A Fistful of Dollars.

[Estilo]

Notes: barley.
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The fanciest joint this street had to offer was chosen- a locale decorated with clean-cut wood and a picturesque golden statue of a koi fish. It was appealing, in an old kind of way, and the Akegarasu had no qualms about following the woman inside. A delightful fragrance wafted throughout the air, it teased his nostrils. Gently pushing away the bat-wing doors that constituted as the entrance to this establishment, Atlas looked with wonder at its interior. Just as simple and traditional as the exterior, but equally as captivating. The mood here was calm, the business light. Splendid.

His admiring gaze was interrupted when the half-masked male noticed Haya had already taken her seat- against the wall, on one of the many plush mats. Promptly he grabbed the nearest chair and slid it out, later positioning it across from the younger woman- the only thing between them being a table. He took his seat, relaxed. Slinging a single arm over its top rail, his legs straightened and the hand on his other arm gently drumming its fingers over the surface of the table. He assessed the look on Haya's face with his emerald green eyes, wondered whether she was still sore about that whole intense incident with the lightning.

Before he could say anything, the dutiful and keen waiter arrived- his uniform consisting of a yellow polo shirt, a white apron tied around his waist and a pair of casual blue jeans. Acknowledging the lad, Atlas made a modest request. "One beer, por favor. Victoría." Then left it at that, leaving the waiter with the task of taking Haya's order- should she require anything to drink or eat. Of course, like the other tables, this one would receive its chip and salsa appetizer free of charge. So Atlas had no qualms about holding off his hunger until later, as he could fill himself with such foodstuffs provided and have no problem with it- a lover of salsa.

Now- with the waiter gone- the Raikage really had to set his priorities straight for this matter. He had a rough idea of what he wanted to propose, but he did not want to be hasty or rash with asking it. That, and he wasn't sure where- if Haya accepted this request- the proposal would take her career-wise. He simply did not know, and it intimidated him for her sake. From what he had seen already, she seemed like a nice person. He wanted to ask her something he hoped would suit her needs, something he hoped she would be able to handle and prosper with later on. Returning his serene and unruffled gaze back to the swordswoman seated across from him, the man smiled. He could start with an overview of her history.

"So-- where are you from, Haya? What do you do?

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[tsukikage]

IIC: 2 days
Tagged: Tsukikage
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The Totsuki courtyard.

Clinched down, and relaxed. The young woman had moved from a sitting position into a laid down one, within moments of the waiter- making himself known. Asking for their order, and the like but she didn't want anything. All she did was lay down-fully, and relax for the moment. Her body extended outwards, and her muscles tensed slightly before the relieve of a yawn, and then the withdrawal of her limps so that she could fully enjoy the moment. Then the man asked her a simple question, where did she come from. It was a pretty difficult answer for her, because she hadn't really thought about that since she came to this land, a while ago but if he wanted to know, she might need to think a while back.

"I come, from a land covered in snow, filled with beauty, and peace. Yet, I do not remember the name." was all that she could say, for the moment at least. She had no clue about the location, or the names of anything about it. The only thing, she could remember were various images of the environment, and a few memories of things that happened a long time ago.

Despite this factoring question, she just kept herself strongly focused on a softened muscle tension, forcing her body to sway, and calm down much like the basics of her techniques. Her heart slowing down, and blood starting to rush in a more controlled state. Emotion, and physical reaction cut down to a minimum, she had nearly become motionless. Even her breathing was hard to see, this was her style of living. The ability to cut down on everything, to such a degree. That she could last days without movement.

"So, where are you from?" she asked him curiously, but without much lip moment. Trying to limit any energy spent for the time being, and attempting to learn a bit about the man. She already learned that he was most likely a higher-ranked Shinobi, simply because of the techniques used during the match. Learning his preferred attack-style, and physical abilities. Information is key in this time of war, and chaos. Yet, at the same time it was nothing more then a single factoring element of the major series of death.

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[Estilo]

Notes: whatdoyoudo?!
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"I'm originally from Kuma no Kuni- the Land of Bears- but I've been and lived in Kumogakure for the last six years or so."

