Bonding Over Drinks - Main Channel

[21:17] <Xi_Feng> "Now that feels strange..." Xi pokes the area in scientific interest.
[21:25] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro pulls his shirt back on, pulling up his gourd to have a sip, it made him feel a little better at least.
[21:26] <~Deedles> "Yeah, that half of your face will feel a bit numb." The doctor told her, his back turned towards the pair as he prepped a needle and thread.
[21:35] <~Deedles> "Yeah, that half of your face will feel a bit numb." The doctor told her, his back turned towards the pair as he prepped a needle and thread.
[21:38] <Feldi> "What is in that ointment?"
[21:43] <~Deedles> "Nettles, mint and Qingdai." He answered calmly, letting his hands rest on the edge of the table as he gave the ointment time to have its effect.
[21:46] <Feldi> Xi looks across the room at Yoshi then back to the doctor. "How did you become this village's doctor? It sounds as if you've been here for many years."
[21:46] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro looks at the ointment thoughtfully, perhaps he should learn how to make such things in case they find themselves without a doctor. It would likely be less painful than bouling wine and burns.
[22:03] <~Deedles> "I became the apprentice of a Doctor." He answered simply, grasping the needle and thread as he moved over to Xi again. He raised a hand to her face, flicking a finger onto a spot beside the wound to check that she couldn't feel it.
[22:04] <Xi_Feng> Xi simply blinks in response. "And things moved on as expected from there?"
[22:06] <~Deedles> "Few things ever go as expected." He replied vaguely, flicking his finger at a couple of other spots, before he was satisfied and carefully began to sew the cut shut.
[22:09] <Xi_Feng> Not feeling particularly enchanted by watching part of her own surgery, Xi keeps her gaze up toward the ceiling. "You're saying that you didn't plan to become a doctor after becoming an apprentice to one? That seems like a poorly thought-out decision."
[22:12] <~Deedles> "I'm not saying anything other than what I've said." he said, his expression and tone consistently remaining casual despite her prod.
[22:15] <Xi_Feng> Xi rolls her eyes at the ceiling. "Well, Yoshi, what do you think we should do after this?"
[22:31] <Yoshihiro> "Hmm..." the drunkard looks thoughtful, taking a sip from his gourd. "We might try to find an Inn, or a tavern, see if we can't turn up anything else?" he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "We could always see if 'ol blindy discovered anything."
[22:32] <~Deedles> The doctor raised a brow, but didn't say anything, as he gently tied the thread together once he was done closing the cut.
[22:33] <Xi_Feng> "Oh, are you done?" Xi asks as the doctor takes a step away. "Thank you very much!" Xi gifts the doctor with a broad smile.
[22:35] <Yoshihiro> "Thanks for patching us up, doc." Yoshi bows his head.
[22:37] <~Deedles> "It's what I do, just leave a token in the bowl by the door." he pointed a lazy thumb towards a wooden bowl on a stool by the door they'd entered through while he got on with clearing up the table, cleaning the needle thoroughly, before he put it and everything else back in their places.
[22:40] <Xi_Feng> "Perhaps we'll see you about town during out time here." Xi says, hopping down from the table.
[22:40] <Xi_Feng> our*
[22:42] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro smiles and nods, holding up his gourd so the doctor can see. "Care for a drink before you see yourself off to sleep?" he offers.
[22:45] <~Deedles> "Possible." he answered Xi, glancing at them, before studying the out-stretched gourd. "I don't drink." he told the drunken boxer. "But if you're looking for an Inn that serves good wine I've heard that the Golden Ox is the place to go."
[22:45] <Xi_Feng> "The Golden Ox...where in town is that?"
[22:47] <Yoshihiro> "Sounds like my kind of Inn." Yoshi admits. "Might be a good place for us all to gather." he muses.
[22:49] <Xi_Feng> "If we can find where Shen went."
[22:49] <~Deedles> "You take a left as you exit my clinic, follow the street until you come to a white house with a pink roof and then take a right. The Inn is on that street." The doctor said, folding his arms as his gaze slowly shifted between them. "Shen the blind one?" he wondered
[22:50] <Xi_Feng> "He has his own ways of getting around. Don't worry."
[22:50] <Yoshihiro> "You'll have to be more specific, we're getting to know a lot of blind people these days." Yoshi grins.
[22:53] <~Deedles> The doctor shrugged slightly "These are good times to be a doctor, bad times to be a person." he muttered, before beginning to make his way towards the door.
[22:54] <Xi_Feng> Xi takes the cue and follows after him, reaching into her dress to fish out two coins to place in the bowl.
