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In hindsight, maybe Eddie had bitten off a little more than he could chew. [break][break]

The Upper District of Slateport was already a locale that felt a little rich for his blood. It was ritzy, it was classy, and it was the sort of place that made the man and his bright orange shirt feel a little out of place. [break][break]

When Eddie stepped inside of the Barbary Pyroar itself, that feeling intensified tenfold. He froze for a moment, just a step into the building, and scanned the premises with wide, nervous eyes. This place was... nice. Too nice for a guy like him, probably, who had spent much of his twenties in and out of dive bars that served bottom-shelf swill that was closer to paint-thinner than a respectable beverage. [break][break]

But, no, wait, he had grown since then, and so had his palette. That reminder of his reason for being here was enough for Eddie to steel his resolve, and that listless scan of the bar shifted to a purposeful search for a familiar face. Surely the guy had to be here somewhere – [break][break]

Ah hah, there he was. Eddie smiled to himself when he spotted that familiar face perched on a bar stool. He was over in a few long strides, settling onto his own upholstered perch with an easy smile that did a fairly convincing job of obfuscating what nervousness the man still felt, [break][break]

“Heya, bud.” [break][break]

Dark eyes drifted to the drink Gideon was nursing, and Eddie grinned. That orange peel garnish was pretty iconic when paired with the golden amber of whiskey, [break][break]

“An old fashioned? Good choice.” [break][break]

Eddie turned to eye the bottles lining the shelves, searching for familiar names and labels. Maybe he could offer Gideon a taste of something even better.

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]

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Oh, this was bad. This was really bad. [break][break]

Eddie's quest for the perfect introductory drink was immediately derailed by the warm, honey-sweet quality that Gideon had taken on. The soldier watched him, watched the bones in his wrist as he swirled the dregs of his cocktail around in its glittering glass, and tried not to let his gaze linger on any other part of the professor for too long, [break][break]

“I, uh, sure did,” he chuckled bashfully, and returned Gideon's grin with a nervous, lopsided smile before he steeled his nerves and tried again, “Hope yer ready ta have yer mind blown.” [break][break]

Big talk for a man with a more pedestrian palette, but Eddie was determined to put his money where his mouth was. His line of sight briefly returned to the bottles behind the bar before he was drawn back to his handsome companion, [break][break]

“Here, lemme start us out with somethin' on the sweeter side.” [break][break]

And something that had become a bit of an “old reliable” for Eddie ever since he first discovered that you didn't have to mix a metric ton of sugary soda into a spirit to make it drinkable. He flagged down the bartender and ordered two glasses of a favorite standby, [break][break]

“Four Roses is one'a my go-to labels,” he mentioned by way of introduction as two glasses were brought their way, each with a single pour of honey-colored liquid and nothing else, [break][break]

“They got a couple'a different varieties at a couple'a different price points, but I like the single barrel. Gets longer ta age, more time ta develop flavor, yanno?” [break][break]

He gladly took a sip from his own glass, warm and spiced and sweet and toasty. Eddie's face flushed briefly, but that probably had more to do with Gideon than the drink, he realized, as he watched the other man from over his glass. In that moment, Eddie wanted nothing more than to please him, whether it be by his choice of beverage or by way of conversation, [break][break]

“So, you got a favorite label? Bourbon, whiskey, anythin' else?”

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]

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Eddie smiled happily at Gideon's expression of his approval. A new rush of pride colored his cheeks and settled warmly in his chest, but maybe that was just the bourbon starting to do its thing. It was certainly having a pronounced effect on the professor, in a way that it was making it very hard to focus on the topic at hand, [break][break]

“No kiddin'?” he managed, though his companion's flushed face and cheeky wink had Eddie half-convinced that he had forgotten how to speak for a moment, [break][break]

“Well, then I hope I don't disappoint ya, 'cause I'm a little rusty on that front.” [break][break]

Partially because anything mixed with too much sugar or simple syrup or overly sweet liquor was liable to give him a hell of a headache in the morning (such were the perils of his advancing age). On the other hand, Gideon could have told him to chug a glass of motor oil and Eddie would have done so gladly, [break][break]

“I'll take somethin' with whiskey,” because if Eddie was one thing, it was predictable, “An' I'll leave the rest up ta yer expertise.” [break][break]

And he polished off his own glass for good measure, though maybe he was being a bit hasty, because as Eddie placed it back onto the bar for the bartender's retrieval, he felt a new rush of warmth surge through his veins. The soldier rolled up his sleeves and leaned against the bar on his elbows, unaware that he was now also leaning in just a little further into the professor's space, [break][break]

“So, this the sorta thing you get up to outside'a the museum?” [break][break]

And outside of being accosted by some nutjob on the DRK Triad's trail. Eddie really hoped that he was making a better impression here than he had back in Lilycove.

