The Drunken Bar Thread (Open)

(Notes: This is a Drunken Bar thread. There will be alcohol consumption. There will probably be drunken dancing and other drunken naughtiness. Keep it PG-13 on-screen, anything offscreen can be implied but not shown. Most of all, have fun! Or I'll have the bartender kick you out.)

Telira was having a really bad day of it.

She was still having dreams, and they were steadily becoming nightmares that would not leave her alone. She hadn't found any sign of her friends, and was beginning to wonder if they hadn't been obliterated by what they'd done to save their world. Not only that, but she'd had some run-ins with those infernal Judges from Ivalice and she could see why they weren't allowed on the trains.

All space is Archadian space indeed... She just hoped they didn't decide to show up in Pravoka. They reminded her too strongly of Garland in his formal armor when she and her friends had been forced to fight him.

All in all, Telira needed to unwind and relax... and it was just as well that Soren had suggested visiting the bar at the Universal Metroplex. After all, those damned Judges couldn't come here.

She sat at a table, with a half-empty glass of something strong, she wasn't certain just what it was, in her hand, listening to the music playing in the background. Soren was nearby, mostly to keep her from doing anything that could get her hurt, but he was sticking to stuff that was decidedly mild compared to what the serving girl brought her. Neither of them knew what this night would bring... and maybe it was better that way.

"Crrru! Damn you woman! why did you have to drrrag me along tonight? I just wanted to stay in and rrrelax!"

As a couple of women walked to the doors of the bar the shortest one grumbled to herself, as the tallest one clearly wasn't paying her much attention as she dragged the shortest one inside.

"Don't be such a grouch, this might be fun, and we haven't been out drinking for ages. A little fun won't hurt you."

Both in mid-thigh length dresses, Crucent in a red one that was a tad revealing, and SinSiew in a purple one, a bit more revealing across the chest area and both with small beads that made them sparkle as the wearers moved, sat down by a table.

A waitress soon appeared and asked what they wanted. Looking at the menu, Cru ordered one Long Island Iced Tea for herself and one Clockwork Tangerine for Sin and a few minutes later the waitress appeared again with the two drinks. Sipping to her own drink, Crucent looked over at Sin, who looked a little less grouchy now that she had gotten her own drink, even if it looked suspiciously like a beer.

"well? is it still so bad to go out one night?" Smiling she looked around the bar, there wasn't too many others yet, but it was still early.

Taking a cautious sip of her drink, Sin swallowed and broke out in a big grin "No, this isn't so bad afterrr all, Cheerrrs."

Cypher stared at the outside of the bar for a good five to ten minutes from across the street, as if mentally debating with himself if he should enter or not. It didn’t seem that bad, but that in it could have been the problem. He was so used to darker, dingier places, that he almost felt as if he didn’t belong in a place that wasn’t’ completely shrouded in darkness.

After another minute or two, the mage found him staring at the door and opening it slowly, looking in with his bright yellow eyes. He said nothing, but made his way inside. He felt weird without his armor on his chest, dressed in only a black sleeveless shirt with a long trench coat over his shoulders, black pants, and military boots. He had his hands in his pockets and walked with a certain air of confidence.

He walked up to the barkeep and got his drink, before making his way to towards the back of the bar. He sat in the corner, keeping an eye on everyone for a moment, before closing them and taking a sip of his drink. He hadn’t said a word…he hadn’t really come to mingle, as he didn’t know anyone other than Emerald, who had decided to take her own vacation after their journey. He mentally sighed and took another sip of his drink, clearly getting lost in his own thoughts, his blue hair covering part of his pale face.

Telira was slowly starting to relax, the alcohol making its way into her system through the usual channels. It eased the tension of nerves drawn too tightly, but also made her thinking more than a little fuzzy, fraying the thread of cause and effect in her mind.

