Sometimes functionality is all you need(Open)

[Hector]

It was hard for him to get a good night's sleep anymore with the thoughts that haunted him each night, it'd been a few years since the war had ended, but it all stuck with him as if it happened only yesterday. Not just things that had been done to him, but the things he had done that his anger had fueled, thankfully the people on this planet were generally good about the medicine to fix that problem and he didn't need to think too much on things with it. Speaking of which, he lifted the flask and shook it a bit to hear the liquid inside splash around so that he could get a rough idea as to how much was left in it before a scowl settled onto his expression. There was enough left for today at least, but he would need to head towards either a liquor store or a bar to fill it up once more, that would have to wait until later though he had a routine together and today was the day for his grocery shopping. Grabbing his jacket from the rack he left his apartment and headed down to the street, he was in for a decent walk at least since he liked to enjoy the scenery.

Wrapping the coat around him as he stepped out into the crowd of people, he made sure to adjust it so that his tail was as hidden as it could be, most people were generally drawn to staring at it for whatever reason. With that done he moved through the crowd with a trained skill, moving between the people as they walked without bumping into anyone and without drawing attention to himself from the normal citizens. For now he was just focused on making his way to the store, that days had become routine filled for a while now, but it at least made for a bit more of a peaceful time without him having to be bothered by too much. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the cash that he had on hand, counting through it to see what he was working with today and try to plan around that.

Satisfied with the plans in his head he took the flask from his jacket and took a small swig of the alcohol inside, it was five o'clock somewhere, before continuing on with his little adventure for the day.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

”Oh, crap!” the frantic green-haired girl shouted as darted and weaved about the many civilians in the crowded city streets, ”Ohcrapohcrapohcrap!” Moving gracefully through the crowds, she boasted her own abilities, but this was not intentional. She was running late this morning, and was now rushing to reach her destination. Moving around all the foot traffic without being hit was a miracle at walking speed, and even being so skilled, this proved even more challenging.

Earlier that night she'd found the perfect accessory while shopping online. Having good sense to not miss out on this “one in a lifetime” opportunities, she had it put on hold and noted that she'd pick it up first thing in the morning. And so would have been the case, had she remembered to set her alarm. Now, she was racing against the clock; the store had said they'd only be able to hold the item for three hours after opening. She was nearing the two and a half hour mark now, and her pace was accelerating.

Suddenly, her foot hit an uneven slab of concrete, sending her yellow-clothed body into a furious fall. Reaching out, her hands would grab at the closest thing to her; a red-headed man's waistline as he went to take a swig from a flask. Cursing loudly, she would fall prey to however the man reacted, or even if he reacted. If not, the young-lady would likely smash her face into the hard concrete, and curse even louder, like a drunken sailor.

[Hector]

Events were taking place to break his daily routine that had been going on for a couple of years now, and whether that was a good thing or a bad thing for the hybrid would remain to be seen. The first sensation that alerted him to this change was the sound of someone running faster than just any normal person, his ears could pick up the rapid pounding of the pavement. The next thing was his sensing ability as a power was closing in on him rapidly, but there was no sign of if they were someone that he should worry about yet. It was only when it was getting closer and closer that he focused more of his attention on it while readying himself for any kind of action and given that most people couldn't sense power levels he slowly boosted his power to match the power. If it was something that was going to be aggressive towards him then he wanted to be prepared for that, if they moved past him then he would relax.

The moment the presence moved towards him was when he reacted by moving to the side with a subtle shift, and was preparing to strike out at the person that lunged towards him. Upon seeing that it was just some green-haired girl, his hand went instead to catch her before she fell to the ground and lifting her back up to a standing position. This person wasn't a Noran and likely had no idea who he was, so he had no reason to be suspicious of her. "Try to be more careful," his words carried a slight slur to them, though he was still easily understandable. Making sure that she was unhurt he would turn to walk once more, wanting to get his shopping done with, but he was keeping his ears focused on the girl if she decided to say something to him.

Placing his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn, waking up so early was not really something he wanted to do anymore, but it seemed that his old habits were hard to get rid of so easily.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Blushing brightly, the girl was surprised as the man turned and simply caught her, and placed her back upright. Quickly advising her, he turned and began to walk away. Blinking, Ohkara watched him for only a moment. Did that really just happen? Her hand gently touched her chest, and she could feel her heart pounding. ”Yeah... It did...” she silently assured herself, ”... And you have to say something!”

