All My Rowdy Friends...[Open]

[Takeda]

Chatter, cigarette smoke, and the occasional tune always filled the air in "Lian's Dive", a bar tucked away deep within the reaches of the Golden Alice district's southernmost side. Time after time there would be fights, the occasional sobbing drunk in the corner, or hell, there was once an incident where this one fellow tried to see if the hole cut into one of the bar stools-...well, let's suffice it to say that the bar was definitely capable of living up to it's name as a dive bar. People seemed to gravitate to the old world charms, though they were more western than the majority of the city's various watering holes...the place wasn't so much seedy, as it had it's culture. Old wooden paneled walls, a multi-colored carpet that was darker than the smoke filling up the place's air, the place was known for being cheap, selling the stuff that'd knock you flat on your ass, while being just above the rest of the leftover red-light elements over in Mimoza. Rain had started to settle in once the moon had passed behind the clouds, and the old humming neon sign never looked so damn welcoming.

Leading over a score of other individuals of different races of backgrounds, a red-haired fellow in a t-shirt and some raggedy ass jeans bore a grin that was maybe the best indicator of his intentions...tonight, he was gonna get more hammered than the hands and feet of Jesus himself. Him, and the other folks that had decided to follow him out towards Lian's. Now it goes without saying that bars like Lian's appeal heavily to the sort of people that work nine to five while the blockade had made their lives a living hell, but the folks outside? They had just faced down something straight out of H.P Lovecraft, compare and contrast that with having your boss yell at you for a bit. Opening up the old wooden door, with it's cheesy painted glass, the red haired man greeted the place like it was his home away from home...which it was. The guy had been to the place often enough to claim it as his address, which he had for some debt collectors.  Moving in whilst drenched from the rain, he took a seat over at an empty stool...oh boy, if there was anyone who knew how crowds and bars got along, it was this guy, and he could tell you that one of the two parties was gonna end up leaving, or losing a pint of blood. Considering that half of them had to have their bones put back in the right places a few moments ago, the odds were looking oddly balanced for a change.

"Bourbon, man, I'm beggin' you, gimme some of the nectar of the gods." Takeda was at least forward about getting his booze from the old dog that ran the place...Zhang. Old bartender had lost his old lady a year back, on account of her finding him in bed with her old lady. Needless to say, it was a story that Zhang loved telling, and also a reason why the bar was called Lian's rather than Mei's. "So how've 'ya been you lil' son of a bitch?" Zhang said in his raspy voice, the old fellow looked more like Santa if he decided to lose a pound or two than anyone else Takeda had seen in his whole life. "Slaying dragons, selling manga about people screaming how cute they are, y'know, the usual shit, Zhang." With a chortle, Zhang placed down a glass of bourbon before the miscreant...oh boy, when the others got in, the sparks were gonna fly. "Ain't alone tonight though Zhang...hand on the bat in case shit gets rough, okay?" The old man looked at Takeda to seemingly ask if he was serious, only to then look under the counter...Takeda, from all that people knew about him, was not a man who had that many friends...hell, he was only friends with Zhang out of a mutual need for the business. The two weren't truly friends in the real sense, but as long as the booze kept flowing, who cared? Looking back towards the door and hearing that bell a ringin', the red haired fellow wondered which of the merry little band of misfits from the fight was going to walk through the door first...whoever it was, they were probably gonna get stared down by the glassy eyes of about twenty drunken men.

[David Moore]

Dave pushed open the door nervously. What he saw was a cesspool of filth and despicable behavior that he thought only existed in movies and cheap RP sites.Everyone was drunk. Everyone was smoking. The place had a musky scent to it. He wasn't sure why he had come here. Oh right, that brown-haired woman that didn't have a persona had run into him on the way and had dragged him along. She had stumbled behind somehow, though.

