Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to all)

[Raizo]

His eyes darted around and continuously found themselves looking upwards towards the open sky. This, all of this, was not only a sight to take in but was almost surreal. The last time he made it this far he was caught in the maelstrom. His body was flayed and torn asunder, all in a pursuit to perfect his body and awaken the hidden potential within him. Now, he stood in the open and could actually see and feel the sun above him. The world had drastically changed since his medical reprieve.

"This was his project, has to be..."

Walking down the pathway between the homes, the sound of living and continue construction filled the air. He could not help but have the goofiest grin slapped on his face. This was like a dream finally coming to life. In his younger days one of the biggest rebellious points he held revolved around being forced to live under the ground. It almost drove him out of the village.

Did I ever mention that to him?

His body would freeze in the middle of the pathway, interrupting some of the flow of foot traffic and those trying to complete this first step in Project Rebirth. Roku would take in a deep breath, breathing in what would seem like an over-exaggerated inhale, and then in one sudden burst would let loose a bellow that would reverberate through the residential area. His hope would be that the message he was going to convey would reach his friend, who he wasn't even sure was within this portion of the village.

"SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"

Those within the direct vicinity as Roku would be the ones to appreciate his outburst the least. It was definitely a howl that would cause one to cover their ears and still hear the noise. It was almost a surprise the glass around him didn't shatter. But before everyone could recuperate from that moment, Roku remembered he needed to provide a second half to his message.

"COME HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

Bingo.

 

[Sand Council]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Kaito
Cabal Member​

So this is what the Hidden Village in the Sand would look like if it was not underground. An older man approached the gregarious youth - healthy lungs at least. Same could not be said of everyone. Kaito chewed on a cigarette in the corner of his mouth before spitting it onto the ground. It was surreal, these past several weeks where he had nothing to do. His eyes scanned the crowd, he was always good at finding the fake. Finding the thief. Catching the liar. It was never a hard thing to do: everyone was a crook or a cheat. It did not seem that way here, for the most part there was one or two wolves in sheep's clothes but for the most part those that milled about this new residential area were the same -- just your average civilian.

Thing is -- once a solider, always a soldier.​

While it might have been one thing that his lungs were filling up with cancer, something his ring kept at bay. There was nothing wrong with his hearing.

"SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"

"COME HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"​

The bellowing cry that made his ears ring. The follow-up call that made his head hurt. He scowled as he marched over to where the young man dramatically sat. "Here," Katio muttered as he plucked a fag out of his shirt pocket and flung it in the young man's direction. "Keep it down and light up, he will come," Kaito advised. In the brief time he has known the Steward, he knew one thing -- he was a fucking pain in the ass about smoking. Some people had the bat signal. Some had a communicator. But him, he just had to light up a half way decent cancer stick or share one with the local youth and Sousuke would come running.

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

OOC: If more people show up we can shift the posting rotation, but until then might as well roll with the two of us!

It was surprising more taxing letting loose a yell like that, maybe it had to do with some of the emotions evoked by all of this. It didn't seem like it was long ago that Roku was much more of a wild child and viewed Sousuke as an emotional defunct robot. But over the course of the years that outlook, and the relationship, had amended itself. He no longer saw Sousuke as an alien figure, nor did he view him as some sheltered noble, instead he saw him as a friend that had seen, whether he could remember or not, some of the worst aspects of the world. There was an admiration, there was a friendship, there was a brotherhood... and now there was a cigarette.

His eyes shifted towards the item extended towards him. Out of reflex, once claiming a bad habit of smoking to emulate his older brother Saemon, he accepted the little cylinder out of the air, snatching it and staring down at his palm. It had been a wild since he had a smoke, or even thought about it. The life of a vigilante definitely led itself to taking up this sort of vice to survive it.

"Ah, thanks!"

His eyes turned over towards the one who had approached him, the man with the eye patch, and gave a pleasant smirk as a sign of gratitude for his lack of saying much worse to him following the outburst. Turning is attention away from the person, he started to dwell on his words as he looked back down at the cigarette.

"Hah...that might be the case for most of the village's youth, but I think I am on the other end of the spectrum. Fairly certain he would not be surprise to see me lightin' this up."

