Private Isulus Berry Merry

[Toko]

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"Yuck... I can still smell whatever those things were on me."

The Lepus scrunched up her nose after taking an experimental sniff of her leather armor, not exactly happy with the lingering stench ever since the insides of that pod had coated her body and the roof of the wagon. It was moments like this one that having a sensitive nose frankly sucked ass, but there was little Toko could do to remedy the situation that hadn't been tried already.

A tear on the rooftop of their ride allowed a nice view of the star filled night sky above, the rabbit taking a few moments to gaze upwards in quiet amazement at the speckled night sky and the round moon above. "Kirei dess..." It was truly quite the sight to behold, and not one the Lepus would get tired of any time soon, before a chill breeze caused Toko to shiver involuntarily.

Sure the first few days in the wagons had been cool and interesting and new, but by now that initial lackluster had waned and they had still not arrived to their destination. Currently her wagon had recently ended their watch shift and, after some thought, a sly smile crossed Toko's lips as she glanced at the faerin not too far from her.

"Pssst, Frey-kun... wanna try something new?"

Quietly the Lepus pulled out part of an ornate flask, just enough for the Faerin to see the golden strawberry bottle cap, before winking at her friend.

@Frey Elzeiros @Sol @Essence @Kyoko
If I missed anyone feel free to add them

 

[Sol]

☀˚̣⋅ .

After the fight with the Myconids, Sol had found herself on an entirely new wagon with mostly new people except a pink haired beast folk and a certain raven haired faerin that she had hoped she wouldn't meet up with much in the first place. Faced with the difficult situation for a socially awkward person of dealing with her issues, she had decided to ignore them, spending the last couple days conversing little with her wagon partners and heading up the front of the wagon as an Explorer's League member, making sure everything was set and organized.

Currently, she was sitting at the very front, outstretched over a bench with her legs crossed. Her elbow was propped up on the edge of the wagon that led out to the front opening, gaze upwards on the stars as she studied the sky, fingers resting against her face as she ran them back and forth across her lips, seemingly in thought. Under her other hand on her lap was a little notebook, her other hand over the top and a pen resting loosely between her fingers. If someone were to take a closer look they'd discover sketches of the Myconids, a sunrise, a sunset, and other sights they had seen on their journey so far. It was something she'd only take out when they had nothing else to do, much like in that moment- Until they didn't.

It began with the small whispering sound that came from behind her, purple eyes peeking out from the corner as she looked back at the faerin from earlier in question and a lepus that seemed to be his friend. Observing them for a moment, she was about to turn away and feign interest before she spotted the beginning of a flask that the larger one pulled out of her bag, ... Is that?

Turning her head towards them, she suddenly spoke out into the quiet, "What’s that?" Her voice was inquisitive as she spoke, expression unreadable as she avoided looking at the blue mass beside the bun girl and focused entirely on her. Thankfully, she didn't seem hostile or aggressive, just more curious as to what was up, if her suspicions were right, and what the bun girl had in her pocket.

@Toko @Frey Elzeiros @Essence @Kyoko
(here we go boys)

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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Fending off wave after wave of Myconids had depleted his inner magical reserves, clawed hand flicked to the side and returning to its normal appearance with the fizzle of energy evaporating in the air, as if forcibly removing a stain. Ever since, he had done as little as possible, weighed down as if overcome by an invisible force that he could do nothing about. Besides light conversation, any attempt at movement resulted in some kind of non-verbal response alluding to his inability.

It had become manageable with the passage of days... Not that any of the present needed to know, of course.

Both hands rested atop his lap, a leg crossed over the other while his head remained tilted backward, leaned against the curled-up fabric of his cape for some measure of comfort. Chin tilted skyward, it was an impossibility not to behold the spectacle unfolding overhead that brought joy to the lepus, but also made him wonder if he would be capable of more.

As if sensing the thought, Toko spoke up, directing his attention to an object partially concealed.

"Toko, you didn't." Frey wasn't known for being discreet, voiced laced with disbelief as he seized the flask and brought it closer to him, shifting in his seat so he was better facing Toko. After uncorking it, he took a whiff of the flask's contents, the swirling liquid inside earning a nod of Frey's approval.

"Son of a bitch. You smuggled alcohol on the expedition..." Even if the distinctive scent of alcohol filled his nostrils, he didn't take a sip. Not immediately, at the very least. Ava never drank of a container she hadn't opened herself, or had watched someone drink first. "You might as well be my favorite person right now."

Even if the lepus had tried to be subtle about the item in her possession, there was no going back once they had been found by another person riding on the wagon with them. With Sol's question, an idea sparked to life.

"Here, Red. Try it. Might as well do something to pass the time rather than stare at each other's faces hoping someone will break the ice."

 

[Toko]

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There was a devious grin on the Lepus' face, though it was quickly erased when the Faerin took possession of the bottle. "Ch-Chotto matte, Frey!" She frowned in concern, much as she was happy to share it was best to lay down some ground rules.

"We cannot, under any circumstances let it dry out, ryookai? Otherwise it won't replenish again, and I'll lose my free booze."