This was actually why Soren had insisted on acting as chaperone, to an extent. The dwarven constitution meant that alcohol had less of an effect on him than on humans and he'd be able to keep his wits about him for longer than she would. And though they didn't know if she would need his wits to pull her from a bad situation, it was better that they didn't tempt fate too much.

They both saw the Elvaan woman and her Mithra companion walk through the door. Telira wasn't entirely certain what kind of a relationship those two had, she hadn't seen anything incriminating at the impromptu beach party, other than the fact that they both liked men... though that could just as easily be an "as well". In any event, it wasn't like Telira was going to bother them.

She saw the blue-haired man walk in and her eyebrows rose slightly. This was someone she didn't know, and wasn't certain how to gauge. She'd have to keep an eye on him...

But the music had her feet moving whether she wanted them too or not. She sipped at the drink in one hand and let her feet bounce to the music, considering whether or not she wanted to actually stand up and start dancing.

''Your shift Em!''

He had no idea how, he had no idea when, but again, Emblem had been lost in dreams, and had ended up in a place he'd never expect himself to be. He thought it was a dream in the beginning, but when he heard he was going to be a bartender again, he knew it was not.

Emblem had been doing some shifts at the bars in Luca every now and again, as he liked serving customers, loved having a chat every now and again, and when things would go out of hand, Emblem would make sure it'd end very soon.

Emblem had been dressed for the occassion, with a very modern bartender getup, yet still adorning the dishcloth tied to his pants. Black blouse, straight line dark blue jeand, and one big smile on his face. this was going to be a fine night indeed. And how to start the evening with one drink to smear the throat? Nobody was going to mind, he was sure of that. He didnt even know the place, but everybody seemed ok. As he poured himself one fine pint of Lucan Ale, one of the finest cold beers in all of Spira, he checked the room, and was surprised again.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMU2ZCPIftY ABBA "On and On and On")

Telira realized that her drink was empty and looked at it in surprise for several moments before she got the thought through her head that there was a way to correct that situation. She was feeling rather pleasant, all in all, as she sauntered up to the bar, empty glass in hand.

She set the glass on the countertop and leaned on it as she smiled at the bartender, noticing that he looked vaguely familiar, as if she'd seen him somewhere before... but she couldn't quite figure out where.

"Uhm... I seem to have run out of whatever it was that I was drinking. Do you think you could get me something?" She smiled, looking up at him from between her lashes in a way that would have shocked her had she been in full control of her faculties.

From his seat, Soren watched her carefully, rather in disbelief at Telira's actions.

The blue haired male with intense yellow eyes continued to sit in the dark corner, slowly sipping his drink, and watched the people. The music was interesting, but not quite to his own taste. Ah well, he didn’t come here for the music, he came for the drinks, for a distraction, to forget.
Mentally sighing, he took another sip of his drink and closed his eyes, trying to lose himself, but finding it harder than he had anticipated. ‘Aren’t drinks supposed to make you forget, not remember more clearly…’ he thought, downing the rest of his drink without a second thought. Placing the empty glass on the table, he leaned his head back against the chair, his mind going through thoughts and pains he would much rather never remember again.
“I’m going to need another drink,” he said softly to himself. “A bottle probably…something strong…” he muttered before sighing. ‘It must be bad today…’ he thought, noting that never was much of a drinker…well, first night for everything he thought, as he stood up and started to make his way over to the bar, planning on waiting behind the woman in front of him, who seemed to be getting another drink herself.

Emblem turned around to have a look at some fine pieces of machina that seemed to spread music throughout the entire bar. He took another big sip of his drink...effectively downing a quarter pint, before his Aeon spoke. Emblem listened carefully (as if he wasn't able to hear the voice in his head) while looking at the machine.

''It is more then the machina from our world.''
''So it seems. It's more delicate then most of the stuff we have.''
''Fascinating, all this new knowledge.''
''Tell ya what. We're gonna take a look at this tomorrow for you to learn about it. Today however, only for the music.''
''Which is also from another world.''
''I say.''

