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i get by, but it's hard to forget in the smoke of denial and the fog of regret.

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all the things you'll never be

POSTED ON Dec 19, 2022 1:24:02 GMT

He was more than a few drinks in. Gideon had taken the spirit of the New Year’s Bar Crawl to heart, bless him. It was the one night of the year where all the bars around Hoenn had their best liquors well-stocked and rarer accoutrements at the ready to make the signature drinks and cocktails that paired with the New Year’s theme.

After ordering Walpurgisnacht’s own signature drink - the Gravedigger - Gideon turned away from the bar top and scanned the crowded space for a place to sit. Although his face was a little fuzzy, he noticed john nelson of all people in a booth across the room. What were the chances of bumping into him here in Mossdeep!

Gideon slid into the booth without hesitation, draping an arm on the back of the bench behind his friend.

“John! How’ve you been? I don’t think I’ve seen you since the masquerade!” Being that they were well-acquainted, John may have noticed Gideon’s slightly higher tone of voice, his excited expression that combated the professor’s usual severe countenance. All telltale signs that this probably wasn’t Gideon’s first bar of the night, or even his second or third.

john nelson

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johnny

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thirty-five

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slateport city

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john nelson

new years bar crawl: walpurgisnacht
GIDEON GRAVES

POSTED ON Dec 20, 2022 1:33:22 GMT

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As New Years approached, John found himself in an oddly pensive mood. It wasn't at all appropriate for the end of the year -- a time typically defined by excitement and optimism -- but it was the mood he landed in nonetheless when he slipped into the first bar (of what would no doubt be many) of the night.

He was of course accompanied by a few of his coworkers, but they weren't daft people. They could tell his mind wasn't in the party space just yet and because he was their manager instead of their friend they felt no need to babysit him and perk him up. So he found himself settling into a booth alone to consider a whiskey, and then another, and then because he was lonely and felt in need of a reminder of friendlier faces a cocktail.

The Gravedigger was awful, like most cocktails, and it didn't have the desired effect. The taste of berries made him dwell on the reason for his seriousness and his distaste at the sweetness that coated his tongue back to front was less fun to indulge in without the person he was missing.

Already he was considering picking up and finding another bar (slipping away from his coworkers) when the sound of just the voice he was longing for came from somewhere in his blind spot -- so close that he could practically feel the hot breath of the man behind him.

"Giddy!" he turned around and cheered, face flushed but no competition at all for that of his dear friend.

"Don't mention the masquerade!" He groaned with a wry smile -- the night was equal parts enchanting and embarrassing to recall, "That's 2022, the past! Today is for the future, Giddy."

He teased and inspected the face of Gideon at the same time. His slightly unfocused gaze, the wider-than-average smile. And his voice. Sing-song and carefree in a way John wasn't sure he'd ever heard it before.

"Are you drunker than me right now?" He questioned, amusement plain on his face. It wasn't often he had Gideon at a disadvantage in these things.

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dr. graves

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October 28

fallarbor town, hoenn

bisexual

museum director

professor / researcher

6'4" / 193 cm height

i get by, but it's hard to forget in the smoke of denial and the fog of regret.

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all the things you'll never be

POSTED ON Dec 22, 2022 23:27:58 GMT

Elisabeth Fiorelli and john nelson like this

Giddy. Little bursts of pleasantness sparked in Gideon's mind at the happy welcome he received. It egged him on to lean closer, ridding any semblance of reasonable proximity between the two friends. Blame it on the alcohol.

"Fiiiine. We'll leave that in the past then." Gideon left it there, not wanting to dredge up any masquerade memories if John didn't want to reminisce. Besides, he'd just asked another question, to which Gideon gave his full attention and undivided effort into answering.

"Am I? No, definitely no—" He paused abruptly mid-sentence, the cogs of his inebriated mind beginning to catch up to his thoughts. "Hm. Well, actually. Let's see…"

Setting his Gravedigger down on the table in front of them, Gideon lifted his now-free hand forward, all five fingers fanned out for added effect.

"I had an Old Fashioned at Ritual. A classic, never steers you wrong." One finger fell, curling toward his palm.

"A Negroni at The Nimbus. More bitter than most people think." A second finger.

"A Zombie at The Burning Maw. Now that one was interesting." A third.

"A Galaxy at Casino Starlight. Love the colors, didn't care so much for the drink. Casino was nice, though." A fourth.