Dave spotted Takeda within a few seconds. That was pretty much the only reason he hadn't resisted too much. He knew that he was a complete killjoy in these kinds of situations, but if he stayed quiet in some corner just watching, everyone probably wouldn't notice. He considered taking the stool next to Takeda and began to move towards it, only for his heart to crush itself as he lost the courage a few feet away.

He grimaced and instead moved a few feet down from the bar and half whispered/half yelled at the strange looking barkeeper for: "O-One, uh... beer? Please?" That wasn't too bad, right? Granted, Dave had never touched alcohol in his life. He had only turned 18 the day prior. His ID should show that he was old enough by the laws of Mosaic City. He got his ID ready and was surprised to see a mug of the urine-looking beer passed down to him without so much as a glance in his direction. Didn't they want to see his ID? It was against the law not to. Did they already know he was 18? Maybe Takeda had told them. But that would mean Takeda was talking about him to other people. That was embarrassing and probably completely untrue. Dave snatched the beer.

He huddled himself over in a corner and took a sip, almost sputtering after doing so. It tasted awful. He couldn't believe he had actually gone along with this. Then again, everyone was doing it, and he didn't want to dampen their... buzz? He took another sip. And another. And Another. It took him a while to actually be able to take an entire gulp of the booze, but he managed it. He was already starting to feel tingly. This would be interesting.

He looked up at Takeda again and saw that the guy seemed to be having a good time. That was good. Having a good time was good. Takeda was good. Everything's good. Everything's good except for the tons of people giving them all dirty looks and would probably beat Dave to a pulp in seconds just for kicks. That wasn't so good. But Takeda seemed good and that was good. He needed to stop thinking in circles because that wasn't good. But he was thinking in circles because of something that was good. So something that was good caused things that weren't good.

God damnit.

[Deleted]

Hesitantly, she pushed open the door to the bar. She could smell cigarette smoke everywhere, but she didn't mind. She was worried whether she would be at the minimum drinking age. Oh, wait a minute. She was actually eighteen already. She could handle herself. The young princess decided to sit on one of the chairs near the booth. She asked nervously to the strange barkeeper, "Uh, sir? May I have one champagne please?" She wondered if he would refuse her because she didn't have an ID or give her a drink regardless of age restriction. Either way, there was no turning back. The barkeeper actually gave her a glass of champagne without saying a word. She took a sip. It tasted kind of bitter, but she forced herself to drink more. Then, it got to the point where it tasted good to her. She looked around and saw a red-haired man. He looked like he was having fun drinking, too. And the dark haired boy was there, too... She decided that maybe it wasn't so bad. Just as long as nobody saw her drinking. Gods, this was going to be very awkward...

[Ayakura Alisa]

Wow, that kiddo was a sourgrape... a killjoy... for someone who looked all dapper. Jesus Christ, man. Would it kill you to have some fun after all that? I know I need a damn drink after all that. I was upset about my current standing, but I figured that a victory was a victory regardless of what happened. I hadn't expected a red carpet welcoming, but following the guy inside the bar, I immediately smelled the rank scent of Way Too Many Drunk Guys. Sweet lovin' hell, how much did these guys drink? Man, they looked wasted as hell! Couldn't the guy have chosen a classier place? Man, this is no place for a woman. I coughed and looked around after I stepped foot into the bar. Whatever, if anybody tried to get down on me I'd beat their ass down... I took a seat by the barkeep and rattled my fingers on the counter, wondering what I'd have today. I hailed the barkeep, loudly, assertively, yet as politely as I could. Today, I needed the hard stuff. Yeah, the hard stuff. "'Scuse me, barkeep, y'got some of the hard stuff?" I lowered my voice a little. "Got some moonshine out there? Puskar? Mirabelle? Chacha?" I don't think I could even finish my question before the bartender (I suppose he had a name, I think I saw his face somewhere before, but I couldn't be too sure) expertly whipped up something from SOMEWHERE, before sliding a mug of what appeared to be very clear white stuff. It was so clear, it was almost like paint thinner.

