driftfleet | now we got bad blood ♞ 1

Who: Riku
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Down on the planet.
When: 31st; forward-dating!

[ riku has made himself quite scarce in the past few days. he says it's about crowds, it's about the natives being too welcoming. he finds it weird; good treatment is a rarity in his book, but so are actual people. but today, he's actually ventured out past the few tiny shops near the ships. hooded and walking slow, you may note that he's trying not to be noticed again, but there's not much to say in how he looks around a lot, constantly surveying his surroundings.

he's more or less a proverbial wallflower as he stands back, watching everyone have fun and dance with the locals. well, whoever is willing to. it's not really halloween, there's no chocolate, there's no kids running around in costumes, but... he supposes people are finding it fun, and that's what matters. ... he thinks.

the skulls are a little creepy, though. ]

I guess this is a happy birthday? [ admittedly, he sounds a tad amused. ] Maybe I could go a year without chocolate.

[ a pause; ] Or I guess I could try alcohol...? Wonder if they've got an interplanetary age law here...

[ creep creep creeping on over to a nearby bar... ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Happy birthday.

[he pats the front of his shoulder with his other arm. good job, buddy! lucky for Riku, he doesn't seem like he's going to make a big deal of it.]

People let you get away with all kinds of stuff while you're drunk. Want to grab a drink with me? [--as if that's the next obvious way to steer the conversation.] I can find you something that doesn't taste like drain cleaner.

I'm only 18, not 21. [ nnnevermind that he was going to get one anyway. somehow he's not sure about getting drunk with robin, though. ]

... thanks, I think. If it tastes horrible, why're you even drinking it?

[he... tilts his head so that he can... squint at him...]

...Gods, you aren't talking about legal drinking age, are you?

... what else would I be talking about? We're talking about alcohol, aren't we?

[he just looks... horrified isn't the word, but he grimaces all the same.]

How do you people live? You're practically an old man before they'll let you drink. Tega hat'p zyo.

[he shakes his head and actually detaches from Riku--jabbing his thumb back towards one of the dive bars.]

I bet they'd let you in. I seen younger-looking people around there. C'mon, I'll get you something. Call it a birthday present.

Tega h--

[ what the fuck-- oh now he's kind of cold. oh damn it. ]

... a birthday present of alcohol. [ ... ] Well, I guess they don't have chocolate here.

Tega, hat'p, zyo.

[strangely, when he enunciates all three words separately, they kind of... make sense? maybe they made sense before, but really listening to them, it becomes somehow obvious that he's saying an otherworldly equivalent of "god help you".

BUT HE DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN.]

Maybe if you ask real nice they'll put some chocolate protein paste in your booze. Let's go.

[to the bar, to the bar!]

[ unaware as to how he's gotten from something mildly confusing to something that makes total sense, riku shifts his feet before--

oh god damn it he's moving them to the bar ]

Uh, hey-- [ following! ] Wouldn't that just taste worse?

Yeah it would. It was kind of a joke.

[Robin gets them in! they aren't really... carded or anything. mostly, they seem to be thrilled that new people are here to party with them! he will walk riiiight up to the bar and ask for something at least mildly not terrible.]

Don't joke about chocolate.

[ if riku's face was proportioned better, he might actually look like he's pouting. as it is he just looks very disappointed.

.... crrrrowds though. riku's shoulders hunch and he pulls on the front of his hood a little more to hide some of his face. ugh. ]

[Robin watches the drinks being made--because this is exactly the kind of establishment he doesn't trust--but doesn't leave Riku stranded for too long. soon he's turned around and tilting his head towards the edge of the crowd and expertly dodging his way over to an empty table near a window.

he bumps into the chair, though, spills some on one of his gloves.]

Oh, shit-- [he laughs, setting them both down, sucking the booze off of his wrist.] I guess that one's mine.

[ he's good at making himself small and unnoticeable--but robin may already know him well enough to pinpoint where he went, off to the side. wallflowering yet again. he blinks at him and follows, glancing around the place before settling.

... uh, robin-- ]

Not drunk, huh?

[ he looks kind of skeptical, but not deridingly so, looking for a napkin or somesuch. no such luck. ]

How much have you had already, anyway?

Haha, man. A lot.

[he settles down too, peeling his glove off with his teeth (seriously, is everything this guy does have to be suggestive? it's like he does it by default or something). he'll slide Riku's drink towards him and take a sip of his own. phew... strong stuff.]

So it's mixed with some of that orange stuff that's on our ships anyway, but it's still pretty strong.

[ staring down at his drink.

his face might be getting a little red. jesus, robin, can you stop... ]

Great... well, first time for everything.

[ he closes his eyes tightly before taking a big gulp of his drink. ]

[ OH DEAR LORD WHY ]

--Hey! [WHAT WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT] You're not supposed to chug it.

--I'm not chugging it!

[ he just took a gulp jeez calm down mom ]

[shakes his head. takes another drink.

says nothing. only judges. silently.]

... what?

[ a sigh. ] If I'm drinking it wrong, show me how. I don't know, remember?

Just sip it. Especially if you've never had any before.

[he is an advocate for a good time, and that is not necessarily getting smashed.]

You're going to freak out if you stand up and suddenly can't stay on your legs.

[ he gives him a surprised look before staring at his drink warily.

... right. okay, just small sips. ]

I guess it's not as bad as I thought it was.

Yeah, no. It's not bad if you go kind of slow...

[he makes himself comfortable, leaning forward heavily on their little table...]

I want to get somewhere with good booze. Where you drink it and it doesn't taste like you're drinking motor oil.

That kind of alcohol exists? I thought it all tasted the same.

No way. There's really expensive stuff that actually tastes okay on its own. You can get booze where you mix a drink half-and-half... [he gestures to show some amount between his fingers; it's kind of vague.] Like half booze, half whatever else, and you don't even taste the booze at all.

And then there's all different kinds of flavors and types of alcohol made out of different things... And a million different kinds of mixed drinks... It's a magical world, Riku.

... a magical world of alcoholism.

now we got bad blood ♞ 1

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