FicWad

(AN: The rating might be off because I haven't reread this yet and don't remember exactly how far things got.)

PART TWO

Having taken Shadow through a newly-constructed Gate to the plane of darkness- or more specifically, the Temple of the Darkness on that same plane- Nero felt the familiar nothingness of the darkness-that-was-not close around them. He knew some shut down when confronted with the lack of atmosphere, the lack of anything within the place between the planes- between the worlds- but he figured he just wouldn't worry about Shadow freaking out or not. Instead, he closed the first Gate behind the two of them, before mentally reaching for the second Gate locus, magically taking hold of it and opening up the receiving Gate into the Temple of the Darkness.

That done, he stepped out through the Gate with Shadow, shutting down the second locus as he had done with the first as soon as they were through. Where they had arrived was a shadowy entrance chamber to the Temple of the Darkness. From there, they could either walk further into the temple, traversing the labyrinth of chambers and hallways, or they could step out into the plane of darkness itself through the arched doorway that had housed the portal of the Gate just minutes before, taking the gravel pathway outside to the nearest town.

Shadow looked around, smiling sardonically. "Quite a fitting place for me, hmm?" A pause. "But still... Holy hell. That was wild... That happens every time you go from one plane to another?" His pupils widened to adjust to the dim light, removing the defining slitted shape slightly. "Well, uh... I guess this is where we part ways... Until I feel like going somewhere else, that is?" He turned back towards Nero, tossing a few strands of ebony hair out of his face and tugging on his clothes absently as if to make sure they were all still there.

"Wild?" Nero echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, yes. Once you get used to it, traveling via Gate really isn't all that big a deal. It's the same thing every time- the only difference is where you're headed. Where you're headed also has some bearing on the opening sequence for the Gate... But other than that... Like I said, it's all the same." Explanations done, Nero turned his thoughts to the other words Shadow had voiced- the bit about "parting ways."

"You do realize that transporting people via Gate is my job, not my life, do you not?" Nero asked then, choosing his words a bit carefully. "It's not like the planes will collide if I'm not there to greet a new arrival and take a person to wherever it is they'd like to go. Gods, if I'm not there, it merely means the bird'll actually have to do her job for a change. Most of the time, I have things pretty much covered on my own."

"The bird? You mean those doves or whatever the hell they were?" Shadow turned back to peer out of the temple entrance, squinting slightly into the distance. "Sorry, by the way... I didn't mean to insult you or anything. Bad fucking habit. I talk before I think. Singer's curse, I'm afraid..." he mumbled the last part under his breath, then shrugged. "So what now?" The light blue eyes scanned the inside of the temple then, marveling at the craftsmanship.

"Ah... The Doves..." Nero murmured, a bit elusively, seeing as he didn't elaborate at all on what he was thinking- he didn't even bother to affirm that it was the Doves he was speaking about. He merely shook his head once, sharply, after speaking, before his expression shifted back to the serene one he wore most often, and he smiled slightly. His expression changed slightly when Shadow started to apologize for possibly insulting him, screwing up slightly as if in thought or confusion, before mellowing out again. If he heard the part about a "singer's curse," he didn't show it in any way.

"What now?" he mused after another minute, even as Shadow continued to marvel. "Didn't I sort of promise I'd help you find a job? I at least suggested that I was capable of helping, I know... Because I rather doubt you're suited to work at the temple, which means we'd best get walking in the direction of the nearest town. Either that, or you could beg the acolytes to house you here. But you'd rather have a more... Respectable... Existence in this world, wouldn't you? Your own home, at least..."

Shadow stretched, hands thrust upward. "Yeah, well... Might as well get our asses moving then." He trotted out through the temple doors onto the gravel path. "What kind of jobs are there around here anyway? I don't want to get stuck doing some lame ass hard labor shit, okay?" He looked down towards Nero, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Nero followed Shadow out of the dark temple... And into the only slightly lesser darkness of the plane outside. He glanced up at Shadow, taking in the thoughtful expression, before shrugging a light, one-shouldered shrug. "There are all sorts of jobs," he stated simply. "Some of them require training, but... I take it you wouldn't want to have anything to do with the army on the plane of darkness, hmm? That's the closest thing to hard labor you might be wanted for... If you proved to be any good at the dark style of fighting... You could always serve the temples- not work at them, not as a priest or an acolyte, no, but work for them. By learning darkness magic... But that, too, requires the Talent. Really, if you just want an easy job for decent pay, check in at the local tavern. If they don't have any work there to your liking, the owner could probably suggest something."

