. all you have's your axe to grind . closed

[shikomizue]

Who: Takasugi Shinsuke (shikomizue) & "Friends" | Closed
What: Catch All For April-May-June
When: Over April / May / June
Where: Mostly Wyver, some Thesa and Olympia
Warning(s): alcohol + graphic violence + bang + will edit as needed

[ closed starters in the comments ]

Comments

[thetaintedsorrow]

No plans.

[And then Chuuya gets a stupid brilliant idea.]

Do you wanna have a drinking contest? See who can handle their booze better?

[shikomizue]

[Takasugi's been here longer - been drinking longer - but a handicap never stopped him.

A challenge is a challenge. It may not be a fight, won't leave him with the satisfaction of scraped, bloody skin and a sense of victory (it'll leave him with a headache), but it beats staring at the light flickering against the display of alcohol behind the bar.]

Heh.

Loser pays for the night. [Stakes placed, Takasugi goes ahead and orders some really expensive rum - the whole bottle to split.

He holds his glass up, a silent toast and a nod, before starting the contest with a gulp.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

You got a deal.

[Nothing feels as good as a knock down, drag-out fight, but drinking really is a close second. Eventual hangover aside, it’s a fun way to pass the time.

Chuuya pours himself a glass of that rum and mirrors the toast before downing it all in one long gulp.]

Haaaahh!! Good stuff!

[He pours himself another glass, and it’s clear that he has no intentions of stopping until he’s passed out.]

I like you already, you know. No bullshit. You don’t try schmoozing people or playing around.

[shikomizue]

[So often, drinking leads to the knock down, drag-out fighting. Takasugi isn't planning on starting shit, but... their punches won't be pulled, if someone else does.]

No. People are hardly worth the honest compliments they get-

[Much less any bullshit ones. For a man so active in diplomacy back home, Takasugi has an odd candor to his negotiation style. Like threatening the sovereign of a nation he's allied with, just... casually...

He pours another glass and drinks, his actions more understated than Chuuya's, but his pace no slower.] I'd rather twist someone's arm than blow smoke up their ass.

[thetaintedsorrow]

Damn right.

[Chuuya will match him glass for glass, and soon he starts feeling even more pleasantly warm than before as the alcohol courses through his veins.]

I don’t give compliments I don’t mean.

[He leans closer to Tani, grinning.]

Do you wanna hear one?

[shikomizue]

[Takasugi had already been bathing in heat - the Wyver humidity, and the gentle fog of inebriation. When his drinks settle in his gut, sensation grows dull. He's aware of throbbing, but not of temperature. Of the beading sweat under the hair that sticks to his brow, but not the damp warmth.

With distance closed, Takasugi replies in kind, leaning heavily on the bar to tilt his head towards his opponent's.]

If you want to tell me, then do it- [He's not impatient, but his lips want for the cool rim of a glass, not idle chatter.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

Feeling the heat?

[He can see the light sheen of sweat on Tani’s skin, and yeah, it’s pretty fucking hot in here, even with the light breeze that blows in through the window on occasion.

But that doesn’t stop Chuuya from drinking, nor does it make him any less prone to running his mouth.]

Hmm, let’s see.

[He taps his chin, then breaks into a devious grin.]

You’re pretty hot. In more ways than one.

[shikomizue]

[There's no reason to answer that.

It's obvious that he is. Rather than argue, Takasugi's hand drifts to the brim of his glass, fingers skirting over the cool surface before he lifts it to his mouth.

Not refreshing, but the bite of alcohol is at least distracting.

Soon he'll be numb to the discomfort entirely.]

Oh? [Unexpected. Takasugi's eyebrows raise, betraying something almost like interest.] Heh.

Does the direct approach usually work out for you? [It hasn't failed yet, in this particular encounter.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

Yeah, actually. Like 99% of the time.

[Because Chuuya is confident and cocky, and knows exactly how pretty he is. Not to mention the booze lowers his inhibitions even more.]

You got good taste in booze, too.

[Chuuya takes another drink.]

Anybody that can drink like you do must know how to have a good time.

[shikomizue]

[It's not often Takasugi is accused of knowing how to have a good time. In many circles, he's known as the downer of a party. The guy who just sits in the corner and acts like he's better than everyone getting wildly smashed.

The two don't have to be mutually exclusive.

His smile settles in, and he idly taps his glass for a refill.]

If your idea of a good time includes the risk of a bounty on your head.

[He assumes that it does.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

Heh. I was in the Mafia. A bounty on my head would just make me feel more at home.

[Chuuya matches him drink for drink, until he’s very much swaying on his barstool.]

Why? You got a dangerous streak?

[Chuuya doesn’t sound worried in the slightest.]

[shikomizue]

[Was in the mafia. Too bad. Takasugi wonders if this guy will find himself back in that life here. Maybe he should start his own family-

He has the charisma for it.

Takasugi takes his drink like a shot, tasting what he can of it before asking for another and doing the same.]

Aa.

Back home I was quite the terrorist. [War hero to some, public menace to others.

He'd take on either title, when it suited him.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[If you count stealing wine, getting revenge on kidnappers, and making deals with demons, then yes, he’s living that kind of life again.]

