[PP: F2] A date or casual meeting? [Jomei][Complete]

[Opal 0]

Laying in her bed, the mid twenties voluptuous vixen bounced one leg off the other while she was smoking running a finger across her menu to see her low SP count. She bit her bottom lip and then expelled a lavender scented plume of smoke from her mouth. She sighed and rubbed her head, she was not moving an inch in terms of power or levels with the new system. She turned over, one hand off her bed flicking the lilac like petals off the end of her calming stick. She looked blankly into the night, sighed once more and recounted her steps back to her menu. She had remembered Jomei offering her a drink and a talk about their past relationships. Something like that shouldn't be bottled up for so long, maybe if they both got drunk maybe they could speak a bit more easily with each other on the subject. Of course, talking about Lindow always brought her to tears in some sort of fashion, but she was getting past that point of being bitter and accepting of his death. She could feel like she could talk about him now without going teary eyed. 

Leaning up in her bed, half naked save the panties that covered her womanly goods, the woman flicked on the lights and squinted as her honey eyes adjusted. She spun her contact list and hoped Jomei would be available for a midnight outing. Hopefully he was still awake and wouldn't mind a little company. Placing the cigarette in her mouth, she drew up the message in a PM and sent him the following: 

Good evening, Handsome. I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a drink or ten in Urbus. I know a few of the bars that are still open, perhaps I can take you up on that date you requested that one time at the lake. I'll meet you at the teleporter and we can go from there. If you are asleep, I'm really sorry and we can just forget about it. But I'll still be there...by my lonesome. Mmm, seeya then. - Opal

With a quick swipe her message was gone in a blink of an eye. She removed the stick from her mouth and blew out the purple cloud once more before it was moved back to her inventory. The girl waved her hand around getting the lavender smoke out of the air and examined herself in the large body sized mirror. She squinted and touched herself in several places, "Ugh!...am I really gaining weight? That can't be right. I need to tell Grave to stop feeding me those yummy desserts at his cafe." she pouted lightly and scanned her abysmal wardrobe. She didn't have anything to wear that was sexy or classy at this point. She really needed to update her wardrobe, but most of her materials had gone elsewhere. Sighing, she placed her Treasure Seeker Costume on minus the jacket, she would tighten the strappy top bear more cleavage than normal adjusting her bosom to fit snugly within the confines of the leather material.  Rounding herself out, she smoothed the crimson pants with her hands and straightened out her messy hair. This looked good enough for just drinks. Though too bad she didn't have an nth of her actual wardrobe in this world. 

Smiling to herself, she flicked open her menu and sprayed her body down with a light citrus mist. The soft scent of oranges wafted around her, a new scent she concocted with the use of her alchemy.  Feeling pleased with her looks, she stepped out the door and headed towards Urbus' main square. 

Edited September 19, 2015 by Opal

[Jomei 0]

Slow sounds of a lute's strings being plucked gently in the tune of a melody could softly be heard from the open windows of the music hall known as "Bardic Inspriation." Inside, the ginger haired man layed upon the wooden plank floor that made up the small stage built into the corner of the shop, a stringed instrument laying across his chest as he played a soft song. His eyes half open as he looked at the pointed ceiling, which was dimly illuminated from the light of the lamp posts outside, the other lights in the shop were turned off. The look in his eyes was full of stress and sadness.. Obviously a lot on his mind. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ping of a message being sent to him, and a gray box popping up in front of his face. Lifting up his hand, stopping the strumming of the strings, he accepted the message and read over the contents. It was a messae from Opal, who was taking Jomei up on his offer to take her out to drinks. He chuckled, thinking she had honestly forgotten about his offer. A tap of a button, and he began to type up a reply to the girl.

[Hey Opal. No I wasn't asleep, was just taking some down time in my shop after some training on Floor Nine. I could go for a couple drinks, Im already on Floor Two anyway. Ill see you soon -Jomei]

Jomei did not know much about Opal, but she was currently a member of the Crimson Blades, and seemed like a good friend. He remembered she also lost someone close to her...well they were killed rather than disappeared. So she could probably use some company, especially before going on her training.

The man pushed himself up off of the floor, placing his lute back into his inventory. He already had his casual town clothes equipped, but he added his green cloak over top of it. Locking up his shop, he made way for the warp gate in the center of town, not before giving out a sharp whistle. From the peaked roof above his shop, swooped down a small brown owl that hovered above his head before perching on his shoulder.

After a short walk back into the safe zone, Jomei saw the glow of the familiar blue ring that would warp players to upper floors. He found a wall of an adjacent stoor to lean against as he waited for Opal, scratching his familiar on her feathered neck.

