Normally, anytime Itoi left the seminary to go out, he was dressed in his clerical blacks, including the floor-length cassock that made him easy to spot as a student in priestly formation. It made it clear to everyone he met who he was, and it kept his wardrobe choices simple on top of that. Tonight, however, Itoi was flying "civilian" colors, dressed in a pair of dark, slim-fitting jeans, a light blue casual button-up shirt, and a sharp navy blazer, showing an oddly fashionable side to a normally conservative seminary student. A stark contrast from his clerical garb, thanks to this look he didn't look the least bit out of place when he made his way into one of the nicer bars in Juuban's commercial district. Drinking wasn't against the Church's teaching anyway, but Itoi didn't feel like repeatedly explaining that to a room full of drunk regulars.

Casually, he made his way over to the bar and sat down, flagging down the bartender as he came by.

"I need a little something to take research papers off the brain... Let's start with a bourbon -- neat, please."

And boy, did he ever need the pleasant distraction. It was still early in the semester, but the seminary professors weren't taking it easy on him. And he'd already spent one evening of intended research on an impromptu conversation at the library, so he felt behind already. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, but to his rigorous academic mind, he wasn't where he should be. The drink came quickly and he picked up the small glass, taking a slow sip and savoring the taste of the bourbon as he let his mind wander a little. He was under the radar for the night, and he wanted to enjoy it.

Azeria stepped into the bar quietly before looking around and making her way to the bar and sitting down. Leaning forward she placed her elbow on the bar while holding up a single dark crimson painted nail for the bartender. The young woman was wearing a black cocktail dress that ended at her knees, however that was the longest of pieces. The dress was cut in the particular fashion that made it look like it was cut and made from a square piece of fabric causing a few sections to hang down further than the rest. The top of said dress covered her shoulders and it was rather low cut, however there was a deep crimson lace underneath so that no cleavage was visible. Around her waist was a crimson belt that extenuates her waist and lovely hourglass figure. She wore black heels that boosted her height to a lovely 5'9" which were easy to walk in even if she were to become a little more drunk than expected.. It also helped keep her balance with all of her other issues. Her lovely raven locks were tied in a manner that they draped over her shoulder showing off the elegant fishtail braid she had in it.

Holding her hand out towards the bartender she smiled warmly. "Long Island ice tea please." She stated when the bartender paid attention to her long enough to get her order and lay down a napkin. Once she had it in hand she blinked a few times, pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and took a sip before setting back down. her drink was sweet and wonderful but not too strong. Perfect..

It wasn't hard to start getting lost in his thoughts, with nobody to either side of him and a glass of bourbon occupying his time. Before long, Itoi was wandering all over the place in his mind, from home to a couple of his closer seminary friends to what on earth he was going to do with the rest of his weekend once he inevitably burned out from a late Saturday cram session. He almost didn't notice a new arrival, but the subtle clicking of heels pulled him back into the present, and he remembered that he was, in fact, in a public bar. Turning his head, he saw a sharply-dressed woman placing her order.

"Long Island ice tea, hm?" Itoi grinned a little as Azeria ordered her drink not far from him. "Going straight to the strong stuff... That kind of night?" Not that he had any room to talk, sitting there with a glass of American whiskey. But who cared? He wasn't thinking about research papers, psychological analysis, or medieval theologians, so some idle banter with a stranger might as well be a good enough use of his time.

Itoi turned a little on his stool to face her, offering a polite smile and a subtle nod.

Blinking quietly she smiled and looked over to Itoi warmly. Reaching out she took the red straw in her glass and slowly stirs it while letting out a small smile. "It's been that kind of a week actually. I've got the best of luck sometimes. At least it's beginning to look up."

As she looks at Itoi he can see more of her lovely face, sadly there are two things that distract from her otherwise normal features. Upon the middle of her forehead ending at her left temple was a thin line of stitches. The wound was healing just fine but, it looked liked it must of hurt. Her eyes were the other feature that distracted from her otherwise beautiful appearance. They were a lovely shade of azul blue, but her pupils were slits much like a reptiles. One would assume that they her eyes were simple contacts but, costume contacts don't automatically adjust the way hers do.

"Then again, you don't have much room to talk with that.. Whiskey?" Azeria teased as she placed her left leg over her right, slowly rocking her heeled foot in time with music playing in the background. It was some american rock, but it was nice and played loud enough that it was heard but not overly so that it was drowning out everything that they said.

