Oddly enough, the Nest was mostly cleared that night. The doors were open, but most of the lights had been shut off. Greed himself was outback by the time the two showed up. He perked up from the dark, cast his eyes down the narrow hall that lead outback. He picked himself up from a project, shoved it away with the toe of his boot. Sunk hands into his pockets and wandered out onto the main floor with a grin and a fire in his step.
"Welcome to the - ah." No need for introductions then. It was the Chief and his wife. Greed stopped dead in his tracks and moved to a switch. Flicked on the lights over the bar, casting it in the sickly-yellow hue he loved so much. "It's just you two," he said, with the politeness of well-known acquaintances. "Coming to check in on me, or is this simple an outing?" He raised a brow, thumbs out of his pockets. They tapped with the need to scratch an insufferable itch. The constant one.
"Whatever the reason, I don't really care. Always good to see a couple of familiar faces." He backtracked on his heels, turned around, and began to go behind his bar. "The usual, or do the love birds feel like trying something new? I could treat you to something - I think I have just the idea." Because all news came to Greed and he was beginning to collect information. If Javert was doing it, why shouldn't he? It was his favorite pass time after all.
He reached into his collection, thumbed any bottles away. He was going for something on the top shelf, tucked away behind the cheaper brands people usually asked for. When he found it, his grin was absolutely sinister. The bottle was ancient, green, stopped with a metal contraption that had far outlived its usefulness in an era where things of old were cast aside easily by fast-paced technology and the newest, shiniest thing. But Greed loved the bottle he chose. It was sin and temptation all wrapped up and brewed by the best.
It was Absinthe - La Fee was the name, though Greed wasn't privy to what that meant. At least, he didn't show it. He unclasped the bottle, let the bitter licorice smell perfume the air. "I figured I'd save this for a special occasion - this seems like the right time." He clipped three glasses with his fingers, displayed them on the counter. "Takes a bit to prepare, but from what I gather, it's worth it." The green liquor bottle was sat down and Greed grabbed a metal spoon - well, it appeared to be a spoon. Flat with intricacies carved into the bottom, leaving giant holes. He leveled it out on one glass first and plopped a small sugar cube top. "Now, not sure if this is going to be to your liking, but I'm hoping it is. Same deal as before - if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it." The homunculus snaked hardened fingers and knuckles around the neck of the bottle and poured over the square-cut white sugar. Let the booze sink into it and melt into the glass.
A lighter was removed from his back pocket and, as he lifted the bottle up, he flicked it. Once, twice, and the sugar cube ignited, burning and bubbling with absolutely wretched browns. Caramelized right there, seeping into the putrid green liquor. Made it emerald with its touch. He repeated the process twice more and graciously pushed two out of the bunch to the couple. "Well?"
"Didn't you hear the final bargain?" said Javert with an cool lilt and a tilt of his jaw. "You were off the table. I bet only myself."
Before Naomi had a chance to respond to that new revelation, Javert swept into the Nest, stepping aside to let his wife through ahead of him. His gait was slow, confident. He was astoundingly comfortable and sure of himself in such a smoke-laden pit that positively reeked the mantra, Sex, Drugs, Rock n' Roll. He met Greed's eye at the familiar greeting, and again the flood of remembered sensations came back to him in the form of a spark in font of his nose.
Good God, this creature was truly timeless. His smooth and handsome face had not aged a day, where Javert's, which had never been young even as a lad, sprouted deeper crevices with the ravages of time.
"You? Unfamiliar with la fée verte?" said Javert as he slid over the bar. He locked eyes - or rather, eyes with sunshades -- with the deadly Sin. His hand wrapped around the putrid grin drink, slipping it back and forth between thumb and forefinger. "You're well-practiced in proper preparation. Yet you hint ignorance."
Javert considered his drink carefully, and a smirk played at his lip.
"Absinthe is a bold choice. Tell me, how quickly do you expect to knock us to the floor, with this strategy?"
The beautiful woman's dark eyes flicked up to her husband's aged face in surprise at that little revelation, but she doesn't leap at the chance to press him for more information. Not yet anyway. Naomi will just be saving that inquiry for another evening. Tonight was about drawing Javert out of moody funk.
The Devil's Nest was unusually quiet and empty as the married couple strode swiftly inside, giving the establishment a completely different feel than normal. While it was full, the Nest was teaming with liveliness, fun, and a healthy dose of mischief. Though Greed himself played a large role in that particular atmosphere, the bellowing laughter of the men reconnecting over a pint and the sharp curses of those being swindled in pool certainly played their own significant part. With the room empty and the lights dim, the Nest gave off an ominous, almost haunted feeling. Not even Greed's appearance, sauntering confidentially with that shark grin of his, could erase the slight prickling at the back of the woman's neck.