Slipping it to his lips, he began to pat down his pockets in search of a lighter. He knew he didn't have a lighter, but it was just a force of habit to show you at least attempted to find your lighter before asking to bum a light from the person you just bummed a smoke from.

"The name is Roku, don't think I remember seeing you around before everything"

There was something about the man, something that did seem familiar, but his association with the core of the village had been very minimal for so long that it could just be a chance moment of mistaken identity. Maybe it would come to him as time went on, or maybe there was just nothing to it at all.

"Crazy being able to see the sky again."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke was working on his Anti-Ancient suit. Sooner or later he would come to blows with Shiori, or rather Mother Suna. The armour he worked on was spiked, and quite large. It was actually taller than Kuro was and was the splitting image of what he perceived Primus to look like. Sousuke tinkered with the gauntlet and the finger rings. His digits were too small to properly wear the gauntlet like a glove. He pulled down the trigger ring and caused the index finger to curl up. He then pulled the rest of them. Each digit worked accordingly out. So far so good. The Steward placed the gauntlet on the skeletal frame. He took down the neck peice and began to work at that until he heard an ungodly commotion. He lost his footing for a moment. He almost dropped the neck piece, if it had landed his toes would have probably been crushed. Sousuke's eyes narrowed as he looked up. Well. That needed attending. Sousuke did not want his name to be called a second time. Sousuke placed the neck piece back on the skeleton. This would have to wait. His battle with an ancient was going to happen sooner or later.

The Steward approached the elevator, before doing so he flipped a few switches. Various armour peices began being handed to Sousuke as he took hold of each of them and placed the plates on his body. Someday the plates would just be placed on his body instead of him trying to apply it himself. Sousuke shook his head. Oh well. Another project. First came Roku, then came beating Mother Suna before she could revive any more Ancients and then... well... Sousuke didn't know what was going to happen from that. Once armoured, Sousuke would step onto the elevator springboard.

Spoiler

With his metallic skeletal hand he would hit the springboard launch button. "I don't get tired of this. I wish I had invented this earlier."<i></i> Sousuke would then be fired skyward. His silvery form would remain in the air. It took him a moment to locate Roku, which wasn't hard because he was surrounded by people. Sousuke would propel himself towards Roku and would land surprisingly a lot quieter than Roku's shout was. The Steward landed on his feet, and stood up straight. The Steward did not say a single thing. Beneath the helmet, Sousuke's eyes which were not visible due to the ivory glass visor. He looked over to see someone who he was... not entirely fond of. Kaito. The one member of the Cabal, Sousuke's mind was ... never at ease with. Sousuke's hands did not ball into fists to portray any sense of anger. Kaito had seen him angry once before. His head was nearly impaled by a plasma spear once because he so insulted his father and his failure to comprehend the Suna peril. That was the first, and hopefully the last of it. All other encounters of note had been vacant of emotion. In time, and in part due to an interaction with Fuu Sousuke had come to understand the solider better. Perhaps he even pitied the man, but such was never spoken or disclosed. Sousuke raised his hand, his mechanical, to greet Roku awkwardly. It was some sort of gang greeting sign of the chest beat and the peace sign. It looked very strange coming from Sousuke of all people. "Do remove that cancer stick from your mouth. It of the utmost and urgent action required in order to not suffer a terminal failure at a young age."<i></i> Sousuke made his way over to Kaito and held out his hand. He didn't care if Kaito used his palm as a means to put out his smoke. "The drinking I tolerate. Smoking, I will not."<i></i> He spoke assuming Kaito had a cigarette hidden in his mouth. This was ... perhaps the two hundredth time Sousuke had done this to Kaito. Sometimes people could hid lit cigarettes in their mouths. It was a tricky thing to do, but it could be done. He had watched his grandmother do so. These days there was no violently plucking of the cigarettes from Kaito. It was more of an annoyance in the most calm and cool manner possible. They were not friends by any means. This was the man who was in part why Suna on the surface, but more importantly he was for a better part an agent of its underground destruction.

