<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Fuchsia Fox and an Artifact Absent</strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3f/cb/51/3fcb513183b094b643a10c74bed38b1e.jpg)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Date Toshiro<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>December 25th, 2018 | 8:30PM<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>The Indigo Lounge<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong><em>Albion</em><br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong><br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>An unbuttoned charcoal gray suit jacket, a loose fitting tie black tie with gray stripes, and dress pants with a white button up shirt and a pair of worn running shoes. Carrying around a messenger bag covered with iconography from various bands, cartoons, and video games.<br/><hr/>Ever unable to remove himself from a problem once he set his mind to solving it, Toshiro almost didn't notice the sight of the black steel and tinted glass door swing open, or the sound of the electronic bell indicating a new patron had just wandered into the Indigo Lounge. Carefully examining the base of the statue beneath the blue light of the lounge to see if it might reveal some unseen mystery, it wasn't until he heard the unmistakably familiar voice of his long time friend and revelry companion that he turned to face the recently arrived and sullen appearing figure of Albion. Never being one to not stand up to the challenge of answering rhetorical questions, Toshiro replied with a slight smile and tongue-in-cheek defiance as he waved the perpetually static statue back and forth, it's warm golden inlay glimmering white beneath the deep blue light, ”Speak for yourself Albs, I came with company.”<br/><br/>Turning in his stool slightly towards Albion while keeping his right elbow propped up on the bar rail, he couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye the vines carrying rags and buckets towards the muddy footprints leading from the Lounge's entrance to Albion's seat. Shaking his head slightly in disapproval as he withdrew a small nondescript lighter from his jacket's right inner pocket and said with a slight frown and unreserved censure, ”And you wonder why you're alone on Christmas.” Leaning forward with a lighter he kept for just this occasion, Toshiro brought the small flame closer to Albion's face, the warm orange light struggling against the sea of contrasted color, briefly illuminating the contours of Albion's face in a pale white and dotting the green of his eyes with stars wavering with the motion of the flame.<br/><br/>As the lighter's flame licked at the end of the cigarette, it's scent only lightly made itself known against the mixture of tobacco and alcohol that trailed off of Albion, signs of a lonely night and a lifetime vices sated. There was another strange note of something mixed in with his usual eclectic collection of scents, but the easiest explanation that Albion had hit up the house of Red Lanterns or some other place of accommodating night denizens before arriving at The Indigo Lounge. Toshiro couldn't say if it was this nostalgic fragrance that rose from the body that still bore the radiating chill of a winter night, the sight of his regrettably handsome face illuminated from such contrasting sources, or simply how close the weight of Toshiro's whiskey seemed to push his body towards Albion's, but he couldn't help but sigh that his relationship with Albion had never proceeded past playful noncommittal flirtatious banter.<br/><br/>Smiling wryly at the Albion's obvious tease, Toshiro waved the smoke nearby smoke cloud away as he replied with a mixture of exasperation and resignation, “Either you're stringing me along or you started drinking early tonight. Gotta warn you though, today of all days I might be tempted to take you seriously.” Leaning back towards the bar to take a measured sip of the newest drink that had made it's way noiselessly in front of him, he closed his eyes in silence to bask in the strong flavor before turning his head back towards Albion and gesturing to the statue in a largely unconcerned manner, “You're not going to tell anyone about this right? It's harmless as far as I can tell.” Toshiro wasn't aware with how familiar Albion made himself with SOPHE's collection of artifacts both identified and not, but at the very least he knew his long time drinking partner would allow the researcher to either carry on with what he was doing, or return the object as soon as possible Albion felt the situation was too dangerous.