BANG!

Ceri hammers her fist into the table. Tears roll out of her eyes from laughing; She grips her abdomen in pleasurable pain.

“That’s what your master taught you!?” wheezes Ceri. “And it worked!?”

Fiddling with his utensil, Leor doesn’t say a word. All he can do is watch Ceri die from laughter. Luckily, no one else is around to hear what he said.

“Sounds like you two are having fun.”

He twists his neck; Yui stands behind him with three tall glass mugs resting on a tray in hand.

“What were you two talking about? What’s so funny?” asks Yui as she reclaims her seat between Leor and Ceri and places the tray onto the table.

“Miss Yui, get this!”

Leor snatches a mug from the tray and guzzles the liquid down in a single swig. The fizzing beverage masks the retelling of his embarrassing tale and the laughter that follows. A small burning sensation slithers down his throat to his stomach. Slamming the empty mug onto the table, he licks the froth off his upper lip.

“Whew~ That hits the spot!” says Leor with a beaming grin.

From the corner of her eye, Yui watches Leor reach for a second filling. “Hey Ceri, won’t you be a dear and fetch more drinks? He seems to have taken your share”. She points her finger to the stand. “The keg is behind the stall. You can’t miss it. While you’re at it, you can use the private restroom back there too. Tonight is going to be a long night” smiles Yui.

With a somewhat unconfident expression, Ceri bows her head before disappearing from the table.

Propping the empty cup back onto the table, Leor droops his shoulders as he sinks lower into his seat.

“You seem to really enjoy your liquor,” says Yui with her cheek gently pressed against her palm and the corner of her lips curled up.

Mimicking her posture, Leor leans in with his eyes locked with hers and a sly grin across his face. “Who doesn’t enjoy a hearty drink after a long day on the job? Besides, it’s all expenses paid so I think I’ll enjoy myself extra tonight,” says Leor, brimming with swagger.

The unusual confidence in his speech catches Yui off guard; She laughs at the sudden change while taking her mug and pouring half of the contents into Leor’s empty cup. Her raised brow beckons him to grab his cup and match her lifted glass.

*Clink*

Neither of them breaks their gaze as they gulp down their drink. At the same time, they slam their empty cups back on the table, jumping to their feet. Eyes still locked, they stare at each other, face to face.

Yui’s eyes drift to Leor’s hand gripping tightly onto the sheath of his weapon.

“Ha! I win” laughs Leor, sinking back into his seat.

Yui floats back onto her chair and brushes her hair back behind her ear. She pulls out her pipe and calls forth her flaming bird to light it up. Wrinkling his nose, Leor angles away from the ambient glow.

“I didn’t know we were playing a game~,” Yui says coyly as she puffs on her pipe. She purses her lips and gently blows smoke at Leor.

Being caught in such a childish act causes Leor to bury his face in his hand. He starts to remember why he wants to stop drinking so much. However, once he starts, the chains of reasoning can no longer hold him back.

Again, her eyes are being drawn to Leor’s tight grip on his sword. “That must mean a lot to you, huh?”

Following her eyes, Leor realizes she’s referring to his katana. Pausing for a moment, staring intensely at his weapon, a clock ticks in his head as he searches for an answer. Before he can speak, Yui chuckles.

“I’ll take your pondering as a ‘yes’. No need to think so hard about it.” She takes another hit of her pipe. This time, she lets the smoke roll out of her lips like fog slowly making its way down a mountain. “I was simply curious about you and your story. I have a knack for finding interesting people. And you have that written all over you.”

“I have no story. I’m just a regular mercenary on a job. Nothing more. Nothing less.” says Leor as he peers into his empty cup. His mouth starts to feel a little parched.

“If you say so”. Yui angles her pipe by 45 degrees and taps it with her finger, shaking out the excess ash. “Everyone has a story, be it interesting or not. It all depends on how we tell our stories that make it worth listening to. I won’t pry further, but one day, you will have to face the story you run from whether you like it or not.”

A quiet silence fills the air for a brief moment. It isn’t until Leor drops his glass back on the counter and asks in a harsh voice, “Then what’s your story? You clearly don’t belong here, so why are you here?”

“Me? Hmm… well, I guess you can say that I’m sort of a mercenary chef.” laugh Yui. “Except my one and only employer is Lady Azura herself. I’m traveling on her behalf to spread the Yojin Clan’s superior cuisine and prosperity.”

“Mercenary Chef, huh? That’s a first… Sorry, I get a little more… expressive when I drink…”

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.” giggles Yui.

A gong-like crash comes from the stall. They both turn to the source of the noise and see Ceri standing there with two drinks in each hand and a small wok rolling around her feet before wobbling to a halt.

“I-I… Sorry… “ whimpers Ceri with watery eyes.

Yui struts over to her with one hand holding her pipe and the other on her hip. “Don’t worry about it,” says Yui as she leans in and whispers something to Ceri. Leor’s too far and too tipsy to make out what they’re saying.

Taking one of the mugs from Ceri, Yui looks back at Leor. “And Leor…” His eyelids shut close and open slowly from the weight of the liquor. Focusing his vision back at her, Yui raises an empty glass, licks her lips, and winks. “I win. Have fun you two.”

Leor grinds his teeth as Yui triumphantly walks away before disappearing behind the stall. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Ceri shoves a half-full cup in Leor’s face.

“Here… Let’s go,” whispers Ceri, tugging at his arm.

He wonders why Ceri seems so disheartened. For a single moment, he attempts to draw up possible scenarios in his head. However, the alcohol makes it hard for him to stay on the topic for long. With a puzzled look, he washes down his defeat and confusion with the remaining liquor and lets Ceri drag him away.