This drink didn't attack his senses like whatever Luke had downed during their last encounter-- this was smoother, less vicious as he swallowed.  It still burned, leaving a tingle down his throat and spreading through his chest, but the fire was teasing, a caress versus a punch.  A better drink for conversation, or at least to be less drunk.<br/><br/>Neither man was good at talking, it seemed, but at least Eddy didn't mind his company...  and Luke was happy to stay.  Then Eddy turned his sketchbook and pushed it closer to him, and Luke blinked in surprise.  He hadn't planned on asking to see, knowing firsthand that artists of all kinds liked their privacy, but the silent offer was greatly appreciated.  To Luke, it showed a level of trust, at least a small bit, and he happily latched on.<br/><br/>The boy waited for the gesture of allowance, then carefully thumbed through the pages, keeping his drink well away to avoid spilling.  There were lots of little sketches, beginnings where the lines and shapes were just barely started, and more that were further formed...  Still lifes, scenes of the bar and the familiar items within, all layed out in careful, sometimes hesitant attempts.<br/><br/>The bar was dark, dreary almost, but there was a comfortable sensation buried in the shadows, and the bottles were rendered in a nearly dreamlike way, the reflections twisting and turning.  A cat showed up, a surprise that made Luke smile when he saw its regal face.<br/><br/>There were many sketches of creatures, beings barely to be called human.  Things with curling horns, maws gaping wide and brimming with fangs, coiled and malformed bodies, all writhing and hissing and shrieking...  Painful to look at, like the corpse, but there was more anger and resentment, not just defeat.  Luke gave them each a steady gaze, eyes wandering and finding things to inwardly praise even with the most frightening of the drawings.  He gave them all respect and admiration, gentle as he turned the pages to the next.<br/><br/>When done, he looked up and gave Eddy another small smile, warmed and loosened by the bourbon.  "These are beautiful...  Thank you for letting me take a look."  He carefully closed the sketchbook and slid it back towards the bartender, then took another sip of his drink to savor the taste.<br/><br/>It was slightly bitter, like all alcohol to him, but Luke felt the bitterness also in the drawings.  Eddy was upset, frustrated with a lot of things, and even if Luke was certainly not someone to talk to about them-- he was just a stranger after all-- the drawings said a lot more than silence did.  And he felt secretly flattered to have been allowed a peek into the other man's mind, even if just for a few minutes and only on paper.<br/><br/>"I took a couple art classes, when I was in college.  I really liked it, but I, uh, I haven't kept up."  Now Luke was just blabbing, filling in the quiet because he wanted to stay longer, to sit there and learn more about this strange man, but he didn't want to scare him off with direct questions... Maybe if they just slowly chatted, things would unfold.