isleofavalon | closed 🌠 yellow flicker beat sparking up my heart

[She isn't sleeping so much as she is just... sitting. Leaning. Falling against the piles of hay that absorb her weight with ease, like a scratchy feather duvet. A sheep wanders over and sniffs at her hair while another tries to find a piece of Eustace's clothes to chew on. She sits there in silence, watching with a smile, before she starts to let her mind wander for a while.

However long, she doesn't know, but when her attention drifts back, she realizes she's starting to feel a little light-headed and fuzzy, but warm.

And she giggles.]

You know what... That hangover cure prize was kind of a rip-off.

[She sounds normal, but it doesn't take a genius to see that her cheeks are flushed a deep red and her lids are a touch heavier than normal. Yep. That margarita has made its way through her.]

[He half-heartedly swats at the sheep trying to chew on his clothes, giving it a quiet and slightly slurred, "Hey, quit it, it's not good for you" before that soft wool looks so.......... Tempting. Better than the hay.

Temporarily forgetting all about Tifa, he drops down and wraps his arms around the sheep's body, burying his face in the wool.

Ah... Soft...

He can feel it starting to nibble on his hair and can hear it muttering about something but doesn't care. It's so peaceful...quiet—

Ah. That woman spoke again. Frowning he just turns his head slightly to side glare at her. He can see her own drunken expression and snorts, as if he's any better (he's not).]

Told you it was a waste of time. Tch I should have just kicked the damn thing over when I had the chance.

[Grumble mutter sheep.]

[She laughs, and it's a hearty, big laugh. As if he's just told her the funniest joke she's ever heard. It wasn't even a joke...? Even the sheep are side eyeing her.]

Then we would've been disqualified. I don't know what's worse.

[Definitely the fact that they drank a bucket of margarita. Little does she know, even Tifa is going to need the hangover cure when morning comes. This isn't going to just go away after a good night's sleep.

A sheep comes up and tries to chew on Eustace's ears, and it's Tifa who rises from her slump to shoo it away. It baa's at her in protest before skipping off to find food elsewhere.]

You know what... [she repeats again, more slowly this time as a thought occurs to her. Her red eyes are fixed on Eustace, drilling holes into his.] I'm surprised they're taking such a liking to you. What with those dog ears and all. Are they real?

The margarita.

[Just going to say it out loud with no hesitation whatsoever, though it comes out like a low, growling drawl, face burying against the wool. Light, too much light. And the wool is white and soft like snow... He likes snow... The sheep protests a little but it doesn't move and just continues eating while its brethren tries to nibble on Eustace's ears. He doesn't really care at this point and only gives a low grunt in a low effort to try and shoo it away, so Tifa is definitely the more successful here.

Maybe he would be more thankful, but then she asks what he thinks is a ridiculous question right now. Turning to look at her he just gives her a flat expression.]

Want to see for yourself?

[And he's suddenly leaning closer towards her, but not too close. Enough where it's definitely invading her personal space and where she can get a closer look at his ears as he just maintains that eye contact, uncovered ice blue eye piercing red, as if daring her to touch his ears. Really he doesn't care too much, but he probably would have done this differently if he wasn't so drunk right now.

So come on, Tifa. You know you wanna. Look at how soft and fluffy they look, the way the light breeze brushes against the soft fur-like hairs, ruffling them a bit. Or maybe it is fur? Only one way to find out— And look they even twitch a little, just a slight little flick as if to hint that yes they can move.]

[She isn't typically one to get too bothered by someone getting in her space, being such a forward person herself sometimes, but when Eustace leans in, Tifa is quick to withdraw, pressing further against the hay scratching her back. She finds herself maintaining eye contact with him, like looking back at the ears would be rude, as if she hadn't just asked him about them.

But when she sees them wiggle like that? Her cheeks flush a deeper red and she lets her eyes wander up.]

Ah...

[This isn't what she meant! And even then, she still finds herself reaching up, slowly, to pet them. She presses her fingers against the ends and gives them a very delicate squeeze.]

They're soft...

...Hm.

[Just a very soft, low quiet hum as his eyes slowly close. Tifa's not the first one to pet his ears, though she would probably be the first to do so while he was drunk. In general he really doesn't mind if someone does, it's just a matter of him allowing them to be close enough to do so. So far only Gran was allowed to do so whenever he wanted, but then again he's been the only one to ask. Well, and Lyria, but he teases her about it instead.

