[ david is soft, compared to him. or at least that's what evan's always thought. softer than him, who has to live right, exactly right. not that he thinks david can do whatever the hell he wants; the last few weeks have made that very clear. but it's not the same. he's sure of it. ]
You've tried to put me in the ground enough times I know you don't need someone around to keep anyone else down. Meant your whole family. Not just you.
[ which probably isn't much better than a direct insult to david alone. ]
[ david scoffs and shakes his head. of course evan would think that. ]
That's the problem with your lot.
[ if he wants to bring david's family into it, than evan's family is on the line too, and david sure has opinions about that whole operation. like a roving band of barbarians, the whole thing kept together by fear and brutality and money. ]
There's no finesse to the way you operate. It's all fuckin' brute force.
[ there's offense taken to that, but not enough to make evan go off the deep end immediately. it's an improvement. normally he wouldn't take even that much from david king, of all people. ]
Get whatever we need. Keeps anybody from fucking with us, except you and yours. And nobody tries to turn on us.
[ at least, as far as evan's ever been told. he's sure some people have, maybe even some of the people he's been sent to take care of, but it was never explained, and he didn't ask questions. ]
[ david leans back in his seat, shrugs a shoulder. there's only so long you can keep people afraid, especially when it's all violence. you have to mix and match, tailor it to the right people. even if you just want to make people afraid, there's plenty of ways to do that other than just straight up violence. ]
[ which isn't exactly true, but god forbid he not defend the family, the business, everything. people rarely turn on them and live to tell about it ... but people probably disappeared without getting caught. as many of king's men they have, david's father probably has just as many of theirs.
fear through violence. he's always been told that's the only thing that works. ]
Always some new, stupid asshole who thinks he can get his way who's there to learn a fucking lesson.
[ yeah, okay. he'll concede that point. david snorts, amused. ]
That one's a universal constant, I think.
[ always some asshole who thinks he's come up with something new, who thinks they can pull the wool over their eyes. thinks they're owed more and can't wait their turn. never short on examples these days. ]
the beer doesn't taste much better the second time around. slightly frustrated, he finishes it off - maybe too quickly - and glowers at the glass, then at david. ]
[ david raises an eyebrow, wondering what the fuck evan's mad about now. david would like to think that at least his anger makes sense-- no idea why evan's making that face at his beer. ]
[ but hey, if he wants to buy liquor, david's not gonna complain. ]
[ harder liquor won't improve things, and there's a good chance it'll just makes things worse. but he's tired of something so light he barely feels a buzz. especially when dealing with david.
I thought you were getting something stronger for both of us.
[ is that a good idea? probably not. unfortunately david is rarely possessed of good sense when it comes to alcohol. if evan's gonna drink something harder then he is too. ]
[ he's not going to assume what david drinks. that'd be overly familiar. they're not friends, even if right this very second they aren't really enemies, either.
he gets two glasses of something stronger - quite a bit stronger, considering the beer favored flavor over alcohol. too bad it didn't work, at least on evan. he sinks back down into his seat and slides one over to david, but doesn't start drinking himself. at least not just yet. ]
Think this place is too expensive for what they've got.
[ david takes the drink when evan slides it over, holds it with fingers on the rim of the glass, breathes an amused noise at his review. places like this, it's half as much image as anything else, at least as far as he can tell. but considering the prices at some of the clubs david frequents are borderline insane, it doesn't even get a raised eyebrow from him. ]
Most places are.
[ he shrugs ]
Least these guys don't charge eight bucks for water.
[ evan lifts the glass, and then stops with it halfway up, giving david an incredulous look.
it's not that evan doesn't live well or ever go to clubs. he knows people charge the rich and famous a hell of a lot more than they should. he tends to escape that, looking like he does, but still - ]
The fuck kind of places are you going where they charge eight fucking bucks for water?
[ david can't help but laugh at that response, and feel a little vindication. some people are way too used to paying too much for simple things and act like he's crazy for being shocked at those prices. ]
[ of course he paid anyway, but that's not the point. ]
Club on the east side, expensive as fuck because they know they can get away with it. Nobody's gonna be the prick who leaves 'cause the drinks are too much after they paid cover to get in.
[ there are places in the city evan doesn't go because he knows he won't enjoy them, and most of them are, conveniently, places david tends to be a regular at. although apparently not so often that the idea of an $8 bottle of water is something even he notes.
it's almost a surprise. evan's almost certain david wouldn't be the sort to notice that. throwing money around left right and center. ]
Stupid. Doubt they sell any of it, either. Not 'cause it's too expensive. You ever get water at a club?
