Log: apartment hunting success

[ambitious_muse]

Who: Sigma, Texas, and Church
What: grabbing drinks after a day of apartment hunting
Where: the Eagle and Asp
When: Monday night (22 June)
Warnings: alcohol, possibly language

Sigma underestimated how exhausting apartment shopping could be. He and Texas hve filled out an application for a small apartment that's almost halfway along the shuttle line between campus and home. One bedroom, one bathroom, and reasonably-well furnished, with a decent location? It's better than he expected to find. He's triumphant but exhausted.

Still, when his sister invites him out for a drink afterward, he's eager to go. It's been fun, spending time with her by himself. He sees no reason to end the day out before he has to.

Comments

[soldierinblack]

Somehow, her brother has managed to turn 21 without sipping any alcohol. How that happened, she's not sure, but she knows what she must do. And what better way to celebrate than have a few drinks together?

She leads him into the bar, heading straight for the bar so they can grab a couple of seats. This'll be an interesting experiment for him and hey, maybe if he finds something he likes he'll have a drink to get him through grad school once he gets there.

"What do you want to try first?"

[ambitious_muse]

"What's good?" he asks. He's terrible at this. Why couldn't he have asked someone for a suggestion? It's too late now, of course. He'll have to take her word for it.

[alphawho]

"Everything's good," Church pipes up, 'accidentally' overhearing and thus butting into the conversation like he's part of it, "if you have the taste for it." Hey, he's a bartender. He's gotta hock his wares. "Never know with booze until you try. Is it a special day?" Is it a good old 21st? Is it just a bar virgin? Is it a date?

[soldierinblack]

"Bar virgin and no, not a date." She rests a hand on Sigma's shoulder as she watches Church. "First time drinking, so be gentle with him. His drinks are going on my tab."

Yes, drinks. He needs to try a few to find out what he likes.

[ambitious_muse]

"Everything's good? So what's best? Or most forgiving?" He asks. The bartender seems nice enough, but he's very glad to have Texas here with him. "What do you like?"

[alphawho]

"Best and most forgiving aren't compatible, dude," he says, the wicked grin audible even if it's under his helmet. "The best drinks are the ones that you can have one or two and then wake up in someone's yard without your pants on and forget everything that happened with your phone blowing up with texts."

He's tempted to be an ass if a merc is paying for all the drinks. But he also has a pretty firm attachment to his head being on his body, so. "Me, I'm easy; I can sit back with some beer and call it a day. Now, tequila? I get along pretty well with tequila, but if we're talking about forgiving, then I think all I can offer on that front is a pretty margarita. With a bunch of those little umbrellas." If Wash hasn't made off with literally all of them.

While he talks, he flips out two simple shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey. "But first. We gotta go straight to the top classic here. To celebrate baby's first bar visit, we're gonna do a straight shot of whiskey. Look at it this way: if you hate it, then you'll know that everything else you drink tonight is gonna taste way better." Two neat shots of whiskey. For the sir and the lady.

[soldierinblack]

Oh, he's earning himself a good tip. Even if this might make Sigma swear off all alcohol at the start of the night. She can't complain about a shot of whiskey to start things off with.

"Think you can handle this with me, kid?" she asks as she reaches for her shot. "Ready?" If he is, she's ready to throw the shot back with him.

[ambitious_muse]

"I'm willing to try," he says. "Ready."

He throws back the shot, just like he's seen people do in movies. It's too fast. The smell of alcohol floods his nasal cavity, and though the whiskey doesn't taste awful, he can't help but cough. He feels the liquor burn all the way down his throat.

"Wow." He shakes his head, trying to clear his sinuses.

[alphawho]

"...Well damn, newbie can take a shot without coughing it back up all over the counter." He gives said counter a smack, pleased with this outcome. "All right, kid, welcome to the big leagues. You are officially a booze drinker and a bar patron."

Church can feel the cash flowing into his pocket. Just gotta keep it up now. "Perfect. Now from here, I could either rec you some of the basic mixes, or I can start rattling off fancy cocktail names and have you pick out which ones sound the funniest. Maybe give me some flavors you like and I'll whip something together?" Hey, he doesn't hate everyone that comes in. He's kind of genuinely amused by this outing. "Worst comes to worst, I start lining up a shot of everything, but I don't want to be responsible for you puking up in the alley."

[soldierinblack]

She's used to this. The burn of alcohol, the taste of whiskey as it goes through her at an incredibly fast pace. The fact that Sigma doesn't spit it back up is remarkable and she pats his back after their successful shot.

