Afterparty

[latinumsbetter]

[The earth once more closes up and all of that disappears, Quark remains on the ground for a long moment, holding Cerejeira. Finally, he raises his voice, still keeping her tucked against him. His tone is all business, brooking no argument.]

Bar'll open in ten minutes. Go get washed up, and then be there.

[He turns his head to look at Astarion, eyes narrowing.]

You. After those ten minutes, you're going to explain to everyone what you did. And then you're going to get out of my bar. Got it?

[and, not waiting for a reply, he's turning his attention to Cerejeira and Leb. He frowns, for a moment, because he knows he can't carry either of them, and normally he might have asked Fe Lu Om Ranma or Vanity but, well.]

...someone who can carry people help me with Leb and Jeira.

[So......the bar downstairs is once again open. Quark is not behind the bar. Instead, he's pushed some tables together and put some bottles of wine on the table. He's replicated some bar snacks and they're there too. There's something replicated for Riful also, in a separate bowl, which he'll give to her personally.

Fritz sitting near the entrance to the back counter where he's working and Critwo is in a nest of blankets in a corner just behind the counter. There’s been several of the extra togas gathered and folded to be used as blankets.

Leb is still asleep on one of the couches with one of the spare togas tucked around her as a blanket. Cerejeira is seated next to her, also with a spare toga tucked around her.

Once everyone is down there, Quark pushes to his feet and clears his throat.

Once the situation has been made clear, then the rest of the evening can proceed as usual for their afterparties.

Those four drinks that Quark usually makes (Athena, Alex, Misane, Aglaea) are once again sitting at the far edge of the counter. There are no new additions.]

Comments

[stringup]

[ She takes it and dabs at her eyes. ]

I want to tell him that as much as it's his favourite play, trying to write a romantic serenade while referencing a tragedy doesn't work well.

[latinumsbetter]

[this time, he does scoff]

That's because tragedies aren't romantic. They never are, no matter how people dress 'em up. The only thing they show is what a waste it all is. How things could have been different if someone had just made a smarter choice. But they decided not to.

[stringup]

Even though we're both really rather tragic people?

[ Ferdinand and her, she means. ]

[latinumsbetter]

You didn't have to be. Not here. There's always a choice. This was a second chance--is one.

I thought I was pretty clear on that. I thought Alex was pretty clear on that.

[stringup]

I know. Ferdinand told me that too, you know.

[ Though in hindsight, he never said out loud if that was the same for him. She should have noticed that back then, she thinks. ]

...I guess I was thinking something rather unkind for a moment there.

[latinumsbetter]

How's that.

[stringup]

That maybe the only reason we had our whirlwind romance is that we both know how it is to make decisions that ruin ourselves.

1/2

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark stares at Velvet for a long moment...before he says, bluntly:]

Nah.

2/2

[latinumsbetter]

Maybe a reason, but the only reason?

[he shakes his head]

There's plenty of people here that have made bad decisions that changed their lives for the worst. In fact, of wager that almost everyone has. I could make a whole list.

[he could but there's some here that might stab him for it]

So if that was the only reason, you're not hurting for candidates. [dryly]

[stringup]

...Well, that's true.

Somehow, he decided I'm the one he'll follow around like a duckling and pester like a restless sheepdog.

[latinumsbetter]

Somehow. [dryly, again, but with some hint of amusement] C'mon. He must've gone on and on about why. What'd he say?

[stringup]

[ Just recalling some of the things Ferdinand said about her is making her flustered, goodness. ]

That I'm good with my hands and funny in my own dark way. That I was direct with him in a way few people usually are.

...That I'm the dusk to his dawn.

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark huffs at that, shaking his head ruefully]

Yeah, that sounds like him.

He really tried to be good to you, huh?

[stringup]

Better than anyone's ever been.

...I should have told him I love him more.

[latinumsbetter]

Maybe. But I think he knew.

[he turns more towards her on the couch, reaching out to take her hands if she'll let him]

Velvet. I need to tell you something.

[stringup]

[ She's...a little startled, since she doesn't expect this sort of thing from Quark, but she's not stopping him either. ]

What is it?

1/2

[latinumsbetter]

I'm going to say this, and you're not going to believe me, Miss He-Could-Do-Better, but it's true, and someone needs to say it so I guess it's gotta be me.

[he looks at her very seriously]

I know that Ferdinand loved you, and he did a lot of things to sincerely show you that. And I know you're not gonna let him go because--that whole, y'know, your soul is mine, that thing you told Omega to tell him--and I can't say I'm surprised. [that isn't a negative or a positive, it just is]

And all'a that being said, as much as he told you he loved you and sung your praises and told you that you were the dusk to his dawn...

2/2

[latinumsbetter]

You deserve better.

He should have trusted you with what was happening. He should have put sticking around for you first. Now, I know--[he drops one of her hands to put up one of his, as if to stall any protests]--I know that you'll say that's just how he is, and maybe that's true. But you can, and should, demand better out of him. And if he loves you like he's been saying he does, then he'll try and do that. Because you deserve someone that is always going to put you first, and in the way that you deserve to be put first. Actually first, not his idea of what that means.

[stringup]

[ Velvet just sits there and listens. She's never really thought about this, even if on some level she felt it during the trial—that sense of having been left behind and wanting an explanation from Ferdinand. But she's otherwise mostly felt that Ferdinand could have just as easily loved someone else (did, even, at some point before, a small part in the back of her mind reminds her), and a part of her figured she may as well just take what she could get until he became disillusioned with her, surely.

Except that didn't happen, and he proved to be as sincere as he was at the start. If anything, he seemed to adore her more the more they spent time together, humouring her selfish requests, and suddenly the idea of letting him go felt unbearable to her.

So... It's okay to tell him to treasure her the way she wants him to, as Quark said. ]

...I'll be sure to tell him when I see him again.

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark blinks at that response, surprised]

...wait, really?

[he huffs a little, shoulder relaxing]

I thought I'd have to do more convincing than that.

[stringup]

Well, it's not as if you're privy to all the conversations we've had.

[ ...or at least Velvet hopes so. ]

[latinumsbetter]

Not every one.

[and honestly, he's kind of glad of that. Probably a lot of sappy vow-trading]

[stringup]

[ Ahahaha. ]

Wait, you mean you've heard some?

[latinumsbetter]

What, you think these are for show? [he gestures at his ears. Though he does pause, sobering slightly]

There is something you should know before you decide if you want to come or not.

[stringup]

[ While trying to not scream internally about what Quakr may have overheard before: ]

...What is it?