Ring in the Brew Year [EVENT, Closed DUO] [Kazuko, Elkeid]

[Kazuko]

As the evening shifted rapidly into the early night, the sounds of the party shifted once more to the local brewers opening their stalls to sell their products to adventurer and NPC alike. The young fox girl, Kazuko, was one of the many people walking down the streets to look at the vendors. However to this girl it was more than having fun and relaxing this was also part of the work she gave herself upon awaking here in this land. Holding a feather quill in her small right hand, her other carrying a few pieces of parchment Kazuko would scribble a few notes on of the parchments before flipping through the others behind to check something.



This was because Kazuko, being a shrine maiden in training and a priestess, took it upon herself to help run the festival that was currently underway in the streets of London. Now the system, or whatever it was that was here may have controlled a lot of the events happening, but it was up to a few people like Kazuko who would go around and make sure everything was progressing smoothly for everyone to have a good time. This included making sure events were on time, people were where they needed to be for them, and that merchants had everything they needed for those times when their stalls were supposed to be open. The workload was pretty busy and the small girl didn’t get a lot of time to enjoy the festival like the others, but it was fine because running logistical work like this so others could enjoy it carried its own fun too.



Making her way down the street again Kazuko placed the feather tip to her lips as she glanced to either side at the brewers selling their goods. Everything seemed to running smoothly enough for now as she wrote a few more things down on her sheet resting on top of the small stack in her left arm. ‘Maybe I should take a few minutes and see if I can find something I can use back at the church.' Kazuko thought to herself as the girl started moving closer to the booths and shifting her parchments in her hand. Everything had been running alright so far so a few minutes to stop at some of these brew stands shouldn’t hurt anything, not to mention that tasting some of the craftsmanship here could be considered part of the tasks she was responsible for in helping everyone else have a good time.



Greeting each brewer she met with a practiced smile Kazuko would greet herself to each of the merchants before talking them up about the festival. After asking them how their business was going and if they needed anything the small girl asked for a small sample to taste before bring it to her lips and pausing a moment in thought. “It’s really good, keep up the good work. Let me know if you need anything and I’ll keep in mind later when I can buy something." Kazuko would say politely to each of the brewers before moving on down the row to make sure she got everyone.





((Kazuko is currently hiding fox-tail features so to others she would look like a human girl instead of Fox-Tail))

[Elkeid]

'Chinese New Year's, eh? I forgot all about that.'

Those were the first thoughts to spring into Elkeid's head that morning, when she had first heard the ruckus on out the street. Several players - most of whom were noticeably Woodcrafters - had set up shop out on the streets, and were busy hammering away at pieces of flattened wood. As she had just been woken from her slumber, Elk had a mind to go out there and start busting heads, though that would have triggered the system and caused the guards to come after her. She would have rolled over and gone back to sleep, but the noise outside was too much for her to drown out by covering her head with her blankets.

As the day went on, the sounds only grew louder and louder, so there was no point in lying in bed all day. Things would only get noisier as the festivities really started up. Brooding all day because she had been rudely awoken wasn't going to solve anything. Not to mention the fact that she might scare away a few of the festival goers that would (hopefully) be stopping by the small stand she was supposed to be filling in for today. The brewer she was replacing had recently been PK'd, and had gathered a small group to help him track down the person responsible. Elkeid, who had had nothing planned for the next week or so, had overheard him expressing his worries about the festival, and volunteered to take his spot.

Now that she was actually sitting at the stall a few hours later, Elkeid started to feel some regret. The stalls had only just opened again, now that dinner and the show were done. A lot of the food was actually the edible stuff she remembered from before she was transported into the game, and not just ingredients or system generated food sprinkled with salt. It seemed that quite a few people had discovered that food could be made from scratch, and many of those people had shown up to show off their dishes and talent. Elkeid herself had filled up quite a bit on festival food, so now she felt a tad sleepy. Unfortunately, she would have to stay here and sell what she could of the man's stock before she could turn in.

Not many people wanted to sample the man's drinks, though, which Elkeid had discovered were largely generated by the system. The only drinks he'd made that were fit for consumption were the higher priced and handmade drinks, and people weren't so eager to pay for those. 'These are overpriced for their level, too.' Elkeid scowled a bit as she rolled up her sleeves, and began rummaging around for some equipment. She didn't have time to make something like beer, of course, but she could still mix a few drinks. Since it was a festival and a little warm from the excess of bodies, Elk decided to make a few iced drinks.

She would have to use her own materials to do so, but it would also help boost her crafting level. 'I hope that guy realizes that he's going to have to pay me a portion of his income for this.' And if he didn't? Well, she could break an arm or too, or just restrain him and bend his arm back until it threatened to snap. That last one would probably be better, as it didn't count as "combat."

