Tried to nurse it behind my mom’s back. [Open]

[justbeingknife]

Featuring: Majima (justbeingknife) and you!
What's happening: Finding old gyms, moving house, let's get drunk on the minibar
Day/s: Throughout March
Content warning: Salty language, drinking, Majima being himself

I feel alive for the first time

[ Ever since they'd found those old boxes of footage, Majima had been wandering further and further out in his explorations, both to get a better handle on the town and because he wasn't so sure their last hit had simply been dumb luck. Sure, coincidences happened, but --

There was a tall building with a white stone facade up ahead, its entrance slightly ajar. Oiling the hinges and pushing the door open revealed a wood-floored room illuminated only by a row of high windows along the back side. PISCINE BOULLINGRIN, read the sign.

It, like its neighbors, looked long-abandoned. But the row of mirrors inside and the markings along the floor suggested that the first room had once been some kind of studio.

ooc: Feel free to stop by and have Majima ask if your character would like to explore the abandoned gym, or find him a little later on rummaging through equipment closets, searching the rooms, or starting some cleanup! This is a general placeholder for any gym-related shenanigans. ]

Each sip hits my lips like a landmine

Uh... thanks.

[ signed Majima as a native carried a bar stool through the doorway and into the house. The man waved enthusiastically at him before leaving once more -- possibly to bump into anyone standing outside.

Should anyone drop by, they'd find that the walk-in basement of Majima's new house was currently filled with random junk Majima hadn't asked for (but appreciated, don't get him wrong): a pair of tonfa, shoes, a 50-pound bag of sand, a dart board... and then there were the boxes of bottled alcohol. These were clustered around the dark wood counter of the mini bar, which to the old owner's credit was beautifully appointed.

Majima shrugged, and plucked the first of the bottles out of its carrying crate -- single malt Scotch, amber in the afternoon light. ]

Guess I'm gonna need a sign.

On the 7th day, it was said God rest/But on the 8th day he made the DVX

[ Later on in the month, with everything squared away, Majima could be found at odd hours behind the bar, cleaning glasses or reading about bartending technique.

Someone who knew him well might think he looked a little more tired than usual, but any new faces? They'd get a smile and a bow from the man at the counter. ]

What'll it be?

Wildcard

[ U know what to do. Additional prompts to follow, maybe. Feel free to hit me up on Tetradecimal or tetra | majima #2434 on discord ]

Comments

landmine

[skyofreverie]

[Moving day was happening for a lot of them, Sora included. He was wandering about looking for a few furnishings for his new place - nothing too fancy - just some cushions to act as a makeshift couch or fabric for curtains. The house is too large for just him and Yuu but it'll have to do for now.

After watching one of natives carry some things into a house, he can't help but stop to see who's moving in. The face is a familiar one and Sora raises a hand in greeting.]

Why? You starting up a bar or something?

[justbeingknife]

What, you don't think I can serve drinks?

[ he'll have you know he knew tons about drinking! wait... actually maybe he wouldn't mention that part.

In any case, Majima set the bottle down on the counter and began rifling through some of the others. ]

This's way more than I'll ever drink. Hopefully, anyway.

[skyofreverie]

Sure I do, just wasn't sure if you were gonna share.

[Sora would not be bothered by that fact at all. One of his mentors was a sad drunk - meaning when she was sad, she drank which would make her even sadder. Repeat.

Grabbing that stool the native left and pulling it up to the bar and settling himself in.]

Hopefully. I don't really want to treat anyone for alcohol poisoning.

[He pulls open a box and peers inside.] So what does one have to do in order to get a drink?

landmine

[deadboywalking]

[It's like this kid has a sixth sense when something artistic-ish is needed, because look who is it, poking his head around the corner curiously.]

we didn't get one of these! [He still texts most of the time, having not really picked up a ton of sign language yet. He understands it (thank you Mike), but he's not that good at it yet.]

[justbeingknife]

Hey, Will.

[ Will didn't get a 'you' or 'kid' -- which might seem like a small distinction but was actually a fairly significant one for Majima, who was looking up from where he'd knelt to start sorting through bottles.

Just the boy he was thinking of, actually. ]

Didn't get one of what?

[deadboywalking]

[Will blinks a couple times, curious, then crouches down to gravely examine the bottles. He has...no idea what most of these are. His mom doesn't really drink a lot, and there isn't alcohol in the house. His dad was a big drinker, but he always went out to the pub to get sloshed.

