storybroken | [event: flashback]

[James nods at the men, his eyes scanning them with interest and just a bit of wariness, his hand instinctively on his sword. He follows Robin while the man finds a seat, taking one at Robin's indication--a bit gingerly, given he's in the company of such strangers. The fact that Robin vanishes for a few moments didn't help the prince's nerves, but he still manages a sincere enough smile at those looking at him.]

[ Robin returns only a moment later, not long enough for the men to do much more than greet James with varying forms of respect (though none really take Robin's tact and go for derogatory). A mug appears in front of James' face as Robin sits down next to him, a grin apparent. ]

Relax.

[James lifts an eyebrow and accepts the mug, though not without a wry little twist of his lips. He speaks teasingly, only half serious. Half.]

Easy for you to say. For all I know you're going to get me blind drunk and dump me back on the path without even the clothes on my back.

Now there's an idea.

[ Robin smirks into his mug as he takes a large swig. Relax, James. This bandit, at the least, has no intention to set you out on your way 'til morning. (He's still trying to think of a way to come out on top in their competition, you see.) ]

[James just throws him an amused Look and takes a swig himself. He doesn't choke or cough, but he does grimace a bit as he swallows.]

You're right; they're dregs.

[And then he grins a bit.]

But still better than what I've had at many of the taverns around here.

Think for a moment why that might be.

[ His expression is mild, but there's a glint of something serious and extremely intent in his eyes. The request is genuine. ]

[James takes a breath as he realises what he said, and then lets it out as a rueful huff, looking down into his cup.]

This may surprise you, but we're not ... unaware of how matters stand here. It's one of the reasons I chose to travel through the kingdom. Prince John extended overtures and ... well, I wanted to be certain Prince John is a regent we would want to deal with before my father entered into any negotiations.

[He glances up and away, gaze travelling over the men around them. He's speaking quietly enough, just to Robin, and the men are too busy chatting and laughing with one another to listen. So many of these men, hale and from what he's heard honourable; men who serve the people because their prince refuses to.]

From what I've seen and heard, I'm not very encouraged.

Don't be. Don't be in the slightest, Your Highness.

[ He'll allow the proper terminology now, as it's appropriate and comes almost naturally. Robin served with the King during the war; even if he's enemies with Prince John, that doesn't mean he's without respect for all nobility. Just the ones he hasn't had the chance to trust personally. ]

Prince John wishes for his father's place on the throne and lavishes himself in the comfort of his peoples' suffering. The sheriff is no better, begging at his master's feet for the scraps — scraps that are ten times better than what Nottingham's people are left to take. If your kingdom were to ally with him, then you'd be making a very unwise choice.

[The title does lend weight to the seriousness of the situation, and James turns to give Robin his full attention, his brow slightly furrowed as he listens.]

I've met such men before.

[He sighs, glancing out at the trees.]

Just not usually in such a prominent position. Of course, my father isn't likely to take the word of outlaws.

[The look he throws Robin then is ironic, but it makes it clear that while the king might not, James isn't above taking what knowledge Robin gives him under consideration.]

[ His lips quirk, a sardonic twist. In the firelight and darkness, Robin looks older than his twenty years would suggest. ]

Ironic, but I knew taking this position meant losing the weight of my words where it counted. [ He shakes his head, taking another long drink. ] Thankfully, this is the time for action, not words.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Often actions alone speak loudly enough.

[And if all that James has heard is true, Robin's actions will speak loudly indeed. The prince hasn't seen enough to make a firm judgement yet--he'll need to meet with Prince John himself for that--but he does know which way his instincts are beginning to lean. And they're not with Prince John.

[Which is why he ends his words with a soft, sincere smile in Robin's direction before taking another mouthful of his drink.]

[ Robin's smile expands into something more jovial. That sounds like the best he's going to get out of the prince's favor for now, and there's nothing left to do but let the night pass. ]

Speaking of actions... we still haven't figured a way to deal with our little tie.

Haven't we? I thought that's what we were doing now.

[He lifts the mug and tilts it thoughtfully as if to peer inside.]

I imagine if we drink enough this will begin to taste good.

[ Robin laughs. ]

That takes quite a bit of drink to get to that level, but it does happen...

[He sneaks a sidelong glance and a smirk.]

I'd wager our contest that you'll get there before I do.

[ He scoffs, tipping back another large drink. ]

We'll see about that.

I imagine we will.

[James downs the rest of his mug in one fell swoop and pulls the mug away with a smirk at Robin.]

[ Robin follows suit quickly, then calls for someone to retrieve more drinks. Two men stand up, look at each other, then both rush to the kegs in order to grab twice as many drinks as requested. It's easy to see what the prince and their leader are up to, and by the time the servers are back with the mugs, several other men are paying much closer attention.

So the night goes, a contest between two leaders with nothing to higher than their own pride on the line. There's an actual reward, sure, but at this point it's about more than that... to Robin, anyway. His men cheer him on, roar with support and laugh with the spirit of the competition. James doesn't do too poorly in gathering his own small set of fans, either, despite Robin's obvious advantage. Once or twice, Robin pauses just long enough as if to catch his breath or brace himself, then continues; war wasn't always the most happy of places, but the soldiers definitely appreciated their brew and Robin has learned to do the same. Even so, he's off-kilter tonight and already worn from the day's work. He suspects James to be in similar straights, so at least they're still on even keel.

