Spa Town Crawl [Chili]

It hadn't been that long since Kanna had been forced to flee for her life from the only home she'd ever known. This past year had been full of cavernous downs and hurricane highs. It was wild to think about. The murder of her mother still made every day seem insufferably long and the lack of closure might as well have been a curse. It was so heavy. And though nothing good came from murder, the actions it spurred hadn't been all bad. All she could do was move forward, and her travels offered new things every day; new places, new friends, and new experiences. Many of those new things brought danger, but tonight, there shouldn't be much risk, right?

North of Luminous Rose's hidden headquarters was a town with building designs unlike anywhere else in Fiore. Everything was extravagant and a little overwhelming for the girl, especially since it was so packed with people. What were normally spas for relaxing had been turned into balmy gatherings of dancers, laughter, and rhythmic lights pulsing with loud music. The various waterfalls gushing from soaring walls were sparkling with specks of gold and glitter, and their warm mists combatted winter's bite as well as provided a relaxing, atmospheric haze. It was a city-wide intoxicated celebration to ring in the new year on a high note, with everyone planning to take the party to midnight and beyond.

Her guild mates had helped her get ready, choosing a lovely navy floral cheongsam with a tasteful cut-out at the chest and lengthy slits on each side for her stockinged legs to have more room to move. Long baby blue locks were braided up into two buns at the nape of her neck, tied with navy ribbons to match the ones her friends had decorated her horns with. Though she initially hadn't wanted to go, experiencing something new with her friends ultimately won her over, and she agreed to go out for a night out on the town for this 'New Years Eve'.

Too bad she'd ended up alone.

The small group of girls had started at the bar. Something about 'liquid courage', whatever that meant. Kanna had sniffed the drinks they got and thought they smelled too bitter to try, and before long, her friends were acting very strangely. They were louder, unsteady on their feet, and fearlessly energetic. After observing them having so much fun, she changed her mind and went to get herself one of the drinks, but when she returned to check with them if she'd gotten the right one, they were all nowhere to be seen.

Now, poor Kanna was wandering from party to party, an undrank booze still in her hand, looking for her guild mates with no luck. This new experience was turning out to be more stressful than fun...

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Chili hadn't planned on getting stuck in the middle of Hosenka right as New Year kicked off. However, here he was, on the rooftop of one of the many bars/spas that littered the town. He had been moving along the roofs to avoid the crowded streets when a "glitch" hit him.

One of the worst ones he had ever had, causing him to pass out from the amount of pain and blood loss.

Waking up, Chili sat up and realized that it was already dark. Flicking out his brass pocket watch, Chili inwardly cursed, "Fucking nine in the afternoon! I was out for four hours!"

Thank gods he was on a roof when it happened, not in the streets where anyone could have taken advantage of his situation.

When the fact he had almost been erased once again, this time even worse than usual, dawned on him, Chili decided, despite his dislike of crowds, would it really hurt him to enjoy the celebration. He was doomed anyways. Even if he did achieve his goals, there was no saving him.

He never focused on that thought much. However, there was no denying it forever. He might as well enjoy his time here while it lasted, and that is how Chili came to be seated upon that individual roof. Letting the celebratory music relax him, the sight of the glowing, magical lights decorating the streets and even some of the people entertaining him, the smell and taste of the food served wafting through the air intoxicating him.

Even though he was tuning out the smell of the people, a certain scent hit his nose, a smell he recognized. Standing from his seated position, Chili narrowed his eyes as his nose continued to pick up the familiar smell.
A mixture of citrus, honey, vanilla, and chamomile that's what he kept smelling. He felt his tensed muscles relax at the calming aroma, even as his eyes strained to find the source.

After some searching, he finally spotted the source. A bluenette with horns, wearing a navy floral cheongsam, Kanna's natural beauty was as easily to spot as it was the last time, he saw her. She was alone and walking the street below the building he was on her face showed an expression of anxiety.
"Must have come out to celebrate with her guild mates only to wind up alone." Chili figured, based on the information he had at his disposal.

He felt his chest tighten as a part of him wanted to jump down and see her. His first friend in a long time, someone who had gained his respect.

However, it was hard, knowing that whomever he interacted with would have to deal with the consequences once reality erased him. His actions would stay. Reality wasn't that cruel. Everything he ever affected would stay the same.

However, no memory of him would remain. The people he saved would remember that someone saved them, but they would never be able to remember who saved them. Chili would no longer exist, so neither would any memories of him. Why his actions in this world would he had no idea. He didn't care as long as his actions stayed. Those are what mattered most, someone remembering didn't.

So, at the end of the day, would it cause them pain? That was what Chili always considered. It made him feel guilty knowing people would have a blank spot in their memories when he disappeared. However, he knew everything he did to help them would still remain, and he wanted to help Kanna.

To get to know her, to spend more time hanging out with her as a friend. It was selfish of him. He knew that all things considered. However, it didn't stop him when he descended with great agility from the roof and landed with the grace of a black cat behind Kanna.

With a cheerful smile on his features, Chili made sure not to startle Kanna as he spoke. His voice was playful and kind. His happiness to see her again was clear.

"It seems I was right to trust fate. We are lucky to bump into each other again so early after our last meeting. It is good to see you, Kanna."  

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Honestly, with this level of anxiety she had brewing, looking an elephant in the eye as it slowly approached from a mile away would have still caused the same deep gasp her lungs demanded when he spoke behind her. She whirled, not hard enough to spill her drink, though, and stared at him in surprise. The shock was quick to move on and not even a second later her unabashed glee manifested as a bright smile.

"Chili!"

Genuinely pleased to see him, she silently thanked fate for being nice and bringing them back together so soon. Outwardly, she wasn't sure what to do. Her first instinct was to hug him, but having to restrain that unwelcomed impulse for so long back home still haunted her, so she decided against it until she had more cultural insight. Instead, she offered her free hand to shake, not realizing shaking hands was generally only meant for first meetings and business deals.

