|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:40 pm
"... If you say so." As could only be expected, the young woman offering was severely disappointed to have her 'hospitable' offering shot down, pouting almost childishly before she shrugged it off again. "But if you change your mind, you know I'm just a holler away, alright?..."
Clearly this was an invite to come play with her later, but she couldn't drag it out any further, and shuffled off to go take her business elsewhere. The other whore returned to whatever cabinet rifling she'd been up to beforehand, and Hanna, now having procured the appropriate glasses and liquor, muttered her (mostly unacknowledged) thanks, mustering her best bow of gratitude before taking her leave again. Where to?
Why, one of the 'guest' rooms, of course!
She figured no one would mind, anyway, and it didn't take more than a few seconds' listen outside the doors to pick out one that had no occupants near the end of the hall. A twist of the knob and a light shove brought the interior room into view: a small, but cosy (and thankfully CLEANED UP... for now) room with wood floors, a 'seductive' fur rug, a nice wide bedroll slightly off to one side, and a very small, low square table where one or two people could comfortably sit crosslegged to have refreshments.
Nothing like a good drink and a bang for the customers, yeah?
"... I've always been fascinated... by this sort of work, you know," she commented in a dry, idle tone, wasting no time to take a 'seat' by that little square table, arrange the glasses, and open the bottle up to pour them full-- quite a lot of alcohol for someone as small as herself (and looking even less there than usual), though she sipped at it as casually as one would sip a glass of tea. "The psychological effect it has on a person... the circumstances behind winding up here, on the giving... or receiving end..."
Aaah, the joys of a good ramble-- and to think, she wasn't even drunk yet, taking a breath to cough into her sleeve, and washing the mineral-y bitterness down with another swig.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 9:17 pm
Well yes, it certainly was quite the culture. Then again, they seemed almost like a race that wouldn't actually 'settle down' unless they absolutely had to. Y'know, arranged marriages, random 'oops' kids, all of that 'fun' ish stuff. Or something resembling 'fun'ish.
It was for that reason he could imagine there weren't a lot of purebred Kanus like there were Koshka (see: All one type of fur/coat/yada coloration).
He especially imagined a boom when tourism came of Kanus-Mench and Kanus-Koshka mixes.
Though if they stayed in this place long enough and managed to get their own rooms, he imagined there'd be Normal Koshka-children as well. But that was a different sniggerfest.
"Well, I discovered that it's quite difficult to keep Kanus-women at bay." he chuckled, waving a hand dismissively before continuing on. "However, they're also quite willing to share what they know if you ask nicely. Though I think they were mostly hopeful that clothing would come off if they answered fast enough."
Pbbt.
He was bein' funnnnyyyyy. Kinda. Whatever.
"However, it seems like I've only scratched the surface with my line of questioning."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:05 pm
"... I'm sure it is," she responded almost automatically to that chuckle-punctuated comment of his, once more not seeming to pay much attention, flat-toned and focussed intently on the clear contents of her glass. She was already beginning to feel it in her system, and hard... regardless of whether or not it showed. Her appearance was already in shambles enough to hide the signs of inebriation, and mental conditioning would take care of the rest.
"And that doesn't surprise me," she went on after another swallow, and a heavy one, at that. A glass and a half in her. "... You're the classic 'mysterious gentleman' from a foreign land. Of course they'll be dying to get under your skin--" Or against it. "--At any opportunity."
He said he'd only scratched the surface too, and that meant a lot of things. Just what, she didn't require elaborating on; she knew well enough.
That said, though... she didn't waste much time at all finishing the glass's refill, and stared blankly, listlessly, into the empty vessel, contemplating a third. The real brunt of the stuff hadn't hit her yet, she knew, but at the same time... three wouldn't kill her. Two might, but not three.
"... Just... remember to be gentle with them, Jade." What was that supposed to mean? "The women here may seem blithe and content with their places in life. but that doesn't mean they'll never catch on to being used as a social experiment."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:23 pm
Well yes, they did enjoy their occupation. They probably enjoyed it in the same way that Hanna and Jade enjoyed sitting there, drinking booze and chatting up about the psyche of different races and their anthropological gunk.
It was a lot of stuff that Jade really shouldn't have been so knowledgable about given he was just a 'humble servant of the military'. The cad. Even upstairs Kanda hissed in his sleep at the man. Hiss hiss!