Shadow tilted his head, an almost sickening snap ensuing from his neck as it popped. "Yeah, sure. Whatever works. I'm not too picky." He slouched over, staring at the gravel path. "So how far exactly is it to said tavern? I'm not one for an ass-load of physical activity, as you've probably guessed already... I mean, I didn't even have a fucking job back home. Well... On Earth."

"It's not so far. I thought you said you were liking this plane?" Nero spoke matter-of-factly, although something in his eyes indicated that he was teasing, at least in part, with the comment about liking the plane of darkness. After all, if Shadow thought he belonged there, he should have been able to handle a small amount of walking. The tavern really wasn't all that far off. "But... Is it easy... To live like that? I mean, you don't have trouble with living quarters, or food, without a job?"

Shadow was silent, not answering his 'guide's question for several minutes. "Well, the reason I say that is... I never really had a 'proper job' by most standards. I just got out of school and I hadn't moved out of my parents' place yet. My friends and I... we were in a band. We opened up for bigger bands and just did small gigs around town. We were working on our first album..." He left off as the realization hit him. There would be no album, no more band. He would have to start over here, if there even was a way to start over. This 'world' didn't seem the type to like underground punk band music, after all...

"An album...?" Nero echoed curiously, noting something in the tone of Shadow's voice as the older young man trailed off, and for once deciding not to press the issue. The problem was, Shadow was right- there would be no more bands, no more albums, no more "underground punk band music" at all. Those things just didn't exist in Nero's world. If he had known the meaning of the things, Nero might have known enough to feel sorry for Shadow, for what he apparently had lost, in being carted away from his home world. "I... Think I see..." Nero murmured haltingly- and he did understand the idea of living with one's parents instead of getting a "traditional" or "typical" job... He merely didn't understand where the "band" came in. "I... Think I'm sorry... Too." As Nero spoke, his violet eyes were dark; they couldn't be seen clearly in the dimness of the darkness plane, and Nero wasn't looking up at Shadow, but he was thoughtful.

"An album is..." Shadow left off, then sighed, a bitter smile crossing his face. "Never mind. You wouldn't get it. Just forget the whole damn thing." He stared straight ahead, shoulders hunched over, hands thrust deep into his pockets. "And thanks, I guess... Just... don't worry about it, though. Okay? Fuck it. There's no reason to look back at something I can't have." He was more talking to himself than Nero, face appearing as though he was trying not to let any emotion out.

Nero blinked once, appearing utterly innocent, even in the dim lighting. Still, something nameless flickered in his eyes, as Nero continued to watch Shadow via a seemingly never-ending series of sidelong glances. "Come on," he murmured after another minute. He didn't particularly want to tip off any more angst on Shadow's part. The young man sounded bitter enough already without Nero's interference- accidental or otherwise. "We should actually be to Town soon, and the Tavern's right inside the town. Given, I'm not as fond of the Tavern near her as, say, Azryth's tavern in the plane of air, but... Perhaps you'll like it." Nero knew that Shadow probably wouldn't completely follow the bit about Azryth, but he didn't bother to take the time to care. They would be within the Town's boundaries shortly, and Nero would have to keep a close eye out, lest they miss their "stop."

Shadow nodded silently, biting his lip to keep from bursting into hysterical tears right there. He had a right to cry, didn't he? It wasn't every day, after all, that your world was turned inside out, you lost everything you ever cared for, and dropped into a place you knew nothing about. "Y-Yeah. Sure. Nero..."

Nero shook his head almost imperceptibly, noting the slight quiver to Shadow's voice, and saying nothing. After another minute or two, Nero stopped, reaching out to grab Shadow's wrist so as to halt him as well. Looking around, the reason for the pause was anything but apparent. "We're here," Nero murmured, despite the fact that, save for the disappearance of the gray grass in favor of gravel all around, and a thickening of the wispy ebon-gray clouds drifting between the trees, there was no great difference in appearance from anywhere else along the way thus far. Looking around, anything resembling a town was nowhere to be seen.

Shadow looked up as Nero grabbed his wrist, eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. "If we're here... then where the hell is it?" he muttered, searching for said tavern, finding nothing but the scenery they'd been seeing the whole way. "It doesn't look to me like there's anything here..." he hissed under his breath, squinting into the dim light.
He shifted his weight, kicking a few small pieces of gravel absently, tugging at his netted shirt and the top of his pants, which were beginning to ride downwards with all the walking he'd been doing. Obviously, not traveling pants.

