Day Off Drama

[Shade]

"...They have wine..?" He paused to look curiously at the back as well, his head tilting almost confused. "I... d'n know that...."

Shade tilted his head from one side to the other, eyes drifting closed for a second as if he was going to attempt to sleep standing. Though judging by the sudden jerk he did, it couldn't have been far from the truth. Unfocused eyes traveled around the bar for a moment before settling back on Talia, a look of gentle fondness gracing his features.

"Y'know.... f'r such a worry wort, yer... quite the nice wooooman." he stated with a roll of his head. "Kinda wish... we....wait..... what am I sayin'?"

Now he was all confused. Dammit.

[Talia Idris]

"Of course you wouldn't know that." Talia grumbled, turning her back to Shade and heading toward the gnomes. "A guy like you only drinks beer, probably wouldn't know what do to with wine."

Talia picked up one the the gnomes and tittered back to Shade. What was wrong with his face? "You kind of wish what?" She asked tilting her head curiously. "Oh never mind. Take this guy. And don't drop him!" Talia said as she shoved a gnome into his arms.

She picked up the other two and with one under each arm she gave an apologetic smile to the bar boy that Shade had tried to rough up and headed out the door. Standing outside she looked around, where to now? Her place certainly wasn't an option and she doubt Shade could find his way home in his condition. And even if he could she didn't think they would all be welcome there since she remembered there was a young woman and her child there.

That left Drayel's place. Talia had hoped that they would get a chance to go out and have some more fun, but Shade had obviously gone overboard with proving his manliness and whatnot. Not to mention she was probably too tipsy to be in public too much longer as well.

Sighing she shifted her grip on the sleeping gnomes and headed in the direction she thought Drayel's house was in. Shade said he wouldn't be back for several days and she could wipe out most evidence of their presence there by then.

[Shade]

To say Shade was mortified that a gnome was in his arms was a vague understatement. True, he wasn't terrified of them as Drayel was but that didn't mean he wanted to carry around a fat smelly male in his arms either. He moaned protests (though slurred and probably sounding more like unhappy grunting) but carried him none the less. After all, she had two of them and she was probably the more sober of the two of them.

Though he wasn't going to lie, when they left and he'd spotted a nearby trashpile, it was more than a little tempting to dump the body and stagger away to cause mischief. Yet, again she would probably not appriciate the fact he dumped the gnome so he dragged the unconcious carcass away with a series of huffs, groans and staggers.

[Talia Idris]

It took a little while and a few wrong turns but eventually Talia was able to find their way to Drayel's farm. She kept her eye on Shade since she caught him eyeing up a trashpile. It wouldn't do if they lost one of the guys. As small as the gnomes were she didn't think they would be very pleasant if they woke up and found one of their friends missing.

Gently setting the two gnomes down she tried the door only to finding it locked. Sitting down Talia placed her pounding head in her hands. "You don't happen to have a key, do you?" She asked Shade, her voice sounding tired and muffled through her hands.

[Shade]

"I gosh this." Shade assured her as he hefted the gnome higher on his shoulder. Grunting he bowed his head and charged, leaping into the hit only to realize the door opened seconds too late. Staggering past a stunned looking Jackal he slammed his face into a nearby wall. Yowling in pain he clutched his face as he dropped the gnome to glare accusingly at a stunned looking Jackal. "Whyss you do that?!"

"...You're drunk?" Jackal frowned at the male before glancing at Talia. "You too?!"

He paused before rubbing his chin and eyeing the gnomes, then the two of them. He watched them for a mere moment longer before shaking his head and grinning. "You two are ridiculous. What if pop came early? Then you'd be toast! No worries though. I won't tell! That is.... if you do something for me first."

"I dun like dat.... smirk you got boy. Loosh liah Drayel b'fer he goes 'n sends me f'r muckin' duty...."

[Talia Idris]

Talia had stood up and spun around. Her intent had been to stop Shade from using the poor gnome in his hands as a battering ram and was grateful to see that was not the case, even though she wasn't too excited about the idea of a broken door. Didn't the man have a key? Or know where a key was hidden?

Somehow the door opened on it's own. Talia's first thought was that the door really was unlocked and she just had been too drunk to open it. Seeing Jackal's face caused her to feel both bit relieved and them embarrassed that the boy was seeing her like this, even if she wasn't nearly as far gone as Shade.

"I don't know why I would be toast." Talia muttered before dusting off and straightening up to head in doors with as much dignity as one could have with a gnome under each arm.

"I am not that drunk, merely.....tipsy." She said slowly to refrain from slurring like Shade. "Shade here had a drinking competition with these gnomes and I didn't think it was right to leave them passed out at the ba.....restaurant. And what do you have in mind?" She asked looking at the boy suspiciously. "You know I am always willing to help you out as long as it is something decent. What are you doing here anyways? Didn't Dra...Mr Morig, send you to stay with someone while he is gone? Are you even suppose to be here?" Talia hoped her questions would keep the boy for asking about what she had been up too and hopefully distract him long enough for her to make up an excuse to go to bed.

