Wine is Cheering
- Eldric demands to know what Briony was doing talking to a wave, and Briony asks him again and again to promise not to tell anyone.
- He promises, as he has all the times before, and Briony tells him that she has second sight. She tells him that she was talking to an Old One when she was talking to the wave—then, to confuse Eldric even further, Briony explains that another Old One called the wave on her.
- Eldric notices that Briony is cold and goes off to get her something to drink and eat; while he is gone she wonders who would have tried to hurt or kill her.
- Eldric returns with wine and bread, still angry at Briony. When she asks why he is angry he tells her it's because she didn't tell him and he feels betrayed.
- This is the part where Eldric doesn't use his brain so Briony has to put the pieces together for him. Wasn't he present for Nelly's trial and hanging? Briony implies to him that if people suspected her abilities she would probably have the same fate.
- After a long silence, Briony brings up his make-out session with Leanne while she waited for him. Eldric, who probably wants to avoid this conversation more than a root canal, says he was embarrassed that she saw him.
- When he starts to explain his weird situation with Leanne (basically, he doesn't like her very much when he's not with her but he can't resist her in person), Briony asks to write about him and Leanne while he explains it in hopes of uncovering the truth of their situation.
- What Briony writes (a summary): Leanne is a Dark Muse that is making Eldric ill by forcing him to make his little fidgets. She is jealous of Briony so she tried to kill her with Mucky Face.
- Eldric does not believe this story—prideful man that he is, he believes that he is too smart to be put under someone's spell. This causes him to become angry with Briony and call her a liar.
- After a while, he apologizes and points out that Cecil is romantically lurking and staring at her. Briony makes a joke about the romantic lurking—obviously she's not into his creepy behavior.
- The wine they have been drinking makes Briony feel bold enough to ask Eldric if he's gone all the way with Leanne. He denies it, but starts to become embarrassed when Briony asks about other girls in his past.
- They talk around the subject of sex awkwardly and flirt for a little before Eldric decides Briony has had too much wine and it's time to go.
- Eldric walks her home and sneaks her into her house; she falls asleep still in Eldric's coat.
- When she wakes up, Briony has a hangover and is embarrassed to remember all she said and did the night before. She remembers asking Eldric for a kiss and feels sick to her stomach.