"Just because you're looking... Doesn't mean you're seeing all that is here to be seen," Nero murmured serenely, in the same cryptic manner he sometimes possessed. "After all, what sort of hidden fortress would be readily visible?" Shaking his head in a manner that clearly indicated he thought Shadow was being foolish, Nero merely pried Shadow's hand from his wrist with the fingers on the hand not being painfully crushed, before leading Shadow off to the side, over to one of the black tree-trunks. Trees that looked as if they'd already been scorched by flames.

Releasing Shadow's hand, and taking it for granted that Shadow wouldn't go anywhere, Nero gently stroked light fingertips against the tree-trunk, murmuring softly under his breath, then drawing back. As he drew away from the tree, a portion of the trunk seemed to melt away, as if the tree really had been not only scorched by flames, but hallowed out as well, and Nero's gentle touch had been enough to cave in brittle bark. Turning back to Shadow, Nero arched a brow and offered the older boy a curious look. "Coming?"

Shadow's mind wandered as Nero fiddled with the tree, when suddenly he felt his eyes grow large as the tree melted away to all appearances, shaking off the look of sheer dumbfounded-ness on his face. "Y-yeah..." He stepped forward, peering curiously at the tree, poking at the bark.

"Walk through already," Nero directed, tone one of both amusement and light irritation, as if he didn't quite see what was taking Shadow so long. Past the newly added hole in the tree- a tree which had been a few feet in diameter to begin with- the entire inside up until one touched seven or eight feet above the ground was hallowed out. And, within the hallowed ring, the ground wasn't dirt, but some sort of dark stone, carved into stairs that slowly spiraled down into the earth. "You sounded rather impatient before, after all."

Shadow shot a semi-irritated look at Nero. "Excuse me if I haven't seen any kinda crazy shit like this before... jeez... impatient much?" He slipped obediently into the tree, however, trotting down the stairs, one hand dragging along the wall, his mind invariably wandering. Shit there go the pants again... He tugged on the belt loop, the vinyl pants starting to really get on his nerves. Holy fuck why didn't I just decide to change once I got to the club... These pants are riding up my ass... He tugged at them as he walked, cursing faintly under his breath.

Nero merely ignored Shadow's irritability, instead choosing to follow the older man into the gap in the bark of the tree, taking the stone steps down into the earth. When the light in the newly-entered passageway went from dim to nonexistent, Nero conjured up a tiny lick of witch-fire, casting it up above their heads so as to provide illumination enough for both to walk without difficulty. The light managed to illuminate not just the floor in front of the two, but the walls as well- walls carved with strange symbols- an archaic-looking alphabet- in a foot wide block extending forward as far as either Shadow or Nero could see, at just below shoulder level. After a few minutes, the stairs stopped and leveled out into a pathway, the symbols continuing to exist, carved into the ebon-gray stone walls. After another minute, the passageway widened into a circular room, the markings not stopping there, but continuing all the way around the room. In two places, the markings stopped where doorways to the right and left existed, open gaps in the wall beginning two more passageways into the dark. In addition to the markings on the wall, on the floor there existed a complex design carved into the stone floor, consisting of both shapes, symbols, and delicately curving lines.

Shadow gazed at the symbols curiously, only not stopping because Nero was behind him. And who knew what Nero would do when provoked... After all... nothing was as it seemed here. He tripped slightly as the stairs ended unexpectedly, scowling at the floor for a moment as he continued down the passage, eyes inevitably drawn once more to the etchings on the wall. "What is that stuff, Nero?"

"Writing," Nero said simply, tone one that would avoid making Nero sound like a know-it-all, and yet still managing to make it obvious that Nero privately thought the answer should be obvious. "Don't trouble yourself over it." Stepping forward so he was actually within the confines of the little room and not merely standing in the passageway, Nero flicked a finger over at Shadow, the surprising result being the upward sliding and readjusting of Shadow's truant pants. "Your pants are sliding down," he purred, tone now implying that said problem might be of more importance than the meaning of the writing on the walls. "Perhaps we should be going. We could buy you some new pants... Although the current ones are rather nice. Too bad about the falling down, hmm?"

A strangled sort of squeak came out of Shadow's mouth as his pants suddenly righted themselves on their own, glancing downwards, then towards Nero. "Er... thanks..." He looked at the floor self consciously. "I'd like to keep my pants... They just weren't meant for travel..."
"But that's off subject... shall we?" he said suddenly, holding his pants up as to stop Nero from righting them again as he had moments before, careful to keep his eyes off the writing on the wall for the most part. "Uh... which way is it pray tell?"

"That's too bad," Nero murmured softly, although his face retained an expression of utmost innocence and serenity, not speaking elaborately enough to reveal whether or not his words bore the meaning Shadow would most likely interpret them as having. He noted, too, the way Shadow was now attempting to completely avert his gaze from the scripting on the walls. "And actually, we'll be going neither way. We'll be going... Down." With that, he stepped further into the room, stopping before he was halfway across, only to turn and look back at Shadow.

