A Few Drinks Later [Social]

[Hirosame]

Looks like Saeko was gonna have a drinking buddy. Hiro and @dindeen were just leaving the Underground of London, on their way to meet up with Saeko at a local bar, which just so happened to be Saeko's favorite. Hiro didn't feel weird at all about taking someone else to a bar that he frequented with Saeko, and not actually drinking while there. The cool thing about going with another person was that it wouldn't just be Hiro and Saeko there, and people wouldn't just assume that it was those two on a date, like people normally did. It bothered the absolute hell out of Saeko, but even more so when Hiro played along with it. He would always wrap an arm around the swordswoman, and jokingly whisper in her ear. She'd always throw a fit whenever he did that, and she'd immediately distance herself from him, which lasted only about three seconds, and she'd tote him to the booth they always take.

"So, don't mind Saeko when she's drunk." Hiro began, turning to Caer. "She gets a little violent with her speech when she's wasted." Hiro smiled and chuckled a bit, mentioning this. He turned his head back forward. "She becomes a party girl when that happens, so it'll be almost a complete 180 from how she normally acts. Don't feel bad about laughing." He looked back at Caer again, his demeanor shifting to a more joking and childish one. "Although, I'm kinda curious as to how you'd end up when drunk, Caer. Hope you don't become a hassle for me." He put a hand on her head, and pushed down on her a little. "I'd hate to be the one to explain to Kumori why I'm bringing you back drunk." He lifted his hand of the girl's head, and continued to walk at a normal pace. "We're almost there, anyways. Not much further." Hiro returned his gaze to the road, and looked to the left at the bar. "Right here." He said, holding the door open to let the fun-sized Samurai in.

Upon entering, Saeko sat up in the booth on the right side of the bar, and waved them both over. She positioned herself so that she was facing the door. It was, of course, at their usual booth. Just before they entered, she was bored out of her mind. She had to explain to the barkeep that she was waiting on people to show up. He joked about her showing up with Hiro, to which her face bloomed red and she denied immediately. She sat down, after having told the barkeep that it wasn't just going to be just her and Hiro tonight. They had a guest to come along with them, so nobody could jab at them, saying they were a couple anymore tonight. Saeko smiled, seeing Caer's face, as Hiro walked them both over. Saeko scooted to the side and let Hiro sit beside her, and she greeted her fellow Samurai. "Hey, Caer!" She said, warmly. "Good to see you again." Taking a sip from the glass in front of her, she was already drinking. Classic Saeko.

Hiro looked over at Saeko, who only gave him a death glare. A cold bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he chuckled nervously. "I thought I told you to let me know if you were going somewhere, Hiro." Saeko began, viciously. She continued to glare at him, as he didn't speak. He was a little too scared to by this point, really. She sighed, and looked ahead again, taking another sip. "Whatever, it's not really that important. So, Caer. What were you and stupid here up to today?"

Hiro looked over at her. "Didn't you just ask me that same question?"

Without turning to face Hiro, Saeko responded. "You didn't answer quick enough. Besides, I don't know if you'd spout any kind of lie about what you did. If you got hit or something, you'd likely hide it from me."

"Aww, so you we're worried about me, Saeko~." Hiro taunted.

Saeko almost choked on her drink, and her face turned red immediately. "Sh-shut up! I don't have to worry about you at all, moron! You can look out for yourself, geez!" She turned back towards the window, and looked outside for a few moments. She gazed over at Caer, and asked again. "So, what'd you guys do today? Seriously?" Hiro was about to say something, and Saeko immediately put her hand up to his mouth. "I'm asking Caer. You can wait."

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 89 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Quick Slot: Nótthrafn (Night Raven) Pet: ---
WC: 255	Tags: Hirosame	Skills: Skill name

Ohhh boy. Did Hirosame know what trouble he was getting himself into? Probably not, but the most able of adventurers were ready for almost anything, and so he’d probably be ready for a drunk Caerbannog too. As for the samurai, she did notice that the day was getting a bit late and she’d been gone from the guild for a while, so she sent a quick message to Kumori: Getting drunk with friends!