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]

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The drink certainly tasted like it was something cooked up by a Kalosian. The herbal quality to it was a little outside of his wheelhouse (huh, was there absinthe in this?), but there were far worse ways to kill a bottle of rye. Eddie licked his lips and took another sip, [break][break]

“Huh, I hadn't figured ya fer the 'outdoorsy' type, but I get the appeal.” [break][break]

At least he could when the words were coming out of Gideon's mouth. Eddie didn't think he'd ever heard someone so earnest about anything before, even if it was coming from a man who was working through his sazerac like his life depended on it. Eddie swirled his own around in his glass and admired the dark, ruddy liquid reflecting the low light around them as he tried to formulate his own answer, [break][break]

“Me? Feel like I'm spendin' most'a my days tryin' ta prepare fer whatever's gonna blow inta Hoenn next. I work out, train up with my team, try ta pitch in if somethin' around Dewford's goin' down.” [break][break]

But that didn't really constitute a hobby, did it? Eddie frowned to himself at the realization, then looked back up at Gideon, [break][break]

“Ya know what, though? Maybe I could use a little'a that 'release' myself. It's been a weird few months fer me, if I'm bein' honest.” [break][break]

And all that worry melted away at the sound of some sort of retreat into the wilderness, at the idea of just getting away from it all for a minute. Or maybe that concern had simply been extinguished by the look in his companion's eyes and the almost molten quality Eddie could have sworn they had started to take on. It was mesmerizing, but he managed to dispel their hold with a playful nudge of his elbow into Gideon's arm, taking advantage of their close quarters, [break][break]

“You got any recommendations fer me, bud? I ain't picky; I'd prob'ly be happy as long as I ain't headin' anywhere cold.”

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]

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Eddie laughed too at the thought of the bespectacled professor in that cumbersome, plastic-y, Neoprene garment. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same guy he had nearly scared the life out of in the museum basement, but Eddie was glad to have followed that hunch, even if he had gained something entirely different from that venture. [break][break]

Dark eyes, crinkled at the edges by a touch of Murkrow's feet, shifted to the phone's screen as what little distance left between them seemed to evaporate entirely. They watched with curiosity as a familiar name flicked onto the screen for a moment (and Eddie filed that little bit of information for later – it would probably be impolite to be caught snooping through the man's notifications), only to be replaced by images of a rather rustic-looking campground, [break][break]

“Huh,” Eddie began with genuine interest, only tilting his head away just long enough to take another sip of his drink, [break][break]

“Never been that far out in the boonies, but it looks nice. Bet it looks real pretty at night.” [break][break]

He'd only ever seen it in pictures, but Eddie had once heard something about 'night pollution', and of how the farther you got away from the cities, the more the night sky was lit up by shining, glittering stars. He could just imagine it now, his eyes as wide as they could get, staring up at that tapestry of light, trying to map out all of the constellations and their storied figures he had read about as a kid. [break][break]

Maybe it was just the romanticism of the idea, or maybe he really was starting to feel the affects of the alcohol by now, because Eddie decided that he would have to make his way there at his earliest opportunity, [break][break]

“Whelp, that settles it!” he announced boisterously, “That's gonna be my new vacation destination!” [break][break]

Even in spite of the fact that the campground wasn't actually that far removed from the nearest town, and the fact that he had never actually gone camping somewhere that wasn't within the line of sight of his childhood home. Maybe some caution was due after all – good thing he was in the company of someone who seemed to really know what he was talking about, [break][break]

“I'll hafta hit ya up when I make it ta that neck'a the woods. With my luck, I'm liable to get my leg caught in a bear trap or fall inta a ravine or somethin'.” [break][break]

His tone was colored by teasing mirth, but Eddie liked the idea of finding more opportunities to spend time with Gideon.

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]

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When Gideon leaned in, for just a moment, Eddie was suddenly struck by a pang of nostalgia. [break][break]

He had been here before, hadn't he? Not here, exactly, but in this sort of situation. In a sketchier bar, perhaps, with a different guy, but the rest was the same – drunk conspiracy, that scheming lilt to the other man's voice, the familiar knock of his knee against the other guy's as Eddie shifted on his stool. [break][break]

For a moment, Eddie was twenty-five again, and he was back in Cascarrafa at the old watering hole, and a beautiful brown-eyed boy was talking to him like he was the only person in the whole room, planning some bit of mischief that would one day be little more than a bittersweet memory. [break][break]

Eddie blinked, and he was thirty-nine again, and his throat was seized by a sudden tightness. He swallowed against it, and nodded, [break][break]

“Uh, sure. Whaddya have in mind?”

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]

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“Huh?” [break][break]

Alright, flattery was actually a pretty good way to get the ball rolling. Eddie's cheeks flushed again for a moment, but he didn't need to be particularly perceptive to see the change that came over his drinking buddy. He listened thoughtfully, expression shifting to one of concern. [break][break]

Eddie didn't need to know why Gideon needed to get stronger – he simply knew that the guy needed some help, and Eddie would offer it gladly, [break][break]

“Hey, no need ta be bashful about it.” [break][break]

His face shifted again to something more easy-going, almost teasing, in an attempt to inject a little levity into the conversation. Eddie reached an arm behind Gideon, and clapped a broad hand on his shoulder, and jostled him affectionately, [break][break]

“I'd be happy ta help, bud, but I ain't goin' easy on ya just 'cause you got good taste in booze.” [break][break]

Eddie fished for his phone with his other hand and prepared to send a text message, [break][break]

“I'll shoot ya my address, but if ya can't make it out ta Dewford, I'll come find you, whenever yer ready,” he offered, [break][break]

“We'll get you an' yer little buddy whipped inta shape in no time!” [break][break]

An assertion punctuated by a teasing wink for good measure.

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GIDEON GRAVES [break]