"Hmm…" Things were beginning to get a little hazy now. "A Sazerac? You know that one." His thumb was the last to go.

"Now this!" Gideon gestured to the cocktail he'd laid on the table. He made no moves to grab it again, though, but instead posed a question of his own to the office worker beside him.

"Tell me, John, since we're focusing on the future — what sorts of things are you looking forward to in 2023?"

john nelson

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johnny

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thirty-five

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slateport city

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new years bar crawl: walpurgisnacht
GIDEON GRAVES

POSTED ON Dec 24, 2022 1:04:34 GMT

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Personal space wasn't a great concern of John's on pretty much any day. Too many mosh pits and crowded company dinners rid him of that problem. So, John leaned into Gideon when Gideon draped himself over one of his shoulders. He dipped his head towards the other man, lessening the space between them even more so that he could better hear what he had to say.

John tried to keep a straight face as Gideon started counting off drinks, really he did, but the novelty of the situation made it difficult. With great effort he managed to at least keep from cracking completely -- although his smile had widened considerably by the time they got around to the Gravedigger, and more than a little air still struggled to escape through his nose.

"Should I be heartbroken, Giddy? That you decided to do so much bar hopping before checking whatever you use to keep tabs on me?"

It was maybe playing with fire to dredge up a joke from weeks ago while his friend was well on his way to smashed, but how could he help himself?

"At least I know your interest hasn't completely vanished," he replied to the question playfully, giving the other man a gentle slap to the chest. Then he was left to actually answer the question. Most years it would have been nothing all that interesting: 'Just more office work, a push for upper management' he might have said. But he had actual goals now for the first time in nearly a decade.

He leaned away slightly, suddenly feeling a little sheepish.

"Have I ever told you I used to be a pokemon trainer, Giddy?"

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dr. graves

he / him

October 28

fallarbor town, hoenn

bisexual

museum director

professor / researcher

6'4" / 193 cm height

i get by, but it's hard to forget in the smoke of denial and the fog of regret.

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all the things you'll never be

POSTED ON Jan 6, 2023 2:58:24 GMT

It was a good thing that roles weren't reversed and they were trying to walk home right now, because john nelson probably wouldn't have been able to hold up a 6'4" GIDEON GRAVES. Their secluded booth was nice and stable, thankfully, yet the professor still leaned heavily onto his friend.

John, to his credit, seemed unbothered by it.

"Nooo, I'd never break your heart, John~" He insisted, his voice swinging from its earlier exuberance to something more subdued. "And how could I ever lose interest? Psh, I like you too much for that to ever happen."

A beaming smile bloomed onto his lips, so at odds with Gideon's usually reserved demeanor.

"I don't want to lose my best drinking buddy, after all!"

With those assurances given, Gideon could now focus on his friend's answer. Instead of explaining his goals outright, though, another question had been asked in its place.

Gideon sat in silence for a few seconds as he processed what John said. Then, sounding both shocked and overtly curious, he replied:

"...Really? No, I had no idea!"

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new years bar crawl: walpurgisnacht
GIDEON GRAVES

POSTED ON Jan 6, 2023 4:17:36 GMT

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The reassurance wasn't needed -- John was just playing of course -- but it was welcome nonetheless. It made something in John's chest warm, especially given how sure he was the man beside him was being honest. It wasn't often he met someone so fully invested in him. Especially someone who'd seen him drunker than he'd like to admit on more than one occasion.

"The feeling's mutual, Giddy," he replied with a smile a bit more sentimental than the last. A smile that almost vanished when he was reminded where he left the conversation. He bit at the inside of his cheek as silence stretched, and then let out a huff of a laugh when Gideon finally spoke up again -- tone unabashedly inquisitive.

"Yeah, took the gym challenge when I was sixteen," John said, hands wrapping around his drink for lack of anything else to do, "Kept at it until I was . . . shit, twenty-six. Ten years."

A decade. It settled on him like a lead weight. He rarely let himself think about it hard enough to do the number game.

'Ten years, nine years ago.'

Fuck, he felt old.

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dr. graves

he / him

October 28

fallarbor town, hoenn

bisexual

museum director

professor / researcher

6'4" / 193 cm height

i get by, but it's hard to forget in the smoke of denial and the fog of regret.

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388 posts

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TAG WITH @gideon