All the way to the pub, a place which the samurai did not know about for she’d only ever remembered Land’s End, and other pubs were nameless to her, the wolf-hair hopped and skipped like a child heading to the candy store. She was not going to have anything appropriate for children though, and if this happened in the real world, she’d probably get carded. But this was Elder Tale and she was with a guy who looked like an adult, and so Caer got into a place that was not for little children.

“Saeko-sama!” the samurai suddenly stood to attention when she walked into the booth and noticed the other samurai there.

The very formal honorific was accompanied by a straightening of the girl’s back and arms down her sides, as if she was in the presence of her commander. So when Saeko began with the questioning, the wolf-hair answered as if she was barking out a report to her superior.

“To the Londinium Undergrounds, Ma’am!” was her reply, with her chin up and her posture rather rigid, “Wrecked kobold faces with assassin Tessia!”

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 385	Tags: Hirosame, @dindeen	Skills: Skill name

She was going drinking? Again? he thought as he read the message. He sighed loudly, looking at his workload that he had left. All of the things he had left to do were menial and easily done. What he really wanted to do was go drink with his girlfriend… that and make sure she didn’t get herself into too much trouble. It wasn’t that she made bad choices in friends and had reason to distrust them… it was the fact that he couldn’t trust his girlfriend to make good decisions while drunk. She would never cheat on him, he knew that for sure, but he also knew that she may do things that could kick her out of every bar in the city.

He made his way towards where his girlfriend was. When he was in the main part of town where all the bars were, he noticed the dot that showed where his friends were, and bee-lined into the bar. He waved to the owner. Yes, Ryuu had been to pretty much every bar in town, since he was a connoisseur of drinking. The bartender knew his name, but they weren’t on a first name basis. That was reserved for the bar closest to the Abbey, since that was their new guild house. “Let me start off with an ale-style beer… We’ll get to the scotch later,” he said to the bartender. The bar tender nodded his head and went to get his order ready.

After the order was made, Ryuu walked behind Kyuu and covered her eyes. He then turned her around and kissed her before she could react out of embarrassment. He would then remove himself from her lips and uncover her eyes so that she could see that it was him. “Hey cutie,” he said to her. He then looked at the girl, who was probably in shock, and the guy who he knew as Hirosame and nodded towards the monk. “Hope you don’t mind if I join in. Caer said she was drinking, so I figured I’d keep my eye on her to make sure she stays out of trouble,” he said as he winked at the other couple. “Besides… a double date is more interesting than just having a third wheel, don’t you think?” he asked the other two.

[Hirosame]

"Hmmmm?" Saeko made a questioning sound, as she slowly turned to Hiro, who nodded without a second thought at the mentioning of having gone into the Underground to do some fighting. "Well, I hope you both had some fun while you were there." Hiro could feel the daggers being stared right into him, but he didn't falter. He just sat there, without making so much as a movement. On the inside however, he was freaking out. Saeko was going to kill him for that, since there was another female involved. He had no idea why Saeko was so defensive of Hiro when it came to other women, but he could only imagine that it had to do with the fact that she didn't have many other friends. Maybe she didn't want to have a friend stolen away by someone else. But why would Hiro let such a thing happen? And more importantly, why did Saeko think such a thing could even begin to happen? Then again, this was all speculation from Hiro's point of view.

Hiro made no motion as Kumori started to walk into the bar. He probably would be here for @dindeen, without being noticed. So, he just continued the conversation. "Yeah, we just fought some Kobolds down in the Underground, it was really nothing too spectacular." Hiro tried to explain it in a calm and orderly fashion, but Saeko soon after exploded.

"Oh, then I suppose that that girl you were with wasn't too spectacular either, huh?" Saeko slammed her drink on the table, and leaned towards the monk. "Or, maybe you just think that all the girls who approach you aren't very spectacular, huh?!"