[Opal 0]

Giving off an intoxicating citrus scent, the woman walked through the medieval like streets as she twisted and turned through the alleys towards the center housing of the teleporter. The woman walked with light steps, but she felt almost compelled to rush. She had hoped she was making good time as she received Jomei's message only moments ago.  She continued her short distance walk and finally came up to the corner just before the teleporter. She stopped for a moment and relaxed her muscles, why was she feeling so tense and insecure now? Her sharp brows pinched together, she dug her two thumbs into each side of the strappy leather top and adjusted her bosom slightly to give more eye popping attention to them. Guys liked boobs, she had them, why not show off? She nodded to herself and casually walked towards Jomei with a smile. 

"I don't think they serve Ow~els to the place we are going to." Of course it was pronounced owls, but the woman always had cute names for creatures and she pronounced it differently than everyone else would. She cocked her head to the side looking up at the man, "You look...way better than I am dressed right now. I'm sorry, I would have dressed in something a bit more...nice, but I'm lacking my physical wardrobe from the real world here. Mmm, on second thought...it might be better than I don't have those. I wouldn't want you to think of me as some kind of bimbo or something..." 

She laughed a bit, slightly touching his shoulder and then looked upwards, "Sorry that it's late, but I just wanted to get out and have a little fun. We said we would talk about somethings, certain conversations...BUT we don't have to talk about those things. I just wanted to find another reason to...hang out with you, I guess..." Was she really doing this? Opal, you are not this corny, get your act together. The woman turned briskly and took a step backwards and took Jomei by the hand and hugged it to her chest, "So...there is this bar that has some great drinks...I figured we could unwind there...?" 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's eyes were focused up at the sky, looking at the stars that occupied Floor Two's sky. His brows pinched together and he frowned slightly, realizing how fake those stars were.. since there was an entire other floor above them. It pained him to realize that a place, with so much scenery and beautiful landscapes that look like they go on forever like in the real world, would have a ceiling. He scoffed and looked down, realizing a familiar face walking towards him smiling. Jomei lifted up one of his hands to give Opal a friendly wave and a smile. She mentioned Adere, and how she does not think the bar they were going to be going to served animals.. owls specifically. With a chuckle, Jomei replied, "Aye, I know. Most places are like that." he looked up at the owl, who cocked its head to the side in wonder looking the girl who just approached. "She does not mind though, she will probably just find a roof to take a nap on." Looking back to Opal, he noticed her looking up at him.. being slightly shorter than him. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly when she complimented him on his looks, "This? Haha, I pretty much wear these everyday." He was wearing his usual green, sleeveless casual clothes, with his typical cloak. "But I appreciate the compliment lass he smiled at her, "But what you have on looks nice as well." Jomei was not sure what a bimbo was.. but he was guessing it was not a good thing, given Opal's tone of voice. 

After the two shared a laugh, she looked up to him again and apologized for it being so late and that she just wanted to get out and have some fun. "No need to be sorry Opal. I was just taking a rest after taking out some mobs on the upper floors.. playing around with my lute." He smiled and nodded, when she mentioned that they had things they planned to talk about "Well, we will just see how the night goes then." she ended off her statement by mentioning it was a good excuse to see Jomei again, which caused his cheeks to slightly redden. Before he could reply, the girl suddenly grabbed Jomei by the hand and pulled his arm into her chest as she led him towards her bar of voice "Y-Yeah sounds like a good idea to me." 

 

Edited September 14, 2015 by Jomei

[Opal 0]

She beamed a toothy smile at him as she clutched his arm to her chest. She leaned slightly into him giving off that, 'we are dating, you other girls need to back off'- aura as they walked down the narrow alleyways. In truth, she was happy to go with Jomei, as he also acted as a protector. Some parts of Urbus were pretty ghetto like and some of the inhabitants were a little on the shady side. She had spent several evenings on this floor with the locals that were like that, slinging back drinks like no tomorrow, getting amorous with men she shouldn't be with just so she had a place to stay. It was all behind her now, but she would be revisiting the same place again with Jomei, she just hoped the evening would not blow up in her face. 

"Thanks for coming out with me, this place has some pretty good tequila like drinks. I promise not to get wasted tonight, haha." she laughed leaning more into his arm, her head slightly resting on his shoulder as they made two more acute corners and then the sign of the tavern, "Ahh, The Drunken Serpent! Neat name, huh? I have come here quite a few times. Some nice people, most of them that is. Though...don't play the card games. They'll cheat you out of your Col after you 'win' a few games." 

She gave him a warning about that as the lively tavern door opened. They walked in and Opal relaxed her vice grip on his arm a little as they moved to a small little corner booth. She sat down at one end and Jomei at the other. A large bald man walked up to them with a big belly and shirt two sizes too small for him with loose pants. He looked to Jomei and pointed his finger at him, this was not a NPC, but a living person. The tavern was actually run along side with another player who seemed to have found a way to use it as a secondary merchant shop. It was quite neat.

