MASKTOURN

Despite her initial decision, the promise of food and maybe something stronger was enough to reluctantly draw Enya into the refectory after the funeral ceremony. She opted for the same thing again—this time two plates of a mix of fruits, cheese, and breads, though missing the new toast addition. Fortunately, she’s missed the refreaktory era and it’s mostly back to the refectory as usual. Sitting out towards the back corner, as far from the scarce others as possible, she stares blankly into her very full wine glass as she picks at her food. It’s..a little hard for her not to stand out, though, given the lack of other participants present. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

(tw drinking bc of coercion and pressure) Kallum doesn't quite like how the wine tastes, or makes him feel. Even though it's only a little bit - well, the glasses are small, and now that Naiyta is gone, he isn't sure how much a winner should drink. At Guardian parties, he remembers, they were often given a new glass as soon as they'd finished their previous, so he never really noticed how many he drank. But that was fake wine. This was very real. He wasn't sure of the rules - and Naiyta didn't set any. It might be his third glass, and his third piece of toast to accompany it. It helps with the taste but his stomach feels heavy and the toast scratches his tongue. Kallum shuffles on his feet without reason, hating how he can practically feel the wall he has crumbling. That wall, supposed to protect him, undone by this bad tasting drink. He didn't like it. But Naiyta told him to. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, Enya’s slightly surprised to see Kallum being the one to eventually approach her. It quickly fades into concern, though, when she notices how…generally awful he looks. “Hey, uh.. You okay there?” She asks hesitantly, head tilting slightly as she tries to catch his attention. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum hadn't even realised that he was wandering, let alone toward someone. Let alone toward Enya. He thinks he recognises her. It's a her. He huffs. "Yes." His lips won't part properly as he answers, and nodding makes him feel a bit sick. "Mmhm." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Okay, so. That’s a no for sure. Enya frowns, then stands up and pushes her plates to the side. “You don’t look it,” she sighs. If this is about how the fight played out then..she can’t really blame him. She’s not sure what else it could be.. “Hey, look, let me see that.” She reaches out for the glass in his hand. “You should sit down at least.” @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum glares from the corner of his eye, then pulls away as she reaches out. "Mmph," he pushes out from his lips, but he does sit down. It feels nice. His legs feel awful. "Shut up." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"Right. Sure." Sorry buddy, not happening. "At least-- Put the glass on the table or something, then," she grumbles, really only half-annoyed. Helping him is better than just stewing in her own thoughts anyways. "Wait here, I'll get some water. At least you're eating.." Enya mutters under her breath as she steps away for a moment. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum glares at the floor instead as Enya steps around. He shakes his head and- sips from the glass again. He's supposed to drink it. He tries to say that but he can tell that whatever comes out of his mouth is not words. Instead of trying to reword himself, he just chews on more toast. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Enya returns with two glasses of water, and almost immediately sighs at the sight of Kallum still sipping at the wine. Maybe she can swap the glasses before he notices or something? Enya grabs the top of the wine glass with one hand, pulling it towards her while pushing the water glass into Kallum's free hand at the same time. "C'mon. Drink this one. It'll help, I promise." She chuckles, a little bit. "I've been here before." @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

"Supposed to," is all he mumbles as Enya attempts the swap. His fingers become jelly and the wine glass slips from his hand to Enya's. He stares at the water, then blearily glances over Enya's shoulder toward Naiyta, not that he can see it from this angle. And he sips. "Been here? The... place." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"There we go." Enya relaxes a little once the switch is complete. Even if he doesn't actually drink all of the water, at least he's not still downing wine. She shifts, attempting to follow his gaze, and her face twists unpleasantly once she realizes what he's looking towards. "This building? Yeah, for breakfast," she replies, not questioning for now and continuing more seriously, "but I meant more the whole being drunk thing though." @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