Shadow shot Nero a sidelong glance, not quite sure how exactly he was supposed to interpret the statement, as he looked once again around the room.
"Down? What precisely is down there anyway? An underground city?" he muttered sarcastically, following Nero to the center of the room, looking at the floor, then at Nero.

"Hidden fortress," Nero reminded Shadow simply, the look he offered the man being part serenity, part pointed-ness. "Below ground happens to be quite the effective place to hide things. Now, if that isn't a problem with you, could you please... come closer?" With that, Nero glanced back over at Shadow, the movement of his eyes obviously conveying the significance of the not-so-distant distance between their two bodies. As soon as Shadow bothered to walk the rest of the small way over to Nero, Nero would bother to reveal how, exactly, they would be going down.

Shadow's shoulders slumped. "Closer?" Haven't these people ever heard of fucking personal space? He stepped closer to Nero, so he practically had to look straight down at him. "How's this?" He said sulkily, arms crossing over his chest, peering over them at Nero. "You know... back on Earth, there's something called 'personal space'. You ever hear of that?" he stated almost absently, as if he was thinking aloud more than anything else.

"Hmm?" Nero murmured, sounding genuinely puzzled. "'Personal space'?" The look he offered Shadow then proved that clearly he hadn't ever heard of the concept, and didn't intend on learning it's meaning any time soon. Instead, as if in answer to the question of whether or not Shadow had come close enough, Nero wrapped an arm around Shadow's waist. Doubtlessly, he knew that such an action would probably make the man squirm... And he did so anyway. "Going down..."

With that, Nero barked out something near-unintelligible, and the witch-light went out, plunging them into pitch darkness- pitch darkness that held out for only about three seconds before the pattern beneath their feet flared up in furious white light. The light went out without remaining "lit" for more than another five seconds, plunging them back into darkness, light-spots dancing behind eyelids- before the ground seemed to fall out from under the two, and then literally plunging them down into the darkness. Nero had offered Shadow no warning; merely hugged his waist in the darkness as they fell.

Shadow had little time to react to the sudden arm around his waist, muscles tensing, just as the flashing of lights and disappearing of floor ensued. "Oh.... shit..." he whimpered, clinging to Nero as if he could stop them falling. If there was one thing he was deathly afraid of, it was heights... He clenched his eyes closed, suddenly not minding the arm around his waist quite so much. He chanced opening his eyes, seeing nothing more than he had with them closed, so just squinched them shut once more.

In a manner which doubtlessly would have been seen as just a bit distasteful from Shadow's point of view, were it not for the man's current fearful state, Nero merely purred as they fell, tightening the arm around Shadow's waist and leaning up to nuzzle what he could reach of Shadow's near cheek and the side of his neck. Just a few moments of that, and light flared up again, this time stretching towards the two from below. With the light came what felt like a warm updraft, blowing straight up, and somehow managing to slow their fall despite the rather significant weight of two normal human beings falling from a hole in the ground. The wind continued, and Nero and Shadow continued to drift down, before landing on a second design, identical to the first in appearance, but different in location. This one was in the very center of an enormously large cavern. Stone edifices looking like gigantic stalactites and stalagmites dozens of feet in diameter stretched between the "ceiling" and the stone ground, although they weren't just any formations of stone. These grand pillars bore doors and windows, all of it carved out of the ebon-gray stone.

"We're here," Nero murmured delightedly, after a paused during which he expected Shadow to be taking a look around. Despite the announcement, he didn't bother to remove his arm from Shadow's waist. Although he did leave off with the nuzzling- too much of that while Shadow was fully upright would probably result in a crick in Nero's neck.

Shadow felt his feet touch solid ground, and, still clinging for dear life to Nero, he chanced opening one eye, the other soon opening as well as he looked around the massive cavern, completely oblivious to the fact that Nero was still latched to him. He blinked a few times, then let go of Nero, as if suddenly realizing he had a death-grip on him. He coughed lightly and absently tugged at his hair, pulling the ponytail out that looked like it was just about to fall out anyway with one hand, and straightening his hair with the other.

After a moment, he glanced down at Nero's continuing clinging. "Uhm..."

Nero watched out of the corner of his eye as Shadow slowly readjusted to being on the ground, before purring purposefully up at the man, purr somehow taking on a decidedly "innocent" note. A falsely innocent one, no doubt, but serene and innocent all the same. "Something wrong?" he murmured after a moment, when Shadow didn't continue. His voice was still a bit of a low purr. "I thought you wanted to look for a job, after all. Shall we be going?"

