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

[justbeingknife]

Salt, sugar. Wanna try and find an old ice machine that still works. Cocktail napkins, and...

[ He took out a book and opened it to one of the first pages, revealing a small diagram of tools, including a bar spoon, hourglass-shaped silver containers, and a shaker. ]

These. I don't think people would've made off with 'em, cause they ain't so useful for... you know, the stuff the locals do around here.

[ aka basic survival use. The long, spiraled of a bar spoon would in fact be completely impractical for use as an ordinary dining utensil. ]

[ebonyengine]

[Salt and sugar he should be able to scrounge up. He keeps a personal stash of those two ingredients that he guards zealously. It's amazing what the lack of a basic ingredient can do to a man.

He recognizes most of the things he sees in Majima's diagram. He'll be sure to remember those.]

You never know. They may have found some creative uses for such things.

[justbeingknife]

Don't remind me. One of these days someone's gonna cause a damn electrical fire.

[ Wow, look who was too good to be a walking fire hazard!! ]

Anyway, how ya been? How're those friends of yours?

[ebonyengine]

[He's glad that Majima takes things like fire safety seriously. He really is.]

They're doing as well as they can be.

[They're not dead and they haven't gone insane and that is enough for him.]

And you? Is there anyone you know here?

aaa sorry, I thought I replied to this

[justbeingknife]

'fraid the number of people from my world is a little hard to determine -- there's a bunch of different versions of Earth, and that's not even getting into the timeline stuff.

But it seems like everyone's getting on alright. Think I did make one guy more depressed, though.

[ He was trying to cheer the dude up, honest! ]

it's ok!

[ebonyengine]

I'm sure it's not your fault.

[Ignis can hardly blame anyone who gets depressed here.]

What is it about Earth that makes it so popular?

[Why hasn't he met anyone from any alternate versions of Eos?]

[justbeingknife]

[ Majima looked amused at this, like Ignis had told some private joke. ]

Yeah, it's his.

[ As for why Earth was so well-represented... ]

I dunno, maybe it's another weird thing about the way we show up here, like the way people get spit out with their friends. Where're you from?

[ebonyengine]

The Kingdom of Lucis, on the planet Eos.

[He feels strange having to specify his planet. It makes him feel like some kind of extraterrestrial visitor straight from a science fiction movie. But that's what he's doing now.]

Outside of my friends, I haven't met anyone else from there.

[justbeingknife]

[ Guess who didn't recognize Latin-sounding names at all?

This guy. Point of fact, all foreign names kind of sounded the same to him, sorry Ignis. ]

It's weird, 'cause I might be from the same Earth as a bunch of other people but there's no way to tell. Hell, I don't know anything about Indiana in America.

[ebonyengine]

[That's alright. He doesn't know how he'd feel learning his name actually means something in a dead Earth language.]

Multiple Earths? That's far too complicated.

[What is this nonsense?]

[justbeingknife]

You're tellin' me. I met this lady the other day said a meteor wiped out Tokyo. So they replaced it -- twice.

[ Also, why was Tokyo always getting destroyed, answer him that. ]

More worlds like this one than you'd think, apparently.

[ebonyengine]

[He doesn't even know what Tokyo is, but he can guess that it's a place.]

That's a shame to hear. All the more reason for people to drink.

[justbeingknife]

[ A sobering thought, really. But Majima already knew all about Earth. ]

So what's Lucis like?

[ebonyengine]

It is a kingdom that encompasses an entire continent. We are the largest nation on the planet.

[Describing it is no easy feat, now that he realizes he needs to try.]

The capital city is named Insomnia, where the majority of the population lives. It's the most technologically advanced city on the planet and is protected by the king's magic. The country has four distinct each with its own unique geographical features.

[Have you fallen asleep yet, Majima?]

[justbeingknife]

Oh, like Australia.

[ Congratulations, Ignis. You've been promoted to Australian. ]

If you got all that technology, why you gotta be protected by magic? You guys the best at that, too?

[ebonyengine]

[Is that better or worse than British?]

There is one area where our technology is lacking, and that is when it comes to warfare. In that area, the Niflheim Empire has us outmatched.

[justbeingknife]

[ u will never know ]

So you guys're more of a peaceful country. Tough spot to be in, 'specially when someone else wants what you got.

[ebonyengine]

We were able to hold out quite well, all things considered. We do have highly trained combatants that can defend the country, myself included, and the magic of the royal bloodline has kept our capital safe, but Niflheim's own unique advantages meant they would win eventually.

[As much as he hates to admit it. That was why they went for a peace treaty in the first place.]

It's a mess, and I hope to help sort it out when I return home.

[When. Not if.]

Until then, I might as well make myself useful here.

[justbeingknife]

So ya ain't just some average fighter.

Did some brawlin' back home myself. What's your specialty?

[ and why was it knives

For what it was worth, Ignis did seem to be making the most of his time here, tutoring the others in signing and whatnot. ]

[ebonyengine]

[Why not knives?]

Battle strategy and quick aggressive attacks using daggers and lances.

[In other words, a whole lot of slicing and stabbing.]

[justbeingknife]

[ He leaned forward a little, suddenly more interested. ]

Hey, sounds like my kinda jam. Ya got any of your weapons back?

[ And could he see them if the answer was yes

And what kind of attacks were not quick, agGRESSIVE ATTACKS. Certainly not ones that Majima appreciated.

(Possible exception for slow, superaggressive attacks.) ]

[ebonyengine]

I did, actually. Or, perhaps more accurately, I got the ability to get them back.

[Ignis that doesn't make any sense.]

[justbeingknife]

Are they magic knives

[ He was onto some of you nerds, maybe. You couldn't surprise him forever. ]

[ebonyengine]

Yes.

[In case Majima thinks he's joking, his face is completely straight laced and serious. There's no need for him to lie about it. They're knives and also magical.]

[justbeingknife]

Do ya have any extras?

[ Majima: also completely serious. He, like Tetora, could always use more knives. ]