Taking a step forwards, Ohkara opened her mouth: ”T-thank y-you!” she managed, the blush on her face darkening; looking down the the ground, she questioned herself for a second. This was not a feeling she was comfortable with; she felt vulnerable somehow... Shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts, she tried to take control back of herself.

”A-and I am really sorry about that...” She told him, grabbing her right arm and rubbing it with embarrassment, ”T-these kinds of things... Well, they don't normally happen to me...” Obviously, taking control back was a much easier idea than action; ”I-I guess I'm just having an off day...” Why was she trying to explain herself out of the situation? It wasn't like the man had given any hint that he wanted anything from her.

[Hector]

He had turned to start walking when she finally spoke up and thanked him, but her voice seemed unsteady for whatever reason that he couldn't figure out going over the recent events. There was every intention of just leaving it with that since she said thanks, but now she was continuing with saying that normally she wasn't like this and that she was sorry for what had happened. Raising an eyebrow at that the Noran turned to face the girl that had nearly face planted on the cement. "Why are you apologizing for something that isn't your fault?" he honestly couldn't see why she thought she needed to say she was sorry for tripping. Was there something he was missing with Earth customs even with the years he spent here? Granted he never fully mingled, but from what he'd observed there was never really anyone that did what she was doing right now.

People from this planet were really kind of weird, but different planet so different culture, he would just have to try not to dwell on it too much lest it drive him crazy trying to figure it out. She seemed really out of it for the fact that she had been running at impressive speeds just moments ago, had the fall really affected her that much? Thoughts were swirling through his mind as to what he should do about it, did he even need to do something about it? Then she mentioned about having a bad day and he raised an eyebrow once more, offering the flask to her, "Welcome to the club, though for me it's years."

Stopping his words there he would see if she would take the flask or not, it wasn't like he was forcing it so she could do what she wanted. Sympathetic as he was, he wasn't the best person to be around if someone needed comforting, he'd slowly managed to start desensitizing himself to those around him. Probably not the best plan he would be the first to admit, but it worked to keep him functioning. He didn't want to be heartless, but it was one of the few ways he could kill off his anger for even a bit of time that allowed him to do things that were productive rather than smashing boulders and whatnot.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Grinning like a crazy person, Ohkara quickly snatched the flask that was being offered to her, ”Oh thank god,” she muttered, right before taking a swig of the booze. Swirling the stiff liquor around her mouth, she passed the canister back to the redheaded man, then swallowed, letting out a satisfying ”Ahhhhh...” Thankfully, as the liquor quickly metabolized and entered her blood stream, she began to loosen up.

”Oh man, you don't even know how bad I needed that drink...” she told him, shaking her head a little, ”Actually... I could use a whole bottle...” Letting out a small giggle, she ran an eye over the man once more, studying him closely. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she couldn't place it; he didn't look like anyone she knew, and he was definitely a stranger. Aside from that, she noted he was tall, tanned, and not too bad on the eyes.

Smiling kindly, she rose a brow at him, ”You think you might wanna help me finish one?” she asked. Though he was a stranger, Ohkara was kind of in his debt after having been saved by him, what harm could come from offering to repay her debt in booze?

Pointing an index finger in direction, she looked down the street a ways, ”There's a pretty nice little bar about three blocks from here. Should be opening any minute...” Turning back to the man, she gave a light shrug, and grabbed for his hand, in an attempt to tug him along with her towards the bar, ”Well, come on... How could you possibly say no to such a pretty face anyways?” Giving him very little time to even respond between her sentences; Ohkara was trying to make it hard for him to protest, obviously, she hadn't planned on taking “no” for an answer.

[Hector]

It seemed that he wasn't the only one that took to drinking even if it was in the morning, of course it was likely that each one drank for different reasons as well. The speed with which she grabbed the flask was even faster than what she had been running with, it was a bit of a surprise at first. "No problem, have you calmed down a bit?" he hoped she had, it was kind of weird for her to have gotten so worked up over what a stranger thought. Rubbing the back of his head he would have to try to look a bit more into human culture and see if there was anything about that somewhere, otherwise he was just going to keep getting confused by what they did. He had to wonder if there were any Norans like that though, it would be somewhat weird for him to see that as well. His father had explained how awkward he had been with social engagements, but that seemed different to what this was as well or was it similar? He wished he had the chance to ask about that before, no point dwelling on it at this point.

