Both Tae'loren and Aeo'leth allowed the dwarf his fun. They had performed similar jokes with one another back when both were young, brash, brazen, and inexperienced. They also knew Elariel and that she needed a good joke to lighten the severity of the situation to help her focus. Many inexperienced individuals would claim that humor has no place in a stressful situation, but in truth it builds confidence in those involved, creating a stronger bond. Not that they didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, but they were confident in their success, and confidence, as well as laughter, is contagious. That was why both the night elves burst into laughter along with the dwarf. Seeing Elariel so flushed, Tae'loren reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.<br/><br/>"Aeo'leth and I will likely be down in the courtyard entertaining the troops with combat. You are beautiful and brilliant, Elariel, so you need to ponder and consider the situation. Aeo'leth and I rely on out instinctual muscle memory of our bodies, and we will need to remind them how they will need to work." They shared a smile, which grew when the server arrived with their dwarven beverages.<br/><br/>Both Tae'loren and Aeo'leth began to gulp at the drinks, Tae'loren pausing when he saw concern on Elariel's face. "No, we won't be drunk while fighting, just intoxicated enough to lower our inhibitions and challenge our timing and reflexes. We once had a duo of human and dwarf drunken combat masters visit us at our old barracks, and they covered the floor with us. They told us that the only purpose alcohol serves is to remove fear and make purpose more apparent. Ever since then, we don't engage in true combat intoxicated, but we do practice intoxicated, on occasion, to remind us of our purpose and that we must succeed."<br/><br/>Rising, Tae'loren kissed Elariel on the cheek then turned to leave with Aeo'leth. To say they two thought they would have complete success would be a gross lie. What Tae'loren had said was only part of what was said to him and Aeo'leth; The duo had also told them alcohol serves to blind our mind from the monsters one becomes or must become to serve a purpose. Tae'loren and Aeo'leth needed to become those monsters once more.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>