[he can't do this. brb cracking up again.]

you'll get over it. get any cool scars?

might as well dig up my sorrows in alcohol. growing up is so hard??
uh don't go anywhere dude

[on his way to the inkwell, the weight of his money in a bag inside his backpack feels so heavy. he's already planning; maybe he'll stay at noctis' until he can make up for his losses? oh, surely ardyn wouldn't mind feeding him!! these are things he will need to ask about, soon.]

[arriving at the inkwell, he looks around for zoro. never actually having met the guy, he's not sure what to expect. so he walks in, like a lost chocobo chick...]

Uh, Zoro?

[It's a nice place. Surprisingly classy in that nostalgic-for-the-20's way. There's not a lot of people currently. A few day drinkers who are obvious regulars, the bartender--the usual. Really, the only thing disrupting the atmosphere is some green-haired thug with one eye sitting at the bar with a jacket and no shirt.

That's the one that nods towards Prompto.]

Big Bird. Huh. Your hair really does look like a chocobo. [Kinda weird, kinda interesting, kinda who cares. He pats the barstool next to him.] Sit down. Don't humiliate me by ordering a fruity drink.

[prompto brightens despite the circumstances (this guy looks so cool?!..), and he all but slumps on the stool and against the counter, immediately picking on the free peanuts in a small bowl.]

I'm tellin' you! --I never had any intention on copying them either.

[crumb crunch crumb, go the peanuts]

What're you having?

[thanks for inviting a minor for drinks]

You trying to tell me your hair naturally does that?

[Aight. Sure, kid. Takes a big ol' swig.]

Tequila. Don't wanna go to work buzzed. You ever had it?

I ain't said anything about that!

[finger pointing. rude? nah]

I style my hair like this way before people even realised chocobo were a thing. It's the natural wave of my hair, its predisposition, yeah?

[that's one mystery solved--] Not really. I'll give it a try though.

[there's something liberating about spending the money he already lost anyway]

[Jesus...] Just how long does it take you to get ready every morning...

[No. Don't answer that. He doesn't care.

Zoro gestures to the bartender and a big ol' bottle of tequila slides his way. Putting a finger to his lips he slides off the seat and nods for Prompto to follow.]

I thought you'd get something lighter. Come on. Boss'll give me hell if he knows I let a kid like you drink this at his bar. You'd think a guy who gets that drunk would lighten up but he's gotta drag the rest of us into his misery somehow I guess.

[So they're going out the back and sitting on the stoop. Still on the property but not in sight of the customers.

Zoro opens the bottle with his teeth. Doesn't matter if it's impossible to do; he does it. Manly.]

Here. Christen it. Loser gets the first sip.

[prompto's about to reply with every single detail of how long it takes him to get ready in the mornings, but zoro doesn't let him, basically. instead, he's following over to the stoop, sitting down, and now he's got a lot more questions--enough to make him forget his detailed answer about his mornings.]

You work here?

[taking the bottle--wow, that's some manly way to open it up--prompto looks it over.]

[prepare yourself...]

...how do I do that? Won't it break?

[clearly he hasn't gone out drinking much, as he shouldn't.]

Not if you do it right. Just bite it and tip the bottle up.

[Said like it's the most obvious thing in the world and not impossible for 90% of frat boys across the land. Anyway, he's chugging at least a third of the bottle like it's a cheap beer. Wiping his mouth when he's done because he's not a complete ape.]

Kinda on leave from my usual work so I work at a few bars here, yeah. This one's got the best booze. There's one down in Enprise that's better for a good brawl. You should come sometime.

[Is that a joke? It might be a joke. Is it not a joke?]

[prompto's watching... and listening. mostly watching, because that's some mad skills when it comes down to drinking; one that shows you need to have quite a bit of experience to pull it off. prompto is sure he won't be able to pull it off.]

--go, to have a brawl? I'm not sure I'm good at landing punches...

[but no one will ever be able to say prompto never lived life.]

[he attempts to imitate zoro's actions, and while he may seem initially confident, it is in no time when he's coughing out the liquor and snorting the excess out of his nose.]

[he's so cool, coughing on the side... trying not to choke, holding the bottle at arm's length]