The offer for a bottle of alcohol was tempting, he considered it for a moment with what he wanted to get done, was there enough time for him to get it all done if he took the time to go to a bar now? Checking his watch for a second the issue would come with getting himself some food before heading back to his place, all things considered he could get it done for the day, but if he skipped getting groceries he would have to do it tomorrow with a much more restrictive schedule. Any thoughts on the matter were pretty much ended when the woman pointed down the street towards and mentioned a bar, then proceeded to grab his arm and drag him with despite him not saying anything about the matter.

"You'd be surprised what I'm actually capable of doing," he commented under his breath, not actually wanting her to hear what he said as it was more for him. She was already pulling him along though, so it would be pointless to argue about it now. He could at least stay for a little bit before heading out.

[Gælon]

Morning had come and with it Gælon was up and on the prowl sort of speak. Earlier in the week he'd arrived on Earth but found their ways a little bit more strange then he'd anticipated. Worse were the changing seasons and that this part of the planet was evidently entering a cold one. He had taken care of that though and now posessed a new suit that would be the envy of even the most snobish elite on the planet. Now that he was a little more familliar with this planet though and had ensured he wouldn't freeze during their winter months, Gælon had once again resumed his persuit of every pleasure immaginable on Earth. Although he did not get any nuetrition from it, the day before had been spent at a market sampling some more exotic species of fruit. Today though he had something much more saticfying in mind, today he would dine well and repleanish himself.

Leaving his hotel, Gælon was dressed in his impecable black and red suit looking sharp as ever. Everything about him screamed "Well to do business man" and about the only thing that didn't was his ears. The Dæmon's ability to disguise himself while prefected to the point that he could have changed his pointed ears to something less conspicuous, he'd chosen not to. The reason was not actually vanity but rather a stratigic choice. Gælon was well aware that his own manerisms would appear a little alien to others so what better was to alay their suspiscions then to look just alien enough to do so but also be close enough to their own form so as to remain physically attractive to them. He found that the pointed ears added a little of the exotic to his appearance and that always helped in his conquests.

As he strolled down the avenue an interesting pair cought his eye and he crossed the street just to make sure he passed close to them. He of course had no intention of passing them once he was close enough to get a better look though and instead approached them directly. Listening to the last bit of their conversation as he walked up and the young woman started to drag the man along, Gælon heard his hook and instantly latched onto it.

"Exscuse me sir, madam." he started in his silky smooth tones and stopping to present himself in a practiced pose that best showed his physique even through his imaculate suit without looking as if he was trying to do so. "I couldn't help but overhear, you are going to a drinking establishment yes? May I impose upon you to show me to this place?"

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Turning towards the newcomer, Ohkara's brow rose. He too wanted to drink so earlier in the morning? A giggle left Ohkara's mouth as she smoothly ran a keen eye over the stranger. He was clad in a high-class business suit; one finer than any the girl had ever seen in person. Suddenly it seemed like Ohkara's luck had changed; two handsome redheaded men to woo over her? Jackpot!

Not waiting for the other man's response, Ohkara quickly grabbed the newcomer's hand, and began to tug him along with them, ”Well, of course you can come~!” she sang, pulling each of them closer to her as she walked. A quick glance over the man who saved her, Ohkara momentarily pondered if he would mind the extra company; she had offered to buy them a bottle already, who was he to care who she shared it with?

Any thoughts of that were quickly put aside; however, as the group would near the bar. A ran down, hole-in-the-wall, brick tavern, the only real sign it was even there was a brightly-lit neon sign, which read “OPEN” near the sunken door. Beaming brightly, Ohkara would head straight for the door, never releasing her hold on their hands, the sole of her boot would connect harshly right under the door handle, sending the door flying open in an overly-loud, theatrical display, ”We're here, boys!”

Every neck in the room snapped at attention as the green-haired girl rushed inside, a man likely still in each hand. Their eyes widened for a second, then dropped; even the bartender stared, and rolled his eyes as if to say: “Oh no! Not her again!” Ohkara, on the other hand, didn't even seem to notice. Choosing a nice round table in the corner of the room closest to the bar, she would tug them along, only to release them and throw herself into a comfier of the tavern chairs, ”Bartender! Bring us a bottle of your most moderate whiskey!” she ordered, motioning for her drinking buddies to take a seat at either side of her.

