Pondlife [P]

[Riot]

The place was practically dead.
She wasn't all that surprised about it though.

The place reeked of history, and it visibly reflected that, too. But not any interesting history. It was just.. fuckin' old. Not to say that the place smelled, no, but it had that air to it - like an old manor house that's been left untouched for a few days. Perhaps it was the damp, or the locals that seemed to hang around in their dimly lit corners, it was hard to tell. However, like some kind of shining beacon, Issouyia's pale white skin stood out from the outdated, beige-inspired decor, and to say the very least she stuck out like a sore thumb. However, on a more positive note, her washed out and dreary appearance at least fitted the entire aesthetic somewhat. Walking through, dainty feet tapping against creaky wood panelling, she crossed the seating area and chose one of the empty booths. This, of course, wasn't a very hard thing to do seeing as the place was pretty much empty except from the few customers who hung at the bar making intense conversation with the man who ran it.

Sitting down, she met with the firm seating. It had obviously been quite a while since the furniture had been bought, and what was perhaps once fluffy, comfortable cushioning was now about as useful as a sheet of thick iron. Not that insulating, but, to give it credit, it had been very warm outside today, and so it was quite pleasant to find some shade. '...Eugh.' Placing her hand on the table in front of her, despite the fact that she didn't exactly consider herself fussy, her delicate fingers detected some kind of sticky residue on the table. Disregarding this and focusing on the reason that she'd come here, her thoughts were soon met by the audience of an elderly gentleman. Memory serving, he was the one that had been behind the bar - up close, he looked even older than she'd originally thought. "..I'd like some green tea, please." whilst she was aware that you could drink it in so many different flavors, she wasn't even sure if this place did the normal kind, so didn't want to risk sounding like some stuck-up city girl. However, her request seemed to meet no qualms from the man, who, whilst nodding, grunted at her request, and disappeared out to the back.

Looking around, the place seemed to get more and more depressing the longer she stayed there. Whilst not being the queen of positivity herself, the atmosphere of this place was even putting her pessimistic self to shame. The place obviously didn't make a very high turnover, but being in the depths of Tsuchi no Kuni, she assumed the land was probably owned by those who owned the establishment - with no rent to pay, there was no need to make the place in to somewhere.. desirable to visit. Instead, it seemed frozen in time, much like the people that seemed to frequent it. She felt as if she was getting older just by being here. Sighing, her fingers softly drummed against the slightly sticky surface of the table once more. Surely it wouldn't take too long - at least there was no chance they could mess her order up.

Hopefully.

[Jae]

please allow me

TO INTRODUCE MYSELF I'M A MAN OF WEALTH AND TASTE

a humdrum establishment set out in the middle of the earth lands. it wasn't the first place a man as eclectic as ue would visit, but desperate times called for desperate measures. he had been patrolling the countryside in hopes of finding the perfect place to construct his harem, a venture that had been his lifelong goal. this establishment would operate outside the confines of normal civil standards. the sober would be bent from inebriates and the listless would have their raunchiest desires fulfilled.

but he quickly discovered that the out lands of tsuchi no kuni were all but inviting, in fact they were treacherous; a terrible location for a brothel. no one would visit~! this sad excuse for a bar was a testament to that fact, but even it had it's use.

he wasn't sure how long he'd been present; he wasn't exactly counting, but it was basically empty when he first arrived. bang! a door on the far side of the drinking hole burst open, an expensive shoe having led the way, and through it's archway came a sharp dressed man.

"drink master!" the man's roar seemed to bounce from every corner in the room.

"your lavatory is sub par! it could not contain the breadth of my brown bits! they have overflown from your commode and are spilling unto the ground as i speak!" despite providing such graphic detail he did not appear embarrassed. in fact he seemed rather proud of himself, strutting confidently from out a cloud of stench toward the bar.

he was a mountain of a man despite how he dressed. he was both tall and broad, with a jaw that hung low and wide. an endless set of bright white teeth met the air through a thin-lipped smile. "be a good host and clean after your guest, but not before making a drink! there is a brand that i desire, from the distant land of arcadia; whiskey!"

he was already making a drink for another patron, but he looked over his shoulder to confirm the order. if ue paid attention (or cared to), he would have heard the bartender grumbling obscenities beneath his breath.

