Gullible, Tokin smirked mentally as yet another person bet against the well muscled man whom crouched lazily into a starting position; any one else would think the man was carefully positioning himself for the start of the next wrestling match as he seemed to breath a bit heavily. Tokin knew better though. After all, it was her older brother who was wrestling the chump from the visiting cotholder’s family. Her big brother, Talcin, was the top male wrestler in Kutou Hold. No one man or woman could defeat him.
“PIN!” whooped the referee. Tokin smirked, she hadn’t seen how her brother won the match, but no doubt he’d played with the challenger before smoothly pinning him. She smiled as mark after mark was placed in her hands and only mildly mourned the mark which she had to pay up… She knew it was going to happen but still, she hated to loose money. It was when a short young woman, even shorter than herself, brushed by her to challenged Talcin when Tokin change her ways. The woman would win and she knew it, as did most of the spectators though there were a few who bet on Talcin still that knew of the woman in the ring now.
The match soon started and one last better approached Tokin’s left side. He smiled winningly at her. Slime, the young teen thought to herself then spoke out loud, “What do you want, Hotemna?”
“Three marks on Roki,” the sleazy looking young adult smiled through darkening teeth.
“You know my rules, Hotemna,” Tokin replied in an even voice, her eyes not leaving the true match that was unfolding before her, “I don‘t take bets after it starts, don‘t change them neither.” This last part she stated to the man before her who was having second thoughts about his bet on her brother.
“PIN!” The ref shouted out once more. As she collected her money she wasn’t surprised at some of the shocked faces but more at those who truly believed her brother would win against her sister and the Hold’s champion wrestler, Roki. Like her sister always said to each of her students, the only way you’d be able to beat the self-defense/fighting coach was to actually go to another teacher and learn other offences as well as defenses from them. Tokin quickly collected her marks and shifted herself down the hall way. She knew the matches were over, always after her eldest siblings wrestled the matches were over and so was her usual money making scheme/scam. She also had a feeling they’d be heading that way.
As she made her way to one of the tapestries that hung over a hidden hall way, Tokin pulled out a flask of wine and downed the whole thing within seconds. It was an odd thing with the Sr. Apprentice Winecrafter she could drink as much wine as she wanted and not look or act drunk but when she had no wine for a time, like waking up in the morning, she looked and acted drunk. Even her master didn’t understand this but he was sure that Tokin would make her Mastery some day and be a great wine crafter because of her “reverse drunkenness syndrome.” Even Tokin was amazed at how she could actually comprehend things much easier drunk… then again it did cause her to knock out guys who she thought were hitting on her.
Being sober for her was like being a drunk for a normal person; she couldn’t walk straight, talk without slurring her words together, plus she had a tendency to hit on guys when she was sober--by accident, once, she’d hit on a woman; closer inspection had lead her to find out the fact and caused her sober self to run away hysterical. So being the woman preferred to be drunk at all times.
Tokin had not always had this odd complex three turns ago. In truth it had only stated up a little over two turns earlier. The teen’s heart sank at the thought of that time which had forced her to drink and become a reverse case of a drunkenness. Voices beyond the tapestry she was hiding behind cause Tokin to push away the thoughts of those turns. She carefully pushed aside the tapestry as her older brother and sister walked by talking. Replacing the beautifully woven “painting” to cover the passage, Tokin silently slid up beside the top two wrestlers of Kutou Hold unnoticed.
“Tokin was watching the match, you know?” Tokin heard Roki tell Talcin cheerfully.
“Wonder how much our little sister made this time,” Talcin’s voice chuckled back to the small time conartist, “There were a few new faces in that group.”
“Eight to be exact, bro,” Tokin finally decided to make herself known, “Making my winnings today from those five matches fifty marks.” She smiled at her statement though humor didn’t even touch her words. Her brother and sister smiled at her and the usual bantering began between the three eldest siblings of the Master Beastcrafter’s family.
“You have no morals about betting,” Roki stated shaking her head while Talcin chuckled in agreement.
“And you’re point, Roki?” Tokin asked seriously in her mild voice.
“You love marks a bit too much,” Talcin teased his eldest younger sister.
“You just figure that out?” Tokin replied with no emotion in her voice though she did quirking an eyebrow at her brother. She expected her brother to reply but when he did she was just barely held back from knocking him out herself.
“Nah, knew that long before you started drinking,” he replied. Tokin’s eyes narrowed at her older and taller brother, her hands clenching into tight fists. It was only Roki who saved Talcin from a beating.
“Let’s take a trip up to the Aunties’ rooms,” Roki quickly cut in, eying the actually drunken Tokin carefully, “See how Zayin, Cyrin, and Riktojan are doing and help search out Jayz; I could have sworn I saw that trouble making sister of our’s just before I challenged you.” Roki took a swipe at Talcin playfully. At other times the swipe at her brother would have cause the young teen to crack a dry smile but the mention of Riktojan caused her to look for an outlet of escape.