[22:55] <Yoshihiro> "Here's to good business." Yoshi replies, taking one last swig before corking the top of the gourd to let it rest at his side, adding a few of his own coins to the bowl.
[22:56] <~Deedles> The doctor nodded to them in appreciation "Thank you." before he turned to the right, heading down the corridor and further into the house.
[22:58] <Yoshihiro> "I guess we're off to the Golden Ox." Yoshi concluded.
[22:59] <Xi_Feng> Xi lets the two gold coins drop and heads off after Yoshi. "I suppose so and hopefully we find Shen...and Jian finds us when he's better."
[23:02] <Yoshihiro> "Jian looked pretty torn up about this Taihu thing, and I'm not just talking about the claw wounds. "Yoshi points out. "As for Shen, well, he's a resourceful guy. Maybe he'll find out something we missed."
[23:03] <Xi_Feng> "There is room for us to hope and hopefully there will be room for us to board." Xi says as she sees in the inn ahead.
[23:04] <Yoshihiro> "If nothing else we can get some good wine while we're waiting."
[23:06] <Xi_Feng> Xi grins at that. "Now that might be enjoyable."
[23:08] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi smiles. "I'm glad you decided to come with us, you're the only one of our little group besides myself that enjoys a good drink!"
[23:09] <Xi_Feng> Xi sniffs haughtily. "A refined palate is to be expected of a courtier."
[23:10] <~Deedles> As they walked down they street they had no issue with spotting the house with the pink roof that the doctor had pointed out to them.
[23:10] <Yoshihiro> "The first round is on me!" Yoshi insisted with a broad smile.
[23:12] <Xi_Feng> Xi threads an arm around one of Yoshi's with a grin. "Those are always good words to hear~"
[23:14] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro actually straightens up a bit, trying not to wobble so much as he walks, seems a woman's touch can work wonders on a good many things. "Probably some of my favorited, heh."
[23:16] <Xi_Feng> "Oh? And who do you have offering to get the first round for you?" Xi asks, teasingly.
[23:18] <Yoshihiro> "The last person who bought me a drink nearly killed Chiyoko." Yoshi recalls, his tone a tad bitter. "But, he got what was coming to him, so...nobody important."
[23:20] <Xi_Feng> "Hmm, perhaps I should offer next time myself so you have someone better to remember.  In looks and in sense. Though, I wonder if that is the duty of a lady?"
[23:21] <Yoshihiro> "That's why I'm buying the drinks." Yoshi poinds out, his smile returning.
[23:23] <Xi_Feng> "I can't and don't really feel like arguing with that," Xi laughs as they enter into the inn.
[23:34] <~Deedles> They soon see a sign in the distance, hanging from a metal pole above the door, a golden ox engraved and painted onto it.
[23:37] <~Deedles> The Inn has a cozy atmosphere, a lit fireplace furthest into the room to the left, and between them and it are an array of tables with cushioned seats around them, a few patrons already occupying them. They find an elderly male sitting behind a bar to their right. He looked up as they entered, eyeing them curiously as his arms came to rest on the bar top. "Evening." he greeted.
[23:39] <Yoshihiro> "Good evening." Yoshi greets the barkeep. "I hear your Inn is privy to some good wine, and I have a thirst that needs quenching!"
[23:51] <~Deedles> "We do indeed have some fine wine." the innkeeper said as he turned around on the stool that he was on, reaching up to grab a bottle from the shelves behind him. He turned back to them, placing it on the bar top.
[23:54] <Xi_Feng> "Thank you kindly! Do you also have a room perchance?" Xi asks with a giggle.
[23:55] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi lifts his hand, extending a pair of fingers. "Two cups, please." he asked, gesturing toward Xi with a grin.
[23:56] <~Deedles> "I do indeed. Two singles, or are the pair sharing?" He asked as he got two cups from behind the bar, carefully filling them with wine.
[00:11] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi glances toward his Phoenix companion, that question hadn't come up until just now. "Uhh..."
[00:11] <~Deedles> Right then a pair of women enter the Inn, one with short black hair, and the other with long, blue hair that had been braided and spun up into a bun on the back of her head. Both of them wore grey robes covering nearly all of their clothing.
[00:12] <~Deedles> The black haired female walked up the bar, placing her hands on the bar top "You don't happen to have any single rooms left, do you?" she asked, the olderly man glancing at Yoshi and Xi, before he shrugged and nodded. "I do." he answered.
[00:12] <Xi_Feng> Xi looks up at the ceiling, covering her mouth.
[00:12] <~Deedles> "Thank the Spirits, we haven't been able to find any in town." the blue haired female sighed in relief as her companion slid over the payment to the innkeeper and then accepted the keys, the pair proceeding upstairs.