Elkeid hummed a tune to herself as she began mixing a blend of sour mixture with a small bottle of Common Beverage in a shaker. She would add some British Snow to the little glasses she had set out in front of her once she was done mixing the drink (a little backwards, perhaps, but it worked well enough), and carefully pour the sour drink into the snow. It should come out to resemble something like a snow cone when she was done.

"Thank you for stopping by, young miss," a robust young voice called out.

Elkeid raised an eyebrow as she cocked her head to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the man whose voice had just cut through the babble of chatter amongst passing festival goers. She spotted him a second later, a large, muscular wolf tail who was waving to the back of a young girl. Despite the girl bearing the appearance of a young child, she was holding a piece of parchment and scribbling down on it with a quill, giving off a rather official air. Elkeid knew not to believe what she saw with her eyes; many people in this world had come in with their avatars, which were either tailored to suit their actual appearance, or altered to resemble a fictional character. This "girl" could very well be an adult with a child's avatar. 'And one that has some hand in running the festival, is my guess.' The other brewers were treating the girl with some respect, too.

After a moment of careful observation, Elkeid set her shaker aside to grab one of the bottles of higher priced drinks, and poured a little of it into a sampling cup for the girl. The bottle was labelled "Rusty Screwdriver," but Elk doubted it was anything as strong as an actual screwdriver. 'Alcoholic, sure. Just not enough to actually get you drunk.' It was probably only enough to get someone tipsy, at best. Of course, Elkeid was only truly considering herself and other adults who were capable of holding their liquor. She didn't take into mind how much that little glass could affect someone with little body weight or who was severely underaged.

Words:950

Muse:Troublesome Visitor

Notes:...I have no idea how I ended up with 900+ words.

Tags:Kazuko

made by benetnasch of ET

[Kazuko]

Seeing the end of the line of booths Kazuko reflexively relaxed her shoulders a bit as she approached the last brewer’s stand. One of the first things the girl noticed was this booth was being run by a female adventurer which had been rare to see if one would go down the row the small child had just been down. The other thing was that they already had a drink mixed up for when she sat down at one of the bar stools that were present. “Thank you very much ma’am." Kazu bowed slightly before taking the small glass of alcohol and taking a sip from it to catch the flavor. “It’s pretty good, I really like it. Not really bitter like some of the others I had to taste." She said with a small shiver at remembering the bitter taste of the beers that were offered as samples.

Setting her parchments down on counter she asked a simple question to the owner, “You don’t mind if I rest a bit here and look over some stuff, do you? Been a long day and I’m kind of tired." After waiting for the woman’s reply and if it was alright Kazu would spread the sheets out just in front of her so as not to take up the whole counter. Tapping the feather quill on her chin the young girl glanced at between several of the sheets containing information about the rest of the events for the festival. “Not sure how I’m supposed to run a fireworks show done by mages, I mean I’ve seen plenty with mom and dad but those weren’t magic ones…" She spoke softly muttering to herself before dropping her head on the counter and taking her almost forgotten glass in her left hand.

Up until now the young girl had been all over the grounds starting from early morning trying to make sure the woodcrafters had everything they needed to finish on time to start the festival events. Then there were the actual decorations that she got to actually help out with to increase her skills in crafting art pieces. The parade she had to admit didn’t remember much of since she had been backstage helping the dancers and musicians into their costumes, ‘I’m kind of sad I had to miss it everyone looked really beautiful from backstage' She thought to herself. The dinner and show had been fun and she got to have a bit to eat and rest since it happened on her break. ‘Everyone had so many different kinds of skills to put to use to entertain everyone, just like sis would do back home." Letting out a small sigh as she took another drink Kazuko unconsciously swirled the empty glass in her hand.

Finally there was the brewing event going on now where the town’s crafters of alcohol got together and sell their trade. Being only ten years old outside the game the girl had never had anything alcoholic and her first one had such a bitter taste she almost gagged but she managed to keep herself composed enough to make pleasant smiles at people. Then there was the booth she was at now where her drink actually tasted sweet and pretty good, although her head was starting to feel a bit lighter and felt heat flowing to her cheeks. “Hey, um would it be alright if I had another one of these?" She asked, speaking up and signaling the glass in her hand before setting it down in front of her and to the side so as not to mess up the forgotten papers she had. Shuffling around in her pockets Kazu pulled out a small coin purse and started counting the small bits of metal silently to herself before tying the bag closed and replacing it back into her pocket.

[Elkeid]

It took a bit longer for the young girl to reach Elkeid's stand, which was apparently the last one of its kind. 'In this location, it's no wonder my stem of customers has been so far.' It was more of an annoyance than an actual problem. By the time festival goers got down to where she was set up, they would either have what they were looking for in terms of liquor, or had their fill of free samples. 'It doesn't really matter since the guy I'm filling in for has such a shitty stock and overpriced inventory. No one in their right mind will buy this stuff when they can find something cheaper that tastes much better.' His brewing level was probably lower than hers was. 'I should have set up my own stand. I bet this guy can't even make a decent cocktail.'