By the time Robin is fairly sure he's nearing the end of his stamina, he manages to sneak a glance toward James. He couldn't possibly be doing much better by now, right? ]

[Unfortunately for Robin, he isn't the only one who'd seen war, and even if James hadn't he still often snuck into the soldiers' barracks for social time when he was younger. Of course, that doesn't mean James isn't equally as weary after the day, so Robin's right on that score.

[Unlike Robin, however, James doesn't seem to be showing much sign of his drunkenness--outwardly, anyway. His pace is so nonchalant that it's easy to believe he's not having any trouble at all, since he doesn't seem to be needing to pause in the least. By the end he's propped up with one elbow against a log, one leg bent, and is wearing a small, absent smile while he picks up his next mug. He sees Robin and grins, toasting him with the mug before swigging it. The way he's lying and acting is so casual you'd think he's not nearly as affected as Robin is even at this late stage.

[It's a good thing they're not seeing out of his eyes, because to tell the truth he's not entirely certain it's Robin he's toasting.]

[ Robin giggles to himself. Oh, this is great. If James isn't going to back down, then neither is Robin and then the both of them are going down with the ship. Only there's no ship... but, as Robin tips back the last of his drink and begins overbalancing off the back of the log, he realizes they're definitely going down.

Thunk.

While Robin's special brand of luck means he didn't end up with anything spilled out all over him, it also means he didn't see James go down first. He's going to have one hell of a headache in the morning to go with his sore arm and rapidly bruising ego. ]

[James drains his mug and leans his head back against the log to gaze up at the stars, still with that silly absent smile on his face. He does hear the giggle and the thunk, but he really, really can't tell if he actually heard it or not. Even so he chuckles out loud, because if he did hear it, does that mean he won?

[Except suddenly his eyes are closed and he has no idea what that happened. His eyes are closed, and this log is comfortable, and his mug is empty--oh yes, the prince is asleep.]

[Will had been watching this entire fiasco with a sigh and rolling his eyes every so often as his uncle-cousin and the prince Robin brought with him did their stupid drinking contest. Once both men were down for the count, Will made his way over to Robin, moving his mug out of the way before picking the younger man up and carrying him in his arms almost with ease.

He glances over at the sleeping prince before looking around for someone. When he spots him, he gestures with his head in a "come here" movement.]

Little John, I'll take care of Robin and put him away for the night while you can take care of his royal drunkenness over there. We'll need to keep an eye on him, so perhaps a night in the mud at the center of camp is the best place for him.

[There are a few grins and chuckles from the surrounding men, but Will's already heading over to Robin's tent with Robin still in hand. He's got to make sure his arm is okay before he can let his cousin continue on sleeping, of course. Will knows that whatever Little John decides to do with the prince will be good enough and keep him from trying to cause trouble.]

[ Little John grins widely at the suggestion. ]

I like the way you think, Will.

[ He moves to unfasten James' sword and hand it off to another man, then pulls the prince carefully up over his shoulder. The man isn't injured, nor is he family, and so the potato sack treatment is what he gets. (James should be glad he isn't being dragged out.) John moves near to the center of the camp, where the area can be seen from almost any angle, and sets James down in the center. It's the best way to keep him from running off without being noticed. John does, however, retrieve a spare blanket to spread over the man haphazardly before going to check on the cousins.

Robin, for what it's worth, only lets out an instinctual whimper as his arm is jostled and pressed lightly against Will's chest. He doesn't wake, and the pain soon settles into the oblivion of the ale. Whatever hiccups or coughs that come are softened by the archer's quiet breathing. Although he's pretty far gone, when Will begins to treat his arm, crusted with dirt earned over the day and night, he reacts, gasping and trying to struggle to awareness. ]

[As if James is going anywhere until at least morning. He hardly even reacts to being picked up, except to sigh and shift a bit when John sets him down, and then instinctively grip his blanket when it's thrown over him. He is very heavily asleep, in case they didn't notice.

[So he doesn't really notice that he's sleeping in the middle of the camp on the hard ground, right next to the patch of what would be mud if there'd been any rainfall. As it is, if he rolls over at any time during the night he's going to wind up in it. Though that's likely going to be the least of his worries when he wakes up.]

[With Robin's arm in hand, Will was trying to be as gentle as he could while still cleaning and taking care of it in a precise and quick manner. When Robin starts to stir, a hand gets placed on Robin's chest gently for a moment to try and let him know that he's not getting attacked in his drunken stupor.]

There's no reason to panic, uncle. It is only me. I'm merely fixing that scratch the princeling decided to see fit to give you. There are rumours floating around about him and I'll have to share them with you when you're actually aware of it. Can't have you missing out on good information when you can hear it at a later time.

[But that doesn't stop him from going on about little things around the camp that happened while Robin was out finding himself a prince to play with. While he continues speaking, he finishes up bandaging Robin's arm and makes sure to get him settled in bed so he won't wake up later in too much pain.]

--And I believe that should be it for you, uncle. I'll see you when I wake up in the morning. With some of my hangover cure for you and your princeling.

[So he'll leave Robin's tent and go do whatever he needs to do until Robin and James wake up with terrible headaches and he has to make them hangover cures.]

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