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Post by Illah Karu on Jun 18, 2012 17:49:07 GMT -5
The evening was quiet with only a few customers occupying the tables of the Orchid Lounge. It was no wonder, since the bar had not been open for even a full hour yet. The band had not yet started playing, though some of the members were in the process of inspecting their instruments for the upcoming show.
It had been a surprisingly good week for Illah. She had managed to win something for once by betting in the pro-bending matches. It was enough at least to last her for the week and let her have time to think about what to do in the future. She did not want to go work for any of the Triads. Belonging to an organization like that turned her stomach and the thought of not being able to leave when she wanted to made her feel queasy.
Her pickpocketing skills were a shadow of what they used to be and she could not rely on them for steady income. She still managed to steal from people in big crowds, but the fear of getting caught and ending up in jail ate at her and she knew fear was the first step towards her ruin.
She reminisced of her time with Maruk and his crew. Those had been the best years of her life. The feeling of pulling together, being a family and coming up with strategies of how to best loot a town and be out before the navy would be on to them. She had learned how to sail, how to manage a ship and how to make best use out of the weather. Maruk had often said he wanted to upgrade into a steam powered vessel, and no matter how convenient that would have been, Illah had always loved the traditional sail boats more than any metal contraption.
She dreamed of putting together her own crew and sailing from port to port, but piracy was in a slow decline what with the United Navy putting pressure on good honest criminals, like her. There was no hope in the profession.
“I guess I could always start walking the honest path,” she thought to herself and chuckled.
No, that would not work. She had not been raised to live an honest life. She knew nothing about it. All the people in her life had been charlatans of some sort or another, and the older she got, the harder she found changing her ways to be.
“Barkeep, another please,” she called out and pushed forward her empty glass.
The bartender poured her another drink of the cheapest stuff in the house. It tasted absolutely revolting, but made her feel lightheaded all the same.
“I need to think of a way to pull myself together. I just need to come up with an idea for business. Boost my confidence up. Illah, you can do this. You’re like a cockroach, you always make it,” she thought and took a sip, making a rather horrid face thanks to the taste of her drink.
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Post by Totomi Hojo on Jun 18, 2012 23:08:17 GMT -5
This was Totomi's second time in the Lounge. He still remembered his chance meeting when he was here last time. He also remembered the problem he had. He didn't remember what the names of the drinks were. He entered the Lounge and rubbed his hands together looking around. He looked at the band and thought to himself. 'Wow I must be early.' He then wandered around the Lounge some looking for a place to sit. He then found a free seat and saw someone sitting next to it. He hoped that this person wouldn't mind that he was sitting here. He sat and almost grabbed for his yuans. Then he stopped when he remembered what he was told.
He looked at the person next to him and saw she was a woman. He smiled kindly "Hi." He said. He then looked to the barkeep. "I'll take what ever you recommend." He said.
"Ok how about this?" The barkeep asked pouring a drink into a cup he had set down in front of Totomi. Totomi took a drink of it and almost spat it back up. "Not this stuff again." He said. The barkeep smiled mischievously and said. "Well you said what I recommend and I recommend Firebrandy."
Totomi faked a laugh then smiled. "Next time I'll do my research." He then looked back to the woman next to him. "If I'm bothering you I'll get up a find another spot." He offered. Meaning what he was saying. He didn't want to be a bother.... At least not at this moment.
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Post by Illah Karu on Jun 19, 2012 7:29:42 GMT -5
“Hi,” she heard someone say and glanced sideways to see a young man come sit next to her. She looked around to see if there was anyone else nearby he might have addressed his greeting to but saw no one but them two sitting at the bar counter.
All the other customers seemed to prefer sitting at tables near the band stager, or on small booths near the walls. What little customers there were at this time of night, that is.
Eyebrows raised Illah turned in her chair a little to get a better look at the man, or boy rather. He looked to be very young from her point of view and just thinking about it made her groan. Jun had not been much older in terms of appearance when she had met him and by the end of that relationship she had felt ancient where as before she had just felt mature. Why was it that no matter what age they were, the men in her life always left her feeling like the droppings of an ostrich horse?
She watched and listened to the exchange the young man was having with the bartender and couldn’t help but laugh out loud when the drink he received was not what he was expecting. So innocent and naïve. She felt refreshed just looking at him.
“Huh? Oh, you’re not bothering me, so be as you were,” she answered him and then looked at the barkeep and back to him, feeling kind of mischievous herself.
“If you want a recommendation on drinks, I’d suggest you try the Ember Island hot shot. It picks me up every time I try one,” she said a smile playing on her lips.
The Ember Island hot shot was not her personal favorite, but Illah had always found it funny to watch Jun down one in a quick guilp and then gasp for air for almost a full minute after he was done. The drink had a very strong liquor base and was hot and spicy. It certainly lived up to its name.