"Did your friends invite you to this 'New Years Eve' party thingy, too?" she asked him, but the question wasn't entirely selfless. It was her way of finding out if he had other people to return to or not, which would affect whether she tried to stick near him or not. If others were waiting, she wouldn't keep him, but if not, she'd love to have his company.

Partying alone wasn't very fun or festive, she assumed. Not that she knew how to party at all. The one event she'd been to-- back when she'd stumbled into a Halloween festival-- had been much different than this one aside from the dancing...

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Chili had been unsure of how she would react upon seeing him again. He hoped she would be glad, but his doubts were always there. However, like the first time they met, Kanna once again dashed his doubts away. Her smile warmed his long stagnant heart, and he saw that she had to restrain herself from hugging him.

A smile of amusement crossed his lip. Kanna was adorable when she fought her instincts, opening his arms to welcome a hug Chili spoke, his words warm.

"It's okay to hug me, Kanna. I'm not going to get upset over a show of affection."  

His words were sincere. He had only ever allowed those he trusted to get that close. His uncle was probably the last person he had hugged.

It was hard for Chili to show affection. However, this was one of those moments he didn't find so hard. It was his trust in her. It made it easier for him to allow himself to be affectionate.

Whether or not she took his offer, Chili would respond to her question nonchalantly but truthfully. Although, he left out the part where one of his fits had hit.

"Only person I consider a friend in this town is standing in front of me. I was here alone, enjoying the discounted meals. I was traveling via rooftop, planning on leaving, when I spotted you and decided that instead of leaving the celebration early, why not spend it celebrating with you."

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Had she been that obvious? That was something concerning, but Kanna would worry about that later. As he waited, arms waiting and answering her question, she found a ledge to set her drink on and then stepped in closer. Her hug was warm but gentle, and she was mindful of the position of her head so she didn't accidentally bump or poke him with her horns. Stupid horns. After gently squeezing him for a few seconds, she pulled away, cheeks rosy and mouth still smiling. Even if she was awkward, Kanna was the nurturing, affectionate type. Holding that back all the time was difficult.

"I'm glad you caught me before you left. Otherwise, we'd both just be alone. I lost my guild mates somewhere," she admitted, embarrassed. Her finger twirled one of the curled strands framing her face. "I'm happy you want to celebrate with me."

Kanna then paused, looking a little more embarrassing. "Except, I don't really know how to celebrate. I've never been to a party before. Is that okay?"

The last thing she wanted to do was make things cumbersome for her friend. What was it her friends had called her? A kill buzz? Whatever it was, it had sounded like a bad thing, and she didn't want to become that same bad thing to Chili. "Maybe you could teach me how not to be a dead buzz?"

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Chili enjoyed the wholesome moment when Kanna hugged him, her awareness in trying to avoid her horns hitting him. She was so self-conscious about them, while Chili found them magnificent. It was this reason that spurred him to say something as they hugged even if it seemed random. His voice was sincere and complimentary.

"You know your horns are a beauty to behold? I'm not sure how to explain it, but they complement your personality and appearance perfectly."

When she pulled away, Chili felt his cheeks heat. He never really paid attention to such things, but he couldn't help but notice how lovely she looked. Her personality reflected inside and out.

As she admitted to not knowing how to celebrate, Chili listened intently until she finished. The word dead buzz, sinking in.  

Cocking his head to the side, Chili processed her questions while formulating answers he hoped would suffice. Then he spoke in a calm and warm manner.

"Celebrating is more of a concept than a definite thing. Everyone celebrates differently. For example, for me, celebrating means spending time with some I enjoy being around no matter what we do. Some people celebrate alone, and so forth. I can't teach you, but I can guide you in finding out your own way to celebrate if you wish."  

Pausing for a moment, Chili contemplated what they should do before an idea hit him, and he quickly continued, his tone a bit chippier.  "There is a good bar slash restaurant not far from here. We can start there and go with the flow."

Motioning Kanna to follow him, Chili kept his pace slow enough so that she could follow side by side with him if she wanted.

"So, how have things been since we last met?" He asked, his genuine interest in her well-being evident.

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As Chili turned away from her to lead her to a 'bar slash restaurant', Kanna allowed her face to register his compliment about her horns with a bright blush and a flustered expression. It was highly unusual for someone to like her horns, so much so that her default was to be deeply ashamed of them. She'd been abused for them since she was born! Sometimes she even magicked them away, but only when she had enough power and wouldn't be up to anything requiring a lot of concentration. It was easier to leave them visible. For the first time, she felt like it was okay that she had them, if only for a second.

Kanna trailed just slightly behind him so he couldn't see her face until she'd calmed down, and then she stepped properly to his side. Celebrating wasn't something that could be taught, so perhaps she should focus on discovering how she herself celebrated things. Tonight would be trial and error, then. "Well, I do think I enjoy celebrating with friends instead of alone," she pensively offered, mentally comparing the stress of wandering the crowds lost and alone to the comfort of finding and walking with Chili. Yes, sharing the experience made it feel better for her.

Breaking her out of her intensive thoughts, her spacy eyes turned to look at him in the pause it took to register his words. "Mm? Oh, things have been alright. I've been improving my healing magic in between guild requests and traveling. How about you?" she asked, focusing on him again instead of her thoughts.

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That was a question, how was he? Chili hadn't had to answer that in a long time. There was no truthful answer that wouldn't make her worry, so stating the obvious was the best way to go about it. All things considered. What was the point of bothering Kanna with his grim fate? It was inevitable, much like death. Just worse.

His voice was light and kind, "I'm alive, and every day is a gift." His smile faltered for a second as he considered how much that simple sentence hid. " Ah, here we are," Chili exclaimed, his carefree persona back in place, hiding the truth, the smile of a dead man.

