Drinking, Working, and Recovering

Somer laughed and slapped Cain's back, "Of course, this is the place; they've got the best alcohol on the plateau," he boasted before gripping the brass doorknob. Like the massage parlour, there was another wave of air when Somer opened the door, but this time it was the familiar smell of cigarette smoke and liquor, and the inside was dimly lit, with attention being drawn to the backlit shelf behind the bar counter. A jukebox in the corner was belting out tunes at high volume, and some of the obviously drunk patrons were bobbing along and laughing. As soon as Somer walked in, various drunkards raised a cheer, "Look who's back!" "Old Somer come drink with us!" "Who's your friend?" A variety of voices greeted Somer. He gave a toothy grin before removing the half-mask and stashing it somewhere.

Now that Cain could see Somer's whole face instead of just the top half and the hole where the mouth was, he could see a large burn mark stretching his left cheek to the back of his neck. Somer went and sat down at the bar and motioned to the barstool next to him, so Cain sat down under the gazes of Somer's drinking buddies.

"What's your poison of choice, kid?" Somer asked, "They've got everything here, so don't hold back."

"A bottle of Bourbon," was Cain's answer, getting another cheer from some of the drunkards. Somer got some gin for himself along with some pretzels. Cain wasn't reserved and drank the Bourbon as if it were water; if there was one thing he could boast about during his life, it was that he could hold his liquor like a champion. Once he was buzzed, he opened up a bit more and chatted with Somer and the drunkards. Cain lost track of time at some point, and some of the drunkards passed out and were carried away by their friends, but more of Somer's drinking buddies soon replaced their spots, seems he was quite popular in this circle. Even the old Somer was drunk under the table by Cain, though by the end, Cain's face was thoroughly flushed red, and he couldn't stand straight. By the time Cain picked up Somer and threw him on his back to take him back to the administration building, it was already dark out, but some of the drunkards who usually take Somer back helped, so he didn't get lost.

Cain stumbled up the stairs and threw Somer onto the bed in one of the rooms, then found another room and flopped onto the empty bed, instantly passing out.

Once again, Cain sat straight up as he woke up in the morning, thinking he was still on Earth before realizing the situation. "... No hangover?" Cain was surprised; he felt even better than when he woke up yesterday. He dressed once again in his shoddy clothes and left the room, and knocking on Somer's door, it seems he's still passed out, so he went downstairs with the intention to go get breakfast. Unfortunately, another group of newcomers arrived yet again, and upon seeing Cain, some tall guy went, "Finally, we've been waiting for half an hour."

Nothing better than on-the-job training, I suppose.

He could clearly remember everything from last night, and luckily Somer complained extensively about his job, such as questions people always ask, but most of it was gibberish and idle moaning.

Cain nodded and cleared his throat, "Sorry for the wait; before anyone asks anything, let me give a brief introduction," he started as he sat down on Somer's chair. The area behind the desk was raised so he could still see everyone. "Your receivers should have explained a bit about the plateau; you'll be staying here until your souls recover a bit, then you'll be off to play in your new worlds."

-~-

About fifteen minutes later, the explanation and round of questions ended. There were only two questions that Cain couldn't answer and was forced to tell them to come back later when the main administrator woke up. Once the crowd left, he went to go get breakfast for himself and for Somer; eggs, bacon, and a few pancakes neatly boxed up to-go. He left Somer's portion in his room as he was still out cold, then returned to the administrator desk to eat his own food.

About an hour later, he heard shuffling from the second floor, a shower somewhere went off, and Somer eventually came down the stairs while munching on bacon drizzled with the syrup intended for the pancakes. He cleared his throat, "How'd your first group go?"

Cain started to move to let Somer sit in the main chair, but he just sat on a bench by the side instead, so Cain sat back down, "Almost perfect, there were only a couple questions I couldn't answer. I take it you intended to have me take over from the start?"

Somer gave a dry laugh, "Not really, and I was planning to drink my ass off whether you were there or not. Either way, I didn't expect you to outdrink me, It's like you're already made of stone," he chuckled at his own joke as he stuffed a pancake in his mouth. "By the way, I certainly am jealous of you youngsters; the reason you didn't get a hangover is that all the alcohol in that place is infused, which means your soul laps it up like candy."

"Which explains why I feel even better than before. So I can drink without getting a hangover every day after work, and it's even healthy for me. This certainly is shaping up to be Heaven."

Somer snorts and nearly chokes on a piece of bacon, "Hah! Don't compare this place to that stuffy cloud. Angels are all work and no play; even if they want to drink, none of them can hold their liquor to save their life. They all either start bawling or start falling asleep as soon as a drop touches their tongue."

Cain nodded and started asking about the questions he couldn't answer. He spent the rest of the day with Somer showing him the ropes, which was just sitting there and waiting for new arrivals, then explain and answer questions. Sadly at the end of the day, Somer did not go to drink with him since he did not want to be hungover every single day. The drunkards still welcomed Cain warmly; they were quick friends since he could drink.