April | Event: Skybound Travelers

[jikan_mod]

Skybound Travelers↲ OOC Plotting

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As everyone settles into a routine in Nippon, newer refugees may find that visiting the Western Kingdom is something of an undertaking. Although considerably faster than traveling by airship or on foot, the underground train that connects Tokyo and Kyoto still takes at least five hours. And not everyone enjoys the roller coaster-like experience of the Sunday-only time surge that shortens that ride into ten minutes. But lucky for them, the NRL are finally ready to release a special new travel system!

Developed in part thanks to the refugees for gathering the necessary etherblossoms back in March, refugees will now find teleportation terminals available at the NRL in Tokyo and MRU in Kyoto. These terminals only connect to each other, with plans to expand to other cities in the future.

Or at least, that's what they're supposed to do.


Nippon Traveler

With the announcement of fast travel between kingdoms quickly spreading among the refugees, many of them are clamoring to be the first to take advantage. After all, the train is rather inconvenient for those with friends and family in both kingdoms, and even more so for those who wish to work in one while living in the other.

Thankfully, the NRL took this into consideration, and made sure to add additional platforms and a timed queueing system to make things run smoothly, essentially creating a small station on the top floor of the NRL's main building. And with exclusive elevator access on the outside just for traveling refugees, it's certainly built for convenience.

Ready, Aim... Kyoto, Western Kingdom
Despite the fact that the NRL has been using these teleporters just fine for transferring between Tokyo and Kyoto for the past few weeks, the sudden inundation of users is causing the system to overload ever so slightly. As a result, the teleporter hasn't been sending people where it should, occasionally redirecting them to random areas throughout Kyoto.

On the one hand, magic is so commonplace in the West that no one really thinks anything about the Refugees popping in and out of existence, with most natives just assuming they're teleporting using the local magic. But on the other hand, this assumption means the natives will think it's intentional, resulting in a large number of refugees finding themselves in both literal and metaphorical hot water after teleporting straight into a public bath, fully-clothed. Hopefully it's a mixed bath, or they might find themselves being carried away by the patrolling samurai guards for questioning.

In addition to becoming a public nuisance for the natives, some may find themselves teleporting into the homes of fellow refugees instead. They may wind up as an uninvited dinner guest, or perhaps they'll appear during a private or intimate moment between lovers. Some may even end up appearing in a closet, giving them ample opportunity to hide until they can make their escape!

Thankfully, this bug is discovered quickly enough that it only creates a few days of chaos -- so don't let that put you off the technology forever!

Here Comes a Thought Higashiyama, Kyoto
But of all the locations the teleporters are sending people to, perhaps the most common one is Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto's Higashiyama neighborhood. As one of the most famous temples in Kyoto, its already a popular tourist destination, with beautiful gardens, a veranda overlooking all of Kyoto, and is home to a magic school that specializes in the Mizu Element.

Those who are lucky may simply find themselves suddenly standing in front of a very tall pagoda, or overlooking the view of Kyoto. But most refugees will instead find themselves standing before the Tainai Meguri, a dark underground passageway beneath one of the many shrines in Kiyomizu-dera. Naturally, it'll be assumed they want to go in, and they may find themselves ushered down by a shrine maiden or two who don't want them holding up the line.

Blanketed in an inky darkness, the Tainai Meguri is composed of a single hallway and a rope along the wall to help guide visitors down to the lowest part of the passageway, where a mysterious stone can be found. Glowing with a mysterious power, the stone is the only source of light in the tunnel. And those who touch the stone with a clear mind will see the carving in the center change, showing which magic element they have an aptitude for: Tsuchi, Mizu, Hi, or Kaze.

However, those who touch the stone without a clear mind will witness something different. Because the stone in question is a Memory Stone, an ancient magical artifact capable to creating illusions of a person's memories. Once the stone is touched, the light of the stone will jump out into the darkness, projecting illusions of their past on the walls around them. Whether these illusions appear as text, an exact replica of one's memories, or something more abstract, varies by the person.

Those whose memories are being projected may find themselves completely overwhelmed by the emotions they felt at the time of that memory. For this reason, no one is allowed into the Tainai Meguri alone, so those affected better hope that their partner in the darkness is prepared to drag them out of it.

