Avakaron ⇒ [Complete] The Brazen and Buff

[Boga Negura]

Even though Currituck is interrupted by the bell of dinner being served, Boga already knows what he is about to ask. Oh, how come you can't be confident, Boga? Everyone deserves to be confident, Boga. You just haven't been confident in the right ways, Boga. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Boga. You don't know everything, Boga. Boga this, Boga that, yada yada yada— basically, everything you think about yourself is wrong, and how you think and what you think is wrong and you can't do anything right, Boga, but if you just do what I say and follow what I think you should do then you're life will be daisy petals and roses. It's so simple, right? Nothing more to it than that.

Bo lets Currituck go get the food since the swaggering sailor is already up and at 'em. It gives him more time to think about his answer anyway. Not that his thoughts are all that easy to organize. Even without booze he struggles in that field, but now it's nearly impossible, and he's not even drunk. He wouldn't even describe himself as tipsy yet. Ugh, stupid brain. How can you not even understand yourself? You're the one that is literally making him think and feel these things, how can you not understand the things you are creating?

Currituck is back with food and Bo is careful to take it from him, making sure that Currituck has let go of the basket completely before bringing it to his lap. Now sitting forward in his chair, he examines all the things that came with his order since he actually had no idea what is was that he ordered in the first place other than the trout itself. It's a pretty standard meal though, so Boga is happy with it. He likes potatoes. He's too focused on the food to notice Currituck's solute, but he does turn to look when the sailor claps, Bo raising an eyebrow. He stifles most of the bubbling laughter that attempts to overpower him, but a few snickers manage to free themselves from his grin as Currituck takes a seat fully upright like he's got a rod shoved up his giss. He's a sailor though, sailors are known for standing at attention in such a way, Bo should be used to that kind of behaviour by now. He shakes his head and continues preparing his meal.

As the tipsy sailor goes on with his question, Bo picks up the pepper container and pinches a small amount between his fingers, sprinkling it over top both the fish and potatoes daintily. There is so little pepper that it mostly is there for show, speckling tiny spots on the top layer of the food. However, Boga is not shy about the salt. The whole saucer of salt is put on top of the fish and then smeared across all over its top. When he can't pack any more salt onto the top of the fish, he picks it up and shakes it overtop his potatoes, the rain of white chunks showering the starch like snow.

"Of course you don't understand," are the first words out of his mouth. He is unable to catch them, his reflexes already slowing from the alcohol inside him. "Sorry," his apology isn't quick like it normally would, but it's still very much present. "It's just true. It's not what I think, it's just what happens, okay? If I'm not careful, bad things happen to people, that's just how it is. I don't want that, you don't want that, no one wants that, so I don't see a point in trying when nothing good is going to come out of it." Boga attempted to talk exclusively about his feelings regarding being the new face of BAFL, but his feelings about his lack of self-control ironically hijacks the intention of his words. Bo doesn't even know if the sentence he just spoke makes any sense, his head just taking a turn in the middle of talking. Did what he just said make grammatical sense? What does he know about grammar anyway? "I mean that it's a pattern, and it's not one that ends with happy, healthy people, so." He stops "seasoning" his food to take another drink of his cider. His hearty swigs almost down the rest of the bottle.

[Currituck Itavi]

Holy avent, y'r gonna be so chagin' thirsdy, don' put so much sald on dat! CHEON, Boga!

There is much concern, but Boga replies to his question before Currituck can speak out against such use of sodium. His face scrunches up as his brain tries to make sense of these alien notions about confidence through alcohol's influence. But, no, you c'n be careful n' confiden' ad th' same dime. Bud I wan' y' d' be more confident. But whaddif somethin' good DOES come ouddof id? Bud it could make YOU hapby. Waid, no, yuh don' seem 'appy aboud it. The only form of 'confidence' Currituck is aware of that causes problems like what Boga is describing is arrogance, but Currituck's never seen Boga acting arrogantly, and arrogance ain't even actual confidence -- it's rooted in insecurity. His tall friend takes a big drink of his cider. He takes a big drink of his cider.