 

[Sand Council]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Kaito
Cabal Member​

"Ah, thanks! Hah...that might be the case for most of the village's youth, but I think I am on the other end of the spectrum. Fairly certain he would not be surprise to see me lightin' this up. The name is Roku, don't think I remember seeing you around before everything."</B><i></i>

"Yeah," Kaito agreed. "I guess you could say I am new in town," he replied with a shrug. He still looked like a shoulder, from the erect way he stood to the cargo pants he wore that were still filled with supplies. His face was worn, tired from years of hard work and loss. The eye patch perhaps one of the most obvious disfigurements, this was not in and of itself his only physical or mental scar.

"Crazy being able to see the sky again."

Roku commented. Kaito looked up, the sky was an impossible blue. The same blue it had been every single day since the maelstrom had been destroyed. "Yeah, it is... Have not seen this since I was a young man. It is a shame Sunagakure had to wait nearly thirty years before they pursued the source." It was still a sore spot for him. The fact that this hidden village abandoned them. Abandoned them all and left them to fend for themselves. Victims of the storm. Life was hard, even for the simplest man. Many people died and even more suffered horribly for the village's isolationism. "But it sure is blue today."

"The drinking I tolerate. Smoking, I will not."

The Cabal member handed the cancer stick over to the young man and waited, it would be only a matter of time now. He tapped his foot impatiently and waited. From the heavens he flew or rather fell. Sousuke put out his hand and waited to receive Kaito's cigarette. He did not hand it over, rather he took it into his mouth. A sizzling sound could be heard before he swallowed hard. He opened his mouth up immediately following as if it was a grand magic trick but it was not, he did in fact swallow the bitter rolled leaves down his gullet. "I pay good money for my personal summon," Kaito commented with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I assume this was the man you were looking for," he nodded in Sousuke's direction - his boyscoutt quota of good deeds done now for the day.

"Also, been hearing rumors Steward," Kaito commented. "Rumors that you think you are a decent smith... you're not,"<i></i> he taunted. "But I know a real smith, one that remembers how to forge a decent blade. You should give him a call. Drop in for some tea and crumpets or whatever it is that men like you do when you want to appear civilized. Fukui Shino the Iron Welder" Kaito gave the pair a wave, he had things to do. People to see and places to go. Making the Steward run his ass off was hard work, now it was time for a beer.

<B>[Attempted Topic Left]​

<i></i>

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

The man's demeanor and voice gave them impression he had seen some things. There was potential for a long, and possibly tragic, past story that could have been very interesting to hear. Instead of following up on this, or the fact that the man had not introduced himself, there would be something that would approach. It was grand, it was large, it was flashy, it was some sort of weird creation straight out of the bizarre mind of a child.

"Holy shit... it did summon him."

The cigarette would fall from his mouth to the ground. It would seem the older guy was correct; the cancer stick did hold the power to summon forth Sousuke. And while it might not have been a good idea to assume, from what all he knew of the Stew-Kage, it was pretty much a guarantee that this beast before him was Sousuke. Then the hand gesture would occur, along with the strange comments from the metal beast.

"Sweet goodness, you haven't changed at all you metal loving weirdo."

There was a grand probability that Sousuke would not have ease with all of that, as much of it literally would be not how Roku intended it. Sure he probably had physically changed, but again, not really the point.

"Sooooo... get out of that thing! Let me see that ugly mug!"

A large smirk would appear over his face. His attention would snap to the one who had aided him in calling for Sousuke, one who seemed to have a history with the Stew-Kage as well.

Never got his name. He shall be the Sad Man until I can figure out the name.

His attention would immediately return back to Sousuke.

"Did you miss me?! Has your life been pointless without me?! Where the hell do you live now?! What is going on!?"