"Drink?" he said, still pointing his finger at him. Opal smiled widely at the large guy, he already knew what she wanted that's why he didn't ask. 

"Also a round of roasted beef nachos~," she added as Jomei would give his drink order. The bald man huffed, "What kind of establishment do you think this is, Opal?"

"I know you have my nachos! Get me some!!!" The man threw his hands in the air and walked away getting the order prepared.

"Nice guy...kinda...Make sure you look in your drink first before you take a drink..." she said with a crooked smile, "I made the mistake of that one time..."    

[Jomei 0]

Jomei walked with Opal, the girl clinging to his arm. He had to admit.. he did find it a bit surprising that she was holding him this way, but it did not bother him.. so he just shrugged it off. Opal seemed like a fun, nice girl to get along with. He was happy he chose to come hang out with her rather than wallow in his own stress and sadness. The two walked through the city of Urbus, passing by various other players, and eventually moving through an alleyway. He had never been to this part of the town.. despite living here for quite awhile. There were some nasty looking characters in the area, especially in this alleyway. At one point, he noticed a couple of guys giving Opal mischievous looks, so Jomei quickly gave them a glare, causing the men to step back and whisper amongst themselves. Did he really look strong or threatening? Maybe they recognized him from the fighting season when the arena was just outside of Urbus. Either way.. he was happy it worked. 

Jomei looked down to Opal as she spoke. The look on her face seemed pretty happy and content.. not a care in the world about the shady people around them. Was she just used to this part of town? Or maybe he actually made her feel safer. Again, questions he just shrugged off. "Yeah, I'm happy I came out too. Been awhile since I've gone out to get a drink.. Was what I used to do everyday after this whole thing started. Until I realized just how important it was to get out of here. And thats no burden on me if you chose to do that." He laughed. "Drunken Serpent huh.. never heard of it.. Hm? Y-Yeah.. not much of a gambler anyway." he rubbed the back of his neck "I earned my little Col through blood sweat and tears... I'd prefer to keep it that way.."

The two entered the tavern.. it was quite populated at this time of night. Full of players that, for the most part, Jomei did not recognize in the slightest. Opal led Jomei to a small booth off to the corner, away from most of the action. He sat across from her and chuckled, "Quite the place heh." He then looked to the side to see a large man, his big meaty finger pointing at Jomei.. asking what he would like to drink. "Oh...Just an ale, if you will" Opal then decided to throw in a food order, nachos to be exact. Jomei had no idea that they even existed in this world. The small confrontation between Opal and the large waiter-like man made Jomei laugh. Opal ended by telling Jomei about the man, warning her to check his drink when he gets it. A bead of sweat ran down Jomei's cheek as he laughed nervously. "I'll.. make sure to do that." 

[Opal 0]

She squinted her eyes at him with a smile on her face as her nose scrunched up. She looked around the tavern and gave a low sigh, "So..umm, what have you been up to lately? I hear out in the streets and the guild is making war plans for the Boss Raid on the top floor pretty soon. It will be only a matter of time before the [censored] hits the fan. I would go, but...I'm leaving pretty soon." she gave a low cough and scratched the back of her head with one finger. 

Her long arms lifted upwards towards the sky as she brought her hair into a high ponytail. Her smile curved slightly as she brought her hands up to the table placing her elbows down on them and revealing herself a bit more to the Irishman. Her bosom was pressed together firmly with her shoulders, she bit down on the tip of her nail as she looked away, the normal signs she used for a guy to look at her or to try and hypnotize the soul. She brought her eyes back to Jomei, nodded about the events he seemed to list off after she had asked him the question of how things were. 

"And what about The Velvet Room? I assume you guys are--"

The bald man came back to the table shortly afterwards with their drink order and hot plate of what appeared to look like chips covered in a brightly orange sauce and then sprinkled with a reddish brown meat substance. However the drink order consisted of one ale for Jomei, and a two shot glasses and a full bottle of what appeared to be some sort of tequila substitute, lemon wedges, salt and a bunch of napkins. Her eyebrows raised and the man grunted with her thanks.

"Big ol' teddy bear is what he is. I told you they had nachos...Or...well, something close to it. This actually looks nothing like what I ate last time. It's not...moving is it? Make sure you check your ale there as well..." she sighed.  

"As I was saying, how are things with The Velvet Room?" The woman didn't pretend the nachos were there, instantly taking one of the chips and devouring it with a few crunches, she nodded her head, cheese dripping off the side of her mouth, she chewed and chewed then swallowed holding a napkin to her mouth and shaking her head, "You better not let me eat these all...will go straight to my belly. I already feel like I gained twenty pounds since coming here...The chefs in this game, are fantastic. Anything you want and they can make it with a high enough rank. I can't believe it."