Still, he likes the labels on some of them. There's one shaped like a skull!]

a basement. mike and i have a house now. [You know, like most 13-year-olds do.]

landmine

[magnes]

[ Beth has little regard for people's privacy. It doesn't even cross her mind that wandering into someone's house, whether they're in the process of moving or not, could be considered rude as hell. It's not that she's just a rude gremlin by nature, she's just relearning her manners is all.

She's crouched by the crates of alcohol, snooping to see what he's got, when he does the same. She drops the bottle she was holding carefully back into the case, and for a fraction of a second, she seems to flicker out of existence.

She stands, and types; ]

Gettin ready for the end of the world?

[justbeingknife]

It's already old news.

[ He stopped mid-motion. Wait, did she just -- ]

You... doin' okay, there?

[magnes]

Yeah? I was just lookin through your stock.

[ She realizes how that sounds and adds; ]

Not to steal, I was just curious.

For Jake

[justbeingknife]

Wanna go see if there's more boxes out there?

[ That had been the message Majima had sent over earlier in the day, to which his own answer was kind of yes and kind of no, noT REALLY. There was a lot about this place that none of them really knew, a fact which had become considerably clearer over the past few days... but worst case, they found some more creepy footage that didn't really tell them anything new, right?

With this reasoning in mind, he was waiting for Jake outside of a building west of Town Hall. The day was colder than usual, so he'd set aside his suit jacket in favor of a green cold-weather parka. ]

[waystation]

<sub>[He's a little surprised Majima texts the resident eleven-year-old to go on a possibly dangerous scavenger hunt... Being an eleven-year-old, his answer is a resounding yes.

Some people might act with increased caution after seeing evidence of the danger this world presents, but it has the opposite effect on Jake--he wants to know more. The chance to uncover more clues? Count him in, even if they're the conveniently well-timed and well-placed variety. Firing off an affirmative, he arranges to meet up with the older man once he's finished the section of path he's working on. A sand technician's job is never done.

Wrapping up his work in record time, Jake comes trotting into view in full hand-me-down regalia, everything either mismatched or repurposed. Seeing Majima is actually there and actually waiting for him, he can't help but smile. This might be the first time an adult's ever asked him to do something that wasn't stay out of trouble.]</sub>

Hey.

Nice jacket.

gym shenanigans

[impostersyndrome]

[Prompto sees Majima enter the building, and can't help but be curious. He doesn't mean to sneak up on him, but it's kind of hard not to when he has to tread lightly, like he's trying not to tip off a daemon to his location.

He sends a message as he enters the building, to at least give Majima some warning.]

what're you doing?

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima turned and raised a brow before typing out a response: ]

Explorin'. This place looks pretty promising. You wanna look around?

[ you know you want to man ]

landmine

[clussy]

(Eddie had a way of exploring places he probably shouldn't. It's no real surprise that he winds up in Majima's basement. He recognizes Majima from behind almost at once, and merely walks himself over to squat down next to him to peek into one of the crates filled with alcohol.

The first bottle that he pulls out also happens to be a Scotch and he makes a face before popping it back in and standing up.)

That stuff sucks. It makes me gag.

(His signing is getting pretty good, but he's a quick enough learner and sign language was a whole lot like pinpoint accurate charades.)

Are you making a bar?

[justbeingknife]

Whattaya mean it makes ya gag? You raid your folks' liquor cabinet or something'?

[ To be fair, Majima was pretty recognizable from any angle. It was a blessing and a curse... and yet somehow the punks in Sotenbori never seemed to realize that maybe they should stop picking fights with this dude. ]

That's what I was thinkin'.

But I don't wanna be open all the time. That'd get old real fast.

landmine

[ebonyengine]

[Hello, Majima. Look who got curious when he saw all sorts of stuff being moved into a building. At first, everything seems a bit random and miscellaneous to him, but seeing all the items gathered into one place has it making a little bit more sense. Once Majima notices him, he waves and signs a greeting.]

What will this sign say?

[justbeingknife]

A name for this place, of course. Though I ain't sure what that's gonna be just yet.

[ Majima hefted a bottle by the neck, turning the label so that he could read it. ]

What's up? Checkin' out the neighborhood?

landmine

[jadewine]

[ Jae-Ha feels just a bit more out of place in this world than maybe everyone else on average does. Or so he believes at the moment. Because to him, even the structure of buildings and housing is incredibly different from what he's used to. And the existence not only of the cell phones, but everything about instant communication even being possible. Then there's that whole 'electricity' thing.

Which clearly means he's been doing a fair bit of exploring. Although he still could use a better way to get out any pent up energy (and anger, more so). So upon spotting the house, he makes his way in, plainly curious. ]

That's quite the stash you have there. [ He signs, gesturing (obviously) to the crates of alcohol. ] Did you just happen upon it or something?

