The bloody sky set his hair aflame, and Strel watched the shadows stretch out as the disk in the sky fell further. Hands bathed in a brown red shade from light seeping through the thin glass bottle, the redhead took a drink. It was still light out, and not yet night. Was it truly appropriate to be drinking outside, as well? He had been sitting in this exact same spot early that day.The sun was getting lower in the sky, only three quarters of the golden disk visible over the trees. The sky was turning a blood red, an angry orange color. It was beautiful as he watched the splash of red across the sky change, and the blue above darkened as the pale moon silhouette brightened against a black backdrop.

In his hands he held a rather large, rather full bottle of alcohol. The drink was dark, and still in a human glass bottle. Earlier that day, the King payed the man a rather serious visit. And when the King left, Strel found himself sitting in shoes he was suddenly afraid he would not be able to fill. Things for Vigilante had seemingly gone to pot and he needed help with the Kingdom. And Strel accepted the role he offered, as the Dauphin. So he drank to get over his initial fears of doing a good job. He was mortal, after all.

Being promoted was something he wanted, but he was still definitely concerned. Was he right for the job that the King thought him capable of? Strel accepted, because deep down, he wanted it. He wanted the power that came with the title. In his home, he had the least power of all. The young one, the radical, the traitor to the traditions. Here, this way, he could be as radical as he wanted with the power behind it. But was it right? Still, he drank to celebrate.

Strel heard a familiar voice. Niro and he were not entirely close friends, but they were friends enough that the man smiled at him while raising the bottle high into the air. He beamed a crooked grin, waving the man over to him and his little spot underneath the broad tree. "Never too early to celebrate, right?" he asked, taking a light drink of the rum with a satisfied sigh at the end. It was strong, smooth, and a little bit sweet. The redheaded man enjoyed it quite a bit, both for the taste and for the quiet it gave his running mind. It silenced his nervous, worried thoughts and that was a good thing. He wanted a happy night. Noss had yet to be informed. He would be happy, certainly.

"Come on, sit down, take a load off. I'll split this drink with you." Oh, how lucky Niro was to be the first to stumble upon him in his current state. Enough of the drink was in his blood to make him more eager to share his booze. Which he stored like a squirrel stored nuts for a winter. "Sit, drink, and maybe I'll tell you why I brought out the good old human stuff."

He was not drunk. But he sure as hell was getting himself there. He still understood what he did and knew that he was talking to someone he knew, albeit in a sober way. Still, getting drunk was something of a marvelous idea right, with Noss's proposal and the King's request. Yes, drink was what he wanted to use to celebrate. What else could he do? Sewing was work and the celebration he had with Noss was enough to keep him from doing it for a little while yet.

Niro joined him, and the redhead wolf beamed. He was genuinely pleased that the other man decided to join him in the drink. It was always more fun and less depressing if two drank together for a good reason. He handed the rum bottle into the falconer's hands, letting him take as much or as little as he wanted to. "Bunch of things, honestly." The world was getting fuzzier, rosier as the alcohol seeped into his blood. "Vigilante came to visit today."