Another smaller sip passed by this time as he turned around. While getting fimiliar with all the beverages and their places, as well as any tolls he might need, Emblem was like a child in a candy shop. So many spirits, and he was just to man to pour them. It was then that his bartending skills were put to use. He already saw a rather fine looking woman walk towards him.

First impression Emblem had was the fact she might have been here for some time already, but who was he to judge? Furthermore, she had some stunningly gorgeous green eyes, which almost made Emblem think she'd cast Silence on him. He even recognized her from that beach thing he stumbled upon some time ago.

''It is a pleasure to see you again as well. I think I can get you something, I'd be a waste of a bartender otherwise, wouldn't I?''

Emblem had just the thing in mind. A drink he got asked to make in the Luca Bar a lot as well. One of two, actually. The Moogle and the Cactuar. This one was, for now, more fitting. Emblem grabbed a new, more tropical looking glass, and looked around to see where they...ah, there they were. Tropical juices. He grabbed a shaker, and sliced open a few of those lovely products of nature. Slice of this, squeezed into that. Emblem started juggling the leftovers and throw them in the bin for kicks. He was here to enjoy himself, even if for a few seconds, was he not?

After enough juice was in the shaker, Emblem threw up a bottle of a bright blue liquid, and one looking more of a transparant-yellow. Bols Blue and Tequila or so they were called. Both bottles were opened and had a dab or two of their contents poured into the shaker. Shakey shakey...and out came a bright green drink.

''Here ya go miss. I sweet little Spiran drink I call the Cactuar. Almost as green as your eyes, and a lot greener then mine. Enjoy it, I am sure you will.''

Emblem put the glass on the bar, added a few ''Meteor'' Ice cubes (chunky ones, but they'd stay cold for a long time.) and hoped she would in fact, deem it a sweet drink. While a lot of people liked it, taste was nothing to argue about. Although the drink was sweet yet not overly sweet, and it was bright green!

As Emblem cleaned the bar of excess juice from all the slicing, another man showed up behind Telira.

''Hello sir, how can I help?''

Cypher patiently waited behind the woman at the bartender was making his drink. He had to raise an eyebrow at the tricks of the bar man; they were certainly impressive, and it showed that this wasn’t his first time around a bar.
‘Probably more time in a week then I’ve my life,’ he thought, and that wasn’t a bad thing if he was honest with himself, no matter how he looked at it. As the barkeep was wrapping up the drink, Cypher found himself recognizing the drink; it was popular around the younger woman and men on Spira, but he couldn’t remember the name.
''Here ya go miss. I sweet little Spiran drink I call the Cactuar. Almost as green as your eyes, and a lot greener then mine. Enjoy it, I am sure you will.''
Ah, now he knew, and found out more information then he cared to. Someone else from Spira, or someone who spent some time in that world. Cypher wouldn’t really know, and, as harsh as it sounded even to his mind, he didn’t really care. He came here to forget about his world, and the man who was going to help him was probably from there or knew about it. Well, fair enough, he wasn’t going to hold it against the man.
His eyes looked up at the man when he was asked if he could help.
“Something strong, a bottle if able, something to help forget,” he said, and even as he said it, he felt ashamed of falling this low, feeling this weak in spirit and mind.
“If you have a bottle of Sin’s Toxin, that would probably work just as well as the alcohol,” he said with a slightly raised eyebrow. Well, if he knew about Spira, he knew about the toxin of the beast. It wasn’t an actual drink, but a bad attempt at making the situation less pathetic in his eyes…it probably had the opposite effect.

Telira watched the fabrication of the drink, and the accompanying showmanship with a small smile and the edge of her lower lip caught between her teeth. This was definitely a man who took pride, and pleasure, in his work.

As he offered her the glass, she smiled at the comment about her eyes. "Oooh, flattery, that'll get you everywhere in life." She accepted the glass from him and took a sip, laughter dancing in her eyes. After a brief taste she nodded her head in appreciation. "Oooh, that is very nice indeed. Thank you."

