A Classic Bar Social

[Texas]

What was today? Was it Monday or Tuesday? Meh, regardless it didn't matter, the day itself proved to be a beautiful one. What a better activity to do than to drink the day away, sing some songs, and just enjoy the moment. Although being a samurai in the Heart Empire was a new venture for the Ronin, it didn't fall on him to really participate much. In truth, as long as he could enjoy every day like it was his last, he would do so.

Ginjiro had gotten dressed within his little home and went for a walk. He usually left his weapons and equipment at his house since he didn't really like to enter into combat while he drank. He was more of a dumb deep thinking fun time drinker. He used to have friends that varied from chasing girls to getting in fights. However, both of those required effort in some sense and how could that be more fun than joking around and teasing people.

The man walked through the empire to the local watering hole he had grown fond of. His favorite part about it was the outdoor patio that allowed people to enjoy beautiful days and warm nights while drinking at the establishment. Ginjiro was a local... or more favorably called a regular. The man had arrived in his typical black kimono with black ninja pants and plopped down in his usual seat.

Since he was a local, it was customary that the waitress would walk over and place two things immediately on his table after had sit. The first item was a large glass container that was filled with cold water. The next item was single cup. Since the bar didn't have what Ginjiro was looking for, he brought his own sake that was a bit stronger than the average drink. The man had recognized it wouldn't be good for their business if he drank there for free, so usually by the end of the night he would leave a sizeable amount of money to cover as if he had been ordering drinks all night (or all day, or both).

Ginjiro plopped down, took a drink of water and then threw his gourd of strong sake on the table. Before he truly started, the man looked up at the sun up in the sky. It had to have been 1pm or so. With a smile and a feeling of great enjoyment, the man uncorked his gourd!

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka was glad to finally get some time to himself. Hunting Yakuza, resurfacing trauma, and not being able to drink as much as he would like to were all taking a toll on him. What happened to the easy life? At any rate, he had found a nice inn to sit down and unwind. He had plenty of money, so there was no need to do any scams. He’d have the entire day to just get drunk. The only downside was that the place didn’t serve anything stronger than some watered down hops. The large man was already a pitcher deep and had hardly even caught a buzz! He didn’t want to dip into his emergency sake quite yet, it was far too early in the day for that. 

Another large man caught Yutaka’s attention as they took a seat a few tables over. They were tall, like him. They walked with a carefree demeanor, like him. They kept a bottle of sake on hand, like him. Had he found a kindred spirit? More importantly, had he found a decent drink? With no shame, Yutaka walked over to the man’s table and took the chair across from them.

"Wouldn’t suppose ya would be willin’ to share some of that sake for a few Ryo, would ya? The place is nice, but their drinks don’t have any bite!"

Yutaka laughed before giving the man a friendly smile, hoping that they’d be his drinking buddy for the day. This wasn’t the large man’s normal manipulation, he’d decided to take a day off from being a con artist. Right now, he was just the town drunk. After taking out his own gourd and placing it on the table, Yutaka spoke again.

"Not often I find someone my size. Are ya cursed with a high tolerance for the stuff as well?"

The large man took a swig from his emergency sake, hoping that the stranger would be willing to share. If not, he supposed he could always find another place to get drunk. Regardless, he wouldn’t mind the conversation if the man wasn’t already sick of him. It was unlikely, though, no one could resist Yutaka’s unrelenting charisma. Well, not for long anyway.

[Texas]

In truth, Jiro had gotten lost looking at the sky. It wasn't until a large figure turned a sunny day into an overcast. The man slowly changed his red eyed gaze to focus on this oddly similar looking man. Jiro smiled in excitement as if he had known this man for a long time. It wasn't often he saw people who looked similar to him. Who was this man? A smile that could make the fields sing broke through the man's face as this figure began to speak. "Ah, a man who has great taste! No need, take a seat, les finich this Sake. If you could handle, it I would be impressed." Following those words, the Natsubushi gestured to the seat in front of him. With that same hand, he would reach out to the sky and signal the waitress to come over and bring them another cup. The waitress politely put a cup in front of Yutaka.

