Welcome to Tokyo, Japan. January, 1991. The world has entered the technology era, portable phones, home computers, internet, video games. Japan quickly became the epicenter of the latest and greatest. Companies and factories flourished. Where money was, people followed. And while many rose to live a comfortable, happy, and delightful life from this new found money... Others did not. You see, money has this effect on people that can't be outdone. People will do anything for it. And when it starts slipping into the wrong hands, it's impossible to stop. Benethe the day time laborers and the double-shift workers, a seedy underbelly of syndicates exists. Narctics, black market, organized crime, money laundering, you name it and it's been growing as fast as the upper world economy. While many do it just to stay alive, there's those who make it their posh lifestyle. Either way, there's only one question. What would you do if the money was good enough?
JAN 29 2021: Welcome!! ƎLEMENT has been open for two weeks now and we're so happy to see such a bright beginning! If you're new feel free to drop into the discord and say hi before joining.
He tried to have regular hours at the arcade. Tried being the key word here. He wanted to be there to back up his employees for the shiftier situations the place got into, and those usually happened at night. His intention to be a good boss did not, however, make being called from his office to handle clientele any less nerve wracking or frustrating. But his staff knew him. They knew he wasn’t going to throw someone out on account of he was too weak to. But you know, he was the owner and he got the final say in kicking out most people. So, off he went following a very annoyed employee as she more or less complained about someone drunkenly hogging a very specific machine. One of the newer ones in fact, much to everyone’s displeasure.
Something something ‘being obnoxious’ something something too much to drink. OF course. It wasn’t uncommon for certain patrons to go back and forth between the bar. After all, drunkards spent more money, right? It was the only reason he’d even gone for an alcohol license in the first place. But it came with its detriments. For one, watching a customer sloppily bounce around and somehow keep their vomit in their own stomach.
Yoshi watched for a moment, nodding to the young woman next to him who had, apparently, tried to convince the drunk to move bar to the bar if only to save the machine from the risk of getting thrown up on. Right, ok, he could handle a drunk. He cleared his throat as his employee crossed her arms and waited for the drunk to respond. “Hey, uhh sir. I think it’s time you came with us for a bit. Everyone needs a break in gaming to….hydrate.” he offered trailing off for a moment before looking over at his employee who gave him an encouraging nod. “C’mon, it’s pretty stuffy, right?” He glanced at the screen, squinting at the missed arrows that floated on the screen too quickly for how drunk the man was. "Not even hitting half of these."
✉ tag -- ( Sangster Lee ) ✎ 000 words ※ hope this ok!!
It wasn't... uncommon for Lee to be drunk. Certainly, drinking in excess had become more of his regular routine than he cared to admit. But how could he not indulge in the opportunity to get drunk at an arcade? The idea had worked its way into his brain when he passed by the establishment earlier in the week, noting the hours and the bar located inside. He had spent a couple weeks prior working out the controls for the DDR machine sober, before deciding tonight was the night he'd go full throttle and create a challenge for the masses to compete with him at. [break][break] Unfortunately, his escapade had not attracted many patrons who actually wanted to challenge him under the influence. Most of the crowd that had accumulated behind him were frustrated by how long he had hogged the machine, although Lee had tried to make it clear that he'd step down the moment some other person (also drunk, as that seemed only fair) defeated him on the dance pad. [break][break] Apparently he had been there so long without a challenger that management was informed. [break][break] He squints down at Yoshi. This guy seemed like he'd be pretty good. After all, he owned the establishment, right? "Tell ya what," he slurs in his accented Japanese. "If you beat me in a drunk dance off, I'll leave forever." He pauses, steadying himself on the railing as he sways in place. "But you gotta be drunk, man. Otherwise it's not level playing fields, ya feel me?" [break][break] In what universe was this ever going to end well?
The smell of alcohol was strong, and he wondered how large of a tab the man had. Was he a light weight or a heavy weight? From what his waitress had mentioned, he’d been dancing on the DDR console for a hot minute. She was tiredly trying to dissuade the crowd into leaving as the drunk looked him over, in his haze sizing him up he assumed. He braced for a sucker punch that didn’t come. Through the slurring he can still catch an accent and vaguely wondered how high this foreigner’s tolerance was. He wasn’t really going to ban the guy. He hadn’t done anything too egregious, just irritating to the staff. But he was drunk, and probably abusing hyperbole. He probably wouldn’t even remember tomorrow morning he had banned himself from the arcade.
“You’ve got to be joking.” The girl at his side said in exasperation, the mask of customer service finally broken after probably half an hour of arguing with the guy. Yoshi meanwhile stared bewildered at the poor man. He really was drunk. “S-Sir…I’m the owner.” He stated as if that would be enough. But it was for him. He probably spent the most time in this arcade compared to any other employee. Not just for work, but for fun. When it was late at night or early day, he could just turn his brain off and sit at a cabinet in peace. Still, it didn’t look like he’d budge so he looked over at the girl and nodded at her gently. “I’ll take care of it, if you could just bring me whatever the man was having, please.” He ordered. She didn’t argue, merely sighing, and shrugging the responsibility of the whole debacle off. She came back quickly enough, with a can of coke at the side. She knew him well enough; he’d need a chaser. He was pretty light weight and didn’t really drink after all.
It couldn’t have been any longer than twenty minutes, give or take five but soon enough even in the dimly lit arcade, Yoshi’s cheeks were flushed red. The room spun if he moved his head too quickly, and he had shucked off his hoodie to reveal a tattered blank tank top. “A’ight, two out of ahh three. I win you drink a gallon of water off the machine.” Yoshi declared, words slurring as he hopped onto the console and planted his feet squarely on the arrows. At this point only muscle memory was guiding him forward, the poor man squinting at the extremely vibrant screen before him. “I picka song…then you, then a fan fav.” He added.
✉ tag -- ( Sangster Lee ) ✎ 000 words ※ hope this ok!!