It was then the voice of another caught the Lepus' attention, turning to look at the redhead that was suddenly interested in their conversation. From what she'd seen, as well as Frey's last comment, it seemed there was some history between the two... though Toko wasn't about to pry about it.

"Shhh, don't bring too much attention to it... but yeah, it's strawberry brandy. Wanna have some with us?" Surely one more couldn't hurt... right? "Ah, same rules apply though—no emptying the flask entirely or you'll both owe me drinks for the rest of your lives."

@Frey Elzeiros @Sol

 

[Yuliya the Unstoppable]

✧☾ˑ༄ؘ

Kyoko had been hopping from wagon to wagon during their journey, trying to keep up with all of the spooked horses. It had been exhausting on not just her body, but her mentality as well. Kyoko couldn't remember the last time she had worked as hard as she was working currently. For something she didn't even know if it would benefit her... I better be rewarded well or I will kill a bitch.

Kyoko let out a sigh, everything had died down and she had found herself in a wagon with quite a few others. They all seemed competent enough so Kyoko would silently watch from the corner that she sat in. The only person she knew prior would be Sol, the red-head from the first wagon they had been in together.

Her ears flicking around trying to keep to herself. However, movements made by Sol drew in her attention to the point that she had to know what she was doing. Kyoko would mentally speak to a few spirits that still floated around her, unseen to the others. She would then instruct her spirit friend to spy on whatever Sol was doing.

Low and behold, she had been drawing the monsters that they had been attacking prior to their current engagement. Kyoko was impressed by the art skills that Sol had and once again her attention was drawn towards everyone in the wagon as she addressed something that Frey and Toko were holding and talking about. Kyoko only knew of both their names because of the fact that they had been addressing each other.

Kyoko, intrigued but not wanting to show it, scooted closer so she could eye the situation. Alcohol? Toko smuggled alcohol? Props to her. Kyoko could do with a drink after everything that unfolded. Abandoning her previous attitude, now not caring whether people knew she was intrigued or not, Kyoko scooted even closer till she was almost skin-to-skin to Sol.

Not wanting to show that her only focus was on the alcohol, Kyoko would audibly compliment the drawing that Sol had made before looking at Toko and Frey. "Count me in too, anything Sol does I can do." It was the least that they could do, surely after she had put in so much effort to keep their horses calm so they wouldn't steer off course or crash.

@Frey Elzeiros @Toko @Sol @Essence

 

[Essence]

Hardly interested in any particular wagon Essence threw herself into one as the fight came to a close. She'd been smoothing the path they were traversing to ease the terrain's stresses progressively damaging the horses and wagons. Geomancy's physical burdens tested Essence's abilities. At the end of the day, the Elf proved to herself that she had a hold on things for now. On the outside, she exuded absolute confidence and control and power. On the inside, Essence would've crumbled if she failed to succeed. Every moment turned into anxiety over performance. She needed to learn how to work under a chaotic situation as Performer Essence - the part of her who had no insecurities, who handled anything with grace.

Preferring not to mull over the serious things, Essence sat back and relaxed - as much as possible. Within the wagon, the only player she knew was Frey. If not for exhaustion she'd speak to him more. But for now, the Elf only nodded in his direction when she entered the wagon, and curled up in a corner, keeping to herself.

This loner act subsided when her sixth sense kicked in: the ability to tell that there were drugs nearby. Essence sat up straight and turned her head frantically towards @Toko. She needed absolutely no explanation for what Toko presented before the group. "Oh, she did," a giddy voice responded to @Frey Elzeiros's comment. "Hey, Toko, thanks for being nice. I wouldn't have thought about sharing. I'll pay you back sometime, okay?"

Watching the back-and-forth exchange carry on between the others, Essence rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers on her legs, impatient. "Oh my god let's just drink already! I can do anything Sol can do, too, babe," she raised a brow at @Kyoko's insistence on matching @Sol. Like, why not just drink for yourself? That's what she did. Often...

Shaking her head to clear the mind of thoughts such as "please don't drink", Essence continued, "In fact, we can all do what Sol can do after she takes a drink. Second dibs!" Regardless of whether Sol drank or not, the Elf would snatch the bottle for the second drink. Of course, she did the polite thing and waited for Sol to finish. "Actually," she paused, lifting her eyes from the alcohol to look at the red-head. "I could never look good with fiery red hair. For real! Personally, I'm more of a burgundy type of girl."

 

[Sol]

☀˚̣⋅ .

Sol's eyebrows furrowed as the two turned towards her, still not making eye contact with the raven haired individual as frowned slightly at his comment, turning her gaze away from @Toko as well. However, she was pondering their offer, taping a finger against the side of the wagon as she did so. Estelle was no stranger to drinking, in fact she had been dragged to quite the number of parties in the real world. Sometimes it was fun to sit at the side, drink in her hand as she observed the others around her living a life she could not partake in, even if she wanted to.