"Hey, hey, ease back, Saeko!" Hiro said, putting his hands up in between he and the swordswoman. He leaned back as she leaned towards him. "I'm just saying the quest itself wasn't too spectacular! Nothing about any girls!"

"Oh, so then that girl WAS pretty spectacular, huh!?" Saeko's face was lightly flushed. She was already getting drunk. The Samurai re-positioned herself in the booth, and took another swig from the glass she had before herself. It was at about this time that Kumori had pulled his little stunt, to which the Monk and Samurai duo widened their eyes to. Hiro laughed a bit, but Saeko just sat there, staring. Was this the kind of greeting a girl was supposed to get from her boyfriend? Did this kind of thing happen a lot, and catch the girl off guard like this? And calling her "cutie" when you finally say hello? What was this? And why was Hiro laughing at this?! This is a touching moment! You're not supposed to laugh at something like this! Saeko puffed out her cheeks at the Monk, and began to take another drink from her glass, when Kumori said the trigger words of the night. Saeko started to cough and choke repeatedly.

"Whoa, Saeko, you alright?" Hiro asked, wrapping an arm around her, and holding onto her hand.

"D-D-DOUBLE DATE!?!" Saeko cried. "N-N-No, not such a thing happening here! We just- I-I-I mean, I just invited Caer out to get a few drinks, and Hiro just came along because they were doing a quest together today! That's all! No dates here!" Saeko was laughing nervously, when she noticed the presence of Hiro's arm around her and his hand holding her's. She snapped back to reality, and pushed Hiro away from her. "Let go of me! I'm f-f-f-fine, Baka!" Saeko shouted, and crossed her arms. She started looking the other way, out the window, with her face purely flushed. She felt a hand touch the top of her head, and turned around to see Hiro fixing her hair a bit. She grumbled, and stood up. "BARKEEP! GONNA NEED ANOTHER FEW DRINKS HERE!" She sat back down nervously, and looked down at the table, waiting for the drinks to arrive.

Hiro chuckled a bit at Saeko, to which she shot an evil glare. "See? Even you can be cute sometimes, Saeko." Hiro said, half jokingly. He turned to Kumori and Caer, ignoring Saeko's stammering fit. "Please, join us, Kumori. It's been a while since we've talked." Hiro held out his hand next to Caer, motioning for the Assassin to take a seat. Hiro took a swig of his drink, which was nothing more than a soda by this point. Hiro didn't drink in the other world, nor would he start in this world, too. He'd seen enough from Saeko to know that he'd avoid it. As he assumed that Kumori took the seat near his waifu girlfriend, Hiro wanted to begin a small conversation. "So, how's things been since Mayahuel? I see you've progressed pretty far in levels since then, totally beating me in that sense. But, anything new from either of you as of late?" This would be a good chance to talk to the two of them while they're both here. And, while Saeko was remaining quiet.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 89 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Quick Slot: Nótthrafn (Night Raven) Pet: ---
WC: 250	Tags: Hirosame Kumori	Skills: Skill name

Private Caerbannog was relieved when her commanding officer Saeko believed her report, which was more or less the truth anyway. Now she would not have to spend the night all alone in a deserted barracks in the woods, with just stale bread and a cup of badly-brewed beer... no wait, this isn’t the place for a fanfic. Back to Elder Tale! Just when the wolf-hair thought that she could relax and have a drink, the lights went out.

“EEEEEE?!” she flailed, knowing that there was only one person who would dare do that to her.

Well, it could very well be a complete stranger, or the dwarf. The latter was not tall enough to cover her eyes completely though. Maybe he stood on a chair? But anyway, the hands covering her eyes did not feel stubby and dwarfy, so it could only be THAT person. She was not exactly sure but all signs pointed to- suddenly, a kiss. Yep, definitely THAT person.

“BAKARYUUUUUU!” Caer exclaimed when the cover on her eyes was removed.

She’d all but forgotten that they were in the presence of other people, and perhaps it would have been better if she did. Once Caerbannog’s attention went back to Saeko and Hiro, she realized that there were other people around them too. Both samurais were similar in some ways, especially with their personalities. Though there was one thing that differentiated them. While Saeko pouted and denied things, Caerbannog...