He gestured with his right hand to the establishment in question, a nice little hole in the wall that went by the name The Molten Ogre. An extravagant place, featuring walls decorated in black and gold. The two-story building features a stage near the center for bands or karaoke to customers. A V.I.P. section on the second floor for those who earned it topped off with good food, decent karaoke and bands, and a well-stocked bar.

Finding Chili here was not uncommon since it was one of his favorite establishments. The food was freshly made on the spot making it one of the few restaurants Chili would care to visit. The fact that it had a bar and good local music was a bonus.

Walking in, the hostess, Carol, recognized Chili almost immediately. However, her eyes widened as she saw he had company. Carol's professionalism shone through, despite her surprise at the usual loner having a friend.

"Ah, Chili, welcome back! Your V.I.P. booth is open, not that the boss would let anyone sides you take it." She handed Chili and Kanna some menus, and she continued, "Here are your menus, and you and your guest may head to your booth."

Carol, for a split second, let a look of spite aim at Kanna. Carol had been trying to get the man to go out for drinks for months. Yet here he was with Kanna! The look disappeared as soon as it arrived, a strained smile on her face as she greeted the next customer.

Leading Kanna through the crowded bar/restaurant and up some stairs to the second floor that gave them a better view of the stage, they arrived at a corner booth right near a back wall. Offering her to pick a seat of her choice before taking his own, Chili would have sat across from Kanna so he could properly look her in eyes as they talked.

Giving Kanna a calm, contemplative look as a band played below, some wannabe mages called Fall Ork Boys. They weren't half bad. Opening his menu, Chili knew what he was going to order food-wise, but wanted to take another look at the drink menu to see if there was anything new that may pique his interest.

Motioning for the waiter, Chili quickly ordered his custom drink, a Neon Burst, which consisted of 3 shots of spiced rum, watermelon juice, pineapple juice, and a squeeze of lime. Along with two platters of Dragon Rolls. Chili went on to order Kanna a drink he thought she may like,

"So my usual for me, please. As for my friend, bring her a mild pina colada for her to try out. As for her food. Kanna, what do you want? It's on me, so order whatever you like."

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Perhaps if Kanna had been in Fiore longer than she had, she would have been more perceptive. As it was, the way he said things and the faltering smile gave her reason to question his true feelings, but the demoness felt unqualified to press about what might really be going on with him. It was more likely she was misreading or misunderstanding, so she stayed silently concerned for now.

They'd arrived at the bar and restaurant he'd mentioned, and as per usual, she peered around with interest. It was fancy with its black and gold walls, though she found the name of it funny enough to quietly giggle. It seemed live music played from a stage at the center, which really caught her attention. Kanna loved music, both playing it and listening. Dancing was a little new, but she'd had a taste of that once and found it enjoyable. This place was different, which made her wonder how many types of restaurants there were in the world. She'd only ever been to one other, and that was when Sojiro took her to get burgers several months ago after she'd accidentally stolen a potato, and it had nearly cost her shoes. Fiore had been very new to her then, as was the concept of currency and capitalism. Thankfully, those extremely ignorant and embarrassing days were behind her, though she still made plenty of blunders.

A lady came to them as they entered. Perhaps she was a friend of Chili's, since she knew his name already? But she also looked like an employee. She supposed someone could be both, which implied he'd spent a lot of time in this town. Well, that boded well for him being able to help her discover how to celebrate here! The lady handed them menus and told them they could head to something called a 'V.I.P.' booth.

But wait, had she done something wrong? As she looked from the menu to ask the lady what a V.I.P. booth was, she was met with thinly veiled venom. Kanna inhaled swiftly through her nose, taking a step back and slightly closer to Chili, her face drawing into a frown. Had she done something to offend this woman? Was there a custom she'd not known to observe? Even as the smile returned to the woman's face, Kanna bowed to her briefly with a quick "Sorry and thank you" before following Chili's lead through the crowded eatery.

Thankfully he took her up the stairs and away from the bulk of the crowd, which eased her nerves a great deal. In general, Kanna wasn't yet used to being in large gatherings of strangers. Her anxiety wouldn't let her relax since she was afraid she'd do something silly, breaking a custom, or accidentally poking someone with her horns. Up on the second floor, there were far fewer people and she could release the breath she'd been holding.

Seating herself, she smiled gently at her present company as he seated himself across from her. They both turned to their menus. Oh, she had no idea what most of these things were, let alone what to order! Thankfully, Chili was quick to take the pressure off of her by ordering a few things first, leaving her to pick something just for her. In a panic, she ordered the first thing that looked familiar. "Mozzarella sticks, please," she told the waitress. Technically, she'd also seen a burger on the menu, but one thing she'd learned before was that they could be messy to eat, and often came with her arch nemesis, pickles. Kanna hadn't learned that you could customize most ordered meals, yet.

"Thank you," she said, referring to him offering to pay. These days, Kanna had jewel, but she also didn't feel comfortable declining offers like these.

After a beat of silence, some of the questions started to seep out of her like a saturated sponge. "What is 'V.I.P.'? And what did I do to offend that lady at the front? Also, what is a pina colada?"

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Kanna's quick-fired questions caused an amused smile to appear on his face. She had mentioned she had never partied before. It was probably safe to assume there was much about navigating the social parts of life in Fiore that evaded her.

Chili was more than happy to answer her questions. Although the one concerning Carol required him to give up some information about himself, he hadn't wanted to bother Kanna with. However, he'd share the info and clear Kanna's conscious rather than allow his fear to let her stew over something that was his fault.

Chili began to answer her questions, his voice friendly and light.

