Drinks to Celebrate! Amon/Hanako

Amon noticed Hanako give him an incredulous glance when he mentioned that guns were used. Oh yeah, she's been dead for several centuries. What a bumm- Wait a minute…. Amon's grin grew viciously as several ideas popped up. He was invisible to Humans for the most part except for those who were spiritually inclined or even mediums, so that meant if he "borrowed a few things he could potentially show Hanako how capable firearms really were. Then again, he just wanted guns despite them being a tad powerless against a Zanpacto… or not.

"You'd be surprised, guns are the main tool used in hunting, war, self defense and so forth. Tell ya what, next time I'm on earth- Which is quite frequent- I'll grab a few, we can head out to a field around the Gotei and I'll show ya how effect they are," Amon said, making more a promise without saying he was promising it, "I'm not doubting a Zanpacto, I heard they can pack quite a punch, so… I kinda hope for the best with mine."

It was true that Amon had his sights set on getting a Zanpacto. While he felt that his fighting abilities came first he was still figuring out his own style which was coming along swimmingly. He didn't have a katana like most but a broadsword that was evenly balanced, and with what he was learning to do with it was a bit more capable than what he could potentially do with a thin, curved weapon. His main issue was just trying to come up with something effective for it.

"Pssshhaww," Amon said, waving away the warnings of the amount of crap the Fourth goes through, "Used to work at a warehouse for a living, we sent a lotta shit worldwide, plus I was one of the inventory checkers as well so at this point it's practically what I'm used to. But it's no problem overall, helps me keep my wits and mind from dulling, right? But uhh… My name?"

Amon really had to stop and think about that, not really recollecting how he got his name but of what his parents told him, "Well, I think before I said all the things I had a passion for, all the good and bad memories that were significant in my life. Yes, Amon J. Breach is my real, legal name, apparently the doctor mistook the word amon for what my dad said and wrote that on the birth certificate. Hanako is your real name, right? Or did someone give it to ya?"

Smartass.

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako tried to hide her smile behind some food or drink when Amon advertised the effectiveness of firearms. She had seen with her own eyes what some Shinigami could do without even breaking a sweat and could only imagine what they were capable of when they pulled out all the stops. It was hard to imagine that any weapon that had no powerful spiritual component, could even come close.
But then again, she couldn’t deny that Amon made her curious. Maybe she should just let Amon collect his relics and have a look.

“Mhmm, I really wouldn’t worry about your Zanpakuto. It took me a long while to get to know mine, too. So that happens, apparently.”

Then Hana’s smile widened into a grin and she didn’t try to hide it anymore. She really wouldn’t have thought that Amon would have a knack for these things. But apparently being the warrior type didn’t exclude anything.
Oh well, Hanako was probably the last person who should think anything along those lines. She, the almost 2-metre-tall amazon that liked to wear flowery summer dresses, was the last person who should judge any book by its cover.

When Amon answered her question about her name she became quiet for a few moments and her smile faded slowly. A cup of sake, almost at her lips, remained motionless and her gaze went off into the distance, watching the memory of a day not too long back. A day she had shared with Elyss Kishimoto, of all people.

“Sato.” she suddenly said, then woke up from her excursion down memory lane and looked at Amon with a crooked and somewhat sad smile on her lips. “Ameko Sato. That is my real name. Or was.”

It was the first time since then that she had spoken it aloud. It wasn’t even a secret or anything. It was just something she hadn’t dared to speak of until now. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe she just had had enough time to come to terms with it, maybe both.

“Don’t worry…” she hurried to add. “You don’t have to get used to a new name. I just found out about that name a short while ago myself and am not planning to use it anytime soon.”

She finally took that sip of sake that was hovering in front of her lips for some time now.

“I know that Ameko had been my name once, but I don’t really know who this Ameko-person is or what happened to her. Got the name Hanako Yamada when I got my arm, …”
She raised her right arm when she said that.
“... because the hospital staff got tired of calling me ‘female patient’ and that’s that. For all intents and purposes I am Hanako Yamada.”

She poured herself another cup of sake, it was the last one of the small bottle, and raised it in toast.

“To our names. And to Ameko Sato, whoever she was.”

" My issue isn't so much receiving a Zanpacto," Amon shifted in his seat, taking a sip of the fourth glass of sake, most likely slowing down instead of getting shitfaced first- not that he couldn't hd his liquor, "I'm more concerned about just not having one sooner, maybe I shouldn't rush it, but what if I happen upon a strong foe I can't just beat by normal circumstances? I heard of these Zanpactos being ape-shit wild, hell, even heard of one turning into a fuckin' rocket... I dunno, right now I'm just concerned with finding my style of fighting."

