When she drank, Etsu loosened up quite a bit. She was still silent, but definitely loopy, and fewer things made her uncomfortable. Conversations could go by about things like sex and love, and she'd be perfectly fine. She wouldn't speak unless spoken to, as usual, but she wouldn't feel remotely uncomfortable. But just as her lowered inhibitions kept her comfortable in these sorts of conversation, it also meant the risk that she might start a conversation or ask a question that was horribly embarrassing to someone else, or maybe even herself.

"Does Er-rd-kun r-rike bigger breasts?" Etsu asked outright.

That . . . was far too beautiful of a question. Emma slowed down a bit. They were almost at the ranch, and she was going to make goddamn sure that they were going to get there slow enough for Eld to answer that question. Even while intoxicated she could plan ahead that far, and as she turned away from Eld and Etsu, she grinned widely.

The question threw Eld off so much that he nearly tripped over a rock and fell on his face. Not being one of the ones with alcohol in the his system, he managed to catch himself, though.

Still...he never thought Etsu even though about that kind of thing, let alone would ever bring herself to voice it without a lot of prodding. Am I like this when I've been drinking? he wondered.

Fortunately, in the dark, it was hard to see how much he was blushing. "A-Ah...well...I don't dislike them...I don't think I have a preference, really," he replied.

"Oh . . ." Etsu trailed off.

She actually sounded kind of disappointed about that. Perhaps if Eld had a preference for larger breasts, then than would mean that there was one other thing he liked about her. In her inebriated state, she could actually spare the time to think about that sort of thing with some degree of seriousness. Had she not been intoxicated, she would have been red in the face right now and glaring daggers at Eld. Why? Because this topic of conversation had not been shot down by Eld, that's why.

"Way to answer neutral," Emma snorted, before sweetly turning around and facing them, walking backwards gracefully. Well, not really all that gracefully, she kind of stumbled along the way, but still. She tried. "Yer a guy! All guys got preferences! Yer just not talkin' 'cause ya don't wanna hurt nobody's feelin's."

"There's more important things about girls than their breasts!" Eld argued hotly. They always teased him about things like this, but it wasn't as though it was going to make a difference in the end! That wasn't how he made decisions. Besides, pretty much every time he'd seen a girl's breasts he'd more or less stopped thinking rationally anyway.

"Besides, shouldn't you all of people not want a guy to judge girls by the size of their chest?" he countered.

"Wh-what?!" Emma shouted.

She sounded a lot like Sarah right at that moment. Sarah, who reacted negatively to things every so often, usually in the form of a shout or exclamation of some sort, and usually sounding absolutely shocked to hear it. This generally occurred before a solid punch to the face, knee to the gut, or a shin to the family jewels, but Emma wasn't nearly as violent as her sister.

"I-I'll have ya know that Davis likes modest breasts! Ya know-- ya know, he says something like . . ." Emma almost tripped as she said it, but it didn't stop her, "That-- "a handful is perfectly fine by me," and that's what he's got, so ya shut yer trap!"

But before Eld would have the chance to reply to that--and no doubt he would likely reply with negative connotations to Davis's immediate future--Etsu realized that they could see the Vaerbond ranch from there.

"We here," Etsu remarked in broken Common.

"Oh. Uh. Right! Okay. Uh. Thanks for walkin' us, Eld," Emma declared as she almost tackled into Eld, to throw her arms around his shoulders and kiss him on the cheek, "I appreciate it. Even if ya are totally mean!"

Part of him wanted to know just how Davis came to this conclusion. Another part of him wanted to tease Emma further by mentioning that he must have small hands, but he was afraid that in her current state she'd take his hand and place it on her breast.

Actually, she might do that sober, too.

"You're welcome. Even if you totally are a brat," he replied.

Emma frowned as she gently pulled away from Eld, and folded her arms over her chest in defiance. She didn't outright argue with him about it, but he was completely wrong about that. In no way, shape, or form was Emma a brat!

But either way, she turned and started towards her house. Etsu, on the other hand, did not start towards the Vaerbond ranch just yet. Instead, she stood still, holding her clothes against her chest, and staring at Eld with an inquisitive, almost sort of hopeful look. Why, she couldn't quite explain, but after a moment, Emma realized that Etsu wasn't following behind, and turned back around to investigate.

"Hey, Ets, you comin'?" Emma asked.

Etsu glanced back to Emma, but then to Eld. She didn't know why she didn't want to go just yet, but she really didn't. She felt like something was missing here, and that if she stayed and watch Eld for long enough, that something would come up.

Eld was about ready to turn and go, but something stopped him. While Emma headed towards the house, Etsu just stood there and looked at him, as though she were expecting something.

For a moment he just stood there, confused, before he recalled when they'd parted that morning. He hesitated for just a second, because Emma was watching, before closing the gap between them and hugging her, and giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Have a good night, Etsu," he said softly. He'd miss her; after the whole mess with Kaze, more than ever he really wanted her next to him tonight. If he asked, she probably would stay with him regardless of what the girls wanted, really. Which was why he didn't mention it at all; he didn't want to deny her her fun just because he could use some company.