[Hector]

The girl seemed to be one of those stubborn types that wouldn't really take no for an answer, so to make things easier for himself he would just let her drag him along for the time being. Before they could even really get moving though an extra person had come along and spoken to the group, and given his training there were two things that he noticed off the bat with this man. The first was that his scent was odd, he couldn't say what it was, but he had never actually caught this smell from anyone else. The second was the pointed ears that he sported instead of those of most humans that he had met, the two things were odd, but not really telling of anything by themselves. So for the time being he would just push them to the back of his mind for now, but then the girl just went ahead and grabbed his hand to drag him with anyways.

The trip to the bar didn't last long as the trio stormed in, though two of which were more dragged in, but that wasn't what others would see about the situation. Trained eyes glanced around the entire bar as they were moved to a table, he made it a force of habit to know the potential dangers of people or things as well as exit points. The whiskey was ordered so he would wait quietly for it to arrive then have some before deciding what to do there. Leaning back in his chair he let himself relax a bit and try to enjoy himself, not that it was likely to work that well there was just a lot of stuff floating around in his mind right now.

"Hector," he stated simply, hopefully they understood what he was saying by that as well because talking wasn't too big on his list of things to do, but he would at least try to be courteous to them. Closing his eyes he leaned back a bit more in his chair though made sure that his legs were setup to hold his body and the chair in a way that he wouldn't fall backwards from the angle.

[Gælon]

Delivering his greeting ins his silky voice and exuding the very essence of calm and poise, Gælon's hand was snatched up by the young lady who reflected the exact opposite even before she returned his greeting. The Dæmon's refined posture was shattered at the girl proceeded to drag them both along. He still managed to maintain some modicum of dignity though and managed to keep his gate in reasonable, if somewhat rushed form while a lesser man might find himself scrambling to keep his feet under him. They thankfully arrived in short order although as with everything else about this boisterous girl, their entrance was anything but subtle. Slowly the Incubus was beginning to wonder if he perhaps made a poor choice, which was unheard off, he'd never had a bad meal yet, but if things continued in the direction they were, he might just find himself skipping a course.

Trying to maintain as much of his refined appearance as possible, Gælon seated himself so that either of the two were to his sides. Her choice of drink was astonishing and so was the manner in which she ordered it, the height of bad manners. Still, perhaps she had other more endearing qualities that he had not yet discovered and it would be rude on his part to leave now anyway. Besides, he still had the other male as an option and finally a option that decided to speak, all be it quietly and only a single word. Gælon's keen hearing though picked it up and he looked to the man with a charming smile.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance Hector." he replied and presented his hand across the table. "I am Gælon of house Andronazi."

Once that introduction had been made and his hand presumably shaken, Gælon turned to regard the young lady and held his hand out once again. "Madam?" This time though if grasped he would turn it palm down and place upon it a gallant kiss. It was after all only good manners.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

The first man only stated his name: ”Hector?”, Ohkara repeated, giving him a kind nod; it had only now occurred to her that she hadn't asked for his name. Opening her mouth to respond, she was interrupted by the other man, whom extended his hand gave a much classier introduction: ”Gaelon of house Andronazi?” she repeated, this time her tone carrying some skepticism; she'd never heard such a name before...

Extending his hand to her, she took a hold and, to her surprise, was met with a charming kiss on the back of it, “Madam?” he asked.

Blinking dumbfounded, Ohkara was stunned. Only one other person had ever given her a greeting like that; it had shocked her before, but this time her reaction was way worse. Her face turned a bright red, and she opened her mouth to speak, slowly pulling her hand back and placing it on the table, gaze dropping, ”I-I-I...” she mumbled, her words jumbling together. There was just something about this guy... He had sent shivers down her spine.

Thankfully, she would be saved as the bartender walked over to the table and set the bottle, and three glasses, on the table. Eyes widening, her her gaze jumped to the whiskey; waving the man away from them, she quickly turning her attention to the booze, throwing off the cap and expertly poured three drinks, pushing a glass towards each man when she finished. Returning the bottle to the center of the table, she she scooped up her own glass, pressed it to her lips, and threw it back, taking it down in one gulp.

Slowly replacing the cup on the table, she let out a satisfying, ”Ahhhhh...” and slouched back in her chair, gaze falling upon Gaelon, ”S-sorry about that..." she told him shyly, her face still a light pink, ”I-I'm Ohkara...” Then, shifting to face Hector she restated herself, giving him a cute nod and wave of her hand, "Ohkara Minamaru."

