Do Sober, Too Drunk

The smell of the food was always worth stopping for. Halting at a spot that felt as safe as any, Zunair finally looked up and took in what was around him. The Hyūga had been lost in his own world. His mind stuck on the pretend game he had created to make walking bearable, had filtered out the growling sounds of his stomach. However, the tiny settlement had its fair share of lunch rushes. He had always disliked this time of day and cursed his stomach for choosing now of all times to protest its emptiness. Why couldn't he like to eat an hour from now? Maybe an hour before would have been better? Zunair thought that he could wait. Allow the couples to share their meals, the business folk to rush through their break. He could watch, he thought. There were a few familiar faces. The old man always had coffee with his sandwich even when it was hot outside. There was the elderly group of female friends whose laughter was infectious - sitting around a table with tea. He'd waited before. But this time he was not going to as he sat at the bar, wholesome lonesome, and ordered his drink.


"Your wine, Zunair. Would you like something to eat?" The voice of the owner of the small restaurant interrupted his thoughts. The bright mint eyed male would nod his head and give him a small smile. It wasn't uncommon for people from the village to know him by name, especially given his rather borderline problem when it came to alcohol. He basically had to have at least one drink a night, perhaps developed through the years of being a Hyūga. Like one had a caffeine addiction, but his was with plum wine. And there was nothing to not like about the liquid, slightly sour, sweet and acidic. There was no way of drinking it that wasn't pleasant, although he himself preferred on the rocks. It was the best way to taste the alcohol at its finest and purest.

Kisatsu-tai...he thought to himself, picking up the tall glass of wine, the ice cubes bumped into one another inside the glass, creating music of its own. The male looked absent-mindedly at his drink, twirling his hand so that the substance turned with the motion. He took a sip from it and closed his eyes. The first taste that hit his tongue was the sourness of the plums, which then turned into almost sickly sweet as it traveled down his throat. Zunair's body felt warm when the liquid slid down his throat and made it into his system. Just as good plum wine should. He put down the glass gently on the counter, his mind wandering to the recent events lately.

[TWC: 460]

The sun beat down on the Uchiha as he pushed himself in yet another basic jutsu workout. His chakra control was still something he felt he needed to get better at, there was so much for him to learn from his family that if he didn't get it under control who knows what would happen next. The scars on his face felt like they burned in remembrance of the last time he disappointed his family. That disappointment was over not showing correct respect, his nightmares began to fill in what the repercussions would be if he didn't live up to their expectations of him as a ninja. As the sweat dripped off his forehead, he tried to get a drink of water from his water container. "Of course..." Chimon said, annoyed at his lack of preparation in coming to work out. Grabbing his bag and his mask, he began to walk towards the food district of Konoha. He placed his mask on his face to cover his scars. In the bottom right of the mask was an Uchiha symbol.

Chimon's muscles felt sore and that feeling made him feel alive. The endorphins that came out of his workout always made him want to keep going, but he knew if he did it could hinder him. The streets weren't horribly busy, but he knew the shop he wanted to stop at was going to have a lot of people in there. It was always busy, especially around lunchtime. His thoughts began to swirl around in his head about what food he would order, and the ice-cold beverage he would ask for alongside it. Ramen didn't sound good, it would be too warm and would keep him sweating. Some fried rice and some cold water sounded like they would satisfy his craving.

Opening the door, the number of couples eating lunch keeps him from finding a good table. He saw an empty spot at the bar and made his way up. "You okay if I take the seat?" Chimon said to the longer-haired person sitting next to him. He would then go on to sit and order from the bar, ordering some fried rice with teppanyaki sauce and some ice-cold water. He sat and waited patiently, leaving his mask on to hopefully avoid any questions about his scars.

[TWC 384]

“Here you go, Zunair!” The elderly chef laughed as he served up a big bowel of beef ramen to Zunair. Popping the chop sticks apart, he elegantly placed them between his fingers and promptly dug in. With a couple bites in, he turned to his drink. While savoring his plum wine, he felt presence shifting close to him. Turning his gaze, he was met with a figure who hid their face with a mask. Studying the individual, he saw the Uchiha clan symbol towards the bottom of their mask. 'Hm, another Uchiha. I've been running into them a lot here lately. Besides the rest of them, he's hair didn't match their characteristics, I wonder if he'd dyed it,' Zunair thought to himself, while staring holes into the young man. "Ai, of course you can," the Hyūga said with a wave towards the seat while turning his path of sight towards the rows of liquor once again.

After listening to the person next to him order his items, Zunair decided it was the perfect time to chime in, "Ai, I would suggest the plum wine. It's quite extravagant, unless you don't like things that are sour and sweet," Zunair offered the suggestion with a smile. Luckily for him, whenever he starts drinking, his usual cold demeanor fades and is replaced with that of a much more pleasant one. "So, you're from the Uchiha clan? Such a stark contrast from the usual dark color they normally have. Do you dye it?" Zunair asked, striking up a conversation with the individual that was seated next to him.

[TWC: 724]