Shadow shot a sidelong glance down towards Nero, a small confused look on his face. "Are you... purring... at me?" He shook his head, "Never mind... but get one thing straight... You were the one that said I needed to get a job. I never said I wanted one." He somehow loosed himself of Nero's arms, and stared down at him. "Well, you know your way around better than me. So lead the way please..."

This place is weirder every second. Of course it could just be Nero that's weird... I have yet to meet other 'natives'. Damn, I hope they aren't all like this.... He stuffed his hands in his pockets, making the pants slip downwards on their ever-present quest to the floor, widening the already formidable gap of exposed midriff between the top of the pants and the tank top.

Nero just purred once more, as if in defiance, almost, before letting up with the noisemaking of sorts. "Well, yes, I did suggest that you might want to get a job," Nero said offhandishly, as if he didn't particularly care to remember his exact words- and as if he didn't consider them to be of much importance, either. "I really only suggested doing such a thing because it has been my experience that most humans, Earth humans or otherwise, don't appreciate being forced to live off of charity. So... You have your choice. A job, or my charity. Hmm?" Nero merely punctuated his words with his habitual one-shouldered shrug, before starting to half-walk, half-glide off in the direction in which the strange stone buildings were growing more dense. He merely took it for granted that Shadow would follow. "Still care to visit the bar?"

Shadow followed Nero, trying to work out exactly what Nero's 'charity' was; and still trying to figure out what the difference between an 'Earth human' and whatever other 'humans' Nero was talking about; when the word 'bar' hit him.

"Hell yes..." he said gratefully, somewhat surprised by the notion that they actually had alcohol here. "You have no fucking idea how much I could use a drink right now..." he muttered, the prospect of getting shit-faced drunk sounding increasingly good by the second, and to hell with hangovers.

"You sound just a bit too eager," Nero pointed out pertly, almost cheerfully. Still, with Shadow following along and remaining preoccupied with the concept of a real bar serving alcohol in Nero's world, Nero took the opportunity to grab up Shadow's hand, doubtlessly already knowing that the action wouldn't be appreciated. "We'll be there soon enough."

With that, Nero proceeded to lead Shadow on a weaving route between the many stone edifices, until reaching one of a size over double that of all the others nearby, with windows extending up six levels above the "ground floor." Above the door and windows on that ground floor, a ring of red stone was inlaid first, all the way around, topped by a ring of blue stone a few inches above it. Both rings were an inch in width, without any breaks. Quietly, Nero led Shadow to the door, and pulled it open.

Shadow felt Nero take his hand, the corner of his lips turning up slightly. He looked upward at the structure, eyes tracing the strips of color as Nero led him inside.
He absently tugged his pants back up again, and stuck a few stray strands of hair behind his ears, not quite sure what to expect from the inside of the bar.

The inside of the bar on the plane of air had been starkly white and brightly illuminated; the bar on the plane of darkness, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. It's round walls were the same ebon-gray as the stone of the outside of the building had been, minus the two rings of color, with a wall cutting across the room as had been done in the air plane bar, separating a third of the room to be set aside as a kitchen space. In front of that separation was the bar itself, topped in a black marble which differentiated from the customary dark gray stone of the place. Throughout the room were blocky, square tables, also of the ebon-gray stone and topped with black marble, surrounded by heavy, stone chairs. The chairs were heavy... But if pulled out, withdrawn, they would prove to be lighter than they appeared.

"Welcome to the Darkness Plane bar," Nero murmured. "Shall we go see about getting you something to drink?" As Nero spoke, he gestured again to the bar itself, behind which a man cloaked in black was standing. He was slightly hunched, and for some unfathomable reason, the hood of his cloak was turned up, despite both being indoors and at work. Because of the cloak he wore, few other details about the man were discernable from Shadow and Nero's distance.

Shadow felt a slight shiver go up his spine at the sight of the man behind the counter, whom Shadow was suddenly not all that sure really was a man. "Yes... please," he said quietly, eyes scanning the rest of the room. Not much different from a bar back at home, but without the flashing neon lights on the walls advertising every brand of beer or alcohol in existence and the haze of smoke reeking of tobacco, and in some cases, other things... Shadow shook off the nostalgic feeling, and unconsciously scooted closer to Nero. "After you..."