Etsu's eyes widened a bit as she felt her heart rate quickly rise--but it was a good feeling. She felt her cheeks warm in the process, too, but it was the same for her whole body, really. Etsu simply felt warm all over when Eld placed his lips anywhere on her. Her cheek, her hands, her arms, her . . . lips . . . anywhere he'd ever kissed her before, he'd sent a warm feeling throughout her entire body. It was pleasant, and it was what she was waiting for. Etsu had seen Emma hug Eld and kiss him on the cheek, and she had stood, idly, in wait and hope that Eld would treat her to the same privilege.

Just like earlier this morning, when Eld hugged her and kissed her on the cheek to bid her goodbye when she was leaving, Etsu did not react initially. She was surprised by it still, even if she had been secretly--secretly even to herself--been hoping that it would happen.

But this time, she wasn't going to allow the moment to leave her without the chance to react. Just as Eld unwrapped his arms from around her and pulled away, Etsu leaned up and intercepted him with a kiss of her own, placed softly upon Eld's cheek, but it was extremely close to his lips. In fact, a little beyond the corner of her lips crossed over the corner of his lips, but she had been aiming for his cheek, and aimed true, despite the slight miscalculation.

Not that it was a terrible thing at all. Etsu leaned back away from Eld, a smile plastered upon her face. She didn't need to be intoxicated to smile after that sort of act.

"See you to-morrow Er-rd-kun," replied a cheery Etsu, before turning to an expecting Emma, and heading back to the Vaerbond household . . .

Eld had meant it to be just a quick peck, but he in no way objected to her returning it...and nearly kissing him on the lips in the process. He really wished she had, honestly...but...now wasn't really the time, he supposed. But soon, he promised himself, he'd tell her that he felt just as strongly for her as he did before she left...and hopefully she felt the same.

He also couldn't help but smile as he pulled away. "Yep. Have fun."

And with that, he decided to turn and leave, before Emma could interject with a question or comment. Small gesture though it may have been, Etsu just lifted his mood considerably.

As Eld was approaching his house, he'd hear something. It was faint at first, but after a moment, he might hear the voice a little better. He was calling Eld's name.

"Hey! Tsukimono!"

It was the blacksmith; a big, burly fellow, intimidating in every way. Few people actually said his name, let alone knew of it. It wasn't too important, though. He was a friendly enough fellow; one didn't need to know his name to feel at home around him. He had a thick beard and a long mane of black hair. He was at a foreboding height of six feet and three inches tall, and comprised two layers of fat over-top four layers of muscle.

At his side would be a familiar face to Eld, one he'd just met today, but had still become very well acquainted with during the course of the day.

"Got someone here; she's been lookin' for you!"

It took him a few seconds to notice the voice calling his name; his mind was, understandably, still on Etsu. When he turned, he was surprised to see...the blacksmith.

It was kind of funny, as even though he'd been the blacksmith of Hillcrest since before he'd been born, for the life of him he couldn't remember his name. He didn't think anyone even knew it. Everyone just called him The Blacksmith and he seemed to be okay with that.

Naturally, he knew who it was before he even turned; after all, he just left the house where everyone else who might be looking for him was at. He smiled at her. "I wasn't sure you'd come back. I suppose you forgot where I live, huh Kaze?"

"Y-yeah . . ." Kaze trailed off.

She hadn't been embarrassed about forgetting things easily before, but now she appeared to be. As she approached Eld with the blacksmith, she looked away from him awkwardly. More than likely, it wasn't a matter of being embarrassed about her poor memory.

Kaze still wore the same clothes from before, albeit with a few dirt smudges on her cheeks. Her hair, still pulled back into long pig tails, was a little mussed up, too, but otherwise she seemed perfectly okay. She was just embarrassed--or thinking too much, perhaps.

"Thanks," she whispered to the blacksmith as she came to a stop, just six feet away from Eld.

"No sweat, li'l missy," the blacksmith decreed as he patted her on the back, "I'm glad I could help. And-- oh, Tsukimono? Could you tell your pop I got his order taken care of?"

Surgical devices, of course. Doctors could never have too much of those sorts of things--and the blacksmith of Hillcrest could actually refine such tools in a useful way. He was way better than the shoddy bastard in Galaens, who somehow was more popular than he.

"Sure thing, sir," Eld replied. It was actually pretty amazing how versatile he was; he doubted many blacksmiths could both forge sturdy tools and, during the bandit incident, weapons as well as the kind of delicate equipment required by the medical profession. His parents must save a lot of money by having someone local able to make it rather than needing to send out for it or even travel a long way to buy one themselves.

The fact that he always helped him keep his scythe sharp and refused payment for it also endeared him in no small mount to Eld.

"Did you find your friends alright?" he asked Kaze, which had been one of his bigger worries after she left.

The blacksmith gave the two of them a smile and a wave, before turning away from them and heading back towards his home. It was pretty late, too late for him to be open for business. Most shops in Galaens even closed for the evening after about seven or eight o'clock. Kaze waved to him when he left, too, and tried to smile, but she couldn't really do it honestly. She, unlike Mayako and Etsu, was a terribly liar.

"Oh. Um. N-no, I didn't," Kaze replied, sounding somewhat downtrodden about it, "They couldn't make it. My other brother was there, though. But just to tell me that they couldn't make it today. But they'll be there tomorrow, he said."

Kaze folded her arms over her diaphragm and looked away from Eld again. She definitely wasn't in the greatest of moods, and it showed.

"That kind of sucked, though," she remarked with a frown, "I wasn't feeling that good by the time I got there, and my older brother . . . he's nothing but mean to me."