But then, Hanakos face fell for a second and it almost seemed like she was at a loss of words and emotion. Amon hoped he didn't press into some bad moment in her history, but when she spoke or was of a distant memory. Ameko Sato, eh? Amon couldn't help but smirk as he downed the contents of his sake, pouring a fifth glass unaware of the effects he'd feel later.

"Kinda cute if ya ask me," Amon replies with a wolfish grin, not even looking at Hanako as he poured his fifth glass and then raised it, ",To our names. And whoever the fuck Ameko was."

And down the he the alcohol went. Amon went on to pour another glass of sake but realized it was out. By now his vocabulary was just slightly slurred to the very careful listener. He said aloud, "Excuse me, sir, could I's perhaps have something... Stronger?"

The shopkeeper turned sharply, there was a shadow under his eyes as he looked slightly upward and his eyes downward at Amon and replied in a serious but low tone, "Are you saying you haven't had enough?"

"Are you saying I can't hold my beer?" Amon had the exact same expression and a tone to match the shopkeepers.

"Hmph!" The shopkeeper went into a small closet and pulled out a small bottle, no bigger than a conventional beer bottle and slammed the glass on the table in front of either Shinigami, and with a grin he said, "I have never had anyone finish five shots of sake and not pass out from it in years! This right here, is Black Iris Deep Brew."

In dramatic aww, Amon started at the bottle and said, "Holy shit, it has blackberry in it?!"

"If you can hold down at least half the bottle of this stuff, your tab is clear and you can keep it! However," The shopkeepers malicious gaze had returned, " If you can't finish it, then you pay double this tab. This stuff's expensive."

Amon simply smiled, took the bottle and gave an amused huff. He shrugged and took a sip straight out of the bottle, and after a little taste test, there was an audible sound of enjoyment, and then he started to chug the thing. True, he could potentially be in danger of intoxication, but that's not gonna hurt anyone, right?

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako gave Amon a side eye with a hard-to-decipher smile.

"You know, having acc'ss to your Shikai or even Bankai 's no guarantee that there won't be someone stronger. Take Magnolia Everfrost, fo' example. I cou' achieve Bankai right here, right now, go to her, drag her out o' bed and challenge her. She'd prolly still be able to snuff me out without even drawing her sword."

She snapped her fingers to emphasize just how fast it would go.

"Not that I would do that. I like Magnolia. Magnificent woman, helped me a lot. What I wanna say is, there cou' always be someone far stronger than we. Can't be prepared fo' everything."

The alcohol began to get to Hanako a bit, but not that much. She was a big woman with a lot of mass… well, to be honest, she had no idea if that had anything to do with anything, but she could imbibe quite a lot if it wasn't too strong.

"Heh, thank you." She said and smiled. There could be a little bit of red be seen on her cheeks and a warm and fuzzy feeling of relaxation dispersed in her. It was nice for a change.

"I letcha kno' when I find out who that girl was."

She watched the exchange between Amon and the shopkeeper with amusement. Even growing amusement when she watched her colleague chug a good portion of the bottle of that allegedly strong stuff, much to the bewilderment of the shopkeeper. When the man turned away and left she grinned and chuckled.

"Wonder what kinda lightweights his other customers are. I mean, that was jus' sake not shochu."

She shrugged and leaned back a bit. Sake was usually not stronger than 20% and served in small bottles. Hana would have to drink at least two of them to get seriously tips and the one bottle she had she'd even partially shared with Amon. Shochu on the other hand was a spirit that could have as much as 40% alcohol. Hana had no idea how she knee, she just knew.

"Eh, before you down that whole bottle yourself lemme at least try it." She said and held her empty sake cup out. Sake cups were small, held only a few sips. Amon would survive sharing a bit and to win the bet he only needed to drink half of it.

From the corner of her eye she saw that the food was almost all gone.

"Hm, I'm still hungry."

"Looshk here's," Amon said after he finished almost the entire bottle of the ale, nevermind the amazement on the shopkeepers face and Amon raised a finger, "That's why I has to get strongest! I don't want some punk ass cumguzzler to beat me up because I can't keep up! But I don't jus talk about Zanbuttono, I'm talkin' about shkill, smarts, and whatever the fuck I need."

Amon scoots the bottle toward Hanako which still had a good several gulps left. Though now his speech was becoming more slurred, it was evident he held down the liquor well and was already pouring yet another glass of sake. Nevermind the I'll effects he'd have later, he was the type of person to continuously eat and drink until he's had enough… maybe. Still then, the shopkeeper was producing the food when it was necessary and holding up his word erased the tab on the pairs ordering.

