Ruined Seaside Mega Mall

Satoshi ordered an enormous pitcher of alcohol and a dinner of barbecued ribs with baked potatoes and asparagus. Looking over the ocean, he nodded to himself. Yeah, this was a good choice.

He sat back in his chair a bit. "I've been talking to Smokey about maybe starting business over in the United States. He's already talking to a few contacts of mine about it. Looks like it's going to go over well." They didn't really care about business talk per se, but it was nice to at least say something unrelated to the invasion to these two.

Haruka nervously sweated as a rather intensely large alcoholic beverage appeared in front of him at the table. The barbecued ribs looked amazing, so he'd probably dig into that first...

He poured a glass for himself, semi-suspiciously looking around the area. Nobody was staring at them or really even giving them a second look. Well, a couple glasses wouldn't hurt anybody. A rather copious amount of liquid and ice poured in the large glass he was given.

Grabbing a rib and placing it on the plate in front of him, he took a semi-large sized gulp.

Haruka swallowed, and immediately regretted everything. The burn in his throat was so bad that he almost had to cough it back up. He held it down as best he could, like Uncle Toshiki taught him when he was younger and his first glass of sake. This was... much stronger than that glass. He shook his head, patting his cheeks.

"O-Okay... So, business in the US, huh? How's that been working out for you? Seems like you're quite the big shot now. Am I the only one who isn't rolling in millions these days?|

Haruka giggled a little at his own comment. Then took another swig. More burning. Oh god. It was going to be a long night for this boy.

Yugure looked down at the plate of food, and called a waiter over. "Get me about two more plates of this", she ordered, taking her seat. The woman was hungry, may as well get her fill. Thanks for starving herself out most of the time, she had plenty of room to eat like someone's pregnant mother. This and those two extra plates were probably going to do next to nothing anyway. She decided to... avoid alcohol for the moment. While it sounded nice, she wasn't exactly a drunk, nor did she believe in it helping out stress.

And she was under enough stress to break apart.

Yugure beginning to rend asunder the ribs and potatoes would make one thing otherwise, however. Hearing about Satoshi's upcoming working with America reminded her about how well he had been doing in Hawaii. Haruka asked "how's that been working out for you", which is the question she would've spoken. So instead, she kept eating while listening for a time to chime in.

She wiped her mouth and hands clean on napkins whenever taking a break though. Gotta still have some manners while eating like a wild mare. At least she kept her mouth closed when doing so.

"... I hear the States are good for business opportunities, so good catch", the woman finally spoke.

Their responses, while they didn't fall on deaf ears, stopped mattering for a moment as Satoshi proceeded to take the mug they poured out of and chug the whole thing down. Slamming it down on the table, he yelled over to the bar. "OY! THREE OF THESE, IF Y'DON'T MIND!"

He hiccuped, his cheeks flushed a little. Time to eat in the meantime. The ribs were just as delicious as he remembered, as were the potatoes. He took a moment to respond to them, hiccuping again.

"Yeaaaaah, s'pretty great, honestly. Worth the time and effort. Mostly just savin' it to make a place fer all m'friends, y'know? Gotta get'em all to live together 'n stuff..."

A few more of these and Satoshi was likely to be piss drunk.

Haruka just finished his first glass. Red was showing on his cheeks, but he was mostly doing his best to keep the alcohol down first, rather than try to get super wasted. He heard hangovers are not fun to deal with, no sirree.... Like that was really going to stop him. If an age limit wasn't, neither were those warnings.

He had a second glass.

And a third.

His face was several shades of pink and speech was only slightly slurred now, but he was warm. Very warm. His body felt sort of strong in fact. With a few more drinks like that, he could take on the world. Liquid confidence indeed.

"Ooooh, that could be rea-really fun! Everyone living nearby each othe-er..."

His voice was getting interrupted by slight hiccups and slurs in speech. He was trying to hold himself down, but the alcohol was getting to him now. He started trying to conquer the dizziness with a bit of food and the complimentary water they were given but it was only keeping it down for minutes at a time. He was shaking his head to keep it on straight but he was succumbing to the warm hazy feeling.