She chewed on another chip, and then smiled as she looked at the tequila bottle and pointed to it, "I hope you don't mind. Body shots later..." she giggled going back in for another chip. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smirked when Opal asked what he had been up to. "A lot, lass.. a lot." he let out an exhausted sigh as he crossed his arms on the table. "Lowenthal has Piera and I out all the time trying to find new potential members of The Velvet Room.. and it just always comes off as no one being interested. Aside from that, I have been trying to level up as much as possible so I don't get myself killed during this boss fight." He nodded his head, "Aye.. we have been planning, trying to get our own stock of crystals and potions together as well." he slouched his head over. "Its all really hard work..Its a shame you won't be joining us Opal.. But at least I won't have to worry about you getting killed. Me on the other hand.." he chuckled nervously. "But anyways, what have you been up to?" 

Jomei watched as the large man came back, interrupting the two's conversation with drinks and food. First the man placed down the plate of chips and meat.. at least, thats what he believed it to be. He then placed a glass of amber liquid in front of Jomei, and a strange combination of different things in front of Opal. Two shots accompanied by salt and lemon? He had never seen that before.. took him a bit by surprise. He looked up to her for some sort of assurance that the food and drink placed in front of the two were safe to eat... she didn't seem too sure of herself either. He then looked into his glass to make sure it was alright. Aside from the glass being slightly dirty in the first place, it seemed like the drink was perfectly fine. He hesitantly brought the ale to his lips and took a sip. 

"As I said earlier, things are a little hectic.. We have four active members who are frantically trying to find more and get ready for this boss battle.. Since I'm in charge of field operations for the guild.. I had to be the one to go to the boss meeting and help out the plan of attack." he took another long sip of his drink. "Oh, yeah of course." After seeing Opal eat the food, and still seem okay, Jomei decided to eat some of the chips himself. Taking one of the triangular tortilla chips, he managed to get a good amount of beef and cheese on the corner of it before bringing it to his mouth. He blinked, surprised.. For something that looked so... unappetizing, he had to admit they tasted pretty good. "What about you, how have the Blades been?"

He lifted his drink to his mouth and began to take another sip, when Opal asked if he would be okay with body shots later. Spurts of the ale shot out to the side as a shocked Jomei choked on his ale. He forcefully placed the glass down, bringing his other hand to his mouth, coughing. He grabbed one of the napkins and wiped the drink from his face. "I-I'm sorry.. what?" 

[Opal 0]

The conversation about guilds had continued as Jomei explained to his female companion that there was a lot of going on, between searching for prospective new recruits to maintaining order with the upcoming raid. All of that including his own personal affairs of trying to level up as well. Jomei seemed stress beyond the breaking point, but here he was...almost acting as carefree as he was at the Lake. He must have some strong willpower to not show he was stressed, but you can tell by the way people act sometimes by their body language. 

"I...haven't been doing much, just relaxing. I have excluded myself from most guild activities from the Crimson Blades since I'll be leaving any day now. In fact, I feel a great distance has been wedging itself in between me and the Blades as of late. I think I understand what Lindow wanted me to do now, it wasn't about following in his footsteps, but to live my own life, walk my own path. I guess we'll have to see how that goes when I come back..." 

At this point they were already taking turns digging into the plate of what appeared to be nachos, they were both uncertain what it actually was at this point but they haven't had any weird problems as of yet and none of them were turning into creatures of mythology, so the food was safe. When Opal mentioned body shots, the ale that had recently been drunk by the talented swordsman, had come dribbling out of his mouth as he choked on his beverage. Opal snorted with her laugh, holding a hand up to her lips pressing a napkin to it as she giggled loudly at his blunder.

"My! I thought you guys were able to hold your liquor there...Is the ale that strong here? I did tell you to check your glass, didn't I?" she smiled at him, wide with her perfect teeth showing. Of course he was coughing at the mention of the body shots.

"You have done body shots off a girl before, right? Well...if not, that's even better. I am a pretty good teacher and its really easy to do." She held up three of her slim fingers, "Lick, drink, bite...But if your not interested..." Opal was sucking the remnants of the nacho sauce from her thumb in a rather seductive and teasing manner while giving Jomei one of her sultry looking gazes. 

"The whole point of tonight is to have fun, release a bit of stress...maybe get out some of that sexual frustration? Trust me, if there is one thing I know about stress...a nice long [censored] will do the body good. Of course, I am not saying we get down and dirty, I'm just saying...we can release a lot of that stress tonight with just good conversation and a LOT of wild flirting." She laughed, hopefully she wasn't scaring with her bold statements. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei listened as Opal went on to describe her situation, which to her was a whole lot of nothing but drifting from her place in the Crimson Blades. Her training was to begin soon, which meant she would be leaving for isolation within the next few days.. also mentioning about her departed friend, Lindow, and what she believed he wanted from her. He smiled softly, feeling as thought this Lindow person really had an impact on Opal and her life.. Maybe they were close before he died. "I'm sure that was what he would have wanted from you. So, tell me more about this training you're gonna be doing. Definitely sounds interesting." he propped his arm up on the table, his elbow pushing into the wooden surface, resting his cheek against his closed fist. 

