I usually try to avoid drinking since I'm kind of a Templar. However, when I do drink, it's because I've either gone through a shitty mission, a rough day, or I'm celebrating a successful campaign. Either way, rational thought is tossed out the window the minute alcohol is added to the equation.

I remember nothing but madness that night. I had cherry whiskey to drink, which is my go-to beverage when I'm in the mood to drink. Dorrian and Analise already knew how it tasted and just how strong it was, but Luna had never tried it before and she was curious.

Oh no.

She had a small shot glass. That's how much it took to knock her out for the rest of the night.

"Shit," Analise muttered as she saw Luna passed out with an audible thunk as her head hit the tabletop, "Geez, she's a light drunk."

I heard Luna murmur incoherently to herself, but I couldn't pick up on what she was saying. I had more of a resistance to the whiskey, but I was still affected by its intoxicating effects.

I laughed like a maniac, "Eh, does it matter?"

The rest of that night was...pure hysteria. After three steins full of whiskey, Dorrian and I were smashed enough to think putting an apple on my head and allowing him to shoot a few arrows at it was a brilliant idea. After he shot me in the knee the first clumsy attempt, he shot the apple and pinned it to the wall. Then Ana threw a knife at him. Dorrian dodged the first knife only to catch the second one with his shoulder.

Well, there's a lesson in this madness: don't drink and handle sharp objects , kids.

I woke up a few hours later in a puddle of my own blood with Dorrian snoring beside me. Analise was passed out on the floor as well, and Luna was still sitting where I had left her with her head resting on the table.

I sat up with a soft groan as Warren walked over and helped me stand up. He had an amused grin on his face.

"Drink too much?" He prompted me, idly combing a few strands of brown hair out of his face with his hand.

"Yeah..." I murmured. I limped over to a table and sat down on a chair. After combing through my memory for a few moments, I was able to recall a simple restorative spell Virrius taught me that would heal most minor injuries. I patched up my knee and then Dorrian's shoulder after I limped back over to him and placed my hand over his injury. (For the spell, it doesn't require words since Virrius taught me magic from the viewpoint of an imagist. If you want something done, use your mind not your mouth.) As an afterthought, I cleared the haze of drunkenness that was impairing my senses, and did the same for the others.

Warren looked at me curiously as I shook off my stupor, "How'd you do that?"

I shrugged, "I used a basic magic spell that allows me to clear up any minor ailments like a common cold or the effects that accompany being intoxicated."

Warren grunted, "Well, I'll be damned. You could make a living clearing the hangovers of the drunkards who frequent this fine joint."

"I'll pass," I assured him.

Warren laughed, "Well, your team really livened up the party last night. However, I can tell you all had one too many steins."

I coughed out a weary laugh, "Heh, one too many..."

Warren chuckled, "You've been working hard, so you deserve to take a load off. Don't worry about any damage you or your team caused. It's repairable."

I nodded, yet I set a few gold marks on the counter, "Consider this a gift for all you've done for me and my group."

Warren rose an eyebrow, "You don't have to pay me. I sit on my behind serving drunkards while you and your people work your asses off protecting Alysia from bandits, corrupt nobles, and all manner of unsavory characters."

I pushed the money forward, "Please."

He took the money and hesitantly placed it in a shirt pocket, "How much does Stanford pay you?"

"Enough. I get my payments from the leftovers of the funds Stan sets aside for me to use during a mission."

Warren grinned, "Ah, I can understand that. Word around Helios is that you're a brilliant tactician, so I bet you rake in quite the amount of gold."

I shrugged, "Eh, I try. If wits and brilliance don't help, then gold certainly does."

"So you pay people to do your dirty work?" Warren prompted with a raised eyebrow.

"Only when I have to," I replied. There was one time early in my career as a Templar, when I was responding to a plea for assistance from a wealthy town that was under ransom. I was only assigned twenty men, so us alone wouldn't cut it. I'd heard rumors that a group of assassins were in the area, so I hired the whole guild to infiltrate the town and eliminate the group of bandits that were holding the village hostage. I paid them about half the funds that Stanford gave me, but I was still able to help the village out in the end.

Warren was silent for a moment. "Huh, I guess that makes sense. I wouldn't expect a Templar to use...something like bribery to justify their actions."

I grinned, "Stanford endorses tactics like bribing and extortion to get our enemies to cooperate. Whatever makes our mission easier to eliminate the bad guys and protect the helpless, he gives it a thumbs up."

Warren contemplated my words, then nodded, "That makes sense...in a way. Isn't bribery outlawed in Alysia?"

I shrugged, "Fredrick allows Stanford to independently control the Knights Templar without watching him like a hawk, so he allows his men to do whatever they have to do to succeed."

Warren whistled as Dorrian stirred.

"Ugh...the fuck happened last night?" he grumbled, pushing himself to his feet and dusting his clothing off.

"We got really smashed, and we did stupid shit," I refreshed his memory.

"Yeah, I thought as much...Why the hell does my shoulder hurt?"

Analise sat up, still holding one of her knives

"I threw a knife, and you caught it with your shoulder, dumbass," She snapped at him.

"And you shot me in the knee, you asshole." I chimed in, glaring at Dorrian.

"Oh, right..." He said in a small voice.

Luna stirred, then lifted her head from off the table. She yawned softly, then popped her neck.

"Ow..." she mumbled, "What on earth happened?"

I grinned, "We drank alcohol and got really, really smashed."

She sighed, "Oh bother..."

Warren laughed, "The lass sounds as if she were an innocent bystander."

"She pretty much was an innocent bystander," I confirmed, "She had a little liquor and blacked out, which is a good thing since she didn't have to witness the pandemonium that occurred when she was out cold."

Luna grimaced as one of her ears twitched, "Do I even want to know?"

I told her of the events that occurred a few hours ago (checking outside, I could tell a few hours had passed by since the sun was already setting.)

At the end of the story, she was laughing softly.

"Find it funny, eh?" Dorrian asked in a joking manner.

"Honestly, I do. It's a shame I passed out..." She grumbled to herself.

Analise laughed, "You would've probably wanted to pass out after seeing what happened. It's probably for the better that you did. Your sanity will thank you later."

Luna sighed, "Oh well," she began, only to chuckle to herself when she saw my bird's nest of hair: "Oof...No more drinking for me..."

Dorrian began laughing to himself.

Analise rose an eyebrow, "What's your problem?"

He just continued laughing.

Ana sighed, "Dumbass."

We all laughed our asses off. (Not literally. That'd be weird.)