"People's who get drunk off this stuff with just a few shots are pussies in my onionion. It's like- go back to drinking your five percent mango seltzers you fruitcakes!"

Amon was relaxed, perhaps too relaxed for even his own taste. When he gets this hooked on liquor he's honest and open about most things and it was hard to put him in a bad mood. The amount of bar fighting he's dealt with in the past, in his words, "Were fun," and it was always fun to the guy no matter if he got his ass whipped or not. Not that he's ever let someone get the upper hand, that is, he was pretty clever and fast when fighting. Amon started to chow down on the skewered meat not caring if it were poultry, beef, cat or dog, it was good and the alcohol helped enhance the taste. At least to him.

Amon decided to continue jumping from subject to subject with little warning, "But other than thats, don't mind me, I just has a different taste in people I guess. Ice always been used to being around the rowdy, tough country and goth crowd for a while, beinh an orphan can kinda letcha be around a variety of people like that."

The Big Woman

Hanako Yamada

Hanako poured herself a small shot of the brew that Amon seemed to enjoy so much. Without much thinking she swallowed it…and immediately wished she didn’t. It wasn’t too strong for her, far from it, especially with just a small gulp. But it tasted…terribly.

“Ungh.”

A shiver went down her spine and she pulled a grimace which alone spoke volumes about what she thought about the drink.

“Mph, you can have the rest of it. That tastes awful.”

She quickly grabbed one of the last pieces of food, terriyaki chicken. The sweet and salty taste alleviated what she had done to her taste buds, but nothing to erase the memory of it. It was about the opposite of what effect yasmine tea did have on her when she first tried it. Then she’d immediately fallen in love with the taste. Now it was instant revulsion.

“You kno what? Be careful with that strength thing. I was like that once. Nothing else on my mind. Held me back actually. Dunno how, but it really did. I needed to find my focus, like now, like the Fourth. Don’ make the same mistake.”

She listened to Amon ramble on about different topics, like being an orphan. He went on and on, becoming more and more talkative the more he drank. Hanako…not so much. She was far from the point where she’d lose enough inhibitions to become as extroverted as she sometimes wanted to be. Whenever she tried, she failed, hit a roadblock in her own mind. Something where experience would have helped, experience she either never had or had lost. Somehow to her, as hard as she might try to deny it, not knowing which it was was unimaginably painful. In some ways she’d even liked it better to know if she had been an orphan. At least she’d know that she’d been anything. After all the way she had come, after all the development that had changed her in the last few years, she still felt the sting of the blank spot in her memories.

“I should be headin’ home.” she said suddenly. She looked at Amon and smiled apologetically.
“Sorry, don’ wanna be a…whatsacallit? Killjoy. Don’ wanna be a killjoy, but I feel like I really should be goin’.”

She stood up.

“I did enjoy the drinks. It did get ma mind off things. Thanks. And your mouth act’lly spared us the tab. Thanks for that also.”

She turned towards the door, thought for a moment and then turned back.

“Don’ overdo it, Breach.”

It was meant to sound stern, maybe even a bit intimidating. But it was delivered with one of Hanako’s crooked smiles.

.

Amon was a constant talker, however in the end he slowed down from a hard boil to simple scalding water. In other words he calmed down a lot now that the alcohol was doing its magic. He took a few more drinks but stopped when he realized there was a collection going… and that his vision was starting to blur slightly. Hanako was first to stand announcing her departure, which in hindsight was most likely a good idea. The last thing she needed to see was Amon turn into an alcoholic mess of emotion, not that he ever let his real emotions come out, it was the fact that he hasn't had a good drink since his departure from the living world.

"OoOoh… I hazg chya Hankyo,"Amon slurred, though he could think with good brain power everything he was saying said otherwise. He too stood up pulling out a wallet which the shopkeeper practically told him to just keep the money.

When Hanako spoke more he heard most of what she said, and clearly he was having a battle understanding it all. But then it clicked and a solid, "Oh," escaped the drunk Shinigami. It was clear that he too should go, and before Hanako left Amon gave a half-assed salute and said, "Pashhhawww! I get handled 'em! Nice night, Hunkano!"

With that, Hanako had left, which left the lone man in the bar by himself. He stood staring at the door but then went on to exit the building after a few minutes, taking a free bag of kabobs with him. Unfortunately, Amon's night wouldn't end there as he blacked out from his drinking, now free to terrorize any poor innocent… Maybe.