As the conversation continued about Opal and her training, the two continued to dig into their food and drinks. This was just before Opal's mention of doing body shots, which caused Jomei to choke on his drink in shock. After having a giggling fit, and Jomei cleaning himself up, Opal went on to tease him for not being able to hold his alcohol and all of that. "No, I can't say I ever have." he crossed his arms in front of him. During his college years at Dublin City Uni.. Jomei had been to his fair share of few parties.. despite focusing more on the pub scene with his own friends. He had seen guys and girls take part in the messy body shots.. usually the guy licks the salt off of the girl's stomach or right above their breasts.. and then after taking a shot of tequila, they suck a lime out of the girl's mouth. Jomei never commented on these things.. to each their own.. but it was not something Jomei chose to ever take part in.. Despite it usually being a mutual thing, he felt it degrading to the women.

"Opal.. I-" He had taken too long to speak, and Opal began to talk about the point of going out for the night; to have fun and get the stress off of each of their minds... and to get rid of their sexual frustration? Jomei's cheeks reddened, his eyes widened, and his brow furrowed slightly. Yes, it had been awhile.. a long time.. but Jomei was not looking for anything like that at the moment. He still.. had strong feelings for Carmine. "Opal." he reached his hand across the table, placing it gently on her arm. His eyebrows were raised as his green eyes looked into hers. "Look.. I understand where you are coming from.. We both have a lot on our minds that we need to not stress about. Personally though, I'm not sure if those are the ailments I would go to first to do that." he smiled at her and shook his head, "I did come out tonight to have fun, yes. You're a great woman, Opal.. very kind and a pleasure to be with. However, not only did I just meet you.. but I do not have the same mindset as you, so to speak. Besides.. Not only does it sound like you still care deeply for Lindow... But.. I still have hopes that Carmine is still alive and will come back.." He took back his hand and grabbed his ale, taking a long sip. 

[Opal 0]

Opal raised a sharp dark brow as Jomei placed a hand on her arm getting her attention, she was coming off way too strong and she realized this, but didn't exactly do anything about it to stop. She was just being herself and that perhaps was a bit too much for the gentleman. She gave a half smile feeling somewhat rejected, of course she wasn't actually going to do that with him...of course not, she wouldn't have minded maybe in the future, but she was working on herself and her image of being a classy woman for a change, or...rather trying to but failing. She relied on her same crafty ploys to get with men she really liked. A little touch here, and little taste there...

She nodded her head, "This Carmine must be pretty special then. I have no doubt that she is still alive, in fact...There is a way we can find out. First floor, the Monument of Life has all the names of all the players that are currently in the game. Those who are alive and those who have been passed, those who have passed have a line through their names. I was there at Lindow's funeral. I didn't fully realize he was gone until I saw his name scratched out on the block of stone..." her voice was low, heavy with sadness, but she didn't shed any tears. 

She went for the bottle of tequila, it was her escape path. Drown herself in alcohol, forget the pain, forget the nightmare and numb those senses for at least a little while longer. She turned one of the shot glasses upright and poured herself to the brim. She examined the contents for a brief moment, then she stopped herself. 

"I can't keep running away, can I?" she asked. 

She coughed slightly and moved the glass away from her and then she looked up to Jomei, "I'm sorry for...putting you in that position just now. I had nearly forgotten about this person you were concerned with. So her name is Carmine, huh? I bet she is a beautiful, and intelligent woman that deserves to have your heart. And here I am...with a guy...making a fool out of myself...and trying to get your attention away from that." Opal rubbed her face with her hand, "Sorry, Jomei. Probably think I am a little low with how I played things. It wasn't my intention to...do that. I just wanted us to have a night, where we just forgot about everything and just focused on what is in front of us." the girl gave an exasperated sigh and tapped his hand that had clutched hers. 

"I'll be a good girl now." 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei let out a sigh, knowing he had upset the girl. He could hear it in her voice.. that low, sad tone. Jomei hoped he had not ruined the girls night, which would in turn.. probably ruin his own. He nodded slowly, "I know it exists.. I've seen it before... I just can't bring myself to check it out. If I were to see her name crossed out on the stone I.." he shook his head. "I don't know what I'd do." He was looking down at the table, at the light auburn liquid sitting still in the glass in front of him. His eyes gazed back up to Opal as she haphazardly filled the small glass with the clear liquid, with the intent to drink her sorrows away. Jomei's eyebrows pinched together with a sad look as she hesitated and then pushed it away.. knowing she would not be able to keep running away.

