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[devoutish]

Yeah?

[That's it, that's all you get.]

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[bywolves]

[ Royce snorts. ]

Amazing. Another thing we have in common. [ A beat. ] Only been really drunk - twice? Three times. Including here.

[devoutish]

When were you drunk at home?

[bywolves]

Once with Merrick. Once with Hadrian. [ And once with Alfie. All three of his best friends. ]

[devoutish]

Which one was more fun to drink with?

[bywolves]

Merrick. [ Royce has sunk down to the floor, now. He's had more than enough to loosen his tongue. ] We stole our wine. Drank it on rooftops. Theft of the damn stuff was almost more intoxicating than the alcohol.

[devoutish]

On rooftops. Fucking hell.

[bywolves]

[ Royce's lips twitch slightly. ]

Ever climb to a roof after a bottle of wine?

[devoutish]

No, I have not. I've never stolen wine either.

[bywolves]

Not even once? What sort of criminal are you?

[devoutish]

The sort who doesn't steal wine.

[He is going to steal this wine from Royce's hands, though, and take another drink.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce is now flat out on the floor, head spinning, so Alfie steals it pretty easily. For a moment, he just lays there. ]

Merrick - Merrick was my hero. [ Royce says, absently. He hiccups a bit. ]

[devoutish]

[Don't be on the floor, Royce. Alfie slides a pillow under his head, and retrieves that bucket, the water in it now completely cold.]

What was he like? You haven't told me much about him.

[bywolves]

[ It's too late. He's now on the floor forever. Wine also seems to go straight to his head, and he's almost pleasantly dizzy. He can't fully enjoy it because he can't ever relax, but.

He trusts Alfie. And it doesn't matter if he dies anyway. Royce lazily tries to dry his feet off from his laying down position. ]

Smart. [ Royce says, in that same absent tone. ] No - clever. He knew everything that was important to know. He was always six, seven steps ahead. Watching him work was... it was like watching a fox.

[ His tone is different, here. It's not like how he describes Hadrian. ] Do you know about the fox and the crow?

[devoutish]

[Alfie's been leaning on Royce and on the wall, but now he grabs a towel and sits up to help with that, because wet skin is a bad, bad thing here.]

I dunno. I don't think so.

[bywolves]

There was... there was this old fable. Moral lesson. Whatever you want to call it. There was a crow and a fox. Both of them wanted a cookie off a baker's cart. The fox distracted the baker and the crow flew down and stole the cookie.

[ Royce gives up on trying to dry his feet while Alfie is doing it. ]

And the crow wouldn't give up part of the cookie from where it was up in its nest, but - the fox knew the crow had an ego. So the fox started complimenting the crow. Begged the crow to grace him with a beautiful song. And the crow was pleased and flattered and full of itself so it started to sing, and it dropped the cookie when it opened its beak. Right down to the fox.

[devoutish]

Mm.

[He finishes, tossing the towel aside, and will pull Royce's socks on him if he sees them nearby.]

And what were you? Also a fox?

[bywolves]

[ They're nearby! He stripped them off to put his feet in the water. ]

Not until Merrick taught me how. Merrick was the fox. Always. We'd still be together in Colnora if he hadn't - if he'd. [ Royce hiccups a bit, closing his eyes. ] I killed him, you know.

[devoutish]

[Alfie slumps back again when he has Royce's socks on to his satisfaction.]

Why?

[bywolves]

He was the closest person. After Gwen died. I thought it was him at first but I knew it wasn't when he said it. Wasn't him. It was Arcadius, but. I didn't care. I killed him. Stabbed him and threw him off a bridge.

[devoutish]

Mmmm.

[He rests his elbow on Royce's shoulder.]

[bywolves]

I don't know if I regret it. He sent me to Manzant.

[devoutish]

Yeah. He fucking deserved it, mate, didn't he.

[bywolves]

He was doing his job. Kidnapping Gwen. [ Royce says distantly. ] Not Manzant. That was a step I wouldn't even go.

Even after. Even after, I missed him.

[devoutish]

He was a-- was he a good friend while you had him, before all that?

[bywolves]

Mm. [ Royce closes his eyes. ] We were close. We were... he was everything to me, for a long time.