constant craving.

“Hah! Well, I’d try like hell, anyway. It’s quite the adrenaline rush. That’s… erm, well, that’s awfully nice of you. Don’t know many people who’d agree, but all the same. Sounds like you’ve had more than a little experience with asshats who drink like fish. I’ve never really had the opportunity or inclination to get blackout drunk, but there’s always a first time for everything, as they say. I’m glad your friend made it out. And nary a scratch on him, that’s impressive. He must be something else to get out unscathed. I’m not jealous or anything, of course, no no no. ……. You know, were you to turn your back right now, I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t disappear for a little bit and return with a couple bottles of something boozy. I can’t say I would, but I also can’t say I wouldn’t. One of life’s great mysteries, innit? I guess we’ll just have to find out.”

“Maybe, if you get enough drinks in me, I’ll jump out a window with you. I could use a little excitement in my life once in a while. Just nothing higher than the third story, alright? Yeah, quite a few people enjoy wine and ale back home, not that that’s wrong. It’s just a little frustrating when you’re a ten-year-old who just wants a nice day with you uncle when he’s sober. My father’s not as bad as his brother, but still has at least two drinks a day. I say, get blackout drunk with people you trust. They’ll keep you from doing anything completely stupid, which will keep you alive. He’s always been the lucky one of the pair, my friend. I kind of attract all the unluckiness away from him. I can turn around, take a little walk if you need a little time to maybe steal or not steal anything.”

“Is that so? I wasn’t aware that humans had such thin skin before. It seems I must adjust accordingly. Oh, I am sure that is not true, sir. The friends that you have will certainly do the job, may they be many or one large one. I simply couldn’t agree more. Mine has lasted me all my lifetime and then some, though it is in a constant state of adjustment, you could say. Is this Belle your friend, or is she not? Is it possible to be both at the same time? I can attest, at the very least, that those with a book in hand often have a solid character. This possible friend or not-a-friend of yours is chasing after a wonderful hobby, and one that I hope you enjoy as well.”

“Well, both literally and...metaphorically, I think. I mean, little slivers of wood can get stuck in our fingers, so that may show you how thin our skin is. And some people have really thin skin when it comes to some things, name calling and the like. You’re told to grow a thicker skin to deal with it, after all. I suppose you’re right, I do have that one strapping friend who’s big enough to be three men. He might keep me warmer than I imagine. I’ve gone through a few in my lifetime, mostly from growing too tall for them. Well, I think we are friends. But, you’d have to ask her if she thinks the same. I think you could be both at once, maybe..it’s a very weird concept to think about. Being both a friend and a stranger at once. Yeah, Belle is one who is very sure of herself. I wish I could say the same about myself.”

“It’s not really that hard. When you are used to living in the wilderness, you gain a certain thick skin to the change in climate. It also helps when you know a thing or two about enchantment. As for the cold, you could say my sort invest in very good coats. But yes, I enjoyed it for what it was. That’s debatable, mostly because some people find our sort contagious and become a little less hospitable as a result. It’s my pleasure, especially with an attitude like that. Learning is one of life’s greatest pleasures, after all. I’ll fetch them from the back.”

“That may be where we’re different, sir. My skin is incredibly thin, so I would probably freeze even during the balmiest of nights. Or I’d need like...seven others to keep me warm and I doubt I’ll ever have enough friends for that. A good coat is the smartest investment a man could make. Mine has last me almost three winters and besides somehow growing bigger and bigger on me, it’s still how I bought it. I’m glad you like learning so much, sir. My friend Belle, well I think we’re friends, is the same way, always has a book in her hand.”

“It’s all about timing. And planning for a soft landing. Hard to do on the fly, no pun intended. This is the sort of stuff that makes me understand why some people become alcoholics. If I could afford a few bottles of wine, I probably would’ve gone through most of them just trying to forget anything ever happened. I’ve also heard wine is good for sad thoughts and making them less sad. I’d offer you some, but again, don’t have any. Although procuring some probably wouldn’t be hard, to be honest. This buddy of yours, did he make it out okay, too?”

“I’ll leave the jumping out of windows to the experts, then. You seem to have a much better handle on the feat than I, so I’d trust you to jump out a window with more safety than myself. Eh, don’t become an alcoholic. You’ve got a lot more to offer life than slurred hate speeches and unbalanced violence. Though, I can understand wanting to numb what you saw. Those were some awful visions. Are you going to go procure yourself some wine whenever I turn my back? If so, can you get two bottles? I could use a drink. And yes, I think so. If those creatures messed him up in any way, it’s not very noticeable.”

“I can’t say I’ve ever grown up with a tidy room either, given that I spent most of my childhood outdoors where walls and roofs are lacking. My mother was mad for other reasons than my lack of organization, though that is a common condition for my kind. If you would like one of each, I have just the time to help you. It doesn’t go into the deeper specifics of the lore, but it gives you a general idea of the stories that are valued by both cultures. I might also recommend a bestiary for further reading. After all, if you want to know anything about faeries, it’s best to learn how to tell them apart.”

“Ah, I grew up near the forest and can’t imagine living in there. Especially during rainstorms or harsh winters. Did you enjoy that kind of upbringing or..? Well, I think your sort of madness is much more wanted than the sort my mom had at my untidiness. I really appreciate it, sir. One of each would be wonderful, more for me to learn. I’ll take whatever you can find, honestly. That seems to be our downfall, not being able to tell a faerie apart from a human.”