Currituck sighs and looks out over the ocean. "Yeah...I don' understan'..." He turns and glares at his bottle. "Shuddn'd've drank so much..." He scoots the bottle away with his fingers and continues glaring at it. Part of that glare is directed at himself for succumbing to his love for alcohol when he was wanting to help Boga; he can't think clearly enough of what to say or do when he's intoxicated, and he may wind up saying the wrong thing. "I don' feel comfordable continuin' this conversation while we're drunk. You could say somethin' yuh don' wanna say when y'r sober, n' I could say somethin' szdupid n' 'urt yuh. I don' wanna hurtchuh. I wanna helpyuh. N' I can'd 'elpyuh if Ih'm drunk." Currituck is feeling rather annoyed with himself, and it shows on his face in his lingering sour expression. In the way he fixes his gaze on Boga's barrel chest as if a superior were giving him the bollocking for being drunk while performing a task best performed sober, rather than he himself. "Whaddelse d'yuh wanna talk about, Boga?" He blinks a few times and looks up at his friend's goggles with a softer, more neutral expression that patiently awaits an answer.

~~~

Translation of drunken drivel

Holy shit, you're going to be so fucking thirsty, don't put so much salt on that! CHEON, Boga!

[...]But, no, you can be careful and confident at the same time. But I want you to be more confident. But what if something good DOES come out of it? But it could make YOU happy. Wait, no, you don't seem happy about it.

[...]"Shouldn't have drank so much..." [...] "I don't feel comfortable continuing this conversation while we're drunk. You could say something you don't want to say when you're sober, and I could say something stupid and hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you. And I can't help you if I'm drunk." [...] "What else do you want to talk about, Boga?"

What is "bollocking"?

A telling-off. A slang term for this slang term is "rollicking," which I have also used before.

[Boga Negura]

Boga is relieved when Currituck says he doesn't want to continue the conversation. Bo really doesn't want to continue it either. He was always taught to answer people's questions, so when someone asks something he typically answers, even if it's a subject he's not fond of. Especially if he's got some drinks inside him. "Thank you," he says when his already drunk friend drops the subject.

He's not entirely sure what else he wants to talk about at first, filling the time by continuing to prep his food. Boga squishes the baked potato with his fork until it's a mash, scrapping the larger pieces of peel off and setting it aside. With the knife provided, he mixes the concoction of salt and potato together until it's nearly a smooth blend, ignoring the sour cream and the butter entirely and actually going a step further to make sure that it's set aside from his basket and onto the table. As he does this, his head replays what they have done together so far, reminding him of their conversations about family.

"Tell me more about what it's like to live with your family. Not having siblings, not being a founding family— all of that. Much of Avakaron is filled with founding family members or families who have been here for at least a few generations, so I don't know much about living anywhere else besides Avakaron. How long has your family been here? Is your extended family also small? What is your family's plans for the future? Did your parents live anywhere before Avakaron? Things like that. Tell me, I'm curious."

Boga is far too focused on his food to notice the plethora of emotions that grace Currituck's face nor where his eyes end up. Even through the goggles, one can tell that Bo's eyes are fixed on the basket in front of him, though the goggles themselves appear to be looking slightly higher than his lap, into the fire that continues to reflect in their lenses. Bo glances at the other things in his basket, like the sauces or other seasonings but decides that the food is ready to go. He cuts a large chunk of fish off from the body and uses it to scoop a healthy blob of potatoes with it. Based on how long the fish was in his mouth for before he swallowed, his eating of the dish could be more equated to inhaling the food rather than chewing it. In a matter of a few moments, half the plate is already gone.

[Currituck Itavi]

"Oh, muh fam'ly?!" Currituck's eyes light up. "It's jus' me n' mom n' pop! Dey came here in '91 tuh start thur tailorin' business n' get away from mom's side." He stares at the table bitterly. "Mom don't like tuh talk about dem. Bud I do know they're ruhlly d'vout n' closed-minded, n' dat's what drove mom away." His fists become tense balls on the armrests. But then they relax, like the muscles in his face that formed his previous scowl. "I met muh dad's side, though -- they're Rukinovs -- we visited each other b'fore. Muh uncle -- pop's brother -- is HILARIOUS." He giggles as those fond memories of family visits return.

