[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/ktlhhm5.png[/img][/center]
Tsk.

After all that time he spent trying to get Sophia to relax and speak more, the incident that occurred simply wiped away all that progress. She was even paler than before now, and had definitely clammed up. Ah, what a difficult situation. What words should he use here to comfort her? How should he even help her relax to begin with? Or is this more of an event in which he lets her calm down on her own?

He turned his gaze from one table to another, picking out where vomit and blood and spilled food wasn’t present, before breathing in deeply. No matter where they went, the smell of charred flesh would stick around a bit longer in here, wouldn’t it? And even if those hardworking janitors emptied an entire bottle of Febreeze, that experience would still remain.

Brent turned to Sophia. Then he caught a familiar, domineering individual walking past the scene of the ‘carnage’, taking the stairs up.

From there, the decision was much too easy to make.

[color=B0C4DE]“How about we go up a floor or two then,”[/color] he said, tilting his head towards the stairs. Her knees were probably weak, and holding up a plate laden with artfully-placed greens was probably doing work on her singular arm. Gesturing towards the crook of his own left arm, Brent said, [color=B0C4DE]“I can carry that for you too, if you want.”[/color]

He was never a waiter himself, but just two plates in one arm shouldn’t be hard at all, right?

Regardless of whether or not Sophia accepted his offer, Brent soon headed up the floors, taking careful steps to ensure that the plates didn’t fall out of his arm and make him a gallant fool. Ascending two more floors to reach the third, he stepped out to something that looked practically identical to the floor that they had just been at a couple minutes before. Still no guards, but also less people, and a much more…restrained atmosphere.

In the far corner, their glorious Director Zhang was drinking alone, and clearly, no one wanted to deal with an intoxicated iron maiden. Hell, even Brent didn’t really want to deal with her, but…

He wasn’t going to run away and hole up in a corner either, not after going up this far. Not when she wasn’t even the one that shot him. Not when her strength was something admirable and something that he wanted. Brent turned to Sophia, trying to gauge that girl’s own emotional state, before deciding that it didn’t matter. Zhang was talking on the phone, and all things considered, the bar in a public place. And if they were in an institution where it was perfectly fine to fuck over young kids, he doubted that the dashing, gray-haired bartender would ask for their ID.

And the drinks bar was completely empty too. They had the pick of any seat they wanted!

Brent closed his eyes, swallowed his apprehension, and took his steps at a steady, fast pace. This was different from chatting up the strongest Arbiter while he played Angry Birds. Different from exchanging greetings with a shark-teethed mummy. Different from discussing depressing topics with someone who totally didn’t want to. This was him saying ‘hi’ to the same person who executed a soldier and who could execute everyone in this room.

But, regardless, Brent took a seat by the Director, smiled naturally at ‘Steven’, and said, placing his mountain of meats on the counter, [color=B0C4DE]“Bourbon. On the rocks.”[/color]

Literally the only ‘adult’ drink he knew the name of. Never mind that wine was better with meat.

[color=B0C4DE]“Sophia, you want anything?”[/color]
[@VampireOracle]
[@January]