He answered, the words fluidly rolling off his tongue as he observed the woman's current posture with a sedated look in his eyes. There was much to wonder about "Haya". Whether she could be trusted to take upon the job he had in mind for her. He was only now putting his mind to the prospect that she might not seem as innocent as he had thought she was. He had a tendency to do that, to expect the best out of people when normally things were not as they seemed. Some might call him a "glass half-full" kind of guy. But now, with his title of Raikage, he had to train himself to know better. To expect lies, double personalities and tricks. This was all in the effort of trying to keep himself safe, and in doing so, ensuring he'd be around long enough to keep Kumogakure as safe as it was now.

His interest in the girl and anticipation for the task he would offer was counteracting against this desire to keep himself wary. He needed to ask more questions, to know a bit more. Then later on, he could reveal his intentions, his identity, his objective. But did she share the patience and pleasantness he had? If she didn't, he had a feeling this conversation wouldn't go so far. As a fighter, Haya had impressed him, sure. She had established and executed a plan he would have lost against five years ago. But as a person? Atlas had yet to know her as a person. He wasn't going to beg her for the job he had in mind just because she could move quickly and showed signs of being a talented fighter. He wasn't that kind of person, anyhow. Overall, he needed to find out whether they meshed or not- personality wise- before this currently uncertain relationship turned into something formal. God forbid he chose some dreadful to be around with.

His beer came, on a platter of all things, with a glass filled with blocks of ice. He thanked the waiter, bid him a dew with a polite wave of his hand, then turned back to the table. His thirst kicked in once more, but his relaxed posture remained the same. The hand that had been drumming its fingers on the surface of the table reached up tenderly to stroke the wet neck of his cold Victoría. Then slowly, they wrapped around the chilled green bottle like the tentacles of a mulatto octopus. It was then that the Akegarasu raised the rim of the beverage to his lips, and took an unwinding chug. The cold stung his throat, but washed over his body refreshingly.

Setting the bottle down on the table once more, he glanced at the glass full of ice. Why would he be needing that? He smiled with the thought of doubling the freeze he had just tasted. But on to more pressing matters. The young woman sprawled out on the mat before him- weren't they having a conversation? He pondered his next question, chose his words carefully. He hated asking questions, but was used to being the driving force of a discussion at times. When such discussions went smoothly, he rather enjoyed them. Hopefully, thus would be the case here. Without further hesitation, he moved on, the smile on his face a few inches wider with the taste of alcohol rested on his tongue. So crisp, and so clean.

"I'm inclined to believe you're some sort of samurai, Haya. What career occupies your life, if I may be so blunt in asking?"

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[tsukikage]

IIC: 2 days
Tagged: Tsukikage
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The Totsuki courtyard.

"That is correct. I am from The Old Ways of Bushido. Right now. I'm just traveling to be honest, looking for a place to call my true home. If you'd understand what I meant." her voice rang warmly to the bars interesting decor, the wood softening the amount of distance, and her body completely void of all tension. She was in a completely relaxed state at this point. She was curious in what the man wanted with her, and really wanted to understand more about it. She liked answering questions to a limit, and was willing to continue with no problem or qualm in the pattern.

As she pushed back against the wall a bit more, her hair flushed, and her skin pressing deeply against the stone cold wall of wood, she would move her right hand over her chest, and brought up the case of her weapon with relative ease. It seemed more like a reflex then wanted action, but as she drove up the warm gold printed, blue layered, and stainless unity of wood, she rested it in against her chest. Then she followed by tucking the chin of her head, into the location of her neck. Much like a resting soldier, or relaxing drunk.

"If you want to know anything else just ask, so who are you really?" she asked the man with abundant curiosity. She knew he was hiding something, but couldn't place her finger on it fully. Despite, most just lying about it, she would try a direct attempt to find out who he truly was. Something, very few tried, but it usually worked if done correctly. As her words rang into the room, she moved the drop of her right foot, and moved it up over to her left knee. Placing the clothed foot, and sandal on top of the other.

OOC NOTE: Sorry if it came out weird, had no sleep.

