A drink to jealousy

Shala was at her usual place behind the bar, polishing glasses and generally looking for excuses to appear like she was working. Unless it was a weekend night, the tavern was hardly a busy job. Hence why she could afford to be left alone when she worked. While she hated meeting new ponies, the social starvation was terrible enough to get her to talk to just about anyone. Especially the angry jealous types.

As it turned out, Shala was having quite the run of good luck as far as who she wanted to talk to. Arpeggio entered the tavern, looking quite irritable; he sat down at the bar.

"I don't know much about alcohol that isn't wine, but that isn't going to cut it. I need something strong; I have feelings that I want nothing but to drown right now."

Shala looked up to the new pony, her usual critical gaze looked over him. After a moment, she smirked and floated over a bottle of vodka with a glass and ice to pour into.

"Oh, i see. Mare dumped ya? I know that kind of face. Someone went belly up for another."

"Pfft. If only." He poured himself a shot of vodka, downing it almost instantly and coughing at the burning feeling. "I can tell ya the whole story if ya want. Who knows. You might get a laugh or two out of it."

Shala contemplated this for a moment. She had not much better to do. She knew that she would hear his story wether she wanted or not. What she had to comtemplate serioulsy though was.....

Ah, screw it. My boss never fired me for it yet.

She got another glass and poured another drink, draining it just as fast. "Ahh...There we go. Getting the mood set. Go on and shoot."

"Good." He drained another shot of vodka before starting. "Well, if this doesn't get a laugh outta ya, I dunno what will. It wasn't a mare; it was a stallion. Yeah, I'm a fencebucker. Anyway! I met him a couple weeks back..."

And so Arpeggio went into his tale, sharing the story in surprisingly clear detail despite how inebriated the pegasus was getting; the vodka was stronger stuff than he normally drank. He told Shala about his confession and Thunder's comment, then ranted a bit about how he was lied to... complete with a small tirade about Spring; he had quite a few (somewhat vulgar) words to say about her.

He drained one more shot of vodka, then half-slammed the glass on the counter. The bottle of vodka was about half-empty. "S-Sho there ya haveit. That bashtard did that to me... and I've been flilppin' between depresshed and furioush ever since. I jusht HATE those two..."

Shala had been taking in her own alcohol as he talked. She was liking his aggravation, unlike all the other softer ponies that came in here all the time and ordered sodas and juice. She was taking her drinks a bit better than Arpeggio though.

"Hah. What a dick. Like he was good enough for anypony after that. Sounds like he has a loose screw in his head." She took another long deep drink from her glass. ". I used to care so much about commitment to things like that." She beckoned with a hoof as she spoke, as if she were conducting her words in an intoxicated manner. "Some mare I had a 'relationship' with showed me otherwise. Bunch of whores." She leaned in a bit closer, talking a bit more quietly. "I walk the fence too. *hic* And lemme tell you, keeping yourself open is way more fun. Even if you got a serious partner."

"Pah, 'dat old marefriend of yoursh shoundsh like a bitch. N'I never thought 'bout that before... n'open relashunship." He downed one last shot of vodka before drunkenly deciding to stop. "I like you... you're a smart mare. You ever sheen either o'them? Spring or Thunder?"

He barked a drunken laugh. "Feelfree ta give'm all the hell ya want. 'Lil Missh Perfect' needsh to be taken down a peg."

He swayed a little on his barstool, clearly intoxicated.

Shala felt the need to catch up in the intoxication. It was only fair given the rules of 'drinking buddies'. Speaking of which...

"Names Shala....I like you too. Letsh be drinking buddies." She finished her glass quickly. "If i see em, ill be sure to give em bad drinks. We should totally get back at them. Never got to get back at that one mare i met. Totally gonna be sho fun." She leaned against the bar, resting her head on the counter.

"Arpeggio. N'yeah, I like 'dat idea." Victoria's adjusting of his morals+the alcohol= this decision.

"Conshider it done. I think you'n me're gonna be besht friendsh, Shala." He gave her a friendly headlock, laughing.