"If you insist," Nero murmured in response, undertones of amusement coloring his voice. Still grasping Shadow's hand around the man's wrist, Nero led the older man forward, over to the bar itself, before gesturing for Shadow to take a seat on one of several stone stools clustered around the bar top. Smiling in an almost eerily cheerful fashion, Nero waved at the barkeeper, apparently to get the man's attention. Seeing as his face was completely veiled by the black hood he wore, one would doubt that just waving at the fellow would have any effect at all... But, nevertheless, the man looked up, seeming to regard Nero and Shadow from beneath his hood, still draped so as to just leave his face in shadow, invisible.

"Something I can get you?" the man asked, at Nero's beckoning, his tone of voice doubtlessly just slightly surprising. One might expect it to be low and gravel-y, or grim and foreboding, but in fact, the man's voice was almost painfully average, just a light tenor muffled slightly by the material of the cloak hanging over his face.

Shadow leaned on the counter, and peered warily towards the man, hand finding Nero's and holding it semi-tightly, eyeing the bottles behind the counter just as warily as he'd looked at the bartend, nearly ordering a Long Island Iced Tea before figuring the bartend would have no idea what he was talking about, and would merely end up making himself look like an idiot. He looked downward at Nero, a bit cluelessly. "Uh... Nero... anything you'd suggest?"

"Depends on exactly how smashed you're already thinking of getting yourself," Nero replied pertly, the almost imperceptible snigger from the bartend passing nearly unheard. "Although you really should keep in mind the fact that we still haven't exactly found you a place of permanent- or even temporary residence." Somehow, as Nero had been speaking, a tall, tapered crystal glass had managed to appear before him, filled nearly to overflowing with a brightly ruby red liquid that fizzed just slightly as Nero swirled the glass, before sipping from it. "After all... I know Ulrich here has quite the selection. One not quite as... Exotic... As, say, Azryth's... But an extensive one all the same."

Shadow glanced at the bartend as he sniggered, scowling lightly.
"Just something with alcohol... and a lot of it... please..." he groaned, rubbing his eyes with thumb and forefinger. "And I don't really care about finding a 'place of residence' at the moment. No offense... Besides, it takes a lot to get me hammered... I've got a high tolerance for shit like that." An earned additive to being one of the 'bad' crowd in school, he noted silently, a small smirk passing over his face momentarily.

"Well then," Nero murmured, noting the smirk, taking in Shadow's lack of care in regards to finding himself somewhere to live- and also noticing how Shadow really did seem to want to get as drunk as possible, as quickly as possible. Well, if that was the case... "Ulrich... Do with him as you will," Nero murmured, in a low tone so as to almost sound grim in speaking. With those words said, Nero leaned back on the stool he'd taken up, lifting his tapered glass to his lips and tipping back half of the ruby-red drink.

Nodding absently, Ulrich, hood still in place, fetched a heavy- and large stoneware mug from beneath the bar top, plunking it down in front of Shadow with a noisy 'thud.' Rummaging through the bottles he had stored behind the bar, Ulrich's fingers brushed against a particularly dusty one, the glass it was made of revealing that it was, in fact, half-empty- and yet it had obviously been ages since the liquor within had been sampled. Uncorking the glass bottle, Ulrich filled Shadow's mug to brimming, the liquid within the bottle, once poured, proving to be a disturbing shade of near-black, with faint greenish undertones, as if the liquid weren't liquor, but some sort of pond muck. Still, Nero eyed it approvingly, and Ulrich didn't bat an eye- although his eyes weren't visible, so one really couldn't be sure. Another moment later, and two little crystal shot glasses were also placed before Shadow, one filled with a bright chartreuse liquid, the other with a deep violet-blue one. Satisfied, Ulrich leaned on the counter, waiting.

Shadow eyed the three glasses warily, then shrugged, picking up the shot glass containing the chartreuse liquor, gazing at it for a moment before downing it. He set the glass down on the counter, and his eyes grew wide at the sudden burning in his throat. He coughed several times, rubbing his throat slightly, and reached for the mug, ignoring the foreign color of the stuff as he swallowed. Further hacking and coughing ensued, as the burn intensified, Shadow's stool clattering to the floor as he lurched forward in another series of coughs, grabbing the other shot glass and staring at it through watering eyes, tipping it into his mouth and swallowing, a small sigh of relief escaping him as the burning dissipated. He righted the stool, sitting back at the counter, already feeling the effects of the liquor as the room suddenly tilted sideways, righting itself within moments. He shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Now that's what I call fine liquor..." he said licking his lips thoughtfully.

