Julian had been just about ready to light the joint that rested on his lips when Kisheto's voice brought him back to the situation at hand. 'Ah, yea', duty calls...' he thought. 'It's been so long since we burned though...' whined Senyuko from within. Julian chuckled, 'Back at home we used to call eager kids like you "jalebis". He could hear the soft imitation of a laugh in the back of his mind. 'Whatever, Jules, just go.' Julian smiled and then turned to Yugeto.
"Ay shinyboi, les' move out, yeh?" he called. Yugeto waved in confirmation, catching up to Julian. "For your information, your shiny boy is Goldie over there." Yugeto replied, pointing to Kisheto. "The inner city...it's nice that we're going to be seeing one that is operating again, after all that time in Sovereign." Yugeto mused, his eyes wandering across the unique and new sights before him, the vast openness and myriad beams of sunlight that danced across the trio inspired Yugeto with a motivation to press onward. "We're going to have to act like normal humans here, unfortunately; we should head deep into the city to find some of the more interesting things in its heart." He said to the other two. Kisheto smiled at Yugeto and clapped his hands together, "Actually! Did I ever mention..." he began, causing Julian to squint at his sudden outburst. "I turned twenty one like a week ago... so we could always, heh, y'know?" This caused Julian to laugh and pat Kisheto on the back. Yugeto squinted, before laughing as he began to understand what the two were saying. "Oh right, I've heard about that. I've actually never drank before, but hell, why not?" He said curiously, and the three shared a hearty laugh. For a brief moment, the three young men had managed to catch a glimpse of the normal lives they had left over a year ago. Even if just for a second, they felt calm and casual, letting their worries drift away with the setting sun.
The three entered the city with relative ease. Having realized they didn't have much to do (assuming Zachary and Ishigo succeeded in their objective) they turned to a taxi to take them to a bank. A short carriage ride later, Julian withdrew about four hundred Laurels, noticing his parents having transferred five thousand into his account. 'It was probably for the semester's tuition and fees.... guess I won't be needing that for a while.' Kisheto had never had the chance to even use a bank before, so he waited outside with Yugeto. When Julian left the building, he pointed down the large, wide road. "If we follow Merchant's Walk that way, we'll come across Wanderer's Den. They have great prices, apparently."
Kisheto nodded, "Alright, so we're actually doing this?" he said with a smile. Julian shrugged, "I say why not, brothah."
As suggested, Julian and the other two followed the busy road down to a long array of buildings. Sure enough, after weaving through incoming hordes of busy people, they reached a large building with nice, decorative lights that made the entire set up glow a sunset orange. The three had arrived with perfect timing - the sky was on the brink of darkening up, and at the moment, matched the orange hue of the bar's lighting.
The revolving doors opened to a large, open space with tables built into the sides of the walls. The tables resembled small booths, and the actual bar was across on the other side, past a few round tables that circled some typical bar board games. A nice, acoustic melody set a relaxing vibe for the entire venue. A bouncer stood inside the building right behind the doors, appearing in front of the trio as they entered. Yugeto quickly turned around and walked back out, feigning forgetting something, and the bouncer looked sheepishly to Kisheto and Julian. "ID, please?" The bouncer asked. "You won't be carded again on entry." Julian looked back to where Yugeto had walked out, confused. 'Where dat boy gon' now, ay Sen?' 'I'm sure he's got a plan, Jules; just give the guy your ID.' Julian and Kisheto promptly handed in their identification, took it back after it was examined, and walked deeper into the bar.
Outside the bar, Yugeto scratched his head in serious thought. 'Hmm...how exactly should I get in...?' Yugeto circled the perimeter of the building, noticing a window on the second floor on the eastern side of the building, near the middle of the right-hand wall. Walking deeper into the alleyway separating the buildings, Yugeto took to his ethereal form and slipped in through a crack in the aforementioned window, then reformed. He had ended up in an empty bedroom, and opened the door out of the bedroom. To his left were the stairs, but an open door was on the wall exactly adjacent to the stairs. "Just gotta be careful..." Yugeto tiptoed out of the room towards the stairs, but stopped as he spotted a girl around his age in a bathrobe inside the room the open door was leading to, and due to his slow pace he awkwardly faced her for at least twenty seconds before the two locked eyes.