[00:13] <Xi_Feng> "I suppose we'll take the paired room, innkeeper!"
[00:13] <~Deedles> "I suppose you ain't got much choice now." The innkeeper replied, chuckling slightly.
[00:14] <Yoshihiro> "...that settles that." Yoshi concludes, seating himself at the bar, proceeding to have a large gulp of wine.
[00:15] <Xi_Feng> Xi drags a chair closer to Yoshi's with her foot before seating herself keeping a grip of one of his arms. "I suppose it does~"
[00:19] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi places a handfull of coins on the counter, then drags the bottle of wine closer to him. "Well, we may as well make the best of it, eh?" he holds up his cup.
[00:20] <Xi_Feng> Xi picks up her own and clinks it together with his. "Of course!"
[00:27] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro tips back his glass, killing it off in one go.
[00:28] <Xi_Feng> Xi does the same. "Ah, refreshing!"
[00:28] <~Deedles> The Innkeeper slowly got off the chair he was sat on to make his way around and into the rest of the Inn.
[00:28] <Xi_Feng> "Not as good as that wine we had back at that other village though, eh, Yoshi?"
[00:31] <~Deedles> The wine was refreshing and a bit dry, and it packed a fair amount of punch.
[00:31] <Yoshihiro> "Mm, it's never as good as it is back home." Yoshi admits, refilling his cup. "But it's strong!"
[00:33] <Xi_Feng> "That has its own benefits," Xi muses holding out her own cup for filling.
[00:35] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi fills Xi's cup as well, placing the buttle back on the counter. "I like strong wine." he admits. "Helps to keep that fire in my belly burning."
[00:37] <Xi_Feng> "When did you start drinking, Yoshi?"
[00:42] <Yoshihiro> He looks thoughtful at the question, thinking back on it. "My uncle would let me have small cups of wine when I was about thirteen, he seemed to think I was old enough to appreciate the practice." he takes a sip. "He was right, from that first cup I knew I wanted to drink wine." he sighs, looking down into the glass. "I still remeber how it tasted, strong but sweet, only my master could make a wine that even comes close to it."
[00:45] <Xi_Feng> "I remember the taste of it....my first drink I remember tasting terrible!" Xi laughs, "I couldn't handle the taste of wine when I was younger and my first drinks weren't of wine but spirits. My masters wanted to build up our tolerance quickly."
[00:48] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi laughs sodtly. "I know that feeling, not all of them were good, but I still wanted to try as many as I could. That's something that hasn't changed." he takes another gulp. "Wine, spirits, ale, beer, as long as it has the desired effect."
[00:49] <Xi_Feng> "So you're after the effect, not so bothered about the taste?"
[00:49] <Yoshihiro> He shakes his head. "Oh, no, flavor is still very much a part of it, I'm just not picky about my drinks."
[00:51] <Xi_Feng> "I'd much rather wait until I have something that tastes fine in front of me rather than suffer through something terrible. To be drunk is a fine state and should be prefaced and hopefully followed by fine things!"
[00:53] <Yoshihiro> "Couldn't agree with you more!" Yoshi grins. "There are some things I'd prefer to drink, true, but as it is also my sorce of strength I can't be too fickle about how I get drunk."
[00:56] <Xi_Feng> Xi places her head in the palm of her other hand and looks at him sideways. "The source of your power?"
[00:58] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro nods. "It strengthens my style." he explains. "I'm a drunken boxer."
[01:03] <Xi_Feng> Xi stares at him for a moment. "You know I've never seen you fight."
[01:06] <Yoshihiro> "Yeah, I wouldn't call that confrontation with the tiger a fight." Yoshi mutters, sipping from his glass. "Just wait until we're fighting something we actually stand a change against..."
[01:08] <Xi_Feng> Xi smiles, tipping back a little drink. "I'll have to look forward to the sight. I'm sure you'd be impressive."
[01:11] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi waves a dismissive hand. "It's a lot of falling on the ground and rolling over, veyr carefully."
[01:17] <Xi_Feng> "Careful and drunk don't tend to go together," Xi points out.
[01:18] <Yoshihiro> "That's why it's the perfect style." Yoshi insisted. "You learn how to roll with your falls, and if you're drinking and fighting you're going to be falling a lot, first lesson."
[01:23] <Xi_Feng> "Then perhaps I should change impressive to amusing?"
[01:25] <Yoshihiro> "I'm sure it's plenty amusing to watch." Yoshi agrees. "It's very deceptive, genius really, who would suspect that a drunken fool can fight so well?"
