“Unofficial matches are fun too! Because they are, you know...” She leans closer to the lady. “No holds barred. You get me?”

She gets another bite from the snack in which she realizes she has already ate her share. Disappointed, she calls the bartender behind and orders three more batches of tacos. The barkeep is bewildered, looking at her with strange eyes and proceeds to inform the kitchen of the order.

“It's easy if you have your life for yourself.” She does not want her words to drown in bitterness so she gulps a good portion of the drink to conceal her emotion. “Mine isn't anything like that. That's why I need to study: to get away from my parent's expectations of me.”

And after coating her throat with the liquor, her eyes squint, and then she smiles.

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skyler dross

"Oh yeah, I getcha." Skyler doesn't try to hide the fierce, lopsided grin that pulls at her lips, memories of adrenaline-inducing battles coming unbidden to the surface. "It's a competitive business, treasure hunting. Some fellows don't take well to you sniffing around their turf. You gotta know how to beat them back."

If there's a playful challenge in her eyes, it's soon concealed as she downs her drink with a single motion of her arm.

"You make your own path; whatever it takes." The feeling is a familiar one, reflected in flashing silver eyes. Skyler raises a glass up in invitation, grinning. "May Arceus have pity on whoever stands in our way! Cuz we'll have none!" 

She's only half-joking, wholly unashamed at her bold, ridiculous statement.

"Now I'm curious," the sailors starts, peering at Selena and finishing off the last of her food, "if you had your way, what would you be doing? Where would you be?"

Selena Desmarais

Selena raises her glass with Skyler, pulling a chuckle out of the pinkette. “May Arceus punish them real hard!”

At that moment, she realizes despite their audacious demeanor inside the pub, no one cares. It's as if she can be herself at that moment without thinking what others think of her. As if her responsibilities are of a different realm and she is just there, spending the hours having fun until the morning rise for another day to start again.

“Oh, don't worry. I already got what I wanted.” She beams as her three platefuls of taco is served on her side of the counter. “To be a journalist, that is. To be part of the top reporters in the country!”

But Is it all that she wanted? Is it truly what she wanted? No one knows.

Not even her.

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skyler dross

The drink that had been halfway to Skyler's mouth abruptly stops its motion at Selena's answer, two eyebrows arching up in something like surprise before the shot resumes its journey, slipping past the blonde's lips to burn a pleasant path down her throat. "A journalist, huh?" A finger is pointed threateningly at the pinkette, though the look on Skyler's face is mischievous, playful even. "I better not end up on the news tomorrow, Selena."

The amount of food that placed in front of Selena isn't missed. "Feeling hungry, huh? Probably for the best, given the wide range of alcoholic beverages we're going to try." A hand sneaks out to swipe one of the tacos from Selena's plate, shamelessly popping it into her mouth and chewing, smugness radiating from her.

"Shpeakin' of-" Skyler's still chewing when she turns and leans the upper part of her body over the counter, so much so that it looks as if she wants to dive into the other side of the counter, butt up in the air. "Hey Locke! Get us two Naked Wenches!"

The sailor doesn't bother lowering her voice, looking back at Selena with a barely disguised twinkle in her silver eyes that promises nothing but trouble. "You better prepare, those cocktails pack a punch. But they're delicious, I promise. You only get 'em here though. House special."

The bubbling, frothing drinks that are placed on the counter in front of them look anything but safe to drink. A challenging smirk is directed at Selena as Skyler picks up her glass.

Selena Desmarais

“What? Didn't I tell you a while ago that I'm a reporter?” Selena giggles with Skyler's reaction, riding along with the sailor's kind of humor. “That depends on what kinds of news you're getting yourself into.”

The pinkette eyes the blonde as she shoves down a taco from her platefuls, Selena missing the opportunity to hit her hand playfully before Skyler successfuly snatches one. There is brimming overconfidence with the way she puts herself out there but as far as she is concerned, a person raised in the winery business shouldn't be the first one to pass out on good days like this.

“Oh yeah? I like to see you outdrink me.” Selena teases as she grabs a drink for herself and downs an entire glass of Castelia in one go. Her companion will probably laugh at her with the way her face twitches after doing so.

Note: Made Manhattan=Castelia for IC consistency SKSK

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skyler dross

Skyler can already feel the warming of her cheeks as the alcohol sneaks into her bloodstream, painting her skin a subtle shade of pink over her sun-kissed skin. "I'm not getting into any kind of news," the sailor declares, sliding a glass of frothing alcohol closer to her. Silver eyes narrow at the pinkette, mischievous. "Trouble, on the other hand..." Her taunting words are punctuated by a sly grin, though it doesn't stay long before a short bark of laughter spills forth.

"So I better behave myself in your company, huh?" It's as if Skyler's taking this as a challenge, which is made all the more obvious when she drinks the next glass in one go, gulping the liquid down with no hesitation whatsoever. Her face is the picture of nonchalance as she quirks an eyebrow at the glass in Selena's hand - daring her.

Selena's expression after she down her drinks does have the sailor guffawing, peals of unrestrained, wild laughter spilling from her lips as she leans forward, holding onto her belly. "Y-You aren't looking too well there. Are you sure you wanna challenge me, Ms Journalist?" A hand pats the pinkette's arm, playful.

There is a shit-eating grin on Skyler's face as the laughter finally subsides and she raises her eyes to Selena's. "I'll have you know I can handle my drink like a champ. This one time I woke up in the middle of the ocean, on my Wailord..."

Selena Desmarais

“Oh yeah? Not even if you get recognized for discovering a great treasure in your hunt?”

Selena returns the cheeky guffaw as she downs another from her drink. Being part of the media industry, she totally understands why some people wouldn't want to be written on a news. Being a celebrity is not for everybody.

“Not necessarily. Believe me, I'm more on the radical side than conservative.”

She winks before pairing the alcohol with a bite of taco. Despite the expression that paints a funny impression in Skyler's head, Selena's pale skin still reflects the faint glow from the light at the alcove with a blush of pink.

“Ha! It's just this isn't my liquor of choice but don't get ahead of yourself. You don't know how long a Desmarais can hold her liquor.”

This time, her chuckle is more loud and unrestrained. It has been a long time since she laughs like this and she's savoring every moment she has at the bar. Once Skyler begins her story, the pinkette rests her chin on her hands as she listens to her musings.

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skyler dross

"Especially if I discover a great treasure during my hunts." Skyler could just imagine the chaos: museums clamoring for part of it, claiming historically priceless artifacts; other treasure hunters sharpening their knives and ready to go for her throat; her clients, mostly private collectors, disgruntled that they hadn't been contacted first - possibly sending a few thugs her way. It wouldn't have been the first time, as some of her scars would attest to.

No, her privacy better stay her own, thank you very much.

The family name doesn't ring any bell in Skyler's mind, though to be fair she has never paid attention to the happenings of the world - until it had come crashing at her door. Selena, however, speaks of it as if it should have some weight to it, so it piques Skyler's interest. "Desmarais? Should I be impressed? Afraid?" An eyebrow is quirked up, along with an insolent, lopsided grin. 

The look of oncoming trouble is hidden behind a new cocktail, its nearly fuorescent hue barely making the sailor bat an eye as she downs part of it. "Well, now we have to test it out, don't we? You're the one who's challenging a sailor to a drinking contest." 

Eventually, Skyler finishes her story, edited partly because there were some details she wasn't sure about, and because of some... illegalities. She definitely mentions finding a hot pink thong hidden in her bra though, looking utterly smug about it. Not hers either. "What about you, pinky? Got any stories to tell?"

Selena Desmarais