Getting drunk and mad

[23:14] Ashera would slowly wave towards the bartender. And would slowly ask for something to drink. Smiling at him.

"Ah, could I please get some ginger ale? Non-alchoholic please. And what do you want Ethan?"
(Ashera Ixis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:17] Ethan offered a shake of his head, clearly unhappy by the woman's decision. Was she messing with him? She probably would've been better off drinking, too, since he was going.

"Rum. A whole bottle." He said, looking towards the blonde. "Tell me if you want me to pour some into your drink. You might need it."

She'd be the victim of his heartfelt emotions, soon enough.
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:24] Ashera would have a small sigh, as she had laughed. The man before him did not specify what he wanted exactly of her. But she had a commitment that as long as she had kids to take care of, she would not place a drop of alcohol in her blood.

"Ah, I am fine Ethan. But thanks for the offer." The Krausite paladin would say As the azure haired boy would pour himself a quite concerning drink. She certainly prayed that he would not have to be knock out intoxicated, especially for what he may do."

Ashera would then slowly begin to nod, as she would casually drink her Ice cold bottle of Ale, looking at the man.
(Ashera Ixis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:32] Ethan poured himself a lot of alcohol. Perhaps too much, even. A long sip of his glass was drawn in. And then another one. He almost went through the entire glass before he finally decided to speak up - honest thoughts laid out.

"So.. You're not gonna tell me about you and you husband, are you?" He asked, only to cut any answer she might've had off with his own words, head shaking. "That's fine. I was just curious 'cause you seem way better and unhappy with the whole thing a lot."

Harsh comments. He didn't even have the time to get drunk. Maybe the mood was dictating his behavior more than the alcohol, for now. He leaned closer to the bar, soon enough opening a can of worms that had been kept hidden.

"I don't think I can trust anyone anymore."
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:42] Onia exclaims, "Hey!"
[23:43] Onia says, "Im sorry I havent been around lately...I have been feeling sick."
[23:46] Ashera would slowly take a look as she would see that her friend had drawn in a bit of alcohol. In fact, one would consider it an understatement of the amount that he was sipping all by himself. It was quite concerning to see him like this.

"Well. Me and my husband are quite well and happy. He visits often, helps to serve his country, and would do anything and everything in his power to help protect the kids. He is a man that I was very proud in marrying though I do miss him a little. I am happy and grateful for him."

Ashera didn't care for the harsh comments. She obviously knew that Ethan had feelings for her. But she would not sacrifice a married relationship for him. Her azure hues would face the drunk man as she had sighed, churning her alcohol bottle swirling the drink casually.

"How are you and Leoda Doing dear? Everything alright from that standpoint?"


(Ashera Ixis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:50] She had entered the tavern, offering a small wave towards Onia as she noticed both Ashera and Ethan of all people at the bar. That was pretty wild. She looked around the mostly empty tavern before she eventually made her way to sit next to her future brother in law. That was a weird term to think about. Beyond that however she regarded them all with a small smile,

"Hello!"
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:52] Onia exclaims, "Hey!"
[23:52] Hanafuda Kiku asks, "How's it going?"
[23:52] Onia says, "Good, good...Been sick so I just have been resting."
[23:55] There'd be a wry smile on his face as he heard the news. Truthfully- he thought it difficult for magi of any calibre to fall to sickness, especially for so long. He'd remain floating-- but drifted down a few inches to dip under the table.

Kiku would return promptly- an entire bottle of ale in hand. Rife with condensation and chilled to crisp, he'd pop open the cap, allowing a faint wisp of smoke to ease out of the lip, before sliding it over to Onia.

"Right-- thirsty? This one's home-brewed."
(Hanafuda Kiku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:55] Hanafuda Kiku says, "--Or well. Maybe it's not the best for a person who's just back on her feet. Huh. Might be good 'fer relaxing though."
[23:56] Ethan kept on sipping from his glass as Ashera went on about the praises she brought to her husband. The entire reason he had prodded her about it was due to her previous answer when he brought up the subject. His instincts had failed him once more, it seemed. As he remained halfway leaning onto the wooden surface a small shrug came from his shoulders, words escaping him without any restraint.

"I don't know. She seemed to really like me years back but got upset over rumors and stuff. She wouldn't hear me at all, either. Suddenly she's around after I cut ties with Aspen completely for what she did to your son. Says she likes me, still. Flirts with me and all— But she's still friends with Anna and Aspen who both used charm to try and kill me or whatever. I don't know if I can trust that and... It's getting worse. 'Cause I was paranoid about Aspen for a while. Everytime I got into a fight it'd get worse, you know, occult madnessand all. I thought it was just that, but then she just... Showed her true colors. Praised being a thrall again and went way too far against Nasu. She could've just beat him up."

He shook his head, taking another sip.

"She said she'd always be there and all that stuff not a few days before, too— then she didn't even think twice about turning her back to me. I think I was right to be scared, and that just... Doesn't help."

