.

[Raron]

Tarsus sighed with relief and pulled her head out the window. Reaching into one of his jacket pockets a wet wipe was produced which he used to wipe her mouth. Nodding while he did so she lifted into his arms again and brought her back to the bed lying her on her side with one arm around the rifle she loved so much.
"I hope you have a good dream little sniper."
With a smile on his face he nodded at her as she began the voyage to dream land. He looked at the window a while and reaching once more into his pocket he took out a roll of duct tape and put several layers of it to cover the hole, wrapping it again and again, putting air pockets in the seal again and again. It was a trick he had picked up living on his own. Finally he finished and nodding to himself at his work he put the keys to the room on the table next to the bed and locked the door behind him as he went back to the bar. He gazed into the eyes of all those at the bar.
"She leaves here as she entered or so help me I will know why."
Several nodded, others looked away. He knew the crowd so they knew he meant it. With that he slapped another pile of bills in front of the bartender nodded at him and headed towards the exit spinning the keys to his bike on one claw as he whistled.
It was sleepy time for him as well.

-End scene-