high_seas | What happens in Deesuko Ballia...

Oh, I'm certain that my limits aren't that low!

[Said every newbie to drinking ever.]

Don't worry about me, Motochika-san. I just want to enjoy this beverage!

[She gestured over to the bartender.]

Make another one for the good captain!

[The bartender looked momentarily baffled, but served Motochika the same drink he served Kodachi, much to Motochika's amusement. Motochika took the glass and examined it from all angles before taking a drink.]

Not bad! Not bad at all!

[It certainly tasted more interesting than the beer he'd been drinking. It was a bit hard to tell how potent it was, though.]

You'll definitely have to watch yourself with these, though. I bet you could drink quite a few before it really hits you.

[So now Motochika and Kodachi were drinking girly drinks together at the bar. This was something that, no doubt, was inevitable.]

Not that I couldn't carry you back to the ship if worse comes to worse, but I'd rather not have to.

[Chocolate certainly made things much more exciting! Kodachi reached the bottom of her class, fishing out the cherry from underneath and popping it into her mouth.]

Oh, Motochika-san, you're so nice. ♥

[She was feeling nicely warm, and a little giddy. Her head was a little fuzzy too. Were these the effects of wine?]

Bartender, give me something else to try, and give the captain one too! Make it fun!

[And thus she received another drink, this time a fruity concoction with a paper umbrella on it.]

You know, Motochika-san, I'm kind of sad that I'm not doing anything for Valentine's Day . . . [She made an exaggerated sad face. Yes, she was getting a little buzzed.]

[Valentine's Day...that was when the cursed candy had appeared last year. Obviously a dangerous holiday and no doubt that danger would only be made worse if Kodachi was sad about it for some reason. They weren't likely to remember what she did to Eternal Bliss any time soon.]

Er...well...I'm sure we could find something to do...

["We" not referring to anyone in specific. He wasn't sure he wanted to get himself into whatever Kodachi might be planning.]

I hope so . . .

[She took a sip of her drink before eying Motochika's.]

You're not drinking!

[Motochika hastily gulped down more of the chocolate drink. Usually, he'd just shrug it off, but discussions of holidays related to love and romance were dangerous territory. He rather liked this island and having it burnt to the ground would put a damper on future visits.]

I was just taking a little break! Wouldn't want to gulp it all down and not, er, savor it properly!

[Kodachi nodded. That made sense to her, so she didn't question it.]

[She took a sip of her new drink. And more. She was getting a little lightheaded, and she slumped forward on the bar, her chin on the wood.]

What were we talking about again?

Er...you know, I don't quite recall...

[Except he did. He knew exactly what they were talking about and it was for the best of all the island to pretend that he didn't. Really, it would be best if she forgot about the silly holiday entirely, but he had a feeling that that was asking too much.]

So, uh, how's that new drink of yours? It seems, er, interesting...

It's nice, I got you one too, you should taste it, it's right there.

[She was beginning to talk in a sort of cheerful monotone, and she pointed to the glass with the umbrella on top right in front of him.]

Driiiiink.

Yes, ma'am!

[Since when did he start taking orders from Kodachi? Since it seemed like the wisest course of action to keep the island intact, he supposed.]

Er...perhaps you should stop after this one. Too much of a good thing and all that...

[He should probably put his foot down a bit more, but for all that Ragna insisted that Kodachi was a good kid, that didn't mean she was a harmless one.]

You think so?

[She pushed herself up from the bar and ended up leaning against him, giggling to herself as she twirled the paper umbrella in her fingers.]

[Valentine's Day was coming, and she needed to get married . . . Maybe getting drunk would help her get married . . .]

Yes, I believe I do.

[He did his best to steady her, which earned a round of whistles and applause from the assorted riffraff crowding the bar. Motochika wasn't really sure how he should take that. Really, he was more concerned with keeping Kodachi upright and out of trouble that involved burning down important things. Other sorts of trouble were, perhaps, a bit more acceptable.]

After all, you wouldn't want to get yourself too drunk to remember all the fun you're having here, eh?

[Please be having fun.]

Motochika-san . . .

[She barely heard the other people. It seemed that the liquor had gotten to her, and she gave Motochika something of a silly smile. It looked so odd for her to be so . . . inelegant.]

I'd have more fun if you were drinking too.

And if I were married already.

[And she just burst out laughing for no reason.]

