Intoxication, Rhi-Rhi

[Eli Nimravus]

It was another day for the odd pair, a new adventure to undertake. Rhia had wanted to go out and explore again, so of course, he had obliged. Thinking that the amusement park might scare the hell out of her, and she couldn't read so the library was out of the question, that left only the zoo. He wasn't exactly sure she was ready for this, being that she was a free animal, and seeing these creatures locked up, no matter how well they were treated, might freak her out. He hoped he was wrong, though. But it didn't matter, nothing mattered but her.

Eli grinned as he dragged Rhia along by one hand, a bottle of straight vodka in the other. He stopped and took a swig of the liquor, determined to get rid of his depression. He felt like a teenage girl with the way he was feeling, like he wanted to die. He couldn't, though, not with this new responsibility fate had dumped on him. He'd kill himself if Rhia didn't need him. Besides, he mused, anyone can say they're above this all, and he needed this. He couldn't take it. The vodka took his pain away, without him hurting anyone else. Luckily he had a four pound drink in his right hand, to make everything go away.

He didn't even know why he felt like shit, but he did. This happened on rare occasions, it wasn't like it was the first time the overwhelming feelings of pain had attacked him, but that didn't make it any better. He wanted to die, but this sweet, innocent girl was depending on him, and he couldn't just walk away. He wasn't that cruel. He took another swig of the alcohol, trying to drown his thoughts. The only thing he needed to be thinking about was Rhia, and how to make sure she was safe and happy.

"Whaddaya wanna see first, Rhi-Rhi?" He asked, breath reeking of alcohol.

[Rhia Vilkacis]

Eli had agreed to bring her out, and she was so excited to be traveling with him again. He led her into a place he'd called the zoo, holding her hand and a bottle that he kept drinking from.

"Whaddaya wanna see first, Rhi-Rhi?"

He asked, and among all the other weird and interesting smells that threatened to overwhelm her there was added the sharp scent of alcohol. Rhia didn't know exactly what alcohol was, or what affects it would have on Eli, but she wrinkled her nose as he breathed it into her face. He was talking oddly, too... but maybe that was just something she didn't understand about yet.

She tilted her head to the side as she observed her surroundings and considered. The mottled brown poured concrete, imprinted with the footprints of numerous different animals, arced out in front of them, in two different pathways. Beside each was a sign pointing down the path, with a list of the exhibits, which meant nothing to Rhia as she couldn't read. To the left, bongo music played from speakers hidden as rocks, and was decorated to look like a safari into the jungle. To the right, the sounds of a flute of some sort came out of similarly disguised speakers and was done to look more like a forest such as Rhia had lived in. In the center of the two paths, the first animals could be seen. A flock of flamingos stood in a shallow pool of water, surrounded by plexiglass that came about waist-high.

Rhia pointed to the vibrant pink birds; she'd never seen anything like them before. "Can we go over there? What are those?" She normally would have simply followed his lead, but he had asked, and so she'd answered.

[Eli Nimravus]

It took him a couple seconds longer than normal for him to locate where exactly her finger was pointing. After taking another sip of his precious vodka, he smiled indulgently and answered, walking over. "Those, m'dear, are flamingos. Dunno why they're called flamingos.... That word reminds me a bit o' gay pride or some shit...." He nearly stumbled over a bewildered child, but managed to save himself with little poise. Giggling like a schoolgirl, he kept walking until they were right in front of the pink birds, up against the Plexiglas. Eli even spilled some of his alcohol on the pavement from his earlier almost-fall.

"Hey Rhi-Rhi," He started, looking at her a bit oddly, "Anyone ever tell you... That you're adorable?" He took another drink. "I mean it...." He furrowed his brows and stomped his foot, like she was trying to argue with him or something. He took two long gulps before he spoke again, trying to disappear into a drunken slur of no feelings. "I mean it, dammit, stop bein' so down on yourself all the time... You... Ya shouldn't let other people take advantage of ya all the time... it ain't right......"

Giggling again, he tightened his hold on her hand and skipped off towards the rhinos. He always loved the rhinos... "I always loved the rhinos," He informed his friend, deciding that that fact needed to be announced. "They're so... rhino-y." He nodded with conviction, as if he had said the most profound thing anyone in the vicinity would ever hear. "I'm hungry," He declared, looking Rhia in the eye very seriously. "Let's go eat." Once again, he dragged her off, finishing off his bottle and dumping in a disposal bin on the way off.