"One shot down. Tell the bartender what you're into and he can mix you up something else to try. I'll make sure you get home safely, so don't worry about how much you drink."

[ambitious_muse]

It's a very near thing, but he does keep it down. Coughing again, Sigma manages a smile.

"Thanks. Better figure out what I'm into, then," he says. "What other drinks should I know?"

If he's going to learn to drink, he's going to do it scientifically. The method has always served him well, after all. For now, that means figuring out the individual drinks before he starts mixing things up.

[alphawho]

"Okay, as far as your basics go, you've got whiskey, vodka, rum, gin, brandy, tequila, and then you've got your beers and wine. There's a lot of other shit out there, like, you got absinthe and sake and mezcal and one and on and on." He motions behind him, where all the shiny labels and name brands are proudly displayed. "Different brands, different tastes, different alcohol contents. Top shelf's the smoothest, bottom shelf's for getting shitfaced on the cheap."

He gets out a few more shotglasses, shrugging. "If you wanna try as much of the base liquors as we got, I am happy to oblige before I start throwing everything in a mixer."

[soldierinblack]

"You're not getting top shelf booze," she says immediately. That's not going to happen, not for an experimental night of drinking. And if Sigma isn't going to give the bartender something to work with, she will.

"Make him something sweet and easy to drink. Nothing too crazy."

[ambitious_muse]

"I mean, I'd be glad to try the base liquors," he says, copying the bartender's diction. "Unless that's what you recommend, Texas."

Yeah, he clearly has no idea what he's doing.

[alphawho]

Yeaaaah, that much is pretty obvious. Perks of wearing his helmet indoors: the patrons don't get to see his eyes rolling around. "How about we cater to the lady." But he'll keep one shot out. For Tex. "Sounds like she's here to make sure you're safe and happy, and I, of course, am all for that."

Far as sweet and easy is concerned, hey, look, getting pretty much free reign to make what it wants is...pretty different. Most of the patrons know exactly what they want and how they want it. "Vodka cranberry it is," he declares, throwing together something that is sweet, easy to make, and easy to drink. "Hold the crazy."

[soldierinblack]

"I would rather you not be throwing up in the bathroom later," she tells Sigma. Vodka cranberry is a good, safe choice. And if Sigma doesn't like it, she'll slide it on over for herself.

"I hope you like fruity, kid."

[ambitious_muse]

"I would rather not, too," he says. "Cranberry's good. I'll try it."

Cranberry's really good, actually. He's even excited.

[alphawho]

Mkay, kid's starting to weird him out just a little, but whatever, maybe get him drunk and he'll loosen up. He nudges the drink over and lifts the bottle of whiskey back up and waggles it at the merc. "You indulging, too, cupcake, show him how to drink people under the table?"

[soldierinblack]

"Call me cupcake again and the only thing garnishing my next drink will be your balls," she threatens casually as her eyes scan over the alcohol. "I'm holding off for now."

[ambitious_muse]

Sigma grins down at the bar. That's his sister, all right. Even if she didn't have Florida, he doubts she would put up with that kind of behavior.

[alphawho]

"All the mercs have to have dumb nicknames. So okay, that one was too girly and generic. Maybe just bitchcakes. Pound-people-into-the-dirt-cakes is too much of a mouthful." He looks to the kid and hooks a thumb in Tex's direction. "What do you think? I mean, c'mon, it's hard to make a pun out of Soldier."

[soldierinblack]

"Stick to Soldier and I won't have to find a way to take money from you instead of give it for the tip." If such a thing as a negative tip existed. She could find a way to make it happen, just for him.

[ambitious_muse]

And don't call her ma'am. Sigma knows that one, but he'd rather see the bartender figure that one out for himself.

[alphawho]

Uh, ma'am is a sign of respect, so no, he never had any plans of calling a mer ma'am. "Nope. I'll find a nickname for one one of these days, just like Maine. Something other than 'big scary motherfucker'.

"Buuuuuut mercs aren't what we're here for, so how 'bout that smooth cran-vodka flavor, huh? Or maybe you're more of a rum and coke kinda guy. Or maybe you'll be sipping appletinis with Info Booth." Ugh, he feels dirty even mentioning Florida. That's like a speak of the devil situation.

[soldierinblack]

"Info Booth? You mean Florida?" she asks with a raised brow. What the heck kind of nickname is that for the guy? "And yeah, you need to give that a try, kid. Otherwise how are we going to narrow down what you like?"