museboxofmuses | On the House

On the House

It was a weekend evening and the bar was fairly lively. His bar definitely wasn't the most popular, but he had a decent crowd, most of them regulars. J'tomo was out with the patrons, as usual, chatting them up and ensuring their night was going well. He liked to get to know those who visited, finding value in making bonds.

He turned to the door when a face he didn't recognize came through. He lifted a hand and waved. "Welcome!"

He pat the guest he was just chatting with on the back and slammed the rest of his drink in one swallow. The glass was slammed on the wooden table before he made his way to the newcomer.

He adjusted his signature red circle sunglasses on his nose with a toothy grin. One might usually question wearing shades indoors at night, but JT wore them due to his sensitivity to light- plus they looked cool. He eyed the man, giving him a good once over. "What can I get ya? First drinks on me."

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It was a particularly humid night - the annual rains had come to Thanalan, and while it meant some relief in terms of water, it also brought new challenges like it being intolerably muggy - and Aza was thoroughly parched. He had spent a long day, scurrying to and fro through the streets of Ul'dah, trying to put his mercenary outfit in order to officially hand it over to new management.

It was dull, stressful and hard work, and so when Aza had dragged himself past a bar, he couldn't help himself. The smell of alcohol drew him in, though he very nearly scurried back out when he was accosted the exact second he walked through the door.

"Uh?" Aza blurted, a bit wrong-footed, before he quickly recovered and crossed his arms, fixing the guy with a suspicious look. Why was he offering to buy him a drink so quickly...? "What's the catch?"

The patron looked exhausted, likely from a long day of work, which meant he definitely needed a drink. He smiled warmly, or at least as warmly as he could given his current state.

His head cocked to the side slightly at the question, smile fading briefly before returning with a small laugh. "No catch, no catch- aside from perhaps your honest opinion. I'm trying out a new brew and wanted to see what people thought of it. On the house."

He shot a quick wink before motioning towards the bar itself. "Here, I'll make it yourself. What do you say?"

Aza hesitated, but, fuck, he was gasping for a drink, and it seemed like this guy was the barman so... kind of made sense for him to hand out a free first drink. Ensured people stayed to buy more, right?

Still suspicious but willing to take a chance, Aza relaxed a fraction and carelessly waved a hand, "Yeah, sure, okay. If it's a free drink and you don't put anything weird in it, I'll take one."

J'tomo beamed at the acceptance of his offer and ushered him toward the bar. He moved around it and began to pull a large glass off a shelf. "Watch me pour it, you'll see no slight of hand, no tricks up my sleeve--" He flipped the glass once before setting it down, and plucked a flower from a nearby vase with his other, hoping that Aza had been paying attention to the glass more before presenting it before him. "Unless you're into it."

The hand that had been holding the glass pulled out a bottle, uncapping it with his thumb and began to pour, the head of it just right. Oh, how proud he was of this brew. He pushed the glass forward before leaning over to rest his elbows on the bar top.

"So, you from around here?"

Aza blinked at the flower's abrupt appearance, a bit puzzled by the theatrics and not shy about showing it. Ul'dah, he had come to realise, very much enjoyed its theatrics, and to date Aza still wasn't sure how to react to it. The dancers, the gladiators, the random magic shows or music performances with an upturned cap silently begging for gil... it made the city seem festive, but it just concealed the depressing reality underneath all the glitz and glam.

"Well..." he started slowly, gingerly taking the drink and giving it a sniff. Hm, alcoholic, definitely, "No, not really."

He peered into his cup for a moment longer, and detecting no suspicious smells or strange residue on its surface, shrugged and downed the whole thing in one go. He barely tasted it honestly, but man, it sure hit the spot. Soothed his parched throat, definitely.

"Ah, better," he sighed, setting the drink down, "But, yeah, I'm not from here. Or, er, Eorzea, actually. I'm from across the sea."

J'tomo watched the man, a hopeful glint in his eye. His tail moved slowly behind him as he waited patiently for him to finish the drink. Impressive to take it all in one go, though the man did seem particularly parched.

Ears perked up at mention of being from overseas. "Aye? How fascinating. Far East, then? I've heard a thing 'r two about it. I ain't exactly from 'round here m'self. Gyr Abania- more specifically Ala Mhigo- is my 'omeland."

His accent truly gave him away more than anything. Despite living in Ul'dah for years, it never seemed to fade, likely due to still living around the refugees. He took the man's glass and poured him another before passing it back. "What brings ya to Eorzea, then? Business or pleasure?"

Aza unthinkingly took the glass, forgetting to ask if this one was free too or not. He was mostly occupied in thinking how to explain his presence here in Eorzea - he remembered when they first arrived here, people made faces when they realised they were Othard sellswords, foreigners, and would pointedly call them 'adventurers' instead, doling out pittance for menial work. It didn't matter that he and Bluebird were heavily experienced, skilled soldiers, taught in the way of warfare of the Steppes and Yanxia. Nope. They were 'adventurers', and that meant they were treated like- like entry level scrubs! Oooh, it rankled...

Hm, wait, what was the topic again? Oh, right, why he was in Eorzea.

"Sorta both?" he rubbed the back of his neck, "The Imps've extended their draft to mercs in occupied territories, so, eh, kinda left Othard behind so we didn't get kidnapped into their army. Eorzea's always stuck in some trouble or other, so came here instead. 'Cept, everyone keeps calling us adventurers and not mercenaries. Dunno if it's some... dialect issue or what."

For Eorzean Basic was a tad different to Othard (though, some standardisation imposed by Garlean rule had smoothed out the hiccups between them some), so it was entirely possible there was some mistranslation happening or something.

J'tomo listened intently. He was always fascinated to hear the stories of those who visited his bar. There were all sorts, and each of them had a story to tell, all equally as interesting as the last. He thought that one day, he too might want to venture out beyond Eorzea and see what the rest of the world was like beyond what he knew. Perhaps one day.

"Well, at least ya made it 'ere safely." He grabbed a small, damp towel and began to wipe at residue left by drink glasses idly. "Mercenaries, huh? I think people just tend to not understand that line o' work. Or don't want to. Don't take it too personally. Though might be a language barrier of sorts."

He had to admit, his dialect was different, and it was pleasant on the ears. Made him want to hear more about him beyond just the fact that he was interested. He wanted to know what life was like beyond the sea in Othard. He'd heard very few tales, but they always seemed to be so different than anything one would encounter here. "Sounds like you ain't alone either. Where are the rest o' 'em?"

Oh, Aza did use the word 'us', didn't he? Well, in for a gil...

"Around. It was only a small handful of us who came over," he said, sipping his drink. Now that he was actually savouring it, he found it quite pleasant. He made a pleased humming noise, his tail giving a few powerful swishes, "And my sister. She's supposed to be somewhere around here, actually."

Last time he had seen her, Bluebird had said she was going to collect a delivery from the markets while Aza handled the administrative task of officially handing the outfit over to Felyx. That had been hours ago, much too long for a simple trip to the markets, but he wasn't worried. Knowing her she got distracted flirting and was now pegging some handsome lad in an inn room somewhere.

He sighed at the thought, leaning on the bar with his forearm, "Probably skivin' off again while I'm working my tail off. Hmph. Typical."

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On the House

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