Yeah? You look like the type.

[Which isn’t actually said as an insult.

But damn, Chuuya is reaching his limit far quicker than he’d anticipated. That booze really must be something.]

Tch. No fair. You’re used to drinking this stuff. I never get drunk this fast.

[shikomizue]

[With a curt laugh, Takasugi leans back. There's sway to his motion; he reclines a bit too far and returns, pausing to sigh.

He doesn't take the man's observation as an insult at all.]

Want to put an end to it? We'll drink ourselves to death, just sitting here.

How about a test? [A race, or some other means to determine who is more functional... though that may not coincide with who is less inebriated.

Oh well, close enough.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya snorts when he sees Takasugi sway on his stool, as if he’s in any better shape.]

Sure. How about we see who can make it to the door first?

[He stands up from his stool on wobbly legs and nearly faceplants in the first few steps. So graceful.

It’s probably cheating to use his ability, so he’ll just keep swaying along to see who falls first.]

Let’s do this.

i hope they both just book it

[shikomizue]

[The door?

Takasugi casts a long, forlorn glance towards the suggested destination. It's far, and he can't quite tell if there are chairs... tables... people... in the way. Dim lighting does nothing to help a narrowed eye and swimming vision.

But he's a man who doesn't back down from even the most impossible of challenges. So what the hell is a door?

Takasugi stands, not sloppy in step only because he's anchored himself to the bar with one arm.] Aa.

Ready-

[No set. No go. He's off. At an incredibly unimpressive pace, but at least he's consistent, flowing from table to table with some amount of finesse.]

God they’re both so wasted I love it

[thetaintedsorrow]

[It does seem rather far to the door...but Chuuya isn’t one to give up easily, and he copies Takasugi, floating from table to chair to wall to table again like a man adrift at sea. It feels like he’s swimming right now, actually, with how heavy his body feels, but eventually he slams right into the front door with a grunt.]

I won.

[He declares without knowing if Takasugi actually made it to the door or not. He’s just gonna assume that he won, because he’s cocky like that.

And then he’ll just...support himself against the door. Because if he doesn’t he’ll fall over.]

Haha...you’re wasted.

[shikomizue]

[His competitor reaches the door first - seeing a black blur rush by his outstretched hand nearly makes Takasugi stop. But if he doesn't keep moving he may lose more than a race, his stomach lurching and urging him forward.

He wraps his hand around the handle and jerks the door open, dislodging the redhead from a stable perch.]

You shouldn't stop.

[A slurred warning uttered before Takasugi slides out onto the street. Leaving his companion and the bill behind.

He won't complain if the man follows him - right now, pettily avoiding the loss of silver seems way more important than ever coming back to this bar again.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

Oi!

[He nearly falls right on his face when Takasugi throws the door open, but he manages to stumble back to his feet and follow Takasugi out onto the street because what else is he supposed to do?? He has no silver to foot the bill, so he’s gonna drink and dash as well.

Which means Takasugi will have to deal with Chuuya stumbling after him.]

Oi!! Where are we going??

[shikomizue]

[There's shouting, and at first Takasugi can't parse the voice from any of the rest that had made up the din of the bar. He keeps moving, stumbling forward in the street until he's doors away.

Unsure which building he'd even spilled from.

A single glance back, to make sure he isn't being pursued by the owner or security - his only company seems to be the drunk embroiled in this mess with him.]

Ah? [We?] You need a place?

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Much as Chuuya is loathe to admit that he needs help...]

Yeah.

[He doesn’t know his way home from here, and he’s likely to end up dead wandering around in his drunken state.]

Lemme come with you. I’m not gonna rob you or anything.

[shikomizue]

[The thought makes Takasugi laugh - short and sharp.

He has absolutely nothing to steal. Maybe some mold? Or a pile of wax that's at least five decades old. Have at it, Mr. Robber.]

Mm- [He stares at the man longer than he actually considers the invitation.

It's fine.

Takasugi turns away, stumbling back to his shambling apartment with no apparent haste. Inside there isn't much, a table, two windowsills deep enough to sit in, and a hallway that leads back to a stuffy mattress on the ground. He takes the path to his bedroom, indicating fuck-all for his company.

Share the bed? Sleep on the floor? There's nothing else soft to lay on, sorry buddy.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Okay, maybe he’s a little spoiled from living in a mansion, but it’s better than sleeping on the streets, right? Chuuya follows him inside, and of course, being Chuuya, makes himself comfortable by flopping face first onto the “bed”.]

...I’ll leave in the morning.

[Hopefully. If he’s not too hungover.]

You gonna sleep?

[shikomizue]

[The bed is big enough for two, though comfort is dubious in that situation. His company didn't exactly lay in a way that accommodates him also settling in (read: sprawling), though, which leaves Takasugi staring down at him.

He gives him a hard nudge in the side with his foot - scoot over.

All he offers that question is a non-committal mumble, he might sleep. He might not.

He's absolutely going to sleep, but he doesn't like being definitive.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya grumbles when he’s pushed to the side, but at least he’s got somewhere to sleep.]

You don’t talk much, do you?

[Now he’s all huffy.]

Don’t you want company sometimes?