Into the Unknown

As the technology powering these terminals is still quite new to the scientists at the NRL, actually releasing these to the public is still a way off. Although there's zero risk of harm coming as a result of using the terminal, they have noticed that occasionally the terminal registers another point of travel, as if another terminal exists. A reverse transfer always brings them back just fine, but little is known about where these objects are ending up.

To that end, the NRL is asking brave enough refugees interested in exploring to take the teleporter to these unknown locations and report what they find. But don't worry, they're not asking they do this for free! All participants will receive a moderate sum of money, as well as a week-long stay at the Ōwakudani Hot Spring Resort in Hakone, to be redeemed whenever they like.

Cold Cuddles Sapporo, Hokkaido
For the first mysterious location, volunteers will be bundled up in warm clothes, as objects that come back always arrive very cold. And indeed -- upon teleporting, they'll find themselves in the midst of a snowstorm, an ancient version of the same terminal below their feet, and strange ruins all around them. And stranger still, the walls of the ruins appear to be covered in dark blue ice that won't melt no matter how much heat is applied.

It seems this teleporter is somehow connected to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Nippon. Due to an ancient curse, the land is perpetually snowy and plagued by unmelting ice called everfrost. And while those who visited the region prior may recognize their surroundings enough to know they're actually very close to the city of Sapporo, others may not be so lucky, nor willing to take the risk of missing their return window.

Worse still, they're just far enough away from the city that their magi-comms won't work! With no way of activating the terminal from their side, and two hours before the NRL reactivates it on their end to bring them back, it looks like they'll need to huddle together for warmth to ensure they don't freeze.

Thankfully, the terminal is located in a covered area, and the remains of an old campsite nearby even has some blankets and supplies. And upon their return, they'll be given hot drinks and no shortage of apologies for not considering the risk of giving them such a long window to explore.

Party in the Dark Jigoku, Shitaya
The second mysterious location is by far the most intriguing, as it's clearly somewhere that people have access to, and yet no one has tried coming back through the terminals. Instead, empty cans and half-finished drinks sometimes end up on the terminal, with no explanation as to who was drinking them prior. And as this phenomenon only occurs late at night, that's when the volunteers will be sent.

Upon arriving, at first they'll find themselves blanketed in a perpetual darkness, surrounded by some sort of stone tunnel, with the sound of music echoing from further in. They'll still be able to contact the NRL, leading the scientists to suggest that they may be in Jigoku, the catacombs of an abandoned subway system below Tokyo.

Should they be brave enough to follow the source of the music, they'll stumble upon what appears to be a secret speakeasy in the dark, run by the Hanyo who live in the neighborhood of Shitaya. As many Hanyo still possess the Yokai ability to see more clearly in the dark than Humans, the lack of lighting is more a feature than a gimmick.

Still, for having made it all the way down here, they'll be offered free drinks and a playful atmosphere -- so long as they promise to keep their illegal supply of Uki-based drinks and snacks a secret from the authorities. A popular recreational drug in the West made from the naturally sweet Uki Weed, Uki is highly regulated in the East, and causes lowered inhibitions, feelings of calm or euphoria, and even functions as a mild aphrodisiac.

Which might just be why many patrons are taking advantage of the dark and inviting atmosphere for romantic trysts in the dark, with futons set up in nearby tunnels for all your sensory deprivation needs. The Refugees can contact the NRL to return at any time, so why not let loose and join the fun?

Castle in the Sky

After a week of using the teleporters, Refugees will discover a new warp point is now listed alongside Kyoto and Tokyo: Tengoku, the nation of Tengu, comprised of dozens of airborne cities that float high above Nippon. According to the NRL, the technology used for these teleporters was developed thanks to the Tengu of Skytower, as a much belated thank you for the refugee's help back in March 1921.

And while Skytower itself remains off-limits, the Tengu Capital of Miyazaki has decided to open its doors to outsiders for the first time in centuries.

Fly High Miyazaki, Tengoku
The Tengu cities are unlike anywhere else on Nippon, comprised of a single, massive amount of land that towers upward, and numerous smaller islands that float up and around the main part of the city. Mysterious magic-powered technology can be found all around the city, though the appearance is quite different from the more modern magi-tech.

