Bonding Through Liquor

Gaga drank with the old man for two entire hours, Amy chipped in a word or two every once in a while to their conversation but not much other than that, even then she spoke a ton compared to the others sitting at the table who've yet to utter a word, they only sat there drinking their beer in silence

"So what have you been up to all this time, I hear they sent you on an urgent mission near the far borders"

After catching up on their adventures she asked about his most recent activity, more than curious to know what he was sent so far to do

"Don't bring it up, its been a pain in the ass"

He didn't want to retell the story it seemed and tried to shrug it off, this only added to her curiosity however as not many things could pain his old hard ass

"Come on old man, tell me what went down to get you so annoyed"

That's all it took to get the drunkard's tongue slipping

"This kid is what happened, this troublemaking firecracker" "Pff!"

Being called a firecracker by the old man Yu involuntarily sprayed his drink out on the two sitting in front of him, Jax just wiped the offending beer drops off him but Trudy took a good deep breath in order to calm herself down and not rage at his actions

"Sorry"

He apologised to the duo and sent the old beggar a glare

"Don't look at me like that kid, you're indeed as flashy as a firecracker and just as fleeting too"

Hearing this Gaga didn't seem surprised on the surface, on the inside though she was quite astonished, it wasn't as if the rumours going around hadn't reached her ears already but rumours tend to get magnified somewhat when going from one drunk mercenary to the other, hearing it from this drunk mercenary beside her though was an entirely different matter

While Gaga, and even Amy by her side, shot him a few glances Yu tried to ignore them, his mind constantly complaining

'I knew this 'party' would be boring'

All they did was sit down and either drink or tell stories, stories that have yet to pique his interest at all since it was everyone just bragging

'Its too repetitive as well, even when they are talking about me it quickly got very stale...actually I would like it if they never talked about me'

His stories only brought trouble after all and weren't worth bragging about

His boring and uneventful time didn't last long as per his wishes when a person suddenly sat at their table uninvited garnering the attention of its occupants

It was a young man with a slight smile, his clothes and the sword at his waist gave off his identity as a mercenary as were most of this tavern's visitors, unlike them though he didn't seem afraid of conversing with the ones everyone has been ignoring thus far

"If it isn't my fellow friends from the neighbouring group, how have you been faring lately"

He said amicable words, the tone however bore no friendliness and even sounded sarcastic

'Finally, someone here to cause trouble'

Any other time he wouldn't want trouble, but if it got him out of this boring place he couldn't help but welcome it with open arms

The other's weren't so glad to see this fellow though and outright ignored him, then again everyone else has been ignoring them so who could give them any blame

"Come on, don't be so uptight, aren't we all here to have some fun? Just look at everyone around you"

He grandly gestured to the rest of the tavern

"Then look at your faces"

He then dismissively gestured to the three of them

"You're dampening everyone's fun, lighten up your mood would you, it's about time you stopped mourning the dead"

Slam! "Just shut it Ray, we aren't here to listen to your bullshit so get another table"

Udo was the first to get ticked at the man's comments, Yu noticed however that it was only when those last words were said was the young man incensed

"Then what are you hear to do? Have fun? It sure as hell doesn't look like it to me"

"We do what we want, its none of your business where we do it"

"Not really, you and your group can only dampen everyone's fun by your presence and you're not having fun yourselves either, it would only do yourselves and the rest of the people here a favour to leave"

The tavern was already silent listening to their conversation, with their silence came judgmental eyes that agreed with the young man's words

"You don't belong here"

He further added with his smile expression, perhaps to incite Udo's uncomfortableness even further

"The way I see it it's you who doesn't belong here"

A new voice suddenly joined their banter

Everyone turned to Yu only to see him staring at the uninvited guest with a daring look in his eyes

"And who might you be? I've never seen your face around"

"Neither have I seen you silly face either, and I'd like to keep it that way so kindly leave my sight"

"Hah! Your quite gutsy, telling me I don't belong here, what makes you think I'm unwelcome among my fellow mercenaries"

He asked back with a daring look of his own

"I wasn't talking about the tavern"

Yu answered just before a heavy suffocating feeling filled the room

"I meant the land of the living"

Now holding the deadly weapon Yu pointed it at the gulping Ray, every intention of threat clear to the viewers

"You- who do you think you are pointing a weapon in the middle of Goldfields, arent you afraid you'l get imprisoned for it!"

Ray tried to look brave in his words but one couldn't help but notice the slight shake in his tone, the thing pointing at him kind of reminded him of those close shaves he had with death

"I did far worse and got away with it, killing another mercenary in broad daylight, hmm, take it as punishment for your blatant provocation"

"W-what provocation?! I only advised this group to leave, what does it even have to do with you"

"Advised? Look, for better or for worse I'm a part of this group now, your words insulted them and by doing so threw insult at me as well, I have every right to end your life here right now for that"

The heavy atmosphere of death grew heavier as Yu put his finger on the trigger, ready to put an ended to the loudmouth's life

"Let it go kid"

The old man's sober voice came from the other end of the table halting his actions

"Stop being so dramatic and killing someone every time they insult you or try to harm you, your far too aggressive and unforgiving"

He was advised which made him hesitate for a second, in the end he stored the dangerous weapon and ignored the shaking Ray who almost lost his life to a small provocation

Silently the no longer smiling man got up to leave the tavern, not wanting to be under the same roof as this deadly threat, only for Yu to stope him for a kind reminder

"Ray was it? Watch your path at night, you never know when someone with nothing better to do creeps at you with ill intentions"

Gulp…

Swallowing his dry saliva the nervous man hurriedly exited the tavern before any more threats were thrown at him

The tavern continued on being rowdy after the small incident, these tough mercenaries had seen much worse than a death threat or two, granted no one would be forgetting this usually silent young man's actions and would soon spread even more stories of the 'walking calamity'

"Do you make a habit of threatening people to death when your drunk?"

Asked Udo, he wasn't reprimanding him though and even had a smirk on his face, quite obviously the sight of fleeting Ray filled him with joy

"I'm not the slightest bit drunk"

Replied Yu garnering an instant comment from the sober old man

"Neither am I now thanks to your little shenanigan, let's fix that shall we? Let's drink till we drop!"

"No thank you"

"Come on kid, when you can't hold your liquor maybe Amy can even take your drunken ass home, establish some friendly bonds between you two, hahaha!"

He joked brazenly, Amy gave a polite smile but didn't agree, nor disagree however

"I can drink you under the table and would still be wide awake"

Yu's response quickly put a stop to the old man's laugh, his eyes narrowing at the challenge

"Got a bit full of yourself after a small show of strength? Think you can challenge these old bones now do ya?"

"To a drinking contest? Sure"

"Haha, you really have some spunk kid, fine by me, let's start a drinking competition then!"

"You wouldn't mind if I join now would you?"

Asked Gaga, already grabbing hold of her mug to start the chugging survival game

Yu merely shook his head at their enthusiasm and faced Jax, lifting his cup in a silent cheers and gulping it down

Jax, and even Udo, saw this and gave each other a look, they contemplated it for a bit but shrugged in the end and grabbed their own mugs to pour the alcoholic liquid into their pit one time after the other commencing a bonding ritual conducted by men and woman across the land, one that needed no words and only liquor