Riot

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deltra of gangnam style

[Riot]

It was taking a while, but she was simply putting it down to the belief, no, the hope that maybe it was a speciality of theirs and they were arranging some kind of avant-garde presentation. Realistically however, the thought sprung to her mind that these folk perhaps didn't even know what green tea was. Another sigh. Relaxing her head back against the wooden headboard of the booth that she was sat in, her eyes closed, and the world around her disappeared. She'd been roaming Tsuchi for a day or so now, and with the sun high in the sky, there was nothing more than she wanted at the minute than to quench her thirst. With green tea being her favorite drink, one could consider her to be some kind of connoisseur by now. Granted, the standard for this place wasn't all too high, but with low expectations, at least then she wouldn't be disappointed.

She stayed in this dark, quite world for a further few minutes until a loud BANG! broke the silence. Dark eyes revealed themselves immediently after it sounded, figuring that maybe it was just something that had dropped bar in the bar. Usually, she would have disregarded it and continued drifting within her mind, but a loud, intrusive voice soon followed, and she felt her eyes roll at the very sound. Not only was he loud, but the filth that he spoke - it was completely unecessary. With one arm wrapped around the top of the booth she was sat in, she twisted her body in one swift movement, peering over to gaze at the.. behemonth of a man who stood close to the bar. He was huge. Whilst she was tall herself, just by looking at him it was clear that he would tower over her. And such.. flamboyancy! It wasn't exactly her cup of tea, given that the colors she wore were predominantly black and white with the odd splash of color in detail. Lowering her arm and turning to face the opposite direction, she closed her eyes once more in some attempt to flee away from this scene.

Clink!

And again - disrupted!

But, by something slightly more desirable. The elderly man had since come over, and now loomed over her table like some kind of reverent spirit, clearly disgruntled by the unwelcome visitor. Having placed the cup of green tea and on the table, he then wait a glow gait made his way back to the bar, probably to serve up the whiskey that had just been ordered. At least it meant that she could easily slink to the background and out of mind whilst the vividly dressed man took all of the attention. The letches at the bar had since stopped staring at her (not that there was much to stare at, given the fact that she wasn't exactly a big-chested bombshell) and were probably now paying their gaze to him as well, which suited her all the better. Clutching the cup with one of her hands, she took a single sip. '..Average.' it wasn't anything special - it was nice, as green tea often was, but it wasn't anything worth a second visit.

And then, from the bar -- "We've ran out of whiskey." despite currently trapped in her own little bubble with her drink, she was still made to listen to the talk that occured elsewhere at the bar. It was, again, the barman, addressing the blonde-haired man and his request. With no offer of an alternative, his welcome at the bar was all too frosty, and the owner made it all too clear. 'This could get interesting..' for now, she remained silent, observing from afar as the situation unfolded. Would the stanger be okay with this lack of what he'd ordered? "There are bars within Bakudon Gai, a mile or so away from here. They'd have a better variety of drinks to suit your.." Would he proceed to smash the entire bar up? "..Eh.. Taste" People were complicated and often enough idiotic - his reaction was something that even she couldn't guess.

Taking another sip, she waited, placing her cu-

"....MphPHgh!"

The stench! It- it was unbearable!
The fuck had he eaten lately?!

Her hand shot straight to the lower half of her face. It wasn't that she was a wuss, no - he had. genuinely, destroyed her sense of smell, and her stomach churned. She'd always been very sensitive to certain scents, and this was just no good at all. Rising from her seat, she made a quick beeline for the exit, long, thick black hair following behind her. It was so close ... so close!

[Jae]

please allow me

TO INTRODUCE MYSELF I'M A MAN OF WEALTH AND TASTE

"we've ran out of whiskey."

from then on an odd silence filled the room. boards creaked, water dripped, and shit stunk, but none of those anomalies could overpower that deathly quiet. ue's porcelain smile took cover behind thin pressed lips. they hooked downward like the horns on a ram, one ready to butt heads with whoever thought themselves a worthy challenger.

in an attempt to break the discomfort the barkeep spoke up.

"there are bars within Bakudon Gai, a mile or so away from here. They'd have a better variety of drinks to suit your.."