"Why'd ya choose the State's anyways... Wussit really that nice o-ober there?"

His S's started sounding like Z's at this point. He looked mostly sober, aside from the slight flush. Probably masking as best he could for Yukino's sake. Didn't want to look bad in front of her. He was trying really, really hard to not look bad.

Too late.

Lovely, they're both getting drunk. The soldier simply watched them in disbelief as she resumed nibbling on a rib. Satoshi just took down the whole thing and Haruka's on the verge of losing- wait, isn't her boyfriend younger than her? Was it even legal for him to be drinking? ... Nobody stopped him, nobody checked his ID, and nobody cared probably. Good establishment. She sweat nervously over the drunk boys here.

"Maybe you two should ease up a bit..."

Says the woman who already tore through the second plate when it arrived.

"Ease up?" Satoshi laughed. "C'mahn, Yooger, where's yer warrior spirit? Betcha can't down this faster'n me." He shoved the pitcher over to her. "It'll be fun, I swear."

"Pffftt, Yoogher, kahahahaha!" Haruka started cackling a tad-bit obnoxiously. He quieted down when people started actually taking looks at the group of three. He shook his head back on, still slightly laughing to himself. He looked at Yukino, nudging her with his elbow.

"Come onnn, dunn' wanna be the only dumb lookin' one hereee?"

Haruka gave a mischievous smirk, resting his chin on her shoulder. He was teasing her. Affectionately, in more ways than for any wrong purpose. He was actually debating moving in to kiss her, but his better-half was still awake and told him he was still in public.

Right. Not now.

"Think she'll really drink uhp, Satushie?" Haruka was getting to a bad point. Four glasses, starting his fifth.

Bottoms up.

"Y-... Yoogher?" That slur only completely dumbfounded the lady, causing her to drop a half-eaten rib back on a plate. Okay, these two were already more drunk than acceptable. Even worse, they were motioning her to join in on this! The woman had her standards, and she wasn't about to become intoxicated! "I'll pass", she declined the offer and the challenge, paying little mind to Haruka leaning over toward her. The girl happily took a drink of water instead.

She just wasn't any fun.

"C'mahn...Smokey'll give us a ride back to th' manor after, I swear." He waved the pitcher. "'Sides, this stuff'll get the two of you snugglin', and I know you've been thinkin' about that."

Satoshi chuckled. Even if she didn't drink, Yugure wasn't going to be able to hold back Haruka very much. And she'd be okay with that anyway, knowing her. He gnawed on a rib in the meantime.

Haruka reached over for Yukino's spare hand, starting to pout. He wanted to just sort of... lay there. His vision was starting spin a little. The red on his face was blatant to anybody who got up close and could see his expression.

He was almost yandere-ish looking. The gleaming eyes. One hand cradling his cheek looking up at Yukino. His pouting wasn't even a ploy to get her to look at him, but rather he was genuinely upset she wouldn't even at least share a drink with the other two. They were out to relax and have a good time, and having a bit of heat in the cheeks from a good ol' drink could help...

Get them snuggling? What in the world...

It clicked real fast with Haruka what he meant by that, suddenly realizing why he was getting a bit touchy-feely. He wanted to back up and apologize to Yukino for being so awfully rude in public, but with this conflict in mind and the alcohol coursing around his veins, he simply continued to reach for her hand to intertwine his fingers with hers, and place a small peck on her cheek. It was his little "Sorry, I goofed," mixed with "I really want you right now. Really bad."

Those are the two thoughts spinning back and forth through his head.

Yugure wasn't assured by the thought of that "Smokey" driving them back. The idea of "snuggling" with Haruka, however- he has her hand. The Chosen Sword watched Haruka's movements and expressions suspiciously. Great, he's pouting, he's upset. The kiss to her cheek from him send very loud and clear signals. Well, they weren't really clear to anyone else, or loud. It was just instinct, translating the message conveyed.

"... One glass."

The lady submitted, reaching out to the pitcher to get it over with. Having a spare cup, she poured until it was overflowing. If they complain she isn't drunk like the two of them, they'll at least know she went all out with this one alone.

... She didn't immediately go for it however. Just kind of... stared into it.