"I wonder... maybe I should shee what elsh I can do..." He began thinking, though his inebriation made it a little difficult.

Shala was surprised by the headlock, flailing her hooves and tail when he did. She instinctively punched at his foreleg before realizing it was more a friendly gesture. In her intoxicated haze, she was hardly bothered by it and laughed a little.

"We should totally make him think you have shomeone better than him. *hic* Like....me?" She smiled, pouring another glass. This whole thing was sounding really fun to her. The mischievousness and plotting was too fun.

"Yeah, yeah! That'sh perfect!" He broke the headlock and grinned at her. "Can I getsh shome water, Shala? Can't plot with a hangover."

He grinned a bit more. "You could also not-sho-quietly say thingsh about them. How doesh that sound?"

Shala took a drink first thing she could when the headlock was broken. She got him his water. While she thought he didn't have so much to her standards, she respected the fact he knew what he could take. A smart 'lightweight' in her book.

"Say thingsh about them? I can do better than that." She formed some tricky ideas in her head. Some she found to be delightful. "How abouts....We set up a mock date before them? Outdo them and shtuff."

"Ooh, that'sh a really good idea, Shala~!" Arpeggio giggled a little, downing the glass of water and setting it down for a refill. "Okay. Let'sh see what we can figure out... what did you have in mind?"

Shala considered explaining it for a moment, but figured it was best to just show him. Without another word, she walked out from behind the bar and tossed herself in the seat next to Arpe.

"Something like thish." She scooted in close to him until they touched and put her head on his shoulder before taking his hoof in hers and moving it to her flank. "Upset him, yeees?" She snickered.

He snickered as well. "Add in something like thish..." He nuzzled her head gently. "And that's perfect. Thish'll be beautiful. Queshtion. What if this doesn't upset him, and Mr. and Mrs. Perfect are just happy for me? What do we do then?"

Shala thought for a few moments, not minding the nuzzle at all. "Welll.......We can join their little date then and just drop all sorts of innuendos. Crash their party."

She used her magic to hover over her glass and drink even more. Now she was getting rather drunk at this rate as she leaned on him even more, a hoof going around him to keep her balance.

Arpeggio wrapped a wing around her as well as a hoof. "Hahah~ I looove the way you think, Shala." He did his best to keep her upright, beginning to sober up a bit as his body worked the drinks through his system. "I'mma need to get more water... don't want a hangover."

Shala waved a hoof dismissively. "Nah...You'll survive. Drink more if you waaaant." She used her magic to lazily float over a glass to the sink. It dropped with a shatter as her magic slipped. "Oops...Oh well. Try again maybe."

"...Eehh... alright! I think I'll slow down a bit, though. Maybe just a wine, eh? I'm thinking a nice blush sounds good. You have any of that here?" He had to admit that the vodka was just a little on the strong side. His large size helped deal with the drunkenness, but still.

Shala nodded lazily. "Shuuure....wine..." Rather than fancying things up, she simply snatched the nearest wine bottle in her magic and toppled it over on the counter. Fortunately it was not open. A martini glass soon followed, amazingly not being broken when it hit the table.

"Have at it. Haha..." She gently rocked in her seat, feeling very floaty.

"Heheh~ You're drunk." He wrapped his wing around her to keep her steady as he poured himself a glass of wine, drinking it slowly.

Shala whined and tried to sit up and balance herself on her own with little success. "Im just fiiine!" She stammered and reached for her drink, only to accidentally push it off the counter behind the bar.

"....Dammit..."

"Aw, it's okay, Shala. What're drinking buddies for if not helping each other?" He kept his large wing around her, holding her steady as he enjoyed his wine.

Shala whined with frustration at the loss of her drink. She improvised by commandeering the glass of vodka that was getting neglected, having formerly belonged to Arpe.

"Drinking pals...Never can have enough of em...Your a pretty cool stallion...Most of them who walk in are ignorant lightweights." She swayed her glass about before drinking it, some of it spilling.