[ at least this one has a kick to it, evan thinks as he finally gets to the liquor. not that it tastes any better. ]
[ couldn't say for sure, but it doesn't seem like him. on the other hand, he's more careful about how much he drinks (or snorts) because he can't really afford to get totally blackout drunk and say some shit to the wrong person. so maybe he has bought water in the interest of staying the right side of shitfaced, who can truly say? ]
Who goes clubbing to drink water? Whole point's to get fucked up.
[ evan smiles his faint, bitter smile again. in fact, he has never gotten fucked up at a club. drunk in a bar, yes. blackout drunk in a bar, even. but never clubs, and never just enough to enjoy things, even if he regrets them afterward. ]
And you're an expert in that.
[ it's mild mockery, but not in the sense that david doesn't know what he's talking about. more in the sense that david knows exactly what he's talking about. ]
[ half an insult, there. evan watches david over his glass, knowing that getting on his case for being a party animal with no ability to restrain himself is an old argument they've had before a hundred times. ]
Surprised nobody's ever iced you while you were so fucked up you couldn't walk.
[ evan's given him shit over this so much that it barely registers as an insult. he just snorts and rolls his eyes, because of course evan's noticed. he probably knows how much time david spends out and about than he does himself. ]
Dunno when the last time I was that messed up was.
I see you staggering around half the time. Or is that just you puttin' on a show to look bad?
[ the alcohol and the annoyance over ... well, everything, is making him a little more combative than he probably should be, but when is he going to pass up an opportunity to get under david's skin? besides, it's better than their usual knock-down-drag-out that'd get them arrested. that has to count for something. ]
[ he was definitely staggering around. or draped over someone on their way wherever. either way, the accusation annoys him enough that it shows on his face, just briefly before he sighs and reaches for his glass. he definitely plays it up sometimes, but david wouldn't call that the same as putting on an act. ]
Anyway-- I find someone comin' at me is usually sobers me up real fucking fast.
[ which would entail following david around until he got shitfaced enough to suit evan, and then publicly charging him to see just how fast he sobers up. it's not a great plan.
still, it has an appeal to it. because if david's talking shit, then he might get in more than a few good punches. ]
Keep an eye out.
[ he almost smiles - almost, but not really - and goes back to his drink. ]
What, you gonna follow me around all night just to get me when I'm fucked up?
[ the idea is kind of amusing, he'll grant that, even if he knows evan would win that hands down if he was drunk — they're evenly matched enough even a slight disadvantage becomes significant. it's as annoying as much as it is something david genuinely enjoys about throwing down with evan. not that he'd admit it. ]
Might as well. Let you outdrink me and wait until you can't move without running into a wall, kick you ass into oblivion. Make up for that last shitshow in public.
[ although letting david outdrink him might not be as difficult as he'd like to think it is. he doesn't really plan on it; at least, not right now. right now he just wants a little distance from everything. ]
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hardlydead) wrote2024-05-20 10:36 pm
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[ david is soft, compared to him. or at least that's what evan's always thought. softer than him, who has to live right, exactly right. not that he thinks david can do whatever the hell he wants; the last few weeks have made that very clear. but it's not the same. he's sure of it. ]
You've tried to put me in the ground enough times I know you don't need someone around to keep anyone else down. Meant your whole family. Not just you.
[ which probably isn't much better than a direct insult to david alone. ]
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That's the problem with your lot.
[ if he wants to bring david's family into it, than evan's family is on the line too, and david sure has opinions about that whole operation. like a roving band of barbarians, the whole thing kept together by fear and brutality and money. ]
There's no finesse to the way you operate. It's all fuckin' brute force.
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[ there's offense taken to that, but not enough to make evan go off the deep end immediately. it's an improvement. normally he wouldn't take even that much from david king, of all people. ]
Get whatever we need. Keeps anybody from fucking with us, except you and yours. And nobody tries to turn on us.
[ at least, as far as evan's ever been told. he's sure some people have, maybe even some of the people he's been sent to take care of, but it was never explained, and he didn't ask questions. ]
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[ david leans back in his seat, shrugs a shoulder. there's only so long you can keep people afraid, especially when it's all violence. you have to mix and match, tailor it to the right people. even if you just want to make people afraid, there's plenty of ways to do that other than just straight up violence. ]
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[ which isn't exactly true, but god forbid he not defend the family, the business, everything. people rarely turn on them and live to tell about it ... but people probably disappeared without getting caught. as many of king's men they have, david's father probably has just as many of theirs.
fear through violence. he's always been told that's the only thing that works. ]
Always some new, stupid asshole who thinks he can get his way who's there to learn a fucking lesson.