Jackpot. I thanked him and took a swig of the presumed moonshine, and smiled wryly. The flavor was strong and packed a big punch. Moonshine was highly alcoholic, and usually illegally produced. It wasn't just the illegal nature of it that made it appealing, but it was also what people did with it homebrewn that made it fascinating. The flavoured stuff was often great. I could already feel the toxins from the last fight being overridden by a new, more comfortable poison. The poison of alcohol. Fortunately for me, I inherited my mother's strong alcohol tolerance, and it wasn't very easy for me to get drunk. Grinning, I asked "Hey, I don't think I recognize this taste, where'd you get it from? It's great stuff."

[Chidori Tsukino]

After finishing up her healing in conjunction with Layla's poison-removal, it seemed Takeda was leading people to a bar. Now, normally she hated crowds, didn't drink and to be honest, she barely even knew the guy. However, after what they'd just been through, and the fact that Alisa was going too, Chidori felt a little more inclined to follow the group.

Of course, she still wasn't exactly prepared for the dive bar. Her eyes scanned over things with an instinctive cautiousness, though she doubted they were really in much danger here, not with all of them. Even so, she stuck close to Alisa, wandering over to the bar and taking a seat beside her, pondering over what to order - it would be rude not to have anything to drink after all. Besides, something like vodka might put a fire in her belly.

Pulling out her notepad, she scrawled in her usual elegant script, and then waited until she could snag the barkeeper's attention to push it towards him. One mule please. Maybe he would think it was because it was too noisy to talk, or maybe he was sharp enough to figure out her muteness. Nevertheless, it didn't take long for her to get her combination of ginger beer, lime and vodka. Taking a swig, her chocolate brown eyes danced a little - the vodka burned while the ginger and lime taste settled in her mouth pleasantly.

Of course, it wasn't like she could really talk to the others, so Chidori settled in to drink & listen for the most part, idly wondering what it was that Alisa was drinking.

[Desmond Kurtz]

It's those honky tonk women
That gimme
gimme
gimme
The honky tonk blue

Whoever had selected the tunes for the jukebox had excellent taste. Despite drinking for several hours now, Desmond was still moderately sober. He'd found a lot of comfort in the bottom of a bottle over the years. A leather jacket that was more than long enough to cover the evoker sticking out of the back of his pants warmed his bones as he observed a few new people enter the musky bar. One was a red haired man who looked to be Asian. Considering how late the hour was and how cheap the guy's clothes were, he wondered what he was doing up at this hour. There was no way that the guy normally had enough free time to manage coming to a bar at this hour. Sighing, he poured another shot of whiskey into his small glass. Let me keep the bottle he'd told the bartender. Whiskey hardly even burned his throat going down anymore. It was better than the summer that his job had taken him to a place where the only alcohol was motorboat fuel dilated with enough alcohol that it wouldn't kill him.

Something was on Desmond's mind that made reassured him, but also brought a sense of unease. Not long before the new arrivals to the bar made their way there, the power had gone out and things became far more...ominous. In all his years handling the things his line of work brought him into contact with, something like that had never happened before. Finding everyone else in the bar frozen in time, he'd summoned Merlin and sensed an ominous presence across the city. Without a doubt, it had been the presence he'd ever sensed. He also sensed numerous...friendly presences. Now, logic would normally dictate that he check out the source of the problem. Instead, he decided he'd find out what was going on later and take advantage of the bartender being frozen to have himself a nice long drink.

There was nothing quite like swindling a perfectly honest bartender out of some money because of events outside of his control. Turning to the Asian man, Desmond smiled wryly and said, "You look like you just won the lottery. Share some of that good fortune with a drunken wretch, brother." Despite being southern, he had the kind of American accent you'd expect from someone who lived in the northeast. Turning his attention back to his drink and drained another shot of whiskey. "Here's to there being none of that faggy J-pop on the jukebox."