Haruka's frown grew into a somewhat distant smile. His vision was getting only slightly messed up now. He kissed her again on the cheek, pushing her to move forward. He even gripped her hand a little tighter, tracing the lines of her hand with his free hand, slowly tracing up and down her arm with a tactile touch. His warm breath began to linger on the edge of her jaw and the nooks of her neck.

He was looking at her lovingly to take her first sip of the drink. Even if she only had this one glass, he'd be okay with that. It meant she tried to even enjoyed herself, talking to the guys and having a bit more fun on the side. He looked up into her eyes. Satoshi must feel a bit awkward watching two-thirds of the Triad get flirty in the middle of the place.

"C'mon babeee.... drink it, drink it, drink it. P-l-e-a-s-e?" Haruka whispered out each syllable of the last word into her ear, still grinning from nearly ear-to-ear.

The Chosen Sword cringed with every movement the intoxicated Haruka took next to her. They gazed at the woman, waiting for her to uphold her word... again. You know, she's thinking of taking a stance with shutting her mouth instead of making a bunch of promises and accepting dares already. Couldn't back out now, especially when her boyfriend would complain, and Satoshi would call her a sissy in his current state.

"... F-Fine", she responded to Haruka's goading. With a quick motion, the girl lifted up the glass to her lips, and began downing the whole thing in one sitting. If this had to be done, let it be done all at once! The Chosen Sword's throat bulged with every hefty gulp, the burning sensation in it almost tickling her, as if trying to lure her away from worries and woes of the world. Just let it fade away, and laugh with your boys the little devil in the glass whispered.

Finishing, Yugure slammed the glass down, letting loose a loud gasp of relief. The tiny demon was gone, but Christ, the feeling of it was alluring, never mind the taste. She was a bit shaky, cheeks flushed, panting. The girl was too busy trying to fight off temptation to say anything.

Haruka watched in awe as his loved one took a huge one-go of the full glass. That was... actually a ridiculously high amount of alcohol for her to take at one time considering its, er, "tempting" side effects. Haruka put a hand on her face, trying to get a better look at her eyes.

"Sooo, how was it? Did'ya like it? How ya feelin' b-babe?" Haruka was a mix between: giggly, dizzy, loving, and curious all at the same time. Some more than others, obviously. He kept playing with the tips of her fingers, and the nerves on her arm. It was something he got into the habit of doing to make Yukino fidget. It was his little amusement at the moment.

So, you're my Vanguard... maybe this is just the wrong foot, but, I really hope you aren't as off-center as I think you are...

Cue the beginning of Haruka's infectious giggle.

"Satushieee, she finally did it!" Haruka had yet another victorious grin on his face.

Satoshi chuckled. "Yer right, she finally did!"

What the two of them didn't know was that a lot of his behavior was an act. While he was inebriated, the farmboy had an absurd tolerance, and the whole mug he downed was hardly close to getting him down there. He also wasn't likely to drink much more than that mug, simply to be amicable.

The main reason this happened was because of the advertising executives he'd work with. While he wasn't really a fan of lying to them about not feeling the effects of alcohol to as high of an extent as they did, the need to play along was suggested by Smokey. "At least fer the sake o' gettin' their money t'go places, y'know?"

Satoshi's country vernacular was a good deterrent for his actual state, and it was a lot easier to convince himself to do this under the influence than not. The point of this was to get both of these two to loosen up, so that he could at least be at ease and not worry about them. They had been through a lot, as he kept reminding himself over and over, and this was the kind of thing that needed to happen to help them both realize there was life outside of Vanguard. More Yugure than Haruka for sure, but whatever worked for Yugure would likely have worked for him as well.

"What'd'ja think, Yooger?" the farmboy asked, continuing to mask his actual state with the moniker. "Yooger" was actually a horrendous name and he hoped if he ever got truly inebriated he'd remember to not try and nickname people in a way that would stick.

"I..." Yugure breathed. "I'm going... to..." she kept going. '... kill you both."

That's it.

Relaxing is a no forever.

The Chosen Sword decided she hates alcohol forever too.