Lots of lost time that needed to be made up.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

As per usual Kaito was poking fun at Sousuke, one way or another. "Well, thank goodness it's only rumor, Kaito, but we're above that anyways, aren't we? Terrible thing those are, especially the one that one rumor you're terribly afraid of cats." Sousuke answered Kaito. With Kuro being of feline qualities, that must be why you've never set foot in the dojo. I suppose though if I was threatened of having the soul ripped out, I too would be wary of cats.<i></i> Sousuke kept his mouth shut. He had a mind to say it, but he didn't. This is what the man did, try and rile him up. Only once did it work. Be that as it may, it did not stop Sousuke from answering him back in calmly and coolly. Kaito was always there taking pokes at his family. Kaito wore chakra armour during their encounter, and a reworked Black Blade did indeed cut through the armour and sliced into the meaty man. "Oh. Yes. Shino, I'm having him over within the week to discuss matters beyond blade forming techniques. He's still adamant as ever to learn the family secret. Perhaps you should that horned weapon of yours sharpened while he's here."<i></i> Sousuke spoke, being one step ahead of Kaito.

Hopefully that would be the end of Kaito, for now. Sousuke could only take so much of the man. He did indeed have his uses and his knowledge, but other than that Sousuke did not enjoy his company. Roku had requested he get out of the suit. Sousuke tapped the side of his neck, and ivory glass plate did not deconstruct itself, it merely changed by becoming transparent. The mouth piece disassembled slightly. Sousuke pulled back the glass plates. A smirk of sorts appeared on his face as Roku hammered him with ... well not a hundred questions, but a good few. "I've kept myself busy, but yes I did miss you in the context of your charm, wit, and ... mastery of insults."<i></i> Sousuke paused to answer the second question, "N-no. Not pointless. Never pointless."<i></i> The third question, Sousuke motioned over to the one of the new apartment buildings. He also motioned to the new Kazekage tower. The last question... well... Sousuke would look over at Kaito's retreating self. "Preparing for... a multitude of things. Apprentices. Visitors."<i></i> He waited for Kaito to leave the range of an ear shout, "Been trying to help out lesser men, dealing with Warlords who push their luck and reach of land. Cataclysmic level entities. Demons. End of World scenarios."<i></i>

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke levied out his responses, much in the way that only Sousuke could. His mannerism were still mostly robotic, it did help that he had removed is armor to make his appearance at least more human. There was some misinterpretation but for the largest part he seemed to have a much better understanding of all his slang-esque wording. Sousuke had been more classically trained so it was often times difficult for him to fully grasp some of the euphemisms used by Roku. Heck, the Stew-Kage even tried to, what it seemed like, harass the Sad Man. Who was this slightly changed, which in Sousuke measurement would be a large change, man before him.

"I am charming, aren't I?"

Rhetorical. Of course he was. Sousuke then began to cover what he had been up to and this led to Roku's first instance of being confused. The stuff listed could have either been playful banter for how hectic the life of Kage in a rebuilding time could be, of course anyone would want to soft the true blow of all that hell, but Sousuke was not that type. Roku now had to decipher if his friend was trying to be funny or if there was complete seriousness in his ominous words.

"Wait, cataclysmic? Demons? End of world? Just what the hell has been happening around here?"

It was then that it donned on him;

Shit, do I need to explain what the hell I have been doing all this time? Cross that bridge if we get there.

It was clear that the true importance needed to be placed on just whatever the hell Sousuke had gotten himself, and by extension the village, into.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

"Maybe a little less now. No golden locks."<i></i> Sousuke pointed to Roku's change in hair colour. This change of hair made Sousuke blink not twice, but thrice. "What is this? Did you like ... walk into a buzz saw or something?"<i></i> Sousuke's expression seemed disturbed. Roku had also lost alot of weight too. This was the same Roku of course, but the changes to him were all too much for Sousuke. The brows of the Steward furrowed. This was one of those awkward moments where he could not help but continue to stare. He simply shook his head. This was going to get time to get used to. It would surprise Sousuke if Roku had turned celibate of all things. If that were the case... well... Sousuke was most abhorrent to think of what would come of it, considering Roku was indeed a lady's man.