But one of the reasons why he doesn't really mind or care (other than just having that kind of attitude about it) is it can actually feel kind of nice as long as they're not being pulled. It's not too different than if someone was playing with another's hair or giving a light head massage. So Eustace will relax a little as Tifa pets his ears, looking a lot less like a lone wolf and more like a sleepy old dog.]

[Tifa does giggle when she sees him relax, and that giggle bubbles up into laughter that she can't seem to stifle. She isn't laughing at him, but her amusement at how fluffy the ears are, and how it's such a contrast from how he tends to act otherwise is too much for a tipsy Tifa to bear.

So she keeps petting them for a while, and starts to comb the hair back so that it's neat and tidy.]

I gotta ask... [She says finally, her voice soft, even as her words start to blend together.] What exactly are you?

[She probably would have found a better, more subtle way to pose the question were she not drunk, but alas...]

[Normally he'd give her a cross look at laughing, but instead he just slowly opens one eye to give her a slightly judging one instead before it closes again as he just lets her continue to pet and comb his hair. He might even unconsciously start leaning a little closer towards her, as if granting permission to continue.

Clearly he has now left the irritated phase of his drunk state and has entered the sleepy, "I don't care anymore" phase. If they're not careful he really will fall asleep.]

Mmm... [Just a very quiet, low, sleepy hum, as if her voice pulled him from his drowsiness.] ...Erune. [Is that a good enough answer? ...Ugh she'll probably need more of an explanation so he might as well give it.] We're a race with some roots with mammalian animals...but that was ages ago. Most will have ears similar to mine, but they'll vary depending on their own family heritage. Dogs, cats, rabbits, foxes...

Erune...

[She repeats it to herself, as if committing it to memory.

Tifa will happily continue, giving him some room to lean. This must be an odd sight, or maybe not considering this is a petting zoo, and some people do pause to look with wrinkled brows, but Tifa either doesn't notice or is too drunk to care. Maybe both.]

That reminds me of a girl I met here a while ago. She had ears like a rabbit. Hereditary, too.

[What happened to Lizzie anyway? She hasn't run into her since, and that would be someone she'd remember for sure.]

Do any of you have tails? Like Zidane?

[Are they related somehow? Wouldn't that be funny...]

Haven't seen one here...did see someone else from another world with similar ears and a tail...

But no, tails on us are rare and only for special clans... Like the descendants of an ancient royal fox family... And the Divine Generals...

[Ah...such nice ear pets... He gets drowsier and drowsier and he does indeed continue to lean towards her. With no shame whatsoever (thanks alcohol) he's going to stare down at her lap before plopping his head on it. Look he was leaning at a weird angle, sleepy, and most importantly drunk. He wouldn't do this if he were sober, he would have just pulled away instead. But apparently when drunk, petting his ears is like some kind of weakness and he wants to be comfortable, dammit.]

[Tifa takes no offense to him plopping down on her lap like a sleepy dog would. It might have come as a bit of a shock if her mind wasn't so fuzzy, but hell, she even readjusts so that he can get more comfortable. Her legs would be a decent pillow for any weary or drunk head.

Still combing her fingers against the tips of his ears, she lets her own head fall back to rest against the hay, smiling sleepily at the sheep that's wandered over to visit.]

So they're a symbol of rank...

[She nods to herself in understanding, humming quietly. More animals have started to gather now—other sheep, goats, bunnies, and just about any animal one might spot in a petting zoo—and are making themselves comfortable around Eustace, fighting to be the one to curl up under his arms.]

Oh... looks like the others might want some ear scratches, too...

Rank.... .Not exactly... But whatever...

[Normally he would explain it better, but he's too drunk and out of it to care. Instead he just adjusts himself more comfortably, turning on his side a bit so his back is to her and he's facing outward. Of course, that makes him in prime position to get nudged and even licked by a sheep as it and other animals gather around them.

He mutters under his breath before his arm reaches out to wrap around the closest and pull it to him like some plush toy while a bunny hops onto his side. But when he hears Tifa's words, he grumbles just loud enough for her to hear:]

I was here first.

[Did... Did he just stake a claim on the ear scratches????]

[Did he...!?

It's a good thing that Tifa has two hands, because while one is still absent-mindedly poking at Eustace's ears, the other has scooped up another rabbit that makes itself comfortable between the two of them, pressing up against Eustace's back and curling into the warmth.]