[Layla Amare]

Layla was a bit sketchy on the place their red-haired guide had led them too. It seemed a bit...well, seedy wasn't quite the word, but it was a close second when a better description was failing her. But she'd already committed herself to joining in on this party, so she wasn't going to back out now. Besides, if things went bad, they'd all helped to take out a monstrosity that put some of the more bizarre rakshasa to shame. Not much was going to scare her after that, at least until another one came along. And that was also why she was here: to celebrate. And despite being so tired that she felt like she could collapse at any second, she felt like she deserved that much before heading back. She figured she could still handle a drink or two at that.

She glanced around at the other patrons as she entered. All older men, drunk off their asses and giving the lot of them funny looks. But nope, not going to scare her. Try coming back with a massive blade and magical powers. Ignoring them, Layla sat down with a couple other girls in their 'merry' group at the bar. "Got any DSP black?" she asked, recalling one of the only liquors she'd actually had back home and being utterly amazed when the bartender pulled out a bottle. "Well then, I'll take some of that," she said, grinning.

"Ah, I miss this stuff," she said after the first sip. "I should've found this place sooner."

[Takeda]

Seemed like half the people that were fighting a giant shadow behemoth about an hour or so ago had shown up to lift their glasses in celebration or in order to forget. Thankfully, most of the patrons in the bar already didn't remember what was happening...something along those lines, really, got really blurry around one in the morning. Old Zhang had a grin on his face a mile wide from the influx of customers, though it made a few of the regulars end up stepping out, after all, some miserable bastards don't love company, and seeing a bunch of folks step right through the door like they just busted down the Berlin wall? That shit tended to make the hardcore winos just make their way right through the exit, stage left. Passing out drinks right and left like he was the million dollar man, Zhang couldn't have been more happy that Takeda was a regular...hell, he didn't get this kind of business often. With most of the tar lunged bastards in the bar managing to slither their ways out, the smoke seemed a bit less dense, then again that could be because he managed to finally remember where the switch for that fan was. Having gotten rid of the oldest glass of the ol' bubbly he had ever seen, along with some of the strongest moonshine he had ever brewed up in the still, the money was gonna definitely be flooding in. Looking over at his red-haired customer of the week, no, the month...god damn, the old bastard felt like he could practically hug Takeda for these folks. Nodding over to Takeda, he soon turned his attention over towards the one white fellow who asked him if he'd share in the goods, with a smile on his bearded face, Zhang spoke, " 'Course, y'know, I just love giving away profits the moment I get them, right brother? You pay to play, like one of those damn internet games." Meanwhile, Takeda seemed to be living it up.

Holding onto his glass of bourbon, Takeda looked over at the little group that he had managed to assemble to tackle a bigger beast, Zhang's inventory. Hell, usually right about now he'd be drinking to the bottom of the bottle for a lot worse reasons, for once, it was time to at least drink up for celebratory reasons, right? Well, as he was downing his bourbon like it was water, he looked over to his left. Not but one stool away was some lady that managed to actually stand ol' Zhang's Moonshine. Moving over a stool since the other fellow saw it fit to leave, either because of the smoke choking up his lungs, or there actually being people sitting in the place that didn't look like naked mole rats. Drinking on his bourbon still, he handed over the glass to Zhang, and then pointed over to the lady. As if a secret code had been passed between the two, Zhang immediately slid a glass of the heavy stuff right on over to Takeda. What was a good time without a bit of temporary blindness?  Downing a glass of the stuff quickly, he felt his insides screaming out in pain...and hot damn did he love it. Zhang though, he spoke before the red haired amigo could even get a word off, to the young lady. "It's a special recipe. If 'ya had tapeworms, those things are dead now." A chuckle got out between the burning fits of Takeda's mouth, as he looked over at the lady, speaking to her with a smirk on his face, "Jesus Lady, nobody ever gets this shit unless they want to make damn sure they aren't the ones to drive home." Looking over his shoulder, Takeda could've sworn...yup, he did. It was Dave. Reaching out into the smoke filled air, he waved over the person he called "Whitey"  with a few motions of his hand, before speaking over to Alisa again. "Man, I'd figure you'd still wanna have your full life expectancy after fighting something like this...then again doesn't look like you'll be drinking much of it." Oh hell, he did it, and he knew he did...seldom few times did Takeda manage to make any sort of friendship with someone without first starting this bit up.

