The Shit Day Fairy must have been busy, Oscar was having quite the experience himself. Dressed in funeral attire, Oscar took a long sip of scotch before gently placing his glass on the bar counter. The pup was quiet, despite the bustle outside. Perhaps it was too early in the evening for drinking, didn't stop Oscar. He stared at the condensation hanging off his glass. He had been nursing it for thirty minutes now, trying to erase the day's events from his mind. Should have known better, this kind of pain never scrubs away that easily.
Fc
Oscar's melencholy vibe was broken by someone bursting through the entrance. He didn't look, he just hardened his expression as annoyance overcame his other emotions. Someone slid onto the stool next to him, demanding two shots. Oscar tried to ignore them, taking another sip of his own drink. Yet he couldn't help himself, he had to peek. She was a woman, and she looked like she just rolled through hell. Perhaps it was the buzz, or maybe he just decided he wanted to pull his mind away from his woe, but Oscar was curious. 

He pulled his eyes away, sliding his glass to his mouth to finish off his drink. As he put the glass down he raised a finger toward the bartender, a request for a second glass. While he waited he folded his fingers together and without looking toward her he asked, "Rough day huh? Heard that's going around."

skyler dross

As Oscar received his own drink, he lifted the glass slightly to the toast before taking a hefty swig. This woman spoke his language at least, dare he prod? Best not, after all if he began poking around for his own amusement she might as questions back. Questions he wouldn't be prepared to answer.

She was going hard though, already ordering another. Oscar's eyebrows furrowed, what could possibly have invoked such a response? What problem was she trying to drink away? Ugh, his curiosity was maddening. 

Oscar found this enigmatic woman far more interesting than his depression, perhaps his night wouldn't be a sad little waste after all. Not like he had anything better to do, all he had to look forward to was the tv in his hotel room. He turned his body more toward the woman, "If you're trying to burn something away, you can't just go willy-nilly. You gotta be deliberate, with cheap shit like that you'll only get sadder."

He waved for the bartender, "Get her some Psyduck Vodka or something, can't you see the woman's distressed?" The bartender poured the woman a shot of the nicer vodka, and Oscar put it on his tab. Why was he being nice? Well he wasn't really, he wanted her to be drunk so that she would spill her secrets and Oscar could quench his curiosity. That's what he was telling himself anyway. 

Truth be told he could tell she was suffering from something, and perhaps a bit of charity toward the ill-fated might lighten his own heavy spirit. We'll have to wait and see.

skyler dross 

Join her for a shot? Oscar wasn't sure, that was a slipper slope. One minute he'd be toasting and the next minute he'd be in a dumpster in Slateport (true story). Eh, what the hell. Not like he needs to stay sober for anything. 

Oscar got himself a shot and shook it toward the woman, "To our respective trauma, and us not letting it rule our lives." Oscar downed the shot without hesitation, the burning being lessened by years of heavy drinking. The taste was even nostalgic, reminded Oscar of him. God he missed him already.

Oscar shook his head, he couldn't go down that rabbit hole. He'd just end up crying again. He looked to the girl, who seemed very capable to handling her liquor. "Care for a wager?" He asked coyly, slamming his shot onto the bar surface. "Four shots, whoever takes the most without vomiting gets a prize. Haven't decided what the prize is but I'll think of one. Probably ten dollars." 

skyler dross

Oscar's eyes widened as the woman downed her shots at a staggering pace. Was--was she gonna be ok? That was a lot of alcohol to guzzle in one go. Oscar almost wanted to call off the bet, or at the very least let her win. But then she gave him that mocking look, and his expression turned from concern to competitive focus. 

He downed his own shots as quickly as he was able, each one more torturous than the last. As he slammed his final shot glass down, his head began to spin. Yet he still managed to give an equally confident look back to the woman. 

"I'm a bit of aaaa--pardon me the room is moving. Uhhh professional, that's what I am. Can't beat me at no drinking. No ma'me."

Oscar cackled at the fuzzy feeling in his stomach, which surely was not worth being concerned about. "The name's Oscar by the way, figured we should know each other before we ruin our livers." 

His hand slipped as he tried to raise it for a handshake. He eventually got it, he just needed to balance himself so he didn't fall off his stool.

skyler dross

Oz--the sound of that nickname made Oscar's heart sink. He remembered hearing it for the first time, from him. Oscar recalled what he felt that night with such clarity, that familiar tingling in his stomach. The first time he actually thought he liked another human being. It was such a mundane moment, it should have meant nothing. And yet now...

Oscar spoke with unusual sobriety, "No, Oscar's fine."

He returned to his more wacky drunken state as Captain Dross winced from the hand shake. Was he that strong? Oscar looked to his hands, flexing them a bit. He was in awe at his strength, until he realized she was glaring at a bandage on her arm.

Oscar raised his eyebrows, "Eh capn', don't mean to pry but um--what chya got there? A sharpedo bite you or something? You gotta be careful ssswimming out in the ocean, all kinds of kooky characters. Sharpedos, Corsola, Wailords, Pirates, Huntail, Gorebyss..."

He kind of just trailed off listing dangerous things in the ocean for a bit. He'll come back around momentarily. 

skyler dross

The mood shifted as Skyler described her experience. Oscar focused very hard, his dazed state rocking him back in forth on his stool as he listened. He had never heard such a harrowing experience, and it was clamperls that did it? Who knew such adorable pokemon could cause such a terrible experience. Oscar never would have imagined it possible.

As Skyler finished her story, silence hung in the air. Oscar didn't know what to say, mostly because he had forgotten the story shortly after she finished. The silence was rapidly drifting into awkward territory, so he decided to bullshit something. "You know, life is unpredictable. Especially when what you choose to do with it is dangerous. But like, you gotta keep moving. You just gotta prove the fear wrong and show yourself you're stronger than your feelings. If yaaa let the trauma change you, you let it win. And fuck that noise."

Oscar threw up his hand, requesting yet more drinks. As the bartender brought them, he raised his shot to Skyler. "For being strong, and overcoming adversity!" He downed the shot, and as he put the glass down he laughed. "You know, that actually reminds me of a time where I was hunting furfrou--" 

He didn't finish, his head slowly slumping onto the bar surface. "What was I talking about?"

skyler dross

Oscar smiled as Skyler laughed, his cheek pressing into the bar's surface. He didn't remember what he had said, but he was glad it made her happy. What a bizarre woman this Skyler was, Oscar found himself quite enjoying her company. He pondered, would their acquaintanceship grow into friendship? Impossible to tell, mostly because Oscar was way too inebriated to think straight.

As Skyler suggested leaving, Oscar agreed. This place had lost its luster about three shots ago. "Right right, one second." Oscar did his best to push himself, out of the stool, only to fall to the ground. While this might have seemed painful, he seemed rather unbothered as he swiftly rose to his feet. "Alright I'm ready let's go."

As the night air hit his face, Oscar shivered slightly. It had gotten cold rather fast, but that didn't stop the residents of Lilycove from being out and about tonight. It did raise the question though, how long had they been in there? In the end it didn't matter, they still had a long night ahead of them. Oscar looked to Skyler, "So what will it be cap'n, where to next?"

skyler dross