Good Drinks and Bad Bands

[Zeiva O'Malley]

The club was hot, while outside the January air was frigid and bitting, inside the mass of bodies and settling alcohol made things almost too warm to be comfortable. An underground band slammed on drums and guitars mid way through their set, the sound they made was more like a disgrace to sound more than actual music especially when the lead singer leaned into the mic and screamed something resembling lyrics. All the same most of the clubs inhabitants were moving around the dirty floor, drink in hand and cheering (or in some cases harassing) the men on stage.

Zeiva however was among the other half of the people who were relaxing by the bar, enjoying the noise from a more manageable distance, not that the few feet between her and the stage made too much difference considering the small, packed size of the place. By day Zeiv was a respectable soldier, part of the 12th CoOp Unit, but by night she indulged in the underbelly of KenVector society. Avaritia boosted some of the city's most prestigious clubs, high end dancing and music venues, the main strip was a sight to behold with all the lights and signs, a real night life attraction, but that wasn't the kinda scene Zeiv was into.

No, she preferred the back ally, half run down place with mismatched chairs and tables, sketchy sound equipment and an all around under dog feel. She fit in here, she was just another part of the mold, it was like a home away from home. She leaned casually against the chipped top of the bar and took a small swig of her half gone beer, watching as the bassists sound was cut out until he gave his amp a good kick and his part came back into the mess and toning in and out of her friends conversation. All in all it was an average night much like the rest of Zeiva's average life.

[Ouroboros]

It was night time across Kenificus Vector, and a particular member of the Orochi was slinking around in the night. It wasn't really by choice, but on a whim he had chosen to go to Avaritia, one of the more well lit portions of the city at night. Thus, he was sort of forced to duck around in allies and such to avoid being spotted right off the bat and causing a panic, which would draw the Beowulves right to him. He wasn't in much of a fighting mood tonight, so avoiding that would be in his best interest.

Eventually, he heard the sound of music coming from behind a door in an alley, and decided that he could enjoy a place like this. It was out of the way, probably not a hot spot for Beowulves to show up at, and there was a good chance many of the occupants were drunk and wouldn't remember him when the sun rose. He figured that this would be as good a place as any, and casually approached the door and pushed it open.

Turns out the Bouncer was drunk on the job. Go figure.

As he held the door open, his bone-like fingers gripping the edge of the door, he ducked down and stepped inside, raising back up once he was through the doorway. He typically had to do that, and thankfully, most of the time the inside was taller than the door frame. His first look around the interior proved his point. A lot of drunk people, and a large number of them were distracted by the band.

He made his way over to the bar and took a seat, coincidentally a few seats down from Zevia, and made himself comfortable. It was a bit difficult, but he managed to get himself to fit, and rested his elbow on the counter. His hand went up to signal the bar tender, and it pretty much rose higher than most people's arms fully raised.

"Bloody Mary, if you would be so kind. I'm in the mood for something different tonight." he spoke calmly and clearly, his voice a powerful one for somebody of such an unusual build. He was very casual right now, not really expecting a fight and hoping one wouldn't occur.

[Zeiva O'Malley]

Zeiva tilted her head slightly when she heard someone ordering a bloody mary. She wasn't overly curious, but it was an odd thing to order at this time of night, that kind of thing was best left to the morning after, nothing cured a hangover better than more alcohol. But when she looked over at the man who'd made the strange request her interest couldn't help but be peaked. He was tall, not just tall abnormal, standing he would have easily towered over her by two feet if not a bit more and that aside he had skin like obsidian. Something nagged at the back of her skull, did she know him? She didn't think so, she was sure she'd remember him, his peculiar appearance seemed hard to forget. Then what was it?

She starred, not so abnormal as almost everyone around the bar had given him a once over before going back to their drinks and conversations, but her gaze stayed almost unwillingly fixed as she tried to uncover the tweak of familiarity that was bugging her. "Hey, do you know that guy, Zeiv?" One of her friends voices snapped her attention back and she took her gaze away. She shook her head, though she wasn't entirely sure. It was bugging her now and while she tried to hone into her friends conversation her brain was ticking off ways she might know this person, her eyes constantly flickering back to his position a few seats over, taking in his build and that creepy bone mask with her peripheral vision and working to fit it in to some unknown nook in her head.

[Ouroboros]

The bartender gave him an odd look, but he nodded and went to work on the requested drink. He did not mind. He naturally got odd looks from those who were not familiar with him, and his request of drink was probably just a bit off as well. It did not matter though, and he would not let it impede his good time tonight.

Out of the corner of his eyeslit, he noticed that a woman a few seats down was looking at him. This persisted for a bit before she turned back to her friend, but she continued to glance back frequently. Was there something she wished to ask of him, or to tell him? His curiosity was piqued now, and so he reaches his other arm around the people and tapped her on the shoulder. It was relatively easy; his arm could reach.