"Stuff'll kill you unless you built up an immunity to it." Now Takeda was probably skating on thin fucking ice, and a boot to his balls was probably going to be underneath it when it broke, but how often did he get out? But it wasn't every day he got out and fought a giant beast, then went to drink with strangers that he had just met. Familiar faces weren't exactly a thing for Takeda, other than maybe Whitey, and that was due to the fact that he had really helped save his ass...getting out seemed like a good idea every now and then now. With a smirk on his face, other than in between drinks of the hard stuff that Zhang made, the equivalent to molecular acid,  he looked over at the others. A few younger ladies than the one he was next to, and an older fellow behind them, didn't look to be a regular. Keeping his thoughts to himself, Takeda looked over his shoulder once more, not at Dave, but at the other guy, the new one. Now you normally didn't ask Zhang for free booze unless you wanted a vasectomy, but the guy had guts, he'd give 'em that. Looking back to the lady next to him, he swiveled his glass around...they all did the same thing right after he gave them that look usually, and oh boy was it gonna be fun.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I had been taking swigs of this drink that was incredibly loving strong. I hadn't gotten tipsy yet, but I was already feeling the heat. This thing was far beyond any sort of spirit or even typical moonshine I had tasted thus far. If I were to categorize it, it was at least twice as strong as the typical hard liquor and four times as strong as typical beers. In the midst of it all, I had noticed Chidori-san walk in. She was mute of course, so she couldn't order normally, instead asking for a mule. Judging from what was in the stuff, it looked to be a Moscow mule in particular - a cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer and lime. During the 50's, it was a popular drink amidst the vodka craze in the states. It was called as such due to the common idea that vodka was a Russian product. Actually, today, there was much debate on the origins of the drink. We do know it originated in Eastern Europe, and that production initially started either in Poland or in part of today's Russia during the 8th century to the late 9th century. We also know that the process of distillation was invented during this time as a result.

I had thought about it for a moment and realized that something was off with this drink. Sure, it tasted good, but... In the middle of my muddled thoughts, the barkeeper piped up quipping that 'if I had tapeworms in my stomach, they'd be dead by now.' That could only mean one thing - this shit was the top of the top in terms of alcohol content. I was drinking what had to be nearly pure alcohol. Well, shit. No wonder it was so strong. It was a special recipe or brew, he mentioned. The only well-known recipes of alcohols this strong came from either Norway or Poland. But I recall my mother talking about this kind of drink too, she was German, and they called it Primasprit, but it was actually referred to as Neutralalkohol. All variants I knew contained approximately 96% ABV, and Neutralalkohol contains exactly 95.6%, or 191.2 US proof. Even Everclear was 200 US proof. Sales of such neutral spirits were made illegal in various, and its production too. To think I was actually DRINKING this shit! ...It made me want more.

The red-haired guy the barkeep seemed to be friends with laughed and told me I'd surely get wasted. He also made the mistake of saying I wouldn't be drinking much. He's obviously seeking to challenge my European blood. I can't simply back off after a friendly taunt like that. Banter must be responded to with banter in a celebratory moment like this. I simply laughed in response to the guy, who I had not even gotten the name of yet. "Ya seem awfully sure of yourself, bud," I called out back to him. "Are ya issuing me a challenge? Are you~?" I grinned. My face hadn't flushed at all, I was confident of this. It was only the first glass. I understood my body very well - I had been drinking out with my parents very often, so they would often call me out when I had accidentally breached my limits. I estimate that it would take me at least the next glass to make me feel barely tipsy. I'd go dizzy after the fourth drink, and it'll take the fifth before I feel I'll need to collapse. Does he think he can push me far?