"very well," ue sighed. "what else do you have? i have good money to spend." the hard line that was his scowl turned up into a half smile. he may have been a man short of temper, but he was not a brute. he saw the barkeep's attempt to send him off very clearly, but he was not a man easily moved. not when there was fun to be had right in front of him.

the keep was taken back; it was like he expected him to react poorly. with cheeks flush full of embarrassment his head swiveled to and fro, searching his wares for something to present. then, like a man alchemist, he began snatching a variety of different bottles to showcase. some of them looked mundane while others looked expensive and familiar; it was likely he'd never had the chance to sell them.

like a good patron ue made himself comfortable in a stool at the front of the bar. his lanky arm met the bar top at the elbow, where he placed his chin in the palm of his hand to watch. the other hand also found the bar top, and four of his fingers drummed impatiently while the barkeep readied himself.

"ah! here we are," he cheered, bringing himself and his beverages to the area between them both. his hands bounded back and forth as he organized them for presentation, and when all was said and done he slid across a glass for ue to hold.

"this is my most expensive brand: house of spades! it's a sugar cane based awamori that is distilled in kirigakure and left in barrels for up to 100 years!"

with his head still rested in his hand, ue didn't respond. at a glance one would have assumed he was bored, or at the very least unimpressed. without a word he took the glass into his free hand and raised it toward the bartender. message received; the barkeep promptly took to unsealing the bottle, tilting it over his patron's glass until a cool condensation formed about midway. time for a taste.

ue brought the glass to his nose, letting the aroma rise briskly toward his nostrils. it smelled delicious, with a sweet overtone masking the potent bite that would soon follow. the barkeep watched with anxious eyes as the cold glass found a resting spot on the pad of his bottom lip. the liquor itself was chilled, but going down it warmed his palette like a stoked hearth.

it was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted...

SPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and he spewed it all over the bartender's face in a fine mist.

"EUUUUGH! WHAT IS THIS?~!" his large fingers took a fine hold of the glass.

C R A S H~!

a wanton flick of the arm sent it barreling toward the bartender but, luckily, it missed him by inches and shattered against the shelf behind him.

"THIS TASTE LIKE.... LIKE... ASS BLOOD! "

HOW DARE YOU SERVE ME THIS SLOP!"

Riot

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deltra of gangnam style

[Riot]

Issouyia had decided not to stick around for the man's retort. Whatever he'd done in that bathroom had obviously been travelling since it's birth, and it had unfortunately decided to hover around the area that she'd been seating in. So, with two delicate hands pushing the doors before her, her skin met with the sun's rays once more. Inside the bar, it was almost like a gloomy world of its own, it was almost as if she'd forgotten about the heat of the day. But - anything was better than whatever was in there. Call in the priests, the police - anyone, what that man had done was criminal. Moving to the side of the building, she leaned her back against the warm plaster, deep breaths bringing her back to some kind of existance. "......." It was a good thing that she hadn't pre-paid for that cup of green tea, because she wasn't going back in there to salvage it.

Meanwhile..

The bar was still very much quiet for those few awkward minutes. "Good job, we never get girls in here." one of the locals at the bar piped up sarcastically in an almost irritated tone of voice, his gaze not exactly fixed on the blonde-haired stranger, but it was quite obvious as to who he was addressing. "..That thing was a girl? I was thinkin' she was pretty cute! Bit tall though." the other chimed in with a guffaw. The two of them were your typical country folk, having probably come to the bar for some drinking after some hard graft on a farm somewhere in this god-forsaken land. They weren't exactly pictures of beauty, one having a very distinctive bald patch, whilst the other, well - it was true to say that he probably tended to prettier livestock. They then continued to chat about the girl who'd just left in a hurry, blissfully unaware of the reasons as to why she'd made her escape, probably because they'd been dealing with animal shit for a large part of their lives. However, disregarding all that the barman and the city-boy were saying, their words were cut short the moment small particles of spit, liquor and god knows what else met the air.

"......"

The barman, in response, simply stood there, his elderly mind probably too slow to process exactly what had happened. Before he knew it, not only had his face been violated by the man's saliva, but he'd nearly been glassed. Small particles shattered across the floor, the shelf taking the brunt of the damage. He'd worked this bar for decades, this wasn't anything new to him, but he hadn't met anyone this rude in quite a while, especially around these parts of town. It was the type of place where everybody was probably related to eachother in some way or another, but he - he was different. Loud, obnoxious, colorful. "Why don't you just fuck off back to the city, you fuckin' mincer!" a pause, as the other turned to look at the man from his seated position. "Yeah, we don't want your kind around here, fuck off!" the barman, grabbing a teatowel that had conveniently been lingering atop the bar, wiped down his face.

