1 Pub Crawl (Devha/Invite/No Kill) Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:30 am
Kiyomi
D-rank
Kiyomi took a deep breath to steel herself and firmly pushed open the well worn door to the Shushaya pub. She paused for a moment after crossing the threshold to let her eyes adjust to light, the setting sun had left her eyes maladjusted to the dimness within. It was uncomfortably warm inside the large building, and the smells coming from the kitchen were not mingling well with the smell of sweat and smoke coming from the pubs patrons. She breathed deeply again, trying to clear her head of the background noise that were her anxious thoughts; What if someone is looking for me here? How can I defend myself if someone attacks me? How can I escape quickly if I need to?. These thoughts started out, years ago and with the best of intentions, as a mental checklist in order to keep herself safe. Over time however they had become near obsessive and occasionally, like today, were difficult to push aside.
Her eyes having nearly adjusted to the new level of light Kiyomi glanced around the room, pausing a moment to appreciate the lights above her that, if you squinted just so, almost looked like stars floating in a wooden sky. It was just past dinner and not quite time for raucous parties so there weren't many people lingering about which she was quite glad of. She carefully measured in her minds eye the distance between each available seat and the exit and decided that the most efficient route of escape would most likely be from the bar. It was further than other seats from the front doorway but it had little in the way to block her path and she was a decent sprinter when necessary. Satisfied with her practical choice she strode confidently up to the bar, her clothing making the tiniest whisper of sound as the leather on her arm brushed against the lace on her hip. She looked down at herself for just a moment curious about the effect of the tiny lights on her feather mantle, and was not disappointed as the green and blue shimmer of the feathers glittered as they reflected the artificial starlight. Kiyomi gracefully swept her short dark cape to the side as she carefully eased herself onto a bar stool, aided greatly by the extra height of her heeled boots. Not that she normally had trouble what with her impressive stature but she was trying to remain unnoticed and the easiest way to do that was to move fluidly, or so she had found.
The clearly overworked bartender came over as soon as she found her perch and asked cheerfully for her drink order. She studied him briefly before answering, she could see dark circles beneath his eyes and tiny wrinkles starting to form around his mouth and along his forehead. She noticed two small cuts on his hand, probably from clumsily handling a piece of glassware, and her heart leapt into her throat. The familiar itching in her hands returned along with the bluish haze that started creeping over her vision, her heart quickened as she got lost imagining herself continuing the pattern of small cuts along the bartenders hand. She thought that with enough time she could probably create a pattern like dragon scales over his entire body, she could do it quickly of course, but she wanted him to enjoy it. Kiyomi shuddered in delight and revulsion at the notion and abruptly became aware of the bartender staring at her with both curiosity and annoyance. She felt heat rise into her cheeks and, feeling annoyed with herself, raised her chin to better match his gaze and replied to his cheerful query coolly, "A bottle of sake. Thank you."
She absentmindedly scratched a fingernail from her right hand along the palm of her left, the act calmed her nerves somewhat though the haze was still in her vision. Most likely it was merely her own minds way of interpreting her distracting desires, but to Kiyomi it signaled the need to begin her ritual of cutting to help relieve her anxiousness. She felt along her forearms where her scars were and whispered "Soon my darlings, but first an evening with a bottle." She straightened her spine to sit at her full height as the bartender returned with her sake and she reached delicately for the glass taking the bottle from the server and pouring it herself. She placed the glass to her lips, breathing in the sharp scent as she tipped the liquid into her mouth. It burned as it slid down her throat and burned hotter once it reached her belly, she smiled happily as the painful burning turned into glowing warmth. This was Kiyomi's favorite part of drinking alcohol, and she savored every drop of the delicious rice wine as she drained her first glass and poured herself a second. "Ah, I've missed you." she said fondly to the liquid she swirled lazily in her glass. She could feel and hear that more patrons were entering the establishment, but she paid them little mind as she focused on her warped reflection in the bottom of her glass.
864
Her eyes having nearly adjusted to the new level of light Kiyomi glanced around the room, pausing a moment to appreciate the lights above her that, if you squinted just so, almost looked like stars floating in a wooden sky. It was just past dinner and not quite time for raucous parties so there weren't many people lingering about which she was quite glad of. She carefully measured in her minds eye the distance between each available seat and the exit and decided that the most efficient route of escape would most likely be from the bar. It was further than other seats from the front doorway but it had little in the way to block her path and she was a decent sprinter when necessary. Satisfied with her practical choice she strode confidently up to the bar, her clothing making the tiniest whisper of sound as the leather on her arm brushed against the lace on her hip. She looked down at herself for just a moment curious about the effect of the tiny lights on her feather mantle, and was not disappointed as the green and blue shimmer of the feathers glittered as they reflected the artificial starlight. Kiyomi gracefully swept her short dark cape to the side as she carefully eased herself onto a bar stool, aided greatly by the extra height of her heeled boots. Not that she normally had trouble what with her impressive stature but she was trying to remain unnoticed and the easiest way to do that was to move fluidly, or so she had found.
The clearly overworked bartender came over as soon as she found her perch and asked cheerfully for her drink order. She studied him briefly before answering, she could see dark circles beneath his eyes and tiny wrinkles starting to form around his mouth and along his forehead. She noticed two small cuts on his hand, probably from clumsily handling a piece of glassware, and her heart leapt into her throat. The familiar itching in her hands returned along with the bluish haze that started creeping over her vision, her heart quickened as she got lost imagining herself continuing the pattern of small cuts along the bartenders hand. She thought that with enough time she could probably create a pattern like dragon scales over his entire body, she could do it quickly of course, but she wanted him to enjoy it. Kiyomi shuddered in delight and revulsion at the notion and abruptly became aware of the bartender staring at her with both curiosity and annoyance. She felt heat rise into her cheeks and, feeling annoyed with herself, raised her chin to better match his gaze and replied to his cheerful query coolly, "A bottle of sake. Thank you."
She absentmindedly scratched a fingernail from her right hand along the palm of her left, the act calmed her nerves somewhat though the haze was still in her vision. Most likely it was merely her own minds way of interpreting her distracting desires, but to Kiyomi it signaled the need to begin her ritual of cutting to help relieve her anxiousness. She felt along her forearms where her scars were and whispered "Soon my darlings, but first an evening with a bottle." She straightened her spine to sit at her full height as the bartender returned with her sake and she reached delicately for the glass taking the bottle from the server and pouring it herself. She placed the glass to her lips, breathing in the sharp scent as she tipped the liquid into her mouth. It burned as it slid down her throat and burned hotter once it reached her belly, she smiled happily as the painful burning turned into glowing warmth. This was Kiyomi's favorite part of drinking alcohol, and she savored every drop of the delicious rice wine as she drained her first glass and poured herself a second. "Ah, I've missed you." she said fondly to the liquid she swirled lazily in her glass. She could feel and hear that more patrons were entering the establishment, but she paid them little mind as she focused on her warped reflection in the bottom of her glass.
864
Last edited by Kiyomi on Thu Mar 16, 2017 3:00 am; edited 1 time in total