"V.I.P. stands for "Very Important Person." It's a designation given to customers in establishments. It just means that the staff should treat them differently, with extra care and better service. They also get access to certain areas and menus. Not that I would consider myself such a thing, but the owner of this establishment mainly gave me my booth because a couple years back, I saved his wife and unborn child.
I hadn't wished for compensation at the time of the incident and had simply gone on my way. It was only a month later I stumbled into this place. He recognized me and was adamant I at least let him give me a permanent booth in the V.I.P. area for what I'd done. I'd already declined his gift of thanks once, so I accepted it the second time since I didn't want to be rude. That's how this particular booth became mine."

Letting a pause linger between them to let Kanna process what he had said.

Chili let a few beats pass before continuing, "A pina colada is an alcoholic beverage made up of a mixture of pineapple juice, coconut cream, and white rum. If you don't like it, we can always work together to figure out what you may like instead, but I'm gambling that you'll probably enjoy it."

Another pause, this one more for him to contemplate how he wanted to answer the final question rather than give Kanna time to process his words.  

After a quick brainstorm, Chili once again spoke, his voice a little melancholy but stern,

"Hmm, you did nothing wrong Kanna. It's my fault to some degree. I was hoping Carol would have stopped her infatuation with me by now. You see she's always tried to get me to go out for drinks with her, not as friends, but as a couple on a date. I politely declined and told her the truth every time. Saying I wasn't interested in her that way. And that she should find someone with a long life ahead of them. However, it seems she still won't listen. She clings to a fantasy in her head of what our lives could be like if we got together. Two things she doesn't accept within that fantasy are the fact that I don't like her that way and that I will never grow to like her that way. If she can't accept the reality, then that is her problem, so don't let it weigh on you."

As he let his words settle, Chili sheepishly scratched the back of his head before saying something else, "Apologies for the seriousness and slight coldness. I don't like it when people won't listen."

Letting some time sit between them, Chili snapped his fingers as he remembered something he wanted to address,

"Oh, and one more thing, I saw that you were eyeing the burger. I could tell from the reflection off your eyes, you were looking at it the longest. I was just curious.  You didn't order the burger because you didn't know that you could ask them to customize it to your taste, right? You can ask them to add or remove items is what I'm getting at. When the waiter comes back with our orders, you should give it a try."

Chili said this sentence with his normal warm deminer.

A minor heat spread across his cheeks as he admitted to getting lost in her eyes. The intention had been to use the reflection to figure out what she was considering, only to end up studying the orbs instead. They changed color with what he assumed was her mood, which made the ever-changing reflective pools even more intriguing. He considered how her pupils were a gateway to her spirit and her irises a true reflection of her emotions. This fact made her eyes a beauty to behold, in his opinion. Taking a deep breath, Chili allowed the thought to be driven deep to the back of his brain, he didn't need to be letting those kinds of thoughts linger too much, they always made his chest tighten with sorrow.

Smiling at Kanna, Chili tapped his foot to the music as he spoke again, voice mirthful, "If you have any other questions while waiting for our food and drinks, feel free to ask my friend. I will answer to the best of my abilities."

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Kanna took in all of his answers with silent intensity like a student being taught by a professor, digesting them fully as good as she could. Though her face was almost stoic in its pleasant blankness, her eyes swirled colors as she had feelings about what he said.

So he was a very important person, and for good reason. He'd saved the owner's loved ones. That was a massive deal! How impressive! Her friend was a hero, and that definitely qualified as the best example of a V.I.P. Granted, it did give her the idea that every other person in any V.I.P. position from now on had done something as equally life changing, but that could be corrected if it every came up again.

Even if she didn't know what those flavors he described necessarily were, it sounded interesting and didn't contain pickles, so she'd probably be fine. Maybe. She'd never had alcohol before... but she'd also never had coconut cream or pineapple juice. Now that she thought of it, though, the scent of the alcohol in the other drinks had been similar to a drink from back home made of fermented cave tubers, but she'd stayed far away from it. Just the smell of that stuff had made her head spin for an hour!

It was the last part that he explained that tipped her eye color into sorrowful cobalt. Perhaps it was a little for Carol, since Kanna was predisposed to empathy, but it was more for a particular offhanded note in there.

'She should find someone with a long life ahead of them.'

Carol was no longer weighting on her, but that statement was. It bounced around in her head, unclarified but bothersome all the same. Bothersome enough that tears started to fall immediately. And it wasn't just the obvious mortality of it, but rather, the implications it may have on his quality of life. As seen by her own mother's early demise, the length of one's life wasn't guaranteed by any means. It might not be the healthiest way to look at things, but with grief so fresh and powerful in the horned young woman, she couldn't help but think not a single day more was promised to anyone. Death could come at any time for any reason to anyone, but didn't that mean that people should just live as much as they could until that moment happened?

Was Chili holding himself back and missing out on happy things because he thought that the length of his life was too short? That made her just as sad as the thought that he might be dying.

Probably curiously to her blond companion, Kanna answered his burger question through sniffles as if she wasn't having an emotional reaction he could plainly see. "I didn't order it *sniff* because it's embarrassing and *sniff* messy, not just because of the *sniff* pickles..." she answered, though she really hadn't known she could ask they be removed.

Continuing on as if her big blue eyes weren't steadily leaking, she hit him with her next round of silly questions. "What's a *sniff sniff* date? Why do you think you don't have a long life enough to get drinks with someone? Would you do it if it was someone you liked more or...? What's a Neon Burst and *sniff* and are Dragon Rolls made with real dragon meat?"

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When the tears started to fall. Chili didn't waste any time. With a calm, smooth motion, he was out of his seat and into the booth next to her. With a warm smile on his face, Chili gently wrapped an arm around the horned lass's shoulder and pulled her in for a reassuring hug. If she allowed him to, he guided her head to rest on his left shoulder, allowing her to vent her feelings. Chili's left hand would absent-mindedly begin to trace small circles at the mid-center of her back before slowly moving up to run itself through her hair.