Alcohol was definitely hitting him now.
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[23:58] Reito Shimasu says, "...."
[00:02] Onia says, "Im going to be at my house."
[00:02] Onia says, "Feel free to stop by."
[00:02] Hanafuda Kiku says, "Alright-- make sure to get plenty of rest."
[00:02] Hanafuda Kiku says, "Hope you're feelin' better."
[00:02] Onia says, "I will."
[00:02] Onia exclaims, "I should soon!"
[00:05] Onia says, "8.2 pounds "
[00:07] Onia exclaims, "See ya!"
[00:10] She didn't know what quite to say, and she shifted in the chair she just settled in a bit uncomfortably. Whew boy. She ordered some tea, as usual, as well as a plate of rice balls. They were, after all, one of her favorite foods. With that taken care of, she'd turn to look at Ethan, a hand coming up to and try part him from his alcohol at this point, even physically pulling it out of his hand now,

"I don't think you should trust those who hail from Dawn," she said simply, "They're clearly bad for you. Aspen was a Thrall who clearly went back to her old ways, Anna apparently tried to attack you or what have you. This Leoda person is most likely doing the same thing."

Sound advice, but would he even heed it?
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:16] Kiku- acting in place of the wait-staff, shifted back, reaching for some of the ingredients prepared by the wayside. There'd be rice set aside in a pot, as well as plenty of seasoning shelved away to the side.

The youth would wipe off his hands after a brisk rinse under the faucet before moving to shovel some rice into a bowl. He'd divide it into equal portions, dampen his hands with clean water, then begin molding the rice into eight, even balls, plating them across a rectangular dish.

After, he'd wash and dry off his hands once more, setting it between both Reito and Ethan. As for Reito's tea, he would move to boil up some water, leaning in on his own elemental affinity to quickly bring the pot to a boil.

He'd scoop some leaves into a teapot-- give it a brief rinse with some boiled water, before brewing it fully with another pour of heated liquid. He'd set it aside for but a few seconds, watching as the leaves unfolded and bloomed, before pouring it through a filter over a small cup.

And just like that, he'd gently lower it over to Reito's side.
(Hanafuda Kiku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:21] Ashera would continue to sip on her bottle of Ginger ale as she would look on to the man. He seemed destroyed. Like every single toss and turn was has lead the poor man into despair. As he willingly trusted them. And they payed no mind to that.

Though she would look towards the councilor, as she would say things that can be passed off as a little discriminatory.

"Honestly Minister. Its not the fact that they were people of Dawn. A small portion are actually sane people. To be honest, I did not believe that Aspen would help people out for good for a second. And I am still irritated that zeriel continued to allow her to live after all that she has done. Regardless. Keep on trying ethan. You will find love eventually. You just have to search for the right people."

Ashera would say, as she patted the man on the back. Poor thing.
(Ashera Ixis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:24] Reito Shimasu says, "Oh no, I'm not saying that everyone from Dawn is bad."
[00:24] Reito Shimasu asks, "But those so far he's run into have been?"
[00:24] All the while, Kiku remained silent, instead reaching for a small shaker filled with bonito flakes. He'd idly dust the rice balls with them- having forgotten to do so just seconds prior.

Perhaps his attention was drawn away at the mention of an Anna. Awful lot.
(Hanafuda Kiku)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:28] Ethan had been robbed from the savior he called alcohol. He gave Reito the stink eye for quite a bit before surrendering to his destiny, fully leaning onto the bar at this point. His head shifted from one side to the other before settling onto Ashera's two large round...

.. eyes. At least after a few seconds of drunken idiocy. His lips parted again as he leaned a bit harder against his forearm to better look at her face - for real this time.

"It's not about love. I don't even trust people to be a friend. Or family. It feels like everyone's out to get me. Everyone talked badly about Vanika but... She went through her using me phase the fastest. She actually loved me and actively protected me. Did stuff for my sake. I miss her. A lot."

Even if he had claimed it wasn't about affairs of the heart it had been sprung up by them. His head moved, settling upon the Kitsune shortly after.

"I don't even trust Jesse sometimes. And I know that's dumb; he'd never betray me. I just... can't stop feeling that way."
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:33] She placed the glass of alcohol safely off to the side now, listening to him closely. So he had trust issues. Given what had happened to him, she could see how that would happen.

"Is there any reason in particular why you'd feel that way about Jesse? He's your brother," she said. She held no judgement in her voice, merely trying to figure him out a bit more. She couldn't really speak on the Vanika person as she didn't know her, so she didn't touch that subject. At least, not yet.
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:48] Ashera would sigh. as she would look towards the man. As she would take A look at the man. She would listen intently about his problems. She didn't know that a man with such a calm looking demeanor would actually be suffering so much...

"That is a little serious on the trust issues my friend. I do not really know why you think that your brother would betray even after all of that you had been through..Though this Vanika lady seemed like she was quite sweet after that phase. What had happened to her? Is she ok dear?" Ashera would like to hear about the subject before she forms her true opinion. She would look at him. Giving a sigh awaiting an answer...
(Ashera Ixis)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:53] "I don't know where Vanika is. I haven't seen her in years, else I'd probably still be with her. We said we'd..." He lingered on, not finishing his sentence.

