This is Not a Theme Park [Lucca]

[Lucca]

Arkady felt a quiet surge of triumph. His little ploy had worked wonders, and now none of them were going to get drunk. Thank goodness. He could only imagine the trouble that would ensue if Cas got drunk. She caused enough trouble sober, and while that was fine at home or places he could help protect her from the consequences, in a strange Realm far from anything they were familiar with wasn't a good place to up the ante, so to speak. He suppressed his desire to start wagging his tail, and instead made sure to sit straight and tall and look mature.

He flicked a brief glance to Conall. Water? Was the other boy really going to be that obvious? He really looked upset, and Ark felt a little bad for him. It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest that Conall could return to the hotel when he realized the other boy might take that entirely the wrong way, and he didn't want to be accused of 'flaunting' his supposed relationship with Castiel anymore. Instead, he just gave the other boy a small smile and turned back to the girl.

"They probably are. Maybe a little louder," Ark replied, but of course he couldn't say for sure. He'd never been somewhere like this before. None of them had. Despite himself, Ark felt a little thrill of excitement. Wouldn't this be a story to tell Laika when he got home?

[Kari Muffin]

Castiel couldn't help but wiggle a bit in excitement. She couldn't help but feel cheerful about this little adventure. If there had been any proper dance music she probably would have been out on the floor.

"Yeah, it still seems pretty gloomy in here despite being a club. I guess you can't get around the fact that we're in Torquehelm. I understand why Mom and Grandma didn't want me to come here. But at least this way I can give them an honest answer if they ask me questions."

Conall was doing his best not to feel like complete and utter crap. He found himself staring at the various people chatting at the other tables. They all seemed to be staring at them, though that could have just been paranoia. He was still sore and grumpy over just about everything. "We can go to a club in the Highlands when we're older...." he commented in a half whisper.

[Lucca]

Arkady nodded eagerly. He liked it when Cas was so happy...her excitement was always infectious, and now was no exception. His tail wagged a little harder. He had forgotten all about trying to project the impression than he belonged here, but it had been replaced with an even more convincing disguise: natural excitement. He actually started to laugh before cutting himself off with a slightly awkward cough. "Though uh...would they be happy about us visiting a club?" Rather than the usual worry he would have had with such a statement, though, Ark seemed rather amused.

He almost forgot about how upset Conall was until the other boy spoke, and Ark turned toward him, grin fading and ears going back. Conall looked very, very uncomfortable. Desire to comfort and reassure the other boy vied with disgust over touching him, and Ark eventually settled for just tilting his head solicitously and offering the other boy his paw. "Conall...it's gonna be okay. Just...relax." Ark fully realized that statement was a bit ironic, coming from him.

[Kari Muffin]

Castiel gave a small shrug at Arkady's remark. "Well, we can leave the club part out. Say we visited a tea shop instead." She watched as Conall seemed to tense. Oh that wasn't good. What could she say to make him feel better?

At least Arkady knew what to say. She smiled at both boys, trying to put a positive spin on everything.

Conall could feel his insides attempting to tie themselves in a knot. His ears twitched at Arkady's comment. Relax? How could he relax at a time like this? They were somewhere where they shouldn't be and they could be thrown out at any moment.

"I'll try," he said as he fiddled with a napkin that had been left on the table. The drinks arrived shortly after that, the waitress wandering off when she was called by another table. It was a bit of a relief for the Heart.

Castiel picked up her drink cheerfully, offering a toast. "To adventure!"

[Lucca]

Arkady nodded, suppressing the urge to laugh again. That would hardly help show him as a confident individual that belonged here. Or, at the very least, would draw too much attention. That sounded perfectly plausible, and while he didn't exactly relish the idea of lying to their parents, at least it could be the half truth in this case.

Arkady continued to smile hopefully at Conall, trying to reassure him. Really the other boy looked like he was going to be sick. What was he so afraid of? The worst that would happen was that they would get thrown out of the club, and then they could just go back to their hotel. It wasn't like there was any way the Cards here knew who their parents were. He dropped his paw back to the table when Conall seemed disinclined to take it or want any sort of physical comfort (which was a relief to Ark) and then the drinks arrived.

Arkady took a curious sniff of his. It smelled very sweet. Taking the glass as best he could in his paws, he held it up when Cas wanted to toast. "To adventure!" he echoed, and took a small sip, watching Conall out of the corner of his eye.

[Kari Muffin]

To adventure huh? Conall toasted with his water glass silently, taking a sip of the ice cold liquid. It was so much better than any sort of alcoholic drink at the moment.

He eyed the pair silently. He honestly wished he could have enjoyed himself as much as they did. But his nose was bothering him, and he was just so damn tired he wanted to sleep. He did his best to look cheerful, but his face wasn't exactly forgiving.

Castiel cheerfully sipped her drink. The sugar was a little overwhelming, but she supposed that had something to do with the cherry they had put in the drink. It could always be worse. "I think this is a good end to a really long day. And I feel better about leaving tomorrow now that I've got a chance to experience this brilliant culture."

