one bourbon, one scotch, one beer | renfri

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been drinking bourbon,

whiskey, scotch and gin

2021
@renfri

Twenty-one. In some parts of the muggle world, this was the legal drinking age. Rhys couldn’t understand why. It seemed strange to make them wait any longer than seventeen. Not that he had personally waited until he was seventeen to try firewhiskey for the first time. Nonetheless, nothing was stopping them from enjoying their stay here in the States, their next job wasn’t for another week, and Rhys and Renfri had decided to spend their time off nearby instead of back home in London. Plus, since his last job had finished rather quickly, he still had been able to home and see his sisters, and there wasn’t that usual guilt of that missed opportunity he felt at times. One thing he never got used to, the different weather in different parts of the world. It was still hot and a bit humid, which made Rhys regret not getting a haircut when he had the chance. His hair was long and curly, but he’d been too lazy to honestly deal with it.

He walked through the small apartment-like dwellings they would be staying in. Many Curse Breakers mainly stayed here when working. It was old, a bit dusty but had the bare essentials of what they needed. They could never claim it was a glamourous job, but as he walked over to the table, he picked up a bottle of the firewhiskey he was used to back home and was tempted to open it. The town nearby was small and full of magical residents, but the last time he had visited, the elder Curse Breaker had told him about Bourbon and towns nearby where you could get alcohol such as moonshine, and this had left the young man intrigued. Naturally, he had mentioned it to his friends, and they had seemed just as fascinated as he was. At least Renfri was. Ilija had been quiet lately, but Rhys wasn’t one to push these things. Rhys had arrived about a day earlier than Renfri had and had taken that time to find the much spoken about items, and he looked a the collection of bottles on the small desk.

It wasn’t all his, some were bottles left behind, but he just added to the collection like some sort of tradition. Shrugging, he poured himself a small amount of firewhiskey. Might as well while he was waiting, and out of habit, he sat down on the couch and put his feet on the coffee table grabbed the file for their job next week. After about fifteen minutes, he heard the door open, and he looked over. ”About time, any longer, and I wouldn’t have left you any.” He commented, referring to the collection of alcohol on the table. Along with the usual whiskey, he’d picked up an assortment and even some that he’d never heard before, but the high alcohol content was enough for him.

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[Deleted]

2021
rhys alexander greyback

Renfri and several other curse breakers were off to the United States for a new dig site. For some, like Renfri, it would be their first experience with Native American enchantments and curses, so she was very excited. She was also very excited about the fact that, being 21, she could legally drink alcohol. Sure, it was legal back home, but in the States? They had an absurd drinking age. This drink would have been exceptionally dull without alcohol. Plus, she'd heard that Americans had some insanely strong liquor, so she was interested in trying it. She wasn't the only one with that sentiment, thankfully, and Rhys had agreed to go early so they could go a bit on a binge drinking week. He'd gotten there a day before her.

When Renfri did arrive, she immediately headed to a liquor store. She had to see what there was to try! She, of course, knew that Rhys would have also done his only exploration of the shops and no doubt had quite a stash, plus whatever other curse breakers had left before. There was one particular bottle that had stood out to her. Clear Spring. When she saw the percentage she'd gawked, but immediately bought it. Along with a few other interesting look bottles. Then, she stopped by a grocery store for as many junk food munchies she could carry (because binge drinking needed snacks). Finally she made it to the apartment and pushed the door open. Rhys, of course, as already there.

"Did you at least save some moonshine?" She immediately responded. Because, really, that was something she was insanely curious about. Sure, Europe had it's own form of moonshine. Like in Ireland there was Poitín, but she wanted to try this infamous American liquor. Plus, Rhys had said that he knew how to get some "authentic" moonshine, and not the mass manufactured sort. She set the bags she'd been carrying on the counter, and immediately fished out the bottle of Clear Spring and carried it over to him, holding it out for him to take. "Look what I found." of course, the 95% on the front was a shocking number, it had made it even more tempting.

