A Boasting, Idiotic Soldier

Job:

Ariel idly twirled a strand of hair around his finger. It was a habit he had formed when he became frustrated or annoyed. He had been sitting contently in a tavern while sipping a spirit beverage common to the area. This was only his first drink but he did not plan to have anymore. He was only looking for a little sip, after all. Anyways, he wasn't going to be staying in the tavern for long if that idiot just did not shut up! A drunk soldier had been yapping on and on about all of his "glorious" exploits. Honestly? Ariel didn't give a damn about what the soldier had done. He didn't see how the old man could be proud of killing. It put him on the same level as a cold-blooded murderer! War and fighting wasn't anything to boast about.

While he had been seething about the soldier, he had unintentionally slammed his glass down on his table. Eyes swiveled to him. Suddenly, Ariel was feeling a bit self-conscious with everyone's eyes upon him. He wanted to sink into his seat and just disappear. He really hated the attention of other people and he especially hated being stared at. However, despite all of his inward feelings, he managed to stay straight and looking unaffected by everyone's looks. He frantically searched for an excuse as to why he had slammed his glass down. An answer immediately came to him. Ariel stood up from his chair and approached the loud ex-soldier in a cocky manner. He rebuked the old man angrily.

"Having killed men is nothing to be boasting about!" Ariel growled, "Many of those men probably had families!"

Truth be told, he was not as angry for the lives of the men as he was angry for the families they left behind. Specifically, the children. For Ariel, it was almost always the children. He loved them very much and he would do anything for them.

He rose his head high and looked down upon the older man with infuriated hazel eyes.

"So, do me a favor and shut up," Ariel finished.

He met the old man with deadly serious hazel eyes. Much to his surprise, the old man laughed. Anybody in their right mind would have been at least a little shaken by Ariel's glare - but then again, this man was drunk.

"Are you really that jealous of my accomplishments, youngster?" the old man asked cheekily.

"Jealous huh? The least bit. I actually feel quite sorry for you," Ariel replied with a smirk. His face fell serious quickly again.

"Now its very late and you're drunk, so how about you rest now?" Ariel calmly told the drunk soldier.

After a bit of a pause, the soldier finally agreed with Ariel. "Haha, you're right. It is late and I don't have the energy to stay up so late as I use to. Ahh, the days of my youth..." He asserted.

Gently, Ariel pulled the older man towards the door and outside. Since he could not walk well, Ariel decided to walk with him while the old soldier gave him directions to his home.

After escorting the man home, Ariel decided it was time for him to call it a day. So he returned to the tavern which he was staying at. Yawning, Ariel flopped onto the bed and curled up peacefully. With a soft smile on his face, he drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


Word Count: 657/500