"Really," Nero murmured quietly, before apparently directing his words at the bartender, Ulrich. "I really don't think he required the second shot, you know," he continued, in a low, bland tone of voice. "The first alone should've sufficed." Of course, he didn't bother to add that one shot alone should have also left Shadow's throat in quite the uncomfortable state... That much was already implied. Lifting his own slender glass, Nero tipped back the rest of his own drink, leaving Ulrich to collect the cups he'd dispensed, storing them under the bar top, where later he'd fetch them to be cleaned. "After all," he began again, once Ulrich was done moving the glasses about, "we still haven't decided what we're to do with Shadow, once this little drinking game is complete."

This time, the words uttered were said for the benefit of all present- not merely Shadow or Ulrich alone.

Shadow shrugged, at this point not really caring one way or the other if he had a place to sleep tonight, a grin taking place of the small smile. "I'll have to come here again..." he said, swaying slightly on his stool. "Yes, indeed..." He sighed semi-blissfully, and glanced down at Nero, blinking a few times. "Y'know... I kin usually hold my liquor... better than this... What exactly... was that stuff?" He slumped over onto the bar to at least relieve the feeling somewhat that the room was tilting from one side to the other, "I don't think... you could legally even make stuff that strong... even in other countries... than the U.S...." He looked up at Nero, and grinned widely. "Know what? You're really quite attractive..." he said, in what he no doubt thought was a whisper, but was actually just below normal conversation volume.

With Shadow's little "confession," Nero merely smirked innocently. "Thank you," he purred unabashedly, and without anything that might possibly resemble modesty. Meanwhile, Ulrich had recollected the glasses, and was heading off to the kitchen- apparently he figured that there was no further reason for him to stick around. "You yourself are rather pretty, after all," he returned, leaning in towards Shadow. He continued to speak in the same low purr, and it was hard to determine whether he was merely teasing Shadow over the man's drunken comment, heartfelt or not- or whether he was merely voicing his opinion honestly.

"And thank you..." he said, grin widening slightly. Shadow leaned towards Nero, shortening the distance between them. "Are you purring?" He asked, grin shrinking to a smirk, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Cause that's pretty fuckin' hot..." He leaned forward, closing the small distance between them to kiss Nero awkwardly on the lips, one hand grabbing the counter and the other latching loosely onto Nero's shoulder.

Nero merely purred into Shadow's lips by way of response, providing the man with a quite obvious "yes." Question answered, he then wrapped one arm around Shadow, placing his hand on the back of the man's neck and tugging them both closer together. Ceasing his purring, Nero kissed Shadow back more firmly than the other had been doing, to make up for Shadow's drunken awkwardness, the hand on Shadow's back and neck sliding up into the man's hair and tangling there. After perhaps a minute, Nero drew back and away, a rather self-satisfied little smile playing across his lips. He didn't speak then, however, merely waited for Shadow's reaction.

Shadow drew back along with Nero, absently licking his lips, and looking into the pale haired boy's face, a small smile appearing on his own. "That explains... some of that shit earlier... like the clinging for example. You're a better kisser than you look, you know..." he mumbled absently, mind seeming to wander elsewhere suddenly. His hand dropped from Nero's shoulder, resting on his hip lightly instead.

"So... about that place to stay tonight..." He smiled seductively in Nero's direction, a few strands of hair falling over his face as if on cue.

"You're taking me up on my charity after all," Nero murmured, tone of voice rather light, despite his sounding a bit like he would have liked to say "I told you so"- after all, Nero seemed to be anything but surprised by the way Shadow was acting. As he spoke, a slight smile took up residence upon his lips. "And thank you." Obviously, Nero was "thanking" Shadow for the comment about his kissing finesse, despite the comment being a bit of an absent one. Idly, he reached out, tugging lightly on the hair strands blocking Shadow's face, before tucking them out of the way. "I don't suppose you're saying you want to turn in for the night...?"

"That's what you were talking about when you was talking about 'charity', then..." Shadow said slowly, focusing back on the present as Nero tugged on his hair, the comment bringing a small smirk to the young man's face, expression only somewhat tinged by the drunken giddiness that had come over him. "So what if I am?" His voice was quiet, and somewhat mocking, sitting back on the stool, swaying slightly as he stared down at Nero, absently tossing the hair that had fallen over his shoulder back behind him again.

Nero blinked once, before completely disregarding the first thing Shadow had said in favor of answering Shadow's "question" of sorts. Never mind that Nero himself had asked a real question, to which an answer was still required... That could wait a minute or two more.

"If you are," Nero began, tone of voice calm and raised not a hair above Shadow's in volume. Somehow, even while sounding calm, Nero managed to infuse a dose of smug imperiousness into his voice. "Then we'll merely have to make your stay as interesting as possible." Oh, Nero quite disliked being mocked... But that didn't mean he would let it faze him, and Shadow would see just where his mocking tone of voice got him.