Bad luck, indeed... Itoi couldn't guess what those stitches were from, and he wasn't rude enough to ask, but anything that could leave a mark like that was probably more than enough to sour the entire week. He looked briefly at the stitches, but turning his attention to her face led him to her eyes -- were those custom contacts? They had to to be. They were kind of creepy, though... It was a little odd and just a tad unsettling to Itoi, but he wasn't about to be rude, so he met her eyes with his and smiled.

"Fair enough," he answered, looking down a moment to his glass, "What can I say... I have a weakness for good American whiskey. It's strong, but good. Quality over quantity, right?"

The music didn't go unnoticed by the seminarian, either, although American rock wasn't exactly his cup of tea. He would have preferred some soft jazz or a little classical, but who was he kidding -- nobody actually played that in bars. The woman seemed to be enjoying it, at least. It didn't matter; he'd come here to deliberately get out of his element a little, so he was doing just that.

"The name's Itoi," he continued, "It's a bit spontaneous, but good to meet you nevertheless."

Smiling warmly she bowed her head to Itoi as she took another sip from her tall long island. Azeria then licked her lips, stained a dark crimson from her makeup while her eyes sported a smokey eye look. "My name is Azeria, it is spontaneous but none the less a fine meeting indeed." Taking a moment she ponders on what he said about quality over quantity and chuckled.

"I assume that it is just a matter of thinking about what you want to achieve. You wish to drink your problems away? Then go for quantity. After a nice after dinner cocktail or something worth sipping on? Then quality." She purred out softly, it was not intentional in the slightest it was more of an effect of the drink entering her system and making her relax. With a small frown she turned her head towards the music before shaking her head. "I would of preferred classical."

Azeria... A fairly unusual name, but from the looks of it he was talking to a pretty unusual person, as well. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her, but again, he didn't much care. It was an odd place for a seminarian to be, drinking bourbon at a bar talking to a young lady -- his director of formation would probably kill him if he knew -- but even the most dedicated priest-in-training needed the occasional night out to blow of some steam. The way Itoi thought about it, there were a lot worse things he could be doing with his off-time, so this was pretty tame by comparison.

"You're right," he said as he nodded his agreement, "I'd rather find something with flavor and take my time enjoying it, as opposed to just drinking myself into a stupor. Never know when you'll have one too many and end up out of control... And I'd prefer to avoid that."

Now THAT would be a difficult one to explain -- a drunk seminarian raising a commotion at a city bar? He'd be on fasting and chapel cleaning duty for weeks.

"And I'd have to agree... My musical tastes might be a bit outdated, but I just like to think of them as 'refined.' Nice to meet someone else who appreciates the finer side of classical composition."

"Refined tastes is a good thing. Fine Whiskey, fine music, only thing missing is a fine book." She chuckled faintly at her own comment, as if it were amusing. Or perhaps it was amusing about what she left out that was cause for her laughter. "I fancy a good read over much else that is popular. Though the occasional bit of foreign film is also enjoyable."

It was at that in which she shook her head to. She was enjoying her time here at this little out of the way bar. It felt nice to know that she was meeting more people by the day most of which she swore to keep in contact with . She was the stranger in this new place.. This new world. The only thing tying her here was her mother in intensive care. "tell me of yourself Itoi." she stated softly as she took another sip from her long island.

Small talk was only going to get them so far... It didn't take long for Azeria to turn the conversation to more substantial introductions. He wasn't sure he wanted to divulge too much to a complete stranger in a bar he'd just met, but he could at least make some polite conversation. He took another sip of his bourbon, and then set the glass on the bartop as he paused a moment and looked thoughtful.

"Nothing like cutting straight to the point, hmm?" He grinned a little. "I'm a graduate-level student, obviously in need of a little mental decompression... An academic by nature, with a soft spot for good music, history & literature, and the occasional quality imported liquor.. Sugiyima Itoi is the name.. And who do I have the pleasure of introducing myself to?"

"Azeria. Azeria Koizumi." She stated warmly while stirring the contents of her glass once more. At the rate that she was drinking it her long island would be warm and watered down by time she drank it all. She was expecting to be asked about herself, while she did not enjoy the though of divulging personal information she didn't mind letting him know at least a little about her. Before she spoke she took a rather large sip of her long island, not to much to be noticeable unless Itoi was closely watching.