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Post by Totomi Hojo on Jun 19, 2012 9:55:58 GMT -5
Totomi was still recovering from the firebrandy when the woman responded. "Well in that case its nice to meet you." He said offering a smile. Then when she recommended a drink, he looked at her drink then back at her with a slight suspicious frown.
"Ok....." He almost ordered it before he stopped himself. "Now before I get this stuff I have one question. Its not going to kill me or mess with my ability to breath will it?" He asked. Totomi may have been considered smart by some people, but when it came to the topic of alcoholic drinks, he new next to nothing. And his natural reaction to something like that, that also left such a strong involuntary reaction from him, was to be suspicious.
But not so suspicious that he wasn't willing to try new things. But he would like to have abit of forewarning if it was going to cause him to have a strong reaction again. But regardless he felt he should introduce himself. "I'm Totomi." Then he chuckled. "And I guess you can tell I don't drink often." He added pointing at the drink before him.
It was true he didn't drink much, he drank plenty of nonalcoholic drinks. But that didn't do wonders for him when it came to this type of drink. But as before. He was always willing to try new things.
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Post by Illah Karu on Jun 19, 2012 12:51:04 GMT -5
Illah raised her glass towards the boy in a way of greeting and then downed the rest of her drink, pushing the glass away after she was done. She didn’t feel too drunk, but then again she had only had three glasses of wine. Moving on to stronger substances wasn’t far from her thoughts, though if she planned to drink the night away, sitting down all the way through her drinking wasn’t a good idea. She might be lulled into thinking she was sober, only to lose her footing the moment she stood up to leave. That had happened more times than she cared to remember. During her stay in the Fire Nation Jun had had to carry her home enough times that it had become a running joke between them. And her time with Maruk had not been spent completely sober either.
“Well it’s not going to kill you, maybe impede with your thought processing. Nothing too serious,” Illah laughed and leaned a hand against her cheek, blue gray eyes twinkling with amusement.
“I’m Illah and it’s quite nice to meet you too,” she introduced herself to Totomi, not bothering to move from her languid position.
She thought the boy’s name rolled of the tongue quite nicely, it sounded almost cute. One had to wonder if he had ever been teased about, since his appearance didn’t help matters. Illah couldn’t imagine him being much over twenty years old, if even that.
“Tell you what. If you order that hot shot, I’ll take one too. Think of it as a test of courage,” she suggested, gesturing to the bartender that she wanted to order. As a spontaneous move she asked him to make it extra spicy, even though she knew she most likely would not be able to hold down the drink if he did.
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Post by Totomi Hojo on Jun 19, 2012 19:11:07 GMT -5
Totomi thought about what she said. "Alright...." He looked at her with narrowed eyes, then after a few more seconds of thought his eyes opened back up to their usual state. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and said. "Ok I'll try this drink." He said. He felt somewhat worried about hearing her tell the barkeep that she wanted it extra spicy. "After all messing with my thinking isn't the worse that could happen, right?" He commented cheerfully.
"Its nice to meet you Illah." He said, He looked around and watched the barkeep bring the drinks to them.
"So I take it you come here often?" He asked watching the drinks getting poured. He leaned in close and examined the drink. He wasn't all that knowledgeable when it came to this, he found that out the first time he was in this place. He looked at the woman he offered a smile. "So where are you from?" He asked. "If you don't mind me asking." He added.
He lifted the drink to his nose and sniffed it. "Ok so how are we going to do this?" He asked pointing at the two drinks. "Me first? You first? Together?" He asked nervously.
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Post by Illah Karu on Jun 20, 2012 9:04:50 GMT -5
Illah watched as the barkeep made the drinks, a rather alarming grin on his face. She watched carefully how he poured two kinds of strong liquors into the small glasses before adding the grinded spices in. As a final touch he poured in a thimbleful of hot tea and offered the pair their drinks.
Illah swallowed uncomfortably and loosened her blue tie. She had a feeling any constriction on her throat would make downing the shot an utter hell.
“Nope, it’s not the worst thing that could happen,” she admitted to Totomi, recalling how grown men had to be supported by their friends after having enjoyed this particular beverage. She remembered one man that had raced to drink sea water in an effort to cool himself. It had not been a good day for that poor soul.
She was just about to drink when Totomi asked her a question, a welcome intervention to say the least.
“I don’t really mind you asking and no I don’t come here that often. Once in a while if I happen to be in town,” she answered, leaving out the part that she was constantly broke and it was too expensive to be a regular of the Orchid Lounge. If it wasn’t the entry fee then the cost of the drinks did make her heart skip a few beats every time she took a gander at the menu.
“I’m from everywhere. I’ve been travelling ever since I was six,” she told him, shrugging her shoulders and eyes fixed on the drink. If she didn’t drink it soon, it would turn cold and then it would not only be spicy, it would taste absolutely foul. Probably worse than the cheapest wine on offer. She wasn’t feeling so down, as to smite herself with that horrendous taste.