He shook his head, "Its best to just face it.. rather than running. You'll just wear yourself out that way." 

Jomei listened to the girl speak softly and sadly, apologizing for making moved on him.. forgetting that he had mentioned feelings for another. His seemed to go into a daze as she mentioned the girl he cared about, and he sighed.. wishing she had felt the same way about him. He then looked up to Opal after apologizing again, for wanting to just have a fun night to get their mind off of things. He gave her a half smile, "Right.. And thats exactly what we are going to do. Have some fun." He reached his hand across the table, taking the glass she had filled with the tequila-like drink. Not sure how it went with the salt and lime.. he put a pinch of salt into the glass, and dropped a lime into it. After a moment, he downed the shot.. Gagging and sticking out his tongue. "Gah.. That was not the smartest of ideas." he let out a pained chuckle. 

[Opal 0]

Her eyes were on Jomei as he explained himself about the Monument of Life. The harsh reality would be that her name could be crossed out and then a piece of him would be dead forever. Or the fact that she was still alive and left him without so much as a goobye. Both scenarios were hurtful, "But you need closure. You can cross between the lines of never finding out, always having hope, and then continually hurting yourself until your heart just bleeds out. You need to go there and find out for yourself, no matter how hard it may seem. But you can't keep prattling around thinking she might just be missing...or is really dead. You need to know, and when you do get your answer then you can act accordingly. I was scared for the longest time, Lindow isn't the first person I have known to die within this game. I had another friend die as well...we were partying and came up on a rare encounter. He gave his life for us to escape...It is never easy, but the reality is...the one we are living in now..." she said sighing lightly looking up at her companion. 

But these conversation were difficult to talk about and their mood seemed to have gone melancholy. The swordsman decided to take the opportunity to revitalize their engagment of the night with some fun, taking her poured beverage, adding a pinch of salt and the taking in the lime wedge. Opal wanted to stop him, her hands rushing forward but then she quickly brought them up to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and shaking her head.

"Oh...Jomei...Hahaha...y-you...don't drink tequila like that...Aww...poor boy..." She laughed at the expression on his face, the pure distaste for the beverage. Opal's mood brightened up a little bit and she poured the next shot glass for herself. 

"Lick..." she said holding up a finger, her nail decorated with a floral pattern. She sprinkled some salt onto her wrist and licked it clean with her tongue, "Drink..." Opal stated next taking the shot glass full of tequila and downing the contents in one go. "Bite..." she said with a sour expression and bit into the wedge. The flavor was accented by all three tastes and the tequila went down easier for her than it did for Jomei as he added all the ingredients to the shot glass filled with the tequila. 

The woman whipped her head back and forth, her eyes stayed sharp and wide as she poured herself another shot along one for Jomei. "Cheers to us! Good company! Good drinks! Good..." she looked at the disaster piece that was the chips and sauce, "...food..." she laughed and rose her shot glass to Jomei, and downed the contents once more swallowing every last drip. She placed the glass down on the table and once more whipped her head back and forth from the taste. 

"Wooo! Another?" she said licking her lips. 

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shook his head and grabbed his ale, downing what was left of it. He needed to wash that taste out of his mouth... what the hell was he thinking. "T-Thats why I stick to ales.." his voice sounding exasperated. The man's cheeks flushed pink as Opal laughed at his misfortune.. claiming that was not the correct way to drink it. This confused him, how would this not be correct? If you end up ingesting the salt, liquor, and citrus all at the same time.. why would you not be able to just do it this way. He then watched as Opal demonstrated how to correctly take the shot, by first pouring some salt on her hand and licking it off.. proceeded by downing a shot of the tequila... and finally biting into the lime. Jomei nodded slowly, "Okay.. seems easy enough." He then took the salt from Opal and sprinkled some into the palm of his hand. He raised his hand to his mouth and got as much of the salt onto his tongue as possible. Was not the most pleasant of tastes.. but then again, it was straight salt. He then took the shot glass the Opal had poured for him and poured the liquid into his mouth.. So far was a little bit better than all together. Finally, he picked up the lime and bit into is, so the sour flavor filled his mouth. He blinked, "Huh.." probably would not be his drink of choice, but he definitely was not suffering like before. He then looked over to Opal and laughed at himself for the fool he was. She handed him another glass of the clear alcohol and proposed a toast to their night.. to which Jomei raised his glass and smile, bumping it into hers and downing the drink again. He placed his closed fist to his mouth and coughed once at the burning sensation the tequila left in his throat. He then laughed, "This stuff is probably dangerous." but decided to have another smaller shot anyway.