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That one's a universal constant, I think.
[ always some asshole who thinks he's come up with something new, who thinks they can pull the wool over their eyes. thinks they're owed more and can't wait their turn. never short on examples these days. ]
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[ probably. he assumes.
the beer doesn't taste much better the second time around. slightly frustrated, he finishes it off - maybe too quickly - and glowers at the glass, then at david. ]
I'm getting something stronger next round.
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[ but hey, if he wants to buy liquor, david's not gonna complain. ]
I'm not gonna try and stop you.
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who he invited out in the first place. ]
You want something else? Or that good enough?
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[ is that a good idea? probably not. unfortunately david is rarely possessed of good sense when it comes to alcohol. if evan's gonna drink something harder then he is too. ]
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[ he's not going to assume what david drinks. that'd be overly familiar. they're not friends, even if right this very second they aren't really enemies, either.
he gets two glasses of something stronger - quite a bit stronger, considering the beer favored flavor over alcohol. too bad it didn't work, at least on evan. he sinks back down into his seat and slides one over to david, but doesn't start drinking himself. at least not just yet. ]
Think this place is too expensive for what they've got.
[ as if he has money problems. ]
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Most places are.
[ he shrugs ]
Least these guys don't charge eight bucks for water.
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it's not that evan doesn't live well or ever go to clubs. he knows people charge the rich and famous a hell of a lot more than they should. he tends to escape that, looking like he does, but still - ]
The fuck kind of places are you going where they charge eight fucking bucks for water?
[ better question: ]
And why the hell are you buying that?
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[ of course he paid anyway, but that's not the point. ]
Club on the east side, expensive as fuck because they know they can get away with it. Nobody's gonna be the prick who leaves 'cause the drinks are too much after they paid cover to get in.
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it's almost a surprise. evan's almost certain david wouldn't be the sort to notice that. throwing money around left right and center. ]
Stupid. Doubt they sell any of it, either. Not 'cause it's too expensive. You ever get water at a club?
[ at least this one has a kick to it, evan thinks as he finally gets to the liquor. not that it tastes any better. ]
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[ couldn't say for sure, but it doesn't seem like him. on the other hand, he's more careful about how much he drinks (or snorts) because he can't really afford to get totally blackout drunk and say some shit to the wrong person. so maybe he has bought water in the interest of staying the right side of shitfaced, who can truly say? ]
Who goes clubbing to drink water? Whole point's to get fucked up.
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And you're an expert in that.
[ it's mild mockery, but not in the sense that david doesn't know what he's talking about. more in the sense that david knows exactly what he's talking about. ]
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Many years of study gone into it.
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[ half an insult, there. evan watches david over his glass, knowing that getting on his case for being a party animal with no ability to restrain himself is an old argument they've had before a hundred times. ]
Surprised nobody's ever iced you while you were so fucked up you couldn't walk.
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Dunno when the last time I was that messed up was.
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[ the alcohol and the annoyance over ... well, everything, is making him a little more combative than he probably should be, but when is he going to pass up an opportunity to get under david's skin? besides, it's better than their usual knock-down-drag-out that'd get them arrested. that has to count for something. ]
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[ he was definitely staggering around. or draped over someone on their way wherever. either way, the accusation annoys him enough that it shows on his face, just briefly before he sighs and reaches for his glass. he definitely plays it up sometimes, but david wouldn't call that the same as putting on an act. ]
Anyway-- I find someone comin' at me is usually sobers me up real fucking fast.
[ so shut up, actually. ]
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[ which would entail following david around until he got shitfaced enough to suit evan, and then publicly charging him to see just how fast he sobers up. it's not a great plan.
still, it has an appeal to it. because if david's talking shit, then he might get in more than a few good punches. ]
Keep an eye out.
[ he almost smiles - almost, but not really - and goes back to his drink. ]
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[ the idea is kind of amusing, he'll grant that, even if he knows evan would win that hands down if he was drunk — they're evenly matched enough even a slight disadvantage becomes significant. it's as annoying as much as it is something david genuinely enjoys about throwing down with evan. not that he'd admit it. ]
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[ although letting david outdrink him might not be as difficult as he'd like to think it is. he doesn't really plan on it; at least, not right now. right now he just wants a little distance from everything. ]
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