“Okay, let’s do this thing. On the count of three. One, two, three…” she said, raising her glass and looking the boy in the eyes. She counted and at the final number, downed the blasted drink, feeling its effects shortly after.
It felt as if her throat and insides were catching on fire and she could feel sweat drops forming on her brow. She tried to say something but her words turned into ash and nothing would come out except for a desperate hissing sound. She wanted to drink water, but that would only make it worse. Bread or milk, that would do the trick, but she was not in the state to ask for either of them.
There was indeed a reason why the Ember Island hot shot had never been her favorite drink. It would not be after this night either.
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Post by Totomi Hojo on Jun 20, 2012 23:09:46 GMT -5
When Totomi saw the grin on the barkeeps face he felt a bad feeling start to grow up within him. He looked at the drinks closely as the spices were poured in. He was starting to think that he had made a bad choice agreeing to this. But it was too late now. He had made a promise, and he tended to keep those. Well most of them, any that he felt were immoral he was ok with going against. But this promise.... He couldn't break.
Totomi looked at Illah and smiled as she commented on it not being the worse that could happen. He listened to he response to his first question and nodded abit, trying not too look at the drinks.... He failed at that bit.
"This is my second time here." He said modestly. "I don't get alot of time to make it here." Then he grinned. "Either that or I just don't think about coming here." He added.
He listened to her talk about her life traveling. When she finished he spoke u. "I was born in Omashu." He said then paused, in all reality he was trying to build up the courage to drink. "But I lived most my life in a small village near the Earth Kingdom border, then I moved here." He said.
He then knew it was time, he couldn't put it off any longer. When Illah said on three Totomi took his drink in his hand and took a deep breath. When he heard three he closed his eyes and downed the drink in one gulp.... And instantly regretted it.
He slammed the cup down out of reflex and started gasping for air. He looked around for something cool to drink. He knew milk was the best choice. But he didn't care at the moment, he just wanted it too stop. His eyes were wider then they normally were. He stuck his tongue out and started fanning it with his hands feeling like his whole head was on fire. With his tongue being the focal point.
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Post by Illah Karu on Jun 21, 2012 8:55:55 GMT -5
Illah’s eyes were starting to water up and her cheeks were a flush of red. She grabbed at her tie and pulled the blasted thing off pushing it into her vest pocket. She looked at Totomi and would have laughed at the boy’s desperate attempt at cooling himself if she wasn’t feeling the effects of the drink herself. This had not been the best of her ideas.
A hoarse cough escaped her lips and she gestured to the barkeep, who was studying the situation with an amused expression on his face. Seeing his customers flailing about he seemed to finally decide it would not look good on his resume to be the cause of two fools having to be carried away on stretchers, so he poured the pair two glasses of milk.
Illah was happy to receive hers and she gulped the white liquid down so fast, streams of it slid down he chin and throat, eventually dotting her blue vest with wet. She did not care.
“Thank you,” she croaked her voice low and ragged, to which the barkeep just snorted quietly and shook his head.
It was apparent that not many customers were foolish enough to try this substance. Illah didn’t have to guess why. She had just wanted to see how her unfortunate test subject would react, but in coaxing him to drink it she had unintentionally screwed herself over as well. That was also something she did too often for her liking.
“Omashu huh? I’ve been there a few times. Not my favorite city, but it beats Ba Sing Se any day,” she commented, finally regaining some of her composure.
Ah yes, Ba Sing Se the city of walls and rules. She had visited the place numerous times, but had never grown to like it. When she was a child she had often gone there with Yorn, who seemed to have a curious obsession with the city. Must have been because it was so different from the water tribe settlements with its grand architecture and blatant hierarchy.
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Post by Totomi Hojo on Jun 21, 2012 21:18:59 GMT -5
Totomi without hesitation grabbed the milk when it was placed before him. And practically poured it down his throat. He felt some running down his jaw as well. Normally that would have stopped him and he would have wiped his chin.... But this wasn't normal for him. He just kept drinking the milk. When he knew the glass was empty and the fire was gone he set the glass down and took a deep breath then sighed. "Never..... Again...." He said still looking at the glass his eyes wide. "Never... Again.."
"There aren't enough yuans in the world to get me to do that again." He said holding up his pointer finger. Then he started to laugh. "Though I will have a story to tell." He commented cheerfully as he wiped off his chin.
Totomi then listened to Illah talk about her experience in the Earth Kingdom. "Well I was born in Omashu, but I call the little village I lived in my home." He said. "I spent most my life there, I actually managed to become a very important member of the village... Until it came time for me to move." It really was a nice little village, You wouldn't find it on the map easily. But it was there. His main job was as a 'guard' of sorts. But he also served a chief negotiator when it came time to trade goods with another village. He was also good with kids and fun at the festivals the village held from time to time.
He was glad that his mouth was no longer on fire. He took another deep breath feeling the cool air run over his tongue. Sure the air had an odd taste on it. But still it was cooling his tongue abit more.
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