Elkeid tore herself away from her internal grumbling as the girl came to a stop in front of her stall and thanked her for the sample before sitting down and making herself comfortable. The monk simply nodded down at the young girl, who seemed to be well mannered and as young as initially thought. 'And here I am, serving her alcohol.' Had this been the world they were born and raised in, she would have refused to serve the girl. Alcohol was not something that should be given to a child without the express consent of their parent or guardian, after all.

A slight twinkle of mischief came to the woman's eye instead. "I see you have a preference for cocktails. Because they are blended with fruit and often sweet or sour flavorings, they are easier to drink than plain gin or beer, which is generally bitter in taste." Elkeid wrinkled her nose in distaste. She could tolerate beer every now and then, but only if there was nothing better. The same went for plain vodka, whiskey, etc. Elkeid was a woman who had a fondness for colorful and fruity beverages. "Sure, go right ahead," she said when the girl asked for permission to sit down. She certainly looked as tired as she claimed, and Elk couldn't blame her. 'I wonder how many bad brews the poor thing had to sample tonight.' Probably too damn many.

When another customer came over to check out the stand, Elkeid helped him, though kept an observant eye on the girl, just in case someone lost control of their hands. While technically a non-combat zone, she could still handle rowdy or uncouth Adventurers. Luckily, no one was that drunk or stupid enough to try.

Elkeid, who had gone back to mixing the drinks she was working on earlier, was interrupted by the girl, who was requesting another drink. "Hm. How about I let you taste the one I'm working on right now? It will still be sweet, but a bit sour and cooler."

She then placed several things on the counter - a few pure juice extracts she had bought from a chef, and the shaker that was still full of liquor and the sour blend. She picked up one of the glasses and filled it halfway with some British Snow, and poured a bit of the mixture from the shaker into it. The snow melted a bit as the liquid was allowed to sit, and slowly rose to the top as Elk added in a bit of fruit extract from the bottles she had set out. These were sweet and tart fruit juices, like strawberries, raspberries and a bit of orange juice. The fruit and sour mix would cover up most of the unpleasant alcohol taste, and the snow would make the drink nice and cool after a hard day's work. Elkeid garnished the drink with a wedge of lemon and placed a tiny umbrella into the glass before sliding it over to the girl. "There you are, hon."

Words:651

Muse:Troublesome Visitor

Notes:Fwee~

Tags:Kazuko

made by benetnasch of ET

[Kazuko]

Kazuko nodded her head as she listened to the woman bartender who was working this stand. After the girl could tell that the woman had finished her story the young shrine priestess glanced through the papers a moment. “Yeah those sweeter ones definitely sound better than a lot of the ones I’ve had already had." She added politely, this was probably one of the better vendors she could’ve picked for alcohol and maybe if things went well this person wouldn’t mind being commissioned to make more when the girl opened her own shrine. Sadly that would still be a ways off though and more trials would have to be made for other arrangements but this person was nice enough to get the part.



As another customer entered the stall Kazuko made sure that enough of the counter was cleared of her work that the man could pick a seat somewhere. In addition to not wanting to take up a lot of space there was some statistics and notes she had that regular attendees weren’t really supposed to know, for example the owners of all the beer stands and their brewer levels from when they registered their site. Tilting her head slightly when it looked like the bartender was watching the new customer closely Kazuko drifted her eyes over to look at the man who took the stool next to her. “You know him or something?" She whispered to the woman across the counter. She wasn’t particularly concerned about any patrons at the festival doing anything due to the girl being on staff, still there were some creepy and weird people out there who might think they can take advantage of a small child. Big mistake though since Kazuko picked Purgatory Barrier for her first skill it would be all that was needed to subdue a pervert without provoking the town guards.



Returning her focus on the bartender as the young woman made up some more drinks Kazuko couldn’t help but smile at the sweet and fruity smells that already drifted over the counter towards her nose. “It smells so good and sweet!" She exclaimed lightly taking the glass when it was finished and tasted it with small sips. “Really good, thank you." Giving thanks for the beverage before taking a full swallow from her glass and returning it to the counter in front of her , not wanting to finish it too quickly. By this point Kazuko’s cheeks have taken on a much rosier color and she could feel the heat rising in her face to sit in her cheeks, combination of trying a little bit of every brewer’s craft and her small stature having never had alcohol was quickly bringing the young shrine maiden to inebriation. Spinning a little bit in her stool Kazuko eventually came back to a stop to take another drink from the glass in front of her, pausing briefly every now and then to either look at the contents or play with the umbrella before taking another drink until it was empty. “Thanksh, it was petty good." Kazuko thanked the woman again this time her voice coming out slightly slurred in her talking.



