Published via Ecency

The tavern was loud. Serje was miserable. Sylla was drunk. Suffice to say the evening had not gone as expected.

Serje observed Sylla dancing with a cute server on one of the centermost tables, kicking drinks into laughing patrons. Serje looked at his half-empty mug of ale and sighed.

"Why are you so glum, pal?" Tisan, one of their best friends, was with them this night. "Still thinking about that failed contract?" He burped, Tisan could hold his liquor but had terrible table manners. "We'll get him next time! Don't you -"

"No. No, we won't." Serje took a sip of the ale, frowned, then turned to Tisan. "You understand that that map disappears once you see it right? We missed our chance!"

Tisan's eyes went wide as saucers. "It disappears?" He whispered aghast. His expression returned to normal once the next round of drinks arrived. The server looked at Serje's three mugs and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, he'll drink them, las. Don't you worry!" The girl shrugged and added a fourth mug to Serje's stack.

Serje waved his hand dismissively. "Neither you nor Sylla understand what we lost. Look at you! Look at her!" The surrounding drunks yelled in unison at Sylla's dancing. "You understand we will go broke, yes? How do you intend to pay all this?"

"Bah!" Tisan finished his mug in one long gulp. "You worry too much." He leaned in conspiratorially. "I think -" Burp. "- I think, you're just jealous we can have fun whenever we like. My advice? Stay sulking, mm?" Burp. "Ye, You sulk. And I'll dance." He went for one of Serje's mugs, "More for me -"

Serje grabbed his hand, setting down his now empty mug with the other. "You dance." He said, nose wrinkled. "I'll join you." He grabbed the mug Tisan was aiming for. Tisan in turn grinned and was gone.

Serje looked at his three remaining mugs with the utmost respect. Fighting the dragon was scarier. He shouldn't drink, but that moron Tisan was right. Always getting him into trouble...

He grabbed one mug and gulped it down like he saw Tisan doing. He lowered his head as he let out a long buuurrrrpp under the table. Serje grabbed another, slowly gulping that down as well. Another burp. He grabbed the third but only made it down halfway before he felt like puking. He stopped and breathed. Breathed.

Breathe.

Yes. He was fine. All was under control.

Yes.

Next thing he knew he was up, navigating the cheap tavern's slippery floors. He found Tisan dancing with the server.

"Zhou, left mhe." Serje slurred.

Tisan turned around, eyes wide in that adorable way of his. "Serje! My boy!" He hugged Serje, nearly dropping him on the floor. "I was just telling Daisy here what a great scholar you are."

"Zhe besht!" Serje said, clinking Tisan's mug with his own. The realization he was holding a mug made his arm heavy.

"Him? A scholar?" The girl's smirk annoyed Serje to no end.

"PHaw. IIIIII besh you shan't even reazh!" He laughed and Tisan joined him. The girl shrugged and left them to their cackling.

"Serje! That was hilarious! Did you see her face?" Serje nodded enthusiastically. "Look! Sylla is coming this way!" Tisan started to dance. "Sylla! Look who decided to join us!"

Sylla's smiling face was amused but concerned. "Serje. Lover." Tsk. "Tisan... is this your doing?"

"No! Ish mine!" Serje bumped his chest. "I zhont wansh danshing yo alyone."

Sylla rubbed her forehead, chuckled. "Oh, Tisan!" A laugh escaped her and Serje found himself side-hugging her. She grabbed him and started to sway to the music. "Tonight we celebrate! But tomorrow? Tomorrow I kill you, Tisan!"

"Yeah!" Tisan through his mug on the ground. It slipped, slid, bounced off a floorboard, hit a burly bald sailor in the head.

Serje burst out laughing and Tisan joined him. The sailor got up and punched Tisan in the face. Tisan, instead of falling, swung back. The sailor calmly stepped aside, Tisan flew past him and hit another person dancing with his lady. The man fell to the ground. His lady, red faced, started hitting Tisan with her plumed hat. All the while Serje couldn't stop laughing.

The sailor turned to him. "What's so funny, pal?" His fist barely went in Serje's direction before it met Sylla's palm. The sailor looked at Sylla dumbfounded.

"Wrong move, pal." Sylla decked him so hard that he fell across from his table.

"Ha!" Serje pointed. "Zhash wash y ghat fahr -"

"Get down, love!" Sylla grabbed Serje just as a mug flew past his head, hitting someone in the back.

What followed was a good old-fashioned tavern brawl - utter chaos.

Sylla lifted Serje over her head so he couldn't hurt himself. "Tisan! Out back!"

"Aye!" Tisan sounded under some table. Sylla didn't bother to look for him. She pushed her size through the brawling mob until she reached the back door. She saw the owner then, arms crossed with arms crossed and a torn apron. "Jah! I'm sorry!"

"Damn it, Sylla! Again?" He pointed to Serje, now slumped atop Sylla's shoulders. "That man cannot drink! I told you last time!"

"We'll pay for the damages!"

"Oh, you will! Tripple!"

Serje set Serje down in the alley, he said something incoherent and she patted him on the head. "Good boy...I...Stay here, ok?"

Serje raised his head to see Sylla grabbing her knees and puking her guts out. For a second he thought he saw something plastered on her ass. But she turned before he could see clearly. Sylla wiped her mouth grinning.

"Checking my ass out, lover?"

"Grab your ass!"

"Serje! You pig!"

"Love... there's something there..."

Sylla's face went from annoyed, to perplexed, to astonished. She held a surprisingly straight piece of parchment that camouflaged itself to its surroundings.

"What -"

"The damn map! That's what! I knew it couldn't just disappear! I told Tisan -"

A heap of nausea caused Serje to find his own corner.

"And don't come back!" Tisan landed on his face in front of Sylla, feet in the air.

Sylla looked at Tisan, looked at the map, looked at the confused owner, and looked at Serje.

She cackled. "Tripple!" Waving the map in the air.

The tavern owner shook his head and closed the door.

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