[Hector]

There wasn't a whole lot for him to be saying in this situation so he would just observe things for the time being and see what came of it, when the handshake was offered he shook the man's hand. The other thing was that he would memorize the scents of both of these people so that it would be easier to recognize them should they meet again at a later time. Taking note of the man's name it was an unusual way from him to introduce himself, very few people on this planet referred to themselves like that, but he supposed that it came with the whole weirdness of the day. He would likely forget about it as soon as the booze came his way, which was really all that he had come here for since it had been offered.

No sooner had he thought that did the person arrive with the order and glasses for the three of them, but the first to take a drink was in fact the girl that had nearly crashed her face into the ground. Odd that, but he took a glass for himself and savored the flavor of the drink with small sips, it was a pretty good brand of whiskey so he didn't want to just down it in one gulp. Plus having heightened senses made things like this all the more enjoyable because not only did he experience the flavor more, but the scent itself held so much for him as well. He wasn't a connoisseur by any standard, but he knew what he liked as well as enjoying the experience of learning what all went into each individual drink from different groups.

The girl introduced herself next and he nodded in response to hers, and now that he knew their names, he matched the faces and scents to them in his head so that he could identify them in the future. The odd part would come next which was conversation and given that he inherited an awkwardness for that, he'd rather not be the one trying to start up any kind of discussion and would remain on the silent side to see how things turned out.

[Gælon]

Shaking the man's hand, it was difficult for Gælon to get any signals from him. It was possible he'd read the man wrong but doubted it, his skill in the seductive arts virtually precluded that. He wasn't exactly employing said skill too heavily though so it was possibly the subtlety of the firm handshake was lost on the other man. The young lady on the other hand, she melted like butter which was a welcome change. He wouldn't ignore Hector, quite the contrary, but he now knew who the easy prey was, especially since she'd broken down into stuttering, gushy mess for a few moments before the distraction of the drink had arrived and she once again composed herself, not that she was all that composed to begin with. Pouring her own glass and downing it with 'alarming' speed, she spoke up with a bit more cogence and revealed her name to be Ohkara, although given the speed she was intending to drink, Gælon doubted that cogence would last for long. Still he would take advantage of the clarity conversation while it lasted.

"Hmhmhm. Quite all right, and I'm pleased to meet you." the Dæmon replied, smiling smoothly if that was even possible. Looking to the remaining glass on the table, Gælon lifted his own, examined it. The glass was filled to about half of it's volumetric capacity of the interesting smelling liquor, a color of brown that was uncomfortably close to yellow making it difficult to determine which name better applied to it. When he did taste it, after inhaling the aroma, the flavor was not at all to his liking. The aroma had prepared him for something potentially bitter, but not something that would burn as well. For one of the few times in his life a look of displeasure crossed his features and the Dæmon set the glass down.

"Forgive me, but I do not believe, what did you call it? Whisky, is not my drink." Gælon stated and raised a summoning hand to gain the bar tender's attention. "I hope you do not mind of I order something different, I would of course like for all to partake as you so generously offered to us." he went on, and when the man returned Gælon turned his attention to him. "Please bring us three additional glasses if you will and a bottle of wine, something red and on the fruitier side." the Dæmon ordered, his tone polite but autoritive.

[Ohkara Minamaru]

Ohkara watched as Gaelon reacted to the whiskey; ultimately deciding that he didn't like it. Letting out a giggle, she sat forward. Reaching over the table, she'd snatch the man's cup up, ”Ya' don't mind if I drink your share then?” she asked, leaning back into the chair and twirling the liquor in the glass. Of course, regardless of his response, she'd already decided it was hers.

Smiling brightly, she'd press the cup to her lips and take a much more composed sip, taking a moment to inspect her company. Hector was quite; it seemed like he didn't really want to be there. Still, there was something about him that Ohkara couldn't shake, a feeling of familiarity she still couldn't explain. She would do her best to keep him at the table until she found out what it was.

Gaelon, on the other hand, made it clear he planned to stay, even ordering a bottle of wine and extra glasses. Looking him over, the only thing that seemed “foreign” about him was his pointed ears; something she'd missed upon first glance. Something about him also seemed to have an affect on the young lady; she found him extremely attractive.

Snapping back into reality as the wine was delivered, Ohkara would take another sip of her whiskey, while she quickly eyed the wine. She planned to have a glass of that as well; she wasn't shy at all about drinking, ”I'll partake,” she said, a cute smile her face, ”Once I finish your whiskey.” Taking another sip of the drink, she winked flirtatiously at him, her face turning a cute, light-pink.