voice; "oh in my agony i do retreat"

[garyoutensei]

-The first sound anyone hears is some kind of fluid sloshing about in a container, the distinct hollow "pop" of a cork being removed, and several long, thick gulps. This is quickly followed by a sigh, a clearing of the throat, and smacking of the lips...

When Baiken speaks, her words are pretty badly slurred. She's been at it for a bit.-

I haven't dressed nice in goddamn *years*... If I wasn't interested in meeting this so called Empress myself, I wouldn't normally give a shit if some bouncer enforcing a dress code showed me out. I've never given a shit before.

But I'm being told it's required. Because of course it is. The rich and powerful are always like that, enforcing their rules and standards of conduct on people as a means of excising their own power.

You'll dress how I tell you to dress. You'll speak how I tell you to speak. If you don't, you're "uncivilized". But make no mistake, you can put a pretty bow on the common masses and they'll still look down on you. Tch...


-Another several gulps. Another cough. Another sigh.-

Whatever. We're either gonna be arrested as soon as we show up and treated like enemies of the state, used for political posturing, or both. And if we don't show up, they'll find a way to get us to show up. People like that always do.

... I need more sake...

-The voice feed cuts off at that point.-

Comments

[witchwithoutacause]

Okay, I think... I can probably narrow down the towns at least.

[garyoutensei]

See? I knew you were smarter than you looked.

[witchwithoutacause]

Still means I'll find you the next morning when you're hungover and stuff.

[garyoutensei]

Sounds like a bad time for you, then.

[witchwithoutacause]

Yeah, mostly for me.

[garyoutensei]

... Fine.

-To her moogle.- Suzu, send the girl my location.

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Wow she's lonely isn't she? ]

Morag. Um. ...figure that out for me?

[ Her own moogle partner grumbles in response. ]

[garyoutensei]

-She was, but if Amanda knew what was good for her, she'd keep that thought to herself.-

Hopefully there's still some of this left by the time you arrive...

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Not a peep.

Morag didn't actually hear the conversation, and Amanda still kinda had to ditch her, but she shows up before Baiken's finished, strolling in like she belongs here, scanning for Baiken, and strolling on over. ]

[garyoutensei]

-Baiken had been given a corner all her own to brood in. It wasn't as if they got much business out there in the sticks, anyways. And she was a Swordmaster, so they knew she'd buy up all the sake they had if she could get away with it. And by the amount of bottles on the table, she almost had...-

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Well she's easy to find.

Amanda makes her way over pretty casually, but she's actually a smidge intimidated, both by the Brooding Baiken Corner and by her alcohol consumption. Amanda's just an underage rapscallion back home, she hasn't had time to get deep into alcohol tolerance. ]

Man, you really need someone to drink with.

[garyoutensei]

And why do you think that? -Baiken rolled her neck, lazily glancing in Amanda's direction as she takes another long gulp from her cask.-

[witchwithoutacause]

Just brooding with that much can't be healthy.

[ Sitting herself down, she looks at the bottles. ]

'course if you don't care about that then I can't judge.

[garyoutensei]

Do I look like I care about it?

-... Loaded question, probably.-

[witchwithoutacause]

Not particularly...

[ Except she probably has a lot of practice looking like she doesn't care about things she cares about.

Amanda grabs a bottle cautiously. ]

[garyoutensei]

Careful with that stuff, by the way... It'll knock a kid like you on their ass.

[witchwithoutacause]

I can handle myself.

[ By taking a pretty big swig and trying not to cough. ]

[garyoutensei]

-Yeah, Amanda gets a pretty disbelieving cock of Baiken's eyebrow.-

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Amanda pulls the bottle away maybe tearing up a little, shut up. ]

...okay, okay, mostly, just gimme a sec.

[garyoutensei]

You got more balls than brains, kid. Definitely less brains, now. -A chuckle.-

[witchwithoutacause]

Heard it.

[ Including the 'less brains' part although that was usually related to falling off something and smacking her head off of something else. ]

[garyoutensei]

Sit down before your ass hits the floor, kid.

[witchwithoutacause]

[ Amanda pulls a chair up, sitting down with a mild pout. ]

Yeah, yeah, I'm not gonna fall over just yet.

[garyoutensei]

Gotta admit, I didn't expect you to survive that first gulp.

[witchwithoutacause]

Gotta have more faith! And gimme a sec to let it actually hit me.