"Mom's from a lil' village in th' south a' thuh Eastern Steppes, n' pop's from thuh nexd down ovur. They met when pop came tuh sell avent in th' village once -- pop's a merchant, mom does th' tailorin'." He speaks with a fond smile on his face and a proud body language when speaking of his parents. Then he laughs and points to a place indeterminate with his right index finger. "S'lara poinded dis outdo me when I firsd med 'er -- muh mom's a tailor n' I'm a sailor--" He cackles just thinking about it. "N' I thought aboud id n' pop's a SELLER!" He laughs more boisterously. "Ain't dat funny how dat turned out?!" He snickers and giggles away. "I'm a sailor n' muh mom's a tailor n' muh pop's a seller~" He snort-laughs through his nose, then gazes fondly at the table, pausing, then continuing:

"They were really scared about lettin' me go off t' sea," he says in a soft, respectful tone. "I'm thur only kid, n' I could drown 'r get killed by pirates any day." He looks off to his left, smiling. "But, evenchully, dey let me, n' on m' sixteenth birthday, I went off t' sea." He shrugs. Then his eyes light up again and he turns around and opens one of the two small compartments on the top of his backpack. "N' dey gave me dis--" Currituck pulls out a compass which fits comfortably in the palm of his hand and holds his hand up to show Boga, the compass's face facing his tall friend. "M' compass!!" He grins from ear to ear, baring his sharp teeth and black gums. "I love muh combuss." His chest is puffed out with pride as he continues to show off his parents' special gift to him to his trusted friend, while simultaneously not offering a closer, hands-on look.

[Boga Negura]

Bo isn't entirely sure if it's just the two shots of rum and the cider stirring up excitement or if Currituck's boisterous response is simply his natural reaction to talking about topics of interest. From what Boga knows, the sailor does have a very bubbly personality with some serious dedication and pride to boot, but Bo wouldn't say he knows Currituck well enough to fully be able to differentiate drunk Currituc's personality from normal Currituck's personality. Currituck in the past has shown a broad spectrum of emotions from joy, to fear, to curiosity, scepticism, and even anger— everything except sadness really. He seems rather emotional even without drinking, so to a friend whose relationship with Currituck is fresher than a dozen eggs that were laid just before breakfast scramble, the only obvious difference is that the sailor's slurs are far more prominent.

Boga has to actually decipher a few phrases here and there in his head, hardening the consonants to form the correct pronunciations before being able to understand him. This process caused there to be a delay in Bo's responses. He continued to eat while Currituck explains his home life and family relationships, but Boga does nod along at certain points to confirm he understands, like when Currituck explains his parents' relationship towards his mother's side of the family. But again, his nods are on delay, so by the time Bo gets around to confirming he understands, Currituck is already on about the next thing. The part where Bo's delay is most prominent however is the whole sailor vs seller joke. He didn't even know it was a joke at all until Currituck starts laughing, which causes Bo to take a step back in the conversation to figure out what Currituck is laughing about. Currituck's mother is a tailor, his father is a seller— so essentially a merchant, and he's a sailor. A tailor, a merchant, and a sailor. Is this some sort of story or inside joke he doesn't know? He specifically keeps saying seller though, so maybe his father isn't a merchant. So a tailor, a seller, and a sailor— what do they have in common? Is this some sort of innuendo maybe? One of those dumb a bard, a sailor, and a pirate walk into a bar kind of jokes?

Boga stops eating and just stares ahead of himself down the length of the beach. Okay, hold up, he's got this. His mom's a tailor. Currituck is a sailor. His father is a seller. Mom tailor, son sailor, father seller? No, that doesn't make sense. A tailor, a sailor, and a seller. Tailor, sailor, and seller... Bo repeat this in his head slowly to himself, hoping that just saying the words would somehow make the joke click. And it doesn't work at first, but once Boga starts getting tired of saying it slowly and says it faster, the near slurring of the syllables aligns in his head.