“WAAAA! BAKARYUU KISSED ME IN PUBLIC! EMBARRASSING!”

Caerbannog bawled.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 320	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

Ryuu forgot that Kyuu hated public display of their affection. Well… he actually remembered, but never cared for it because he had a way to defuse these situations quickly. He simply called the barkeep and asked for a large bowl of ice cream. “Mint chocolate chip, please…” he nodded to the keep, and then he looked towards the other two. “So… do you guys want ice cream?” he asked them courteously. After they gave their answers, he nodded towards the barkeep to put in their orders. While they waited for the ice cream to come, he patted Kyuu’s head in a fashion to calm her down. “Don’t worry… this happens all the time,” he said to Saeko and Hirosame. “The trick is to get her her favorite ice cream, then she’ll be okay,” he winked at them. He introduced himself formally to the other samurai and nodded. He felt a bit out of place, seeing how the other three were all tanks, but… well, it didn’t matter.

“My name is Kumori… I’m Caerbannog’s boyfriend… as you can tell, she’s still not used to being my girlfriend, but she will eventually,” he reassured her. The word “bakaryuu” did not faze him. Sadly enough, he had gotten so used to being called baka, that he decided not to care about it anymore.

From the interactions of the other couple, though, it was obvious that Saeko liked the monk, but had a hard time showing it. Ryuu could only smirk at her reaction. “It’s not easy, letting someone get to know you, to get to know every bit of you… but what I can tell you is that while it may be scary in the beginning… it because something like a dream when you do. Hirosame’s a good guy… and I know he’s more than capable of keeping you safe,” he winked towards Saeko, “you shouldn’t hold yourself back if you like him,”

[Hirosame]

Hiro was actually not that sure as to why Saeko was trying to hide it, anyways. It was clear as day that she felt something for him, and that she was just too tsundere to put it into words, or if she's just too shy to say it herself. He figured that he'd just let her go without saying anything, since she seemed to be happy as she was. Although, since Kumori was making a note of it now, Hiro turned to Saeko with a soft smile. Saeko's returning expression was just as he thought it would be. Her face was bright red, all across her cheeks and nose, and her mouth was agape. She was stuttering and attempting to finish words, but she couldn't manage to. Eventually, Saeko gave up, and looked down at the table, fidgeting in the booth. Her mouth was completely closed, because she knew that Hiro was here, too. She couldn't really hide it much longer, but she'd do her best to stall for time. With that, she just sat there, and said nothing.

Hiro scooted over a bit, and put his arm around the swordswoman, to which she turned her head sharply at him. It wasn't a face of disgust, but more of shock and surprise. He only smiled at her, and winked. This caused her to stammer again, and stare back at the table. She immediately took her glass, but had only just remembered that it was empty when she went to take a drink of it. Embarrassed even more so now, Saeko started to get a bit angry. "H-Hey, wait a minute!" She began. "I-I-I-I just want to get a drink! Barkeep!!" She looked around for the bartender, but couldn't see him anywhere. Hiro chuckled a bit at Saeko's confusion, but also the fact that she didn't attempt to push him away from her. In all actuality, she started to lean into him a little, despite her blooming red face. Her eyes were still wide and all, but she seemed to be comfortable. This was actually a bit surprising, to say the least, on Hiro's end. Saeko wasn't usually this open to things.

He turned back to Kumori and @dindeen, as the other couple were sitting casually, probably looking over at the two. "Nah, I'm good. Ice cream before a drink isn't really a good combination." He stated at the question. "What about you, Saeko?" Turning to the female at his side, she only cringed a bit and shrunk down. A small, silent squeak came from her, not even attempting to speak by this point. Hiro laughed a little, and returned his gaze to the others. "Looks like she just wants the drink to arrive. She'll probably be fine for now." Speaking for her seemed to be the best option right now, since she was less likely to say anything for the time being. Far too embarrassed, for sure. So, it would probably be best to just let things go on without much else happening. It was about then that he noticed Saeko holding onto his shirt with her right hand, pinching the fabric. Maybe that was why she was so incredibly embarrassed? Nah, can't be. Only a second later, Saeko scooted a few inches closer to the monk, and leaned against him just a little more. It looked, from the outside, like she was getting used to it, but she was just getting impatient, waiting for the barkeep to arrive. She was going to need a lot of alcohol tonight.

