Ambient temperature drops a few degrees

From: Dot Warner

(This is the entrance thread I wrote for Samui. I'd give you more cookies, but then I'd be accused of bribing...so here are some cyber double fudge brownies instead! :) [All contributions gratefully received! :9 - Chika]

(I'm a major chocolate freak)

     It was that time of night when people were not completely drunk, but already well on their way: bottle after bottle was passed around from the Infinite Wall of Sake, and the ambient temperature rose a few degrees with each one that was downed. The only thing that might have been even larger than the Wall was the Never Paid Tab, much to the dismay of Madoka, the owner of the Retreat.
     "Somebody better pay up soon," Madoka mumbled as she tallied up the Tab for the umpteenth time. "Or I'm going to go broke."
     Just as she said that, the door of the Retreat opened, and Eric Gen stepped through, followed by a woman Madoka had never seen before.
     'Eric got a girlfriend?' Madoka wondered, and immeadiately dismissed the thought: Eric was the shyest...well...elf on either side of CAPOW. The idea that Eric could be romantically inclined towards anyone was absurd.
     "Eric-san!" Mai, upon seeing Eric, lept into the elf's arms. The other patrons also called out their greetings, but stayed their seats. A few of them began whispering among themselves about the other new arrival.
     "I think I've seen her somewhere before," remarked one.
     "The word on the grapevine is that she's an undercover agent," another said mysteriously.
     "She sure looks like one," agreed the first.
     Indeed, not only did the girl look blind because of her light grey eyes, she also seemed to possess no emotions at all. When she glanced at the group currently discussing her, they felt a chill run down their spines.
     "Listen up!" Eric shouted loudly, causing most of the patrons to stop talking and pay him their attention. "This is Namida Samui, the newest member of CAPOW."
     "Pleased to meet you," Samui said tonelessly.
     "Hi, Samui, and welcome to CAPOW!" Madoka greeted in return. "First drink is on the house." While Madoka went to get Samui a drink, Eric introduced the new person to Emiko and Mai.
     "This is Emiko, my old sidekick," Eric introduced.
     "Hello," Emiko held her hand to Samui.
     "I've heard of you," Samui said, taking Emiko's hand. Emiko couldn't help but notice that Samui's fingers were freezing cold.
     Mai was next. "Hi!" She gave Samui the customary hug. For a moment, Emiko thought she saw a look of surprise in Samui's eyes, followed by something else that passed through too quickly for Emiko to determine what it was.
     "Do you always hug everyone you meet?" Samui asked.
     "Hai!" Mai answered happily. "Nana-Sama says I should be kind to everyone!"
     "I see," Samui said as she detached herself from Mai's grasp. "Nice to meet you, Mai-san."
     "Oh, call me 'Mai-chan'!" Mai requested. "Everybody does."
     'Again that look,' Emiko thought, observing Samui's reaction.
     "All right...Mai-chan," Samui finally answered.
     Madoka passed Samui a small glass. "Here you go, the ever famous Sake!"
     "Thank you," Samui took the glass, and began sipping.
     "Would you like a cookie, too?" Mai asked, grabbing a plate full of cookies off the counter.
     "Wait, Samui!" Madoka called out, when she saw Samui reaching for the cookies. "Those are..."
     Samui ate the cookie in one gulp.
     "...Akane's cookies," Madoka finished.
     "That would explain why they have salt instead of sugar, and are rather burnt," Samui observed. "Thanks for the warning. I'll be more careful next time."
     Everyone who had seen Samui ingest the cookie facevaulted. Someone had actually eaten Akane's cooking and nothing happened?
     'I must be too drunk,' was the conclusion every patron reached.