Kyuden Shika

Nesshin, almost as much as his player, feels the need for a drink. So, Uguisu's Song it is!

Apparently Narumi now ended all her days getting shit-faced, so why stop now?

Nesshin rises as he sees the Otter enter.

"Usogawa-san!" he says happily. "It's always good to see you again! Care to join me in a drink or three?"

"Gladly, Shika-san," she sized up the Deer, and took a seat. "You're in a pleasant mood. Already into your cups?" She looked tired, and somewhat plainer than her usual self.

"Not hardly," Nesshin replies. "Just sat down, in fact, when you walked in."

He looks at her. "All well with you?" he asks.

"Hai, just... under unexpected pressures," a glance back to the Deer. "The miai is winding down; I've had a few candidates approach me in hopes I would provide some insider information on how they can secure the match they want. I'm an invariable disappointment, I'm afraid. That's all."

Sake arrives, and Nesshin pours. Passing a cup to Narumi, he says "I don't think you are, myself."

He lifts the cup, says "To your success!" and drinks.

She nods in thanks, and lifts the cup slightly. "Kampai," it's less than enthusiastic at his choice of toast, but the drink is (maybe surprisingly) slammed back like a Crab and Narumi winces deeply as she sets the cup down on the table quickly.
The goal was to get drunk as quickly as possible, after all.
"What about you? I regret we don't cross paths more often."

"I'm muddling though well enough," Nesshin replies, pouring another drink for them both. "I'd like to be performing better, of course, but I know I could be faring far worse. And I've gotten to meet a number of excellent people, as well."

He winks at her. "It's been instructive," he adds.

"To learning new things!"

And he downs his drink.

She couldn't help but smirk at the wink, and nodded as he refilled her cup. It's lifted and knocked back wordlessly with another wince and thjs time she touches her bottom lip with the back of her hand, then pulls it away to check if it's stained. Alcohol on a healing wound like that burns something fierce.
"Id say youre not doing half bad, truthfully. Hopefully you get what you want when all this madness is said and done, neh?"