Almost like a slow reaction, a bottle of what seemed to be expensive house wine fell from the shelf from the earlier impact, and that's when the atmosphere suddenly became..

...Colder.

"........"

"..."



"...Get out."

What was Ue dealing with here? The man's eyes seemed to lose what little amount of life that had been left in them. It was almost.. supernatural. The old man was serious, and his tone of voice, everything signalled oncoming danger for the blonde haired shinobi should he choose to stick around. In this type of town, it wasn't too surprising to have barkeeps have various weaponry stored under the bars - and whilst that threat was very much possible, there was much, much more that the stranger should fear. Here be monsters, whether Ue believed in them or not.

[Jae]

please allow me

TO INTRODUCE MYSELF I'M A MAN OF WEALTH AND TASTE

the duo and their jests went unnoticed. whether it was on purpose, or ue was legitimately ignorant to what they were saying, was anyone's guess. as of then the brunt of his attention rest on the bartender. the two of them, with matching expressions, were engaged in a silent battle. sunken eyes between unruly eyebrows and sinking bags leered ominously into a pair high-dollar lenses, and vice versa. without the peanut gallery's interruption, the pressure between them was enough to turn a lump of coal into diamond.

that didn't change until the barkeep spoke, and even then his words were barbed.

"why don't you just fuck off back to the city, you fuckin' mincer!"

but ue remained poised, concentrated, even with the neanderthal next to him spouting vitriol from that mush-mouth of his. having armed himself with a towel, the barkeep chose to clean himself of the expensive liquor, but that slow wipe from forehead to chin did more than rid him of the mess. ue could feel it. something was different about him. the inkling of warmth that kept this fleshy mannequin alive had disappeared.

"...get out."

what remained was unsettling and hostile; murderous. the gauntlet had been cast whether or not he intended it to be, and ue was more than willing to oblige. his head rose from it's resting place in the palm of his hand to join the other, and a modest shove brought him from the bar stool unto his feet.  

"if you insist." a breathy laugh puffed through his nostrils.

their appearances were nothing alike. the barkeeps icy aura found it's match in ue's warmth, but if he had any sense about him he would have felt that heat steadily rising. without another word ue calmly spun on the wedge of his heel to face about. those same heels clicked rhythmically during his march toward the exit, and while they did his hands came together in a similar cadence. having his back turned to the trio, the action would seem trifling at best. only time could tell, as far as they could tell nothing had changed.

a soft push against the entrance door cast the high sun's light onto his face. ue's expression didn't change, still smiling and unfazed by the change in brightness. he did notice the women however, and without her permission he took a resting position at her side. a hand rummaged through that massive jacket of his and reemerged with a cigarette and lighter. a quick click brought it to life and a slow drag ripened the cherry until it was as bright as the day.

"taller than most women, with features more fitting of a warrior than a servant, and hair like an abandoned pet." ue's words poured from his lips as a noxious plum. he spoke into the air in front of him, but the message was entirely meant for her. "let me guess. you're the 'pretty' cousin each of those inbred mongrels dreams about wedding and bedding?"

he never stopped smiling.

SPOILER: Click to show

{preparations}1. ?
2. ?

Riot

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deltra of gangnam style

[Riot]

It was a good thing that Ue had decided to heed the warning of the old man. Who knew what exactly he was capable of? What they were capable of? The entire place seemed to be like that type of town where everyone was borderline inbred and infected with some kind of monstrous disease. Werewolves perhaps? God only knew, and it was a good guess that he didn't want anything to do with them. His leave from the bar was very much welcomed by the trio, though the old man remained looming at his position behind the bar. These city folk, coming with their flashiness and attitude - they had no room for them in places like this, just like one of the locals had already spoken. "Good job, 'Pa, we won't be seeing none of his sorry ass around here much more!" one of them grinned toothlessly after he'd left, commending the man who obviously bore some relation to him on his ability to scare away unwelcome guests. The elder man soundlessly answered, but had recognized his comment, instead opting to take that very same cloth, and begin wiping down damp glasses. The day continued.

Outside..

