milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Castle sits in a darkened corner booth, staring blankly at the back of the booth in front of him, taking the occasional mechanical sip of some vile-looking, heavily alcoholic drink.

Oh yeah. He'll make for some fun conversation.

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Asar-Suti couldn't remember having spoken to this man before, but he had seen him around - didn't he belong to the same group of people as Tony, or Kim?

"You look horrible. Can I give you something stronger and viler to drink? I recommend usca, from my home world," he said to the man.

If he weren't quite so miserable, he would laugh at that, but he merely nods and catches a waitrat.

"Thanks. How do you pronounce it again? Usca?"

The waitrat sat up and pointed at Asar-Suti with a paw, as if renouncing all responsibility for usca and/or accusing Asar-Suti of attempted poisoning.

"Yes, Everard, it's all right - I'll conjure him some," Asar-Suti said.

He drew a squiggle in the air with his raised forefinger; there were some purple sparks, and then he held a small clay cup containing a clear, slightly yellowed liquid that smelled strongly and roughly of alcohol.

"Here you are - usca," he said to the depressed fellow.

He takes the cup with a nod of thanks and looks up at Asar-Suti.

"You look kind of familiar," he notes, for the first time.

"So do you," Asar-Suti said. "I've been around for more than a year; had my Milliversary party a few weeks ago. My name is Asar-Suti, and I used to be a Dark God of magic residing in something of a volcano where I came from. Anything seismic here would probably arouse Bernards ire, and the Dark part would get security to take umbrage, so I've calmed down a bit."

He smiled a calm little smile. Better confess to the worst right at the beginning.

"Oh, you're Asar-Suti." Hence the purple. Castle nods in recognition.

"I've heard about you. Mostly from Namo and Guppy. Good to meet you." He puts the cup down, not quite having braced himself to try it yet. "I'm Lee Castle."

"Oh, you're Lee!" Asar-Suti echoed, shaking hands in a quite civilised, Modern Earth sort of way. "Yes, I heard about you from Námo."

He returns the handshake. "Everyone's been saying for months that I need to meet you." He almost manages a smile.

"And now you've met me, and got usca into the bargain to dissolve your present woes in," Asar-Suti said. "Usca dissolves all sorts of things - brains, metal, good resolutions, sense, inhibitions and the stuff that holds your knees straight," he promised, with a little smile. "It doesn't dissolve problems, though, but you certainly weren't expecting that."

"Sounds perfect," he says wryly. "So long as it doesn't kill me again..."

He takes a tentative sip, and coughs. "Oh, wow."

"Yes, wow. It turns friends into enemies and enemies into friends, I have found," Asar-Suti said.

"I'm pretty good at doing the first even when I'm sober, apparently." He takes another careful sip.

"Oh - somebody angry at you?" Asar-Suti enquired.

He rubs his eyes. "My boyfriend left me. I can't blame him."

Asar-Suti had just spoken to Námo, and everything had seemed all right? But perhaps Lee meant somebody else?

"I am sorry to hear that," he said, cautiously, avoiding the more obvious 'Which one?'

"What have you done to make him so angry?" he asked, instead.

'Which one' is usually an unfortunately necessary question to ask with this lot.

"We were arguing about other relationships...I told him mine weren't any of his business, and I--I said I should have dumped him months ago to save my dignity. I deserve what I got."

He sighs quietly. "You don't know Mercutio, do you?"

"Ermmm - he's a ghost, right?" Asar-Suti has probably spoken to him once, he thinks. "Not merely dead, but a full-out ghost? Snarky in a somewhat amusing way? From a bit back in Earth's history? That him, or am I confusing him entirely? I know I'm not confusing him with Mordred, because Mordred is snarky in a depressive way, and also the son of Morgan who worked for me in the garden and is pregnant with him - time in Milliways can be incredibly mindboggling."

He sighed, and shrugged; it didn't matter all that much to the present discussion who exactly Mercutio was.

"It sounds bad, though. What is it that you really want here, though?"

"Yeah, that's him." He rubs his eyes.

"What do I want? I want to find him and tell him I didn't mean any of it. Even if he can't forgive me...I have to let him know I didn't want to hurt him like that."

"What's keeping you from doing that?" Asar-Suti asked.

"I don't think he'll talk to me. And I don't want to go find him when I'm drunk; that'll just cause a scene..."

"Write him a note when the hangover is gone?" Asar-Suti suggested.

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