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[braveoff]

@drake.holloway | ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[slavophile]

( He follows, setting down his glass and the pitcher. )

Pool is angles and geometry. ( A 10? ) But, I could choke. I haven't played in a long time. You have that on your side.

[braveoff]

Soooo there's some hope for me yet. Don't go easy on me.

[ Drake winks, taking a sip of his beer and setting it down as well, moving to rack them up. ]

I'll break?

[slavophile]

And I will watch you break. Subtly.

( His grin is hidden by his sip, but it's still clearly apparent. This is already helping his hangover. )

[braveoff]

I've gotta be honest, you're not the most subtle guy I've ever met.

[ But if he's bending over a little further than is necessary, he'll deny it. ]

[slavophile]

Usually, more smooth...

( Leaning against the wall, he watches. He said he'd watch. He's not going to heckle though. He's only thinking, 'Don't miss, don't miss, don't miss.' )

[braveoff]

Oh, you're still smooth. I don't think I could get away with half of what you do. It's just not subtle.

[ He doesn't miss! Drake's actually decent at pool, but it's not his best game -- that'd be poker. ]

[slavophile]

What do I do?

( Off the wall, he moves over to find a cue he likes, rounding the table. And the brackets will now describe the game generally so as to not lose track of balls and such. Suffice it to say, he leans in and makes one ball. But, it's an easy one, and he's stripes. He misses the second attempt. )

[braveoff]

Well if I said I was going to watch someone break, I'd probably sound creepy.

[ He moves in for his turn, also aiming for an easy one. And it's a good thing one of us knows something about pool. He gets it, circles the table to find another, and misses that more difficult shot. A bunch of the balls scatter. ]

[slavophile]

I don't think you sound creepy.

( But, he is biased.

One of us knows a lot about pool if they wanted to get technical, but it's more about the dialogue and the chemistry. The knowing glances William gives, the smiles he can't hide and the surprisingly good elevator music they have on over the system. No words, but, very catchy. During their game, their nachos arrive and William turns to ask if Drake wants a second pitcher. )

[braveoff]

I didn't say it the same way.

[ Dating mostly women has made him very aware of how he sounds and his flirting is genuinely subtle and polite.

William is definitely winning the game but Drake doesn't seem to mind. Good sport means good loser, too. He considers how much is left in the pitcher and just how many nachos there are. ]

I think we'd better. Gotta have both, right? I'll go grab us a refill.

[slavophile]

I have a tab open.

( It's Drake's decision to use it. He's not going to force him. And, he finishes off the pitcher into their remaining glasses, setting it down then it's empty.

He watches Drake again, finding it easy. He's hot. William is this side of shameless today. )

[braveoff]

[ Drake nods at that, grabbing the empty pitcher and heading back to the bar -- he switches tabs because even if William makes more money he wants to split it as much as he can. Especially if this is going to be a whole day.

He can feel William's eyes on him and it's... nice. To be watched with interest. He has no idea where this is going to go and has to fess up about a few things eventually, but right now? He's genuinely having a good time. And comes back with the refill and a smile. ]

So I'm surprised you didn't ask about the freezer thing.

[slavophile]

( William might make more, but not by much. He has a cushion of fight bet winnings. We'll see who prevails in this tab war.

He hands Drake the last of the beer from the first pitcher. )

I was going to do. I can now. What's with the freezer thing?

[braveoff]

[ The game of pool is officially paused for snacking -- Drake takes his glass with a little nod of thanks and wonders how casually he can pull off saying this. ]

It's the safest way to put a zombie into suspended animation.

[ La la la... ]

[slavophile]

( He's munching, too. One eyebrow cocks. )

You're...

[braveoff]

Not anymore. Thanks to the aliens.

[ This is a weird-ass conversation, congrats Drake. ]

But for a couple years, yeah. It sucks but you're pretty invulnerable so I stayed that way to protect people for longer than I needed to.

[slavophile]

You were a zombie.

( A zombie. )

But. The aliens undid that.

[braveoff]

Yup.

[ He taps the rim of his glass, wondering how exactly William's taking it. ]

It's not actually like the movies -- not unless you starve, which is what we were trying to avoid by freezing me. It's more like a medical condition.

[slavophile]

Like a disease.

( Okay. He's not taking it badly. He just wants more information. )

In most movies, zombies suffered from something medical. Like an outbreak. Was there an outbreak in Seattle?

[braveoff]

Yeah, a bunch of people got infected at a boat party and it spread. But I was scratched to save my life -- gutshot.

[slavophile]

Scratching -- that makes zombies. Not, a zombie bite.

( He'd been thinking about a different kind of bite earlier. But. His dad's saving universes. He's traveled through times and dimensions. He could be on a date with a former zombie. )

And it saved your life.

[braveoff]

In my world zombies only eat the brain so biting to turn someone isn't really a thing. Saliva is safe as far as we've tested. And zombies heal faster and their vitals are different, so yeah, it saved my life.

It feels so weird to not be saying 'we' when I explain this.

[slavophile]

How long were you a zombie?

( And )

Were you a zombie when you were undercover?

[braveoff]

About two and a half years total, and yes. Not the whole time, though, I got shot while undercover.

[slavophile]

Shot and scratched on the job.

( Makes law enforcement that much more dangerous. )

How does it feel to not be a zombie now?