[Deleted]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 3MP every 5s	Caerbannog :: Level 89 :: Samurai :: Aeryn Armor: Charcoal Ooyoroi with Pitch-black Yukata masked with Zankapfel Main Weapon: Nóttúlfr (Night Wolf) with Mitsuho and Black Star Quick Slot: Nótthrafn (Night Raven) Pet: ---
WC: 255	Tags: Hirosame Kumori	Skills: Skill name

A waiter or two who passed by with the orders from other tables turned to look at the group of adventurers when what seemed to be a child in their midst bawled and cried her eyes out. She continued to cry until the assassin beside her called for her favourite ice cream to be served. Caerbannog’s cries turned to sobs, and then to whimpers, and finally she stopped crying when the sweet item was served to her. She glared at the young man when he patted her head, but ice cream distracted her from that. Still very upset with Bakaryuu’s embarrasing display of affection, the wolf-hair stuffed her face full of ice cream while hoping that no one would ask her any personal questions.

Caerbannog soon noticed that Saeko had grown quiet and that the other samurai too seemed to be feeling uneasy about something. The fact that the monk and Saeko were getting strangely close to each other flew right over Caer’s head, and she only thought that the other samurai needed some ice cream too. The wolf-hair pushed her bowl of frozen dessert, or whatever was left of it, over to Saeko but she did not say a word. But at that point, she noticed that Ryuu was winking a lot at other people; Kyuu did not like that at all.

“Hey, stop that,” Caer glared at the assassin again but this time, it was accompanied by a cold spoon to his cheek... only because the samurai had intended to poke his eye but she missed terribly.

[Tobin]

(OOC: Nice thread you have there, it would be a shame if dwarf happened to it)

Word count: 250

A broad finger slid along the rim of his tankard as his hazy stare peered into the mysteries beyond the void, a galaxy nestled in each bubble. Some remained firm on the glass surface, content to cling to the clear surface and exist for all eternity. Others peeled away and floated up to the surface away from the point of origin and burst upon being exposed to the air, releasing the carbon dioxide contained within each crafted ball. A shrug was accompanied by scooping the tankard up, taking a deep draft of the rum before he set it down, already new universes taking shape within the contents of the glass.

-Pretty powerful stuff. Last time I remembered havin’ this was in fudge in the real world.-

Of course, the dwarf wasn’t drinking for any random reason fully aware of Caer and another couple, then Kumori enter the bar a short while ago and since then he had resided there, remaining hidden in plain sight masquerading as a Dwarf Lander. Or maybe they had noticed him and have chosen not to notice him willingly. In any case Just Tobin had chosen to adopt a new, radical, and frankly terrifying tactic to keep it that way.

The dwarf chose to remain silent for the entirety of this post, and let things proceed naturally. There was nothing more disruptive then a silent dwarf!

-I will let them all be for now. It’s only so much this author can allow me to reuse gags-

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 138	Tags: Tobin, @dindeen, Hirosame	Skills: Skill name

Ryuu was winking a lot apparently, and that had caused Caer to put her wet and cold spoon on his cheek. His face moved back as a reaction to it. He was shocked, slightly, and was told to stop. Ryuu raised his hands and shrugged, unsure of what he just did that was wrong. He took the spoon from her and stole a spoonful of ice cream from the bowl. “If you play with your food, don’t blame me if you lose it too,” he snickered and went to go for another scoop of ice cream.

He looked over at the corner only to see a familiar dwarf. Well, he turned away, trying feign ignorance. He wasn’t sure how long that would last… but knowing the dwarf… it wouldn’t take long… that is if he didn’t notice already.