[Opal 0]

"What happens in Meh-heco, stays in Meh-heco," she said in her fake spanish accent, although it turned out to sound more fake russian than fake spanish, probably due to the consumption of the strong liquid. Once more she raised her full shot glass, Jomei with only half, "Slainte!" she said and downed her drink. Her face was getting a bit rosey from the consumption of the alcohol as she was licking her lips of the leftover remnants. She gave a low sigh and placed the glass back down on table and slid it away from her. For a brief moment there she had forgotten many things, she looked up Jomei..."Still alive over there? I think I need to cool off a bit on this tequila stuff..." she searched the room and found the large man roaming around the other tables, turning herself about slightly in the seat, she raised a hand and attempted to snap her fingers for attention, the second time it went through. 

"Two more ales over here, Jackal!" the man was holding a plate in one hand and looked over and nodded as he was setting things down for another customer. 

"Wow...alright, I'm really feeling that now. Ooh, you asked about my training earlier. That's actually a good question, I have no idea what it entails exactly. I've been messaging Master Myoga on and off this last week asking him the same thing. I'll be learning a wide variety of combat skills, discipline...which he has noted several, several times in bold that I needed to learn, as well as customs. Most shinobah stuff and a bahsheeto?" she looked at him questionably, she wasn't exactly sure of the last thing and from what she was saying she was clearly a little more than buzzed at this moment her words coming out a little tougher to say in the end. The proper words she was trying to portray were Shinobi and Bushido.  

"Mmm, I am not sure exactly what else the old man has in store for me though. I'll be training in the mountains on floor seven. He had a temple there or something that is cut off from the rest of Aincrad...it's gonna be different." The fresh brew had arrived once more and Opal thanked the man named; Jackal, not his real name...but she wasn't sure at this point.   

[Jomei 0]

Jomei blinked as het let out a 'phew' noise with his lips, sitting back in his seat. During his time in SAO, he never truly found himself to have gotten drunk.. with the higher tolerance in game, he found it tough to do so just through ales. However, this craft.. which could definitely only be done by some master chef.. or alchemist.. or whatever the guy was.. it was strong. Really strong. And he was really feeling it.. maybe not drunk, but feeling it. "Aye.. o'Im fine.. Good idea." With the strong effects of the alcohol on him, his accent was becoming much more prominent. To ween themselves off of the tequila-like drink, Opal ordered the two another round of ales from the large man, who's name was apparently Jackal. 

Jomei laid his arms on the table and leaned forward slightly, listening to the girl speak about what her training on Floor Seven entailed. She would be training with a guy named Myoga in the mountains.. somewhere cut off from the rest of the Floor. Sounded interesting enough, especially since he did not know anyone could own such a place. Either he was a very rich man, or a very wise man to find such a place away from everyone else. "So it sounds like yer gonna learn to be a ninja. Is that right?" The rosy cheeked ginger smiled, he thought that going through such a training and being able to learn the ways of a shinobi would be interesting.. Despite his quick, duelist-like fighting style that he already possessed. 

The new drinks arrived at the table, and Jomei took his glass in his hand before chuckling and raising it to Opal, "To ninjas." he laughed and then took a large sip of the auburn ale. "My best friend Lowenthal is like that too.. Very sneaky and quick on his feet.. Uses that sneak and hide skill a lot.. You'd probably like him." 

[Opal 0]

"To Ningahs!" she said clinking her brew with his before taking in the ale. She blinked a few times before placing the glass down..."We forgot...to check..." she peered in her glass, "Hey! No fingers this time!" she said jokingly, as Jomei was about to take another drink. She scrunched up her face and smiled cutely at him. And then she nodded, "Yes! Lowethal, actually, I have met him once and I plan on meeting up with him once more before I leave for training. Really sweet guy, he has a weird aura about him, ya know? Like...I am sure you felt it since you are in the same geeld. Guild..." she corrected herself, but was too troubled to correct the man's pronunciation of the name Lowenthal.

"He just has a good aura about him, although it is mistereeius, mmm...I can't talk straight anymore. Actually he made one of the leather armors I needed for my training. So he helped me out in quite a pinch. I would have went to the guild's tailor, but..." Opal turned her head slightly and since she was no longer eating, she no longer thought it necessary to keep her hair up. Giving her hair a good shake with her right hand, the ponytail came undone as did the long silky strands of her ebony hair. 

She felt better now and she leaned over the table, "While I am away, what do you think you'll be doing with yourself? I know you guys have all that raid stuff you'll be planning and whatnot. Two months away from the world is gonna be hard, ya know?" she lifted her glass and took a long drink from the amber contents before burping slightly..."Ho boy! That was unlady like..." she felt a dash of red flush her cheek for a moment.     

