It's not just me who is surprised by Leigh's thingamajig called a pistol teapot.
Aurora is also amazed by this, seeing as how a seemingly deadly weapon is in reality a harmless little gadget.
"Hey, are you gonna drop your jaws forever or what?" Leigh asks us two. "The tea's not gonna stay warm forever, you know."
"Yes, yes!"
Aurora and I scramble to drink the herbal tea while it's still considerably warm.
Hm.
I am by no means a tea expert, but this is a mixture of chamomile and lemongrass, with liberal amounts of ginger.
Indeed, this mixture of herbs soothes our throats and improves our moods alongside the rain itself.
Perfect for Leigh and I, who regularly use our voices for a living.
As we three still sip on our teas, I ask my girlfriend how she acquired the unusual teapot in the first place.
And she has a ready answer for that.
"Before you guys ask, my parents indeed got this from Scotland as a souvenir."
I ask her, "But did your parents have any problems lugging that around? Even a BB gun must get through some checks by the TSA, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, I know all about them. Good thing they informed the TSA beforehand that it's just a mere teapot, but in the form of a gun. They even bought a hard case just in case."
"Wow, they sure are prepared, huh."
"Well, for one thing, I don't like guns myself. School shootings and all that. But to use them other than their intended purpose, like acting as a teapot… yes, that's more like it."
We three eventually finish our tea, ad we are satisfied at the warming effect it brings to our bodies.
But the rain still keeps on pouring.
Well, we never mind that, considering the girls' fondness for it.
But we don't feel sleepy at all.
Some people confess that the rain gives them this narcoleptic effect, that they become sleepier than ever.
Strangely enough, that effect never permeates us ever.
So what do we three do while we all wait for six o' clock and then enter the hallowed halls of the country bar once more?
Yes, watch some more television.
We just channel surf, as Aurora is not in the mood to watch any telenovela other than her favorite, the one with the "darn cripple" scene.
Oh, what's this?
It's the latest episode of a Japanese TV show portraying a giant of light battling giant monsters.
OK, now our curiosity's piqued.
The opening theme is quite energetic, like it isn't out of place in an aerobics routine.
Now it's on to the actual plot of the episode.
The organization that has been fighting giant monsters has just completed its own giant robot, in the hopes of assisting the giant of light in fighting monsters in the future.
But as it is about to deploy the robot for a test run, a group of weather-controlling monsters wreaks havoc on the test site, forcing the organization to abandon the test run and have the robot go ahead and engage the monsters in its very first battle.
Alas, the robot's AI itself is wholly unprepared to face threats as huge as the cavalcade of monsters, as the latter conjures a storm and brings down thunder that directly hits the robot, frying the AI module and rendering it inoperable.
But then, both the back-up AI, which was better-equipped for battle despite its few glaring flaws, and the giant of light himself, show up to save the day.
Wow.
Just wow.
The fight scenes are amazing, as are the special effects used.
I wonder how the show's producers were able to pump out this much eye candy on a typical TV series budget.
Of course, Aurora's also amazed by what the show had to offer.
"This sure is a refreshing break from all those telenovelas my family used to watch. Maybe… just maybe… I have this urge to watch previous episodes on catch-up!"
OK, let's see here...
According to the channel's website, previous episodes are indeed available legally online on its official video site for a limited time only – two weeks, in particular.
And being the helpful man that I am, I relay that info to Aurora herself.
"Yes!" she radiates in glee. "Now I can have something to watch at the bar whenever I'm bored."
Leigh cuts in, "Yes, yes. Our bar has free Wi-Fi, and it's as strong as ever."
Since the episode lasted for just thirty minutes, it's back to staring at the window again.
The rain still has no signs of letting up.
We all wonder when will this downpour end.
But we're assured of one thing…
There are no massive floods here in Atlanta ever since the Atlanta Metropolitan Underground Discharge Channel was built ten years ago, which is meant to mitigate the effects of flooding.
The city management emulated this drainage system from Tokyo's Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, which they cite as the pinnacle of disaster and risk management efforts.
So no matter how heavy the floods may be, people will no longer be inconvenienced, and lives will be saved.
One hour passes, and the rain downgrades to a mere drizzle.
So it's safe to go out.
But we'll pack some umbrellas to be sure.
Since it's still a few hours before work, we'll just explore the environs surrounding our apartment.
It's just five minutes after we three head out of our apartment; and on the sidewalk, we come across a 20-something wanderer guy, judging by the cycling shirt and pants he wears.
He just celebrates in the background...
"It's a congratulatory message for us! Seems like what we entered is a bastion of the enemy; but to those who are disappointed, don't be, because we see what they can't. LEZGAWW!!"
Of course, I'm curious as to what he's yeehawing about, so we kindly approach him.
"Excuse, me, sir. What are you celebrating, by the way?"
Putting his phone aside (and it seems like he ended his call), he outright tells us his answer.
"You see, distinguished sir and madams, I have successful convinced my buddies to infiltrate a nearby company that is treating its employees so bad.
"What the employees are enduring reminds me of that Korean movie that won Oscars. Those impoverished employees are so infuriated towards their bosses who are insensitive in one way or another to what they've been going through.
"Those bosses are so elitist, like those die-hard supporters of a certain politician. Especially those who constantly remind those who have less access to education that they're dumb."