Haruka awkwardly scratched his head, realizing Yukino was not exactly in the best of moods. He clapped his hands together, praying for forgiveness in his awkward drunken state. Even if Satoshi was just a really good faker, Haruka actually had consumed six tall glasses of this drink. He was starting to feel heat almost to a degree that even Overlord might have to break a sweat producing.

"Hehe... At least ya' tried it Yuuukinoooo." Sitting up straight finally, he felt his weight start shifting awkwardly. His head was starting to get heavy and his eyes were going soon too.

"I think I need to go home... after this rib."

Haruka took a large bite into a rather saucy rib on the place in front of him, chewed it only twice, swallowed it. He then pushed the plate away from him at near lightspeed and stared up, trying to not pass out. He was between a rock and a hard place.

Take the rock as him being extremely tired, and the hard place as, well, whatever you will. Haruka was not having a fun time at the very moment. Well, he was having fun, but his insides weren't. Maybe the addict should stick to his coffee, and stay away from the mysterious blends of alcohol.

"Hmmm hmmmm... I, uh, I'm ready t'go home..." Haruka was swaying from side-to-side at a slight pace, trying to keep from passing out or jumping into Yukino's arms.

"We should get your friend to drive you two home", Yugure spoke to Satoshi. This little outing was fun, but the soldier in her couldn't enjoy it as much as these two getting drunk. Mind you, tearing into the food instead was a... better alternative. The Chosen Sword was a bit tired, but wouldn't feel any better unless she got something done. Still... "Thanks for taking us out", the girl expressed gratitude to her best friend.

An eye was kept on the intoxicated Haruka. Honestly, she wasn't sure what to do with him. Part of her wanted to give into yearning. The other part wanted to hold onto him and make sure he doesn't do anything he'll regret that he won't remember.

Cleaning herself up, the woman got out of her seat.

Satoshi pushed himself out of his own seat. "Nah, yer takin' yer lover back. I didn't jus' take you two here fer food. I got business tonight." He waved over Smokey's brother, the bartender, and handed him an envelope. "Tell Smokey that's for th' evenin', and t'get these two home."

He gave them both a gentle wave, and then mosied over to the bathroom to splash his face with water. He needed to be wide awake. Tonight, he had business in somewhere he hadn't been in a long time.

The Umano Underground Slums.

Yugure started pulling Haruka out of his seat and tried to stand him up straight, or at least help him stand in general since he was busy swaying side-to-side. Smokey was heading over, and Yugure gave her boyfriend a kiss on his cheek. "Stay at the manor tonight too. I'm leaving you to Smokey", the woman spoke. Time for business and her lover was ready for anything but. "I love you, so you better stay out of trouble while you're like this. Go straight home and make sure everyone takes care of you."

Another peck on his cheek, another kiss on his lips for good measure, even if he tasted like booze.

"I'll see you soon."

After clutching onto him a bit longer, Smokey came and took the boy... without touching him. It was obvious anyone who touched Haruka would likely suffer if she was around to see it.

The woman walked out, tired, but still going to work.

After leaving their old house, Seifer had lead the way to a bus station and gotten on. Throughout the entire trip here, he remained quiet, thinking of what to really tell her. Where did he need to start really? As the bus stopped with the metallic hiss of the air brakes, the blonde continued to lead the way to a restauraunt near the entrance. It wasn't anything to fancy, not that Seifer liked fancy anyway. Funny, anyway... the male sat down in one of the chairs, motioning to the other chair. The tail coat of his sleeveless jacket spilled out over the sides of the chair and looked a bit... different, if you knew this man from before. A waiter come over surprisingly quickly to take their orders, Seifer ordering just a normal burger. Lame.

With Seifer being as quiet as he was, Rosalia felt that something was wrong. What exactly happened during her "absence"? In the time she was gone, even her lover had changed. His outfit was definitely new, or well, new to her, and his hair was not blonde before... Actually, he used to be a brunette. Did something weird happen while in the rift that magically stole his hair color, and turned the former redhead female into a brunette? Who knows anymore. She sat down across from the blonde as she was motioned to do so, reaching across the table so that they could at least hold hands.

