If Nalini was to say that she had notice Jacob was currently being accosted by someone he would rather not be speaking with, it would be a bold-faced lie. She’d long since crossed the line from tipsy to drunk, barely capable of noticing anything of the sort. The only thing that has caught her attention is the fact that Jacob is there in the first place, making eye contact with her, and she takes that as an intervention to bound over to his side.
“Jacob!” She greets him jovially, grabbing his arm and giving it a little tug. “I didn’t even know you were here. I didn’t see you during my set,” she pouts, but she’s teasing him. For the first time tonight, she’s forgotten what’s worrying her, reaching the right state of inebriation to do so, his appearance pulling her out of her melancholy mood. Without a passing glance to the woman attempting to converse with him, she links their arms, and guides them through the crowd to the bar.
“Have a drink with me. I feel like I never see you out of the Speakeasy. Oh! Maybe we can take it out into the gardens! I mean, when are we going to get another chance?”
when nalini grabs onto him and starts leading him away, jacob’s a little taken aback but absolutely grateful; he was running out of excuses to feed the woman with so nali has approached them at the perfect time. he lets himself be guided towards the bar, even though all he wants to do is suggest to her that maybe she doesn’t need another drink. neither does he, really—ever since starting at the speakeasy, jacob’s noticed that he’s lost his taste for alcohol. unless it’s a lonely swig of whisky right before bed, something to wash the day down with. the swig often turns into much more than that but does it even matter if nobody’s there to see it?
“i was there, promise. you sounded beautiful, as always,” jacob tells her. he doesn’t really know much about music, working at knock five times is probably his first real opportunity to enjoy it properly. and maybe he doesn’t know much about it but his compliments are genuine. “you really ought to be performing on bigger stages. the whole world should be listening to you.”
ultimately, jacob doesn’t want to spoil the mood so he says nothing when the bartender hands nalini her drink. he agrees to her suggestion and soon enough they’re outside, slowly making their way down the garden path. “it’s incredible, that some people live like this,” he says as his gaze follows the neatly trimmed greenery, the statues lining their way, and finally the grandeur of the house itself. it’s always been unthinkable to him, someone who knows what it’s like to have no money to his name. “but—how has your night been?” he asks nalini, curious if there’s a reason to her drunkenness other than simply opportunity.
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