A sailor, a tailor, and a seller. Seller sounds like sailor which sounds like tailor.

The pensive expression that kept Boga's lips taut and flat relinquishes so a subtle smile. His chest starts to sputter before any sounds begin, but over time he starts to giggle softly— very softly. Then he tells the joke to himself again and Bo begins to chuckle, revealing some of his teeth behind his widening lips. The chuckle only continues to grow until Bo suddenly realizes he should be listening to Currituck and not laughing at a joke he told several minutes ago. His attempt to stifle the chuckle only serves to convert it into a chortle which is even noisier now that he is partially snorting. Boga's face brightens with embarrassment, his mahogany cheeks turning scarlet. He sets down his fork and covers his face with his left hand, which he can do quite effectively since he's been told many times that his hands are huge.

Currituck starts moving about and rummaging through his belongings and Bo is just shaking his head at himself. Why did it take him that long to figure that out? And why is it so funny? Booze. He's blaming the booze.

"M' compass!!"

Bo drops his hand and looks over at the item being presented to him. You know, the thing Currituck has been describing the entire time you were attempting to figure out the joke. The thing that Currituck obviously cares a lot about based solely on how similar Currituck looks while holding the thing compared to a father with their newborn child. "Oh wow-" he snorts through his words," that's a really cool compass." More snorting ensues. Get a grip, Boga! It's just a dumb joke!

But it's really funny~

He's not laughing at Currituck's compass, he swears, he hopes it doesn't look like that, even though it almost certainly and probably does. It's just... "Sailor. Seller," Boga attempts to explain, gesturing with his head one way when he says the word sailor and then tilting it the other when saying seller. Because of the fogginess that's now settling in his mind from the drinks he hammered down before eating, Bo doesn't think that his laughter requires any more explanation and his chortles turn into wheezy snickers. He covers his face again, trying to hide the bright redness that continues to burn his cheeks.

[Currituck Itavi]

The out-of-place chuckling causes Currituck to pause his story and look at Boga. Th' chak iz 'e laughin' for? Muh parends 're worried about me DYIN' n' y'r laughin'?!!?! Currituck sits up taller and stiffer with offense as he watches his friend stifle his laughter and cover his face. Half of the little sailor's drunken mind wants him to dive under the table and sock Boga in the nuts, but the other half considers that it just took Boga a bit to get his tailor/sailor/seller joke. Easy there, sailor. Don't go gettin' 'ntuh bar brawls witchur new buddy 'cuz you thought he's insultin' yur fam'ly. Yuh ain't even IN uh bar. Currituck's back relaxes into its previous posture as he calms himself down from the perceived offense. Now where wuz I... He continues with his story.

...

But then Boga laughs at his compass.

He laughs at his compass.

Currituck stares at the taller Hellbend. His mind flashes back to those times when crewmates would make fun of him for having his own navigational device. When they would mock him for his immense adoration of it. When they would try to steal it from him. Until he finally snapped and fought back. Currituck's back stiffens up straight as a pin as it did a mere minute ago. His left hand grips its armrest tightly. While his blank facial expression masks how he's feeling, Currituck's saucer eyes are windows into the scene of the wild animal waiting to be loosed from its cage. The captain of this flesh-vessel is going to take one final measure before releasing the hounds, however: Currituck opens his mouth and takes a deep breath in preparation to say, 'Jusd WHAT thuh CHAK are you LAUGHING AT, Boga?!?!' but before the inhale itself is completed, Boga explains himself.

"Sailor, seller."

Currituck's mouth closes. He continues to stare.

"Oh," he says stiffly.

His eyes float down Boga's torso to stare at the table. The anger and offense continue to tingle inside him, but are slowly subsiding. Currituck rests the arm that's holding up his compass on the right armrest and holds his fiery face with his left and he sighs.

"...I need a minute."

Deep breath in... Deep breath out... In... Out... Currituck's posture starts to relax again. Inhale... Exhale... I coulda blacked out again just there. I wanted t' chakin' castrate Boga buh'cuz he MIGHT'VE been insultin' mom n' pop.