But perhaps the most notable thing is that these cities are not designed to be very accessible to those who can't fly. Very few actual pathways lead upward into the city proper, and the entrance to most buildings are located on the top floor, with only a small balcony in front to land on. But thankfully, there's a means around it!

Upon arrival to the capital of Miyazaki, all Refugees will be offered a small backpack with a tiny pair of wings attached to it. Upon putting it on and jumping, the wings will grow larger, acting like a part of their body and allowing them to fly! These backpacks will only function in Tengoku, but they're welcome to keep them should they decide to visit again.

Of course, just because they have the power to do so doesn't mean they'll actually be good at it. Refugees may struggle to become airborne at all, or may find it difficult to control themselves in mid-air, flying into walls, other refugees, or accidentally hurling themselves over the edge of the city. Thankfully, there's patrolling Tengu who are always prepared to catch those who fall, but considering it always comes with a lecture, it's really not the best experience.

But those who persevere will be able to fly up to the very top of the city, where they'll find a beautiful garden overlooking the clouds. The flora here is far more alien than anything commonly found in Nippon, with plentiful etherblossoms, crystal-like mahougi trees, and-- is that a nuruname bloom? Maybe stay away from that one...

Liquid Happiness Miyazaki, Tengoku
Being so high up in the sky, completely isolated, meant that the Tengu cities were designed to be completely self-sustaining. Although they do conduct trade with the mainland below, almost everything they need is either grown or produced by the land itself. Which might just beg the question: where is the water coming from? Because nearly every level of the city is accented by canals and waterfalls.

But those who visit on a rainy day will get their answer. As high as they are, the Tengu cities are close enough that they can draw from the magic properties of the ring that circles the planet of Gaia, which is only visible at night. Thus, the rain that falls in Miyazaki has magical properties: in audition to a rainbow color, it can be infinitely multiplied, instantly heal wounds and certain illnesses, and seems to cause feelings of euphoria similar to Kizuna when one stands in it. For this reason, the rain that falls in Miyazaki is referred to as liquid happiness.

But for Refugees, these effects are even more extreme. Those who visit Miyazaki during a particularly rainy week at the tail end of April will begin to manifest severe Kizuna side-effects, especially the supernatural variety. While ordinarily these effects are only possible when feelings of love are present, the power of the rain will allow Refugees to share their thoughts and feelings with the people around them, whether they want to or not.

So strong are the effects of the rain that these effects will linger well after they leave, and may even become contagious to those they meet later on the surface. In the end, the NRL issues a warning for Refugees to avoid lingering in Miyazaki in rainy days until a more conclusive study on this "liquid happiness" can be conducted.

OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's April event! Please direct any questions to the Question Thread in the OOC Plotting post.

• Characters will not be allowed into the Tainai Meguri alone, and must descend in pairs.

• Sapporo is roughly a twenty minute walk away, and characters who are familiar with their surroundings will be able to go to the city proper. Magi-comms will also begin to work again. More information on Sapporo can be found on the Setting page!

• You are welcome to assume there is Uki-based incense in the underground party if your character would need an extra nudge to participate.

• Given their isolated status, the Tengu cities only contain Tengu Yokai, who range from entirely human-like with wings, anthropomorphic birds, and the traditional long-nosed variety! Although Refugees may be treated as a novelty by the people there, only elderly Tengu will treat them rudely for being outsiders.

• Characters will find that inns and hotels are both plentiful and cheap in Tengu cities, as the cities are very far apart from one another, and it's very common for Tengu to travel far from home. Miyazaki, for instance, floats above Kyushu near the Westernmost point of Nippon!

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Comments

[battlebound]

What do you expect me to say?

( There are many ways people wear armour. From the firm leather and glinting golden pauldrons to the dual swords that bat away opponents with ease, Steak is covered in it.

He never considered his words to be a kind of armour. Never considered that he needs to hide things from others, because things are never that complicated. You reach point B from point A by going in a straight line, rather than speaking circles around someone like Red Wine so often does.

And yet, with that finality, that flood of doomed terror running cold and damp through him, he does. He wraps the obvious around him as tightly as any other piece of armour, uses every part of that reputation he's well aware of — where he's a dense, unfeeling idiot — and pretends that part of his duty didn't bother him.