"Excuse me miss, but I could not help noticing your frequency to gaze in my direction. Is there, perhaps, something you wish to say to me?" his tone did not sound annoyed or angered in the slightest. It was calm and powerful, as it always was, but it had curiosity in abundance this time.

His drink arrived around the time he asked this, and with his other hand he grabbed it (somehow avoiding slamming his elbow into the people behind him) and took a drink of it. He kept his gaze on the woman, and strangely enough, even the interior of his mouth couldn't be differentiated from the rest of him when he spoke nor when he drank.

[Zeiva O'Malley]

Zeiva's heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she felt the slight tap on her shoulder, though outwardly she gave only the slightest sense of being startled. She turned to face the man fully, her friends looking over, curious, but not intrusive. He spoke, though she couldn't really tell how, she didn't notice a mouth moving and she felt a very faint blush of embarrassment flash across her freckled cheeks; he knew she'd been staring, though it wasn't that surprising, she hadn't necessarily been trying to hide it.

"Uh yeah, sorry, I just- you looked kinda familiar I thought," She laughed a little nervously, smiling slightly, "But I can't think of where I might know you from," she left it at that, if she thought she knew him maybe he knew her and he could jog her memory as to when they'd met or in what situation they could have possibly seen one another. She hoped he did know because the nagging feeling was obnoxious and she couldn't shake it, he wasn't someone one could confuse with anyone else.

[Ouroboros]

"Ah, there is no need to apologize miss, as memory is quite a fickle thing. You may have run into me during one of my nightly strolls, or perhaps seen footage of me on TV. I am seen in a number of places and though I do not exist, people continue to try and find me. It is quite an odd predicament, is it not?" he replied, taking another swing of his drink before setting it down on the counter.

"I am a man of many names, none to truly call my own, yet all seem to know who I am. A rose by any other name is just as sweet, so to you miss, I am called Terumi." he continued on, pulling a name from the top of his head. He didn't intend to blurt out 'Ouroboros', because that'd just cause a commotion and he wanted to keep things calm. If things were to erupt into chaos within here, it would not be of his own doing.

"Now, is there a name that I may call you?" he ended his moment of speaking on that note, hoping that this woman would be kind enough to provide a name. It would certainly make carrying out conversation easier.

[Zeiva O'Malley]

Zeiva moved around the couple of people between herself and the man so she could hear him better, he had a strong voice, but the bar was small and the band was loud. Her friends gave her a quick look of concern and she gave them a reassuring smile in return, they knew her well enough that if she thought she could handle herself in a situation there was no real need to second guess her. She leaned against the bar between the man who introduced himself as Terumi and the stranger on his left.

"Zeiva," She gave a slight smile and held her hand out, or tried, she really just heald it up to her chest to shake his hand in the limited amount of space they had, "You sound like a person who gets around alot, what do you do?" she wasn't much of an outgoing person, but she wasn't horribly shy around others, over the years she'd learned that most people to be found in places like this were nice enough to chat with. There was an immediate level of comfort around people who came to the same kind of place she did.

[Ouroboros]

"Why, whatever I wish of course. Sometimes I wander through Einkaufszentrum; sometimes I relax under a tree in Het Bos; and sometimes, I decide to take a stroll through Avaritia. It is truly dependant upon how I am feeling at a particular moment." he replied, adjusting his arm so he could shake her hand without hitting someone, and gave it a light shake with a firm grip. It lasted but a short moment, as he soon took his hand back to himself and made himself comfortable once more.

"Some people think such a lifestyle is not fit for a human being, but in truth, it is the most wonderful life one can live. It is one that can be free of regret and permits one to do all the things they wish to do. Our lives are limited, and we must enjoy them to the fullest extent, lest we lose our one chance and contain lingering desires, unfulfilled promises, and infectious regrets. No human should want to reach their end in such a manner. The end should be something we can accept peacefully, so we know that we have done all we can as a person." he continued on, taking another sip of his Bloody Mary afterwards. If Zevia didn't know by now, this man enjoyed talking. He was glad that she seemed to actually be listening and not trying to cut him off. So many people thought themselves great enough to cut him off and limit his right to speech, and they often ended up with their face in the concrete when all was said and done.

"What about you, Zevia? How do you spend your days of life?" one could learn a lot about a person by their occupation, and he would most likely get all the information he needed if she answered this question truthfully. Hopefully, she would not feel the need to lie to a man who is so honest with those around them. Equivalent Exchange was a principle many lived by, and honesty deserved honesty in return, did it not?