She started to turn away so that he could see to the man waiting behind her, and then threw him a grin over her shoulder. "You know, all work and no play can make someone a very dull person... if you want, I'll be on the dance floor." She chuckled. "Though I'll probably be back for another one of these." She raised the glass in a silent salute and wandered out onto the dance floor as the music changed again.

Soren watched her and very nearly facepalmed. This was going to be a long night. At least she seemed to be relaxing and having fun, which was the goal of this whole ordeal.

Emblem heard Telira's last words, as he turned to his next customer. He'd keep it in mind, but hey, as if he would ever be a dull person. All he was was stuck behind a counter doing something he liked...however, he did also like what he saw. There went his idea to do some on-top-of-the-bar dancing at the end of the night....or did it?

His next customer asked for a bottle of something strong. Sin's Toxin, nonetheless. Emblem proceeded to pour something different for the man. There was no bottle going to be given for the moment. While he was, he talked to the man.

''You know, if I want to forget...I go home. I go to the Island of Besaid. When you sit there on this cliff, surrounded by the lush shadows of trees, the calm sea, and a sun slowly falling behind the horizon...while a small campfire scrunches dry wood delightedly. When you can eat little by little, have your drinks. Alone or with friends...all is peace. Memories fade and some even turn to dust as your body let's all troubles go. The Pinnacle of Peace..and rest. It is better then any drink...and thus..''

Emblem placed a glass of a beer-like substance in front of Cypher, and as he grabbed his pint of Lucan Ale, he told Cyper what it was. It looked like Lucan Ale, but was brighter, and seemed to shimmer a little.

''Besaid Bright. It's fresh, full of good stuff, and just a little of the bad stuff. And, in my mind, one of the best drinks in all of Spira. Would almost substitute for the beach. Seriously, drink it, and tell a story. It's not too busy now...What is bugging you, my fellow Spiran?''

Emblem took out his cloth and washed a few glasses, before drying them up, taking a gulp of his drink before looking back at his customer.

Cypher stared at the man with emotionless eyes, dead eyes as he listened to the barkeep talk about his home. It triggered something inside Cypher, something that he wanted forget and to have turn to dust; memories of his own home village. Still, even as he felt his insides starting to twist and churn, he couldn’t turn away from the man, and listened to him describe such a beautiful place, a place he had never been to, and even if he had, wouldn’t have appreciated its beauty.
As he got his drink, he raised the glass and stared at it…it reminded him of a sunset at home, something he hadn’t seen in the past 12 years or so. He took a sip and closed his eyes as he savored the flavor…it was nice.
“You speak of a place of legend…a legend I have been searching for, been longing to find for 12 long years…A place I will probably never see, not as I have lived my life. Even if I were to see such a place, it would be wasted on a tarnished soul as me. I have lived only for my own selfish reasons, but I have yet to live.
You speak of returning to home, when you wish to forget. You speak of such beauty in a place, that any soul can find peace. I once had that land, I once knew that feeling…but 12 years is a long time…I’ve long since forgotten how that legend of peace felt. That myth is far from my grasp, fellow Spirian, and we both know the reason, when I say I no longer have any home to return to, so to forget, I must turn to less…desirable options,” he said with a soft sigh, his eyes no longer emotionless, but full of self loathing, rage, and unbearable sadness.
“The drink is good Barkeep…I may very well ask for another sooner than I would like to admit,” he said, taking another long sip.

((Telira's outfit:

Spoiler:

In case you were curious.))

Telira usually wasn't one for dancing.

To be honest, most of the time she was about as somber and controlled a person as Soren's friend Ilserun... if a little bit quicker on the uptake where jokes were concerned. Still, she tended to take things, herself included, fairly seriously. And that didn't include much in the way of dancing.

But get alcohol in her system and she changed.