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been drinking bourbon,

whiskey, scotch and gin

2021
@renfri

There was so much in the world Rhys had yet to try, and underneath his prickly exterior was really someone that usually willing to try new things in terms of going to a new job site and seeing the interesting food and drink combinations. Or maybe he just liked food that much. Somehow he ate so much but didn’t gain a pound. And neither with all the drinking he tended to do. Whiskey had become his go-to during training, but his consumption had definitely increased after they were allowed to work the more serious jobs. Here it wasn’t so much about artifacts as it was breaking old enchantments and curses in general. It would be his second time back in the states for work specifically, he had told Renfri all about the last job, and she’d seem interested. Rhys drank the contents of his glass. He hadn’t poured a lot.

”I haven’t tried it yet. Started with whiskey first.” Rhys admitted, closing the file he had been reading and standing up so he could place it in a safe corner. He didn’t need to be chewed out by whichever Senior Curse Breaker they were working with for spilling firewhiskey on the paperwork again. Renfri walked over to him and handed him a bottle of clear liquid. It might as well have been water, but then he read the label. His eyebrows raised in surprise. ”Ninety-five percent?” Rhys wanted to confirm that he wasn’t under some enchantment that affected his vision. ”I think St. Mungo’s uses this to clean. Or they should.” Rhys looked over the label again, and his face showed a curiosity but also boldness. Rhys always felt his tolerance pretty high and he hadn’t found anything he couldn’t handle yet, he figured this would be much the same. ”You sure you can handle this?” He looked at her with a bit of a side-eye and mischievous half-smile.

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[Deleted]

2021
rhys alexander greyback

Oh, Renfri knew they were going to get absolutely wasted tonight. But she didn't care. She seemed absolutely convinced she could handle it. She'd built up quite a strong tolerance for alcohol the past few years. The American spirits didn't scare her. She could handle them. Was it overconfidence? Perhaps. But she at least knew she could drink as much as Rhys. Renfri grinned as he eyed the bottle. "Apparently it is a cleaner in some states, and illegal to drink." Thankfully they were not in one of those states.

Though at his jest she scowled, and gave him a dirty look. "Please, can you handle it?" She threw the challenge back at him. Renfri had always been competitive with Rhys, dragging his own competitiveness out. "You can still back out if you're too chicken." She taunted, giving him a smug smirk. "I won't mock you... too much."

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been drinking bourbon,

whiskey, scotch and gin

2021
@renfri

Rhys was still examining this bottle and its contents. That was a very high proof and higher than anything he had personally tried, but he didn’t want to show weakness at that moment. It was something he knew Renfri would jump on given a chance. It was the type of friendship they had built over the past decade. His first year had been interesting in that he never thought anyone would talk to him, and yet he came out with a handful of friends: Renfri, Ilija, Hannah, Nell, Clo, and a few others had taken pity on him, he supposed, and they were all still friends. ”Illegal?” Rhys asked more intrigued, now he had to try this.

”Of course I can. I was just looking out for you after last time.” Rhys remembered the last time they had drunk like this. Training had just been completed, and they were certified Curse Breakers, and they had been in Mexico where the good tequila was. He gave her a side look. He knew that was a challenge and had it been anyone else, he wouldn’t have bitten. But it was a neverending competition with them. He scoffed. ”I was going to hold onto this and offer you this other whiskey I found. It has a cinnamon flavor to it but doesn’t taste like alcohol at all. Thought you might like it.” He placed the bottle of Clear Spring on the desk and fished out a small glass bottle of ‘whiskey’ from the collection, it said ‘Fireball’ on the label. Though he hesitated to call it whiskey, he’d tried it before.

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[Deleted]

2021
rhys alexander greyback

Renfri plopped down on the couch next to him, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table. She nodded as he asked that question. "That's what they told me at the store. Worth trying if it's that, don't you think?" She grinned. Maybe she was a sucker for pain, but the idea of trying something that was illegal in some places was very appealing. Plus, she'd never tried anything nearly this strong. She wanted to know exactly how it would taste when it was this strong. And who better to experience such torture, then with Rhys?