Of course it did. His life wasn't close to over, and he was supposed to be stronger. Better. He wasn't supposed to regret the notion of not having another day with Red Wine and Gingerbread, or their Master Attendant, but to accept the lot and wait in the chaos until he returned to his human form, and start all over again.

A new life, a new Master Attendant. That's how it goes for beings like them.

He was never supposed to be afraid of that. )

That's our lot in life. ( The words come out hollow to his own ears, intended to convince himself more than Red Wine and falling entirely short of that fact. He digs his fingers into the leather of his coat but it offers no reprieve from any of it. Not from the strange ache in his stomach which makes it impossible to look at Red Wine, nor the painful recollection that they both go back to being dead once they leave this place. ) We fight and we watch others die.

( It doesn't seem as wonderful a duty when he puts it like that. )

[judgementor]

I wasn't supposed to have to leave you behind!

[The words burst out of him and his voice cracks up an octave, and any pretense at being collected right now is gone as his long ears pin back and his teeth bare in a snarl.]

We were supposed to stay together! [Why can't he understand that? Is Steak really so thick-headed that he can't understand the root of Red Wine's distress? He would like to hope not, but having known the other Food Soul for over two hundred years he can't find himself surprised even through his clear frustration.]

Fuck our 'lot in life', Steak. It-- [An aggravated flush rises to his face suddenly and his hands clench at his sides.] Look at me when I'm talking to you!

[battlebound]

( Steak has never thought himself a coward, but perhaps he is, in his own way. It's so much easier to use the cloak of duty and pragmatism to hide complex truths, and so much easier to do that when he doesn't have to look Red Wine in the face.

But he does. Of course he does. Because Steak may be a coward when it comes to these sorts of feelings, but he can't have Red Wine point that fact out.

So, in the name of foolish pride, he drags his eyes up and takes in all of Red Wine — the way his ears have shifted, the flush of colour on his cheeks, the anger that's so unlike their usual frustrations with each other — before the words come rushing out; )

What do you want me to tell you?! That I was terrified? That my last thoughts were how I wanted to return to you? To Gingerbread? To our Attendant?!

( Sometimes, when floodgates open, they're hard to stop, and so Steak keeps going, caught in the rapids of his emotions, of all the terror and doom that memory pulled back to the surface. )

Of course I wanted to stay with you, you're my—

( There have been many times before this, though rarely to Red Wine's face, where Steak would have said brother in arms to finish out that sentence.

But he doesn't.

Because something in Steak is no longer sure that's quite the words which apply. )

[judgementor]

I want you to act like it fucking matters that you--

[That they all died. He talks loudly over Steak as he snaps back at him but falters when the other Food Soul says that. The flush on his face doesn't fade.]

Your what.

[He hates the way his voice trembles. Swallows to try and strengthen it again. There's something in this, and something he wants so badly to hear. Something he's wanted to hear since the first time they had fallen into bed together without any outside influence.]

Say it.

[battlebound]

( He's searching for the right words, believe him. But everything is so fucking complicated since they started sleeping together. He sees Red Wine in new ways, thinks about him in ways that their bond as rivals, warriors, friends never covered.

So what the hell's the answer?

(Perhaps they really are too much like their old Attendants.) )

—my other half. ( Oh.

Yeah, that's it, isn't it? In every single way, that's what Red Wine always has been. A part of him. Indispensable. )

[judgementor]

[Never, for a moment, had Red Wine thought that sleeping together as they had been wouldn't complicate matters. He hadn't expected them to get this complicated. Hadn't expected to be standing in front of Steak with his heart pounding in his ears and wanting to hear words from him that he never thought he'd get.

But then, there they are, out in the open.

Red Wine feels his face heat. The tips of his ears burn hot and everything he wants to say in boiling retort sticks in the back of his throat.]

Oh.

[The sound croaks softly out of him. That was it. That was what he wanted to hear, wasn't it? The culmination of two hundred and fifty years of fighting and bickering and then... whatever they had been doing here.

He realises he's looking at Steak's shoes.]

... I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you. For... a long time.

[battlebound]

( You would think, given how much confusion and revelation has been part of this whole... ridiculous decision to sleep together, that hearing those words would be a relief. Something which would be cause to smile, to feel relief washing over oneself.