She was lonely for what she saw in her dreams, what she was starting to remember ever more clearly even though the events were supposedly erased from existence... but she still felt like they had happened. She remembered and, in the freedom which the loss of control gave her, she danced to honor the ones she'd lost.

It felt like she'd been alone for years, and she was sick of being alone. She held the drink in one hand and twisted her body in dance as she stood on the dance floor. Maybe someone would join her... maybe she'd simply imagine someone dancing at her side, someone she might never see again.

But tonight was about having fun.

Emblem shook his head slowly. His dirnking mate's eyes weren't exactly filled with joy. disbelief more so, self hatred in it's core. The words seemed to reflect that. Emblem kept rubbing on the glass to clean it, while he replied peacefully. He did not however, want to hear all things that went wrong in life. It was not the time, nor the place.

''Hey listen, this is a bar. Not a counselling session. Pick yourself up and leave all the self pity at the door. Have fun will ya, try to relax. If you can't, then this might not be your place to be right now. I do got a deal for ya though. If you're ever near Luca, ask one of the merchants. Tell him you seek Emblem of Besaid. They usually know where I am, I regularly stock up there for my travels, preferring it's more friendly demeanor over Bevelle's cold streets of disciplined merchandising. Look me up, then I will show you what I talk about. Words do not do it justice.''

Emblem placed the cleaned glasses back in a row, sure ofthe fact he would use them later on. He turned to Cyper once more as he placed one hand on the tap.

''See for yourself, and see how your words hold up ya? Mind you, Besaid was not my home to begin with...it became my new home. The past is past. Live in it, and the only thing you will be is the past.''

Emblem turned away from Cypher to down the last of his pint, before pouring him a very special one. he had only just now spotted this bar had one. This bar had everything he would every want in one place! He poured himself a glass of brown beer. It did not seem to have a high pressurized tap, and the thick beer wasn't to be consumed immediatly. Emblem placed the full glass away, it was to be set apart 124 seconds. Two minutes to let it rise...and 4 seconds to serve it. After that, fill it up and enjoy. It was a dark brown thick beer, and as with all things, patience was a virtue.

Emblem looked aorund while waiting for the beer to accomodate. He easily spotted Telira, as her reddish outfit was something special in comparison to what most guest were having. As Emblem helped a few other customers he did not know, he thought how much he liked the color red anyway...

Cypher didn’t rise, nor did he grow upset with Emblem. Instead, he simply took another sip of his drink and nodded his head. It was true, what Emblem was saying, and Cypher felt himself grow chided and slightly embarrassed by his behavior, he was acting like a child.
“You bring up some valid points, Emblem of Besaid…I will see what can be done about my ‘self pity’. And the next time I am in Luca, I shall look you up…I would like to see this place of peace,” he said simply, before nodding his head once again at the man and moving back to his seat, carefully bypassing the dancing female, giving her a faint smile as he nodded his head. He took his seat and another sip of his drink, letting the man’s voice echo in his head.
‘Past is the past…True enough. But do I want to be nothing but the past? Certainly not…But how can I let it go, when it was everything? Start with nothing…and I already have nothing…Hm, it might not be so hard…’ he thought to himself and took another sip. Perhaps Emblem was right…and he just needed to let go for the night. That was new…he had never just let himself go…another sip of the drink and he found himself deep in thought once again, not even noticing his foot tapping along with the beat of the music.

Shade didn't care for a particular place...

She didn't care for particular company...

Shade sought out solitude.

The need to think, only to drown those thoughts away for some sort of reprieve to her sanity. Her initial intention was to order an entire bottle and leave with it, but the posted signs behind the bar and at the doorway to the establishment directly stated her plan wasn't permitted. With an irritated sneer across her pouted lips, Shade still ventured past the patrons, never making eye contact with a single person, while heading straight to the bartender and mumbling her order.