She waved a hand at the people among the booths. It seemed that someone was finally about go on stage. A young avian woman stood in the center, introducing her self briefly before breaking out into song.

Castiel had no idea what she was saying--it must have been in the native tongue--but it seemed terribly depressing and moving.

Conall found himself staring at the woman for a few long and awkward moments before turning back to his companions. "Everything in this region is just depressing isn't it?"

[Lucca]

Arkady's nose had not been lying to him...it was VERY sweet. But it was good, too. It had a bit of fizz to it, which was the type of drink he didn't get very often at home, and so enjoyed it. It was a bit like the ice cream soda he and Cas had shared earlier (and why did that thought make his face heat up again?) but different, too. Except this time he and Cas had separate glasses. The Coyote knew he should be glad of that, for Conall's sake and to avoid any more arguments...but part of him wished it could be different. Wished Conall would stop complaining and just go back to the hotel if he wasn't having any fun.

Arkady nodded. "It is nice...the atmosphere is...friendlier than I thought it would be," he responded quietly. The glances they were getting from the other patrons seemed more curious than hostile for the most part, and there was even a bit of laughter, though it had a very somber quality to it. And then, an Avian came on stage to sing, and Arkady turned to look, ears perked in interest. The melody was captivating, and Arkady found himself glancing back at Cas more than once to see how she liked it.

Of course, the song was soon interrupted by Conall's smooth voice, and Arkady gave him a flat look. "That's not very nice," he muttered, because yeah the song may have been very melancholy, but it was still pretty. And living in this rather dim land all the time would make anyone a bit depressed. But Castiel being here made it seem not so bad, somehow. And not all Torques were depressing. Some rose above it, like The Queen Xiven and Peaches and Horatio.

[Kari Muffin]

Castiel raised an eyebrow at Conall's comment. He had probably picked up more Torquehelm then she had in all honesty. She should have paid attention to her father's heritage but grandma and her always seemed to brush it off. So she had picked up Highlander and Yarrow using her magic.

"Being nice and telling the truth don't go hand in hand," Castiel commented to Arkady's comment, giving a small shrug. Everything was depressing in this region when it came down to it, regardless of what the woman was singing about.

Conall looked mildly offended by the comment, mildly, he mostly looked tired and seemed to be focusing on trying to not to dribble. Stupid fangs got in the way and made him drool at the worst times. He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth before actually making a reply. "It's a ballad about a great hero dying for his realm and suit. I can only understand bits and pieces of it, but "Death of" is pretty prominent. I call that depressing." He snorted, immediately cringing from the pain that shot up his nose.

"Huh," Castiel said with a shrug. She offered Conall another napkin with a sympathize look before returning to gaze to Arkady. "Why do you think my Dad and Grandma are so happy then? And.... was the penguin depressed?"

[Lucca]

Arkady's ears flipped back, thinking about this. Eventually, he nodded. That was true. And he did have to admit that a lot of things were probably depressing here, but again, it was kind of their culture, so he didn't feel quite right insulting it. He sipped more at his drink, and then his eyes widened as Conall...oh, Conall could actually understand thw words of what the woman was singing? Somehow, that hadn't occurred to Ark. He listened in interest as Conall explained what the Torque was singing about.

"But...that sounds like the end of a lot of ballads," he objected with a frown. There were a lot of stories where the hero died at the end. Heroic sacrifice...it was practically drilled into the minds of impressionable young Cards everywhere that that was the noblest form of death. Realizing he was being argumentative about it, though, Ark ducked his head a little. "I...I mean, sorry. You're right, that is a bit depressing. But that doesn't make it bad."

Arkady blinked at her, and shrugged. "Well...your Dad is kind of obvious. She's not bound anymore, and she didn't grow up here, anyway. So she wouldn't be held down by this place. She really has few ties to it. Your Grandma...well. Some Torquehelms just...are different and manage to be cheerful despite being bound. The Penguin was cheerful too. But he also said he didn't actually live here and was just visiting."

[Kari Muffin]

Conall had snatched up the napkin that was offered and managed to clean himself up without too much of an embarrassment. He just had to focus on something else other than his exhaustion. "I didn't say it was bad. I said it was depressing. They're not necessarily the same thing."

Castiel's eyebrow perked at Conall and Arkady. Why were they still being snarky at each other? Had the problem actually been solved or were they hiding something from her? Then again Conall seemed to be dirt tired and he always did get a bit grumpy when he was tired. "Just relax you two and stop acting like a married couple."

She tapped her fingers lightly on the table before taking another sip of her drink. Yeah, her Dad was free but why did being free of the curse maker her... different? Grandma was happy in her crazy way, why wasn't she free? She set down the drink. "So living here makes you gloomy? But Grandma grew up here... at least I think. But that brings up the question...what is the curse anyway?"