What makes history (Hijikata x OC)

Of wine and sake

"Two more sips, and you'll find yourself married,"

"What?", I gasped, tearing my eyes from Hijikata to stare at the Colonel.

Was that the ritual he'd mentioned earlier! Marriage? I sent a panicked look to Hijikata who frowned at his friend.

"Baka !", he grumbled, his cheeks dusted pink. "There's only one cup."

Eyes round, I surmised that the ritual was way more complicated than that. Still ... it was unsettling. In an attempt to dignify myself and ignore Sanan's chuckles, I cleared my throat and claimed a mouthful of rice to wash the umami taste away. I definitely hated bitterness.

"What do you enjoy drinking, Kitsu-san?" Kondō asked to set me at ease.

Ever the care taker.

I'd acquired quite a few good millesimes during my first professional years, but the decision was univoque when it came to my drinking tastes. I hated alcohol, hence stuck to good wines that didn't smell like it.

"Burgundy wine. White, mainly, but I make exceptions for Gevrey Chambertin and a few Bordeaux. Why?"

"I understand why you wouldn't want to marry a farmer's son then..."

I glared at Sanan hoping he would stop teasing us altogether. But when Kondō's face morphed into a disgruntled expression, I stared nibbling at my lower lip; what had I done again?

"You must find us peasants, Kitsu-san. You sure are a woman of means."

That reflexion threw me into an abyss of misunderstanding. Peasants? The Shinsengumi commanders? With their manners, their control, their beliefs and ideals? Where did that even come from? I frowned, scanning Kondō's sheepish features.

"Not at all, why should I?"

There was a short silence, and I wondered how I was going to fix that particular blunder if I didn't know what I'd done wrong. As usual, Sanan-san was the one who provided the much-needed information.

"French wines are the Emperor's favourite."

Wow, really? Then I understood. My favourite drink was that of his emperor, who paid for bottles of French wine to cross the ocean. This must have looked very snobbish.

"Oh! No. It doesn't cost us that much, you know, since we live nearby Burgundy. My parents were teachers, and my grandparents both worked in the same factory. We're not high born at all."

But my manners were drilled by elves and Kings, so I had to pick up a thing or two. But instead of appeasing the Captain, my explanation caused his eyebrows to knit in a grimace.

"Do you mean to say that our emperor's wine is low class?"

Damn, damn, and damn! Hoist me out of that hole please, anyone? Now, instead of insulting them, I had insulted their emperor.

Well done, Frances, you're getting better at diplomacy.

"All right," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Let me set this straight. You see, my father is from Burgundy, he's got friends in the vineyards. The wine is more of a legacy to us, like Hijikata's family medicine. We don't get to drink some often, but when we do, we'd rather for it to be a good bottle."

I chanced a desperate look to my left, finding the vice commander – no, Toshizō – studying me. I hope he wouldn't be pissed I had used his family name as an example but damn, Kondō has cornered me fair and square. Fukuchō, though, was smirking at me, challenging me to find a way out by myself.