Some divey bar; late evening || @calebdraper
This wasn’t Rune’s typical haunt, that was for sure; his typical haunt was, of course, the Red Rose — or at least, other places of equal or higher quality. Here his immaculate shoes stuck to the floor, and he’d caught his attention wandering to whether or not he ought to have his slacks drycleaned or burned when the night was over. But he was meeting friends from medical school, and Derek, the one who’d planned the evening, always had… specific tastes.
The most sober of the lot of them because he tended to do the most marathon drinking of his own, Rune had collected bottles and glasses from the rapidly filling booth table to deposit them at the bar, doing his level best not to touch anything in the process. He stood there for a moment and rolled up his shirt sleeves as the bartender prepared the next round, and subsequently did a double-take at the man sitting nearest.
Caleb. Caleb Draper. His sister’s former roommate. Rune felt a pang of something almost resembling guilt; he’d all but demanded his sister move in the wake of Malachi’s disappearance, as if he could play shell games with his younger sibling to keep her safe. He’d never interacted much with Caleb, himself, but she had always seemed to get along with him. Then again, Achara seemed to get along with everyone. For her it was a gift, and for Rune, it was a headache.
Rune considered not saying anything, but there had always been something about Caleb that intrigued him. Beyond the good looks, anyway. He cleared his throat. “Caleb, isn’t it? We met before.” Rune gestured to himself. “Rune. Achara’s brother. She, ah. I’m sure she’d want me to apologize on her behalf again, for moving so suddenly.” No, she wouldn’t. She’d just want to yell at Rune for making the decision for her some more, but he could handle that if it meant keeping her safe. He knew there would never be a thing he could make his sister do without her wanting to, so at some level she must’ve understood why he did what he did — even if she’d complained the entire way.