Though if he'd known about that, Jade would have cackled.
"Well, I'm sure for now they'll be more charmed by us talking about them than anything else."
Ku fu fu!
However, that hadn't really been Hanna's point. So perhaps Jade had sidestepped it on purpose? Then again, maybe he hadn't. Nobody would ever know. Well, Hanna probably did. Although...
"Besides, the more interesting Social Experiment is upstairs sleeping."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:14 pm
So it seemed there were scant moments when even the great Jade Curtiss overlooked some tiny detail, huh. It was both a marvelous and peculiar revelation, but one Hanna spoke nothing of, and made no bother suggesting. Instead, she just poured herself that last, contemplated glass, mulled over it, and took a thick, shameless swallow, choking out some semblance of a dry chuckle.
"They are a curious group, aren't they..." Another hard swig of the drink drained it halfway. "... And you have quite the rapport with them."
Oh, that was one hell of a word to use there-- but hey, if 'rapport' was codeword for 'forced dynamic thanks to blackmail worthy knowledge and/or the lingering guilt of an old experiment', it was all kosher.
"But I digress from... that..." There was an odd pause in her words, and after that she downed the rest of the glass. Clearly less than sober, yet still remarkably cognizant (... or so it seemed), she slouched a little more where she sat, coughed lazily into her hand once, and blearily scrubbed at her (perhaps a little bloodshot) eyes-- which widened a little right then with something like surprise. "Oh-- ... almost forgot." She fished into her jacket pocket for something-- and pulled out a little two or three ounce glass vial of some vaguely white and pearly looking liquid. "I did manage to track down... some vaguely potent Healaga tonics in the back street earlier... Thought it might be of particular use to our resident invalid."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 9:55 pm
Well, it was more likely that the good colonel had chosen to ignore such details rather than just not noticed them in the first place: Afterall, this was Jade Curtiss! Why would he EVER be so silly as to miss something so important? Then again, it was quite possible that the reason he missed nothing now was because he'd missed it then.
Nobody would ever really know about that aspect of his life, however.
"That's certainly one way of putting it, yes." he chuckled. Certainly, Jade could have easily defended himself against such strange blackmail from any of the party's upstairs, but he at least garnered some humor from the group, so he'd at least allow himself that much.
The gesture of the healing liquid earned it'd own chuckle from Jade as well.
"Well, now all we need to do is see if the boy will accept such an offer!" he mused. Certainly Kanda did have his own extreme variant of pride to his name (very very extreme), but would the pride of being able to function again outweigh the pride of having to accept their charity?
Well.
He certainly wouldn't mind finding out in the near future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:57 pm
"A specimen known to yield previously will often yield again," was the oddly mechanical, and rather peculiarly scientific quip in response there, astutely poking a finger towards him. "If nothing else... he's a fellow smart enough to swallow his pride for the greater good of comrades... which should be leverage enough."
And besides, who WOULDN'T want the opportunity to turbo-charge their wound healing even more in a land where danger lurked around every corner? The therapist's desires were entirely selfless that way-- really!
"... Would... you be kind enough to bring that up with him, tomorrow?" Although that question seemed a little odd, too, setting the tiny vial down on the table and scooting it towards Jade like a bartender passing the shot glass. "I'd hate to let it slip my mind in the morning..."
What, as if anything ever genuinely slipped her mind?
But Hanna's request had still seemed harmless and genuine enough at a glance, right? She was clearly inebriated, well aware of her own deficiencies, and genuinely concerned for a companion in lieu of it all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:31 pm
Mmmmm?
Jade seemed just as puzzled over Hanna suggesting that she would EVER miss something like that. But he wasn't going to attempt to pry into why with that inquiry. No, she likely would remember, but he'd just play along with it anyways. Perhaps it was a little bit of that silly silly alcohol talking through her.
"I certainly can." he answered calmly, taking the vial that was drug-deal-slid over to him, flicking the vial lightly before carefully putting it away into one of his coat pockets. There, now all he had to do was...
...
wait for the crew to wake up. He couldn't exactly go upstairs and nudge any of the group with his foot and expect to receive a pleasant response to it. In fact, he imagined that would result in a mauled foot... which in a sense, was rather hilarious to him.
But alas, he needed it.
"Well, we would probably be well served by going off to bed ourselves..." (HE DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT, LADIES EAVESDROPPING >8C ) "Unless we want to beg the kids to slow down for us tomorrow.."