You all have to share. There are plenty of scratches to go around today.

[Said pointedly to both Eustace and the other animals.

She's quiet for a while again, this time long enough for them both to doze off if they so choose, but the noise and commotion from outside the fences has her stirring again at some point, unsure of how much time has passed. Her eyes are heavy with sleep, and she can hardly make out the crowd that's formed around them, all of them watching and whispering about how the lady and the dog-eared man had fallen asleep in the petting zoo...]

Eustace...? Are you up?

[There's just a low grumble of protest, but not really much more than that. As the the little goat he had tucked under his arm starts nibbling on his hair, and with finding himself extremely comfortable, he's fallen asleep not much longer after that.

Ah... Peace and quiet at last...

Now, normally he would be more alert and notice the commotion early on, but that was a lot of margarita and perhaps he had had some underlying stresses from everything going on since he's arrived into this world. Had he ever had a proper rest or break where he didn't always feel like he needed to be alert, especially with Gran also here? Add in some other factors and how he's usually on the move anyway, then it's no wonder. So some unrealized exhaustion plus way too much alcohol has him so completely passed out that he's like a dead log and doesn't stir at all when Tifa first tries to rouse him.]

[Well, if that didn't work, then this sure will, because the moment Tifa realizes that they've garnered a small audience to their little napping session, she's startled awake, eyes snapping wide open and her hands gripping Eustace's arm so that she can shake him.]

Eustace! Wake up!

[She can feel the heat spreading up her neck, through her cheeks, and all the way to the tips of her ears. How long had they been asleep for!? When did she let go so much that she became completely unaware that people had gathered at the fences? How long ago were they noticed!?

If he doesn't rise fast enough, then Tifa will shovel the animals off of her and get to her feet on her own, leaving Eustace's head to fend for itself should it hit the ground...]

[There's more grumbling when Tifa grabs and shakes him. He's finally getting some real sleep, who dares to try and wake him up?

Her plan would have worked pretty well if there wasn't one giant, spectacular unforeseen problem. And that is Eustace opening his eyes to stare up at her for half a second before closing them and then turning around to face her stomach, arms wrapping around her waist as if to keep her still and in place.]

Shut up, you're being noisy.

[Primals help him when he actually wakes and sobers up. He didn't even register it was Tifa. All he thought was the thing that was serving as a nice pillow was moving around and making noise and he wants to go back to sleep. No one would have ever expected this of him, not even himself, but he drank a lot and tired so he's a lot slower to wake than usual.

A nice hard smack (or punch, kick, shove, throw—whatever Tifa wants to do, including her original plan) will help snap him out of it, though. For now, the onlookers are definitely whispering and giggling while the animals just kind of. Mill about.]

Edited 2021-07-29 19:56 (UTC)

[When she feels his face bury itself against her bare midriff, Tifa has no other option but to get him off her as fast as she can. Well, no other reflex, more like. She swats first, but when sleep still weighs down on her, it isn't very effective, and so the next best option would be a throw, right?

Wrong, but she does it anyway, gently diving him to the ground and not being able to react fast enough to catch him. As if her face wasn't already red and hot enough...!

The people who meet her gaze when it darts around all peel theirs away, some of them even pretending like they weren’t watching at all, while others whistle and ask, "aren't these two the ones who participated in the drinking contest?" or comment "I'll have what she's having!" Mostly the ladies, if you catch my drift.

But then Tifa realizes that she'd just shoved a drunk Eustace to the ground, and whether he'd fallen or saved himself, she still rushes to check up on him. She's pretty sure he didn't mean it, and thus, didn't deserve that.]

Sorry, I just... Reflex, you know?

[Except she can't bring herself to look at him at all.]

Edited (changed my mind) 2021-07-31 15:46 (UTC)

[Eustace really has no idea the ramifications of his actions...or what he's really doing. Just nice, soft, comfy pillow. And the whole Erune thing showing off skin to begin with so it wouldn't mean much to him to begin with. But then he's being unceremoniously thrown off and lands on his back with a grunt. Nope, there was definitely no recovery from him on that in his current state. It would have been easy if he were more awake and aware, but it's just true testament for how out of it he is.