The man didn't say much but excitedly opened up his large gourd of homemade Sake. The cork would pop up in the air and land back on the table. The man had no intention of leaving a drop left. Usually the challenge was finishing it by himself.. but now he had a brand new guest! With the man's comment, Jiro laughed from his gut with a slam of his fist on the table. This shifted into him gripping the gourd and standing up. The man would pour both Yutaka and himself a drink before plopping himself down. Sitting with his butt in the seat and right leg kicked up against the seat as well, leaving him in a rather comfortable and uncomfortable looking position. "Ya arn't kiddin!! This shit will do the trick though, trust me." The dreads would swing as his right arm raised in the air. A cup filled with illegally too strong sake glistening with the sun. "Cheers frien, my name is Ginjiro Kisama! Who are you?"

[ThatGuy]

"Cheers!"

Yutaka eagerly threw back his drink, his eyes opening wide as he realized that the man wasn’t kidding, this was some serious stuff. It could barely even be called sake! He loved it. After the burn in his chest dulled, he finally registered what his new friend had said.

"Kisama? Hey! I’m one o’ them! Yutaka Kisama! I had a feelin’ we were kindred spirits."

This was his first time seeing another Kisama since he was kidnapped. Were they all drunks like him? Maybe he could get away with blaming genetics. With a big smile on his face, Yutaka spoke again.

"That was some damn good sake. It’s been a long time since I’ve had something that hit back! At this point, I feel like sharin’ mine would be an insult. You’re a man with good taste, Ginjiro."

As the warmth of the alcohol started to slowly spread throughout his body, Yutaka thought about what kind of person Ginjiro might be. While they had a lot in common, it was clear that they lived in two different worlds. For starters, Ginjiro looked strong as hell, much stronger than Yutaka. Then there was the weapon he kept at his side, the man was no doubt a samurai. Yutaka also got the feeling that this man wasn’t a criminal. A delinquent maybe, but nothing suggested a history of crime. Maintaining his smile, the large man gestured towards the bottle.

’Not to be rude, but… another round?"

[Texas]

The words Kisama came from the man's mouth, it was like sake rolling down the tongue and into the stomach. What a delight. Jiro didn't expect to casually meet another member of the clan. Maybe if this man could handle Jiro's sake, he could be an apprentice! Or rather, a ward? Honestly at this point, Jiro had no idea really had the rankings worked. He had his wooden symbol in his pocket in case he was checked, but he couldn't remember the term for what kind of samurai he was. The term samurai relating to jiro was ironic too. Although he carried a sword, the man really didn't use it. The sword was more of a symbol from his branch, bestowed to him from his dead parents. Who knows maybe he would use it in the future.. but as of now it is more of a symbol. First a symbol that he is the head of his branch and two, he is aligned with the Heart Empire. I live that has gotten better since joining and wouldn't give it up for anything.

Jiro smiled and laughed at the notion that he accidentally was drinking with another Kisama. The laughter bellowed from his stomach and a smile that could fill an arena was plastered upon his face. "Well isn't dis sometin! I dont believe it! Well great to meet you Yutaka, ya got a nickname? You can just call me Jiro"

The notion that both his sake was complimented and that the Kisama in front of him wanted more, was well more than enough reason to continue drinking with the man. Maybe he will learn more about him. "Absolutely!" The man would take his gourd and pour another shot of sake for the both of them. "At this poin we can't leave until it is all gone!" The man grabbed his shot and raised it to the air. "Now tell me, where are you at in life? Are you doing well being a part of Heart? Also, have you have your eva been to da Laughing Desert?"

[ThatGuy]

This conversation was going far better than Yutaka had originally expected. It wasn’t just about the booze anymore! After laughing alongside his new friend, he gave the man a nod of appreciation as they filled his cup.

"People got all kinds’a nicknames for me: oaf, thief, pervert, asshole, no-good-drunk. I normally go by Yutaka, but you can call me Taka if ya like. It’s nice to meet ya, Jiro!."

The pun was a stretch, but that had never stopped him before. Yutaka raised his shot into the air, mirroring Jiro. If they were going to keep going until that bottle was empty, it was going to be a good night indeed.

