Playing the Orphan Card on Christmas Eve

[Kaze]

Kaze's condo is a second floor walk up in a gated community called, 'Woodside' nearby the University of Sacramento. Inside the floor plan is spacious and airy with a private balcony and vaulted ceilings that make it feel open despite only being a 1 bedroom; 1 bathroom unit. The living room has only a desk on one wall and a futon currently in couch configuration on another, and a folded out beach chair with a tray built into the arm rests. In one corner is a large cage holding a number of pigeons, 8 to be precise if one takes the time to count them. The cage is about five feet square and about four feet high, with boxes mounted inside for roosting pairs. The cooing of the birds is omnipresent though not particularly loud. A 55 inch flat screen television has been mounted up on the wall above the cage with a glass media shelf under it with a sound bar of speakers and a cable box and what looks like a camera aimed down at the cage.


There are stacks of books on the floor and on the counter of the kitchen area, and the bedroom itself is completely empty except for a padded mat on the floor and a wooden post with dowels projecting out that might be recognized as a kung fu training equipment, or just look like something for cats or maybe the pigeons. There is a holder on the bedroom wall for various staves and a set of two sheathed swords, one with about a three foot blade and another with about a two foot blade, both of them slightly curved.

On the counter are four unopened bottles of whiskey of two different types, two each.

[Briar Rose]

In comes Briar Rose, dressed not quite as expected, she's put on a different top. It's not even paint stained! Hair's in a braid! It's uneven in parts, and slightly flat from her helmet, but a braid!

After one too many beats she sits, hand in a pocket and yanks it out. She's holding a worn envelope, the fold long lost it's crispness from repeated unfoldings and refoldings. She all but throws the envelope at Kaze, before resolutely turning to the whiskey.

If or when Kaze opens the envelope he'll find a single page, somewhat expensive cardstock, painted over in a soft wash of orange and white, with blooming verdant green leaf like spatters dotting the entirety of the card, and on top of the colour is sure, even strokes writing out, 風

"Thought you didn't drink." she says after more silence, "Or s'this all for me?"

[Kaze]

"Hey." Kaze says genially when Briar Rose comes in. He'd left the door unlocked, just in case she wasn't in the mood to knock and wait. After all, she'd already been invited. Sure that was vampires, but you never know.

Then she gives it to him. Wow. "Wow." Kaze says knowing that she won't want him to make a big deal about it, but not able to help being impressed, and expressing it! "This is...amazing! Thank you!"

"I...got you something too. And I'm drinking too. Orphan on Christmas exception. And besides, I'm trying new things." Kaze says quickly.

"It's kind of goofy, not beautiful art like yours."

Kaze takes out a small scroll of rolled parchment paper tied with a red ribbon in a bow.

[SPOILER]If when she opens it, there is written in passible calliraphy the following message:

Message

[/SPOILER].

[Briar Rose]

She takes the scroll. A foot tapping on the floor, there's a conflict on her face, but she unrolls the scroll, snorting when she reads it.

"Sure. I'll wait. Gotta get the best possible whoever ya?" she says, completely unacknowledging the praise Kaze laid down at her feet.

She finds the silence, "Far be it for me to tell a man he can't drink." she nods, and pulls the whiskey, and the cups closer, besides Kaze was an Adept of Life. He could deal with it.

[Kaze]

Kaze grins boyishly when Briar Rose unrolls the scroll and indicates that she understands and accepts the gift. He is silently determined to make it a great gift by reaching a level of artistic ability as an actor to rival the amazing expression of beauty she gifted to him.

He laughs out loud at her acceptance speech and challenge of a kind! "I'll get right on that!" Kaze exclaims! Despite the laughter his declaration reeks of sincerity.

"So. How do you want to do it? Drinking game of your choice? Or just taste 'em all and see how we like them?"

Kaze comes near enough that he doesn't look like he's loitering around expecting Briar Rose to serve him, but doesn't try to take the whiskey or cups away from her either!

"Got a toast for the first round of this auspicious event?" He asks.

For the record, Kaze is totally cheating though not specifically for this scene, he's got the physical merit Toxin Resistance and a monthly rit running for Body Mastery (pot 1) for a total +3 vs alcohol and general resistance to the effects.

[Briar Rose]

She turns to stare at Kaze. Expression flat.

"I didn't come for games. I came for drinking and because of the emotional blackmail." blandly said, though if there was games then she didn't have to talk. About. Things. They could just talk about whatever game there was. "But fine. A game. a pause, "Or something."

Looking more at the bottles, then to the smiling face, she nods. "Taste test." decisive, ignoring the offer of a toast completely.

B-Ro doesn't have anything like that on atm, but she isn't above using impromptu magic to flush her system ;P

[Kaze]

Kaze smiles, nodding. "Okay, I get it. 'Less talking, more pouring.'" He says with a grin. "You're right."

He pours out from each of the two types of bottles into two shot glasses, leaving four shot glasses on the counter.

Kaze picks up the first pair, each full of Tokinoka Black, and holds out one to Briar Rose. He is prepared to down the other one in more or less synchronization with her when she drinks hers, betting that she isn't going to sip it.

[Briar Rose]

She tips her head towards the man, something akin to a smile in the lines of her face, and a shadow of a kanpai (so what if it wasn't sake, it was still a cheer, or as close to it as Briar Rose was able to give,) as she, yes, downs it in one.

Sue her. It was in a shot glass. They're for shooting.

(in the vast echoes of her mind, she can feel the eyeroll.)

But in consideration of the flavour she holds it for a moment, to actually taste it, before swallowing, a grimace in place for the burn but a smirk blooms.

"Whoo! Fuck. That's a little more uh, tropical then I expected." she says eyeing her shot glass and the Tokinoka Black bottle.

[Kaze]

Kaze laughs, "Yeah, it's not a wine cooler, though; it has a solid kick!" He says. "上田様への敬意."

Kaze pours them each a tumbler of cold water. "To cleanse the palate." He says with a grin.

Then he pours them each a shot of the Tokinoka White in clean shot glasses.

[Briar Rose]

She snorts. "That it is not." agreeing, but frowns uncomfortably when He speaks again. What was Ueda a master of? Martial Arts, Arcana, everything? Was he dead, was that what this was? Ugg. Feelings.

She doesn't think about Morgan

She rolls her eyes but takes the water to swish around and swallow.

She's slower on this one, more savoring then shooting. It's lighter, still with the kick, but lighter, she hums. Swallowing, pressing her tongue to her teeth, she fights to name the flavour, "Not as tropical, but I do like that spice."