“I don‘t think so,” Tokin piped up almost too quickly. There has to be something she had to do today, the girl thought urgently, oh, yeah! “Master Farwin’s wants me down in the winery in about ten minutes to help rotate the whole of last turns wine.” It was the truth… at least the turning of the wine, but it would be an hour till they wanted her. Not waiting for a reply from her eldest siblings she hurried off in the direction of the wine cellars. A small, unshed tear wet Tokin’s sea blue eyes as she hurried down the hall.
It had been nearly two turns but she still couldn’t bare to look at her youngest brother or even hear his name without getting overly emotional. She knew that Riktojan was possibly the main reason she’d reversed her natural cycle of being drunk the proper way. It had been a little under two turns earlier that her mother, Master Winecrafter Rocjakyz, had been pregnant with her seventh child by their father, Master Beastcrafter Lintem. At that time in her life, Tokin was a fun loving child who still had an affinity for betting as well as wine; thus she apprenticed to her mother in the Winecraft. In the time three turns time she’d apprenticed to the craft she possibly the child closest to her mother.
On a bright and sunny day in late spring though that all changed. Rocjakyz went into labor early in the morning and it was already clear to both husband and midwife that there were complications with this birth. Four hours later the Master Winecrafter, Rocjakyz, lay limp and dying; her bleeding hadn’t stopped yet even with Riktojan wailing his lungs out to the world. It was devastating to the, at that time, 13 turn old girl to loose her mother when they were so closely bonded. There had been a few time that she’d actually tried to kill off her little brother because of her despair. She was deathly surprised when her father, who love her mother just as much as she did if not more was the one who saved the child.
“It‘s not his fault, Tokin!” Lintem shouted hoarsely fighting back tears six months after his wife’s death, “He didn‘t ask for your mother and my wife to die for him!”
“How can you say that when he lived and she died?!?!” Tokin had screamed back in a drunken rage, “He took her life to save his bloody own! Mama would have wanted him to die for what he wanted!” The sound of taunt skin against young flesh sounded in their home as Tokin staggered back from the slap her father had dealt her.
“She wished no such thing on her death bed,” Lintem stated firmly breathing heavily, Tokin looking up at him startled, “She knew even before us that she’d die from giving Riktojan, she stated to me. She also told me not to be angry towards him for her death. Even if he had died she would have died as well.”
The new information about Tokin’s mother’s death was too much for her to handle at that time; she ran. She had no wish to see anyone from her family. For the next few months if she was seen at all she was drunk and angry. It was as she got drunk that her body took her to a level of oddity, her drunken comprehension.
Tokin sighed as she sat atop an empty cask of beer downing a beaker of beer down, renewing her reversed drunkenness. Tokin looked down into empty tanker and smacked her dry lip, she’d finally forgiven her youngest brother for what he could not help but she still couldn’t bare looking at him longer than she had to. He looked too much like a male version of her mother even at this young of an age. Thinking so hard about this, Tokin didn’t even hear the scuffing of feet on the cobble stone floor.
“Tokin?” a small voice called to her. The fifteen turn old girl’s head shot up to meet the gaze of a young girl of ten turns.
“Jayz, aren’t you supposed to be with the Aunties?” Tokin looked at her sister with the sternness that was now a part of her personality. Jayz grinned sheepishly causing Tokin to boost the younger girl up onto her lap. For a time the two sat in silence.
“You looked sad again,” Jayz finally stated, Tokin didn’t reply so the sandy blond holdbrat continued on, “You should try seeing him at times other than meals, sis.” Tokin looked at her little sister, she was like her father, not missing much and very a tune to the feelings of those around her.
“It hurts a bit too much at times, Jayz… OUCH” Tokin finally sighed only to be pinched by the child in her lap. Jayz ignored the look that her sister gave her.
“You act as if you’re the only one to feel pain from looking at Riktojan,” the girl stated, her green eyes flaring, “We all hurt as we look at him and see Mama. But we also look at him to remember her.” Tokin continued to give her little sister the evil eye. To the surprise of both girls, Tokin suddenly tickled her younger sibling. Jayz giggled and tried to get out of her sisters strong grasp.
“You know something, Jayz,” Tokin finally said cracking a dry smile and Jayz smiled back happy because she made her sister loosen up, “You are one smart girl.”
“I have to be to get away from the Aunties,” Jayz smirked.
“Oh, yeah,” Tokin replied and picked up Jayz from her middle and hung her upside down as she walked back towards the stair out of the cellar, “that reminds me, you gotta go back there.”
“Aww, man!” Jayz growled though she giggled at how her sister was taking her back.
Tokin walked down the hall with Roki early in the morning; before Tokin’s morning alcohol. The younger woman staggered about to the slight embarrassment of Roki.