But she shrugged it off, squeezing Javert's arm affectionately before stepping further inside. Her laughter rang sweetly, eyes twinkling at the man behind the counter as the pair slipped up to the bar counter. "And right after I get through telling him I won't end up as tanked as I was last time." But she smiled anyway, drawing the offered drink closer for a better look. Though Naomi certainly had never turned down a drink before in her life, Absinthe wasn't something the petite woman had ever experienced before. Not that she was concerned, of course. She trusted her husband to sling her over his broad shoulder again if this was too much for her. Despite how often she indulged, Naomi would always be a bit of a lightweight.
"Trying to make a liar out of me, Greed?" she ribbed good-naturedly, turning to shoot her husband a smile.
"Well? Am I allowed? Or do you want to wait to get me alone before I overindulge?"
"You're both so quick to make me a liar and scoundrel. I'm hurt, really." Greed took his own poison, gripped it tight and clicked his nails on the surface. He hummed, touched his lips with the sinful drink and took a swig. Sticky liquid dribbled down his chin - that was flicked away with the edge of his thumb. "I can't say I remember it - maybe a few years ago. I think the drink used to be popular." Small details; maybe he remembered them, maybe he didn't. He'd play coy just the same.
Greed placed his Absinthe-soaked thumb into his mouth. Teased it on dangerous teeth, then sucked it dry. The bar was a little eerie without the usually faces crowding its walls. It was like a desert, dry and silent. The fan spun on its axis, whirled a faint breeze inside that graced the walls, moved the lighter of the furnishes around in a kicked-up breeze. The lights buzzed something awful, the hallways flickered with bad wiring. All the ugliness that the 'Nest provided could be seen plain and stark to the naked eye without its people there.
But Greed didn't seem to mind.
"So, you're here for the usual. A night on the town and you two land yourselves here. Sorry for the lack of company - I had planned to shut down early. Apparently, there is a holiday going on or something." He took another taste of his drink before setting the sweating glass down on the bar. He leaned in for a look at the two - something was up with the Chief, that was certain. Like there was something bubbling at the surface. All the accusations aside, Javert was actually speaking to him with smirks and wiles. Like he had something planned.
It was intriguing.
"I can entertain you two for a while, whatever you'd like. But I think pool is out this time," he stated matter-of-fact. He settled into a corner of his bar, popped open a little cabinet. Removed a length of cigar and placed it into the corner of his mouth. Sank teeth into the tightly-packed leaves. The lighter was out again and he clicked it open. His other hand went to the side of the cigar and he began rolling it across the flame, puffing it into a cherry red. Acrid smoke burned in his throat, slid into the open air of the bar, and was swept up by the fan.
"Welcome to the - ah." No need for introductions then. It was the Chief and his wife. Greed stopped dead in his tracks and moved to a switch. Flicked on the lights over the bar, casting it in the sickly-yellow hue he loved so much. "It's just you two," he said, with the politeness of well-known acquaintances. "Coming to check in on me, or is this simple an outing?" He raised a brow, thumbs out of his pockets. They tapped with the need to scratch an insufferable itch. The constant one.
"Whatever the reason, I don't really care. Always good to see a couple of familiar faces." He backtracked on his heels, turned around, and began to go behind his bar. "The usual, or do the love birds feel like trying something new? I could treat you to something - I think I have just the idea." Because all news came to Greed and he was beginning to collect information. If Javert was doing it, why shouldn't he? It was his favorite pass time after all.
He reached into his collection, thumbed any bottles away. He was going for something on the top shelf, tucked away behind the cheaper brands people usually asked for. When he found it, his grin was absolutely sinister. The bottle was ancient, green, stopped with a metal contraption that had far outlived its usefulness in an era where things of old were cast aside easily by fast-paced technology and the newest, shiniest thing. But Greed loved the bottle he chose. It was sin and temptation all wrapped up and brewed by the best.
It was Absinthe - La Fee was the name, though Greed wasn't privy to what that meant. At least, he didn't show it. He unclasped the bottle, let the bitter licorice smell perfume the air. "I figured I'd save this for a special occasion - this seems like the right time." He clipped three glasses with his fingers, displayed them on the counter. "Takes a bit to prepare, but from what I gather, it's worth it." The green liquor bottle was sat down and Greed grabbed a metal spoon - well, it appeared to be a spoon. Flat with intricacies carved into the bottom, leaving giant holes. He leveled it out on one glass first and plopped a small sugar cube top. "Now, not sure if this is going to be to your liking, but I'm hoping it is. Same deal as before - if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it." The homunculus snaked hardened fingers and knuckles around the neck of the bottle and poured over the square-cut white sugar. Let the booze sink into it and melt into the glass.
