Drake Forest walked into a tavern. He sat at a table next to the door and bade the waiter bring him a bottle of retsina and a pair of glasses.
As he sat at the table and sampled the wine's bouquet, another Asian man dressed in black and wearing glasses sat down on front of him.
"Drake Forest, huh?" said Shizuo Onodera as he leaned forward, placing his left arm on the table. "Just how many people are you planning to call yourself that name in front of?"
Ryuichi Hayashi took off his hat and glasses, smiled and continued sniffing the wine. "Which would you prefer?" he chuckled. "Lim Yong-il? Lin Longyi? Paamai Teeneungmangkon? Rung Rong Mot? Preichheu Dambaungneak? Pamai Khangthoaidmangkon? Draig Hunfed Goedwig? Oh, how about Hutan Pertamanaga?"
"They all mean the same thing," said Onodera, grinning.
Hayashi poured wine in the other glass and handed it to Onodera.
"Paamai Teeneungmangkon, Lin Longyi, Hutan Pertamanaga," Onodera went on. "They mean the same thing: your name. Doesn't matter if it's in Thai, Chinese or Malaysian. It's still Ryuichi Hayashi."
"Don't worry about it."
"I kinda like Draig H. Goedwig, though; It's not that obvious. So, how do you find your new friend?"
Hayashi tasted the wine. "Naive," he replied. "Interesting, can actually be quite trusting to people who give something to him."
Onodera sniffed the wine and drank half the glass of it. "So," he asked, "can we use him?"
Hayashi lifted his glass to the light and swirled the wine. "I believe we can," he said, watching the wine as it moved round and round in the glass. Lowering the glass, he put it to his lips and drank.
Onodera sniffed the wine and drank half the glass of it. "So," he asked, "can we use him?"
Hayashi lifted his glass to the light and swirled the wine. "I believe we can," he said, watching the wine as it moved round and round in the glass. Lowering the glass, he put it to his lips and drank.
