The Sole Prince

Is that a challenge, Serrio? [part 3]

Eventually, the thought of why not wins. James grabs the bottle with shaky hands and gulps down a big sip. His throat feels as if it's burning, yes, but it's not the worst thing in the world..

"Thanks," he says, handing the jug back to the captain. Sage smiles, putting the bottle to his mouth and downing an excessive amount more than the prince. To each their own.

"This is the good stuff." Sage laughs, handing the giant jug back to Celine to drink, which she graciously accepts.

"I think I should be the judge of that," Scotty interrupts, slurring his sentence into one long word, once again reaching for the bottle. Once again, Celine slaps his hands away, harder this time, causing Scotty to pout. "No fair. The prisoner can drink it but not me. Not poor Scotty."

"Serrio can actually stand on his own two feet," the captain saying, causing Celine to laugh. The prince, despite the humor of the sentiment, stays silent, hoping to find a corner to which he can escape. Though, to James' glee, the noise of the room seems to cloak the group's conversations. Laughs gets muddled between shouts coming from an indecipherable location. Whispers become nothing but the wind.

The majority of the talking comes from Sage and Celine, with occasional monologues of rambles coming from Scotty and something drunkenly profound leaving Eric's mouth. James is the only one who doesn't talk. Even when he's asked a question, he tends to respond with a nod, or a shake, or a shrugging of his shoulders. It almost grows to be a competition as to who can get the most out of him. Sage takes pride in the fact he's winning.

"Did you know he stayed up during the storm waiting for me?" the captain says. Despite drinking a significant amount of the booze, his voice still sounds the same. Maybe it's lower and huskier—and more attractive—but it's not as if it's slurred together. Instead, it sounds smooth, slipping into the prince's ear and providing more warmth on the inside of his body than the liquor itself.

"Not on purpose," the prince says out without thinking. His lie is obvious to the entire group. "The boat rocking kept me up." The captain laughs.

"Hey look, I got him to say more than four words," Sages says to Celine, taking another gulp of the drink.

"I'd talk more if you asked the right questions," James says aloud, first intending for the sentence to stay in his mind. The alcohol swimming through his veins seems to be crossing the wires between thinking and speaking.

"Is that a challenge, Serrio?" the captain responds in quick succession. The prince shrugs and tries to force the blush to leave his face. Whenever the captain speaks to him, it seems as if the rest of the room fades away.

"Look, you scared him back to silence." Celine grabs the bottle from the captain, taking a swig. She looks over at the prince before continuing. "I don't know how you spend so much time with this one," she says, tilting her head to point at the captain. "Just tonight is more than enough for me."

"Harsh, Celine." Sage grab the bottle back. "You don't deserve this," he jokes, drinking it himself.

"I don't know how I put up with him either," the prince says after a beat of silence. Celine bursts out in laughter.

"You too? See, this is why a captain doesn't make friends." Sage puts of a non-committed frown.

"I mean, you have some redeeming qualities," James says, stepping closer to the group. He feels more comfortable, unsure if its thanks to the booze or the captain's presence. It seems as if his brain is finally allowing words to leave his mind.

"Debatable," Celine says with a smile.

"He's hot! That's redeemable," Scotty yells out, putting a finger out at Sage to emphasize the hot. "Look-ah-that jawline and that beard and those eyes and that—"