"Hey..." 'Think on your feet, Yugeto; be suave, be confident! What's cool, huh? Carpenter fixing the broken bed? That's fucking stupid, she'll think I'm pathetic. Hmm...' "I'm sorry, I got a little adventurous when I saw those stairs, I hope I'm not encroaching on your privacy." He said nonchalantly, inwardly yelping and hoping he didn't seem suspicious. "It's quite alright, but if my father sees you up here I'm afraid you won't be encroaching ever again." The girl walked over to the door as she closed it. When the door was almost fully shut, she peeked her head out of the crack in the door, and spoke. "If you're feeling adventurous again, I'll meet you downstairs in some time." Yugeto nodded seemingly uncomfortably, horrified by the thought that his feeble attempts at being flirtatious were even somewhat successful. He walked down in a daze, before meeting up with Kisheto and Julian. "Yo, dudes..." he said distantly, still in disbelief. Kisheto looked to Julian with wide eyes, "Holy shit, you're slick as fuck!" Julian laughed and the three young men walked to the back and sat on three stools that were built out of the side of the bar, farthest to the right side where no one else was sitting.
Julian sat between Kisheto and Yugeto and he looked around. He liked the bar's style- the interior was mostly wooden to add an antique type of feeling to it. Dim lighting added the perfect touch, and Julian smiled when he saw a plethora of people (notably some beautiful women) socializing about. Three bar tenders were working at a slow pace, but there wasn't much of a rush either, allowing for a reasonable waiting time. "Alright, Kish, Yug. Your first drink's gotta be bomba', yeh? No sissy sippin!" Kisheto chuckled at Julian's diction and nodded before leaning forward and looking to Yugeto, "Yo, this is legit!" Yugeto silently shook his head up and down, while Julian waved to one of the bar tenders. The woman was young and she smiled as Julian called for her. "Welcome! What can I get for yah gentlemen?" she asked. Julian looked to his two friends and then tilted his head as he looked back at the woman, "Do you guys do tropics?" he asked, twisting his mouth as he pondered his decision. The bartender tapped her finger on the side of the bar and thought, "Hmm... what did you have in mind?"
"Caliosan Squigbombs?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as he didn't expect to get a positive answer. The bartender smiled and leaned on the wooden surface, "Ha! You're from Caliosa?" Julian smiled and nodded, "Se ma sangui, se ma soul," he said, placing a hand over his heart. The woman chuckled and nodded in response. "Three Caliosan Squigbombs it is. Just a minute," she said as she walked back to the other end of the bar. Julian then looked at Kisheto, who seemed to be surprised. "Whatcha' gawkin at, yulo?" he asked with a puzzled expression.
"Yoooo.... did you see the way she was lookin' at this fool? Like he was some ice cream sundae set in front of a little fat kid, holy shit, how'd you do that?!" Kisheto asked. Yugeto hooted and pointed at Julian. "Good shit, Smokes! Lets get this started." Julian chuckled and spun around in his stool, facing away from the bar as he leaned back and placed his elbows on the surface of it. "You haven't seen noña, Kish. Why? You told me you never had a drink before, but have you never...?"
Kisheto shook his head, feeling the brunt of Julian's roast. "N-nah, it's not like that, man, I'm just, y'know. Like shit. You act like I was out there in Sovereign tryna find myself a girl. We just ba-"
"Whoa, there, brothah," Julian hushed Kisheto, suddenly turnin serious as he quieted the rowdy boy. "I didn't mean to offend, but watch whatcha say, yeah? Remember: we're of the few."
Yugeto chimed in with agreement. "Dude, if it makes you feel any better, I've never done ANYTHING with a girl, man. How do you expect to get shit done in that prison, anyway?" he asked.
Kisheto closed his eyes, feeling dumbfounded, "Agh, damn you're right." Before long, the bar tender returned with a tray holding three small shot glasses and a long bottle that had a spiraling neck which connected to a spherical bottom. At the bottom, a peeled, red fruit lay suspended in a reddish pink liquid. The top of the bottle was closed with a small tip. "Here you go, I blended together my favorite mix just for yah!" Julian nodded and smiled, "Thanks, yulie," he said with a wink, causing the woman to blush before turning and returning to her duties.
