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They were both past the point of drunk. Seawatt didn't care about keeping any more secrets, Evbo knew. Evbo couldn't do anything to stop him now, not when his friend was chained up a floor down.
His plan was working. He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth. Salvation was reachable.
It was a cold night. In between swigs of old wine Seawatt found lying around waiting to be of use, Evbo asked him a question.
"What... What was it like, before you got your job? Before everything?" Evbo's speech slurred as he sluggishly turned towards Seawatt. His posture tensed and his heart struggled against its cage. But he reminded himself it was fine. Evbo knew.
"You mean after I spawned?" They were facing each other now.
"Uh..." Evbo squinted at his face. "Yeah. That."
"Well..." Seawatt got his thoughts in order, sobering up in the process. Skimming through the library of core memories in his mind, he weighed what he could share and what he could not. Most of it was off limits. His planned big speech had to hit Evbo like a truck. It was unfortunate that he might remember this conversation.
"I didn't spawn in how you did. Back then... especially before the last Champion, it was different." Seawatt wrung his hands together. It was difficult to stay composed, yet he did it instinctively. Leveling his voice, keeping the tremors from affecting it, straightening his back.
Evbo hummed, wholly interested in what he was saying. It was terrifying.
"And it's not like I remember much." He chuckled at the irony of his lie. "It's not like... much of it is left, now."
Evbo leaned closer to him. "What happened to it?" Then, he shut his mouth abruptly. But it was too late to swallow his words. His eyes widened as he glanced around. Seawatt knew why. Evbo knew. Evbo didn't like talking about touchy subjects.
Seawatt smiled. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that." He grabbed the wine bottle next to them and took a gulp straight from it. He offered it to Evbo, who took it and followed suit without a word. "I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay..." Evbo glanced at him. His face was flushed, and his hair was messy.
"You look handsome," Seawatt said. Well, he didn't have as much of a grasp on his composure as he thought. "Er, objectively."
"Oh, really?" Evbo grinned. Seawatt prepared himself for getting teased endlessly. And whatever compelled him to do all of that got worse in his chest. "Thanks, you too."
"What?"
"I mean, you're very pretty. Even when your makeup is smudged. You just have that aura, dude." Evbo poked him in the side.
Seawatt giggled. He never giggles. Maybe it just wasn't a normal kind of night tonight. "You sound crazy. Go to bed."
"I mean, fine, I guess. You're the orderer who orders... orders me around. Heh, orderer."
Seawatt watched as Evbo laid down on the ground and wrapped his arms tightly around himself. It was cold. It was really cold. But the alcohol was keeping him warm, and so was...
He should have gone to bed too. He was crazy.