Renfri made a face as he mentioned "last night". Ugh, Mexico. She still had a few issues with tequila, though thankfully she didn't feel like throwing up when she smelled it anymore. "I'm much older and more refined now." A year wasn't nearly "much older", but she definitely had a much higher alcohol tolerance...

He mentioned a cinnamon flavored whiskey and she raised an eyebrow. "If it doesn't taste like alcohol what's the point?" She asked seriously. She wasn't a "bitch beer" drinker. Maybe if she'd spent more time in "civilized" company. But no, she spent her time with curse breakers. Rough and tumble sort of people. Though, she shrugged, and rolled to her feet, heading over to the small kitchenette and fishing out two glasses. "But hey, if it's alcohol, it's worth trying." She walked back, setting the glasses on the coffee table, then went and grabbed the bags she'd left on the counter. Back at hte couch, she started to unpack the bags. More bottles of alcohol, all with high proofs, of course, and then their usual drinking snacks. Because you had to eat when binge drinking. "Heard there's a great pizza place that'll deliver here, too. I'm thinking dinner?"

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been drinking bourbon,

whiskey, scotch and gin

2021
@renfri

Rhys was intrigued, and he supposed that Renfri knew that putting something in front of him that wasn’t entirely legal would catch his interest. How was he going to say no to that kind of challenge, especially if she had been the one to issue it? They weren’t Curse Breakers because they shied away from something new and dangerous, after all. ”I guess we’ll just have to find out what makes it so ‘illegal’.” Then again, he wondered what alcohol tolerance was in America versus back home. Surely it can’t have been that bad, nothing he and Renfri couldn’t handle. Besides, three years into his career and he already knew the kind of reputation he was building. Rhys was well aware that his people skills needed a lot of work, and Casimir had given him quite the lecture and lesson during his first year of training on tempering his habit of going into an instant rage. It was a work in progress, but along with that had come the growing reputation for his drinking. It never affected his work, and he never drank on the job, but one would be almost foolish to try to outdrink him or Renfri.

He laughed a little, tequila had not been kind to Renfri, but it was hardly ever kind to anyone. Rhys himself didn’t prefer it, but he handled it better than his friend had that one time. Plus, he hadn’t drunk the cheap stuff. Opting instead for something of slightly better quality, his head hurt only slightly marginally less the next morning. Rhys gave her a look, the sarcastic and reluctant acceptance of her declaration. He would see later one when the drinking really began. The danger was really in the mixed tequila drinks. They tended to sneak up on you, and before you knew it, the room was spinning. This new whiskey he had found probably fell into that category. ”You can drink it faster?” He suggested, not really knowing the answer, but he could look for the silver lining for once.

Renfri grabbed glasses for them and placed them on the table while she unpacked whatever other snacks and bottles she had purchased. Rhys unscrewed the cap of the small glass bottle of Fireball and poured them both some. Instantly he could smell the sweet cinnamon of the drink from the glasses. ”Pizza sounds good.” Rhys wasn’t a picky eater, and part of that was he enjoyed all food. One of the hidden perks of his job was trying new food from wherever he traveled, plus he never seemed to stop eating. Since he’d graduated, he’d still grown a little less than half a foot, and Curse Breaking had put some muscle on his frame, plus all this drinking required they eat at some point. Rhys placed the bottle down and grabbed a glass in each hand, extending one to Renfri and looking at everything she had unpacked. ”Merlin, what don’t we have?”

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[Deleted]

2021
rhys alexander greyback

Renfri grinned at his words, accepting her challenge. Exactly her thoughts. It's illegal status in some states just made it even more appealing. And Renfri was the sort that learned from experience. Let her learn the hard way. And no doubt if they were drinking Clear Spring they'd be learning the hard way tonight why it was illegal. "Knew you'd be up for the challenge."

