#sarkazsamurai

While, yes, by most standards it was expensive.

The vouivre was certain it wouldn't be difficult to purchase more under their personal account. However, the utmost hassle and delay in their scheduled drinking time slotted in their already complex schedules was ... less than ideal. Never mind the fact was just as Hoshiguma stated; it was a loss for some terribly good work.

Saria could only shake her head at the sight of the smashed bottles and the precious alcohol it spilled onto the newly torn ground.

"There is no use in crying over spilt ... beer."

She remarked, reaching over to pick up one of the surprisingly intact bottles. Or, it would have been it it hasn't been for the sharp cracks having already been formed. There was the gentle prickling sound before the lower half fell back onto the pile.

It drew a slow exhale from the vouivre as she placed what was left of it back down.

"We'll simply have to procure another case, another time."

She glanced at what was left of these mercenaries ... and then at their surroundings. A dangling sign fell with a loud bang, drawing up a cloud of dust.

Bile gathers at the back of her throat as hands pile onto her mouth. She forces it back down with sheer willpower and determination. With her mind distracted, she doesn't notice the oni lifting her until her feet are long off the ground, along with that firm hand pressed against her bottom.

She doesn't struggle; she's somehow managing to keep herself from throwing up from all the moving and all the alcohol that's swishing around in her stomach. That sheer stubbornness that's driven her this far keeps her from relenting and accepting the usual fate of all prior incidents like this.

The blast of fresh air as they leave the bar hits her at an instant, washing away the disgusting nauseating feeling. Although she's hardly in the right frame of mind to keep afloat, she's no longer clutching at her mouth nor puffing her cheeks at the idea of emptying her stomach. Instead, she's tugging at the closest source of warmth, Hoshiguma, and dragging her face across the woman's bosom. Goosebumps rising from the cold, and, as always, she's hardly dressed for the weather -not while she's kept in such a stagnant state.

〘楓〙

   "Is that question for the current me, or the one you knew before?”  The reply comes easy for her, said in a neutral tone that doesn’t show she’s offended.  Despite often wondering who “she” was truly, she rarely voiced that and probably wouldn’t do it now.  Those thoughts often swim deep in her mind, surfacing every so often once she was left alone and sitting in her office.  Whatever memories never breached and instead only peaked upwards before sinking back down, their form always hidden by the depths.  

    “Motivation...I just want to support Amiya I suppose.  Having a hand reach out to you when you first wake up empty makes an impact on a person, you know.”  She hand still tingles from the warmth the girl had as the frozen ice melted around her.  It made an impact, to say the least.     “Suppose I did leave--where would I go?  What would I do?  It wouldn’t make sense for me to leave and wander aimlessly when I can stay here.”  

     A hand comes to unwrap one of the salted egg chocolates he places on her desk. 

       Well this was quite the surprise. Rumors of the liaison’s recent employment working alongside Rhode Island has certainly been making it’s rounds, yet the matters of gossip was merely that -- he’d heard it all before once upon a time. Not much is truly different compared to working within Rayhean’s Warbreaker “skunk work’s” group involving collogues. Idle chatter involving the latest to join or leave the R&D teams was like that of white noise from a few of the generators they once aimed to improve. Regardless of these preconceived notions, golden eyes gazed upon the nearly half a foot taller oni woman before him.

〘楓〙

      "Don’t worry, there’s nothing going on up here.”  She replies, a small chuckle following her words.  The operator’s words had caught her by surprise so all she could do was offer a smile in return as she takes the documents from the other woman’s hand.   It’d be another edition to the collection that was growing on her desk.  Lungmen’s operation had been a success and since she wasn’t physically there she could only write down everyone’s observations to finish the report.   

〘楓〙

      The comment catches her by surprise, her hand freezing from reaching out towards the sarkaz.  He had been away from the medics, wandering off to sit by himself.  Blood splattered on his clothes and to the naked eye he didn’t seem injured but she still had asked just to double check--hadn’t she had seen an arrow in it while he was on the field?

  Whether his words were intentional or not remains a question to her but she doesn’t voice it--the smell of his lit cigarette coming to ground her back to reality before she dwells too long on the comment.

      Instead a scowl forms before reaching towards his horn and giving it a light but firm tug in reply to make him listen as the other hand drops the medic kit next to him.  She releases the horn just as quickly, crouching down and holding out her hand.

〘楓〙

     Was there an appropriate way to respond?  

     No solutions pop up in her head as she walks towards the green room where the former mercenary would be, a frown showing just how she felt.  Situations regarding her past were rare, most people who knew of her history were either dead, or vanished--it shouldn’t be surprising to learn she still had enemies that were vying for her head despite it being empty of what she did to earn their ire.  They were literally “ghosts from the pasts” and she can’t help but to let a dry chuckle the more it echoed in her head.          Bodies under her feet.

    As she pulls the door open to the green room, she spots the tall sarkaz at his usual spot.  She shuts the door to alert the other that she was inside before putting her clipboard and bag down on an open chair.  

[This is four days overdue buuuut~]

"When is Flamebringer going to pick me up by the ass in front of W to bother her? Wat? It wouldn't happen like that. . . You don't know that for sure!"