Proof (Lyric/Mano)

[Mano Berwyn]

It was a short walk to the back door to let the guy in. Mano had told an older employee to take over the shop, someone he trusted well enough, and so had no problems leaving the cafe. When he came in, he ran his hand through his hair. "Please, have a seat," he said. "Oh, I can't believe we've gotten this far without...I am Mano Berwyn." He smiled yet again as he gestured toward the couches.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric gave the man a sidelong glance, wondering why they were bothering with names. "Tom Kaulitz," he said. He'd been Bill once, so why not? He dropped his bag on the floor beside the couch and sat, perching near the edge less from discomfort and more from a desire to be able to reach his bag easily. Even the flat was vanilla, all earth tones except for a sparkling light that would pay out well at a pawn shop.

[Mano Berwyn]

"What would you like?" Mano asked, moving to the cabinet that held all of his drinks and the glasses that went with them. "I have a little bit of everything, but a much larger selection of wine." He looked over at Tom, raising an eyebrow at how he was sitting. "Relax, I swear I'm not going to pull a wand on you or something."

[Trent Frey]

Wand. Lyric wondered if he could swipe the wand on the way out. He'd have one, but a guy like this would tell the authorities and he'd be screwed. "I'll take whatever'll knock me on my ass," he said. He wasn't a big drinker and had no concept of quality, considering the crap that was passed around at raves. He looked at the guy a moment, then unzipped his bag. Now was as good a time as any to get kicked out.

[Mano Berwyn]

Mano nodded and didn't even ask if Tom took it straight. He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Vodka before heading back over to sit by Tom on the couch. "Well, this is one of the best," he said, pouring out some and handing over the glass before pouring his own. He glanced over at the bag, but didn't let his gaze hover for too long, no matter the curiosity it was.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric pulled out a plain looking box and set it on top of his bag as he reached for the glass, murmuring a reflexive thank you. "If I could afford to share I would," he said, any apology in his voice as fake as the name he'd given. He closed his eyes and downed the drink, giving a momentary shiver as the liquid burned a trail down his throat. Then he set the glass on the coffee table in front of him and picked up the box, resting it on his thighs to open.

[Mano Berwyn]

Mano raised an eyebrow down at the box, not to mention the way Tom had taken the drink. He followed suit and poured out more for himself. "I would say I would reimburse you, but I'm quite content to keep to my vodka," he said, then brought up the glass with a cheers before taking another drink.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric nodded lightly, then turned his attention to getting things out. It wasn't anything serious right now, not with the chance that he'd have to leave in a hurry, but it would f~ him up for a while. As long as the guy didn't stop him or start asking for an explanation, he'd be ready in about ten minutes. He laid a small mirror on the coffee table, grabbed a piece of Muggle paper money, and went on as though he didn't have an audience. The guy wanted to deal with him, he could deal with this.

[Mano Berwyn]

Mano's eyebrow raised higher at what was brought out of the bag. He went to touch Tom to pull him back but remembered his quiet confession that he didn't like being touched. "Forgive me if I don't want that happening in my apartment," he said instead. "But there is plenty in my cabinet that will give you just about anything you want, and I can about guarantee it's cheaper, especially since you can have as much as you want here." As long as they both did it he had nothing against it.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric stiffened slightly at the verbal interruption, and for a long moment he only looked at his things, wanting to go on. But the guy wasn't kicking him out, and at the moment, the benefits of staying sober were still greater than the benefits of going back to the Leaky Cauldron alone. He gave the guy a brief unappreciative look, then grabbed up his things and packed them back into his box. "I might be talked into sharing," he offered, amending his earlier statement. He looked aside again, wondering if the guy even knew what he'd been doing, considering it was Muggle stuff.

[Mano Berwyn]

"I would much rather stick to liquor," Mano said, shaking his head and raising his glass. He picked up the bottle and gestured to Tom's empty glass. "Would you like some more?" Tom could do whatever he wanted while out of his apartment, but Mano wasn't going to allow it inside. He may not be entirely sure of all of the specifics of the muggle things Tom had, but he had been around enough seedy characters to have a good idea.

[Trent Frey]

Lyric was quiet as he zipped his bag shut, but he nodded. He didn't like being hung over, but he liked being sober even less, especially considering what he was here for. This guy was so mellow it was impossible to think of things being enough to keep him from thinking. Lyric looked at him, thinking, though he wished he hadn't, that he was older, too. That alone was enough to make him apprehensive, but it made him want more, too. It was confusing, and so he took another glass more eagerly than he should have.

[Mano Berwyn]

"How long have you been in England?" Mano asked before draining his glass again and pouring more. It took him more than he expected it would take Tom, though he didn't intend on getting too far gone. He wanted to be in complete control of himself for whatever happened. If anything happened. For now, he was content in finding out more about this interesting character.

[Trent Frey]

"Almost a year," Lyric said. He didn't want to talk about himself. He had to deal with himself all the time and he wanted out, something he'd tried to do several times and had little luck with. He wasn't into small talk, it was a ridiculous waste of time and he didn't see any purpose to it. "We're going to f~, right?" he asked. Lyric downed his glass.

[Mano Berwyn]

"This from the man that doesn't like being touched?" Mano asked, eyes widening in surprise. This guy kept getting stranger and stranger. "Not that I haven't thought it, but you're giving a little bit of a mixed signal here." Maybe he should have just said yes, finished off his glass, and led Tom up to his room, but he could wait to attempt to cure a little of his curiosity.