Episode 01 - Barroom Etiquette

Sai Kobayashi reclined, holding a silver flask. The bar was dim, though lines of light framed the shuttered windows. His back was to one, the wide brim of his hat pulled low over his face. His grey-blue longcoat, same shade as the hat, made him difficult to see between the bars of hard light. Hot sunshine cut across his round flask as he took a sip, not wasting a drop.

"Little man, you haven't touched your beer," growled a voice so deep dust was shaken from the rafters. "Japan's a long way from California, but that don't excuse unfriendliness."

With his dark eyes glittering, Sai examined the speaker. He breathed the air of sweat and beer and closed his eyes, wishing he were too drunk to care. Behind shut eyelids, memories of his native izakaya fluttered: their chess tables, sake, and perfumed fragrances. Muttering a curse, he recapped his flask and placed it on the square table, next to his untouched mug.

The tabletop jolted and Sai snapped open his eyes. Glowering from an impressive height was a hairless face of ruddy skin, with a head of thick, black hair flowing to a pair of wide shoulders.

"What's that you said, little man?" the voice rumbled, muting all conversation in the bar. Everyone there, except Sai, was a tribal