"I’m at a point in my life where I’m just enjoyin’ the freedom. I finished my military contract so now I don’t got any obligations. I spend my days gamblin’ and drinkin’ then spend my nights whorin’. It can be a pain tryin’ to get enough money to accommodate my vices, but that’s part of the fun. That bein’ said, I’m doin’ fine in Heart, I suppose. I ain’t in service anymore, but I ain’t on a wanted poster either. I stay in Tea, but I don’t often stay in a town for long. I guess ya could say I’m more of a nomad. Ain’t been to the Laughing Desert, though, doesn’t seem like a place where a man could get a good drink."

Yutaka downed the drink, this time respecting its potency. As the oh-so-good burn of the sake slowly warmed his body, he let out a sigh of satisfaction. Setting his cup back down, he gave Jiro another big smile.

"What about you, friend? Where are ya at in life? Ya look strong as hell, so I’m guessin’ you’re a samurai. Glad there seems to be one who enjoys themselves when off duty. Everyone I served with was so boring. Way too concerned with honor, glory, and proving themselves in combat. They gotta learn to loosen up! Also, why the interest in the Laughing Desert? Ya lookin’ for somethin’ out there?"

[Texas]

It wasn't a surprise to hear Taka's nicknames and behaviors. In fact, Jiro had friends in the past that indulged in that behavior, it wasn't uncommon in his bloodline... in fact it usually was the go to. Jiro himself was constantly conflicting between his vices and his duties... although not much have been prevalent to the point of changing his indulgent. Jiro appreciated Taka, in fact, them being in the same clan and on different paths on the same road only meant this was a good opportunity for both of them.

While Jiro would be answering the follow up questions, he would fill up the sake cups for both him and his fellow compadre. "HA HA A thief is not da best, but da others sounden like compliments to me. Nice to meet anodah poor soul cursed wid our abilities." Of course Jiro poured Taka first before moving to his cup. "Freedum is good, but remember we haf to fight for it sumtimes." Jiro finished his sentence before pouring his own sake. "HAHA Yes, I am a little strong, but da samurai ting is new to me. For now I like to just enjoy my days and act only when needed." He finished his sentence sitting back down. The man would lift his sake cup up in the air, they were going be looking cross-eyed and walking crooked by the end of the night!

After ripping a shot Jiro slammed his cup on the ground with laughter following it. "Ahhhh da Laughing Desert!!! I haven't been myself but..." Jiro took a pause while looking around as if he had a secret to tell. With confirmation there weren't anyone really close enough to hear, Jiro gazed into the brown eyes of Yutaka before he excitedly spoke about the rumors. "There are apparently different animals over there, but in particular... Dere is a Giant Armadillo. I've heard through da grapevine that it is massive! The size of a building!" Jiro would finish his statement by extending both of his arms to emphasize how large it actually was.

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka mulled over his new friend’s words. In his experience, running was the best way to obtain freedom. But no matter how fast you run, everything catches up to you eventually. After having killed a bunch of Yakuza in the previous weeks, Yutaka definitely saw the truth in Jiro’s words. One thing they did agree on, however, was only acting when needed. He had never been one for wasted effort.

After polishing off the contents of his cup, a warm smile grew on Yutaka’s face. The trademark stupid grin of a person who was feeling the buzz of alcohol. The large man’s eyebrows raised as Jiro talked about the supposed giant armadillo. Surely it was an exaggeration! Though it would make sense why the inhabitants of the Laughing Desert lived underground if it were true, the heat was bad enough, but giant animals too? Yutaka couldn’t blame them for hiding.

"That’s far too big for my likin’! I ain’t ever hunted somethin’ bigger than a bear before, and the bear was a pain in the ass! Though I didn’t have no weapons, so I was forced to wrestle them. They’re strong as hell, but nothin’ is stronger than a sumo wrestler in his Dohyo! You plannin’ on huntin’ this giant armadillo? Somethin’ that big could feed a village for a week! Oh! Speakin’ o’ our abilities. Check this out."

Yutaka created a card and pulled it from his wrist, flipping it around to show his new friend. The Kisama were only able to make things out of brass through their ability. It took a lot of practice, but Yutaka had managed to figure out a way to make a brass card that was almost entirely indistinguishable from a regular one. With a pleased look on his face, Yutaka placed the jack of hearts at the center of the table.