Renfri was without a doubt a binge drinker. IT was why she tried to steer clear of overly sweet mixed drinks because those gave her the worst hangovers. The Tequila ones always wrecked her the next day. But considering how much they planned on drinking, she was pretty sure that no matter what they did tonight she'd be thoroughly hung over tomorrow. So his suggestion that they could drink it faster if it didn't taste like alcohol seemed to convince her. She pursed her lips, before nodding, accepting the argument. He went about pouring them both some of this whiskey he'd found and she couldn't help but stop unbagging the snacks for a second to sniff. God, it really did smell like cinnamon, she could already smell it. "God, you weren't joking. It suddenly feels very festive in here." Cinnamon was a strong smell in general, but not a bad one. At least it smelled on point. Sometimes you got 'flavored' alcohol that didn't smell or taste anything like what it was labeled. She finished unbagging the snacks, then plopped back down on the couch next to him. She fished out her phone, pulling up the website of the pizza place she'd been told about. "I'm thinking two large pizzas? Lots of meat and toppings. Any complaints?" Renfri always craved meat when she drank. Meat, and salt. He'd notice that a lot of the snacks she'd gotten were pretty salty. But she'd also gotten snacks she knew he'd eat when drinking. "Clearly, we don't have pizza yet, but we'll fix that. I also couldn't find any fresh pretzels. Is it really so hard for Americans to just bake pretzels?" She lowered her phone for a moment so she could sit up from her slouching into the couch and accept the glass. She raised the glass a little, and held it out, for a toast. "To binge drinking and no one around to judge us?"

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been drinking bourbon,

whiskey, scotch and gin

2021
@renfri

Perhaps she knew him a little too well. He wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. It was part of his drive and personal ambition but also a negative in certain situations. While his short temper and overall nature were known among his fellow trainees and trainers, Renfri, Ilija, Nell had known him the longest and who he truly was. Rhys would admit it wasn’t something he’d let them in on intentionally, but all these years and all the shared time together, they had all naturally grown close—the family he never had. Renfri was pleased he didn’t put up a fight in trying this new and somehow illegal alcohol. Rhys already knew he would hate himself in the morning and swear off booze for a few days until he forgot what being hungover felt like. If it had alcohol, Rhys would drink it, which produced interesting results. He was undoubtedly more sociable, talkative, and even charming when he was inebriated—or so he was told, and whatever confidence he had with women only skyrocketed.

Some of his fellow trainees had been shocked by how much he would talk, but to his absolute best friends, he spoke about as much. Rhys could smell the Cinnamon of the whiskey in the air, he didn’t mind. Renfri went about ordering their meal, carbs to help with some of the damage they were doing. ”Nope.” Rhys had never been a picky eater, not that the orphanage really let them unless there was some legitimate allergy and honestly his appetite for food had never been small despite how scrawny he’d always been. It wasn’t until about the age of fifteen or sixteen that he’d had a growth spurt and put on a little bit of muscle. Though working in his job had done wonders for that, but then he was almost always eating. Maybe drinking his calories added to that, but it was just a theory. ”I don’t mind the pretzels here.” He admitted, fresh was better of course but he liked the crunch of the pretzel sticks he often picked up. ”And don’t forget legally.” Rhys clinked his glass against Renfri’s and drank the entirety of it, cringing only at the sweetness versus the alcohol. ”Not bad.” he muttered, picking the bottle back up.

”Cinnamon was always my favorite.” He commented as he refilled his glass, holding out the bottle in case Renfri wanted more. It wasn’t what she usually drank, but better than tequila at least. He placed the bottle down after drinking his glass again and grabbing a bag of chips to snack on. ”I probably should have eaten something today.” He shrugged. Between the traveling and preparing for this, it had slipped his mind. It wasn’t uncommon. Either he was constantly eating or not at all, with Renfri kicking him to not drink his calories for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It wasn’t something he could explain. Sometimes he just didn’t feel like it. ”You want to try that new stuff after the pizza arrives?”

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[Deleted]

2021
rhys alexander greyback

While he'd tried very hard to keep people away, Rhys hadn't been able to stop himself from forming the close friendships he had. Despite his foul mood (or maybe that was a factor), he'd been a good friend all through school. It was interesting, how their close knit friend group... Most of them had gone into curse breaking. Like peas in a pod that had gravitated to each other and stuck together. She wouldn't really say any of them were too similar though, they were all very different personalities. But somehow they'd always made it work. Though, Rhys and Renfri were quite similar when it came to their drinking and competitiveness. Rather... Renfri brought out Rhys' competitiveness. Would they regret tonight? Most definitely. Did that deter them? Not at all.