Releasing a breathy sigh Kazu placed her chin on the counter while fiddling with the empty glass in her hand. “Ohs, hey I wash wonderin if you’d be intereshtid in making more alcohol for a future project." She spoke up suddenly while lifting her head slightly from the counter. After hearing the woman’s response the young girl looked over to the side and began playing with the corner of the stack of papers. Meanwhile from her blind spot behind her the other customer began taking more and more quizzical looks at the as he sat in silence enjoying his beverage.


WORD COUNT: 628
MUSE: Flicking through random songs from Little Busters
NOTES: Kazuko so brunk right now

[Elkeid]

The little Shaman - a useful tidbit Elkeid had learned while checking the girl's basic information - really was a child. The woman didn't know many children who could stomach alcohol, but of the few she had seen, they usually gravitated towards the sweeter drinks, especially those that may have well been liquid candy. Elkeid once again felt that minor (no pun intended) detail of the girl's age poking her at the back of her mind. She was serving liquor to a minor, which was pretty much illegal in most countries. The woman just shoved that thought back. In many cultures it was perfectly fine and legal for a parent to allow their child to sip liquor, so in reality she was just cutting out the middleman. "Sweet things are my fav-"

The woman fell silent as a male customer joined them at the stall. She squinted at the man in suspicion. Something about him was definitely off, and even the girl could tell. Was he a spy, or a friend of the man she was filling in for, keeping an eye on her to make sure that she didn't run off with his stock or undersell the liquor. Elkeid lightly furrowed her brow as she took in the man's presence, and flicked her eyes back to the girl, who was now whispering in her direction. The woman lifted a hand to rub against her ear in agitation. The girl's low voice forced her to strain her still improving hearing, which made her feel a bit dizzy. This game really pissed her off at times, but not as much as its unwanted healing of her distorted hearing. "I know as much about him as you do," she said in a forcibly quiet voice. In this world, she had to be careful of her pitch when muttering about someone in secret.

She pressed the tip of a middle finger in the middle of her forehead and twisted it about, nodding down to the girl who was now enjoying her drink. "I'm glad to hear that you enjoy it. And what can I do for you, sir? What can I get you to drink?" The man jerked a bit in his seat, taking his eyes away from the young girl. Elkeid's eyes darkened as the man leaned forward and ordered a drink. Why the hell was he checking this young filly out for? He'd given her a few looks as well, but not the usual undressing of the eyes men (and the occasional woman) gave her. No; the looks he gave her were mere cursory ones, if that. She was just the woman at the bar to him, a worker he could dismiss with the bat of a hand. His true target was the girl slowly becoming intoxicated over there. 'This isn't good.'

Elkeid gave the man a curt nod. "Right away, sir." He flinched again when she spoke to him, and went back to playing with a party favor. She really did not want to serve this man, and would like him to leave at once, but he hadn't done anything that warranted a sharp kick to the ass - yet. The second he did, though… 'Guards be damned. I'm tossing his ass out like he's a javelin and I'm competing in the Olympics.'

What the man wanted was relatively simple, enough so that she only needed to empty half a bottle and garnish it with a single lemon for him. The fact that he knew that she was selling Screwdrivers was also a bit telling, though she supposed her "employer" had posted an ad somewhere.

'Oh God, what have I done?' The girl was slurring and spinning a bit in her seat. She was brunk beyond repair, and the male customer was eying her with an even keener interest than before. Just as Elk was starting to give the man the Evil Eye, the brunk little Shaman started speaking again, this time with a voice that was slurring more than before. Elkeid couldn't concentrate on the girl's words and glare at the man at the same time - not with her hearing. "A future project, you say? I wouldn't mind helping." Why she was bothering to humor the girl was beyond her. She probably wouldn't even remember what transpired here the next day.

There was a flurry of motion out the corner of her eye as the man - now bearing some rather obvious signs of the Wolf Hair class - reached over to the girl. His eyes were a light shade of blue, and two little tufts of ears were protruding from his head. "H-hey kid - I-I've got a future project for ya, r-r-right around the corner." The man had the nervous speech of a stutterer, but there was anger and lust in his tone and expression.

Elkeid slammed one palm on the countertop as she reached out to haul the man away from the girl, but found herself swiping the air in a blind panic. The contents of the man's cup had been tossed into her eyes, temporarily blinding her. "Bastard," she hissed as she wiped at her burning eyeballs. She was going to kill that sleaze ball once she could see again.

Words:877

Muse:Troublesome Visitor

Notes:Do yo' thang.

Tags:Kazuko

made by benetnasch of ET