“Tokin, where’s your stash of wine,” Roki asked, “You’re not looking too well at this point.”
“Al be fin, ‘oki!” Tokin hiccupped. Roki sighed and tried to guide her sister about the Hold. Tokin had surprisingly made more of an effort to stand being around Riktojan, even visiting the babe at times between classes. At the same time she continually was starting to forget to bring her emergency supply of wine or beer.
The duo entered Kutou Hold’s main dinning hall with Tokin seemingly half asleep on Roki’s shoulder. Though she looked asleep it was she who was to find the nearest open places to sit… then again it did help that there was a young and seemingly handsome man who was sitting across from the spots. He did however smile absently and nod to them. Tokin practically purred as she sat down before the man who wasn’t taking much notice of them, Roki on the other hand shook her head at her sister.
“’lo, sir,” Tokin slurred and the man looked at her oddly though politely acknowledged her drunk like greeting, “ton’t ‘lieve I’ve sssseen you ‘bout Kutou before. ‘amesss Tokin en dis is moy sisdar ‘oki. En ‘oursss would be?”
“B’nir,” the man stated and looked at the girl’s shorter yet elder sister questionably. Tokin however didn’t notice such a thing and started to physically flirt with the man though not totally directly. She didn’t even notice as the man sheepishly asked about her to her sister.
“How could anybody let her drink herself into drunkenness so early in the morning,” B’nir asked in a soft voice, some how knowing that Roki would take not offence to the comment. As he asked this question, Tokin’s feet began to search his out causing the man to set his feet directly under himself to keep away from the teen. Tokin only mildly noticed this and decided on another tactic.
“Sir, to tell you the truth,” Roki started, “Tokin here hasn’t touched a drop of wine nor beer in nearly 10 hours. She’s got a rare reverse complex with her drinking. She seems drunk when she’s sober and vice versa. She won’t even remember what she’s done in the past eight hours when she finally gets her first few beakers of wine and beer.”
“You’re kidding?” B’nir replied not believing such a thing was possible as he eyed Tokin, who was about ready to douse herself in the pitcher of water which had been set on the table; for the men around them, this would have been interesting considering the young woman’s white shirt she wore this morning. It was at that moment a drudge raced up with three tankers of wine and set them on the table in front of the seemingly drunk teen. Tokin eyed the drinks with a hazy far off glance then finally set the pitcher of water down and guzzled the first tanker.
B’nir watched in amazement as by the third tanker the woman was actually looking sober. As a fourth was delivered to the woman she finally noticed the man before her again… and the look Roki was giving her. She grinned sheepishly in her dry way before lapsing into her normal tone.
“I hope I didn’t try to hit on you in the last ten minutes sir,” Tokin stated, “By my sister, Roki’s look, I’d say she’s told you of my… condition. If I might ask again, what is your name, sir. My mind was muddled from lack of wine.”
“B’nir,” he stated with a blink, his eyes clouding over for a moment before he continued, “white Pikceth’s rider from Vella Crean. I’m on search actually.”
“Then why sit here with the riffraff and holdbrats?” Tokin asked going into her sober drunk mode.
Because he’s looking for candidates among the riffraffs and holdbrats to find candidates like the two of you. You will come to Vella Crean with us and stand for the clutch there. a voice suddenly popped into both girls heads and B’nir winced as Roki accidentally sprayed her drink into his face. Tokin on the other hand looked at her drink and shook her head.
“They must have thinned this one out, I thought I heard somebody state that we should be candidates for Vella Crean's latest clutch,” she chuckled as her heart raced at the thought of some dragon actually finding her suitable to impress; she, a reversed drunk.
“Truthfully,” B’nir sighed but smiled as both young women’s eyes met his, “That was my immature excuse for a white. He likes to announce candidates without even hinting at it to me first.”
“So he wishes us to stand for a clutch?” Roki finally asked amazed.
“If you agree to it, yes,” the white rider stated leaning over the table, “We’re in need of a few more female candidates and if you’d like…”
“Definitely!” Roki stated with a hint of a giggle. She then looked to Tokin who continued her serious and sober mood. After a time the fifteen turn old nodded once, a small, dry smile coming to her features.
“I’m up for a game of chance,” she finally replied, “There’s nothing I could loose except my home here.” Tokin still wasn’t sure if she would impress, but there was nothing like trying out a new field for betting on. And dragon hatchings as she heard were the best and hardest gambling match of all, for both the gamblers and the candidates who stood at the hatching.
| Name | Tokin |
| Age | 15 |
| Height | 5'4" |
| Hair | earth toned brown |
| Eyes | Sea blue |
| Rank | Sr. Apprentice Winecrafter |
| Dragon | N/A |
| Born | Kutou Hold |
| Current Residence | Kutou Hold |