Spotting a peacock strutting around out of his peripheral, he dropped her hand and dropped to all fours, completely forgetting to shift, much less that he was at the zoo, and that the bird was not his lunch. With a sudden leap, he lunged at the bird and grabbed it up in his hands, gnawing on the fattest park of its body. Though that didn't do much good, seeing that he was still human. Pouting, he couldn't figure out why all he got was a pissed off bird and feathers in his mouth. "Rhiaaaa," He whined, "Why wouldn't it let me eat it?"

[Rhia Vilkacis]

"Those, m'dear, are flamingos. Dunno why they're called flamingos.... That word reminds me a bit o' gay pride or some shit...." he told her, though the last part of his statement confused her. He almost trampled a pup- child as he lead her over to the flamingos. Some of his odd smelling drink sloshed out onto the pavement.

"Hey Rhi-Rhi," He started, looking at her a bit oddly, "Anyone ever tell you... That you're adorable?" He took another drink. "I mean it...." he looked concerned, angry, and stomped once, taking on an aggressive demeanor that made her fall back into her submissive pose, before he took two more sips from his bottle. "I mean it, dammit, stop bein' so down on yourself all the time... You... Ya shouldn't let other people take advantage of ya all the time... it ain't right......"

Oh. So he wasn't mad. Her posture improved a little. He gripped her hand tighter and led her down the left path, into the 'jungle', and off to the first exhibit on the left, full of creatures with spikes on their heads like nothing Rhia had ever seen before. They reminded her of the cars she'd only barely gotten used to. "I always loved the rhinos," Eli announced. "They're so... rhino-y." He nodded.

"I'm hungry," he said, looking her in the eye in a way that made her squirm. "Let's go eat." he once again dragged her off, tossing his now-empty bottle into a trash can. Suddenly, as he spotted one of the zoo's free-roaming peacocks, he let go of her and and dropped to all fours without shifting. Rhia found it odd only that he didn't shift. It didn't occur to her that the peacock was not there for food in the first place. He pounced suddenly, grabbing the bird and beginning to gnaw on it as it squawked and flailed violently. "Rhiaaaa," He whined, "Why wouldn't it let me eat it?"

All the poor wolf girl could do was stare in confusion. The only thing she could think of to do was to repeat the words Eli used when he was very confused and slightly distressed, though she said it a little awkwardly, with a tiny hesitation after each word. "What the fuck?"

[Eli Nimravus]

"What the fuck?" Hearing those words pour out awkwardly from the innocent wolf's mouth only made him collapse to the ground, doubled over in laughter. It was just so funny; he couldn't stop laughing. No one else thought it was funny, but he did... After all, they didn't know her, they had no right to judge. Finally ceasing his hysterical laughter (only due to the fact that his lungs were awfully sore), he slowly stood up (with quite a bit of difficulty).

He stumbled towards Rhia, who took an instinctive step back. He was looking at her now... Funny, he had never seen her like this before... something was different, suddenly. He kept walking toward her and she kept walking back, looking worse for wear, like she was unsure of his intentions. He slowly reached out for her, and she jumped backwards out of his reach, looking at him with a mix of disgust, confusion, and suspicion. He pouted, feeling rejected. After a few moments of them staring at each other, his inebriated (and therefore slow) mind realized that she had looked at him with disgust. He cringed, trying to think through the haze of alcohol in his system. What did I do now?

He spotted someone swirling a full bottle of beer out of the corner of his eye. His head snapped towards the alcohol. He grabbed it out of the person's hand, and at their protests, gave his best intimidating glare. The person shivered and ran as far from Eli as possible. Eli twisted off the top and chugged the whole thing as fast as he could. He needed more alcohol, he needed to get just a little more tipsy, just a little more drunk. He angrily threw the bottle at the pavement and watched it shatter with satisfaction. He didn't even register that people were avoiding him, much less how terrified Rhia was. He turned and looked at her again, staring her in the eye.

[Rhia Vilkacis]

Eli collapsed to the ground laughing, the peacock long gone in a screeching flurry of shed feathers. When he finally stood, slowly, he stumbled towards Rhia, who took an instinctive step back. He was looking at her, very differently now, and she continued to step backwards to avoid him. Her thoughts were a swirl of confusion; what was going on? what was wrong with Eli? was he threatening her? why? had she done something wrong? what had she done wrong?

He reached out for her as he advanced and she jumped back skittishly. She felt confused and almost suspicious, but she was also disgusted by the smell that reeked from him. Something seemed very, very not-right, and the smell seemed to confirm this. Was he sick? Sick wolves did not live very long... and most packs wouldn't accept them... a sick alpha meant serious trouble. Especially when it was a crazy-sick alpha and not just a body-sick alpha.