.... Oh funny!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 11:19 pm
"Thank you."
... It could've been the alcohol, sure-- or at least, that would be a fair enough scapegoat to blame it on.
As for Jade's perfectly innocent yet oh-so-easily misconstrued comment, Hanna could practically sense the wave of shock and jealousy through the door, knowing full well exactly what their eavesdroppers surmised. Hmph, well, it wasn't as if they'd be shorted their time with the "handsome gentleman" tomorrow or anything, and any hurt feelings were their own fault for listening in.
"... I think... that may be wise," she did conclude, though, in a plainly sluggish voice. Not slurred, per se, but definitely... unusual, considering how well spoken she usually made a point to be. She looked horribly disheveled and a little too pale, even if her face never showed fatigue in more than color. With one hand braced discretely against the table, she pushed herself upright then... and maybe she wasn't even quite straight in posture, expression bordering on some strange, vague, unreadable something for just a moment. "... I'm a little tired tonight."
That was putting it lightly, but... anyway, she still bent over a little to pick up her glass and the bottle and, with a far slower, and obviously more cautious step, head for the door to go put it all away-- ... just not without stopping a half-step out and looking back at him, blearily. "I'm sorry... did you want another glass before I?..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:08 pm
"I've had enough." Jade agreed lightly, holding one palm up in a sort of 'it's alllll good' gesture of sorts. He didn't need to drink too heavily himself, to be honest. It was a social activity, not to be done by one's self. There was no standard of 'control' in that situation, unfortunately. So someone had to maintain it with some sort of rule.
That was his.
However, it seemed they were better suited to go rest up now. Though for the sake of the sleeping quartet upstairs, Jade had procured another room downstairs for himself and Hanna. Well, the girls would likely be harassing him in the morning, so being downstairs already would probably save some strangeness and invasions of space upstairs.
Since Jade had been 'silly' enough to give the girls the time of day.
But once things had quieted down (relatively), it had been a good time to go to sleep, though Jades did not sleep, they simply waited.
Upstairs, however, Aster was more than happy to be snuggled into Yossarian's chest, purring away (it could probably be heard through the floor), while Kanda just frowned, rolled over, and hissed in his sleep.
NNGH AT U, JADE AND HANNA. U EVIL PLOTTERS. Hiss hiss!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 10:56 pm
... Sadly, Hanna could've only agreed with that 'control' point right then; she was trashed, and she knew it... but some evils were necessary ones (in many a way), and at least she'd stopped before hitting real critical mass, right? With all parties finished, she made her way-- very slowly-- back to the kitchen to put the bottle away... not remembering exactly which cabinet it had come from, oddly enough, but neatly replacing the container in one that 'seemed' appropriate regardless. The glasses were set in the sink without so much as a rinse; she could get that in the morning, right?
And of course all the late night ladies in sight were watching her as she went, many inevitably having eavesdropped, if their leers were any fair method to gauge.
Maybe she wasn't as timely coming back as she should've been, but just the fact that she could walk straight (... ish) with that much alcohol in her and make it back without passing out midway seemed like quite a feat, more than happy to trail off on Jade's (cropped) tail to the lovely room he'd procured for their stay.
No one needed to tell her to lay down twice, either; she was more than ready to crash, in a lot of ways. Her glasses went on the little table in the room-- a makeshift nightstand, perhaps-- with her overshirt and jacket stripped, folded as neatly as she could manage, and set aside beneath it. Pillows were stacked in a neat tower to rest her back on, and in little time at all, she was practically dead to the world.
She'd barely remembered to mumble a weary goodnight, in the end.
... Yossarian, too, was asleep by that point-- if not less deeply. Sure, he needed rest like anyone else, but like any good swordsman, one ear would always listen for the creak of a door, or the shuffle of an unfamiliar footstep, amidst his turbulent dreaming. How he managed to get any shut-eye at all with an Aster clinging and purring against him was anyone's guess, but... no, he was just used to it, that was all.
Shae... wasn't quite as desensitized to the noise, and really, it still kept her restless in the tired limbo between dreaming and waking. If that rumbling continued, she'd probably be even worse off in the morning... but oh well. At the very least, she could just bury her face into her pillow, turn over, and try to ignore it.
Either way, though, it was time for all to bed down, it seemed.
Surely, all would be better in the morning.
... Right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