He would sit there and let her cry for a moment before letting himself begin to talk, his voice soothing and deep. His gaze aimed down at her.

"A date is an interaction between two people who have decided to see if there is more than friendship between them. They participate in a date together and see if they want to be more. See if they want to be romantically involved with one another. Sometimes a date ends with the two individuals deciding just to be friends. Sometimes they end badly, and sometimes the date ends with the two people deciding to become romantically involved. Other people will have different ideas of what a date is, but logically that is what a date is."

Taking a breath, Chili continued to gingerly stroke Kanna's hair, hoping that this small act of comfort was helping his saddened friend.

"As for the dragon roll, no, it doesn't have dragon meat. It's a roll comprised of fried eel meat, tuna, rice, avocado, and shrimp. The Neon Burst is just a custom drink I invented, and they added it to the bar menu. If you want to try a sip when it arrives, you are more than free to."

Another pause as he took a breath, his hand swapping between running gently through her hair to tracing circles on her back. Chili's tone changed to a tender one as he continued to speak.

"To answer your next two questions. Yes, I don't have time to get drinks with people who I don't enjoy being around. The time I have left to exist is important to me, and I'd like to spend it with those special to me, not someone obsessed with me. As for the question of, would I get drinks with someone if it was with someone I liked? Kanna, I'm currently getting drinks with someone I fancy, horns and all."

Taking a beat Chili would lean his head down to place a soft kiss on the top of Kanna's head, in between her horns if she let him before speaking up once again, his tone tender, " I promise to tell you about what's wrong with me. However, before we get to the heavy stuff, why don't we enjoy our night together?"

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Perhaps she was a little oversensitive to death in the long run. Now that Chili had moved to her side and was comforting her with gentle rubs and stroking her hair, she felt better but also ashamed of letting her emotions get the better of her this way. Chili was very kind, she thought again and again. She didn't even hesitate to rest her head on his shoulder, continuing to quietly sniffle through his answers while dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.

A 'date' turned out to be roughly similar to a less nice thing in her native tongue, but at the heart of it, it meant exploring feelings for one another and deciding to go forward or end it. That made sense, then. It just wasn't very common in the area she was from, where nearly every aspect of life was decided by violence forcing submission.

And the Dragon Roll wasn't made from dragon meat. Kanna wasn't sure if she was relieved or not. In a way she'd like to taste a dragon, but also couldn't imagine they tasted very nice. Then why was it called a dragon roll if it had mostly aquatic animals in it? Maybe she was getting her animals mixed up again. On the subject of his custom drink, she nodded that she'd like to try it, but said nothing otherwise. Her voice would be too shaky.

The last part was the main course of her questions. His time. the explanation made sense. Of course, he'd want to spend such a limited and precious resource on those more worthy of it. That was good to know. What she hadn't realized, though, was that she was one of those people. Sure, it seemed obvious, but only in hindsight. It was as flattering as it was forlorn.

Then he said something strange. Unexpected. Confusing, though the meaning was mostly clear even to her. She was someone he fancied? Horns and all? A kiss was placed right between her horns. Even under the waterworks, Kanna's cherub cheeks flushed. The murk lied in whether he meant it in a friendly way or romantic way, but that would show itself in time (if he had time) she imagined. The demon was too shy to ask for clarification.

Kanna waited a few moments to calm her heated cheeks before she slowly leaned off of him enough to look up into his face. Despite the remaining dampness, her smile had reemerged. "Okay. I think I can do that," she nodded, wiping at her cheeks and doing her best not to ruin the evening with crying. "We'll put it on the mind shelf for now."

The girl then gently shook her head back and forth, as if to physically shake off the grip of sadness. Afterward, she spoke again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood. This probably isn't very celebration-y. I'm a little sensitive to... well, I'll tell you about that after the celebrations, in the interest of not ruining the fun, okay?"

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"No need to apologize, the mood wasn't brought down in the slightest," Chili commented with a wink. He withdrew his arm from around her but remained sat where he was. His voice was soft as he tilted his head to the left to make eye contact with her. "Don't worry too much about what is "celebrationy". You'll give yourself a headache, the important thing is to enjoy yourself foremost and make sure you have good company."

He gave her a happy grin at that last bit before their waiter returned with their drinks and meals. Setting a large tray on the table that held their meals and drinks, the waiter bowed before leaving again.

The waiter made a small comment about how if the two needed anything else to wave him over as he went. Chili smirked, and the tray held one additional Neon Burst than he ordered, bartender knew him well, though his blasted metabolism did make it extremely hard to get drunk so ordering multiple drinks was always his go-to.

However, tonight he was looking to have a drink and a good meal with Kanna, not get drunk. Taking one of the two Neon Bursts off the tray, Chili set it down near Kanna, along with her mozzarella sticks and pina colota. Taking his platter of twenty-four dragon rolls off the tray, Chilli laid it down in front of him and grabbed the other Neon Burst.

The Neon Burst was a mellow orangish pink hue. The pineapple, watermelon, and lime flavors blended together in the right amount to let the juice flavors work off each other without overpowering one another. With coastal spiced rum as the final touch, mixing with the fruits and adding just that hint of spice at the tail end to bring it all together.

As he let the first sip hit his taste buds, Chili smiled to himself, he hadn't had one of these in a while, but it felt better grabbing one with a friend.

As he held his drink with his left hand, Chili's right hand deftly gripped his chopsticks and nabbed one of his rolls. Taking a bite of half of the roll, he set it down on his platter and politely chewed. Making sure to savor the flavor and nutrients before swallowing.

"So, what do you think of the drinks?" Chili asked with a friendly curiosity.

[wc: 400 || total: 6513]

"I've got the company, so now it's just time to enjoy then!" the demoness chirped, peering at her snack and drinks with interest.

