The Wicked Ones

4. Drunken night gone rogue

The girl's finger tapped in rhythm on the bar at the same speed as the clock hand that ticked down the seconds. She took a sip of her scotch once more, her first glass was nearly empty. God, she hated that she'd come in early. Around that exact moment, Asterin rushed into the pub and settled next to Lis.

"My apologies. I am late and it is terribly rude. Did you wait a long time ?"

Blythe downed the rest of the alcohol in the glass and signaled the bartender for another.

"No don't worry I barely just arrived. What about you ?" She turned to her friend and smirked, one eyebrow raised in amusement, "Someone hold you back?"

Black ordered a glass of whisky before shrugging her coat off and turning towards her friend.

"I guess you could say that, Alexander got in the way. As usu - why are you smirking like that ?" she said with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh nothing, nothing. Sorry I haven't had a drink in a while, it seems a glass of scotch is enough to make me lose control of my facial features." The woman's smirk broadened at the thought of Thornhood and her friend. She'd never seen them in the same room, but she had already talked with the man about Asterin and she didn't need to be a detective to see what was going on. Asterin's eyes narrowed at Lis.

"You little liar," she said before sipping her drink. She frowned and stared at the bottom of her glass. "Nothing is happening. I don't date colleagues." She shot her friend a pointed look.

This time Elisabeth burst out laughing.

"Whoever said anything about dating chuckaboo ! I certainly didn't !" The bartender smiled at the two women as he set down Lis' glass in front of her, she promptly took another sip. "God, I do love the power of suggestion. Works wonders in interrogation rooms, and also apparently to get friends to admit how they feel."

Asterin almost choked on the rest of her whiskey. She turned to Lis in outrage. "The only thing I feel when I talk to him is a headache ! He's utterly insufferable and you know it. And he is trying to steal my promotion !"

"Aye. But my dearest have you ever stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, all these bets he keeps making are only to spend more time with you ? I mean as I recall, you're the one fighting tooth and nail for the promotion, he's just following you around, smiling whenever you do anything and staring at your every movement." She downed the rest of her second glass. "But that's just my thought, what's the point of listening to silly old me."

Asterin ordered another whiskey. "You might want to slow down your alcohol consumption, you are talking nonsense." Black took a sip of her drink and scoffed. "Spending more time with me, imagine that. You know who's behaving that way ? Your Morningstar boy."

Lis nearly spit it out the gulp of scotch from the third glass she'd just ordered. She coughed for a few seconds before turning, completely astounded, to her friend.

"Look who's talking nonsense now ! What are you trying to say Black ? He's just an informant ! And he's absolutely not my boy."

Asterin barely concealed a smirk behind her glass. "Oh really ? Haven't you noticed he's always sulking around your office ? And the little nicknames huh ? I tell you what. That boy has a very big crush on you, detective Elisabeth Blythe. And something tells me you aren't too indifferent yourself."

"Well now that's just nonsense. He's not... I don't..." She slapped her forehead twice with the palm of her hand in an attempt to straighten her thoughts. "Don't you dare change the conversation Asterin Black. We were talking about you and dear old Alexander and I won't let you distract me. Because my dearest, you are fooling yourself if you think you're not affected by him at all, I actually think you quite like the attention he gives you. It's just that you don't understand why, the emotions are puzzling you so you prefer to think that he bothers you. Yes that's it. God I shouldn't drink this much, it breaks down my thought pattern." As she talked of slowing down on the alcohol she made a gesture to the bartender for another drink and smirked.

Asterin followed her friend's exemple and ordered another glass.

"You don't know what you are saying. You are drunk and I don't get puzzled by emotions ! And who's changing subjects now ? You aren't answering because you know I am right !"

"No. Uh, uh. You're wrong. Morningstar is nothing but a prideful, arrogant prick who got in my way in the middle of the most important case of my life. Sure now he gives me good intel, but that's it. He is still as arrogant, still as prideful. I don't like him, barely think I can call him a friend."

Asterin leaned on the the counter, smirking. She swirled her glass and gulped the rest of it.

"You dirty little liar. Your whole expression softens when he shows up. And I have seen you checking him out !" The bartender chuckled.

The alcohol had started getting the better of Blythe and a soft blush crept on her cheeks.

"I don't... I'd never dare... Well it's not my fault he always wears these tight leather jackets!"

Asterin roared out of laughter. "Dear lord, I cannot believe you actually said that !" she wiped the tears out of the corner of her eyes. Although she seemed to handle her alcohol much better than her friend, she too was starting to feel a bit lightheaded. "I am never letting you off on that one !"

"Oh don't blame this on me, he's got muscles and I'm only human. And if I play my cards right, neither of us will remember I said that tomorrow." Lis downed her glass, she'd lost count of which one it was. "Hey, bartender darling, refill for both of us."

"Darling ? Careful, Jamesie could get jealous if he heard you !" Black started giggling again. "Ahhh. I am definitely remembering this tomorrow. It's imprinted into my mind !"

"I," she pointed a finger at her friend, "hate you. You are the worst. I swear if you do anything about this after tonight I will go help Alexander ask you on a date. I'm certain he'd love that." She took yet another sip of her drink before speaking in a small voice. "And don't call him Jamesie that's ridiculous."

Asterin's eyebrows furrowed but she soon started laughing again.

"Help him ask me on a date ? I'd like to see you try. Besides you won't even remember !" She chanted in a singsong voice. Suddenly, Black noticed the sound of a phone ringing. "Hey. I think that's your phone !" Asterin finally managed to say, she grabbed the ringing device before her friend could move and when she saw the caller's I.D. laughed even more. "My, my. Look who's calling." she said with a devilish smile.