1st Interlude: Shadowstep

"May prefers pirates. Easier to punch." She toasts Sam and drinks from her wine skin.

Smirk looks struck with ineffable longing at the sight of May drinking. Nick just sighs, and slumps back against his rest.

"C'mon Nick, don't say that! I'll just jump ashore and start running around yelling Mooom? or something. Can't fail!"

"Would that work?"

Nick and Smirk shrug at the same time, for seemingly different reasons - "Who knows?"

Anne looks at the rest of the group with curiosity. Her blue eyes contrast heavily with her short blonde hair.

"Seems like we're the only ones relieved not to be fighting pirates," she says to Sam with a smile.

That immediately gets Smirk's attention - "Not true at all! Nick is very relieved not to be fighting them either, if bored at what the job is shaping up to be."

Nick clears his throat, in apparent embarrassment.

She shakes her head at the other three and looks at Anne. "I would prefer to work my way up to pirates. And I would prefer to be sitting behind my desk at the agency to 'working my way up'."

"May würde sich selbst töten. How can you stand desk jobs? They don't even let you drink vile you vork!" She looks horrified at the prospect.

"My job is my element, thank you. And most teetotalers don't want to be stone cold drunk 24/7."

"I need a drink," she mumbles.

"Ya, ve all need drinks! Come closer and drink vith me for luck." She motions the others over and offers her wine skin.

"...I'll pass on that," Anne tells May. "We're on duty, and I don't think you'd want me to mess up a spell in the middle of combat."

"I can't drink..." - Smirk confesses with heartbroken dejection. - "I keep wanting Deadeye Bradshaw to get drunk for me, but you really wouldn't want him missing his aim out there."

Nick sighs.

"That sucks, Anne. I kinda feel guilty. We should make it up to you later." She takes the wineskin and takes a nice long quaff from it. "Mm. Yeah, that really helps."

"Just remember that I have no spells to get rid of a hangover," Anne warns. "...Not yet anyway."

"Bitte." May takes back the wine skin. "Hangovers are easy to avoid. Das Geheimnis ist, weiter zu trinken."

Sam shakes her head. "That's a slippery slope May. Just ask one of my old girlfriends from seven years ago. Nick, do you want a drink?"

Nick shrugs, then holds out his hand.

Now that everyone is partaking in the wine, Anne sighs, defeated. "I'll have some of it too."

"Ya, wine is good. Just take deep breath before drinking. No mess." She hands the wine skin to Nick. It's a strong but smooth rice wine from Lorinth.

The white mage reassures Samantha.

"Don't worry, I've had a few drinks before. Let's just... not tell Colonel Riddle."

"Uuuugh....." - Smirk moans - "Who the frell thought it was a good idea to make it so i couldn't drink...!"

Smirk laments as he sees Nick take the wineskin. Nick nods at May while doing so. Smirk stares at his summoner - "Slowly, dammit. I want to savour it!"

Sam smiles at the Darkness aspect's apparent helplessness. "What a shame. Sorry, Smirk. I guess you'll just have to remain on alert for us. You never know what you might miss if the powers-that-be decided to let you get inebriated."

"I know what i'm missing right now!" - he complains

Nick takes a swig.