lifelong hangover // jacqueline

[Leon Swyft]

Leon thought he was going to cry. He had cried, actually, after he found out about Nairore and Merik and their showdown. He should have been there for her, but he had been sleeping off his massive hangover instead. And now he still felt like complete and utter crap, even though he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since that night. He should have stuck around and made sure Nairore was all right, but he was too busy feeling sorry for himself and getting wasted and getting laid to even think-- well, okay, he had been thinking about her pretty much all night, but still. He hadn't been there, and she had gotten hurt. She had nearly died.

It hurt too much to even think about, so he tried his best to distract himself. Today, his plan was training. Lots and lots of training.

It might have worked, if he hadn't been paired up with Jacqueline. There were some nasty rumors flying around about the human-raised-Gerudo, usually involving Nairore. Apparently Miss Jackie had a bit of a thing for Nai, and some of the jerkass Knights and initiates had smelled the crush out. Leon himself didn't really care; he loved Nairore as well, and he was mostly confident that he would win her over one day. As for the 'whoops they're both female wat' thing, that didn't bother him either. Free love and all that, right? As long as no one thought that he was gay. Then some heads were gonna roll.

So no, none of that bothered him, but he really didn't want to think about Nairore just then, because then he'd go running to the Medicae, crying his eyes out, begging for her forgiveness and generally making a giant ass out of himself, taking up time and patience she could be using to get better. And unfortunately, Jacqueline did nothing but remind him of Nairore.

Still, he wasn't about to throw a fit and refuse to train with her. The poor girl (totally neglecting the fact that she was a year older than him) had enough to deal with already, and he didn't want to add onto that. Approaching her, Leon would put on the biggest, brightest smile in his arsenal, sling an arm around her shoulders and complement her tattoos. Then he'd just bounce off, pull out his ridiculously huge sword, and leave it dangling in his hand, totally oblivious to just how much the freaking thing weighed.

"So, Miss Jackie, what's on the agenda for today?"

[Jacqueline]

The aftermath of the incident between Zenethil, Nairore and Merik was not a good time to time to be even remotely Gerudo. A lot of people looked at her like she'd just eaten a baby sandwich. They all hated her.

And she hated herself.

She should have been there. She should have done something. And now the priests didn't let her see Nairore, nobody was talking to her and life was just shitty.

Leon's smile was a ray of sunlight. He at least was never hostile. To anyone, really. "Ah'm finishin' up here, an' them ahm goin' to town an' gettin' shitfaced. Tempted t' jes' skip th' trainin' an' go get drunk immediately. An' you?"

[Leon Swyft]

Ah, how blissfully straightforward. To be honest, the idea had occurred to Leon as well. He already felt completely hungover, so getting drunk and getting another hangover really couldn't make him feel much worse.

Besides, if the rumors were true, Miss Jackie wouldn't be into him. No worries about getting too drunk to think straight, like he had with Titania. Even if there were other, straight women around, he wouldn't want to leave her alone, so still no danger.

It worked out beautifully.

"Sounds like a plan!" he said cheerfully, swinging his sword back into the sheath hanging from his hips. He grabbed the girl's hand and promptly proceeded to pull her towards the castle gate, regardless of any protests she might have had. "If you're gonna get shitfaced, might as well do it with a friend, right?"

He glanced over his shoulder, grinning again. It wasn't quite as forced this time; no matter what, though, it always looked genuine. "I can't get over your accent. It's adorable." He winked, then, as if they were sharing a secret that only they knew. As if everyone else in the Knights didn't already know. "Got the girls falling left and right, am I right? Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

[Jacqueline]

Jacqueline's absence would be noted, of course. Or maybe not. She didn't know if her superior officers even cared what she did anymore. Duty struggled with exhaustion and exhaustion won over and soon Jacqueline was following Leon with no objections.

She sighed at Leon's comment. "Ah wish. Ain't no woman interested in me." Her voice dropped low and menacing. "An' fer th' record, you breathe a word a mah orientation ta th' other Knights Errant an' ah'm introducin' you ta th' Bloody Eyes pers'nally."