week two | dates

[marriagebroker]

Kiss the girl~!

Or guy.

Or person.

Or Messmer's snake.

Comments

[poans]

[Fun, he says.]

. . . What do you suggest?

[reverso]

Well...

[This happens to be an open bar and a self-serve bar, which is a shame because only one of these two can seem to appreciate that. Verso wanders over to the other side to see what's stocked.]

A little bit of this?

[He unearths a big bottle of bourbon, placing it on the bar. The liquid is deep, sparkling, and amber, although it looks surreal under this lighting.

Okay, not particularly odd of a pick, but it could help him come out of his shell?]

[poans]

[The surreal look of it is what draws Yi Sang's gaze. He appraises the sparkling liquid within and the dew gathering on the bottle itself. If nothing else, it looks striking.]

Very well. Then I shall partake of this refreshment before we begin.

[He lifts his chin just enough to indicate his attention on Verso.]

What of you?

[reverso]

[An artist’s eye on this one, maybe? Hard to say, what with everything else being so eye-searing, but Verso wonders if he’s caught a mild appreciation of… the bottle from Yi Sang.]

Same thing, mon ami.

[He fetches two squat little glasses; they, too, gleam strangely in this light. More so when Verso pours them both a generous amount.]

Down the hatch. Good luck for our golfing endeavors.

[poans]

[That is a very generous amount.]

Mm.

[He takes the glass, pauses to admire how the light dances on the bourbon's surface, and raises the rim to his lips. The first sip gives him pause, but he continues to drink some more before setting the glass down.]

[reverso]

[Down it goes for him, too. It's a little stronger than what he likes to take, but it goes down warm and pleasantly enough.]

You enjoy how it looks?

[He has to remark on it now, having noticed that lingering glance twice.]

[poans]

[There's still some left in his glass, which draws his gaze again at Verso's mention.]

The lights reflected upon the surface of this whiskey provide a clear image in spite of the surrounding darkness. Ah, even a drink such as this can bring forth lucidity.

[reverso]

[In spite of the darkness...]

You have the eye of an artist, you know.

[poans]

Nay, rather than an artist . . . my eye could be said to be that of a crow.

[When one thinks of artists, those like Verso and Nico come to mind. If nothing else, Yi Sang is a sentimentalist, for better or for worse.]

[reverso]

A crow, as in... you just appreciate the beauty you do find?

[In the small things, at that. Bright and glittering in the dark.]

[poans]

[If only. Verso's words are soft and rooted in something far lighter than Yi Sang can see.]

Does the crow portend, or is it simply an opportunist? Man will despair and wither, and the crow shall bear witness to the haze as it fades.

[reverso]

[ ...

Poets, man.]

Crows will wither, too, after all is said and done.

[Verso claps his hand on Yi Sang's back if he allows it.]

Another drink? Then we can get started.

[poans]

Mm.

[So they will. Hopefully, sooner than later.

Verso claps his back, and Yi Sang takes that as a cue to finish off his glass.]

Indeed.

[reverso]

[And Verso, too, will do the same.

He finds he has more questions for Yi Sang (when does he not), but he'd rather get them started on their game of mini-golf before any of that. When he's ready, he leads them to their first course; it's neon-lit and gaudy, with a Swamp Thing (tm) monster made of plastic and foam standing in the middle, but it's also a beginner course. So maybe they'll do okay.

He hands him his club.]

Why don't you go first?

[poans]

[The decor is too much. And yet, there's a certain charm to it.

He accepts the club, then sets the white ball he's been assigned down near the edge of the course. A look at the shape of the club's head has him reposition himself to stand a little ways behind and off to the side of the ball, the club held loosely between his hands.]

Am I to strike the ball now?

[reverso]

That's right. But probably not as hard as you think.

[A glance at the course, and it's pretty straightforward: he'll have to hit it through a small array of colorful objects fashioned to act like a mini "archway", initiating the path the golf ball should follow. Then it'd go between the monster's legs and into the hole behind it.

All in all, a relatively straight line.]

See how many times it takes for you to get in the hole over there, past the monster.

[poans]

[Yi Sang lifts his head to assess the rough trajectory of the course, then looks down at the ball. Thoroughly out of his element, he hits the ball with a tap of the club . . . and watches it roll two inches forward.

This may be a while.]

[reverso]

[ … ]

That was just warm-up shot, so we won’t count that one. Maybe hit it a little harder next time?

[poans]

[Yi Sang takes another contained shot. This time, the ball rolls a whopping twelve inches. That's a whole foot!]

[reverso]

...

Impressive!

[g-good job]

One more time, a bit harder? It won't make its way down that into that hole, otherwise.

[poans]

[There's a pregnant pause before he takes a step forward and gives the ball a muted tap. It rolls diagonally a handful of feet away, near one of the props fashioned like an archway.

He straightens.]

I believe it is now your turn.

[reverso]

[Well, that was a little better. Verso nods and takes his turn.

Once set up, he taps the ball with the club. It rolls farther out, past Yi Sang's, underneath a further archway.]

Cheer up, mon ami. We're here to have fun, aren't we?

[poans]

[Does he appear despondent? Yi Sang glances at Verso as he takes a few short steps to the ball.]

Is the purpose of these excursions not to gauge our compatibility as a match?

[reverso]

[Does he ever not appear despondent?]

Sure. But even if we're not a match at all, I'd still like for you to enjoy yourself.

[poans]

[Hmm.]

What of you?