"Ok, brothahs. Here it is," he began as he reached for the bottle and held it by the bulb-shaped bottom. He poured enough of the drink to fill each of the three shot glass, and then finished by taking a pinch of a green powder that was set in a little canister on the tray. Sprinkling a little bit of the powder into each drink, he handed the glasses to both boys. "Round one for the little virgins!" he mused as held the glass between his index and middle finger and emptied its contents into his mouth. His face scrunched up at the burning sensation he felt as it slipped down his throat, but he let out a breath of satisfaction after completely downing the shot. "Now that's a feelin' I've missed!"
Kisheto smiled and looked at his own glass. "Alriiight, bottoms up!" he said as he mimiced Julian and finished off the shot. The taste was spicy, sweet, and sour packed into one fruity blend. It was as refreshing as it was warming, and it dripped down his throat like lava pouring down the side of a volcano. "Ugh, whoa... that was weird..." he said, sticking his tongue out. He didn't expect it to "hurt", but it tasted and felt great once the burning stopped.
Yugeto downed the drink, coughing and sputtering as he felt the harsh liquid leave an afterburn in his throat. "Damn, that's yucky." Yugeto announced. "I'll stay sober for now, I don't like this. But throw me one of your magic sticks in a bit, Jules. We'll get big boy Goldie here warmed up and I'll go on the hunt shortly after."
Julian laughed at the boy's reactions and pat both of them on the back, he then turned back around and raised his hands, "FIRST DRINKS!" he called, pointing to the two, whose expressions made it obvious that they didn't exactly enjoy the liquor. The people around the bar all turned to look at the man and burst into cheers, laughter, and applause. Julian laughed and turned around, pouring two more shots.
After four rounds, Kisheto had decided he was done. He could feel his mind begin to dance as his senses were dulled. He felt light, slow, and refreshed. The three had finished their drinks and began relaxing as its effects took over. It was as if they had forgotten that they were runaway hosts, prey to the largest authority on the continent. Their actions were reckless. Foolish. Irresponsible. But it didn't matter, because at the back of their minds, they knew that it may have been the last opportunity to enjoy what little life had to offer for such fugitives. Julian looked to the bar tender, "What about that one?" he said. KIsheto peered over to the woman. She was rather short, and a bit on the thicker side, but she had long, flowing brown hair and a decent smile. "Seven," Kisheto said confidently.
Yugeto chuckled. "She's alright. But I'm gonna go with a six. My bad Goldie, not too big on her."
Julian shrugged, "Eh, a six or seven's fair," he added."Elise!" he called, having found out her name when she returned to retrieve the bottles. The woman turned to Julian and instantly lit up as she walked over to him, "How's it goin'?" she asked. Julian looked left and right and then leaned in as he lowered his voice, "What's your policy on... a lil' bitta' herb?" he asked, flashing her a single joint from his pouch. Elise smiled slyly and looked down. "Well..." she then turned around and pointed to a hallway in the corner of the room, "Only in the VIP section, and that's about 100 Laurels per hour, but..."
Julian raised a single eyebrow, "But...?"
She giggled, "You guys look like you could use a break, so just keep yah mouth shut, hm?"
Julian smiled, "I owe you one, mila."
The VIP area was a copy of the regular bar, except much smaller and more decorated. There was a reduced number of people, and many were smoking various herbs. Through the haze, one could make out that these individuals were no ordinary folk. They were high class citizens - acutal VIP's. Yugeto walked into the VIP area alongside Julian and Kisheto, the trio obviously excited. "How do you get away with this stuff, Julian?" Yugeto asked with genuine interest and respect. "You just got her to hand you those keys like-" Yugeto snapped his fingers as he said "that." Julian chuckled, "Listen brothahs, it's all about presence. A woman can feel your confidence more than she can see it. Make her...make her feel like she's the lead actress of a movie."
Once again, the trio sat on the least crowded section of the bar. Julian opened his small pouch and retrieved a beautifully rolled joint.
'What is this poison?!'
Kisheto nearly fell out of his seat as the powerful voice boomed from within his soul. 'Shit, man, you can't just pop in and out like that!'
'Fool, are you trying to end us both?!'
Kisheto shook his head and buried his head in his hands. Julian noticed. 'Looks like Kisheto's gotten introduced to his kage, huh?' Julian pat Kisheto on the back, "No worries, right brothah?"