The answer was probably sadder than anything one could imagine, though. Even in a moment like this one unrealistic fears made him feel like revealing the sweetest moments of a lost relationship would get back at him and bite his ass. Paranoia was slowly ramping up with each use of forbidden magic; his and Ashera's spar might've been a mistake after all.

"I don't know why I wouldn't trust Jes. I just... I should. I know I should. He almost died for me in that tomb. We fought everything together, even when we were fighting against eachother it was together. I just... I don't know. I don't think I can trust him. You-" He turned to look at Ashera. "Or you. Any of you could be bad for me."

This hurt to watch in its own way.
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:56] She's quiet for a while before she took a moment to pause,

"Wait." she said, a hand laying itself on Ethan's upper arm, "When I first came in, you mentioned occult madness," her hand eventually slipped away, "I don't think I've seen you fight but... Is that what you use, Ethan? is it untreated?" she asked now, staring at him intently.
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:00] Ethan slowly reached out towards the bottle at the end of the bar. If he could grab it then perhaps things would feel better. He'd distract Reito with words in the meantime - a nod coming through.

"Yeah. And... yeah. I never had any issues until now. I think. I just... never fought a lot, I guess."
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:01] The Kitsune sighed, reaching out to pull his arm back away from the bottle,

"You shouldn't drink," she said simply, "Also if that's the case then that's probably where your feelings are coming from. Like.... You not trusting Jesse and the like," she said. A hand came up, tapping his temple a few times, "It's all in your head. If you want, I can help you like I helped Quincy."
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:09] With the bottle out of his grasp Ethan had no choice but to pay full attention to the woman at his side. A long pause was held for a moment as he thought about the offer she was giving. He knew the right decision was to accept the help, but something deep down - something he couldn't control brought his head to shake from left to right, growing in speed as she touched him.

".. No."

He couldn't even trust her.
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:12] She stared at him solidly when he gave her that response. She pulled back slightly, shaking her head,

"You need to," she said simply. She moved to pick up her cup of tea as she took a few sips of the liquid. It wasn't as hot as she was usually used to, but ultimately that didn't matter. "If you don't, you'll begin attacking even those you care about," she said. She should know, after all... "Quincy tried to kill me twice, even though we're close friends. I walked him through on how to meditate, because he really didn't know how. It helps, keeps you calm, you know?"
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:17] Ethan shook his head once more, a hand reaching out to push the Kitsune away from him on a physical level. His lips parted as he spoke up, further refusing the help she tried to give.

"Meditating isn't going to help me in any way. It's just a trick— you'll get me to close my eyes and put me in a collar just like you did to him. I'm not doing that- I won't. No!"

He got up from his seat, the motion alone knocking the stool underneat him towards the ground. He barely could keep himself up and standing, but he seemed to slowly be twisting and tipping over to the door.
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:24] She blinked rapidly, as he physically pushed her away, and aimed to get up, stumbling towards the door. She stared at him quietly, frowning slightly. Eventually she spoke up,

"I wasn't the one who put him in a collar, Ethan," she said, correcting him, "And it isn't a trick either. Quincy really didn't know how to meditate and I guided him through it; same with Kane. I did it with Kane to help with his anger issues," she explained. She turned upon the stool, eyeing him carefully, "If you don't want to do that, then you need to get it under control somehow. There might be a way to purge it completely from your system but you probably don't want that either, honestly..."

She stood up, eyeing her rice balls with sadness. She'd have to leave them!

"Also you're drunk and stumbling everywhere. Where are you sleeping? I'll make sure you get home safely."
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:37] "Leave me alone!" He practically yelled out. Perhaps fighting over and over and over to calm Ashera down hadn't been the best idea for his own sake. Every use of occult magic took a toll on his well-being and attacking the constant paranoia he felt was just too easy to pass up.

He couldn't trust people. Even if he wanted to - even if he knew Reito had good intentions he couldn't trust her. At all. This was no good. Stumbling, tipping over and nearly falling wasn't an issue to the young man. His right hand reached out towards the air as a glow that perhaps had grown to be all too familiar made its presence known before them both.

Jungle. A swamp. A forest— whatever it was that had appeared, it definitely was secluded. Judging by his state it most likely was a place where he had gone before many times, seeing as he could still properly bring forth the right coordinates. The young man practically fell right towards the lifestream in an attempt to Wayfind right out of the situation, hopefully alone.
(Ethan Hawke)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:43] She was quiet as he shouted at her to leave him alone. It was troubling, seeing yet another friend fall down into the path of Occult madness. She was unmoving, as he aimed to summon a portal to who knew where. Where ever it was, she couldn't quite see it clearly. Regardless, she didn't move to stop him, or even stumble into the portal behind him. If he wanted to be alone, then she'd give him time. But something had to give, Reito knew this.

Whether it was Huangzhou managing to give him the Quincy treatment... Which given that Shen was gone she doubted would happen now...

Or Ethan being her first Sunyata patient - willing or unwilling.

Time would tell!
(Reito Shimasu)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------