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's eyes widened and almost crossed as looked down into the glass that was already touching his lips. He pulled it away and examined it.. realizing it was just as last time.. dirty but safe. He let out a sigh of relief before taking a longer sip of the drink, smiling back at the girl afterwards.  "Must admit.. interesting place.. Especially the checking the glasses part.. Probably would not be my first choice of bar, but its definitely keeping me on my toes, so thats exciting" he laughed "How did you end up finding it? If you don't mind me asking" 

Jomei smiled when Opal mentioned she had met Jomei's friend and that they had even planned up a second meeting. "Aye, Lowe's just a strange guy.. Great person though.. And he's pretty open once you get to know 'em.." He nodded when listening to her story about how she went to Lowenthal to make her armor. Not sure if she meant the clothes she currently had on, or another pair.. he looked down at her attire.. And then shook his head with a chuckle.. Of course he would have made that.. She seemed to trail off at the mention of her guild's tailor, which drew Jomei's attention. "..but..?"

Jomei scratched at the hairs on his chin when she asked what he would be doing while she was away. "Well.. like you said.. we have that boss battle coming up." he laughed nervously "Well if thing's go badly.. there won't be anything else after that.." He shook his head, trying to get rid of the nerves of the boss fight. "B-But other than that.. I'm not sure really." he scratched the back of his head. "...Two whole months huh...? His olive colored eyes looked into the contents of his glass before looking up and giving her a warm smile, "Just make sure you come back." ending with a chuckle and a sip of his drink.

[Opal 0]

"Yah! Ya know, what? I heard...well more like eavesdropping on a conversation between two people in Starting City about a curious tavern on the second floor. I'm a bit adventurous when it comes to going to new places, so I figured what the hell. From the point of their conversation, I wasn't sure if they were serious about 'check your glass' part or if it was code for something else. But I never take any chances, being a woman...I have to always check my drinks especially if they are open. Don't want that first year of college coming back to bite me in the ass..." she took a breath after explaining all that, she used a finger to slide across the warm dish of nacho cheese stuff and gathered it at the point of her finger before placing it in her mouth. 

"The drinks aren't bad, pretty inexpensive for some other places I have been to and the food is alright as well, pretty nice establishment. Drunken Serpent, I don't know where they got the name for that though...I should ask Jackal the next time I see him."  Opal slid her finger across the plate again but dug up a limpy chip and ate that with the mixed sauce and meat, still edible and she wasn't go to let them go to waste. Especially after...three shots of tequila and half an ale? She looked up to Jomei as she was chewing and nodded her head, "That boss fight, you need to be careful there. Piera is your guild alchemist right? I'm sure she'll be able to cook you up some health pots and other necessary items for the trip. And I am sure whoever is leading the charge will make sure everyone is fully prepared. You can't think like your gonna die in that kind of situation, Jomei. If you die, I will be beyond devastated not to mention Carmine when she finds her way back to you. So you have no choice in the matter but to live, and fight strong." 

She nodded her head taking a big gulp of the amber liquid, "Mmm...don't worry about that, Sug. I plan on coming back a better person. I actually won't know what is going to happen, but I'll be alive. There would be no point in doing the training if it meant me dying. And trust me, I have too many things to look forward to before I end up passing away. I wanna go home to the real world...have a real bath, have a real cigarette!" she laughed, "It's hard being a woman...let me tell you...Although there are some pretty nice upsides to it as well." she scrunched her nose and smiled. 

[Jomei 0]

The ginger man could not help but laugh at Opal's story about discovering the Drunken Serpent. He listened to the woman speak with a smile on his face. Opal was full of interesting stories.. and was always tipping off towards even more tales of her past. And he was damn sure after her training in the mountains, she would have even more to add on. He knew for sure once she got back, he would need to take her out for another drink. Jomei noticed Opal scoop up a small bit of the cheese and eat it.. He had almost completely forgotten about the food in front of them. He reached out his hand and continued to eat some of the nachos, at least, what was left of them anyway. 

His eyes looked up to meet Opal's as she continued Jomei's thought about the boss fight. The conversation seemed to have taken a much more serious tone. She said that she would be distraught if Jomei was killed in action, and she made the assumption that Carmine would as well. He closed his eyes and raised his ale to his mouth, "If she even cares anymore.." he placed the glass down on the table, his brows slightly furrowed ".. If she ever even cared in the first place." he then let out a heavy sigh. He knew this was not him talking.. it was most likely the alcohol, but there was still truth to his words that he could not hide. His eyes went back up to Opal's as he looked at her for a moment before speaking.. ".. In all honesty.. Do you think what I'm doing is worth it..?"

He rubbed the back of his neck when Opal told him not to worry about it, that she would be returning from training just fine. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Just, a lot can happen in two months, ya know?"  He nodded along with her as she spoke about why she wants to live, that she has real things she wants to do in the real world, and that being a woman can be hard.. but have its perks. "Oh? And what would those perks be? ... and I think first thing I'm doing when I get out of here, is having a real drink." he laughed. "Hopefully after that I can actually find a job too." he scratched his cheek with his pointer finger.