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[Estilo]

Notes: getsomesleep, luyiaaan~
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"I'm a lot of things, m'lady. A ninja being one of them, of course. But you probably already know that- what with our little match in the arena. Unfortunately, ninjutsu is difficult to keep under wraps. Such a fickle thing- gives my profession away so easily, y'know?" He graced her with a warm smile, the humor in his tone carefree and genuine. Lifting the chilled beer from the table by its green and moist neck, the Akegarasu took another swig. The ambiance in the place had remained the same since they had entered. The conversations around still at a low din- much easier to talk around than the roar of the crowd they had just left behind. That feeling that had overtaken his body- that Lion blood that had rushed throughout his veins- was all gone now, and with it all of its effects.

Coming down from that short adrenaline high always felt relaxing to the green-eyed male. The beer in his hand only reinforced that. He had not taken a load off like this in what seemed like forever, and when he realized he was, the half-masked male didn't take it for granted. Perhaps he'd keep this going throughout the night, maybe take off after this meeting and get lashed like the village drunk. It might be, after all, the last time he had an opportunity to do so. With the identity of the new Raikage relatively anonymous, hardly anyone would know. As he delved into the musings of which mates he should call first, he suddenly remembered what he was here for. Drawing the rim of his bottle away from his lips, he set his Victoría back down on the table. Hopefully that bit about him being a ninja was enough for her to go on. Maybe they could move on.

As the reasons for him bringing her here formed in his mind, Atlas gave some deep thought to what her apparent talent could be utilized for. He still didn't have quite the handle on her personality as he wished he did- but what could he really expect from no less than an hour of meeting each other for the first time? Perhaps he could delay officially recruiting her for whatever he had in mind until later, but see what she could bring to the table professionally right now. You know, official interview stuff. Besides the short but sweet duel they had over the visage of the dreadful Hachibi.

So she was a samurai, as he had expected, and most likely did not have some sort of reliable source of income because of it. From what she'd explained, she was a traveling practitioner of Bushido. Nothing that really stuck out as a paying job came to mind, nor did he believe she had any affiliation with the Kumogakure department of ninja, despite the low-level Kawarimi she had performed during their match. But really-- even academy students knew how to do that. Who's to say this traveling swordswoman didn't learn it from one of them? Suspicious about her career and method of obtaining ryo, he knew he would have something to bring to the table. A steady paying job. And as he thought about the specifics, he would continue with this conversation. They were headed somewhere.

"Well, I gotta say, Haya. You're unlike any swordswoman I've ever met. And that's coming from a guy who practices kenjutsu himself. You have any prospects for the future, lass?"

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[tsukikage]

IIC: 2 days
Rawr: Hating movement
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The Totsuki courtyard.

"I have never been much of a fan of Ninjutsu, y'know? It just seems like a waste of ample movement. Myself, or well you've noticed. I like to keep the movement simple, unless I know. It can work out to my advantage. Despite, I know a bit of Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu Techniques. Future...prospects, now that I know of." voice slightly muffled now, by her sitting position. She was leaned down a bit, her head tucked into her body, and her weapon firmly located on her chest. The glimmering gold, imprints of both dragons, and variously ferocious animals slimmed into the light of the room. Though it was completely different then the basics of her techniques. If true to the word, it would be covered with symbols of turtles, and variously sized creatures of myth. She wasn't exactly the typical Kenjutsu user, she preferred to wait it out, and wait for just the nanosecond to strike.

"If you would like. I can show you exactly what I practice, that would be if your eyes can truly keep up. Not trying to brag, but I can strike at a exceptional speed compared to most." if he agreed to it or not, she would move her head back up, her swaying motion to signal that she would most likely stand or sit in another position, as she moved. Her body moved comparably slower then most, and her muscles reacted as such. Slowly she moved from the original position, and removed her weapon from the firm location against her body. Sitting it down next to her, she turned her body to face him, her warm blue eyes locking to his for a moment, and her clothing turning to match her movement.

Now facing him, she looked forward, in a dazed form, something like a mindless idiot but at the same time. Holding a firm dazzling emotion, of trained eyes, and relaxed formation. Her head slightly tilted to place her head against her shoulder for a moment, her back now fully straight, and her body tilted downwards to allow her to sit without strain on her body. Her legs now crossing over each other, and pressed into her body for a comfortable sitting.