"It's real wine," Kallum says, closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening them. "Only had fake wine." He doesn't like that he's telling her this. Who is she to tell him what to do? She's not in charge - he's stronger, he's better, he won. Not her. "Shut up." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“You mean like..grape juice?” Enya isn’t exactly sure what constitutes fake wine, but that’s more or less beside the point as she rolls her eyes at his dismissal. “Look, do you want to keep feeling like shit or not? I couldn’t care less that you’re drunk or..” She squints at him, then shrugs. “..probably underage or whatever, but I do care that it’s clearly your first time so suck it up and drink the water. Keep eating too, that’ll help.” @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum doesn't actually know what the fake wine is. It looks like the actual stuff, tastes fine. He squints, then shuts his eyes because the strain hurt his head. "Not underage." Not where he was from, at least. He sipped the water. Not because she told him to. Because water tasted good. And toast did too. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"Uhuh, yup, good for you," Enya mutters under her breath and half-sarcastically. She sits back down next to him in her seat with a sigh, turned away from him slightly as she downs half her glass in one go, before turning back to pick through her plates with a second, heavier sigh. "If you think you're like, going to throw up or something, just give me a warning first." @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum scowls as Enya sits next to him but shuffling away is too much jostling. "Won't throw up," he grumbles into his water, making little bubbles on the surface as he speaks. He stares at the surface, intrigued, but then stops caring. "Naiyta said winners drink," spills off his tongue before he can stop himself. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"That's what everyone says," Enya snorts, though her attention is very swiftly diverted by Kallum's following statement. "Forget that," she scoffs with a raised eyebrow. "Sure, winners can drink, I...guess this whole thing's for you but...but that doesn't mean don't stop drinking. You'll end up with a hell of a hangover at this rate." @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭 (edited)

"You're not in charge," Kallum argues back, lips still submerged in the water so it's a bit- garbled? Drowned? Either way, he unsteadily put down the cup so he could focus on eating toast. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"Maybe not." Kind of a weird hill to die on for this guy but whatever. "I don't exactly want to listen to someone who plans on me dying though," Enya shrugs, stabbing at a piece of fruit with a little more force than necessary. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

"They're in charge." It was very simple to Kallum. Not to anyone else apparently. "Just win. It's easy." Crunched on more toast. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"Not where I'm concerned." Though she does sound a little bit..unsure, maybe? Or hesitant to admit. She might not want to listen to them, but they're still scary. Enya tenses, though, at the second part. "Right. It's easy to be responible for another person's death." That came out a little harsher than she planned. Oops. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum glares at the floor because now his head is full of stabby cotton, like static. Like the electricity of touch is inside his brain, squishing against his skull. "Yeah... shut up," he slurs a bit more now, and the toast he's eating scratches as his throat, and the toast he's eaten scratches at the inside of his stomach, and his arms itch. Everything is bad. It's her fault. Maybe his. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

"...Sorry," Enya offers. "I didn't... That came out wrong. Look, hey, the toast is great but you gotta finish that water too," she redirects, pushing the glass closer. He's still noticeably not looking too great. "I can grab some other food if you want." @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum glares at the glass but picks it up anyway to sip from it. "No. Like toast." He doesn't right now, not when it's filling every crevice of his body with its scratchiness. "Said shut up." @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Suit yourself,” Enya shrugs, pushing her first empty plate to the side and starting on the second one. “I’ll shut up more when you finish that water.” @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum is very very glarey today. He drinks more water, just to make Enya shut up. It goes down his throat boiling. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) for Kallum, Enya entirely ignores his glare in favor of her food. There’s silence between them for a moment—and that’s just long enough to make space for the announcement in their minds. Enya tenses, grip on her wine glass tighting, She recognizes that first name from the island. He’d fought first there and lost, and now second here…. Glancing at Kallum next to her for a second, as if trying to see what he’ll do, she doesn’t stand up to go just yet. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

Kallum vaguely hears the announcement and looks up. Kal. He knows that name. "We're not friends," he mumbles, mostly to himself. "Not Kal Pals." He thinks it further and- that stranger, who claimed not to be. But was. And now wasn't. He put down his glass of water. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫

“Didn’t say anything,” Enya sighs, before shaking her fork at the water glass. “I.. I think I know him, though. I’m— I’m going to go. You should finish that either way if you go or not.” She stands to leave, glass in hand, and then on second thought takes Kallum’s wine glass with her too. @soul | kallum 🔥 + peregrine 🎭

"Know him too. Annoying." As Enya stands, Kallum finds himself standing too - the motion doesn't stick to his brain, he's just suddenly upright and dizzy and holding nothing. He watches her leave with two glasses - thinks 'thief' - then he follows. Because he knows Kal. @em || enya 💥 + kenji 🌫