semi-closed

[vitis]

WHO: john becket and some people!
WHERE: bar, a few other places
WHEN: 03/16-18 and other times
WHAT: bein' out and about, st. pattie's day stuff
WARNINGS: alcohol, maybe language

Comments

cloverrrrr

[vitis]

[ by the time clover arrives at whatever agreed upon time, john can be found nestled at a seat at the bar, working on finishing a double. when he spies his invitee, he waves (and probably a touch too enthusiastically, sorry folks near to him). ]

Hey! Been a while.

[ he gestures to the empty seat. ]

Reckon you can keep up, tonight?

[ ha. ha ]

[servileness]

[ Every time Clover remembers something new, the more she wants to drink, so there was very little resistance when she received an invite from John. She's not here for the sole purpose of getting drunk, but getting a little buzzed won't hurt.

She slides into the seat next to him and orders a Long Island Iced Tea before looking at John like he's silly for asking that question. ]

You sound like you think I can't. [ Which is fair because that's how she wants to seem. ] Why don't you let me ease into my first drink before you try to outpace me?

[vitis]

Well— not just you.

[ sounds like someone thinks fairly highly of his tolerance! the comment's otherwise met with a shrug; fate will likely have it that his overconfidence should one day crush him. so john continues to sip his drink, eyebrows lifting. ]

But I'll very well let you. It could be... a relaxing time, or something.

[ perhaps not as easily this holiday night, but... ]

[servileness]

[ Clover receives her drink from the bartender and returns the raised eyebrows over her glass before carefully tasting her drink. How much she can taste the alcohol is the true test.

It's acceptable. ]

I doubt anyone goes out on St. Patrick's Day to relax, but I do need to take the edge off of life for a while. God, I hope I can't get any memories from drinking.

[ She gulps some more of her drink down and grimaces. ]

[vitis]

[ john doesn't bother stifling a laugh at that. yeah, okay. no one does go out at this time to relax. ]

[ the comment after clover tastes her drink does give him pause; he doesn't much like inquiring about memories, as he himself tends to brush off discussion of his own, but that does warrant tentative inquiry-- ]

... That bad, huh?

[servileness]

[ She drains half of her drink, as if to answer his question. The sigh that escapes her sounds like her soul's leaving her. ]

They're bad enough I'd drink to forget them. [ She raises her glass at him. ] Are yours better?

[vitis]

... Couldn't say for sure whether they're better or not.

[ mm. john's eyes narrow minutely, smile becoming more subdued as he takes another of drink of his beverage to cover any reaction to the question. it hasn't been precisely an effort lately to be more open about these things, though-- ... well.

john mirrors her by lifting his glass. ]

But cheers to drinkin' to forget for a bit.

[servileness]

Cheers.

[ And then her drink is nearly gone. This is bad. She should be pacing herself better, but it's St. Patrick's Day (that's her terrible excuse). The smart side of her gets her to order a glass of water, though, so maybe she won't get too bad of a hangover tomorrow.

She did notice the shift in his smile, but she won't point it out... for now. ]

Tell me about something good or happy that happened to you lately? Or... did you get invited to go out of town, and was it a good experience?

[ She knows he did because she memorized all the names in Baren's Retrospec post last month, but that's not something she's going to bring up right away. ]

anya nyanya

[vitis]

[ it's probably later afternoon; john's just gotten off of work, crossing through an area of the city in preparation for his next shift. he carries along a bag of food from union grocery, mostly brimming with produce. of course, maybe it's his fault that he's not paying attention (he's paying attention, he rarely has his phone out, perhaps someone else isn't—) when he bumps smack into them, some of his items spilling from the bag.

he ducks for a tomato intent on rolling away, a touch of passive aggression ready in his smile as he turns. ]

Oh! Pardon me.

ho-chan

[vitis]

[ SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS--

okay no, john's only had maybe two by the time he spies howard and makes his way toward the man. ]

Howard! You came, after all. [ don't sound so shocked, john, you did aggressively invite him out. otherwise, short of clapping his hands together, it's obvious he's delighted. ] How do you like the place? It's nice, right?

[ ... it's a fairly generic bar, with few activities, though a touch quieter compared to other bars on st. patrick's day. ]

[ohrlyeh]

It is rather nice. [He gazes over the interior of the bar - there's not a lot of people, which is good. He nods in approval, his attention turned back to John. It's been a long while since he's been out to drink socially - the last one he recalls was some nondescript outing he had with the writing cub on the week before graduation. Being dragged out to be in the midst of mostly-drunk college students wasn't exactly his idea of a fun time.]

[Being with someone he considers a dear friend, however, is quite the opposite.]

Have you been here before, John?

[vitis]

Yep! Gotta scout out the cheaper places, y'know.

