Summit HQ [ENTERTAINMENT]

☆ Tagged for Yuki-chan & Lena

The declaration of the young girl seated beside him was heartfelt and kind, with just a tinge of ominous suggestion. The possibility of him dying was heavy on his mind as it had been during the eve of the war. But unlike the war, he would try his best to survive. To actually care about getting through it. He had Yuki-chan now, after all, and a whole array of comrades and duties he treasured and revered. As a gesture of assurance and gratitude, the young man would smile. "I'll do my best now. Especially since I have a new imoto to look after." Just then, the waiter would arrive with their drinks. One berry smoothie for the Yukina, and a custom guava smoothie for Atlas, who gaped at it with hungry eyes.

Promptly after he had thanked the waiter, the Akegarasu would wrap his fingers around the cold beverage and commence the drinking alongside Yuki-chan. But while she took a first initial sip, testing and tasting it, he had taken an entire gulp! The proper word for the feeling he currently felt was voiced by his young companion shortly afterwards. "B-Brain freeze." He'd grumble in mid-laughter, an open palm pressed up against his pulsing forehead. "Tell me about it." When the feeling had dispersed, and when he felt his brain was ready to handle another drink from his ice-cold beverage, the half-masked male would continue on. It was way too good to pass up anyway, and any simple reaction like brain freeze wasn't going to stop him from enjoying the delicacy present before him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he would notice what seemed like a customer passing by. But he was way too engrossed in his drink to turn around and look, savoring the flavor of his creation with all the taste buds at his disposal. Unfortunately for him, that same passerby just happened to trip and spilled their beverage all over his lap, a cold and wet sensation spreading throughout. The Akegarasu would grow wide-eyed and set his drink down, turning to the culprit in question as he chugged down what he had in his mouth. Before he could even get in a word, the lass would gasp and apologize repeatedly, leaping in to wipe his lap with a single napkin. Finding the situation a bit humorous, Atlas would shake his head and grasp the girl's wrist. "Don't worry about it." He'd chuckle lightheartedly, easing her hand away as he plucked the overly-used napkin from her grasp, setting it upon the bar's counter. "It was an accident, I can clean myself up." The man would continue, sending her his typical warm-eyed look.

Just then, his nose would twitch. A smell, very familiar to him, was wafting throughout the air. His gaze would turn down to his wet lap, then towards the young woman who had accidentally spilled it on him, with a curious and interested gleam in his eyes this time. "Is that guava fruit I smell.. ? Don't tell me you're a fan, too." He'd smile expectantly.

☆ Tagged for Yuki-chan & Lena

After striding through the doors of his assigned room, Atlas would pull open a drawer and shuffle through the neatly organized clothes within. When he found a pair of pants identical to the one he was wearing now, he'd promptly retrieve it and get to changing. He would then exit the room in his same attire- a white masquerade mask covering the right half of his face, but fitted so that it didn't obscure or debilitate his vision in that eye in any manner. A deep black coat with silver buttons and long sleeves- and underneath that, a white shirt with flared cuffs, sprouting out from the sleeves of said coat. Tied around his waist was a leather belt with a golden belt buckle. And then, his fresh pair of comfortable, black trousers, and stylish black boots with golden buckles. Hands fitted in sleek black leather gloves- neither tight nor loose enough to cause disturbance- smoothed out the surface of his sleeves before he continued on back to Jackson's Juice Jigger. Yuki, and perhaps Lena, were waiting!

His clean-cut boots would rap against the smooth floor as he approached the smoothie shop's doors, entering in his typical casual gait, hands resting in the warmth of his pockets, back straight, and pace moderately slow. When he spotted Yukiko where she had been before, and Lena sitting on a stool beside her, he would beam with a childish smile. They had been, presumably, talking to one another, and he was glad Yukiko finally had someone to connect with on that level. With a pep in his step, he'd hop onto his stool from behind, sitting to Yukiko's left, while Lena sat on the girl's right. "Thanks for the guard duty, kiddo." He'd say, showing his gratitude with yet another pat on her head. He'd then lean forwards on the counter to make eye contact with Lena and smile. "And Lena! It's an absolute pleasure to see that you're still around." Swiping his drink off the counter, the Akegarasu would bring the rim of the cup to his lips and drink the sweet, blended nectar within.