That said, the shock does wake him and he just swears under his breath from the brief pain from the impact and blearily looks upward. By the time his vision focuses, Tifa is there and it takes him several seconds before things come back to him. It's disjointed and not completely clear, but he can figure it out.

Running a hand over his face he half groans.]

No...s'fine...deserved...sorry...

[He at least has that much awareness and rather than embarrassment he feels more annoyed at himself. But they've definitely attracted enough attention and he slowly sits up before staggering to stand, the headache from earlier returning in full force.]

Let's just go.

Edited 2021-07-31 18:35 (UTC)

[Yes, let's. Tifa grabs him by the arm and not-so-gently tugs him away from the prying, nosy eyes of the crowd, all while trying to avoid stepping on rabbits or stumbling over goats that think this is all just a game. Her foot catches on some hay and she almost trips but saves herself at the last second and keeps moving. If Eustace protests, she'll free him once they're in a safe enough spot where no one can see them.

And whenever she does find that spot, Tifa brings her hands up to cover her red face. There's hay caught in her hair and her clothes, some of it fluttering down when she bends over to hide herself.]

What happened...?

[If she wasn't sober enough already, she definitely is now.]

How long was I asleep for?

[He just follows along, not protesting too much aside from a disgruntled sound when she grabs him by the arm and pulls him. His mind seems to be sobering up faster than his body, which makes his own occasional stumble and stagger more annoying. When they're finally away, he just raises his now free arm and runs a hand through his hair, which has gotten messier with how much the animals had tussle and nibbled on it, hay sticking to him all over as well.]

Long enough.

[He had no clue how long they had been asleep, though it probably wasn't too long. Someone would have come in to drag them out.

He's already thinking how ridiculous and absurd this situation is when he looks back at Tifa...

And he snorts.]

...Shit I'm drunk.

[No shit Sherlock, but he's already starting to laugh, one hand attempting to cover his mouth as he turns away, shoulders shaking.

This is all so stupid and he's annoyed he was pulled into it and got so drunk he actually fell asleep on top of someone's lap and actually behaved all stupid and clingy. He's never been this drunk so he had no idea, and he really he wanted to apologize for it (and vow to always which his alcohol intake in the future). But because it is because of how ridiculous everything had been, how ridiculous Tifa and likely himself look, and because he is still very much drunk—he ends up laughing.]

[Tifa peeks through the fingers still hiding the pink in her face when she hears his first chuckle, and on one hand, she wants to punch him in the arm and scold him for not taking this seriously enough, but on the other, the entire situation has been so ridiculous that she can't help but pick up the laughter, too. It's hard not to when she remembers how stupidly large the margarita glass had been, and how they had to drink from it with a straw, and how awful the prize was for the work they had to do... And then falling asleep in a petting zoo!?

How often can she say that happens to her? How often can anyone say it happens to them? Likelihood is next to none, and she would wager every last gil she has on that.]

Yeah... [She says through a breathless laugh, letting her hands drop, but she still can't look him directly in the eye.] Think that sobered me up more than I needed it to, though...

[There were so many people... They probably weren't there for very long, but it sure did feel like she'd been asleep for hours.

And still...]

Think I need to go home and lie down, even after that nap...

Mm. I need some peace and quiet after all this noise.

[Ugh, he knows he's going to have a massive hangover later... At least he has painkillers back at his room.

And just like that, his expression has reverted back to its more neutral one. But it does seem a little more loose and relaxed.]

Staying at the hotel, right? Might as well walk you back.

[They can. Support each other in case they fall or something.]

It's pretty far... You sure?

[And walking back together for that long...? Tifa's not sure how well she can handle it after all that. She's still red in the face as she turns and wanders away, not realizing that she's heading in the wrong direction, back to the petting zoo where they came from.

Please save her from herself.]

...

[Uh huh. He just watches her before he steps up and firmly, but lightly, grabs her arm to turn her around.]

You'll end up somewhere else if I don't. But we can find a carriage to use.

Ah...

[Tifa puffs a gasp, letting herself be pulled in the other direction, eyes wide when she sees the people in the petting zoo disappear behind the bales of hay again. It's probably a good thing that he's here—she might have ended up sticking around a little longer to play with the goats.

Speaking of, there's one that's staring at them from where it sits, and it baa's at them.

Tifa waves back before turning to Eustace.]

Uh, right... a carriage. [ ... ] What a weird day.

closed 🌠 yellow flicker beat sparking up my heart

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