"Hell of a magic trick, huh? I’m guessin’ most people in the clan use our abilities for more practical things, but I’m quite proud o’ this one. Took a lot of practice, but I can make it look just like the real thing. It’s still brass, but ya wouldn’t be able to tell at a glance! I’m wonderin’ what other Kisama might be able to pull off with this technique. That’d take our craftsmanship to the next level, don’t ya think?"

As the alcohol continued to hit him, the large man couldn’t help but start bragging. It might have been stupid to show a trick like that to a samurai, but Jiro seemed like an easygoing fella. Plus, it wasn’t like he had outright stated Hey, check out this trick I use to con people". Yutaka could always fall back on the cover that he was simply a performer. It wasn’t entirely a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth.

[Texas]

The man's blood red eyes shot out and stared at his fellow clan member's poop brown eyes. In truth, Jiro was a man who secretly was proud of his clan and proud of the Heart Empire. Jiro would once again reach for his gourd. Instead of sitting, he would stand back up.... it is always when you stand up you actually feel it. Jiro's cheeks blushed a little bit from the alcohol keeping him warm. YES! Finally getting into the good feeling part of drinking. The man would fill both of their glasses and continue the conversation with his brethren. "I agree! This thing must be massive! I want to either eat it or tame it. Wud you want to join me? We can even train a little bit in da desert!"

Upon finishing his sentence, the man would place the gourd down on the table. Although it was hidden, Jiro deep down inside was a little disappointed. Jiro wanted their clan to be something of legends, incredible drunks with extreme power... however it seemed Yutaka had created playing cards. Maybe the thief comments weren't far off. With hidden emotions masked by a great smile and a hearty laughter, at the end of the day though Jiro was just excited to be drinking with another member of the clan. "Ah" he said before sitting back down. "Ya see dat is a good trick. If you are capable of making that, imagine what else ya can do! Have you thot about ya place in da Heart Regime? What you aspire to do in da future?" When Jiro finished, he had decided to wait a moment to hear his answer before taking another shot. Once he would hear it, then they could forget about goals and go back to discussing their potential plan of going to the Laughing Desert.

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka thought over the man’s invitation to the Laughing Desert. It would definitely be a good time to go on a trip now that he didn’t have a psychotic woman watching his every move. Normally, training would be the last thing Yutaka wanted to do, but he was curious to see what someone who shared his bloodline could teach him. Plus, hunting a giant armadillo would be one hell of a story! A sober Yutaka might have been more cautious, but after some liquid confidence, he figured it’d be an easy endeavor. After a hearty laugh, he raised his cup to Jiro before downing the contents again.

”Sounds like it’ll be fun, ya can count me in! I don’t know the first thing about huntin’ armadillos, but with us two teamin’ up? It’ll be almost too easy.”

Appreciating Jiro’s compliment on his trick, Yutaka gave another big smile that quickly faded when they brought up his place in the regime. After the man’s contract ended, he’d never thought twice about the Heart Empire, let alone his place in it. Jiro might not like what he had to say, but Yutaka wasn’t about to lie to his new friend.

"Ehh, I don’t think I got much of a place in Heart. If I’m bein’ honest, I hate the idea of workin’ for people. I spent most of my life as a slave. I only joined the military for protection from the men chasin’ me. I haven’t looked back since my contract ended. Plus, I doubt they’d have much use for a homeless whorin’ drunk.”

The idea elicited a loud belly laugh from Yutaka. Unless they needed a con artist, he wouldn’t be of much use to the military. While he might not be considered weak by the average person, Yutaka couldn’t hold a candle to higher-ups in the military. He’d never been one for following orders either, only doing the bare minimum to get by. All in all, a guy like Yutaka was worthless when it came to legitimate matters.

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with being proud of the Heart Empire and your place in it, but it’s just not for me. I ain’t got the motivation or skill set to be of much use. I will say the paycheck was nice before I gambled it all away at least.”

[Texas]

Jiro couldn't help but laugh with his new friend. A drunk? Hell that was basically the middle name of every Kisama! In fact, that was how their abilitiy manifested... how could a drunk be a bad thing? Jiro thought of these as he laughed and stood up to poor themselves another drink. In the biz, they would call that comedic timing. "My friend we are Kisama, we need to drink. If we didn't we would be useless to the Heart Empire!" Jiro continued to laugh as he first poured Yutaka a shot and then himself another shot. It seemed they were half way through the bottle! They might actually break a record for fastest bottle deletion in history. Well... other than chugging of course.