Now, with a shot glass and full bottle of tequila in hand, the SeeD warrior casually walked around the random tables in search of a more private spot in a shadowed corner. She assumed her appearance and attire wouldn't strike up much attention, and hopefully the Gryphon weapon strapped at her side would lead any potential, yet foolish predator astray. It wasn't as if she were the attractive sort. Tussled hair and unkept clothes didn't exactly lure wandering eyes or scream beauty, but Shade knew well enough how drunks completely lost their perspective on what they found appealing when under the influence of their drink.


As she slid into the corner booth, her hand was already tipping the bottle to her shot glass for the golden liquid to fill. Shade had no intentions to nurse the liquor as she tossed her head back to swig the entire shot in one gulp. Anything to rid herself of her current thoughts, and the cursed reoccurring dreams that had plagued her mind of late....

The music was loud, it clouded his thoughts. The smell of alcohol filled his misrule even from where he stood, a smell he did not very much care for, although it was hard to tell from his expression if he liked or disliked anything in perticular. He hid his emotions well, but to Saitou, the displaying of emotion was a weakness any intelligible opponent would twist to their advantage. His hollow expression was now even more than second nature. As he walked to his seat, his posture never faltered, even upon sitting, he sat perfectly straight up and quietly filed his hand together placing them on the table. He required no drink, but only to sit and bear witness to his surroundings. No socialization would be required for the young man. He simply wished to watch.

Why he chose such a location, even Saitou was unsure of the reasoning. But perhaps the intoxication of it's patrons would serve as humourous entertainment. Saitou also knew where the door was, if his intentions for the evening were interrupted by any inappropriateness. His long dark hair hung loosely in a ponytail over his shoulder, and his black kimono was in perfect order, and his white scarf, hung freely behind him. His eyes, now adjusted to the lighting if the room glanced around the room, and Saitou did exactly what he intended to do, he simply watched.

Having drained their first drinks, Crucent and Sin was feeling a little more relaxed.
Heading over to the bar where a tall, handsome white-haired guy was mixing drinks and pouring beers they lined up by the counter and waited politely for the barman to come over and take their order. No sooner had he arrived before Sin struck up a conversation.

"Parrrdon me, can we get one...." Sin looked quickly at the drinks menu "White Rrrussian for herrr, and one..." indicating Cru she then looked at the menu again "Daiquirrri forr me please?"

Looking up at the barman, she smiled her sweetest smile and said " Yourrr cute! may I ask you yourrr name? my name is SinSiew, and this is Crucent, my frrriend. We arrre herrre to drrrink ourrr way thrrrough yourrr drrrinks list." Crucent just smiled at the barman and gave him a friendly nod.

Grinning, she heard The Song that was starting to play and squealed happily as her tail was swaying in sync with the song.


(click the words 'The Song' to hear it)

Walking through the doors into the Bar Grumbling after a long a stressful day Barret Walks up to he Bar and sits down, not even looking around to see if he knew anyone there. Tired and stressed to the breaking point Barret looks up to the Barkeep and orders a couple beer to tied over his nerves, till he is able to forget about the troublesome day he has had.

(Cru, I actually prefer the Radio Edit of that song...)

Telira was still on the dancefloor when the song changed. She knew that the bartender was watching her, if only out of the corner of her eye. She also knew that he wasn't the only one. Normally she was very hesitant around men, uncomfortable with being the focus of their attention... but tonight that wasn't the case.

Tonight she wanted that attention. Tonight she wanted to know that they were watching her. And maybe... maybe she'd decide that she wanted something else from one.

But not yet. She was having too much fun making herself the center of attention.

She started to take another sip of the drink in her hand and realized that she was out. That would never do. So she sauntered over to the counter with a smile. "Do you think you could get me a refill on that 'Cactuar' drink from earlier?"

Cypher seemed to snap out of his thoughts as he realized that more and more people were slowly trickling in, the last two coming in giving off an air of danger. For all that seemed sane, it actually caused Cypher to smile slightly. It seemed he wasn’t the only one here now, that was looking to forget the shadows of the past, even if those shadows only showed for the day.

