The King and Andreas had agreed to meet up the next day so that Andreas could say his goodbyes. When he went back to the base, he forced a smile and yelled:
"We won!"
Soon, a party was in order. He arranged for a nurse to be Charles and Gregory's caretaker, and went to the roof to get away from the noise.
"You okay?" Irene say down next to him.
"What do you think?" He snapped.
"Geez, sorry for asking. You look like you need a little pick-me-up." She held out a bottle. He sighed and took a swig, before coughing up the raw alcohol.
"What is this stuff?" He asked, his throat burning.
"Vodka." She answered.
"Alright, give me some more." She giggled as he sipped a bit.
"Feel better?" She asked.
"No."
"Then you aren't drinking enough. Here." He laughed at her crazy attitude and downed half the bottle. She drank the rest.
"Thanks." He told her.
"No problem. Hey, I forgot to tell you." She announced.
"Tell me what?" Andreas asked.
"I have a three- year-old and a five-year-old at the Plane of Duty." She admitted.
"Really? What do they think of your alcoholism?" He inquired.
"I don't drink in front of my girls. I have lots of business trips with my hotel business, and I drink then." She told him.
"You have a hotel business?" He asked.
"Yes. It's worldwide, and I've made millions at such a young age... but I want my kids to grow up normal."
"I can understand that." Andreas's words were starting to slur together.
"So, are you going to the meeting drunk?" She smirked.
"Oh, crap! Irene, I can't believe you did that!" He slapped her lightly. She didn't seem to care.
"You can sleep it off, don't worry."
"I need to leave at 5 AM!" He panicked.
"Don't worry. This is your first time drinking, right?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Wait for it..." She saw him turn greenish. "Three, two, one... PUKE!" He vomited up the liquid all over himself and collapsed over.
"That was horrible. Never get me to drink again." He shook his head.
"That was hilarious!" She laughed. "You gotta live a little, Andreas."
"I'll be dead in twenty four hours." He sighed.
"You don't know that. Your mercy might be returned." She shrugged.
"That wasn't mercy," he told her. "That was spite."
***
The next day, Andreas met with the King on the battlefield.
"So, what's going to happen to me?" Andreas asked
"I don't know yet." The King admitted. He didn't look up from a corpse he was gently lifting into a cart.
"Who's that?" Andreas asked.
"I don't know. I didn't know half the people fighting for me, and they didn't mean anything to me until now." He sighed.
YOU ARE READING
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