"It tends to help at times." She returned his grin full heartedly. "I am a registered nurse in need of much of the same. I own my own little library at my own apartment and while curling up with one of the older novels and a cup of exotic tea sounds pleasurable I choose to get a little lost and have a drink." It was more of her getting into a cab and asking him for a nearby bar that wasn't a hole in the wall.

A seminarian and a nurse walk into a bar... There had to be a joke somewhere along those lines. It seemed they were both out of their respective elements a little, each for their own reasons, but at least they could find some pleasant conversation and a little company in one another. This was out of character for Itoi, but perhaps he should start doing it a little more often? Though sneaking away from the seminary on a Friday night wasn't always an easy task...

"That does sound nice," he said after a moment, "Though more of my reading is academic than leisurely... More often than not, if I'm reading I'm not relaxing, and vice verse. We both have plenty of books, it seems, though for different purposes."

"I understand, I remember nursing school all too well. Just as I know that going to school part time to become a doctor will be much of the same way." With a little shake of her head she smiled once more and stirred her drink a bit more. The ice had begun to slowly melt, showing a small bit of water separation at the top of the glass. Before long Azeria takes another small sip form the glass and looked at Itoi. She did find him attractive, however it was something that she herself would not act upon. It was less of her interests being else where but more of a cliche to pick someone up at a bar.

As Azeria looks over Itoi a bit more a small blush crosses her cheeks, it could almost be mistaken for the rising in her temperature from the alcohol in her system no matter how little. "You've yet to tell me what you do." She stated softly, she was curious but it would be easy to tell that if he wanted to deflect the question that it was perfectly possible.

Itoi watched Azeria's appearance and mannerisms as she made her way through her drink, paced enough to allow the ice to begin melting before she'd had the chance to finish it. Was she checking him out, or was she just feeling the alcohol enough that it seemed that way? She wasn't unattractive herself, but Itoi shot that thought down in his mind quickly. He was going to be a priest after all, right? He'd have to take a vow of celibacy, and such things would be out of the question. However, he wasn't entirely certain he wanted to reveal his identity as a seminarian, just yet... It wasn't that he was ashamed of it, but this was a rare chance to enjoy a "normal" night out, and he didn't want to spoil that by outing himself.

"Well," he said after a moment, swirling his drink a little, "It's a bit complex to explain, but in a nutshell I'm in a graduate program to study religion, in various aspects... I won't bore you with the specifics, but it's an interesting field."

He then continued quickly, hoping to lead her off down a different trail.

Part time medical school... So you're going to shoot all the way for your MD, then?"

It was a subtle movement, fluid like water and enticing all the same drew attention to her. Azeria turned in her swivel bar stool just enough so she was facing him. Taking her drink gently in hand she took a small sip of it before idly stirring the drink in hand with her straw. Quietly and without warning she looked the bartender as another drink was set before her in a tall yet slim glass. It was elegant in appearance giving the mock look of a sunrise in a glass with a slice of orange to garnish the rim. The bartender gruffly in formed her it was from someone else where in the bar. With a small shake of her head she accepted the drink but ignored it all the same.

Focusing her attention on Itoi she leaned forward a slight degree which increased the slight tease of looking down her lace guarded top. As she took another sip from her glass she looked him over slightly before biting her bottom lip and focusing on the conversation at hand. "Indeed I am. I've wanted to go in for my MD for a long time now and now that I'm making more money I will be able to afford my first semester before long."

It was a subtle movement indeed, but Itoi picked up on it. Was she trying to tempt him so deliberately? He almost caught his eyes drifting downward, but he shook himself on the inside and locked his eyes on hers, and in the process probably seemed more flirtatious than he intended to, when in reality he was simply trying to avoid just that sort of behavior. Theology? He had it down pat. Counseling? Pretty solid. Gracefully avoiding awkward moments with girls in bars? Now that was not the young seminarian's specialty.

But he did his best to brush it off, nodding his head with a smile as she explained her situation to him.

"Well congratulations... It took a little while but it seems like things are really getting on track for you. Do you plan to stay in Japan, or will you take your career elsewhere once you've earned your degree?"