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

[skyofreverie]

[A wry smile.]

Almost twenty. I think. Hard to tell sometimes.

My appearance is misleading since I was sent home after a couple of years of growing and when I got back, I looked younger but remembered those years. Had to grow up all over again.

[justbeingknife]

Yeah, okay. That's weird.

Help me organize some of these bottles, and then you can pick one out to open. How's that? Need to make sure all this shit's stored properly.

[skyofreverie]

Tell me about it.

Sure thing! [Even his text looks eager - though whether it's just to have something to do or he wants a drink may not be clear.

He abandons the stool and starts carefully pulling bottles out of the box, making sure they don't clink together. From the few times in the past when there was alcohol around, he learned was best cold and what was okay at room temperature. Hopefully that's enough to help out.

Sora focuses on putting things on the shelf behind the counter, content to work in silence for a while.]

[justbeingknife]

[ After watching Sora sort a few bottles, Majima seemed satisfied enough that he knew what he was doing -- enough, at least, to turn and start on his own box. ]

Almost 20, huh? That's only a couple years younger than me.

[skyofreverie]

[There were some big drinkers in one of his previous worlds. Enough that he'd pick up alcohol whenever there was an opportunity.

A nod of his head.]

Sometimes it doesn't feel like I've been stuck in one world or another for almost four years. Looking at myself in the mirror and seeing my seventeen year old face doesn't help.

[justbeingknife]

[ He set aside a bottle of junmai with an expression of satisfaction. ]

Well, what the hell. Why not enjoy it?

Once yer an old man, ain't like a couple years here or there's gonna make a difference, anyhow.

[skyofreverie]

[A silent nervous laugh.]

Could be useful with all these people saying that their monsters only go after kids. I look enough like one that they might go after me and I've got plenty of abilities to fight them.

[That's one good thing about looking younger, he could pass as a kid in appearance and personality at times. Maybe be the decoy for those child-hunting monsters.]

[justbeingknife]

Never fought a monster before.

[ wait but awano ]

That wasn't human.

[ there we go ]

Yeah, gotta say, you don't look like a guy that'd pound 'em down. Might make a good hustler.

[skyofreverie]

I've gone up against both lots of times.

[Sora gets it. The human ones can be just as dangerous as the weird ones.]

Haha, right? People underestimate me all the time because of my size. Works out pretty well for me most of the time.

[justbeingknife]

Dunno what that's like. Did have someone riding me for bein' green, though.

[ Imagine someone looking at Majima and concluding that yes, this was a green criminal. It was more likely than u think... ]

Ya ever miss home? Your first home, I mean.

[skyofreverie]

We're all start out as newbies at whatever we do. Just gotta keep at it to get better.

[Hey, he believes that. It wasn't like he could always swing a sword accurately or cast magic at the right time. After all this time, there's one person who still thinks of him as a Junior Hero and another who doesn't think he's ready to be a Keyblade Master.]

All the time. I think about my mom who I haven't seen much since I was fourteen, and all the friends I left behind. As strange as it might seem, I also miss the first world I got trapped in. It was pretty horrible but I was there for three years but I found a family there.

[justbeingknife]

Nah, that makes sense. You get close to the people you meet, wherever ya are.

[ He slid a bottle of wine into the rack. ]

That goes double for people ya share a struggle with.

[skyofreverie]

Friends, and enemies, where ever I go. That about sums up my life.

[More bottles on the shelf, keeping them a good distance from each other so that they don't rattle when one is moved.]

Yeah. That's something I know really well.

[For a long moment Sora is still, one hand on the next bottle and the other on his 'berry.]

How bad do you think this world really is? [As someone from a world without these kinds of monsters, perhaps Majima is the best one to answer this question. Sora is sure that his own meter is wonky after three years living in a torture box.]

[justbeingknife]

It's bullshit is what it is.

Things weren't exactly goin' great right up 'til I got here, but at least ya know where you stood and you could make all the noise ya wanted. Add in untouchable monsters and the possibility of turnin' into one yourself, and things aren't looking so hot.

[ This was a sore point for Majima, who never realized how much he loved fights until he had to make sure that all of them were suitably reserved and silenced so that he wouldn't disturb the resident monsters. ]

Can't even hit up a karaoke bar to blow off steam. Also the food was better.

[ Mannn living in Sotenbori was having restaurants at your beck and call. Kaiseki sets, takoyaki stands, even convenience store bento. Now if he wanted anything remotely like Japanese food, he had to make it himself. ]

[skyofreverie]

[A solemn nod of his head. It's true that the whole thing is bad, monsters attracted by sound - maybe even becoming one. Sora knows what it's like to have hurt his friends when not himself and that's the part that gets to him the most. The silence, the lack of good food, the not-so-great living conditions are all just minor things in Sora's mind.]

Turning into a monster is the worst thing that can happen.

[They'll have to find a way to expend some of that fight energy. Maybe at fight club.]

I haven't done karaoke in so long. That was a fun time. And you know, the food could be a whole lot worse. We could be living on food bars that taste like cardboard.

[Sora would like Majima's world, though. Trying all those new foods and not having to attempt to cook for himself.]

[justbeingknife]

Got that right.

[ He'd been quick to resolve his situation once identified -- now he had someone trying to stab him randomly and a raincheck from the goddamn Dragon of Dojima, so everything was coming up Majima, at least in that respect. ]

You're into karaoke?

[ That made Majima pause, the rest temporarily forgotten. ]

What kinda songs ya like?

[skyofreverie]

[Sora had hurt people when he'd been a monster, something he doesn't want to repeat. Then again he's hurt them when he wasn't.

He's glad for the subject change.]

I like singing. And I like singing with friends. Karaoke's a way to do both.

[Until he got to the Facility, Sora hadn't done karaoke before. Didn't even know what it was.

A shrug of his shoulders.] Doesn't matter. I'll sing just about anything. Just so long as it's in a language I can read.

[justbeingknife]

[ By now, they'd put away enough of the bottles that Majima figured it was time for a break. ]

Alright, so what's your poison of choice?

[skyofreverie]

[One last bottle and Sora turns with a shrug.]

Surprise me. I don't have that much experience with alcohol.

[He tried it once and then for a week there was nothing but alcohol, not a drop of water anywhere.]

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima raised an eyebrow, then took out a glass. The bottle he selected was a light rum -- El Dorado, chocolatey and aromatic.

Did Sora like it neat? Because he was getting it neat. ]

Try this. It's pretty good for sipping at room temperature.

[skyofreverie]

[A small smile.]

Thanks. And if you want ice, just lemme know. I can get you some.

[justbeingknife]

Huh? Whattaya mean if I want ice?

Ya can't make a proper cocktail without it! Spill it, you got an ice machine?

[skyofreverie]

[Silent nervous laughter while he rubs the back of his head, a sheepish expression on his face.]

Haha. Okay, okay. I get it.

I don't have an ice machine. More like the ability to create it.

[justbeingknife]

Oh. So you got some kinda, what? Superhero freezing powers?

Do you need some water first?

[ It only seemed logical, water turned to ice..... ]

[skyofreverie]

Not just ice - other elemental magic too.

Nope, no water. Just watch.

[Sora lifts a hand and instantly a small ice chunk appears hovering above his palm.]

Instant ice. I can make it in larger quantities too.