She was snapped from her thoughts as suddenly the wagon sprung to life, the two remaining members suddenly joining the circle. A certain pink haired beastfolk @Kyoko even decided to encroach on her personal space, turning her own knees away from her as she shot her a look that said 'Space, please'. The look faltered as she complimented her art on the notebook that had been sitting her lap, eyes traveling downwards as she rested her hand on top of it, "Oh, thanks." Not entirely in the art sharing mood at the moment with so much going on, she tucked the notebook away, making a mental note to show her more at a later point.

Too much attention was on her. Unsure why they compared themselves to her as four pairs of expectant eyes sat on her, Sol flicked between each of them, an exasperated look in her own as she came to a stop on @Frey Elzeiros , finally make the eye contact that she had been trying so hard to avoid. Letting out a small sigh of resignation, she reached out to take the flask from his hand, one arm resting on her knees as the other brought the drink to her lips, eyes sliding shut as she tipped her head back.

The sweet taste of the strawberry brandy enveloped her senses as she took a good measured gulp, before bringing the flask away from her lips and handing it off in @Essence's direction, using the back of her other hand to wipe off her mouth. Now she was definitely used to alcohol, but she had forgotten that this body might not entirely be the same. This was a video game after all, there had to be a minimum and a maximum.

At Essence's words about her hair, she looked at her own red strands and fiddles with a couple in-between her fingers, before looking back at her, "... Thanks. I was actually having a hard time picking between green, blonde, or red, but went with the red because it matches Pyromancy well. Plus, the contrast between purple and red..." Holding up her finger in an 'ok' hand sign with a small smile on her face, it was obvious that she already seemed to be relaxing, even if slightly.

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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Frey thought at that moment, with an unusual feeling rising at the pit of his stomach, that perhaps he should've kept his mouth shut. No matter how apologetic he looked before Toko, eyebrows furrowed at the realization he had spilled her secret and more, the damage had already been done.

"Sorry," he whispered as he leaned into her side, the word all too quick to leave his mouth.

Rather than live to regret his decision, another realization dawned on him before long as each of the women within the wagon gave a reaction of their own to the (non)offered drink. Toko herself even seemed to be in a bit of a charitable mood as she laid down the rules for an evening of responsible drinking, or whatever was about to be.

Surely it was anything but responsible to get drunk when monsters had just finished attacking them, and could do so again at any given moment.

Yet he didn't voice such concerns of his.

His shoulders quivered with a laugh stifled behind a hand, a comparison that had been uncalled for bringing life and conversation to the otherwise quiet wagon where the group sat. Though he wasn't familiar with the pink-haired beastfolk that had occupied one of the available seats, such formalities didn't stop him from glancing her way, a wordless 'Thank you' in the expression that vanished the moment he looked away.

"Not gonna lie. I would be a tad concerned if y'all couldn't drink as she–... Oh, there she goes," his attention had drifted back to Sol just in time to watch her take a gulp out of Toko's alcohol, applauding the effort.

"None of y'all are minors out of game, right?" A beat later, as if the concern that had manifested somewhere in his head had dissipated without an answer. "Oh, hey Essence, pass that up to Kyoko. Looks like she needs it."

@Toko @Essence @Kyoko @Sol

 

[Toko]

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There was a sigh of resignation from the Lepus as two more joined into the party, though after the fight with fungus people Toko supposed that it was understandable. "Hai hai, everyone's welcome for a swig—but don't empty the flask, okay? Otherwise I'll be forever out of free strawberry whiskey..." There was a light and humorous smile in the rabbit's lips, though the faint undertone of her last words signalled she'd have a bone to pick with anyone that didn't follow the one cardinal rule.

A wink was given in the direction of the Faerin, Toko's way of acknowledging his apology and signalling everything was alright. "It's okay, I think we all deserve it after today's fungal surprise." However the point that Frey brought up next had Lepus' ears perking up in response, she hadn't even given it much thought until the Faerin noticed.

"Oh shit, right, none of you is under your legal drinking age... right?"

@Frey Elzeiros @Sol @Kyoko @Essence

 

[Yuliya the Unstoppable]

✧☾ˑ༄ؘ

​

One with the spirits...

The flask had made its away around a few people and now was in her own hands. Kyoko brought it to her lips as she took a sniff. Her lips not touching the edge as she poured the sweet liquid into her mouth. Her neck drawn backwards so she could drink without touching the container without making a mess of things. She wiped her mouth before passing it on to Frey, "I would hope everyone here is of legal age. And from the looks of it, at least our virtual bodies appear over." Her tail swished as she delighted in the mouthwatering lasting taste in her mouth.

There was practically nothing she enjoyed more than a nice drink, typically alcoholic. Kyoko glanced at the caravan of people again, she scooted a bit further from Sol to give her more room she she began to relax in her seat. She had no idea what she could bring to the conversation so she made a mental decision to let the other four lead the conversation.

Her body just sinking into her chair as she waited for the alcohol to make its way back to her. Between the five of them, there surely wouldn't be THAT much alcohol to split between the party. Though hopefully it was enough to get all of them to be slightly intoxicated. Kyoko, wanting to ease her nerves of the battle that had quite literally just happened.

@Frey Elzeiros @Sol @Essence @Toko

"Talking!"
Thoughts....