There was definitely a curious dichotomy between the two.

While Kanna's manners weren't abysmal by any means, she wasn't as poised and polite as Chili in the following moments. Normally she was all softness, like a cloud that had endless smiles for the blond beside her, but she became slightly more aggressive when she ate. Old habits died hard. Scarcity of food and the propensity in Sin to fight over it meant it had to be consumed quickly or not at all.

The mozzarella sticks were sniffed briefly before she dipped them into their sauce two at a time and munched them down in just a bite or two. It wasn't messy, nor did she chew loudly or with her mouth open, but it was still strange to see a demure lady scarf down food so fast and with such focus, especially while in the presence of another person. The mozzarella sticks met quick deaths likely before Chili could eat more than a piece or two of his Dragon Roll, but at least it seemed they were delicious.

Moving onto the drinks, she paused to decide which to try first. Both had their merits, and bringing each up for an explorative sniff yielded wildly different flavor scents. Ultimately, since he'd suggested it first, she went for the milky white drink that smelled of some sort of acidic fruit, something almost floral but strange, and something sweet yet burny. Unfortunately, she approached drinks much in the same way she did food and ended up chugging it.

About the time he asked what she thought of them, she was starting to cough and wrinkle her nose. Most of the drink was fine, but she just wasn't used to the tingling bitter of the fermented sweetness. "Oh-" she muttered, shaking her head a little. "Oh my..." she huffed, voice hoarse. It burned all the way down!

Well, if she thought that one was a lot to handle, then her next decision was clearly not thought through. In a panicked attempted to wash down the piña colada, she grabbed the Neon Burst and took a healthy swig. It did stop the coughing, but instead she just went completely still and stared straight ahead as if frozen.

[wc: 395 || total: 6908]

Seeing Kanna eat with such a casual air helped Chili to relax. Normally he would have tossed the whole roll in his mouth and devoured it in a few bites, but he didn't want to seem brutish, especially since he didn't eat out with others often. However, seeing Kanna go ham, Chili let a smirk cross his face as he decided to follow suit.

Forgoing the chopsticks, Chili resorted to nabbing the individual rolls with his fingers before dipping them in wasabi and tossing them into his mouth to be subsequently chewed and swallowed. He kept his mouth closed while chewing and was absolutely quiet, but his speed picked up immensely. As Kanna finished her mozzarella sticks, Chili had devoured ten rolls. It was then that he noticed Kanna turn to her drinks. Before he could say anything, she downed the whole Pina Colada, causing him to quirk an eyebrow.

When she went to take a gulp of the Neon Burst, Chili had tried to speak up, his voice amused, "You are supposed to sip on mixed drinks not-" but it was already too late again. He watched as half of the Neon Burst was gulped down. Then Kanna went stark still. Her eyes peered dead ahead. Following her gaze, Chili looked to see if there was anything there. For a split second, he thought he saw a familiar cloaked figure in the crowd below out of his peripheral, but that didn't matter at the moment.

Seeing that she was, in fact, staring off into space, Chili quickly signaled the waiter to get him three more Neon Bursts, mainly for Chili, since now it seemed he was gonna have to catch up. As he waited for his additional drinks, Chili threw back his Neon Burst and had the glass empty in a matter of seconds. Reaching for the other half-empty glass, Chili would gently take the drink from Kanna if she let him. As he did, Chili spoke, his voice calm and gentle.
"Hey Kanna, you, okay?"

[wc: 337 || total: 7245]

As he took her drink and spoke to her, Kanna finally blinked for the first time in a long minute. Just like that, the frozen demon reanimated. Taking a deep breath-- apparently she'd been holding it-- she turned very slowly to look at Chili. Big, magenta eyes stared at him for a long fifteen seconds before pale blue lashes flickered over them and her lips pulled into a silly smile. "Mhm~" she hummed, nodding a bit too quickly. The room swam in a curious way, but it didn't seem to bother her too much. It did make her giggle, though.

Whether it was just that she didn't have enough in her tummy to offset the booze or that her general constitution-- race or otherwise-- was weak to it, she was very quickly but pleasantly drunk, judging by the flush of her cheeks from the alcohol's warmth. Intoxicated for the first time. Kanna had no idea what was really happening, but it felt cool. All of her worries, the constant lingering anxiety, just melted into nothing. For once in her life, especially since her mother's death, her mind was quiet. She sighed heavily, as if all the weight had finally fallen off of her tired shoulders. So this was why her guild mates had been so happy before she lost them. It made sense now.

She also felt silly. Giddy. Energetic, though it was all on the inside, for now. The horned girl wanted to run and laugh and sing. Oooh, dancing! She'd done that once but now she felt like she'd be the best at it! "Chiiiliiii~" she singsonged dreamily, "can we dance?" she asked, not putting much of a timeframe on it, just more of presenting the concept for consideration. That would be fun, and fun was the point of the fuzzy-feeling drinks and holidays. Oh, she hoped Chili danced!

After she asked that, the girl who had forgotten how much the alcohol burned already went to lift the drink she hadn't realized was no longer in her hand to her lips. Noticing there was nothing but air in her hand, she gasped. "Where did it go? Magic?" asked the baffled young woman, not necessarily to the blond at her side, but he could surely answer it if he wanted.

[wc: 381 || total: 7626]

Chili chuckled in delight. Kanna was somehow even more endearing drunk. Her giddiness almost seemed infectious as she said his name in that tone. Chili felt a shiver run down his spine. Other than nightmarish creatures saying his name in a singsongy manner, their twisted voices sadistic and nerve-racking. Chili had never heard his name said in that manner, with such a beautiful voice attached to it.