[Shade]

"Nah, I went off on my own. The old man said since he was gonna be gone for a short while I could visit here but I had to sleep over at the city." Jackal shrugged. "As for that... favor I asked about, well you see theres a guys wedding thats being held. He was complaining about how much food that would going to waste and since I don't have two adults, I can't go either. So, maybe seeing how you two look sort of.... well you look sort of sober I could perhaps borrow you two for a bit off a binge? Poor guy spent so much money on the food he was nearly in tears!"

Shade groaned as he dropped the gnome and headed for the bathroom, ignoring the small boy as he promptly started splashing water in his face in an attempt to get it straighter than it was currently. He should've eaten before he drank. That was the number one rule dammit. Cupping the water in his hands he took a drink, grunting a bit at the odd flavor as he wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"So, what are you to say? Want to go to a wedding with me and save the poor groom?" Jackal asked pleasantly from the other room. Shade paused in his drinking to look at himself in the mirror, lip twitching as he eyed the dazed sheen in his eye. Well if they were going to go to a party, he may have to clean up a bit but....

"I'm in if you are." Shade grunted as he slowly walked back into the room. "Give me 'n hour or two to sober up a bit though.... Only so much one can do with drinking at noon. When's the wedding anyway?"

"This evening. Perfect timing eh?" Jackal beamed at the both of them. "Well, I've got a fancy dress just your size waiting upstairs for you Mrs. Idris! Old man picked it up a while back. I think he meant to give it to you but he got a bit sidetracked. No mind of it eh? Up the stairs! Up up! Shade, you clean up your hair. You look like a mangy wolf."

"I am a mangy wolf."

"Well then look more like a clean one." Jackal snorted as he continued to usher Talia up the stairs with a wicked grin. "I have got to help poor Idris find the right dress!"

[Talia Idris]

"I am going, I'm going!" Talia giggled as she started to head up the stairs, but not before quickly grabbing a blanket that was lying about and covering the gnomes with it. Chances are they would come too while they were out, but just in case might as well make sure that they were comfy.

Halfways up the stairs with an excited Jackal close behind her Talia started to feel something funny about this whole party idea. Furrowing her brow in thought she stopped and turned around and looked down at the boy who nearly ran into her.

"Pra..Promise me firs..." She said stooping down to look him in the eyes. "Promise that you aren't making this all up just to sneak into a party. I've never heard of a wedding where there was too much food or that fact bringing anyone too tears. Anyways why do you need two adults? Wouldn't one chaperone be enough? Or are you trying to pull something? Be honest with me Jackal." Something about this felt off....but then again maybe it was just her stomach after all that alcohol she wasn't used it. Or perhaps she was just remembering the last wedding that she snuck into and ended up stealing the cake although that was one story she wouldn't let Jackal hear.

[Shade]

"aw come on, why don't you trust me?" Jackal complained with a pout. "I said thats what was happening, didn't I? Half the family I guess realized he had some magic in him so the bride's family canceled at the last minute to get back at them. I'm friends with the ring bearer guy and he told me all about it. Besides, from what I hear I'm pretty sure this isn't the first wedding you've... 'snuck' into eh?"

He grinned wickedly at her. "Oh don't think I don't know. Shade told me all about it and he relayed almost every detail. You're dirty secret is all mine to black mail you with." He cackled darkly as he wringed his hands with a wicked gleam. "We wouldn't want those poor people to know about your rather wicked side, do we? after all, no man would want a woman who stole the cake off another woman's wedding."

[Talia Idris]

"How did you find out about tha....oh.." Talia groaned. She had forgotten the part that Shade had played in the whole cake-stealing, old-man-plotting, Drayel adventure. "I am going to kill that man..." She muttered as she marched past Jackal towards Shade who was still bent over the sink regretting who knows how many drinks"....and then just to amuse myself I am going to do it again."

"What is the big idea?" She asked Shade as she barged into the room. "Why did you tell Jackal about the whole wedding cake fiasco? And how much of that story did you tell him anyways?! You do know that he is an impressionable boy and hearing things like that from and about people he considers role models most likely isn't the best. It probably would be for the best if he didn't turn out like you." She snapped before turning around sharply and marching out.

She felt bad for coming down so hard on Shade, and maybe she could pin it on the alcohol that was still floating around in her system but that wasn't a real excuse. Walking past Jackal and heading back up the stairs Talia tried to lose her feelings of guilt. Chances are Shade would find his own way of getting back at her if he didn't feel that he deserved her scolding.

