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“Your phone's blowing up.” Kristen pointed out as Gorgug ignored the continuously-pinging crystal and continued to fiddle with the contraption in his hand.
He had come up with the idea for this solar lasso thing just a few hours ago and, despite not having most of the parts he needed, was determined to get it going within the next week. Doing his best with the scraps he had, he had started making a small model of what he had in mind. It was far more complicated than Kristen could even hope to understand but she didn't mind watching him work.
“Will you check who it is? I can't release this coil.” He replied, gesturing with his chin.
Kristen picked it up, always grateful for the opportunity to snoop through her friends’ phones.
“Uh, it's Zelda. She says “I'm sorry. I know it's so shitty to do this over text but I don't know when you'll be back to do this face to face. It just feels like a waste of both of-”
Zelda's newest message appeared on the screen, obscuring the last one before Kristen could finish reading.
“I love you and I'm so sorry but we just don't really have a future…”
“You can stop.” Gorgug muttered, setting the model down and snatching the crystal from her.
He cursed as it fell apart and Kristen awkwardly sat with him in the front seat as everyone continued to settle down in the backseats, unaware of what was occurring in the front row. She pulled out her crystal as well, waiting for him to finish reading so she could stop pretending she wasn't dying with anticipation. Zelda never seemed good with words, even worse than Kristen, and based on the fact that Gorgug's phone was still pinging every couple of seconds, she was not proofreading what she was typing. It took about ten .minutes before it stopped and the cleric turned to see her friend staring at a black screen.
“So…everything good?” Kristen had never seen Gorgug look so…sad before.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” he answered, not looking up from his unlit crystal, “Zelda, um, well she got into this school she's been dying to get into and since she's gonna be moving she recommended we break up.”
“Oh.”
Kristen wasn't normally good with words. She tended to word vomit when dealing with difficult topics and make things worse but watching Gorgug on the verge of tears, staring at a black screen while everyone else was asleep in the back of the van made her feel the need to say something or else the next three hours we're going to be uncomfortable as hell. After having to spend an entire day hunting down the jackasses that stole the tires off the HangVan when they were asleep, they took shifts on guard duty and the first shift was Gorgug and Kristen.
“Wanna go get drunk?” Kristen offered, gesturing to the saloon just south of them.
Gorgug looked up, his face shifting slightly as he considered.
“Fuck it, sure,” He replied, throwing open his door as he stuffed the crystal back in his pocket, “Zaph, sound the alarm if anything tries some shit.”
“Aye, aye Skipper. And, hey man, it's her loss.” Zaph answered, moving the windshield wipers in a salute.
Kristen hopped out of the car, following after her friend towards the saloon, who seemed to be a man on a mission. She didn't blame him for wanting to blow off steam. She was a hot mess after Tracker dumped her. She just worked out now…a lot…everyday. Whatever, it's fine!
“Slow down!”
“Speed up!” Gorgug hollered back,
“You're a jerk!”
“What was that?” Gorgug teased before entering the saloon as Kristen stumbled.
Okay, maybe he was too excited to blow off steam. She ran after him, now worried she might not be the right person to help him get his mind off of Zelda.
Or maybe it was a good idea to have the party healer with him.
Gorgug was already ordering at the bar when she walked up, a line of shots being prepped as he spoke.
“You got the coins for all this, son?” The reptilian bartender questioned as the half-orc grabbed the first shot.
Kristen slapped a couple of gold coins onto the counter, thanks to a weird lucky streak she had at the cursed casino the other day, and grabbed one of the shots.
“Yes, I do, dad?” She replied, immediately regretting it.
Not entirely sure how she intended to match the energy on that one but it was out of her mouth, so oh well.
“I prefer Mommy but whatever floats your boat, kid.” The bartender responded, winking at the now tomato-red cleric before turning to help another patron.
Gorgug held up a shot, clinking it together before downing it and the next one…and the next one and the next one.
“Good fucking God.” Kristen muttered, already flagging down the bartender for a chaser after nearly hurling the first shot.
Was Gorgug's stomach made of lead or something?? This shit tasted like gasoline and peppermint had a baby and then raised it in a coal mine. Gorgug just laughed, also trying to flag the bartender for more shots. Any visage of coolness she was hoping to maintain was swiftly disregarded.
“You should slow down, man.” Kristen choked out, her throat feeling like it just got fucked by a Dry Guy.
“Why?” Gorgug asked as the bartender returned, pouring out the next six shots.
They also grabbed Kristen some mysterious bubbly drink in a blank can before disappearing again, neither of them having actually ordered.
“If you pass out, I can't drag you back to the van. You're too big.”
“Wuss.”
“Am not! You're a fucking foot taller than me!”
“What's the point of all those pushups if you can't carry me?”
Gorgug's whole face was lit up in the most devious grin Kristen had ever seen. Now Kristen, Kristen was the oldest of a gaggle of children and as the supposed “chosen one” of Helio was expected to be a leader, even-keel, and mature in the face of goading. She would never let such an immature comment determ-
“Alright, get up!” She ordered, standing up.
“What are you gonna do?” He asked, laughing as he grabbed one of the shots again.
“Carry your cocky ass. So, get up!” She barked, grabbing the shot from him and slamming it back down.
Mamma didn't raise a bitch who backed down from a competition. Kristen had been working out and was gonna prove herself, goddamn it.
“I'm not drunk yet!” He argued, despite doing as she asked and standing up.
“Don’t care.” She joked, a big grin on her face as the half-orc waited for her to lift him.
He must have expected her to just grab around his waist because he yelped as his human companion drove her shoulder into his hips and threw him across her shoulders, fireman style.
“Alright, you're strong! Put me down.” Gorgug said, suddenly nervous to be on the shoulders of his much smaller friend.
“Alright, just stop. Moving. So. Much.” She groaned, struggling to tip him back.
It was almost painfully predictable that Kristen ended up on the floor, crushed under her large friend. Normally, sober-Gorgug was very considerate but four-shots-deep-Gorgug was kind of an ass.
“I fucking knew you'd drop me.” He said, laughing and not fucking moving.
“Get. Off. Me.”
He rolled over, laughing even harder as Kristen groaned and rubbed her neck.
“If you two are gonna rough-house, there's vacancies at the inn next door. Much more fun in bed and doesn't block patrons from ordering.” The bartender chastised as the two morons got back in their stools.
“Nah, sadly she's not into guys.” Gorgug chuckled, throwing back the next shot.
Kristen raised her eyebrows at the statement, grabbing her shot and chaser.
“Sadly?” She questioned before choking back her second shot.
Fucking hell, it was way worse the second time. She chugged the bubbly drink as Gorgug shrugged and rested his head on his arms.
“Yeah, I thought you were really cute when we first met and then we, like, died together so I thought…” He trailed off, rolling the empty shot glass between his fingers.
Kristen stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do with that information.
“Do you, um, still feel that way or…”
He shrugged, his eyes glued on the shot glass as he mumbled.
“Not really. Sometimes you do something like fireman carry me and it feels like the first day of school again.” He chuckled.
Kristen set a comforting hand on his shoulder. This was all news to her and kind of boggled her mind. She tried to think back to some of her first interactions with Gorgug and what could have prompted such…feelings but nothing really stood out to her.
“Zelda’s an idiot.”
“No, she's not but I'll be okay.” He said, sitting up and sliding one of the shots over to her.
“Now, are we getting drunk or not, wuss?”