[Really, she didn't need to tell twice to get back to drinking. Unfortunately, it only ended up meaning that he had something to choke on when she brought up marriage again. He slammed the glass back down on the counter and coughed until he could breathe properly again. Actually, longer than that because it gave him a chance to avoid addressing the whole marriage thing right away.]

You're that desperate to find a husband, eh?

[Except he went and opened his big, stupid mouth anyway. Good job, Motochika.]

[While she normally might've been offended at such a statement, she just nodded eagerly.]

Yes! My beauty is wasting away! Like a flower slowly losing its petals . . .

[She let out a sad sniff, followed by a hiccup. As a sixteen year old, she sounded like she was turning seventy instead of seventeen.]

[Motochika patted her back reassuringly, even a bit understandingly. She was of marriageable age, after all, and he wasn't really certain how those sorts of contracts worked in her time. As long as there was some sort of political advantage to the marriage, she'd probably have little trouble finding a husband in his world even if she was 20 years older. Perhaps things were different in her time.]

There, there. That's not something you need worry about at all. You're still quite lovely.

[There was, indeed, the Kuno wealth that made her desirable. However, her unhinged nature, as well as that of her brother's and her father's, might've made things less so.]

You think so, Motochika-san?

[She blinked up at him with wide eyes before she gave him a pleased smile.]

Bartender, more drinks for my captain, and for everyone in the bar! Make those drinks really good!

[This received a rousing cheer from the people who heard her. Which was everyone, because she wasn't exactly quiet.]

[It was a good thing Xun Yu was excellent at managing their budget and that they were generally very successful in finding treasure, because the amount of money they were probably going to end up spending on alcohol tonight would probably bankrupt lesser pirate crews. The bartender, at least, had the decency to fulfill the request with beer and not the fancier mixed drinks that Kodachi had grown attached to. Motochika, however, was served something in several startling layers of purple and pink. He stared at it, a bit perplexed. He wasn't aware that was possible.]

Er, yes, of course.

[Maybe he should drink the weird pink thing before continuing this conversation, but drinking it would mean he wouldn't be able to figure out how it worked.]

I would never lie about such a thing.

[It was also a good thing that Kodachi managed to hoard gems that they found from various islands - like those crystals from Anygrav Moon and those sapphires from Revenland. They sold for pretty pennies, and she had gotten as much as she could - mostly because they were pretty, but well, a little wealth couldn't hurt either.]

[Kodachi looked with interest at the pink and purple drink that he had.]

You're so sweet. ♥

What's that?

I...don't rightly know. It's pink.

[That was about all he could say for it. It was pink and apparently involved alcohol.]

How do you suppose that works?

[The bartender could probably explain, but that would mean someone would have to ask him. Motochika was the sort who would stare at a problem for days on end, trying many strange and varied ways of solving it, before asking someone who might actually know the answer. If he asked at all. Sometimes it suited his ego better to just accept whatever strange conclusion best answered the question for him.]

Perhaps it's from a pink fruit, like pomegranate.

[Kodachi inched closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder and giggling for no reason. Well, actually she was laughing because the drink was pink, which shouldn't be funny in itself - but such were the effects of alcohol.]

Bartender! I want one of those too!

Do you suppose they'd stay stripy if we poured them together?

[Somehow it had become science experiment time. Motochika watched with rapt attention as the bartender made Kodachi's drink, but watching the process really didn't make it make any more sense. There was just no reason layers should form like that! When the drink is set on the counter, he picks both drinks up and holds them out so Kodachi can see them better.]

It seems almost like witchcraft.

I don't think so.

[But why that was, she didn't know. She was already too buzzed to care. She was already half-draped on the captain, staring with amusement at the drink.]

[She finished the rest of her tropical-looking cocktail, getting another glass of something that probably wasn't hers - but as she was treating the whole bar, nobody could complain.]

[She knocked it back, sputtering at how strong it was but forcing it down anyway because that's what people did when drunk.]

Er...Kodachi? Perhaps we should go find something else to entertain ourselves? There's no shortage of things to do on the island, after all, and I do believe that drinking some more might not be the best idea...

[He may have said that but of course he was going to keep drinking wherever they ended up going. Deciding that the drink was going to go to waste if he just stared at it, he started on the layered drink, disappointed when it began to mix together. If it wasn't going to be exciting to look at, he might as well drink the whole thing.]

Alriiiiiiiight.

[She let out a hiccup, her arm going about his so that she could hold herself steady.]

Where do we go, Moto-san?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject