The world was a happy, beautiful place. Little children were cute, singing birds were lovely, and there was nothing wrong at all with the place. The weather was wonderful, with just the right amount of sunshine to warm the backs of those moving around outside. There was a small breeze, but it was so minimal even the finest locks of hair refused to be moved by it. Instead, it served to keep too much heat from bearing down at once, allowing any under the great orb to remain safe and comfortable at the same time. Pleasant weather, poets may have called it.

Of course, the ridiculous quantities of alcohol Nathaniel ingested helped with painting this image. He failed to take into account a distinct lack of birds in Lomedor Square, and he also missed the fact that there were few children to be seen. Even half of the sunlight was caused by his stumbling towards windows and pressing against the lit homes, staring in for trickling seconds. Then he shoved himself away, shambling down the street some more. Usually Nathaniel held his liquor very well, and one noticed little more than a looser tongue when he was drunk. However, he'd found that blissful moment between that and passing out, which left him pleasantly elated.

Whistling off tune (and with multiple moments of silenced spitting due to forgetting momentarily how to whistle) he progressed down the street. A few civilians cast glances his way, if not merely because the behavior was peculiar for the resident, but otherwise didn't disturb him. In fact, with how out of it he was there was a chance he might have traveled right out of Lomedor, left vulnerable after the pub owner had kicked him out for the multitude of drinks. (That's what he claimed, anyhow. Really he was just sore about advances being made on his wife.)

Thankfully, his attention had become rather lackluster under the influence as well. Already he'd found himself backtracking and getting turned around, entering into the main square multiple times. Something would catch his eye and lead him astray for mere moments, then Nathaniel would seek to find his way once more. Ironically, it seemed one of those 'distractions' was dead ahead just now. In the form of a shorter being, who he had spied only from the back thus far. Still, a grin twisted his lips up and let the rancor of alcohol permeate from his breath.

In this cold world, one would wander through the town, searching for anything that could get him enough money to get out of this town. H'tes was getting annoyed. His short, almost child-like look made it rather hard to get any good paying jobs in this accursed city. He had gone everywhere, just looking for someone to at least take him seriously enough to consider giving him a temporary job. His long black hair kept getting in his face. He considered getting a hair cut, but he had precious little money to spare for such a thing.
As he walked further, one watching the scene might notice that someone was following him. Someone walking like they were completely drunk. H'tes, however, would not notice this at all. That was, until the guy got a bit closer. H'tes might only be a quarter demon, but he still had some demon senses, such as a better sense of smell. And that sense of smell was able to pick up the scent of alcohol on the man.
At first, H'tes tried to ignore it. Then, he realized the man was following him. He had no idea why this man was following him. Was he after a fight, or something else entirely? All H'tes knew was that he would rather not have a conversation the the drunk man. He looked back at the drunk man with his pale blue eyes. He sighed, as the man had rather obviously drank more then he could handle for the night. He turned around fully and stopped. It was weird how girlish H'tes looked, from those pretty pale blue eyes to that long black hair, and to a drunk man, probably more so. But, H'tes had not thought about that. Instead, he asked a question. "Why are you following me?" he said. His voice sounded as young as he looked, and thus, it was probably hard to discern from a young girls voice.

OOC: I think I am going to enjoy this. :lol:

Nathaniel was shocked when the figure actually turned around; doubly so when he saw the looks. By Ita, it was a girl! And a rather lovely one, at that. Spun black hair like the threads of the night sky, with pale blue eyes that went so well with her complexion. Something deep in the recesses of his mind stirred, as if reminded of another, but such thoughts quickly faded when he heard the angelic woman's voice. A smile graced him instead, and quickly he went about explaining himself. As best drunks do when inebriated enough to chase non-existent butterflies.

"Following? I haven't been following!" He managed not to slur his words, though the cheery roundness too them spoke volumes. Not that the partial demon wasn't already aware of Nathaniel's state. "Though now that you mention it... you're quite the lovely lass, ain't ye?" He winked, and it was a sordid motion that scrunched one cheek and left his face looking horribly disproportionate. Luckily, it lasted for but the most fleeting of moments. "You waiting around for someone in particular?"

He moved closer, bending his tall frame to lumber over the far shorter 'girl'. Thoughts of Anika, the beautiful woman he was currently seeing, were entirely out of mind. Gone, too, was the fear she might stumble upon the scene. It would ruin all his hard work, defeat plans he'd laid for months, and that chaos elemental would likely never forgive him. And what of poor Skertin? Gustav would no doubt be greatly offended to find Nathaniel attempting (and failing badly) to flirt with a young 'woman'. It was likely the only reason he wouldn't be killed for such was that he was drunk enough to overlook the immorality of such actions.

Nathaniel grinned again, rolling his shoulders and shifting his weight. It was awfully hot out here without anything for him to drink and cool down with. "I have somewhere else we could talk, if you like. This place is certainly rather... public, don't you think? I'll buy you an ale! We'll talk! C'mon." He gestured for the other to follow, entirely intending to bring 'her' back to the Wilwarin. The fact he'd been thrown out meant nothing, along with the fact that H'Tes probably couldn't get in. Still, that attention span struck, and he rose a finger jerkily. "Wait! What's your name, my dear?" Another sinister smile one would expect more from a cat than a human.