Actually, Rosalia wasn't sure what to order. She didn't feel hungry at first; mostly, she was just thirsty. But she ordered a chicken finger platter anyways, knowing she should probably eat. Once the waiter was gone, however, she looked to Seifer with a sad, knowing expression. "I.. missed a lot... didn't I..." she said quietly.

As the waiter left, and Seifer's hand wrapped around the formerly red headed girl's hand, his eyes shut. Breathing out slowly, he started... "I guess, after you disappeared, I returned from Hawaii. No memory, no nothing. I know now WHY it happened the way it did just..." he sighed for a moment. He got off track, and really should get back to it. "Anyway, the resistance was still fighting against Link Joker's invasion, when another group of invaders showed up. Time Travelers... Seeds from another timeline come to ours to, destroy it I guess, in hopes of saving their own." opening his eyes, his crimson gaze bored into her's. "During that time, we struggled on two fronts, and just at the end of our hope... Yukino Nee-San... She showed another power. Stride." he shut his eyes squeezing Rosalia's hand.

"The power to shape the future. ...Not long after that though, somehow, Sera and Haruka were split. ...Sera was that guy back at the house. I'll explain that bit later. Anyway..." He paused just long enough for the waiter to set down their food and hurry off before continuing. "I had met with Yukino about the issue of you and some others being gone... Hana Espoir and Neu Edelweiss. Both were missing at the same time as you, and both still are..." he glanced down his eyes going half shut. "After that talk, I returned to the headquarters to talk to Haruka when I saw him, Sera. He looked like a negative film version of Haruka but..." the male to further solidify this next point, pulled out a black and red deck case, pulling the cards out and setting them face up on the table. The face card was Companion Star-Vader, Photon. Link Joker.

"He pulled this clan from within my soul, while sealing my Kagero again. ...I still had and still have full control of myself. Though..." he pointed to his blonde hair. "My body adjusting to this over the last three months is why I'm blonde now. That aside... After that, Haruka and Sera went missing. Though..." he shut his eyes again sighing. "Haruka and Sera are from a different timeline from ours, and I'm from that very timeline as well. ...I followed Sera here to get revenge for ruining Haruka's life, and killing the Yukino of that timeline." he glanced to the side for a moment, avoiding his lover's gaze. "In the end, even with what he did, I forgave him. I understood Sera's true feelings. ...After that I followed him to fight the source of Link Joker in THIS timeline, Glendios. ...I... ...I lost. I lost in a bad way, and was in a coma for the last three months." he paused for a moment longer before looking back at Rosalia. "Because I failed, Tsubasa died stopping it instead. ...Three months later, I'm here... Disowned by my own father. I haven't seen or spoken with my mother or Noel. ...But... Thankfully... The Espoir's adopted me..." even as an abridged version, his speech was rather long.

Rosalia listened intently, and in silence during the male's speech. Even when their food arrived, she didn't touch it until Seifer had finished talking. She lowered her gaze at the end, taking a piece of her chicken with her free hand and nibbling on it slowly. So... She wasn't the only one who vanished, but she is the only one who returned. Tsubasa was... dead... Noel is missing now... There was this new power in Vanguard that she didn't understand, known as Stride... And Seifer was fully in control of himself, even with the power of Link Joker, but he wasn't even from this timeline?...

It was a lot to take in, but the brunette didn't let go of the blonde's hand. She actually tightened her hold, still afraid that she, or he, would disappear if they weren't connected somehow. At least there was a bit of good news; she was in fact back in her own proper timeline, and though Seifer was disowned by his biological family, he was now part of Yukino's. Rosalia shut her eyes, holding back any tears and felt a small smile reach her lips, squeezing his hand again. "It's... It'll be okay now... I-i'm back, and... and I'm not leaving again... W-we can take whatever comes next one step at a time... together again..." she replied softly, trying to reassure her lover, as well as herself. She sniffled once though, before pulling out her own pink case, formerly purple, and took out one of the cards to show the male. It was the first card she saw when returning to this timeline, not that he knew that: Spring Petal Magus. "I-i um... I'm not sure what happened to Luquier... I don't remember getting Venus back before I uh.. vanished... so maybe that's why my deck is different? Bu-ut its okay. I'm not sad, really. These feel.. nice..."