But that would be too easy. That would be for people who haven't spent centuries burying every positive passing emotion under anger and fighting. )

... What?

( Steak's brows knit together, his single word response one of pure confusion because, even despite all of this. Despite his own feelings, and the months of sleeping together, Red Wine is still Red Wine. Still the same bastard who has called him all manner of beast and unrefined animal for centuries, who has been wrapped up in Nippon's indulgent life in such a way that some part of Steak had truly become convinced that these kinds of feelings lay exclusively with him. That he would simply have to eventually come to terms with them and lay them to rest. The same way he dealt with his grief over the loss of his Master Attendant. It would have to be something which simply couldn't be.

Yet, here's Red Wine, saying the kind of words that some part of him has craved since their days in the Imperial Kingdom, since the time they'd erupt into brawls in Madam's garden, and Steak doesn't know what to do with that. How to slot that in against the picture of Red Wine he conjures in his mind to keep his heart safe from the kind of thing he always thought was meaningless, human bullshit. )

Red... What?

( Steak.exe has crashed. Reboot? )

[judgementor]

[It was too much to ask that it would be easy, just like that. That Steak would hear what he said and accept it, and maybe reciprocate, because for how everything that has been happening between them has felt partly driven by the influences of Nippon he has always known in the back of his mind that there were real feelings along with it.

At least, he had real feelings. They were just... always too much to put into words. Even 'love' doesn't do it justice, but it's the only word he knows for it.

It's entirely different to how he felt when he said those words to Dohalim. His heart had been racing then too but not with such heavy ferocity that it made him feel nauseous. He hadn't dreaded being rebuffed then, while the thought of it now makes his stomach lurch.

He doesn't look up, only shaking his head at the other Food Soul's confusion.]

You're a blundering idiot, you hardly ever know the right thing to say and when to say it, you don't know how to leave well enough alone and wouldn't know how to read a room if you had an interpreter. You're rash, noisy, impetuous, and you have no understanding of romance and I... love you. In spite of all those things. Because of those things.

[It's a lot, all at once, blurting out of him like a dam has been broken. His shoulders are trembling.]

And I've spent too long waiting for you to notice. So now you know.

[battlebound]

( It's like trying to play catch up with two hundred years of a different reality. He operated under simple assumptions: Fallen Angels needed destroying, Red Wine was an asshole, and they had a rivalry-friendship that could only ever be expressed by fighting and needless competition.

And now, here's Red Wine. Saying that there was so much more to it.

The same more Steak had never quite been able to articulate until they came here, and even when he could, the weight of those two centuries continued to rear their head, unwilling to let things change.

Because Food Souls are a static lot, aren't they? Unaging, with only one real purpose in their life. He'd been fine with that. All changes could be weathered as long as the core things stayed the same:

Fallen Angels needed destroying, Red Wine was an asshole, and they had a rivalry-friendship that could only ever be expressed by fighting and needless competition. )

... When.

( The word spills out of him, and honestly, Steak isn't even sure why he so badly needs to know the when of Red Wine's realisation, other than because he remembers the first shock of those feelings all too clearly and he needs to know how much time they wasted. )

When did you fall in love with me?

( Those words — fall in love — are still shaky on his tongue as he says them, as his hand reaches out and grabs Red Wine by the arm, pulling him closer. )

[judgementor]

[He tenses, shock jolting through him like electricity when he's grabbed. The suddenness of it robs his breath for a moment and he squirms in Steak's hold, his expression twisting as if he's about to utter a familiar 'how dare you' or 'let me go you brute' and then maybe they'd fight, and everything would go back to normal.

But he doesn't follow through and his arm stays in Steak's grip while the hairs on the back of his neck lift up. It's too late to take it back now.]

Why does it matter? [Red Wine retorts weakly. Of course it matters. If not to him then it matters to Steak who naturally would ask such a meaningless question and expect an answer.]

Since-- Before our first Attendants married. The night we first met Bloody Mary, when you stormed in shouting my name.

[And never knowing just what he saved Red Wine from in that moment.]

Why does it matter.

[battlebound]

( Steak has never been good with words. It's not something that's a secret from him. He's seen how people react to the way he phrases things again and again.

Which is why he doesn't want to speak now. He doesn't know how those words would come out if he tried to explain them, particularly when he can feel the near-hysterical, self-deprecating laughter bubbling in his throat.