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima shook his head. ]

Nah. Came with the rest of the house. Guess the locals must've brought it here, though I can't figure why.

[ Like how had they even known he liked booze. What was with the cigarettes? Were they trying to enable him? Maybe this was some kind of super elaborate hazing. ]

Ain't seen you around before. I'm Majima.

gym shenanigans

[whists]

[When not hunting, Emily spends her time exploring. Crawling around in empty buildings is kind of her thing, and there's something soothing about still having that option for her here.

Even if it's slightly more dangerous than it had been back home.

Which is what brings her to the building. That, and the open door. Oiled. There's someone in the building, and she's a little on edge after everything. Knowing there were other people somewhere not part of the community, the origins of their "ghosts".

To her, it's basically an invitation.

It takes her a few rooms, a little exploration, before she finds anyone.] Nice place.

[justbeingknife]

Yeah. You thinkin' what I'm thinking? Maybe we can move some of this old equipment, give the gym rats something to do.

[ Urban exploration of abandoned buildings wasn't really one of Majima's hobbies back home, but he was getting more into it all the time. Especially if that meant turning up the occasional gem, like this one. ]

I dunno if we'll ever get that pool back in service, but there's still a couple machines and weights.

For Newt/Thomas

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima stood at the entrance to the subway station at Théâtre des Arts, crowbar in hand and a pack of sand at his back. It was afternoon, with lengthening shadows but plenty of time left yet to explore– and if they were going to go through with the big plan in the next month, someone was going to have to actually go underground. ]

Gonna explore the subway,

[ had been his message to Newt and Thomas. ]

If you want in, c’mon down. Bring some light.

[ The station entrance was boarded up as if it had been abandoned in haste. He set the pack down and started prying at the first of the boards, where the accumulated years of rust had stained the bleached wood a deep red-orange.

Good thing they hadn't done a particularly thorough job of nailing these things down. ]

[eachother]

[ thomas doesn't really have to tell newt that he's going to meet up with majima because if you know thomas, then you know it's a given that he'll go anywhere and do anything that could lead him to answers (or a million more questions). he doesn't have to ask newt if he's coming with, either.

when thomas steps out of his room, he finds newt already waiting outside his door, checking to make sure both of the flashlights he managed to find are still in working order, twisting the bottoms so they turn on, and then off.

along with the flashlight from newt, thomas also grabs one of the few knives that can be found in the kitchen, quickly cutting a few small, horizontal slits in the sleeve of his jumpsuit over his outer bicep, one on top of the other. he weaves the blade of the knife into the makeshift 'sheath' on his arm and keeps the flashlight in his hand. the last time he went "exploring" in an underground tunnel, it hadn't exactly been a fun time, and to purposely go into another one unarmed just seems like a bad idea.

thomas immediately steps up to help when they arrive, trying to wedge his fingers into the spaces created between the boards as majima works at prying them away. at least, this way, if one of them comes loose easier than they expect, thomas can attempt to catch it before it clatters to the ground. ]

DVX | nvm date it today

[lowkeycrazy]

[It's curiosity, mostly, that draws him to the bar. He's... a bit wary about actually consuming anything— it seems often times he ends up having too much and when he'd arrived, it'd very nearly gotten him into danger. Granted, he's been here longer now, and being silent was now more fully immersed in his subconscious, but...

... well, it's not just the noise— he also tends to be far too open as a result. So why is he coming in here, then, if there are so many reasons for him not to drink?

... the fact of the matter is it's often difficult for him to feel any sort of genuine positive emotions, and he'd mostly felt them when... well... he'd been intoxicated. He tries to be confident as he walks in, but his eyes betray him: he isn't sure this is something he should... do.

Hesitantly, he takes a seat at the bar, and it's only then that he notices exactly who is behind the counter. He starts and his eyes widen for a moment before he forces the reaction to something more neutral. O-oh, it's... this man. Majima. One of the one's he'd... gotten cuddly with while he was under the influence of that drink. Yet another reminder that he probably really shouldn't be doing this.

In an effort to not seem completely off his game, he pulls out his device to respond.]

Do you have Amazake?

[And then it abruptly occurs to him that there isn't any kind of currency here, and he types up an additonal message:]

Exactly how do you take payment?

[justbeingknife]

[ If Majima was surprised to see Akechi, he didn't show it in his expression -- he seemed a little more thrown by the request, if anything. ]

Amazake? Sure, if ya don't mind drinking one out of a bottle.

Mostly, I figured I'd just trade for ingredients and equipment to make drinks. Fruits are a big one, liqueurs and such. Lookin' for a cold press, too. But I'm open to other options.