A lighter was removed from his back pocket and, as he lifted the bottle up, he flicked it. Once, twice, and the sugar cube ignited, burning and bubbling with absolutely wretched browns. Caramelized right there, seeping into the putrid green liquor. Made it emerald with its touch. He repeated the process twice more and graciously pushed two out of the bunch to the couple. "Well?"
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Before Naomi had a chance to respond to that new revelation, Javert swept into the Nest, stepping aside to let his wife through ahead of him. His gait was slow, confident. He was astoundingly comfortable and sure of himself in such a smoke-laden pit that positively reeked the mantra, Sex, Drugs, Rock n' Roll. He met Greed's eye at the familiar greeting, and again the flood of remembered sensations came back to him in the form of a spark in font of his nose.
Good God, this creature was truly timeless. His smooth and handsome face had not aged a day, where Javert's, which had never been young even as a lad, sprouted deeper crevices with the ravages of time.
"You? Unfamiliar with la fée verte?" said Javert as he slid over the bar. He locked eyes - or rather, eyes with sunshades -- with the deadly Sin. His hand wrapped around the putrid grin drink, slipping it back and forth between thumb and forefinger. "You're well-practiced in proper preparation. Yet you hint ignorance."
Javert considered his drink carefully, and a smirk played at his lip.
"Absinthe is a bold choice. Tell me, how quickly do you expect to knock us to the floor, with this strategy?"
Reply
The Devil's Nest was unusually quiet and empty as the married couple strode swiftly inside, giving the establishment a completely different feel than normal. While it was full, the Nest was teaming with liveliness, fun, and a healthy dose of mischief. Though Greed himself played a large role in that particular atmosphere, the bellowing laughter of the men reconnecting over a pint and the sharp curses of those being swindled in pool certainly played their own significant part. With the room empty and the lights dim, the Nest gave off an ominous, almost haunted feeling. Not even Greed's appearance, sauntering confidentially with that shark grin of his, could erase the slight prickling at the back of the woman's neck.
But she shrugged it off, squeezing Javert's arm affectionately before stepping further inside. Her laughter rang sweetly, eyes twinkling at the man behind the counter as the pair slipped up to the bar counter. "And right after I get through telling him I won't end up as tanked as I was last time." But she smiled anyway, drawing the offered drink closer for a better look. Though Naomi certainly had never turned down a drink before in her life, Absinthe wasn't something the petite woman had ever experienced before. Not that she was concerned, of course. She trusted her husband to sling her over his broad shoulder again if this was too much for her. Despite how often she indulged, Naomi would always be a bit of a lightweight.
"Trying to make a liar out of me, Greed?" she ribbed good-naturedly, turning to shoot her husband a smile.
"Well? Am I allowed? Or do you want to wait to get me alone before I overindulge?"
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Greed placed his Absinthe-soaked thumb into his mouth. Teased it on dangerous teeth, then sucked it dry. The bar was a little eerie without the usually faces crowding its walls. It was like a desert, dry and silent. The fan spun on its axis, whirled a faint breeze inside that graced the walls, moved the lighter of the furnishes around in a kicked-up breeze. The lights buzzed something awful, the hallways flickered with bad wiring. All the ugliness that the 'Nest provided could be seen plain and stark to the naked eye without its people there.
But Greed didn't seem to mind.
"So, you're here for the usual. A night on the town and you two land yourselves here. Sorry for the lack of company - I had planned to shut down early. Apparently, there is a holiday going on or something." He took another taste of his drink before setting the sweating glass down on the bar. He leaned in for a look at the two - something was up with the Chief, that was certain. Like there was something bubbling at the surface. All the accusations aside, Javert was actually speaking to him with smirks and wiles. Like he had something planned.
It was intriguing.
"I can entertain you two for a while, whatever you'd like. But I think pool is out this time," he stated matter-of-fact. He settled into a corner of his bar, popped open a little cabinet. Removed a length of cigar and placed it into the corner of his mouth. Sank teeth into the tightly-packed leaves. The lighter was out again and he clicked it open. His other hand went to the side of the cigar and he began rolling it across the flame, puffing it into a cherry red. Acrid smoke burned in his throat, slid into the open air of the bar, and was swept up by the fan.
Reply
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