After the recent rash of quests, Xerxes decided that it was time to take a little break and unwind. Before going their separate ways, Ikazuchi had mentioned that the guild received a small request from a bar owner which could potentially be the perfect place for the Desiertian to get some much-needed relaxation and to make some quick jewels along the way. Xerxes had longed to taste the alcohol of Fiore and wondered if it was as good as or better than what was provided at home. Leaving his staff in his room and picking up the request flyer that Ikazuchi left, Xerxes headed towards the strip with renewed vigor.

Nearly a half hour later, Xerxes finds himself on the strip, a bustling area of partygoers and bars as far as the eye can see. Everyone had a drink in their hand and a smile on their face. In a normal situation, Xerxes would have joined in and partied the night away. A future king enjoying the time with his eventual subjects in order to foster a relationship with them. Today, however, he wanted to take a quieter approach. To observe and survey while still enjoying what the city has to offer, minus the quest at hand. Walking down the strip, he sees the request owner’s empty bar to the right while many of the partygoers were frequenting the bar to the left. Noting the disparity, Xerxes quickly heads inside and sits alone at the bar top. “Screw him! How the hell does Enil get all the customers. I put just as much money into this as he does. I bust my ass harder than he does. It’s not fair.” During his rant, he notices Xerxes sitting down and places a glass of water in front of him. “How are you doing buddy? Sorry if you heard any of that. I’m having a bad day. How can I help you?” “I believe I should be asking you that.” Xerxes says as he pulls out the request flyer and slides it towards the owner. The man’s eyes widen with glee as he realizes who is in front of him. “You’re one of those Sleeping Calamity members? Thank God, my prayers have been answered.” The man, whose name is revealed to be Mitya, and Xerxes begin to discuss at length the details of the request. How he feels slighted that despite his hard work, Enil gets all the customers. “I don’t need you to do much. Just cause some sort of disturbance and get them to come over here. I just need a chance to show them that my bar can be just as good as his. Hell, better than his.” “I’ll help but I’ll need something to get me started.” “What?” the man asks inquisitively. “Give me a couple shots of your strongest liquor.”

WC: 473

His body felt flush, the world was spinning. This was a feeling Xerxes had not experienced in quite some time. The liquor in Desierto was potent but this…. This Fiorian liquor was something else entirely. He had not known how many shots he drank. He lost count around six. He stopped himself while he was still coherent enough to realize that he had a job to do. Stumbling out of the bar, he wanders over to Enil’s bar and surveys the area. The thought crosses his mind: ‘How to get everyone out of the bar?’ A mischievous smile crosses his face as he realizes the best course of action. He stumbles towards the center of the bar as he feels the liquor rumbling inside his stomach. His vision blurs as he crosses the area and spots the largest man in the bar. A behemoth of a man who likely spent all his free time lifting small cars in lieu of weights. “Perfect.” He slurs as he moves closer. The rumbling in his stomach increases as he rapidly approaches the man.

“Hey!” Xerxes says as he taps the man on the shoulder. The man turns and faces Xerxes with beer in hand before stumbling back after being struck with a straight hook to the jaw. The man, still dazed by the blow, glares at the Desiertian. “You’re a dead man.” He says as he lunges towards him. His strikes were slow and uncoordinated, so much so that even in his drunken state, Xerxes had no problems avoiding them. Xerxes slowly led the man backwards, egging him on with brief flashes of a smile. The man, having had enough of Xerxes, throws all his weight into this next punch, inadvertently falling right into Xerxes’ plan. He easily dodges the punch as it hits the drunken man behind him. Before long, a massive brawl breaks out, Xerxes drunkenly dodging all strikes that happen to come his way. Patrons not involved in the skirmish decide to leave the area and slowly start to form over towards Mitya’s bar. Enil, the bar owner, appears from the back with a scowl on his face and makes a beeline towards Xerxes. “You! Out!” he says forcefully as he places a hand on Xerxes’ shoulder. Xerxes dismissively waves his hand and stumbles out of the bar, job completed. Two hours later, after he sobers up some, Xerxes returns to the area and sees that Mitya’s bar is still packed with people. Mitya himself sees Xerxes outside and greets him with a warm smile. “I don’t know how you did it but you did it. Thank you! Words can not repay what you’ve done for me.” He hastily shakes Xerxes’ hand and places a pouch of jewels in his free hand before returning to maintain his now busy bar.

WC: 470
TWC: 943 [Quest Completed]