Chapter Text
The ice clinks, slowly melting into the alcohol.
Suika closes her eyes and takes a lonely sip, the liquor burning her throat. Only for a moment. Eyes flutter open, but instead of a simple sip, it's a straight.
Squinting at the rigid sphere sitting inside like it paid for a show, a sigh leaves her as she lowers the cup.
How many shots did I take? No, how many bottles did I drink?
She looks around, the domestic touch of the izakaya naturally shifting into something more... mocking. Should be the right word. Moonlight drifts through the noren, silver rays fighting with the yellow lantern a few stools away from Suika. Then her gaze stops at the end of the light, mouth curling.
Another bottle lies on the cupboard across the counter, fresh and untouched. Perfect. She drops from her stool, shoes stepping over bits of broken glass. Her fingers slide along wood, bored, as her other hand grabs the bottle by its neck. Returning to her seat, the bottle pops with a single twist as she spits the cap out, metal clattering to the floor.
Nobody to share a drink with. Did Mystia tell me she clocked out?
Skipping the courtesy of using a cup, she drinks straight from the bottle, gulping liquor down like her life depended on it. A drop, maybe two, or even three, falls onto her tattered blouse, the stains a signature on her if there was anyone here to note it.
Her other hand scrunches her hair, brows furrowed. I'm not going to be able to clean this shit up. Hand moving through her hair, she suddenly slams the bottle down, letting out a long groan. God, I smell like shit too. I'll pay her back some other time.
She gets off the stool, bending down for the dirty cap. Seal. Turn. Stuffing the half-empty bottle under her armpit, she straightens, turns, and pushes the noren apart.
"..."
Suika lifts her head. "The hell are you doing here, Yukari?"
A violet fan flaps up and down, the motion hypnotizing yet elegant. "I wish to give into my vices. Why, am I not allowed to?"
Suika lets out a scoff, chin raised. "Could've waited until I left."
Yukari raises a brow. "But we're friends, aren't we?" The fan stops, covering her mouth. "Drinking alone is no fun." The gap youkai chuckles, the mere sound grating to Suika's ears. "Yeah yeah, whatever. You're a piece of work, making me reopen the bottle I just sealed."
Pop.
They sit on the blades of grass, the susurrus of the nightly wind cold against their skin. A gap splits open next to Yukari, her hand sinking into it and collecting two sake cups. "I noticed that it's not sake you're drinking tonight." She hands Suika a cup. "What brand?'
Suika takes it, pouring hers first and then Yukari's. "Brand? You think I know? Ask Mystia, she's the one running the izakaya."
Yukari sips leisurely, humming, fan closed and resting on her lap. Suika on the other hand, downs the shot, the burning sensation numb.
"Did you hear of the incident yesterday? The one concerning the moon? I've never seen Reimu bewildered like that, you should've seen the look on her face."
"Mm." Suika pours herself another shot. She chugs it.
"It's a shame, really. Rarely is my Gensokyo threatened to such a degree. Entertainment is hard to come by nowadays."
"Yeah." Third one.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Suika."
"What now?"
"Are you okay?"