This could have been so much easier.

But that isn't the hand they decided to play, is it?

How very them.

Instead, Steak does the one thing he really wants to do, hearing that: kisses Red Wine. His fingers curl tighter against Red Wine's arm, holding onto him as though he might just face out of his grasp if he doesn't. Same as his thundering voice pulled Red Wine back to him all those years ago.

Desperate to keep him. )

[judgementor]

[If he asks himself the question - really asks - Red Wine would know he did not expect rejection here. Steak hadn't stood by him for so long out of simple obligation. Their obligation to one another had ended the moment their Master Attendants had passed away and they had never been tied to any promises they might have made to them.

He's always known that, as he's sure that Steak has. They have stayed together because they wanted to, as free beings with their own will... despite the endless fights and bickering.

He doesn't expect rejection, but he also doesn't expect that Steak will drag him in close like that. The motion draws a soft yelp of surprise out of him that's swiftly muffled by lips on his, and his eyes immediately snap shut. He leans in, wrapping his arms tightly around the other and gripping onto his shoulders with a clear kind of desperation.]

[battlebound]

( Ah.

This whole time, he's been wondering — why does it always feel so good? Why does it feel right? His mind has been dragged back to that day in the Countess' palace numerous times, to that knot of emotion in his stomach when he shouted for Red Wine, the relief which washed over him when Red Wine appeared.

When was it love? Then, or before that? When Red Wine fought him to draws or defeat and was so insufferably smug about it that they started a fight anew?

Truthfully, Steak couldn't have answered the question if Red Wine turned it on him.

But, with their lips pressed together, Steak's tongue finding Red Wine's, his own words seem to loosen. It's only when they've built to an impossible knot in his chest that he pulls back, only far enough to mutter his response against Red Wine's mouth. )

I think... I've loved you for a long time.

( Think because he can't possibly find a start point to when these feelings consumed him. When Red Wine became so important to his being that he never would leave him, promise to his Attendant or no. )

[judgementor]

[It's always been so difficult with them. They have always fought, and even as their feelings changed they continued to fight and argue and all it did was hide what they really thought about each other.

Steak says that, and Red Wine feels a band snap from around his chest. It's like he can breathe suddenly and he lets out a sharp, shaky little laugh as he pulls the other Food Soul to him and hugs him close, digging one hand into the back of his head.]

We're both so stupid. [He says, and it doesn't carry the same tone of insult as when he usually says it. If anything he sounds... relieved.]

It's always been you.

[battlebound]

( It's a weight off his shoulders, a sudden shift of everything within him. That usual irritation subsided, replaced by relief and a giddy smile he buries in Red Wine's shoulder as the other man pulls him into a hug.

How strange, to realise the blinders you put on yourself for so long. To feel the very moment they disappear and are replaced with the truth. )

You could have said something sooner. ( There's also no real bite to those words. Just a simple, stupid prod for the sake of saying something.

It would have been nice to figure this out sooner, but Steak also knows well that he would never have been ready to admit such a thing on Tierra. There, where those old habits are truly embedded, where nothing has challenged them.

He wonders if they would have ever figured it out on Tierra. Though, once again, it's just a question that doesn't matter. )

[judgementor]

Oh, shut up. [Red Wine mutters into Steak's shoulder, his voice just as much lacking bite as the other Food Soul's does as he grips firmly into his shoulders and presses the bridge of his nose in against Steak's neck. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, sinking into the steady sound of Steak's pulse and the scent that is uniquely his, then he slowly pulls away and looks at him.

It would have been nice to figure it out sooner, but... at least they did figure it out?]

Gingerbread would be laughing at us. [He says, smiling weakly.] Both of us.

[Oh, he's sure that Gingerbread would find this entire thing utterly hilarious. She would tell them how long she had seen it coming, how stupid they both were to drag it out for so long... He can almost hear her laughing at them both.]

Shall we go home?

[battlebound]

( That earns a huff of laughter from Steak. Gingerbread would certainly be front and centre with a bucket of popcorn if she could be.

... He misses her. Even if her absence means they aren't being dragged for their foolishness, he misses her. )

That sounds good.

( But home, ultimately, has always been wherever Red Wine is. )