“I’d definitely keep it that way. It can be pretty awful if you mess it up and break your back. I hope she was able to make it out of there okay. So many people didn’t. Pretty sure the nightmares are gonna stay with me for a few months at least. Ugh, who needs to think about that any more than is absolutely necessary? Moving on! So how’d that work for you? Finding other people to care about, I mean? Everyone needs at least one good buddy to get through life with.”

“Yeah, I think jumping out of anything would end badly for me. Unlike a cat, I rarely land on my feet. I may end up breaking or bruising something important, and then my chance to rescue myself may end up escaping me. She did. She was always in front of me and she made it out pretty fast. Yeah, I kept going and made no eye contact, so I don’t have the nightmares some others do. Though, my head is already filled with some sad thoughts. It helped, honestly. I’ve got one good buddy, yeah. That helps a lot.”

“It certainly has been worse, though I fear I may have lost a handful of authors to their book fort. You certainly aren’t the only one who has taken an interest in mythology recently. Which kind would you prefer? Human or faerie? There tend to be vast differences between the two. Is there anything specific that you want to learn about?”

“Well, you’d be surprised how much mess I’ve dealt with. My room was never tidy when I was young, and my poor mother was practically driven mad by the clutter. Ah, mythology is a rather interesting subject. I’ve just never looked into it much. Maybe a book on each? The basics may be more help than a book on a specific myth.”

“Oh, welcome to my shop! So sorry for the mess, we’re undergoing some rearrangement right now, and these little humans are helping me. Well, sort of.”

“Thank you for the welcome, sir. It’s not too messy, honestly. Do you have any books on mythology? I realized a few days ago I barely know anything on the subject.”

“Just a bit. And I say that as someone who has jumped out of more windows than I can count. Huh, well, good for her. Someone had to have a first time swinging a sword. It’s just a pity it was an actual life or death situation. Some minor cuts are way more bearable than being eaten or breaking my neck, but they still hurt like a bitch. You seem to have made it out alright, lucky duck. Weird, I usually hear the opposite; your mum must be something else.”

“As someone who has never jumped out of a window in his life, I’ll take your word for it. It’s good to see people learn to defend themselves, yeah, but not when they could die with one wrong move.  Most people got a little more beat up than me, but the scrapes will heal. Yeah, I made it out fine. My parents weren’t always the best, so I had to find other people to care about.”

“We tried! The other guy – I never did get his name, too busy running for our lives – and started busting a hole in the glass, but then one of the things came at us and it was jump or get chomped. Pretty sure the latch was closed with magic. All around a terrible evening. Thankfully, I don’t have a mother to worry, though if I did she’d probably have keeled over long before now from anxiety.”

“Running for your life does make you do crazy things, I’ve noticed. Pretty sure I saw a young lady use a sword for the first time last night, so that was something new. A few scrapes isn’t too bad, seeing as you could have just ended up dead instead. And yeah, mothers aren’t fun most of the time, so that may be a good thing for you.”

“It really isn’t as bad as it looks, I swear. But if you’re gonna jump out a closed and locked window, you gotta expect the glass to cut you up a bit. Especially if you’re panicking and in a hurry because a zombie-ghost is coming for you. ‘S why I usually go for open windows.”

“Maybe avoid jumping out a window when you can? Or, at least open it before diving out for your life. That will save your mother a lot of worry.”

“My, aren’t you charming? Still, you needn’t say anything just because someone else thinks you should, you should say how you really feel about things. It’s still sweet of you, though, I appreciate it. You know, I think I will. Cold floors don’t bother me so much as not really knowing where my feet are. Have you ever seen someone try to put socks on a cat or a dog? They seem to forget where their feet are, which is about how I fee right now. If you think no one will mind…” She bent to one side, lifted a leg, and began undoing the straps on her sandals, shaking her head in response as she did. “No, I’ve only ever seen him once or twice. He’s watched a few of my performances in the past, but we’ve never actually spoken. He has quite the reputation, though. Me, too! I came with some other people and they’ve all run off to who knows where. Probably wherever the wine is, honestly.”

“I wouldn’t call myself charming, but thank you. Well, I do think that, though saying what I think has never been my strong suit. If you knew me better, you would see how true that is. I think there’s somewhere you could put them so no one takes them. They look expensive and knowing people, someone here may try to take them. I can honestly say I’ve never seen someone do that, but it does sound odd. My feet always have socks on them, so I’ve grown used to finding my feet even in the thick cotton ones I wear during the winter. No one should mind, if you ask me.” LeFou stuck his arm out for the woman to hold onto as she leaned to one side, worried she may fall in the process of getting herself comfortable. “This is my first time at this palace. Or any, actually. Doesn’t he have a reputation of being a playboy or something of that nature? I think he and my friend, the one I mentioned before, would get on just fine. Well, looks like we’re going to be having fun together now, since we’ve been left for wine and...other things.”

“A merman with legs? That sounds a bit confusing and misleading; hopefully other people at the costume ball are able to recognize who I’m supposed to be! That’s a tad embarrassing!”

“Again, I’m not the best at guessing, so my ideas are a little confusing. I think most will, I’m just not the most educated person at this party. I like the sandals, though. And there’s no need to be embarrassed that one person didn’t get your costume at first glance.”

“You must not be familiar with Greek mythology, then! Either that, or my costume’s more hopeless than I originally thought.”

“Oh! Honestly, I thought you were a merman with legs. Which was...slightly confusing, but now that makes perfect sense.”