Before he took his first sip, Ignis knew he wasn’t going to like the bourbon. But he reminded himself that he hadn’t much liked the taste of coffee at first either and now he could barely function without the stuff. Perhaps the taste of bourbon would grow on him.
“Very well,” he said, raising his glass in a toast to Gladio. “Bottoms up!” Mouth open, Ignis tipped the entire contents down his throat in one go, swallowing hard afterwards. Even though it was gone in a flash, the strong taste was impossible to avoid. It wasn’t as unpleasant as he expected, braced, as he was, for bitterness. Instead, it had a more smoky flavour to it and he could taste the wood of the barrels in which it was aged, along with a faint caramel undertone.
“That’s actually not too bad! It’s rather- Oh.” Then the burn hit. In retrospect, Ignis would come to realise that, as a novice, downing his drink was a mistake, but that realisation was yet to come. For the moment, it was all he could do to breathe, let alone examine and analyse his actions.
“Haaaaah! Oh! Oh, goodness!” His gullet felt as though it were on fire! Not even the spiciest of dishes burned this badly. Patting his chest with a closed fist, Ignis tried to move the heat on, hoping it would soon dissipate.
“Gladio,” he finally croaked. “I may actually be dying here…”
Gladio lifted a brow as he watched his friend tip the glass backwards. He might not have suggested it, but hey, it was probably the best way to do it. It was how he had gotten his first taste. He expected Ignis to choke or cough or even make a disgusted face, but he was surprised when the reaction was more or less minor. Impressive.
At least until the burn seemed to hit. He started to laugh, remembering his own error in judgement. He’d have warned him if he had only given him the chance, but hey. It was a learning experience at least. He lifted a large hand and pat his friend firmly on the back and waved the bartender over to pass him a glass of ice water.
“You’re not dying, quit being dramatic.”
Once the water was handed off, he pushed it into Ignis’ hand, signalling for him to take a drink. It would probably be wise to keep Ignis hydrated anyway. The poor guy could do without a massive hang over come morning, especially since he more than likely had some kind of council meeting.
He knocked back his own drink with ease, letting out a low sigh mixed with a growl as he shook his head. “Good shit.” He waved to the bartender for another round. He wasn’t sure if he could get Ignis to drink any more of this, but even if he didn’t, he would take it. It wasn’t as if Ignis couldn’t order anything else, though he’d strongly suggest not mixing liquors.
“You doin’ alright, buddy?”