Smiling warmly at the horned girl, Chili downed the last half of the Neon Burst and put the empty glass on the table. As he thought about her question involving them dancing, Chili knew how to dance. His uncle had taught him a few different dance styles. Chili could almost hear the old coot's voice saying the usual line that was shouted during practice, "If you want to be a legend, then you must learn to dance!"

Standing up from his seat with ease, he spoke, his voice welcoming, "Shall we dance then?" Chili gentlemanly offered his hand to Kanna. Whether she accepted it or not, Chili would wait until she was ready before guiding her to the stairs.

At the top of the steps, Chili was glad to see timing was on his side as the waiter appeared. Giving the man a wave, Chili thanked him for the additional drinks and instructed him to take them to their booth. Not before grabbing one of the three Neon Bursts with a free hand first, though.

Leading the horned girl down the steps, Chili downed his drink on the way down to the first level. Finally feeling a small buzz start to kick in, Chili let a sigh of contentment leave his lips.

Good drinks, great food, decent music, and a friend to enjoy it with. It was rather simplistic, but in these moments of enjoyment, Chili felt peaceful.

Turning to face Kanna once they were on the first floor, he asked her a question, his voice echoing his inner peace, "So we hitting the floor and going with the flow, or should I use my V.I.P. status to request a song?"

He had never requested a song while here, but he knew he could. He'd seen multiple V.I.P.s do it throughout his time coming to eat here whenever he was passing through. He figured he'd make the offer. It was Kanna's first time celebrating, so why not offer to bust out one of the perks he rarely used.

Whichever she picked to do, Chili would roll with her vibes. He was here to create memories. He wasn't too picky about what they did tonight as long as the both of them were having fun and nothing got out of hand. Well, what he considered being out of hand.  Well, what he considered being out of hand.




[wc: 457 || total: 8083]

Without any hesitation or further questions, a happily grinning Kanna took his hand and followed Chili down the stairs into the crowd of celebrationers.

Generally, crowds made the young lady nervous. Not only were people just very close to one another, but it was easy for a small girl like her to get bumped and jostled around by the larger folks. It was so easy to accidentally back into someone and possibly poke them with one of their horns. On an even darker note, especially since her mother's murder, she never knew who might be lurking where she couldn't see them, blending into the ocean of bodies. What if the murderer was after her, too, and could easily carry out the violent plan without her even knowing it was coming?

Crowds were unpredictable and stuffy. Kanna wasn't one for chaotic things. Keeping things in a comfortable order gave her comfort and a sense of control over an otherwise disordered world.

But tonight, with several shots worth of alcohol pulsing through her formerly virgin system, crowds didn't seem so bad. Watching those dancing with each other smiling and having fun warmed her heart. She wanted to be like them. Kanna wanted to be like the normal people outside of Sin so very badly. Feeling like an outsider all the time was so lonesome.

"You do whatever you want, I'll go with the flow. I won't recognize any songs anyway~" Kanna replied in a sleepy voice, despite not being sleepy at all. Everything around her felt soft. Muffled. Slow. It was almost like she was having a wonderful dream, one that a person might be sad to wake from. Her body was already gently swaying to the beat of whatever song was currently playing.

She'd follow him if he chose to flaunt his privilege, or would remain where they were and properly attempt to dance if he went with whatever was already playing. Either way, she didn't seem like she wanted to let his hand go. Drunk as she may be, subconsciously she didn't like the idea of being left alone in the pulsating crowd again.

[wc: 354 || total: 8437]

Noticing that Kanna was already beginning to sway to the music playing, Chili's decision was already formed in his mind as she answered his question. Content to listen to whatever was playing, Chili began to rhythmically tap his right foot to the music. Allowing Kanna to dance as she felt was right, he would unconsciously remain holding her hand unless she decided to let go.

The pleasant atmosphere of the bar was rather enjoyable. Chili had no idea what song was playing. The orcs were talented musicians, playing their hearts out, and the onlookers were eating it up. The song was something about trading tomorrows for just one yesterday. It was melancholy, but with an excellent medium-speed tempo, a wonderful song to get into a rhythm with.

Chili placed his empty glass on the tray of a waiter who walked by, preferring not to have a cup in his offhand as he allowed the music to wash over him.

He began to slowly sway to the music as well. He hadn't done something like this in a long time. It was nice to be at ease in a crowded area. He didn't fear them, but any time he ended up in a mass gathering of people, he couldn't calm his paranoia that someone might stab him.

How many times had he been stabbed in crowds? Hmm, that would be a question to ponder for later.

For now, he decided to ignore his wandering thoughts and focus on the present. Beginning to get a bit more into it, Chili kept his slow pace but started to sway his head to the music's rhythm as well. A soft smile graced his features as he continued to join Kanna in simply having fun.

[wc: 294 || total: 8731]

Maybe it looked silly, but Kanna didn't care. She wasn't much of a dancer where skill was involved, but she had spirit in spades. Reaching out to grab his other hand, she'd push and pull each of his hands in opposite directions, causing them both to twist their bodies with it to the music if he went with it.

"You know~" she began, her voice still holding a soft song in it, "I don't really know how to dance. We didn't do much of that back home unless it was for rituals, and even then the... what's it called? ...The vibe? Yeah, the vibe was off. Dancing around a bloody sacrifice is more morbid and scary than a form of expression or fun," Kanna chatted away. Whether it was the drink or the thumping of the music, the demoness' voice was a little louder than usual.

Stepping in closer, perhaps too close, Kanna wanted to ask Chili something and make sure he could hear her. "Can you teach me that? Or is that something like celebrating that can't be taught?" the horned girl wanted to know, peering curiosly up into his face with eyes swirling rainbow, as if they didn't really know how to feel. A likely side effect of being drunk.

Speaking of drunk, a tray of drinks bobbing by caught her very limited attention span and she freed one of her hands from Chili's lashing out with a deceptively quick hand to snag one for herself. Chili said she was supposed to sip. Strange, sipping such a tiny little glass seemed like a waste of time, but she tried it anyway. Oh, this one burned worse!