H'tes had to lean back, and almost fell as he seemed to lean over him. He spoke words that, I am sure you could tell, would freak any boy out. That wink. The touching of his cheek. It all felt wrong in so many way, that H'tes almost felt like screaming 'rape'. If H'tes had wanted to be the center of attention, he would have screamed, actually. But that is not the way H'tes goes.
H'tes had to go back through those words and that really creepy touching of his face. He ran through each word, one at a time, in his mind. Lovely lass? My dear? That sounded wrong in every way H'tes could think of. Could he actually be that drunk? Quite apparently yes, but H'tes kind of wanted to hope this was simply not happening to him. That hope was not going to come true, and he knew he would have to deal with this situation.
Unfortunately, his weakness at actually talking to people was going to get in the way of that. "H... H'tes," he said, sounding shy and nervous. He didn't mean to sound that way, but it was too late for that. And he now could not hope his name would get him out of this, as his name was not masculine or feminine sounding, and thus could be used as either. "Listen... I... I think you've made a... slight mistake..."
He backed away just a little. He really should have learned how to better talk to strangers... especially really drunk strangers who seemed to be under the impression that he was a woman. And even better, he didn't have his staff to walk the guy senseless with. He was completely on his own, and since this was a rather public place, he could not even go into demon for to at least frighten the guy off.

"H'Tes..." Nathaniel drawled the name out slowly, testing the sound carefully. He supposed there were harder names, though H'Tes wasn't ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. The drunk was content to give a non-committed shrug though, letting it fade from the slate of a mind already. With no mug to grasp, he instead took to rubbing the back of his head, the dark locks greasy from a lack of regular bathing. The action did little to numb the desire for another drink, though.

"So what're you doing all the way out here, anyhow?" He offered another winning smile, ignoring the comment over there being a mistake. How could there be a mistake? Sure he usually didn't find hobbit women all that attractive, but his watery vision could make out a few sharp features. Besides, any woman who lacked a beard was good by him, hobbit or not. Clearly she wasn't out and about looking for romance if she wasn't being more reciprocating, but that was fine. She was pretty enough to warrant special explanations and convincing. It was good none of his other lovers were around to kick his shins in for the encounter.

"I suppose all the other hobbit girls are jealous of you, hm?" He gave another wink and grin, his body slowly leaning to one side before he caught himself. It was rather clear by now that whatever he had ingested was by no means normal alcohol. Likely some crazy mushroom was thrown into the mix, the owner amusing himself with the sight of the other. Or perhaps it had been destined for the lips of another, and they had were now wondering why their date was not returning their affection. Such things, as usual, were beyond his clouded mind. Rather, he was wondering where the nearest bucket was. That or another drink.

H'tes was sure he wasn't going to listen properly by now. When he heard the question, he actually started to answer it. "I was just out-" he said, stopping himself just short of getting into an actual conversation. 'Don't get into a conversation with the man, you idiot! Just tell him to go or something.' But as he then heard that second question.
"I suppose all the other hobbit girls are jealous of you, hm?" he had said, revealing just how out of it he was. Just what kind of drink did he have that made him this out of it? Making the long hair and blue eyes of H'tes look like a girl? Maybe. Making him look like a hobbit? Well, maybe, but H'tes had never thought of it that way.
But, that was not what H'tes latched on to. What he latched on to was 'hobbit'. It seemed to seep into his mind and down his spine, giving him a mild shake as he answered back to it, a little angrily. "I am not a hobbit," he said, sounding slightly angered at even being considered one. Then he looked down. "I am just... small for my age... that's all," he said, kins of as though he was embarrased of his size, which he was. He had the look of someone much younger... the only ones shorter then him were fairies and young children, and most hobbits. It always bothered him. But to be thought of as a hobbit had brought it back, and took H'tes off the subject of 'I am a boy, you idiot!' And that moment of not saying that would probably lead to this being dragged out just a little bit longer. But a lot could happen in just a little bit.

"Short for your age, eh?" Nathaniel's eyes slowly closed, before he bolted them open once more. The eyes were rimmed red underneath, detracting from the dark hue of his eyes, and already they were falling again. Tiredly he reached up, rubbing them with the back of his hand to stimulate feeling. Perhaps if he just sat down for a moment he'd be alright, safe from drifting off. His mind, not quite in agreement with him, forced past a yawn from his lips. It was long and loud, and not at all endearing. It also stunk of the drinks he'd been partaking in, and took to hanging in the air like some dead fish.

"Mm, sorry about that." Nathaniel's lips quivered, no doubt attempting to smile and failing. Moving closer to H'Tes, he tilted his head. "How old did you say you were, again?" The girl was quite attractive, but if she wasn't a hobbit then she was a very young human. Though normally morality played little on such instances, to openly do anything would no doubt incite a whirlwind of trouble from everyone else. Though he may not have worried over Anika or Skertin growing offended, he didn't want anyone from the Shadovar seeing and reporting it. He'd never live it down! Besides, if he was to manipulate them he couldn't have them knowing of his vulnerability.