When Jiro finished pouring the drink he plopped back down. Oh yes, he was feeling it. It was usually a quarter of the way into the bottle is when the man really started to get a buzz on. Since he tasted alcohol, the red eyed monster spent his free time trying different recipes and techniques in order to make a drink strong enough for a bloodline that had a natural insane tolerance could be handled. "Well Yutaka, I dink all Kisama have hidden talent within dem. Your card trick is a good example of what a little creativity can do with our.. capabilities." It was no secret, the Kisama had a very unique ability to manipulate the blood in their system when mixed with alcohol. The man would once again look deep inside the alternate version of himself with nothing but a smile and genuine intentions. "If ya need money maybe you're stuck in the Empire! HA! I kid I kid. Your past is no joking matter, what matters is what you make of it in the future. Howeva at da end of da day, your life is dictated by ya choices. If ya do decide to renew seek me out, nothin mawr dangerous dan a well trained Kisama... Drust me." With that final words, the Kisama picked up his cup and lifted it up in the air.

With a slight salute, Jiro moved the glass in the air to the middle in between the two men. A clink of glasses before taking the shot was required for this time. Jiro ripped the sake and slammed the cup on the table. "I myself have a lot to learn" he noted as he shifted his hip slightly to show off his white sheath and hilt. "Dis ting here I don't know how to use all too well. I'm used to my fists, feet, and well.. drinking of course. One of dese days I want to head over to a temple and learn a couple of sword styles. Especially since I can just make a sword with m--our ability." Jiro literally had the juices flowing, but made sure to reinforce with his potential twin that their capabilities are only limited by their imagination. The happy and smiling demeanor that Jiro gave off was both calculated, but more importantly it was genuine. All the man wanted was for his new found friend to be happy and go down the path he truly wanted to do. "Now dat we have taken the bond of alcohol we should do more sduff togetha. Whatchya think?"

[ThatGuy]

A weak smile grew on Yutaka's face as he received encouragement from his fellow Kisama. His former owners had always assured him that he was gifted, but it was always related to criminal activity. Yutaka wasn't smart, but he knew how to trick people, and even then, it didn’t exactly translate to combat. He appreciated Jiro’s words, but he had a hard time believing that he’d be of much use to the military. Realizing that Jiro was looking directly at him while he had noticeably changed his energy, Yutaka quickly plastered the large, stupid smile back on his face. After grabbing the glass, he happily clinked it with Jiro’s and drank the contents. With a laugh, he gestured to the blade that sat on his new friend’s hip.

“So it’s a decoration! Definitely makes ya look more badass. Yerr enemies are gonna be too focused on that blade and not see the left hook comin’.”

He acted out the attack and, in the process, realized just how much the alcohol was hitting him. The thought of a ‘bond of alcohol’ being taken between them was enough to make him want to give his new drinking buddy a hug. But Yutaka wasn’t that drunk, not yet at least.

“I think that’s a great idea. I’m always down ferr a drink, but what else did ya have in mind? Aside from a road trip to th’ laughin’ desert. We could go gamblin’ sometime! Maybe ya could teach me a thing or two about our bloodline’s ability."

Having gotten rather bold, Yutaka grabbed the bottle himself and filled up both of their glasses. With a wink, he raised his glass into the air and called for another cheer. After another drink, Yutaka looked back towards Jiro.

“N’less ya wanted’ta scrap. I may not be as strong as ya, but I ain’t gonna make it easy!”

Yutaka was not one for fighting, but the alcohol had him feeling much more playful than normal. Sure, he could lose some teeth, but who cared? He had found a new friend! Yutaka couldn’t remember the last time that had happened.

[Texas]

Jiro watched the words leave the similarly structured individual's lips. Overall the man did have a slight glare at his blade. It was a family heirloom at least his branch of the family. Jiro had aspirations, but didn't know where to put them. This new found friend maybe could be his calling. When Yutaka mentioned the look of the sword, Jiro nodded and shifted his seating position. Swiping his right leg up and crossing it over his left, he watched as the man started moving non traditionally, at least with a reference to their interactions so far.