[wc: 279 || total: 9010]

Bloody sacrifice? That caught Chili's attention. His mind raced as images of old memories flashed through his head. His eyes narrowed for a millisecond as his mind swan with the visage of dancing cult members, altars, and families strung up to appease the twisted gods. A slight ringing started in his ears before he finally inhaled a breath he didn't realize he had held out on.

Blinking a few times as he mentally rallied his thought and filed away his questions for later, Chili brought himself back to the present. Kanna stepped closer, the fragrance of her soap tickling his nostrils as she spoke.

Her question was endearing, causing a small smile to grace his face. Once she finished, he responded, his tone friendly, "Dancing is something that you can learn, and I would be happy to teach you."

As she snagged the next drink, Chili let an amused chuckle leave his lips. She could throw them back well for a first-timer. Signaling over to the bartender with his now free hand, Chili ordered a rum and coke. The drink was brought over to him by a waiter in seconds.

Thanking the man Chili took the mixed beverage and brought it to his lips. Taking a long swig of the substance, Chili brought the glass away, a third empty. He felt the alcohol rush into his bloodstream as a warm sensation settled into his bones. He had achieved getting a buzz.

As a sigh of relief left his lips, Chili chuckled before asking his question, "So once we get our fill of dancing, are there any other New Year's Eve ventures you wish to partake in?"

[wc: 276 || total: 9286]

Kanna lifted his free hand above her head, twirling herself under it like a wobbly little ballerina in a music box. It was probably more funny than eloquent, and she giggled to herself again. He said he'd teach her, and a little "yaaay" barely made it above the rumble of the crowd.

With her little drink done, she stuck it in a waiter's pocket as he passed. Her attention moved on to his partially full drink, which she seemed to be curiously sniffing now. It smelled more or less like the fizzy drinks at restaurants and in the guild fridge. "Can I try yours?" she asked, peering up at him with a giddy smile. However, it seemed he had more questions. Questions that she had to pause to think about a little harder than usual.

"Mmmmm..." she hummed, clearly having a hard time focusing her thoughts. Her mind was soft and foggy, not very conducive to thinking, remembering things, or decisions. "I don't really know many ventures," she said, giving herself an awkward little spin under his hand again. "One of my guild mates mentions an exciting place... what was it... a... cass... Hmm," she struggled with the strange word, her brows and nose scrunching up with intense effort to recall it. "A cassmeemo? Oh! And I wanna see the pretty the things called fireworks at the end~"

[wc: 228 || total: total: 9514]

Following her lead, Chili held his arm above her head and helped her to spin herself. Her quiet exclamation of happiness brought a grin to his face, and a mirthful chuckle left his lips.

As she asked him for some of his drink, Chili nonchalantly shrugged as he took another long swig of the rum and coke, downing another third before offering her the glass with the remaining one-third. "Here, you can have the rest. If you like it, we can order you another."

When she answered his question, he listened intently. When she finished, he was a little confused. He understood the firework part. A large firework show was usually displayed near the end of the night in large cities on new years eve. However, the cassmeemo part threw him for a loop.

Analyzing her statement, it didn't take Chili long to suspect what Kanna meant.

"You want to go gamble? Hmm, I mean, I know a place if that's what you meant. As for the fireworks, that'll be an absolutely on seeing them." Chili said, his tone enthusiastic as he gave her a thumbs up with his free hand.

Chili knew of a small underground casino slash bar that would be a good place. He was cautious about taking Kanna to a place influential individuals would visit. The thought of some corrupt asshat trying to seduce Kanna made Chili's eyes narrow as a wave of unfamiliar predatorial anger flared up.

Taking a deep breath, Chili tempered his flame, which got a bit erratic for a moment. Kanna could handle herself. He knew that. However, it didn't hurt to stay on the side of caution. The Boulevard Casino was the best choice, even if it did host an underground fighting pit.

Once they were done dancing and, after a few more drinks, he'd offer to lead Kanna to the casino centered in the middle of downtown. Hopefully, he got through tonight without starting a casino brawl.

[wc: 327 || total: total: 9841]

Maybe she hadn't really learned how to dance tonight, but she'd learned how to drink. Kinda. At least, she knew some of them didn't burn so bad, like rum and coke. Kanna liked that one the most and probably had too many, but even if her vision blurred a couple of times and she nearly toppled over once, she was far from done. If anything, she was more excited than before.

It was a good thing Chili was learning to translate Kannaisms, because she gasped and nodded once she saw the blinking sign over the new place he took her to for the gambling. "Casino! That's it!" she clapped, barely having a shred of a clue what went on inside one. Apparently gambling, according to Chili, which she understood a little. In her tribe, people often bet their most precious resource, food, on fights, feats of strength, cards, and dice games. Kanna perhaps overestimated it to be more different than it was because there had been few similarities to things back in Sin thus far.

Either way, it was flashy and high energy, so the drunk demon was all about it.

***

How they had gotten to this point was a blur. All she'd wanted to do was explore everything and see what she might like doing or playing, and yet, the pair was standing in a ring surrounded by a whooping and hollering audience behind a tall fence. Opposite of them were two guys, one bald and mighty potato like, while the other had tree trunks for arms and legs. Wait, that didn't seem right. Kanna blinked and squinted, slowly realizing they were just abnormally thick limbs in brown sweats. She swayed back and forth, tilting her head to and fro as if to keep up with the rhythmic tipping of her balance.

"Now what're we 'sposed to do?" she asked, turning to her blond companion. The lapse in attention and the simultaneous sounding of some sort of bell urged their opponents into motion, and Kanna was none the wiser.

[wc: 341 || total: 10182/8000 for New Years Event || wc: 2182 left over.]