"Besides~ I don't drive! Haha! This crap's tasty as everloving hell!"

[David Moore]

This wasn’t good. Dave had downed his entire glass by this point and he was already feeling the effects. He had ordered a light beer and he was already drunk. Brilliant. The room had already begun distorting as if he were looking at it through a film of water. The sounds in the room had dulled to where it sounded like he was covering his ears with his hands. He couldn’t even smell anymore. Despite this, he had a warm fuzzy feeling inside. It was a good feeling, one that overrode the natural panic his brain should be experiencing at the complete shutdown of his bodily functions. Being drunk was weird… but ok.

He saw Takeda turn towards him and motion with his hand. What was that for? Did he want Dave to come over? Probably not. Or Probably yeah. Why? Did he want Dave to sit with him? Probably no- yeah he did. For what purpose. Did he also feel the same attraction Dave felt and just wanted Dave near him? That had to be it. Being drunk had a way of overcoming your better judgment.

He stumbled over to where Takeda was sitting, unsuccessfully trying to remain composed. Walking was hard when you were drunk. He felt he understood in this moment of difficulty exactly why cops did the straight line test. Cops were geniuses. He finally made it over to the stool, grasping it firmly before hoisting himself on it unsteadily.

He looked over to Takeda in the seat next to him for several seconds, reveling in the closeness before he noticed the brown-haired girl next to him. She was the one that dragged him here and he had been reluctant to go. She wasn’t so bad after all. She was actually pretty stand-up if she was hanging with Takeda. Heck, all the guys here suddenly seemed a lot nicer than he had thought at first. He had been stupid to think they were dangerous. He was stupid. But beer made it ok.

He noticed what Takeda and Alisa seemed to be drinking. It was clear. It must be water. Takeda was a responsible drinker then? He was even more impressive than Dave had first realized, especially since the bar was his idea. He must be wanting everyone else to have fun. Dave felt bad for getting a beer. He decided to get water, too.

He signaled the bartender and pointed at Takeda’s glass, showing that he wanted the same thing. The bartender looked at him, dumbfounded. Dave returned the look. He wasn’t sure why. In a flash of realization, he pulled his wallet that he had miraculously brought with him from his wallet. He took out a few random bills that he couldn’t make out and slapped them on the table. The bartender continued to look at Dave for several more seconds before shrugging his shoulders in resignation.

A cup full of the clear liquid was slapped in front of Dave and he eagerly took it in his hands. It was important to dilute the alcohol to prevent a bad hangover, supposedly. He looked over at Takeda and noticed the man take a strong swig, lowering the cap with a smile on his face. It must be some refreshing water. Dave couldn’t really smell anything, but water shouldn’t really have much of a smell anyways. He began to lift the glass to his lips. It would be best to just pour it into the back of his throat to prevent a sensory overload to his alcohol-bogged system. As he raised the glass higher, something in his stomach twisted and Dave got the sense that something was wrong. He quickly ignored it.

Bottoms Up!

He dumped the liquid straight down his gullet. Several seconds passed before the registering of pain went through his brain, enough for the entire class to be drained before Dave could react. It came all at once. “Oh my… shit!” Dave clutched his hands at his throat. It felt like someone had lit his throat with a thousand fires after dumping gasoline into his body. The feeling spread down to his stomach and Dave felt like his entire body was on fire. He let out a loud, choking gasp as he fell backwards off his stool, cringing on the ground where he fell. This was not fun. This was not good. “Am I… dying?” He choked between strangled breaths.