[Zeiva O'Malley]

Zeiva listened, while the music played the man had a strong voice and he wasn't too difficult to hear over the sound. He did nothing, she thought about it, granted it would be nice to have no responsibilities every once and awhile, but honestly she thought doing nothing would drive her nuts eventually.

"Personally doing nothing would send me to the mad house, but I can't disagree with your reasoning," She gave a small laugh, "I myself, I'm in the military. I know, we're all thick skinned, brain-dead brutes," She took another sip of her beer and gave a little smirk, she wasn't dumb, she knew what most people thought of the military and they weren't entirely wrong. Zeiva herself had no schooling beyond secondary and her grades in high school had been mediocre at best. As for the thick skin, you didn't do the things she did without growing some kind of emotional armor, same as doctors and cops.

[Ouroboros]

He would have never guessed such a woman to be part of the military. It certainly made things a bit awkward for him, given their positions on the spectrum of alliances, but he would not let that interfere with their conversation. Things were casual for the time being, and he wanted to keep it that way. Especially now, as it was not often that he could speak calmly with a member of the Beowulves.

"I would have never guessed one such as yourself was part of the military. You certainly did not seem the type. However, one such as myself should not be one to judge by appearances." he gave a small laugh in return, pretty much gulping down the rest of his Bloody Mary. Funnily enough, he never actually got drunk because his own ability produced what was needed to counteract the alcohol as it came into his system. It made things much easier for him in the long run.

"I must ask, though, how do you enjoy yourself? I understand much of your time goes towards your military service, but how do you spend what time you have to be a human being? Ah, that is, I do not believe that you are not human as a soldier, but there are times when a soldier must set aside their humanity to complete their duty. It comes with the territory." he continued, wondering how this woman would respond to this. It was obvious she spent some time at bars when she could, but he wondered if that was the only fragment of herself remaining, or if there was more that she had managed to preserve in the face of inhumanity.

[Zeiva O'Malley]

Zeiva gave a small laugh, but it was tinged with a bit of sadness. She tipped the neck of her almost empty beer bottle, gesturing in a sad way that most of her time was spent with such unhealthy companions as liqueur and alcohol before draining the dark tinted glass and setting it on the counter, waving to the bartender for another.

"Outside of work, eh? Can't say i get a whole lot of that, but I guess I like loud places when I do," She grabbed the newly opened beer and took a sip, looking towards the stage, not really seeing it, just thinking while her mouth kept moving, "The things you have to do on the field, you grow a thick skin or you go insane... you can't really get rid of armor like that, not on such whims like a day off,"

She sighed and gave the man a soft smile as she turned back to him, "But I get by, I like music, I enjoy the show and nothign helps serve a solid nights sleep like a few of these," she gave her bottle a little shake, taking another sip. Her parents would be ashamed if they knew their oldest child was a growing alcoholic.

[Ouroboros]

Hearing her response, a bit of sadness ran through him. While she had adapted well to her choice of life style, it was a bit depressing just how well she had adapted. She had already long fallen into despair, and didn't seem to have any refuge outside of alcohol and horrible music. Perhaps it was things like this that fueled his war against the Beowulves. At the very least, they contributed some.

"Such a story cannot be heard without feeling sadness. Truly, Zeiva, you have not experienced the world as you should have. A young person such as yourself must reach beyond despair, and find the light that awaits! That light is joy, my dear, and it seems that you've lost sight of it." he continued, standing up and taking a look around the bar before beginning to head towards the door.

"If you would permit me a moment of your time, I would like to give you a glimpse of that light. If you wish to stay, I shall not force you, and I shall take my leave here. It is entirely up to you how you spend this night, Zeiva." he continued as he turned to face her, giving a gesture with his left forearm and hand for her to follow. Of course, thanks to his words it was obvious that it was not a demanding gesture. It was a light one, that would only be obeyed on a whim.

[Zeiva O'Malley]

Zeiva hesitated, she looked back to where she'd left her friends, but it seemed as though they'd gone to the washroom and now she was on her own. After another quick swig of her beer she set the half empty bottle on the counter top and followed the man towards the door. Her muscles tightened slightly, while her senses felt dimmed by the alcohol (she'd already had four bottles) the intuition of her training wasn't lost. Outside the cool air of winter bit harshly at her skin even through her sweater, now she realized she'd left her coat and scarf at her friends apartment, it was only one block up and she hadn't wanted to pay for a coat check.

"You better not be planning to try anything funny," She stayed a small distance from Terumi, he seemed nice enough, but in her line of work she wasn't beyond believing that scum lived everywhere and under every sort of guise. A part of her was curious of his intentions, but another part was screaming at her for leaving the bar. Yeah, she was a Beowulf, but she was much smaller and even she knew her limits. If this man wanted a fight she'd be as good as dead.