#//ALCOHOL FOR THE HOLIDAYS DON'T GET MUCH BETTER FOR TONG

[doomxdriven]

Hokori casually shows up in Tong's place like she belongs, setting a comically expensive bottle of whiskey on a countertop. "Enjoy!" Of course it's out of her normal pay range, but that doesn't matter. It's got a cute little red bow on it and a tiny teddy bear holding onto the bottle.

In the past, Tong might have asked Hokori how she got into his dwelling on her own (considering it was a magically protected pocket dimension), and he had asked her that a couple of times actually (he never did get a good answer from her at that), but he was so used to her showing up by now that the thought didn't even cross his mind-- no the first thing he focused on was the bottle of alcohol she set down on one of his counters.

"What? That? That's really for me?" Tong said, an eyebrow raised, "Ain't no way."

Tong, getting up from the make-shift summoning circle he was working on (the summoning of a few demonic pals was going to have to wait), makes his way over to the countertop and leans his face in close to that bottle of whisky.

Tong could already tell what brand it was (or what brand it seemed to be) from where he had been sitting across the room, it was a personal favorite of his but at the same time, it was insanely expensive, and sort of rare-- it was a spirit that Tong could only ever afford to sip a few times every few years maybe, but here Hokori was, with a whole bottle of it, and she was giving it to him?

Tong, after picking up the bottle and setting aside the miniature plush that was attached, continues to observe it, wondering if maybe this was some sort of knock-off variety or worse, a prank (it wouldn't be the first time Hokori mischievously pulled some wool over his eyes) but once he popped the top off and took a whiff of it's contents, he knew for sure that this was the real deal.

Tong had a lot of questions to be sure, none more prominent in his mind than 'where on earth did Hokori get this bottle'-- he figured she didn't pay for it, there was no way she could afford something like this, he knew damn well she was almost as broke as he was (if not broke-r), but where...? No, no, ultimately, Tong decided that wasn't the question to ask, in fact, he resolved to not ask any questions, period.

There's a few more moments of silence and stillness that follow, with Tong just staring at that bottle, but eventually he brings up his free hand and removes his mask, along with the silly hat he usually wore, and when he turns around to face Hokori, there's something on his face that she might have only seen once or a twice now, a smile; a small but genuine one, genuine as in warm, and not mixed in with sarcasm or the product of some facetious remark.

To boot, Tong even sounds grateful when he says,

"Heh, thanks, thanks a whole lot, I owe you one, or a few actually-- just gimme a day or two before you start tryin' to collect, I'm gonna be enjoyin' this." // @heincus