D'yuh achully wanna hurt him?

No. Nevur. I never wanna hurt m' friend.

Then why didj' wanna 'urt 'im jusd now?

...B'cuz I got mad.

But who's th' cabtain of this ship?

Me.

Mm-hmm. So what're yuh gonna do next time y' start feelin' like this towards someone y' love?

Stay in control a' my emotions so they don't go tellin' me tuh hurt m' friends.

Tercer right, sailor.

Currituck's whole body finally relaxes back into its previous state, his left arm lowering to rest on the arm of the chair like his right, and he looks Boga in the goggles with a soft expression, brows furrowed upward. "I'm sorry, Boga. I thought you wur laughin' at m' compass, at m' parents, n' I god angry. Dat wazn't fair a' me, t' assume whatchoo were laughin' about." He looks off, restraining himself from making an 'I'm sorry' sandwich. Then he looks back up at Boga with a smile. "It is a cool compass, isn'd it?" Currituck raises his compass before him and looks fondly down at his face, then places it to his breast and sighs, and afterward puts it back in its special compartment in his backpack. "You c'n finish off my cider if yuh want, I ain't drinkin' no more t'day." He can't afford to. Well, he can money-wise, but not when it comes to self-improvement. He needs to reflect on what just happened and think about what measures he can take next time to ensure he doesn't reach this point again. It's good that it didn't go further, but he's got to keep pushing himself to get better. Always. No slacking.

[Boga Negura]

The level of amusement Boga feels about the situations rivals that of him being in a comedy club. Not a good comedy club, but a club of amateurs, so most of the jokes aren't funny but some of them are so bad that it's actually hilarious. That's the kind of amusement Bo feels in this moment. It's such a dumb joke but he can't help but laugh at it anyway because it's dumb. It's a never-ending cycle.

"Oh." Currituck says, Boga continuing to look at his food and preparing another slice of fish to be shovelled into his mouth. Maybe if he goes back to eating he'll eventually stop laughing. As he chews the salty potato fish combo, he cackles until he needs to swallow. Once he does, he goes right back to cackling. "...I need a minute."

"Okay," Boga manages to squeeze out in a chuff. He still doesn't look at Currituck, instead choosing to finish his meal and drink rather than looking up at his outraged friend. Boga assumed the minute the sailor needed is to use go to the bathroom or something along those lines, perhaps to even get up and order another drink. But he doesn't get up to do either. Instead, Bo's companion sits there breathing heavily and deeply.

That's an awfully familiar situation. That's what he does when he's upset. Wait, is Currituck upset?

Boga finally lifts his face to meet Currituck's figure, eyes flicking across his posture for all of the signs of emotion it would give him, a few tiny chuckles still linger about in his chest. The man's knuckles that grip the armrest are pink, nearly white from the pressure, and his back is more straight than Boga's Uncle Kor. And that's the most straight thing Boga can possibly think of. A straight-edged ruler has nothing on the man and his homophobia. Currituck's face brandishes the same scarlet red as Bo's cheeks, however, the bright red within Boga quickly starts to spread to his entire face as the clues bring Boga closer to his inevitable realization. Currituck's chest expands to draw in much-needed air, then deflates like a balloon slowly losing its ability to float. As the much needed moment drew on, Currituck's tense, clenching muscles give to a much sadder depiction. It almost looks as if Currituck gave up on something.

Bo himself mimics Currituck's relaxing posture, but Boga takes it a step further by slouching some, his shoulders turning inward in an unconscious attempt to make himself smaller. Did he hurt Currituck's feelings? "It was my laughing, wasn't it?" He murmurs. It couldn't be anything else, Boga hasn't even said anything since he started eating. It has to be because he was laughing.

Dammit.