[ he grins, mouth wry, even in the face of trying not to break his bank. and without further adieu! he's going to give a light tug to howard's sleeve, guiding him over to the bar so they can take a proper seat there. he hadn't been wrong; it's a standard menu, cheap. ]

You recommend me a drink, I'll recommend you one, 'kay?

[ohrlyeh]

[He slides himself around the bar stool, pushing himself onto it so he can peer down at the menu. Well, a standard selection. Nothing super special, which is fine by him.]

Alright. [He taps at his chin, before pointing down at one of the beers on the list as he shifts the menu for John to see - it's a dark Irish stout.]

I've tried this one before. It's very rich in taste...you'd probably like it.

[vitis]

[ !! ]

Yeah, you're right! I do like that one a lot.

[ beaming at his apparent predictablity-- or the fact that howard just knows him well. and then he likewise points to an item there. it's a chocolate martini or or something similar ]

Is that too on the nose? [ he laughs. ] Come to think of it, I don't know what alcohol you'd usually go for...

[ohrlyeh]

Oh! I'm glad.

[He seems pleased with himself to have chosen something of John's liking. He turns his head to look at the description of the martini, eyebrows raising slight.]

I've never tried that one before, but I don't think it's on the nose. [He gets what John is trying to say, but he doesn't really mind.] Really, I'm not terribly picky with what I drink...except sake and vodka. I don't like those.

[vitis]

[ john gets to ordering the stout for himself. ]

Well, hopefully you won't taste the vodka too much, if they use any. [ a grin, looking a little sly. ] Is it a taste thing, or a bad experience thing?

[ohrlyeh]

I just think it's a bit too bitter and sharp? So it's the taste... Which is strange, I know, since I like pale ales...

[He orders the chocolate martini for himself, leaning forward for cradle his chin in his hand, his gaze turned completely to John.]

What sorts of alcohol do you like?

kenta-kun (& jirou?! tbd)

[vitis]

Yo!

[ the one and only time john will be genuinely pleased to see people of a richer persuasion at a bar like this. ... granted, it's not what anyone would view has a "dump," exactly, but nor is it anything exactly classy: particularly around this holiday, what with the abundance of green and sloppy drunks. john's wearing this hideous thing he probably picked off the floor somewhere. ]

Ah, dunno if this is up to your usual par, but... [ he glances at a menu of drinks he's holding, then to about the area. ] They have a few fun games 'round, you know?

[ well. pool, foosball, cards... standard fare. ]

[toobigtohandle]

[One thing is true about Jirou and Kenta: they do love their high quality alcohol, but the truth is, they both like to drink a lot - even Kenta, even though it often gets overlooked given how much Jirou drinks, and alcohol is alcohol.]

I'm sure w'll find something to our taste.

So this is a celebration that comes from your country?

[sakeplz]

[It can usually be certain that if Kenta is invited anywhere for drinks then he's bringing Jirou with him. And here is his fiance having the time of his life. How many drinks has he had so far? No one will ever know.

But he giggles as he leans against Kenta. Did Jirou pre-game before coming here? You bet your ass he did.]

You know this one! This is the green day that always came up in school when we were growing up!

[vitis]

[ GREEN DAY. cue an enthusiastic echo, ]

Yep! It's sure is green day. [ john may have pregamed somewhat, too, but he's almost envious at the thought that he didn't do so enough. ] St. Patrick's. Or St. Pattie's; that one's cuter to say. It's meant to be a celebration of Irish culture 'round these parts.

[ but you know, uh. america and it's tendency towards... americanization. ]

You should wear green, or else you could get pinched real bad. And... [ he gestures to the general atmosphere of the bar. ] You already know havin' drinks is part of the fun, too.

[toobigtohandle]

[Kenta will forgo beer to go directly for the whiskey.]

I really don't understand why Americans feel this need to appropriate every cultural holiday and turn it into an excuse to eat and drink.

[He'll take it, though. Drinking is always good.]

I don't think anyone has ever tried to pinch me on that day, though.

[Maybe because he looks intimidating and looming.]

[sakeplz]

[Jirou pouts at Kenta and pokes his cheek.]

What's wrong with turning every holiday into a chance to drink?

[POUT POUT POUT]

[vitis]

... If someone's gonna pinch you, it's gonna have to be Jirou.

[ because as cocky as john can be, he's not drunk enough go out of his way to pinch intimidating and looming people.

and he'd nod his agreement--it's true! america does make a mess of things--when, actually. that's a great question to pose. he looks up at kenta in turn then, waiting on an answer he knows can't beat that logic. ]

[toobigtohandle]

He does enough of that already. And other things.

[And Kenta will poke Jirou's side.]

I don't mind the drinking. It's just... why do you need to take another country's holiday to do it? Just drink whenever you want.