Renfri nodded as he responded, no complains with the order. So, she finished ordering the pizza through the app on her phone. Now it would just be waiting for it to get here. Around 20-30 minutes. THankfully neither of them would get wasted in that time. They had a whole night of drinking ahead of them. She tossed her phone down on the couch beside her. "Eh, they aren't bad. But sometimes you just want a nice big fresh baked pretzel." She didn't mind them, but it was almost like a different food entirely. How could they call those little pretzel sticks the same thing as pretzels from a bakery? She laughed as he added the legally part. After all, that was why they were binging. 21 was the legal age to drink in the United States. "God, how they wait until 21 is beyond me," she added before raising the glass to her lips and tipping the contents down her throat, downing it in one gulp like Rhys. THere was the familiar burn of whiskey, but a strong cinnamon taste as well. "Reminds me of gingerbread," she commented after giving the alcohol a moment to settle in her stomach. But it wasn't a bad quality whiskey. Better then what they found in most backwater towns, definitely.

Renfri reached for the bottle as he held it out, filling her glass again but not downing it immediately as she handed it back to him. "I wonder what these Americans mix this with," she mused. Cinnamon went with a lot of flavors after all. She was curious what sort of cocktails they'd come up with. After another moments thought she shrugged and downed the drink. It was poor timing as he'd just mentioned not eating that day. She coughed, then laughed. "That's why we have snacks and pizza on the way moron. If you don't eat now it's entirely your own fault. It's literally right in front of you." She elbowed him lightly before reclining back and kicking her feet up on the coffee table. "Yeah, definitely. Get some actual food in our stomachs so we can enjoy it all." She'd rather not get sick midway through their drinking binge, and food would help with that. "It said about 20-30 minutes to get here."

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been drinking bourbon,

whiskey, scotch and gin

2021
@renfri

It was a wonder that the pair weren’t the cause of Cursebreakers going into retirement. While they were a rowdy bunch despite whatever personality walked in, there was something about certain pairs that caused more trouble than others. And it was ironic as well. Renfri was always on Rhys and Illija’s case during school on whatever stunt they were pulling or whatever fight Rhys got into that week. Despite all the times he’d been beaten up and had thrown punches himself and landed in the Hospital Wing, Rhys had never mastered the spell to clean up all the blood from his white dress shirt or Slytherin tie, and Renfri would always note it and figure out that Rhys had been in yet another fight and hence another detention.

In any case, he was still getting into fights but in pubs and bars with Renfri at his side helping him and berating him afterward—some things never changed. The one thing they at least had in common was their propensity to drink heavily, as if building the highest tolerance was a personal challenge and competition for them. Rhys shrugged in agreement, but he’d never been that picky with food. Maybe a side effect of growing up with limited options and his high metabolism didn’t allow him to be picky all the time. That week before the full moon had him eating more than usual, let alone the very active career they had picked. ”I’m sure even Americans do what all good teenagers do and drink anyway.” Rhys remembered his first taste of firewhiskey at fifteen, and it had been a tumultuous love affair since. ”As I recall you yelled at me back in fifth year for that.”

This cinnamon whiskey was interesting. Rhys didn’t dislike it, even if it wasn’t the best. It would do the job, and that was all he ever asked of his whiskey. When Renfri berated him in her usual way, he lazily looked at her as if exhausted by her mothering already. ”Why do you always insist on yelling. I can hear you just fine.” Rhys walked over to the table and grabbed the first bag of potato chips he saw, along with some cookies. Maybe they would be the crispest and, therefore, the loudest when he chewed to annoy her. Rhys grabbed the bottle, his glass, and the chips, took a seat on the couch, and placed the bottle on the side table. Rhys figured he could finish that before the pizza even arrived. ”So.” Rhys began, stuffing potato chips in his mouth and reaching for the cookies. ”I bet you five galleons you can’t make it past five tequila shots.” Rhys took a bite of the cookie while he gave Renfri a challenging look.

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