Currituck goes on to confirm his suspicions and Bo looks at the last few remnants of food on his plate. Currituck may not think it was fair for him to assume Bo was laughing at his family, but really, what else are you supposed to think when the current topic is your family and then the other person starts laughing? Out of all of the assumptions in the world that seems to be the most reasonable one to make. "No, no, it's not your fault. It's just me." Boga lifts a hand to twirl a finger in circles near his head," I'm slow sometimes, I don't understand much, so sometimes it takes me a bit. Especially after a few drinks." He briefly lifts his empty bottle of cider and puts it back down. "I'm sorry about that." Currituck begins to put the compass back but Boga holds out his hand and shakes it a bit," Wait, hold on. May I look at the compass again, please? I didn't get a good look before, I want to see it." Especially since it appears to mean so much to Currituck. Now that Bo's not being consumed by amused laughter he can actually listen to Currituck's explanation and look at the details of the compass. "You said you got it on your birthday, right? Was it your father's before they gave it to you?"

[Currituck Itavi]

"Please don' blame yourself f'r somethin' you can'd help," Currituck says, shaking his head. "Dis is somethin' I CAN help." He notices Boga scrunching in on himself a bit; it looks like he feels bad about it. Currituck feels this perceived feeling in response, but is careful to not let the emotion overtake him, simply letting it float by like a seagull in the breeze.

Currituck takes his compass back out and holds it up like he did before. He likes Boga, but he doesn't trust him enough to hold the compass out into the range of Boga's reach. He doesn't think Boga wound intentionally cause harm to it, but this is a boundary Currituck isn't willing to tapdance on at the moment. Plus, this restraint is for Boga's sake; Currituck doesn't know what would happen if Boga tries to bring the compass closer himself. He could black out and do something drastic again.

"Th' night b'fore. Guess mom n' pop figured I'd wanna go out tuh sea firsd thin' th' nexd mornin', so that was m' day-of gift." He chuckles. Getting to become a sailor was the day-of gift, he means. But the arrangements of his sentences might not make sense in his inebriated state. They might not normally make sense anyway to people who aren't used to speaking to people with his strong dialect and accent. "Mom got id in a trade with a retired captain. She made her some new clothes, and she gave her 'er old combasz. Szdill works like new!" He beams with pride again. The glass face of his compass reflects the light of the firepit; its red and white vertically-aligned needle drifts idly between north-northeast and east and west-southwest and west in response to his body's slight movements. Boga seems very curious of his family and his compass, and Currituck is happy to be interrogated further! He loves his family, and his compass.

[Boga Negura]

Boga doesn't think people understand exactly how hard it is for Bo not to blame himself for these things. These misunderstandings and miscommunications seem small to other people, but it's quite a big deal for Boga who has dealt with this his entire life. Regardless of whether or not he can control that fact or not, when things like this happen Bo always feels as if he could have helped it. His miscommunications never feel forced or intentional so it feels as if he could have prevented it. He feels as if he could have understood the joke or the sarcasm if he had just tried harder, paid more attention, but no matter how much he tries things still get by him. There is no physical wall or obstacle between him and his understanding, and there isn't anything wrong with his head so of course it is his fault. If there is nothing stopping you from understanding something and then you still don't understand it, who's fault is that?

He's just dumb, and he wishes he wasn't.

Letting the familiar feeling of yet another social defeat pass him by, Boga examines the compass as Currituck explains more about it. Even if Currituck had held it close enough for Bo to have taken hold of it, he wouldn't have reached to touch it. One reason that is is that Bo's hands are currently preoccupied with stroking the front of his jacket. His chest has warmed up to the point where it feels as if he has his own fire set ablaze inside him, even to the point that Bo is almost certain that if he wanted to he could take his jacket off and feel perfectly comfortable in the cold weather. But the jacket being on allows him to feel even more toasty, so he doesn't opt to shed the layer. The fire inside is mostly caused by the alcohol, but a small portion of it is due to the heavy rhythm song that his heart is pounding inside his chest. He doesn't notice this fact since he's preoccupied with observing the compass and its details, but his heartbeat beats his chest like a horse beats its hooves on the grass it runs on.

"A captain, huh? That's cool," Boga watches the needle sway back and forth as Currituck attempts to keep the item steady in his hands. Bo wonders if Currituck plans on passing on his compass to his children one day. Heirlooms aren't usually talked about very often in normal conversation so Bo doesn't know how prevalent they are to other people outside the Negura family. But in Bo's family, everyone gets an heirloom. Some heirlooms may be more important than others, being pass down to the head of family and then their predecessor, but everyone gets an heirloom of some kind. Bo was lucky to receive his.