"I also want to know, why did you do that one technique. The inner-mist, were you simply not wanting to get close to me? or was it simply to change the field to a advantageous situation. If you rather not answer, it would be fine. I have no quarrel with you, I simply must train my body to outmatch it, and force my mind to adjust, and match such refined techniques." her voice kept to its muzzled form, but changed to a clearer stance for a few moments. Now with her neck free, of her chin. She could speak better, but forced a bit more movement on her part.

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[Estilo]

Notes: fidgetfidget!
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He replied with a simple smile, void of arrogance or spite- filled with humor and satisfaction. The formal setting behind him made it seem incongruous in contrast. An unwarranted action, blending in with the rest of the brunette male's features. Though it was a habit the Akegarasu could not seem to brush off, it was often misunderstood as a taunting gesture. He imagined- and had seen with his own eyes- that some people wanted to punch him in the face for it. Those few simple-minded and volatile individuals never got that far, however, settling with muttered curses. Why? It escaped him, but the fact that they held some civility assuaged him. It was just a smile, the result of something that amused him. Was it really that big a deal?

Effortlessly, he took another swig of his drink. The woman's inquiries and questions had enlightened him, to the point where he felt he had to reflect and found himself ruminating on the thought process of this young woman. If she needed an answer to the various questions she'd asked, she pretty much had all of them written on the expression plastered across Atlas' face. But perhaps she needed a clearer answer. He was not one to go down a list of questions and answer them one by one like a schoolboy dictating the answers to an exam. Too much trouble, and he was far too preoccupied with his own thoughts to bother coming up with several distinct reasons behind what he had done, what he thought about Haya's opinion and the future prospects she had yet to discern as existent.

So when he thought about it, lowering the bottle from his lips and placing it back on the surface of the table, he decided to give the first response that came to mind. "You'll find that the world is a much bigger and diverse place than you previously thought it was, lady Haya. We've all got our own methods of dealing with things- dealing with people. It's nothing to be afraid of, of course, but definitely something to respect. Something you've at least got to be aware of, you understand." Tenderly, he grasped his green bottle by its neck and distractedly hung it up to his eyes, peering into its murky green depths.

"Our battle in the arena... it was illuminating, no?" He continued behind the blurry viridescent glass of his beverage. "It was for me. Such an intriguing event really- the age-old battle between ninjutsu and taijutsu... Two forms of art, in their own respects, with the semblance of combat housing the true beauty that is the convergence of these two powers. And while some may consider taijutsu to be a savage, brutal and unrefined way of going about things, I find it rather amusing. The perfect counterpart to the dazzling creations that comes from the hand seals I perform. Taijutsu, the art of training one's body. Ninjutsu, the art of training one's soul and mind." He soothingly said, placing his bottle of beer down on the table. A smile graced his features. "My mentor taught me that. And I can't thank her enough for it- not in a million years."

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[Apple]

[/b][/color]: +50
TSUKI: +35[/ul]

[tsukikage]

IIC: 2 days
Rawr: Hating movement
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The Totsuki courtyard.

"Such brisk favor. The enjoyable taste of true combat. I can not think of anything greater then that single, fact in my entire life. Its why I choose this life-style." her voice was rasp, and strong. Her intention mindful, and skilled in tormented movement. As she spoke, she pushed her body from the plusher pillow under her bottom, and removed her warm clothing from the embrace of commented fibers. As she pushed up, she would force her legs to fully intent out, and her clothing to once more return to their designed function, and fully drape down to her ankles.

It was clear, she was about to leave, but for what reasons? She could have many, and multiple choices in the factor, but wanted nothing more then to go rest. It had been a harsh-day, and her mind is cluttered with various junk, that she had no true meaning too. Once she had risen to a full extended position, she looked down at the man just in front of her. Her lips curling into a warm-witted, and devious smile before she spoke. In a silky, and toned voice. "Well. I need to get going, thanks for the chat." she turned her body away, and began to move from the stand.

If unstopped, she would attempt to exit through the door, and begin to proceed down the large, and cluttered population filled pathway back to the main portion of town. The darkening light of the moon, and the glimmering hope of the world embracing the earthy mother of its forefathers. Dozens of steps filling the area with sound, multiple in tone, and controlled in no fashion. Each movement unique to the person, and un-told to the rest.

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[Estilo]

Notes: ;w;
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"I hope we meet again, Lady Haya."

EXIT

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