"I'm not a chipmunk..." Arrika muttered, taking a sip of her drink. Odd. It tasted like it had been diluted. Did they expect her to get drunk after just one regular glass? Pft. Men. "Not like I could repeat any of it slow enough for you to understand anyways... I think we just shared a conversation that would take a week for guys to have."

Zeze slapped Arrika on the back, giving her a congratulation on her small 'speech.' Zapheta wasn't against men, but to confuse them once in awhile proved to be an excellent way to pass the time. The bard took out her flute, and began to polish it. She asked Zapheta, in a much slower tone,

"So, how's life treating you?"

The bard smiled, and turned the flute in her hands, giving off a flash of light. Zeze said jokingly,

"I hope not as cruelly as Sakiko is?"

Arrika rubbed the spot where Zeze had hit her, which had been more painful than her friendly intentions. "How's life treating me? All the injustices would take several pages.... or a whole book.... or a trilogy.... or a whole series of encyclopedias..." She buried her head in her hands, sighing at how her time and energy had been wasted for nothing. And she was penniless again, Seth having stolen back his money to get his own slingshot after he'd broken the one he stole from Thorne.

Zeze frowned, and sighed heavily again.

"Yeah... I think Sakiko's mad at me or something. What do you think?"

The bard pulled on her lips, her green eyes wandering towards her surroundings, examining everything around her.

"Hnnn? Why? I thought she liked the color...?" Arrika asked with a hint of a smile on her face. "I told ya, you can't nag her repeatedly every day about dressing up. A couple times every other day is good enough. Then again, you'd think she'd loosen up for just one night. Oh, about Masakazu... I dunno, he's kinda... antisocial... bookwormish...er, no offense, him being your brother and all. But he never seemed like that getting one knee and proposing type. Especially to an ice queen like Sakiko."

Zapheta smiled, and said cheerily,

“Oh, I haven’t been nagging Sakiko, exactly. I’ve just been dropping in a hint or two.”

She sighed, and said,

"She's just overly sensative, is all."

*SNORE*

Kasei had fallen asleep some time ago, halfway through his drink. He was obviously tired. However, the recent conversation startled him. He shot up out of his seat, nearly falling into the table he was sitting at. "Wha....? What happened?" He asked Sakiko. He took a look around, and then looked at his clothes, witch were stained. "Aw, crap. Oi! Get me some Goron Ale!" He called to a waitress.

Zapheta clapped Kasei on the back, and said cheerily,

"I dunno! You seem kinda drunk there, buddy! There's only one way to fix this!"

She waved her hands, and yelled,

"Hey! Some goron ale for the two of us!!"

She smiled wickedly, and challenged,

"Let's have a contest - who can drink the most ale! The first one to collapse asleep pays for the next round of beer!"

The waitress arrived with two tall mugs. Kasei took his, paid, and handed the second to Sakiko. "Hehehe. I do this with Sovelis all of the time. I can beat ya!" He boasted, and started chugging down his mug. Five minuets later, he was chugging on his third, and he barely stopped to breath. Sovelis might just pop up any moment.... He thought, as nearby costomers began to stare.

"Erm, Zeze, are you sure you want to do this?" Arrika asked, not sure whether to be concerned or just laugh. "I don't know how tolerant you are of alcohol, but I'm Kasei here can take as much as a Goron." She sighed, adding, "I'll carry you home when you pass out. But I'm not helping if you throw up all over me."

Ooc: Erm, Sakiko right now is gone (with the wind), so it's only Zapheta (nick name Zeze). Sorry for the confuzzlement.

IC: Zeze winked at Arrika, and assured her,

"Don't you fret, I drink all the time!"

She saluted Kasei, and gaped at the rate of his alcohol cosumption. The bard said with a smile in her voice,

"That's the sport! Now, the competition has officially begun!"

With this loud cry, she gulped down the mug that Kasei had passed to her, and called for another...then another...then another...

The bard soon lost control of her hand, and the mug was swinging back and forth dangerously. She yelled/sang,

La dee dee da,
La dee dee da,
Boom ba ya hay hay!

In a night like this,
with a good ol' beer,
I can kiss
my misery good-bye!

Hmm dee da,
Ba hah hah yey,
laa dee dee doo doo!!!

Zeze's tan face had blushed pink, as she took a swig at the ale. She cried,

"There, now, that's my tenth! What of you, Kas?"

Lyos smiled as a spattering of ale flecked across his face. How people's moods could change... then again, she was not at all unlike...
His eyes glazed over as he gazed at the green eyes of the now jovial Zeze, all the while fiddling with something a pouch next to his dagger hilt. Couldn't be. Those stones have long been shattered. Best not to kid myself...

Suddenly Lyos snapped out of his stupor and brought himself back to the tavern. The sounds of mugs clattering with the tabletop reminded him of where he was, and signaled for another refill of his mug.

I'm not much of a drinking man, but I do know a thing or two about puttin' them away. he said with a broad grin. And with that he downed 7 to 8 of his own drinks.

Kasei put down another mug. "I losd cound affdr dragon....." He said stupidly, grabbing another large mug, and began chugging down. It was evident that he had had a few more mugs than Zeze, enough to make a glass human out of. His eyes were shut, and he wore a huge, stupid grin as he tried to chug down more beer. The men around him hollered with laughter as he stood up and jumped on the table, singing incoherent lyrics.....

Lyos gazed from his blubbering friend to his hand, turning it round and round and mystifying over it as if it were made of diamond.

There's a strange tingling sensation in my fingertips. I think it's beginning to affect me. he said with bright eyes and a childish grin.

With slightly less coordination than usual he took a large gulp from his tankard, set it on the table, and picked up his theorbo and began to tune it. After a few moments of alignment, he broke out into a cheery tune that fit perfectly with his friend's mindless babble.

Zeze laughed loudly, a tinkling, merry sound. She put down her empty mug with a clang, and swung side to side in tune with Lyos's music. The bard yelled,

"That's the spirit, m'boy!"

She then whipped out her own flute, rather hoping for a chance to show off her skills as a bard. She gently brushed her lips against the cool, wooden tip, and blew sweetly into it. Although the note squeaked inconveniently at the end, it still turned out to be rather melodic. The bard joined in with Lyos's tune, tapping her feet, rather missing a beat or two here and there. She paused to shout at Kasei,

"Come, Kasei, a song for our lively tune!"