He cringed away from her... was that shame? but then he spotted someone with a different looking bottle. He scavenged it from the other with a display of dominance, and emptied it with amazing speed. He threw the bottle violently down, scattering shards of brown glass across the pavement. Rhia was now very scared. Why was he making non-specific displays of dominance? No one had threatened him, why was he so aggressive about it? He turned to look at her and stared her straight in the eye when he caught her looking at him. She started to shake, completely intimidated and too confused to translate submissive gestures into this form, or to shift and make them properly. Instead, all she could do was stand there, shaking and frozen as tears welled up in her eyes.

[Eli Nimravus]

Eli cursed vehemently as he watched her cry. "Fuckshit, Rhi!" He yelled, directing his rage at her. With lightning speed, he grabbed her forearm and dragged her off to a deserted area of the park, away from prying eyes and ears. He shook her by her shoulders, trying to get her to stop crying with his drunken logic. "Stop crying!" He urged her, then tripped over nothing and almost dragged himself and her to the ground, but he managed to steady himself.

Still holding onto her but no longer shaking her, he was determined to get his point across. "I wouldn't hurt you, dammit! I won't hurt you," He added in a whisper. He leaned onto her for support, his orange head bowed as he heaved in breaths. He almost started crying, but he refused. Dammit, he was drunk for a reason, and he was going to make sure what he strived for happened.

He looked back up at her, his mind twisted slightly from the alcohol. "I'm sorry," He told her honestly, "Rhi-Rhi...." Also due to the alcohol, he gave her a very cutesy nickname. Why did she look so different, anyway? Something had changed, but he couldn't for the life of his wasted self figure out what it was. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss her. So he did.

Leaning forward, awkward due to the massive amounts of alcohol in his system, he mashed his lips against hers in a drunken kiss. When he pulled away, he practically fell into her, the alcohol finally making him sleepy. He was on the verge of passing out, even. He hugged her close to him and used her as a crutch to keep himself up at the same time. "Love you, Rhi-Rhi," he murmured before kissing her again, then bowing his head again as he rested against her.

[Rhia Vilkacis]

"Fuckshit, Rhi!" he yelled, making her back down even more. She realized her mistake then, she was being so stupid. She should never have held eye contact! She should have looked away, but she'd been to frozen to move. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He grabbed her before she could react and dragged her off. She didn't understand what was happening and didn't even have the will to fight back, not with all the confusion. She was scared, but hoping that things would resolve, that she'd figure out this bizarre human world and the dance she had to follow to keep up with it, as she stumbled along behind Eli, doing her best to keep up before he accidentally hurt her.

When they'd gotten away from people, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, "Stop crying!" He tripped then and almost pulled them both to the ground. Rhia stood as steady as possible, wincing with the pain of being used as support, as she whimpered and sniffled and slowed the fall of tears like Eli had ordered, though it was not without difficulty. "I wouldn't hurt you, dammit! I won't hurt you," The last was added in a whisper as he still clung to her for support, on the verge of falling to the ground. She nodded, showing she understood. She trusted Eli, she really did, even if she was frightened and confused now, and her face was still wet with tears.

He looked at her again and she made sure not to make eye contact, "I'm sorry," No. No, no, no, no, no. Submissive Eli was wrong. Everything was wrong. "Rhi-Rhi...." He said her name gently, but she was reassured. He seemed to be taking control again.

That was when, to her complete and total shock, he pressed his face awkwardly and ungracefully onto hers in a drunken kiss. Since Dane's attack, Rhia had learned more about human mating rituals, mostly from TV, with narrations thanks to Eli. She was still extremely confused as to why all of this was happening, but at least she knew what the mouth-thing was about. He stumbled into her, and then hugged her tight, which she knew now was not meant to be as aggressive as it felt, and used her so he wouldn't tip over. "Love you, Rhi-Rhi," he murmured before kissing her again, then bowing his head again as he rested against her. (( <-- Woo, plagiarism!))

Rhia stood there, supporting Eli's weight with much difficulty. She was strong, but not that strong, and knew she couldn't stay like that for long. She made a whimpery sort of sound and then whined "Eliii! You're heeaavy...." She sounded extra pathetic from all the crying she'd been doing. "Eli... I want to go home. Please, can we go home?" She usually wouldn't have dared ask, but she really wanted to get out of here and for things to go back to normal.