She'd been standing there for a few minutes now, and had just managed to compose herself from the stench within the bar. With her eyes closed, again she escaped elsewhere to somewhere much more peaceful. However, reality came to drag her back as her senses were toyed with once more, this one by something completely different - smoke. Opening her eyes, why wasn't she all that surprised to see that it was that same blonde-haired stranger who the scent was coming from? Sighing, she tilted her head back, and took one last deep breath to steady herself. He'd somehow managed to escape the bar, then, though his audience wasn't exactly something that she wanted at the minute. Silence dominated for those few minutes before he began to speak once more, and she was, for the most part, slightly taken aback by how.. toned down he seemed. As he continued, she came to realize that he was still as much of a complete douchebag as he'd been in the bar, but at least he'd stopped shouting. Baby steps.

'..Hair like an abandoned pet?' She mused, though she soon snapped out of it. He himself seemed to be like some kind of flamboyant statue. Taller than her, she stood in his shadow, and analysed his appearance. He was well-preened, not a hair out of place on his golden head. Though, what natural good looks he may have had were overcast by his arrogance, and that awful pink coat of his. Exactly who was he trying to impress? "Oh!" a pause, she seemed almost.. surprised. "..That's funny, I'd assumed that you were their pretty cousin." He was clearly much more involved in pampering himself than she was with her own beauty routine, and so her sarcastic retort seemed somewhat understandable.

Pushing herself away from the wall, she carefully fixed the positioning of her obi. She saw no reason to stay around here - her thirst after all hadn't been quenched by that sub-par green tea given that ..unforseen circumstances.. had driven her away from the place.

"I'm neither warrior nor servant." she spoke, as if suddenly realising the weight of his earlier words. "Nor anything." and that was all that she had to say about it. Issouyia tended to have this ability to turn everything that she said in to some kind of bleak commentry, but it wasn't as if she was going to slice her wrists open the moment she turned the corner. Where in the world you had some obnoxiously positive people, she was the opposite. But.. even she could see the good in things sometimes.

Today, however? There was none.

Turning away from the blonde-haired stranger, she began to make her leave.
There was nothing more she needed here.

[Jae]

"Oh!.. That's funny, I'd assumed that you were their pretty cousin.

Oh? He mused quietly, choosing to pull at his cigarette rather than retort. She had a bite to her that he appreciated. In a world where power-mad murderers paraded as good little soldier boys and girls, being an austere relic was not only appreciated but encouraged. How fucking boring. There was fun to be had in the ninja world if you knew where to look.

This woman... man... thing... seemed to carry a bit of that pride in herself, but at least she knew how to bedazzle it. Put some birthday candles in a pile of crap if you plan on showing it off to everyone. When she pushed away from the wall Ue couldn't help but wonder why. His eyes followed her behind those lenses. They burned bright and orange beneath the sun's light.

"I'm neither warrior nor servant. Nor anything."

His smile waned. Bleek and interesting? Was she a missing ninja? Probably not; only a fool would be that forthcoming about something that serious. She did have a soldier's aura about her so the possibility was still there, and like a moth to flame Ue gained an itch he needed to scratch. There may have been a pearl in this clam, why not pry it open to see? Just a peak. Not her actual clam, that was probably bushy and may not have been a clam at all.

A quick shove with his elbows cast him from the wall and in her shadow to follow, not in a threatening way, but given her temperament it probably would have pestered her.


"What does that even mean, beast? You ninja and your faux-poetic jargon!"  

"I-AM-NEITHER-WARRIOR-NOR-SERVANT," he mimicked her in a voice that resembled a robot's and moved his arms rigidly as he did so.

"I-AM-NOT-ANYTHING."  

"I-AM-NOT-EVEN-A-GIRL-OR-A-BOY-BUT-A-MACHIII—!"

BOOM!

An explosion, sudden and fierce, threw the canyon into chaos.  A hail of debris and fragments of the bar's structure took the sky like confetti, raining down with fiery splendor.


Ue recoiled in fear, swiveling his head behind him to find the drinking hole in shambles. A cloud of dust sought to overtake the two of them, as did the falling refuse, but instead of investigating he turned back to the woman, presuming she was still there.

"I forgot I did that," he said, simpering at the thought of placing an exploding tag on the door when he exited.

[☆ F ☆]

Riot: +40 EXP
Jae: +40 EXP