Too bad he was too drunk to care. Instead he grinned, as if laughing at some private joke, and stared at the other through eyes half closed. "Well, s'long as you aren't a demon or nothing it isn't as if it matters. Right? You should know, though, that I am quite the influential man. I could get you a great deal of things..." The crooked grin was nothing short of sinister. "If you ask, that is." Nathaniel was neither rich nor did he hold power, but being drunk he assumed the other wouldn't know. Of course, Nathaniel was a terribly bad liar drunk.

H'tes was appalled by the smell. Lessened as his demon senses were, he still had them. And demon sense of smell plus bad smell equaled a really bad smell. He sighed. "I'm older then I look," he said. He didn't reveal his age, mostly because he knew the drunk wouldn't really be listening. And he heard the comment about at least not being a demon and thought 'It probably is better to keep my mouth shut. Even if he's drunk, this damn human still has enough sense in him to scream if he heard anything about me being part demon.'
Then he heard the drunk brag about being influential. If H'tes had believed that every time he heard it, he'd probably not be here to tell the tale (either from being kidnapped or dead). But, H'tes seemed to looked at the man. Just how much money would it take to get enough alcohol to get this drunk? And that made him think. Was he really that desperate for money? The answer was a nice and solid 'Maybe.' He really wanted that money, and he might even be desperate enough to hang out with this man until he passed out if it meant being able to take the money and run afterwards. But, the question of how far would a drunk man go was in his mind. Surely he couldn't do something violent to H'tes or anything. Why, by the look of him, and the sound of that yawn, he was near the time of passing out.
In the end, H'tes went with greed over caution. He seemed to perk up slightly, in a way that seemed to say 'more interested'. "Really, now?" he asked. "All I have to do is ask?" That sounded so wrong to him in his head, but, desperation called for action, and action now required him to act like a girl. He just hoped he didn't get too far into the role.

Nathaniel grinned, eyebrows raising high. The other was accepting the offer? Just like that? Well now, she was clearly a bright young lady as well! Or rather, she wasn't, as he didn't have anything. Hm. Something to stew over, perhaps? Would it be smart for accepting, or idiotic for not seeing through the lie? Bah! His mind was too tired to work out the knots of those thoughts. Instead he let his grin continue, moving closer still. "Mm, that's right. Just ask." It was likely that was some attempt at a purr, though it was a sad attempt and clearly revealed his intentions.

What did he care, though? As far as he could tell, she was wrapped around his finger! Even Skertin, the blessed boy, hadn't been nearly this easy to manipulate. Nathaniel paused half saunter to enjoy some stroking of his ego, pleased with his abilities. Then he gave a low chuckle. "Older than you look, hm? Well, I suppose that works for me, lass." Without warning he leaned forward to kiss her, with bitter lips and reeking breath. Of course, before he could enjoy anything of the like he found himself on the ground.

A slow, nasally wheeze departed from him. The sun, still watching, was hidden behind closed eyes. A snort issued from the man, and then he resumed a rather peaceful looking sleep. Clearly the alcohol had been stronger than he'd wanted, and under the heat he'd been left to cuddle the ground. Snoring loudly, the warrior was no doubt quite the sight to see. A few people even cast wary glances over, though knew better to investigate. Despite his deep slumber, however, he still wore a crooked grin, breath issuing forth. It was highly useful that he'd chosen to wear only simple clothing, and didn't bring anything of value with him. Perhaps of even greater value was that someone would no doubt prod him awake soon enough.

For now, though, he was reduced to being harmless to H'Tes once again. And not to soon, either!

H'tes had tried to lean back a bit, but it was too late. He was even about to smack him, but hesitation made him not. And then, it had happened. A very light kiss touched his lips, one that smelled awful. Then, the drunk fell to the ground, completely passed out. It had not gone quite as far as H'tes had feared it could have.
But H'tes was standing there, in a sort of shock. It took his brain a few moments to process what in the name of the gods just happened. Slowly, but surely, it seemed to strike him that he had just lost his first kiss with a very drunk man. He seemed to tense up at the thought, and began to shake uncontrollably. Then, he turned, and walked away. He'd had completely forgotten the 'rob the passed out drunk guy' plan out of what had happened. Instead, he found himself needing to get far away from this man and try to forget the memory.
As he walked away, some people seemed to look at him oddly. He blushed embarrassingly and tried to run faster. He began to hope it was some odd nightmare, but he knew it wasn't. In fact, to the passed out man, it was probably more like a dream. He shuddered at the thought of what that man might be dreaming now. An odd, feminine version of himself came into his head. 'I really... need... to stop... thinking..." he thought to himself with a sigh.
But he knew it then. This moment was likely to at least haunt him for months, if not the rest of his life. And in the nights, he would have nightmares of this moment... and nightmares of if it had gone farther than that one little kiss. And it would forever haunt him.