[Social - Karasuki & Garnet] A New Place, a New Person

Karasuki had promised Geralt long ago that at least once a week he could take control of her body. The evil pirate king who shared her split soul with his was aggressive when it came to his time out of her head. Karasuki needed to go to a place where nobody knew her face or her name and Geralt was in her mind grumbling with anticipation. "Are we there yet? Can't you just let me out now? You know I won't do anything!" Karasuki thought back to him, "No, no, and yes you would." And her facial expressions were the only hint that she might be having a conversation, somewhat looking a bit strange and crazy while on the trip here. Geralt was getting impatient and rude even, as he always did. She had spent hours on the train trying to read her book, but every time she got inside the pages, the pirate had jerked her out with pirate shanties or annoying physical threats to passersby. She had to be on her toes more than normal to keep him from bursting out of her skin.

It was a relief when the train finally stopped and she could step outside into the town. Her feet moved hastily forward, looking for a quiet place without any people, a place where she could transform somewhat and nobody would see. Karasuki knew there was a part nearby and that was where she was headed. However, her entire body yanked backward as Geralt took partial control, getting her attention without words directly in front of what appeared to be a bar. "The Soul Bar?" Karasuki whispered, "Really?" "You never let me drink. Just this once. Order me up a pint and then we can go to the park like you want to do." Karasuki tried to turn away: the bar looked a little seedy, compared to Ace of Spades. For her, this place was filled with unknowns and while she didn't mind them, Karasuki already stuck out of the crowd with her purple hair and librarian-like fashion sense. Karasuki wore a flowing button-down white shirt and for Geralt's sake, a long black skirt. She carried a flat bag of books, as always, looking like a young scholar. At least her guild symbol on her forearm would make evident she was a little more than ordinary, but in a place filled with guildless mages, she wasn't so sure she would be welcome in their watering hole. She fixed her glasses and found that her feet would not move back onto the stone walkways. "Go inside," Geralt demanded.

The young woman hated when he got like this. She let out a sigh, wondering just what she would see inside as her hand clasped the door handle and turned. Even if it was late in the afternoon, the Soul Bar had more people than she had thought would even fit inside. There were filled tables of rough looking men and tough looking women. More than a few of the tables stared as she entered and her face heated up. She swallowed hard and strode toward the counter. "Good afternoon sir!" She greeted. It was abundantly clear after she said it how odd it was a greeting for such a place. "I am here to purchase a beverage. A pint." Geralt chuckled at her inside her head. "You know even without the drink, I couldn't have paid for such entertainment." The bartender looked at her gruffly, not sure what to make of her. "A pint of what? Are you lost, little lady?"

Geralt hastily said, "A pint of ale of course. Strong, good ale. Ale fit for a man." Karasuki looked up at the bartender, keeping her cool, "No, I'm not lost. I am interested in a pint of good strong ale. Fit for a man." The bartender tried not to laugh and failed. He turned away to get a pint-sized container and stepped back behind the bar. "I see, you're buying for a friend. Poor lass." Karasuki frowned, "No, it's for me. I want to take it to the park." This buying a drink thing was really becoming a catastrophe. She glanced around hoping for some of the eyes in the bar to turn away but it seemed the more she talked, the more they stared. There was another at the bar, an unusual looking male with a cool-looking smartphone in his hands, and she wondered just what he was thinking of her.

Karasuki looked nervous but she couldn't help but stare. He looked like a summon of her's, sort of. He looked like he was someone who might come straight out of one of her books. Karasuki pulled her book out and looked at it as Geralt chortled inside her mind. "What're you so interested in him for? We have plans." Karasuki shook her head in response, thumbing through the pages of her novel. There was nothing in the pages that indicated a missing character or creature. Karasuki approached him carefully, sliding away from the bar, around the stools and over to him. Before she could open her mouth, the bartender came over with a pint for her.

"Here's that pint for you," He said gruffly setting it down. He rested his hands upon the bar squinting at the male. "I can see why he's caught your attention. But either he's one of those rude new mages, stuck in their iLacs, or he don't talk." He pointed at the male and laughed, "I'll give you a drink on the house if you could get him to speak." Karasuki frowned deeply. She pulled out a few jewels and put them on the bar, her face starting to turn pink. Her temper was actually quite terrible, though only those who angered her enough knew this. Her ex-girlfriend, Masha, had been the last person to get her to that sort of level and it was months ago now. But there was something about this situation that drove Karasuki nuts. He reminded her of a summon, and certainly was unusual, but she had nothing but respect for strangers or strange beings.

This was not how you treated sentient or living things, and she had thought others followed that same rule of courtesy. "It's one thing for you to tease me about getting a drink in your establishment," Karasuki began, standing tall and raising her voice. Geralt shifted uneasily, feeling her change in mood, worried it would spoil his getting a drink. "What are you doing, girl?" He asked in her mind. She pretended not to hear him. "It's a far cry from treating a person with such disrespect. He is clearly a patron of your business! As a paying customer here, you should treat him with complete courtesy!" Her anger mounted and she pointed brazenly at the bartender. Now all eyes in the Soul Bar were on her. "Nobody likes getting pointed at. Nobody appreciates being talked about as if they aren't even there. Who do you think you are!?" The bartender began to look embarrassed and then angry at her shouting.

"Listen, little miss, if you keep on like this I am going to ask you to leave," the bartender said patronizingly. She made fists with her hands and slammed her book down on the counter, her voice getting even louder. She threw the jewels, one by one at the bartender himself. "He. Deserves. An. Apology," Karasuki demanded. "And if you think I respond to 'little miss', you'll see for yourself what carrying on is all about!" The purple haired girl flashed her eyes upwards, glowering at him dangerously. The bartender twitched at each jewel that hit him. The others in the bar started to laugh a little. Karasuki hated making a scene and suddenly felt a bit guilty. Isadora, her adoptive mother, had taught her to stand up for others and for what she believed in. But had she caused more harm than good for the male besides her? She had just wanted to talk to him after all. Now all eyes were on the both of them. "Girl, please, take the drink and just leave," Geralt pleaded in her head.

Karasuki picked up the drink and her book and then squared her jaw, lifting her eyebrows in unison. "I'm waiting," She said to the bartender. The man cleared his throat, looking utterly baffled. He wasn't really sure what to apologize for. He wasn't really sure why this lady was yelling in his bar. Nothing quite like this had happened amongst the sober afternoon bunch he had found in his bar on a regular basis. This was something he expected from drunks, not the the little bookworm. After a moment, he looked to the male at the bar with his phone. "Erm, sorry about that. Guess I forgot my manners here." Karasuki looked pleased with herself about the whole thing now. She turned to the male besides her and said, "I'm truly sorry I caused such a scene. I'm going to leave and let you enjoy your evening. Take this as my apology," Karasuki said dropping a handful of jewels on the counter besides him. She didn't have much else so she hoped he would take it.

Then the woman turned and headed towards the door of the Soul Bar, pint in hand. Geralt breathed a sigh of relief. "Hell, I thought you were going to throw the ale at him. As much as I love watching you lose it, I haven't been so scared in years."