[01:30] <Xi_Feng> "That has yet to be seen." Xi giggles, downing the rest of her glass.
[01:33] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi follows suit, killing off the rest of his wine. "I'm sure you'll get to see it sooner or later, tonight is just slow for us."
[01:36] <Xi_Feng> "Perhaps we should have sparred.  Too late now of course."
[01:37] <Yoshihiro> "For another day." Yoshi concludes, holding up the bottle of wine and gesturing toward her cup, offering to fill her cup again.
[01:39] <Xi_Feng> "Oh, please." Xi gladly accepts.
[01:43] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi fills both of their glasses. "So...what's it like being a Phoenix?"
[01:50] <Xi_Feng> "Well, I wasn't a traditional Phoenix. Being raised to be a bride and all even though I did receive most of the training a normal one would.  That was my life. Training.  The most exciting times any of us had were when we brushed against the games in the capitol...and all that turned out to be meaningless." Xi looks away out towards the rest of the inn.
[01:56] <Yoshihiro> Yoshihiro rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that....and for laughing about it..." he seemed genuinely guilty about it, now that he was actually getting to know her.
[02:15] <Xi_Feng> Xi shrugs, not turning to face him, taking another gulp of the wine. "It happened. I'm getting over it."
[02:20] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi goes quiet for a moment, aside from the quiet sips from his cup, giving Xi a sympethetic look. "...maybe it wasn't entirely meaningless, you met us." he points out.
[02:22] <Xi_Feng> Xi chuckles, glancing at him and then away again. "On accident."
[02:26] <Yoshihiro> "Well, maybe you were meant to find us." Yoshi suggested, taking a quick sip. "It's said that only those who are meant to travely beyond the mist find their way through it, there has to be a reason. Maybe you'll find out along the way?"
[02:36] <Xi_Feng> "Maybe. I suppose we'll have to see." Xi hesitates then turns back to Yoshi. "I don't mean to imply that I regret meeting all of you but...I was trained for one thing and," Xi sighs.
[02:39] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi reaches over to place a hand on her shoulder. "I understand, I don't think any of us expected to be where we are now, but maybe it will work out for the better."
[02:52] <Xi_Feng> "I hope so." Xi taps her head against the hand on her shoulder. "What does one aim for after planning to become the most powerful wife in all Shen Zhou and failing?" Xi waves a hand. "Whatever, I don't regret meeting any of you and I'll figure it out."
[02:55] <Yoshihiro> "It's a big question to ask yourself, one I think that can only be answered with time." Yoshi suggested, giving her shoulder a light squeeze before letting his hand drift to the bar top. "If nothing else your company will be pleasant."
[02:57] <Xi_Feng> "Only pleasant? Well, I suppose I should be glad you know some flattery." Xi smiles at him, cheeks starting to become rosy.
[03:01] <Yoshihiro> "My mother would scold me otherwise, were I ever to forget my manners." Yoshi admits with an amused chuckle. "A gentleman should always be polite and pay compliments to beautiful young ladies." he says in a practiced manor, waving one of his fingers almost scoldingly at no one in particular.
[03:04] <Xi_Feng> "A drunken gentleman. There are stranger things in Shen Zhou to find. We both know that."
[03:10] <Yoshihiro> "You can say that again, and suddenly we find ourselves right in the thick of it."
[03:14] <Xi_Feng> "I wonder what people would say if we told them we'd been mauled by a tiger earlier today."
[03:17] <Yoshihiro> "Given the current state of affairs it might not be too unlikely, a spirit tiger however..." he trails off, sipping from his cup.
[03:23] <Xi_Feng> "A little too unbelievable, I think."
[03:26] <Yoshihiro> "I guess it's that sort of thinking that put this land in the state it's in." Yoshi reflects sadly.
[03:28] <Xi_Feng> "The spirits did seem to retreat...or perhaps they were sealed away long ago." Xi shrugs.
[03:31] <Yoshihiro> "That's what we're looking to find out, I suspect."
[03:32] <Xi_Feng> "I'm sure Jian would be interested to find out." Xi laughs, tapping the wine bottle with her nail. "I think we've finished this."
[03:39] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi lifts the bottle, shakes it up close to his ear, tipping it back to get the last drop before placing it back down. "Seems so..."
[03:42] <Xi_Feng> "We should probably have an early night. Can't have Shen wandering around blindly in the morning."
[03:44] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi chuckles. "I think that will happen either way, but you're right."
[03:46] <Xi_Feng> Xi gets steadily to her feet. "Shall we then?"
[03:48] <Yoshihiro> Yoshi stands as well, both leaning against her and keeping her steady, nodding. "Yes, let us away."