[Shade]

When Talia came in and started shouting at him, he was amused to say the least. Screaming and hollering as she waved her hands around with that drunken slur still barely gracing her tongue, she looked more like she was howling of how the sky was going to fall. He knew why she was yelling of course but he'd gotten the same bellow from Drayel when he'd found out.

"Tut tut, little baker. Y'really need to find out how to scold a man." Shade chuckled with a slight roll of the eye. "Yellin' don' work. Most 'f us just find it...ugh. Funny."

She didn't hear him of course. He'd expected that but that didn't mean he wasn't going to kick that little boy's ass. Oh, time to figure out some embarrassing stories about Jackal just to tell in front of all his friends. That outta keep his mouth from yappin' and correct more than a little of those behaviours he 'accidentally' picked up from Shade. That would get him back outta those black books of Tal and Drayel too. Two birds, one store.

[Talia Idris]

Talia stopped when she came to the top of the stairs. She didn't know what room this dress was in and she wasn't in the mood to go snooping around Drayel's house, even if it would be interesting to get a little bit of an idea to the inner workings of Mr. Morig.

Talai waited at the top of the stairs for Jackal to catch up and show her where this dress was. She didn't understand men, which probably came from a lack of experience with them. Shade, well he was a mystery to he but that could probably be blamed on the fact that he was a shifter and there were things that that brought into it. A guy that was part animal had to have animal instincts right?

As for Drayel.....well what was she to him anyways? Sure she had kissed him on the cheek once but that was ages ago after very little sleep and dramatic event, it didn't really mean anything. And it wasn't like anything came of it besides Drayel's occasional stop by the bakery to buy bread. And really half the time she felt like the man treated her like a little girl or a sister, at least that is what it felt like.

Talia shook her head. No use worrying about the whole thing, she wasn't likely to figure it out anyways and it was just adding to the headache she already had.

"Okay Jackal," she said as the boy caught up to her, "lead me to this dress. Are you sure that he got it for me? I would hate to wear a dress that he got for someone else."

[Shade]

"I'm positive. He told me it would make your eyes stand out 'cause of the color." Jackal assured her as he slid past her and into the next room. "Took him quite a bit of pondering to find it though. I think he was trying to find something pretty that matched your eyes and didn't make you look like a fat fluff bird."

Jackal headed into the largest room at the end of the hall, Drayel's room. Pushing it open, he came to see what he'd expected of his father. While his clothes had been put away, various papers filled with scribbles lay on the table and his large bed had been half made. The candle that was usually lit in the dark had melted down nearly to the bottom, puddling instead into the iron candle holder. He grunted, heading now to the farthest closet from the door. Within it he found the item he was looking for.

A leafy green dress laced with golden trimmings, the throat traced with the slightly frill of a pearl white. The sleeves were long and slender, the ends of drifting off in darker trim. To the touch it was soft yet not as smooth as silk. It was thick though, and rather warm looking. Perfect for an autumn day.

"There you go. Try this on. The old man had to guess on your size, but he's usually pretty good at that sort of stuff."

[Talia Idris]

Talia looked down at her waist after Jackal's remark. Okay, maybe she had put on a few pounds in the past couple year, working in a bakery could to that to you, but that didn't mean she would look like a 'fat fluff bird' in stuff...right?

Talia followed Jackal into the room cautiously, she had never been in a man's room before and for some reason she felt like she was enfringing oh Drayel's territory. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and she started poking around. The room was cleaner then she expected it to be.

She was about to start to reading from the sheets of paper beside Drayel's messy bed when Jackal brought out her dress. Looking up she gasped, it was beautiful, certainly prettier then anything she had ever owned. Although she made her own clothes and she wasn't experienced enough to do anything fancy.

"Are...are you sure he got this for me?" She asked as she reached out her hand to touch it as she started to mutter to hersel Why would he get me such a dress? I don't know if I should....but it is really pretty and I do need a other dress for this wedding thing. I guess it couldn't hurt..."

"Okay!" Straightening up Talia took the dress and started to shoo Jackal out of the room before pausing..."actually could you help me undo the buttons on the back of my dress?" She had considered asking him to send Shade up to help, but who knows what that drunken idiot would have thought she meant by it.

[Shade]

"Yeah, no problem." Jackal chuckled with a slight roll of the lips. Trotting behind the woman he reached up and began to undo them with a grunt. "I don't understand you women. I mean, why so may buttons and all those styles! I'd hoped I would wait a couple more years before this whole 'Damned women are mysteries' syndrome started."

Jackal sniffed a little as he gave an impression of Drayel's scowl. Given the couple years they'd been together it was given pretty good but it was interrupted into a shot of giggles and snorts. Finished he stepped back towards the door with a throaty hum, grinning in amusement as he glanced back.

"I'm gonna go check on Shade. You going to be okay by yourself?"