take one down, pass it around // p, frederick

[♕leopold♕]

Was he late? Maybe he was, but Leopold figured that the man he'd met earlier had his own business to attend to so perhaps he wasn't even at the bar yet. The man wiped at his puffy eyes as he glanced around the street. Why was Griffingate so confusing?? He was sure he'd know where the bar was but considering the fact that he'd been looking for the better part of two hours, he obviously didn't know. Or he was just stupid, which was very likely.

He didn't have to walk much longer before he finally found the bar. Of course, in the last spot he hadn't tried checking yet. This was such a horrible idea, why was he doing this again? Gods, Leo's parents would be so disappointed.. Well, if they had even stuck around for him, then they'd be disappointed, but they weren't here and he needed to stop thinking about them before he cried again.

The man paused for a brief moment to straighten his clothes and run a hand through his hair. He stood up taller and took his usual confident air as he opened the door and walked in. Now, to find the man from earlier. If he was here yet.

"SPEECH"

[Orion]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify;"]THE FEAR OF FALLING APART
Sitting at his usual bar stool lied Frederick with his forehead in his hand and his other hand wrapped around a bottle of vodka. Though, when the door creaked, his head rose. Hazel eyes turned to meet Leopold, offering a grin as he did so. Yes, he had been waiting for awhile, but the time had flew and he got to meet someone new for once... Someone he hadn't seen before. Could be a new immigrant or someone who came in from another city across Europe, which is what he figured. Though, the hint of suspicion in the back of his told him a spy was amidst. Power was really causing him to grow uneasy, was it?

From afar, the sovereign beckoned Leopold. "Over here," his voice rang throughout the bar. Turning in his chair completely now, he faced Leopold and pushed off it with a lowly huff. As of right now, the bar was pretty empty. The regulars usually were scattering the place and making their usual obnoxious boast, but today they were absent. Perhaps they went out without Frederick. How pitiful, really. Nothing new though... Luckily, he now had some company.

Finally coming to a stand, he offered a wider smile. "I was afraid you weren't going to show up...." His arms crossed as he fell silent, trying to reminisce on what this man's name was again. "Uh..." A sigh. "I'm sorry, I forgot your name." Way to make a first impression, buddy.

//didn't see this!! apologies for the late reply, i had finals too.

[Orion]

bump

[♕leopold♕]

sorry!! i'll try 2 respond faster <3

He didn't even have to look for more than a few seconds before he saw Frederick, eyes meeting the man's as he turned. Leo lifted a hand to give the man a weak wave as he made his way over. He would've thought a bar would have more people in it; surely the people of Griffingate of all places would drink frequently? Although, the man didn't have much of a right to think such a thing for he was no stranger to drinking even when he had no reason to. Perhaps they just didn't drink unless there was a special occasion? It didn't really matter all that much seeing as Leopold was only here for one person.

Leo stopped in front of the taller man, offering his best smile as he spoke, "Sorry, did I keep you waiting for long? I, uh, had a bit trouble finding this place.." His smile turned sheepish and he rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. He could use the excuse of being a foreigner if questioned, right? Although his accent said otherwise but who knew.

He'd already forgotten? The corners of Leo's lips twitched down for a split second. He couldn't imagine forgetting someones name mere hours after meeting them. His parents would've lost their voices yelling if he had done something so rude. "That's quite alright, sir- I don't believe I got your name earlier, anyways. I'm Leo." As he spoke, he held his hand out to shake. That was a good way to get to know a man, right? His father had always said so.

"SPEECH"

[Orion]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify;"]THE FEAR OF FALLING APART
/nah it's good!!

The longer he waited, the more annoyed he got, but he masked his annoyance with a smile and moved on. There was nothing he could do about it. "No, no," he answered back. "Gave me some time to relax, really." Reflect on his mistakes, take a shot every time he fucked up... You know... The usual. If only he was kidding. There were many nights where he probably annoyed the hell out of Elias' bartenders with shots on shots. Today, though, seemed a bit more relaxed. Hell, even calm.

Reaching out, he firmly shook the younger man's hand. "Frederick," he answered back. Thank god. Neither of them caught a name, so he was thankful that he was no longer constricted by social discrepancies. It sucked to be incorrect. "I'm glad you actually did show though." After that wait, he was afraid that he'd been left in the dark. Strangely, the sovereign would find that okay today. More often than not, he hated to be alone, but in this lonely bar, he found himself at peace for once.

"After your display of hurry earlier, I really am surprised you did," Frederick continued. He was back tracking to earlier when they first met in the city. "What had you in such a rush?" And thus, the nosiness begun.

[♕leopold♕]

"Oh, good! I'm sure that was good for you, you look like you're in need of some rest." A jab at Frederick's appearance, although not meant to be completely rude. Leo was sure he didn't look his best right now either. The beard, though- That's not important, don't look at his beard dammit that's weird. Leo smiled for a small bit longer as he shook Frederick's hand, oh gods his palm was sweaty as hell was that noticeable?

As he drew his hand back and wiped it on his pants, he looked away and let his face fall into something more neutral. "Yes, well.. Even in a rush I'm not the kind of person to just.. Accept an invitation and then, uh, desert you with no word beforehand." Except he really was the kind of person to do that and the fact that he'd even shown up at all was probably a miracle. If he was back home he probably would've stayed in his house with his dog and pretended his plans didn't exist. This, however,  wasn't home and he didn't really want to piss anyone here off.

The long awaited question. Leo had in fact realised that he'd probably be asked about that. He moved to take a seat on one of the stools. It didn't really matter if he told Frederick, right? It's not like he was here to commit a crime or anything.. So he spoke, "Ah.. I had to meet with some family, check on them. I hadn't seen them in quite a while so I wanted to confirm that they were doing well."

"SPEECH"

[Orion]

[align=center][div style="max-width: 600px; text-align: justify;"]THE FEAR OF FALLING APART
Ouch. That hurt. Sadly, it was true. Frederick needed the rest, but yet he stayed up taking shots and chatting with the locals for the hell of it... Or in this case, a stranger. "You bet," he echoed back with a light snicker. He reached up towards his beard and scratched it a few uncomfortably, but pulled away a few seconds later. The tension was enthralling, but still awkward. The sovereign had yet to figure him out.

Being left in the dust wasn't common for him, but it was good to know that someone kept their truthful word. "That's loyal of you, sir," Frederick reminisced. "Your in the King's good graces." His voice was dripping with thick sarcasm as he spoke. Being all high and mighty did have it's perks, but seeing as Leopold wasn't exactly his right hand man yet, his good graces meant little.

Echoing Leopold's movements, he moved over to a stool and took a seat. His elbows slammed on the edge of the table and he slumped over as if he hadn't listened to the words of his mother. Manners were a joke. Even so, he was still listening. As Leopold paused, Frederick's eyes tried to lock with the Blackfallen's. "That's a shame you haven't seen them in awhile." He paused momentarily. Seeing that his only family left was Kai, he didn't necessarily have anyone to visit besides his wife's grave. Still, this wasn't about him. Snapping out of it, he continued. "I assume you live elsewhere if you haven't seem them for awhile or you're avoiding them." Admittedly, the situation didn't seem too bad. He guessed schooling for this young man or he was somehow disowned. "Which one is it?" Lord, did he appreciate the truth despite it's downsides for the other party. Hopefully Leopold would lie.