Now, it didn’t make him happy that others were suffering, but it just reassured an old notion: You’re not alone. He heard the shift and music and shook his head. No, if he was going to make a full of himself, he certainly wasn’t going to do so with such a song. However, the fact that he was mentally willing to get up and dance, something he hadn’t done since an old ‘friend’ had slipped something in his drink ages ago, was a pretty positive sign. And at least this time, he didn’t need something stronger then alcohol.

He watched the people with a very slight tilt of his head, from the woman dancing in the middle of room, to the pair of woman that had moved up to the bar, one of which had a tail. Mithra, if he had to guess. He really had to thank Emerald some time for expanding on his knowledge of other races…
As soon as something more interesting came on, he would find himself on his feet. For now though, he killed off the last of his drink and just let it work through his system, combining with the previous drink and turning off certain switches in his brain.

Saitou's eyes explored the room. Too few were not enjoying the atmosphere that establishments such as this tried to convey to it's patrons. Too few were smiling. Saitou, normally, would not take such to heart, but it was making his event of people watching... uninteresting. Saitou considered leaving, but something deep in hi mind made his body motionless when the command to rise was issued. He remained seated. His own thought betraying his very actions. Perhaps he was here for a reason, perhaps, for once, the act of helping others simply might be the lone act of making one smile. This he could do, with a game he had played alone to pass the time.

This game required cards, which Saitou Carrie with him, and a sharp mind.... if you wanted to win that was. With a few alterations he could surely add rules to make the patrons drink and smile, making it a fun group effort. But for now he would simply organize the cards and play alone. Curiosity would surely lure other players in, which normally Saitou ignored. But tonight would be different.

He arranged 5 rows of cards in a pyramid pattern, all face down. A row of five lines the bottom, then 4 above, then 3, to 2, and a single card topping the pyramid. He placed the remainder of the deck down next to the pile. He was nervous, though, as his people skills were not as sharp as most others, but he would do his best to come off as polite and kind as any who inquired as to what he was doing exactly. A small smile lit his face.

Looking around as Crucent took a sip of her drink, she saw a young man sitting by a table, with a game of cards of sorts laid out in front of him.
Intrigued, she nudged Sin's arm to get her attention and made a small gesture towards him.

Taking her own drink, Sin followed Cru over to the table as Crucent walked up and looked at the game. "Hello. My name is Crucent, this is my friend SinSiew. Pardon me for our intrusion, but I saw you from the bar and I wondered what this is?"

Saitou watched as the two women approached his table. Out of reflex he stood politely and bowed slightly to them both. He was not used to welcoming strangers into his activites, but he set himself up so it would happen regardless. He had not spoke in quite some time, and wondered if the ability was even probable for him. But it would be rude to stand in silence and refuse introductions. Also, this game was for them, how would they learn to play without a teacher. He struggled when he spoke but was able to break the shell of his awkwardness and shyness. "It is a game I play to entertain myself..... But I feel that with the rules I have altered slightly, could be an entertaining game for all this evening...". Saitou paused as he though how to best explain the rules....

"How you play, is that one person begins on the 5th row. That player flips a card, and if the card is under 9 or under, you move to the next row, and so on til you are at the top. Failure results in drinking a numerical value opposite the row you failed on with the exception of the top. For example, if you fail on the row of 5 cards, you take one drink. If youfail on the single card, you take 5 drinks. Successful completion of all 5 rows allows the player to select another player to ingest the entire contents of their drink....when you fail, you cover the upright cards with new face down cards from the deck. It is a game of strategy and luck.". Saitou had never had to explain something like that before. He hoped his explanation was sufficient.

"Would you like you have a try?", he said to the women, giving them equal chance to accept or decline his offer.

Looking at eachother the women smiled then nodded and sat down, placing their drinks on the table.
"we'd love to try, it sounds like fun. But perhaps we can do a trial-run first, to get the hang of it?"