Kisheto nodded. 'Listen, pal. Thanks for saving my ass multiple times. But remember that you're in MY body. If you don't like it, then leave me alone. I didn't ask for you, and obviously you didn't ask for me. SO, if you don't mind, I'm going to try to live my life, and you? I would really appreciate if you just shut the hell up, a'ight?" Kisheto felt a hint of submission in the foreign presence and scoffed at his victory. Julian then placed his joint in his mouth, pinched the front end between two fingers, and twisted it back and forth while he channeled a minimal amount of spirit to his finger tips. Before long, the joint lit, and he inhaled small, short puffs of smoke to get the flame going. After taking his first long hit, he looked to the two next to him, "Alright, then. Whatcha waitin for, brothahs?" he asked jokingly.
Yugeto reached for the joint, putting the soothing herb to his lips, taking a few drags, and then holding them in. Yugeto let the smoke slowly rise like a thick cloud, before coughing slightly. "Good, good shit, Smokes." Yugeto sputtered, hanging the joint back over to Julian. Julian pat Yugeto on the back and then passed the joint over to Kisheto. "Draw in slow, then breathe in through your nose, hold it in, and lift off," he said clearly and concisely. Kisheto shrugged and grabbed the joint, putting it to his lips. He tilted his head back slightly as he started inhaling slowly. He gradually felt the burning smoke fill up his lungs, and had to hold back his gag reflex. Removing the joint from his lips, he took in a second breath through clenched teeth, forcing the smoke to his lungs. 'Ugh, tastes so good... but so bad at the same time... this is weird....' he thought as he exhaled a slow stream of smoke. He then coughed violently in short bursts and passed the joint to Julian, who chuckled. "Embrace the elevation, yeh?" Julian said before taking a long, deep drag and releasing out a graceful blob of smoke.
After the joint was burnt out, Julian tossed it in an ash tray and turned to look at the two.
Yugeto shuddered, feeling all the spirit within him warm up and send waves of euophoria throughout his body. "Woah...like I said, I'll stick to this shit." Yugeto looked around the bar with glossy eyes, a small smile on his face as he observed the area.
Kisheto leaned on the bar, facing away from it as he looked around. His vision was much clearer, but cloudy along the edges. As he turned his head, his sight began to lag behind. He felt his entire body relax and enjoyed the lightness he felt all over. "Yo.... Jules, this is some.... this is some..... yooo......" Kisheto let out a soft, raspy chuckle and gave Julian a thumbs up, unable to speak.
Julian noticed two women sitting alone on a table and nudged both Kisheto on Yugeto with each elbow. "Watch and learn, brothahs," he said as he pushed off the table and walked over to the table. Nearing the table he put one hand in his pocket, and then leaned on the wall near the table.
"Don't tell me that's blue dream in the hookah, is it?" he asked, tilting his head and smiling as he nodded towards the hookah at the center of the table. The two women looked at each other and then smiled at Julian. The one sitting on Julian's left spoke up first, "It is, how could you tell?"
Julian chuckled softly, and looked down and then back up. "I've got an eye for the herb. Well, more like a nose for it. Back in Caliosa I tried about every kind, and blue dream... well, let's just say it was one of the most amazing highs I've ever had. I'm Julian, by the way, and if you don't mind..." Julian said as he reached into his pouch, pulling out two joints, "I'd like to spread some light," he said with a chuckle. The two women laughed and one of them scooted over, patting the seat next to him. As Julian sat down, she looked to her friend, as if speaking telepathically as the two proceeded to giggle.
Meanwhile, Kisheto looked one in amazement. Julian flashed him a sly smile, as if to say "just like that."
"Can you believe that guy?" Kisheto began, smiling at Yugeto. "Hollup, lemme try this shit out..." he said as he looked around. Spotting a group of girls at the very corner of the room, he smiled, brushd his hair back with his hand, and set off. When he neared the table, he put one hand in his pocket and used his other arm to lean on a pillar near the table.
"Yo yo yo, don't tell me that's.... uh.... wait is that.... um...." Kisheto froze up as the group of girls looked at him, a total of four females eyeing him curiously. 'Shit, gotta look smooth, gotta look smooth,' he thought as he leaned forward. "You guys look like you could use a guy in yah circle, y'know?" he asked coyly, raising both brows and smiling as he looked each girl in the eyes. The girls looked at each other and giggled before one replied: "Sorry, we're into women."