The taste was rich, and a bit tangy, but otherwise refreshing and very, very delicious. He couldn't help but hum with the pleasure he was feeling, his taste buds flaring up in ecstasy with the flavor exploding in his mouth. When he finally achieved the task of draining the liquid down, he'd set the drink back down upon the counter, and release a satisfied ahh. He would then keep an open ear to anything Yukiko and Lena said, eying the young woman with a kind glow in his eyes from time to time. The headband tied around her waist suggested she was a ninja of Kumogakure like them, and he was surprised he hadn't noticed her before. Surely, a beauty such as her wouldn't be hard to spot, even in the thriving masses of the village hidden in the clouds. But he had been hard-pressed to find time for leisure during his stay in Kumogakure, so it was understandable.

But what mattered was that he was here now! In the Summit of Tetsu no Kuni, participating in the Chuunin Exams, meeting new people and those that shared the pride of his homeland with him! How exciting!

☆ Tagged for Yuki-chan & Lena (Who took too long-- again!)

The atmosphere had turned chillier than usual, and it wasn't long before Atlas began feeling a little restless. He hadn't trained since yesterday, after all, and the next step in the exams would be coming up soon. Emerald green optics gazed down at the pool of creamy orange in his chalice, a nectar his tongue was yearning to taste once more. He'd had an affinity for guava for as long as he could remember, and despite all the times he had enjoyed the taste of its innards, the Akegarasu never got tired of it. And so he would bring the cup up to his face once more, ready to sip and take another swig, not caring that he was nearly done with the beverage overall. He would just order another one if he was still thirsty after. And as lips made contact with the rim, taste buds electrifying with the mere flavor there, a memory crashed through his mind- a previously forgotten snippet of his life, something the war had taken from him in the form of amnesia, but was now returning. It was as clear as if it'd happened yesterday.

On the verge of tumbling into deep thought, the only voice that kept the half-masked male from daydreaming was that of Yukiko Fuyumori. He perked an eyebrow, blinked his eyes and turned to the little girl with an interested smile as she spoke- in what sounded like a whine within the tone of her voice. The memory he just had was still fresh on his mind, a realization he had longed to obtain since he'd woken up after the Great Flash, but he could dwell on it later he supposed. For now, the concerns and musings of his imoto were paramount, and he was making it his goal to avoid getting caught up in the past any longer. It was a difficult goal to obtain, but perhaps with the help of comrades like Yukiko and Asashio, he could achieve it. A reticent look appeared on Yukiko's face after she'd voiced her question- he figured she was a little unsure about the tone she'd taken just now. But naturally, Atlas was untroubled. "Of course we can." He'd reply cheerily. "And I'll tell you what- we can go on any missions you choose when we get there, hm? I've heard they got new ones."

The child's anticipation for what would come after the Chuunin Exams was comforting- it meant that she hadn't been entirely disheartened about whether she would succeed here or not. She was ready for what was to come in the weeks after and, quite frankly, the determination was refreshing. As a kid, Atlas had been small for his age, all elbows and knees, and quite the coward. The only photograph of Atlas as a kid that his mother had liked enough to frame showed a solemn child with unruly hair and dark eyes standing beside a table laden high with cakes and cookies. Atlas thought the picture must have been taken at a celebration of some sort, as he had been dressed in a bow tie and his best clothes. He had grown so fast in the year that had followed. In the spring of his thirteenth year the local kids of Kuma no Kuni had been picking on him, goading him into fights they knew they could not fail to win and after which Atlas would run, angry and often weeping, to the boys' washroom to wash the mud or the blood from his face before anyone could see it. Then came summer, a long, magical thirteenth summer, which he spent keeping out of the way of the bigger kids- swimming in lakes, reading books, toying with his sword.

In September, he would return to school to discover that the boys who had made him miserable were small, soft things no longer capable of upsetting him. The two who tried it were taught better manners, hard and fast and painfully, and Atlas found that he had redefined himself: he could no longer be a quiet kid, doing his best to remain unobtrusively at the back of things. He had become stronger then. Suddenly feeling determined to bring that sense of strength to his imoto, the Akegarasu would drain back the last of his delicious concoction. The sweet aftertaste remained in the back of his throat and on the surface of his tongue when he had finished. Placing the empty cup on the counter, he would then retreat off of his stool and stretch his arms. He'd been cooped up in the Summit for a while now. Training seemed like a splendid idea. "I'm off to the dojo just outside the Summit." He'd smile, directing his statement to both Lena and Yukiko. "You open for some training, Yuki? I was hoping to teach you a thing or two about sensory." With a placid smile, he'd turn and wave them both off as he headed for the doors. "It was nice meeting you, Lena! Maybe we'll see each other again some time, hm?" Upon reaching the glass doors, he'd turn to the beauty one last time and wink before making his exit. "Bon voyage!"

EXIT