Oh!! Oh, oh, oh!

Boga stops stroking his jacket and grabs the last of his fish and potatoes from his plate, shoving the oversized piece in his mouth. "Mm mmm mmhmm," he hums incoherently with the food in his mouth, stacking all of his dishes into the basket. He grabs Currituck's cider as well, but he doesn't put it in the basket with everything else, and Bo takes the items back to the employee. He's attempting to chew the large glob of food in his mouth as he pulls out some coins from his pocket, paying for his meal and leaving a tip. Before the employee takes the items, Bo chugs the last of Currituck's cider and swishes it about in his mouth, using the liquid to try and help break down the fish and potatoes. He passes the employee the now empty bottle, swallowing hard with a slight huff. "Thank you, have a good day!" Bo waves at the man as he turns back to Currituck, briskly walking, nearly skipping, over to his friend. "Come, come, come~" his voice is suddenly sing-songy. "I show you mine, you show me yours," he giggles. Boga really meant it the other way around, since Currituck has already shown him his most prized possession, but Bo figures the point got across. He reaches over and grabs the back of Currituck's chair and pulls it out from under the table so Currituck can stand. Bo also holds his hand out to Currituck in case he needs help standing up. He may need help walking if his earlier swagger was any indication of in intoxication.

[Currituck Itavi]

O bewilderment of bewilderments! Currituck is stupefied as his friend frolicks with all their dishes and bottles over to the counter and back. ... Currituck nearly chokes on his own breath when he hears the words that come out of Boga's mouth. What, what, WHAT?!? Um, alright-- SHNKK! Boga pulls his chair out and Currituck's upper body lurches forward in response as it keeps up with his slid-back giss. Cheon Almighty, Boga! Are you THIS excited about seein' muh dick?! Currituck looks at Boga's offered hand and blushes. The blush is NOT from the alcohol. He looks up at Boga's face. His consent seems so emphatic, but can he truly consent in his current state, when he's been drinking? Was that song a creative way of offering Currituck a handie?! It was an appealing offer, as the little sailor often gets to be feeling a bit randy when he gets some booze in him, but neither of them can consent in this situation.

Currituck stores his compass in its designated compartment and takes his friend's hand and uses Boga's strength to pull himself up off the chair; then he turns on the flirtatious charm, putting on a sultry smirk. "Didn't know yuh were curious about that part a' me, too~" Boga was curious about his family, curious about his compass, and now curious about his penis size -- or so Currituck thinks. "I aszure you, I don't disappoint in that area~" The little -- or perhaps not so little? -- sailor puffs out his chest in a display of pride that might hint at the size of his sword. "But we won'd go any further -- alcohol fogs up y'r ability tuh conzentd." Showing off their respective gangplanks would be harmless, but Currituck doesn't want Boga to make a scabbard of his hand under the mind-muddling influence of alcohol. He does wonder if Boga is as tall down there as he is in general. That thought along with thoughts of dropping by the Swords and Sandals later for a tossjob from those talented employees are the shanties that orchestrate the raising of his main sail -- Currituck picks up his bag and holds it in front of himself coyly. He salutes his tall friend half-smartly -- the rum and cider are still affecting him -- but nonetheless enthusiastically. "Lead th' way, szir." His delivery is brisk and firm -- until he slurs the last word. Ahh, alcoholic beverages...

But would this be a show-and-tell between two buddies, or was Boga coming onto him? Currituck is opposed to neither case. His friend is indeed quite attractive and handsome with his strong build and impressive beard. Maybe he and Boga could be like him and Solara? Buddies with benefits? Currituck trying to be the big spoon would be hilarious, but he is always up to any challenge! Down the line maybe, with Boga's help in strength training, he could not only figuratively, but LITERALLY sweep Boga off his feet! Such a happy, charming thought~ But let's not be so wistful -- if it happens, it happens!