Shadow leaned closer to Nero, so that their faces were close enough for them to feel each other's breath on their skin. "That... sounds like a fucking excellent plan. I like interesting." Suddenly, the man's tongue flicked out, tracing up Nero's cheek just beyond the corner of his lips, ice blue moving downward to meet violet, the pupils mere slits in his eyes. "Interesting is what I live for."

"I don't suppose you have even the basest of ideas as to what the gesture you just made means?" Nero purred, tone of voice low... seductive... and graced with a dangerously cutting edge. He didn't bother to clarify what he meant by "gesture"- although it should have been relatively obvious that Nero was indicating the lick to his cheek. And he didn't bother to move backwards even a hair- obviously, the close physical proximity bothered him not at all. Then, in a more thoughtful tone, "Even if you don't... I suppose you'll 'live for it'? After all... This is bound to be interesting."

"Interesting indeed..." Shadow said just as seductively as Nero had, eyes halfway closed, a rather out-of-place grin on his face. "Shall we find a place to see just how interesting this will get?" he said in a rather upbeat tone of voice, not moving from his place directly in front of Nero. "Oh, and just so you don't think I'm a complete numbskull, I know exactly what it means..." He tilted forward just enough so their lips pressed together again, softly, the young man's eyes closing, one hand resting lightly on Nero's cheek, the altogether effect being far more affectionate than the awkward drunken snog he'd administered before.

"Of course you do," Nero murmured, voice still a silky-smooth purr- although this time the purring was more than just a bit patronizing. After the second, less inept kiss had been pressed to his lips, Nero danced away from Shadow, hopping up from the barstool and standing behind it with hands rested upon the seat. "'We' won't have to worry about a thing," he continued to purr, catching Shadow by the arm, urging him to rise, and beginning to lead the man around the stool.

"Everything's all ready all worked out." That said, Nero linked his arm through Shadow's, turning and leading the man towards one of two doors heading farther into the building. The first led to the kitchen. The second- the one Nero was headed for- led to the stairs.

Shadow, surprisingly enough, didn't sway when he stood, and as drunk as he was, he was able to walk relatively steadily. He let Nero lead him towards the stairs, digesting what precisely Nero had said. Did that mean he came here a lot? Or did that just mean he was a real player and slept with whoever he wanted wherever and whenever he wanted? Shadow didn't really care at the moment, as his first and foremost concern was not passing out on Nero. As the chances of him crushing the boy weren't that great since Nero wasn't ever what he seemed, but Shadow still didn't want to chance it...

Nero merely led Shadow silently to the second of two doors, not bothering to check whether Shadow could stand on his own or not. Apparently, judging by the way Nero immediately assumed Shadow would be walking unaided, he had expected the man to hold his liquor with a bit more finesse. Reaching the door- constructed of a thick slab of some nameless dark wood- Nero slipped his arm from Shadow's, opening the door and waving Shadow through before him. Following the other man, the two would find themselves on a landing of the same gray stone used to build everything else in town. Judging by the outer appearance of the tavern, one would only expect stairs leading up, higher into the stalagmite. However, shutting the door behind them- and plunging them into darkness for the second time that day- Nero must have done something, for a large, square portion of the landing vanished, soft light emerging from the new hole in the floor.

Looking down into the hole- a hole approximately four feet square- one would see stairs leading down in addition to the already visible flight leading up. Smiling at Shadow with utter innocence, Nero took back the man's arm, before leading him down farther into the earth. They went down one flight, ending up on a second landing, and were Shadow to look behind him he would see that the gap leading down had closed on its own. From the tiny landing room they stood in, a single door opened off. Opening it and leading Shadow into the next room, Nero presented Shadow with the first in a suite of rooms- a suite consisting of an entranceway, an "all purpose" living room, a bathroom with a large tub fed from underground hot springs... And, of course, a bedroom. The entranceway, of course, was nothing special. Just the same ebon-gray stone- once again with its strange markings in the cryptic, archaic writing- and sparse, Spartan furnishings. "We're here," Nero murmured then, speaking as if it had been planned- by both of them- to come to the apartment of sorts from the start. "Care to look around, or shall we keep going?"

Shadow followed Nero obediently, unconsciously tensing at the white light, expecting another drop into thin air, but relaxed noticeably when instead the stairs appeared.
At the appearance of the rather fancy apartment-esque living place beneath the tavern, all Shadow could do was stare for a minute. Nero's voice snapped him out of his daze, and he glanced down at the boy, resuming gawking after a moment. "Whatever works..." he said, voice sounding somewhat dazed.

(AN: Once again, a cliffhanger ending. Sorry!)