Kisheto's expression dropped compeltely, as he looked dumbfounded at the response. "Oh... well, have a nice day," he said awkwardly, turning around and walking towards Yugeto embarrassed. "FUCK!" he said as he sat back down, not daring to look in the direction where a new bout of laughter was heard. "How does he... Yo, Yug, you try this shit."
Yugeto chuckled weakly, and scanned the area. "There..." He looked to two girls whispering on a table across from the two, exchanging looks and looking back at the boys. "Alright, here we go." Yugeto got up, and composed himself. He strutted over to the table, and leaned into the two girls. "So uh..." he smirked, leaning further in. "You see my friend over there?" He motioned back to Kisheto with a tilt of his head, and the two girls' eyes darted towards him. "He had his heart broken and he's trying to turn gay now...now we've tried to explain to him that one simply can't turn gay whenever he wants. so I'm going to have to enlist you two in proving to my friend there that he is, in fact, not gay, as you are some fine ladies, and I don't see a guy out there who wouldn't fall for you." Yugeto motioned for Kisheto to walk over, giving him a look that said 'just go with it'. The girls looked clearly confused, and Yugeto continued on as Kisheto cautiously approached. "Look, Kish. These girls are beautiful, aren't they? More beautiful than any man?"
Kisheto raised a brow as Yugeto spoke and then looked to the girls, confused. "Well, I mean, yeah? I wouldn't really call a man beautiful though, that's some gay shit..."
Yugeto nodded with a serious look. "Exactly, dude. That's what I'm saying." He sat down next to the girls on one side of the round table, and motioned for the bartender to approach. "Clearly, you women have made quite the startling effect on my ill friend here. Please, tell me how you did it?" The girls scoffed, pushing Yugeto away, and getting up from the table. One of the girls walked up to Kisheto with a concerned look. "Your friend has some problems, but I really hope you get your sexuality worked out; it's important for one to know his own identity." The girl explained, and Yugeto was doubled over in laughter, still at the table. Kisheto looked around completely confused as the girls brushed past him. "Wh-what?" he asked looking to Yugeto, then the girls. Turning back to Yugeto, he erupted into a bout of laughter, "FUCK YOU! WHAT DID YOU TELL THEM!" he said, charging Yugeto with a flurry of nonhostile punches. Yugeto ducked away from the punches and kept laughing. "I was just telling them about your recently discovered allure towards the male concentration, my friend." Yugeto had his comedic satisfaction, and went back to looking around; his eyes inevitably turned to the stairs, where he saw the bartender's daughter walk downstairs gracefully. "Alright Kish, all jokes aside, I need you for this one, partner." Yugeto said to his friend, walking towards the girl.
The bartender's daughter hovered past the elite crowd, walking with an air of confidence and exuberance in Kisheto and Yugeto's direction. "Well, if it isn't the adventurer and his companion." She said curiously. Kisheto looked to Yugeto, confused by her remark, and then looked back at the stranger. Yugeto took the girl's hand and coyly grinned. "I'd consider myself a cartographer. I'm searching for parts unknown." The girl slapped Yugeto on the face and dashed away in disgust. "Damn, thought that would sound suave." Yugeto groaned in exasperation.
Kisheto's eyes widened when the woman's hand collided with Yugeto's cheek. "Damn! What the hell, yo?! You can't just go in that hard! You gotta be smooth, like Jules. Shit, look at 'im..." he said nodding towards Julian. One of the girls was sitting on his lap, her face extremely close to his while the second had nearly fallen asleep on his shoulder. Kisheto shook his head, "Shit, I don't understand how he doe-"
just then Kisheto noticed a woman walk into the VIP area and take a seat at the bar alone. He squinted to get a better sight of her and nearly gasped when he made out what she looked like. 'Holy shit... she's freaking gorgeous....'
"Alright, fuck it. Lemme give this one more go," he said to Yugeto, getting up and walking towards the woman. Taking a seat next to her, he folded his arms on the surface of the bar and waited for the bar tender. He noticed the woman had already called for a drink and took the opportunity to break the ice, "Just needed to get away, huh? I don't usually see women drinking alone." It was not a false statement, but it had false implications. Kisheto didn't usually see women drinking, period.
