"Actually, you can't smell a spike if it was done with alcohol."
two sets of footfalls lacked down the stairs behind Erk - Charlotte, Erk's classmate, and her friend Shanoa. The two formed an odd pair, the former being a little shorter than Erk, and the latter's statuesque figure making her taller than some guys.
"Alcohol by itself doesn't smell. What you're thinking of is rohypnol."
"Oh, I know how the two problems would synergize, all right."
Erk, who was actually beginning to pick up Shanoa's point by now, blushed as well, glancing down and away from both of them. He wasn't sure how serious - or accurate - Shanoa's remarks were, but either way it did a decent job of embarrassing him.
"Stop it," Charlotte snipped, poking Shanoa with her fingers this time. She really wasn't helping, on several levels. Apart from actually liking Erk (something Shanoa was well aware of), she had also had a few confusing dreams co-starring the older woman (something she hoped she was not).
Erk had somehow failed to pick up on the fact that Charlotte actually did like him, but he was beginning to wonder if there might be more in that teasing than just a joke. After all, he was fairly sure Shanoa knew the other girl better than he did - they nearly always seemed to be together.
"I'm beginning to understand how the conversation you two were having before started now," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Are you feeling alright, Shanoa?"
"Do you need to lie down?" Erk suggested, glancing upstairs. Thankfully (and he was quite thankful for this even without having to worry about Klein) the party seemed to have confined itself to the first floor, and mostly, for that matter, to the front of the house. That was why Erk was back here on the stairs to begin with, because there were fewer people back here and none of them so far had tried to get up the stairs.
Well, nobody except Charlotte and Shanoa, anyway, who had gotten up here to use the (apparently little-known)second bathroom when Erk had been off refilling his juice from a new sealed container.
"Ignore him, you're going to lie down now," Charlotte insisted. "Remember the last time you got a hangover?"
"It wouldn't have been so bad had Father Barlowe not been yelling at me," Shanoa insisted. It hadn't even been her fault the sacramental wine was missing, she'd had one to many cans of near beer. Near later turning out to have been in massive sarcasm quotes.
"But you're right, I think that's for the best." She hadn't realised how hard she'd just been gripping the banister for balance.
"All right, then." He took Shanoa's arm to support her without a second thought - Erk had a tendency to devolve into slightly-misplaced chivalry on occasion - to help her the rest of the way up. He glanced over at Charlotte apologetically for reasons even he wasn't entirely clear on.
Charlotte didn't know why, but she appreciated the unspoken apology. She had no reason to be jealous - they were only friends (as far as she understood) and Erk certainly hadn't shown any interest in her. Nonetheless, she found herself taking Shanoa's other side as they ascended the stairs and followed Erk's lead towards his(?) room.
That last mouthful seemed to be hitting Shanoa harder with every step - suddenly swallowing that much after only taking sips previous was a nasty shock on her system. She found herself leaning on her companions more, sitting heavily when they finally reached a bed.
Erk did indeed lead them to his room, mostly because it was the room he minded least having to clean up later should he turn out to have to clean something up. It was all practical, really, but he still flushed a little at the fact that he was leading two girls to his room, both of which he was rather fond of in ones sense or another and at least one of which had just been hinted rather strongly to be fond of him.
He lowered Shanoa onto his bed as gently as he could manage with someone taller than he was. "I suppose if it's affecting you this badly I have to assume this isn't a common occurrence."
"It's not," Charlotte confirmed, letting Shanoa save her breath. "She doesn't drink often and not very much. That hangover incident was off the back of six drinks and this..."
Charlotte took Shanoa's cup out of her persistent grip and sniffed it, pulling a face. "Eugh. I don't know what this is, but it's strong. dark absinthe, maybe."
two sets of footfalls lacked down the stairs behind Erk - Charlotte, Erk's classmate, and her friend Shanoa. The two formed an odd pair, the former being a little shorter than Erk, and the latter's statuesque figure making her taller than some guys.
"Alcohol by itself doesn't smell. What you're thinking of is rohypnol."
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After a pause, Shanoa decided she hadn't had enough of how cute Charlotte looked when embarrassed yet, and added, "But whoever said I was joking?"
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Erk, who was actually beginning to pick up Shanoa's point by now, blushed as well, glancing down and away from both of them. He wasn't sure how serious - or accurate - Shanoa's remarks were, but either way it did a decent job of embarrassing him.
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Shanoa paused, as if just realising what she was saying, and looked into her mug.
"This must be pretty strong." Beat. "Oh well." She swiftly downed the rest of whatever it was.
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"I'm beginning to understand how the conversation you two were having before started now," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Are you feeling alright, Shanoa?"
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"He's right," she said quickly. "Spiked or not you still don't know what that is or where it comes from. For all you know that's moonshine."
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"I think perhaps I shouldn't have done that," she admitted, even that comment more light-hearted than usual. "I don't feel the best."
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"Ignore him, you're going to lie down now," Charlotte insisted. "Remember the last time you got a hangover?"
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"But you're right, I think that's for the best." She hadn't realised how hard she'd just been gripping the banister for balance.
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He lowered Shanoa onto his bed as gently as he could manage with someone taller than he was. "I suppose if it's affecting you this badly I have to assume this isn't a common occurrence."
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Charlotte took Shanoa's cup out of her persistent grip and sniffed it, pulling a face. "Eugh. I don't know what this is, but it's strong. dark absinthe, maybe."
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