When Yutaka stood up, the red eyed warrior couldn't help but laugh with the man acting out the fighting scene. It had been a while since Jiro had a good time with the company of another. With a few wobbles from his new found comrade, Jiro picked up on something he had said. Was this man interested in training? There was nothing that gave him more joy than strengthening the bloodline. If their abilities got in the wrong hands, slavery would be the only result. Because of this, Jiro wanted to become stronger. Not just for himself, but for his clan. If that meant he could make other clan members stronger at the same time... well that was a win win! The man continued to smile and assured him of all of the activities that were drawn up. "HAHA! Well my friend I ave a great idea! Lets not jus go to da laughing desert to hunt, lets go dere to train! What do ya say?"

With a fast pace Jiro also folded his arms. He had no interest in gambling when hunting was on his mind. Whatever day dreaming thought was rushing through his brain quickly stopped once Yutaka grabbed his bottle of Sake. Now, if Jiro didn't know Yutaka at this point or didn't like him... his head would be through the god damn wall. However, since the two had created a comradery through drunken conversation, it would be alright. Jiro actually got excited the man had the (granted liquid courage) feeling of being comfortable enough to do this. So, Jiro stood up with him. Now, it wasn't the greatest or straightest stand... but he quickly jolted up. It had seemed the alcohol was kicking in... Typically when Jiro drank he had little to no control of his strength or speed. So it was good that Yutaka was taking the lead on alcohol duty.

Excitedly Jiro went in with his right hand to grab the sake glass. With a quick raise to match Yutaka, Jiro ripped the sake. Upon finishing he would attempt to place the sake cup back on the table. Although, he went in as slow as possible to not break anything. As he placed the glass down, the challenge came out of Yutaka's mouth and seductively through Jiro's ears. His ears moved ever so slightly and Jiro lifted his head from looking at the sake glass to the poop brown eyes across the table from him. "I'll make a deal wit chya, when you can turn your entire body to brass... then we will scrap."

Jiro couldn't help but laugh. He went in to grab his sake gourd and noticed it was light... It was empty! Jiro moved the gourd to fill up their sake cups one last time. "Yutaka, the bottle is empty so our time is up." He said right before he lifted up his glass. "Meet me back ere in one week first light... we will go to da laughing desert to train and hunt." Jiro would lift his glass higher to make the final toast. "To new friends, family, and to us." A laughter followed as Jiro ripped his end of the shot. A joking jab was always fun to go with.

[ThatGuy]

“Trainin’ sounds like a great idea!”

Yutaka was honestly excited at the prospect, which would be surprising to anyone who knew the slacker intimately. He’d never been one for honest work or practice. The only thing other than his vices that he bothered to put any effort in was staying in somewhat decent shape. But even then, he had a tendency to get lazy and let his cardio take a hit. It was hard to maintain a decent physique when you drank yourself into a stupor every day. Smiling as his new friend told him the requirement he had to fulfill before they could spar, he realized just how inexperienced he was with his bloodline’s ability. He could technically cover his body in armor, but it would take a long time and leave him out of breath. But that was obviously not what Jiro had meant. It would be a hell of a challenge, but Yutaka wanted to figure it out. If nothing else, it was a great excuse to drink more. When Jiro announced that they had reached the end of the bottle, he let out an audible gasp. How tragic! It felt like they’d only been here a few minutes, but the lack of light outside proved otherwise.

“To us!”

After the final toast, he joined Jiro in his laughter and finished off the last of his drink. He shook his new friend’s hand as they said their goodbyes. One week! That was something to look forward to. As Yutaka stumbled out into the streets, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. Were all Kisama like Jiro? Yutaka wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn’t been kidnapped. Would he be more like his new friend? Would he still be the supposed degenerate that everyone thought he was? It was an interesting thing to think about. But right now, he needed to focus on something much more important: making money. Something told Yutaka that Jiro would not approve of his tendency to scam in order to make a living, so it would be best to secure some funds before they went on a trip to the laughing desert. It took a bit of walking, but eventually Yutaka found the perfect spot. Walking into the underground gambling den, he subtly used his ability to make himself a pair of loaded dice. With a large smile on his face, he joined a group of people playing dice.

“Mind if I sit in for a round?”