[Takeda]

Now it was downright typical for most people that Takeda had nudged into this little challenge of his to accept, and the lady next to him was no different, though it looked as if she was made of sterner stuff than the average day laborer from the way she handled that first glass. Lifting the emptied out glass out to Zhang, Takeda had clearly readied himself to either get alcohol poisoning, or win a bet with absolutely no damn money involved. The old fellow behind the bar just ended up looking at Takeda with a look that practically screamed out that he doubted if the guy should take this one up on a bit of a drinking game...but, what kind of businessman would turn down a chance to fleece a few more bucks out of his customer base when they were begging him to? Pouring him another glass of the good ol' paint thinner, Zhang then turned to the lady, doing the exact same...now the fun was really going to start the moment those two ended up burning off their lips with the stuff, but Zhang wasn't gonna put that out there.

Takeda lifted his glass, and said a silent prayer for his liver, the poor thing was undergoing worse punishment than anybody at Guantanamo could ever fathom. Burning all the way down into the barren wasteland that was his gullet, the red-haired drunkard turned to look over at Alisa with a grin that practically dared her to take another round of the stuff. Hopefully Zhang had brewed it right this time, last time, somebody ended up needing a seeing eye dog, but what's the fun without a bit o' risk, eh? Now the very moment that he had managed to down the stuff, it seemed as if Dave had just pulled up a seat next to him. The kid was welcome, especially after healing up everyone at the park. Almost every time, the dapper dandy seemed to show up and patch everyone up when they needed it the most, though it seemed as if he was a littl- oh dear fucking god, he ordered a shot of the good stuff. Before Takeda could even say a word, Dave had fallen to the floor and was screaming about how he thought he was dying...well, that tended to happen when you were a teetotaler having your first shot of stuff barely barely below the lethal level. Looking back from his bar-stool, he leaned down, appearing completely sober even after two entire glasses full of the hard stuff, and some bourbon, before speaking down to David. "Dave. Dave? Now you fucked up, kid." It was all a joke, but damn, some people just couldn't handle their booze.

Takeda knew better than to pick up a guy who had just tried downing Zhang's good stuff in one good go, unless he wanted vomit colored shoes, so he lifted himself back up onto the bar stool, shot Alisa that look, daring her to even try beating him. However, he could see that the others were havin' their definition of fun, with the older fellow in the back looking as if he had consumed his own weight in booze without flinching before they got here, and the young 'uns were getting their fill of all the booze they could drink. Was always a good day when you could see people from various cultures and backgrounds ruining their internal organs. One oddly silent girl off in the corner ordered a mule, another champagne, and hell...someone even ordered the Indian brew. Just never caught that many varied tastes in one place, other than in Lian's. Whilst he waited for the lady next to him to put up or shut up, he spoke over to her with a grin. "Not countin' the lightweight, my money is on the one in the dress to be the first one fallin' over. Then the Indian chick, then the girl over in the corner." Seldom few times did he actual make a wager at Zhang's, for people often took him up on it, and he lost his shirt...much like his beloved jacket. But, well, with the meager few dollars he was carrying to pay for the stuff, didn't seem like it'd hurt.

[Desmond Kurtz]

Well, these new additions were certainly a fun bunch. Zhang, as the bartender was called, was being a prick. And to think he'd listened to him bitch about his wife earlier without complaining even once. Sighing, he turned his bottle upside down and drained all the whiskey out of it. The world was spinning when Desmond looked forward again, but damn he hardly even felt a buzz. He'd drank so much over the years that even the good stuff hardly got him drunk. At least Zhang's little freeze gave him the opportunity to dip into some good stuff without burning a hole in his pockets. Keeping a composed mien, he looked at the bartender and said, "Alright then. I'll take some scotch." He put the money on the table. When Zhang went to get the scotch, he'd find all the bottles drained and sitting there unsealed. That'd be a good kick in the groin for the Chinaman.

Turning his attention to the other patrons of the bar, he was there at ground zero for the other white guy taking a sip of the bartender's brew. Before he could even open his mouth to warn the guy, he choked like he was going to puke and Desmond had to stand up to avoid getting puke on jacket. Seeing no point to standing still, he walked over to the jukebox right as the Stones finished telling him about Honky Tonk Women. Pulling some change out, he slipped the money into the jukebox and picked a whole wide range of rock n' roll. It seemed like the new arrivals were having a drinking contest. Walking up to where the poor guy had fallen, Desmond helped to pick him up and move him to a nearby chair. "Up you go, brother. I think you should lay off the booze for a while." Leaning his weight against the chair, he got one of the buckets located nearby and sat them nearby so he'd have something to throw up in if need be.

"And for what it's worth, my money's on the red haired Jap outlasting you all. He's got the air of a man that knows the solace layin' at the bottom of a bottle." With just a bit of bravado, he put a thin wad of bills on the table between Alisa and Takeda.

[Deleted]

Now, she felt drunk after taking her last sip of her champagne. The room was spinning and she forced herself to stand still. Never had she experienced such delight in drinking champagne before, but it was worth it. She heard the music change to rock and roll and she liked it. Actually, that was her favorite kind of music besides classical. She saw a dark haired man drink his scotch. She found him quite handsome, or maybe it was the alcohol kicking into her system. Well, damn, he looked so hot. She stumbled her way to where a reporter lady and a red-haired man was sitting. She said to the dark haired man while she drunkenly giggled, "Hello, sir~! You look very cute~!" Oh, crap. Did she just admit that this guy was cute? Well, this is going to be awkward...

[Layla Amare]

Oh...oh wow.  This had already gone in a bad direction.  One of the other partygoers (she should really start learning names) did something incredibly stupid and asked for the nearly clear spirit that had been called tapeworm-killing.  He hadn't seemed like the type to be able to handle it in the first place, but then...well, the red-haired guy's comment was considerably more blunt than Layla would have put it, but it worked.  Then he commented on how quickly the rest of them would join him in falling over.  "No bet.  I already know I can't drink that much," she said.

But, she got the feeling that the woman who had ordered that ridiculous-sounding drink first wasn't going to back down quite so easily.  "Um...just so you all know...I'm pretty sure I can't cure alcohol poisoning," she said in a hushed tone, hoping that nobody that wasn't part of their little group would hear her well enough to question it.  Granted, she hadn't actually tried to cure anything other than shadow-induced poison, but she got the distinct feeling that it didn't work that way.  Actually, could she even summon her persona here at all?  ...Best not to try.  "So if you go too far overboard, I can't help you."

[Ayakura Alisa]

These all bastards don't got no faith! I shrugged, taking a swig of my glass of clear spirit and downed my first one. I had completely ignored the fact that the young man I had dragged in ended up drinking some as well, literally finding himself dying. I was still sober, and having realized that fact I laughed as he was helped up by some other stranger. "Damn, you know, if you already find yourself drunk after one weak beer, don't you think it's a bad idea to take up the heavy stuff? Y'know? Jesus!" Apparently, it also seemed that people were putting up money on this drinking match. Oh boy, is that how things were going to play out? There's no way this guy can drink six glasses of the stuff and still be standing. Or else, the following morning, he'll be puking his guts out. And then, out of nowhere, a young girl in a dress - Oh wait, it was that noble-looking girl from earlier - stumbled by us and started hitting on the dark-haired stranger who had helped up the poor soul who mistook the spirit for water... Crap, girl, you do know he's like, twice your age?! ...Of course, she looked pretty damn wasted already...

"Yo, barkeep," I called out in a relaxed manner, grinning maliciously. "I'll have another. This stuff's heavenly, and there's no way I'll let this fellow show me up with the bottle! And hey, what's a little friendly banter between comrades, eh?! ...You know man," I looked towards the red-head. "I don't think I ever got your name! How funny is that!" On further inspection, the Indian girl from earlier with the power to restore poisoning, had mentioned something about being unable to cure alcohol poisoning. That's gotta be a cruel joke! You don't say something like that, sister! I grinned sheepishly, now turning my attentions to her. "Oh~ I'm sure I'll be fine. I can handle my liquor. My late ma and I would always attempt to get wasted off the German imports here, yeah?"