Sousuke scratched the back of his head when Roku kind of came to his senses. "Remember when you said a long time you wanted to break me free from a prison."<i></i> He spoke referring to one of their first conversations<i></i>, "It's complicated. The heir to the Sunahoshi dynasty returned. He has no desire for the crown or the title Kazekage. Figuratively speaking, I am here holding the bag. That man who you spoke to? He's Kaito, a member of the Cabal, who destroyed our underground village. The heir wished to keep him alive as he has given us information ... so as to reclaim the surface. Unfortunately the heir has ... lost himself in a crowd, and so here I am working thrice as hard to stabilize our new position in the world."<i></i> Sousuke grimaced, "I've traded blades with Kaito. His original employ was to gather my severed head from my body."<i></i> He added, he wondered what Roku would think of that. The man who had tried to kill his friend still alive, and Sousuke and his foe trading snide remarks across the table. Sousuke shook his head, "To make matters worse, my mastery of metal is not what it used to be. I have to summon my armour now instead of having it surface from beneath my flesh. That is in part due to a confrontation I had with a demon lord at location I refer to as the Inferno. The sands there are not naturally coloured due to the blood stains there and the heat."<i></i> Sousuke paused for a moment, "It is only natural then I prepare for end game cataclysmic events. Leaf is in shambles, and is uninhabitable due to a kinjutsu used by their King upon the shinobi to ruin their homeland. Mist has been frozen in an ice age, people encased in coffins of ice."<i></i> He attempted to paint a picture for his friend of what mess they were in. "Here I am. Playing at a role I was never meant to have. Less and less I find myself correcting people when they refer to me as Kazekage. I still think of myself as a Steward. I refer to myself as the Steward... in my mind."<i></i>

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke called attention to his hair, something that Roku used to value himself on. His long blonde locks were a thing of the past, and since he had been left for dead in the Grand Palais, he really did not bother keeping up his blonde treatments. It was one of those things that just sort of seemed to phase out of his personality. He even found himself simply cutting it like his older brother use to by wadding up handfuls of hair and tearing into it with a blade. So Sousuke was not that far of base on his assessment. He then noticed that Sousuke was still staring at him with a confused look on his face. Instead of the focus simply being his hair, it seemed like he was giving a more complete look at the figure of Roku. It was at this time that something dawned on him that he had not thought about prior; he must not look the same. It was not that he wasn't aware that he had lost some of his muscle bulk, that his frame was leaner looking, but it must have appeared to Sousuke like a completely different person. This was a strange feeling, one he had not considered before coming to search for his friend. It was painful.

It was then Sousuke mentioned the Sad Man, and then included him being a member of the Cabal. Within his story he proceeded to say that the man once came gunning for his head. It was at this time that a white light seemed to glaze over the eyes of Roku. A heat began to rise in his body as his muscles began to bulge and seemingly grow. Unconsciously two gates were snapped open within the chakra channels of Roku, as his now rabid eyes began to scour the crowd looking for the one known as Kaito.

"Kaito..."

Sousuke continued to lay out his current predicament, and Roku's periphery senses seemed to absorb that information, but his immediate attention was on the man that had just wondered off. His rage, a rage that had been boiling for what felt like years, had finally reached a fever pitch. To be so close to the one who led the assault on the village and to not realize it was embarrassing. Allowing him to walk away was unforgivable.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke watched as the Roku he knew and loved surfaced. The muscles bulged out as Roku seemed to come to terms with the man who was with them. He didn't take it well. Not in the slightest. He did not want Roku to give into rage and hatred though. The Steward sighed and held out his hand. The sheathed form of the Black Blade appeared in his hand. Sousuke took a few steps forward with sheathed weapon in hand and...

WHAM!<i></i>​

Roku meet the flat end of the sheath of the Black Blade. Sousuke projected that Roku would be rubbing his head as a lump would appear on his head. Sousuke also expected shouting too. Sousuke could not afford to have Roku go after Kaito. "Sousuke to Roku. Sousuke to Roku. Did anything else I said in the past two minutes manage to enter your mind?"<i></i> He would inquire. "Maybe I should have hit him harder."<i></i> Sousuke pondered as he stroked his chin as he awaited Roku's response. Sousuke still wondering about the whole thing decided to drop a bomb on Roku's head. A very large bomb. Those things usually destabilize people and cause them to react strangely. That is what was needed right now. "I am a father to a child."<i></i> Sousuke would say very blandly. He knew if anything, that would cause Roku's jaw to drop and quite possibly break the asphalt. He would wait a moment before explaining, "Well. Adopted child. Okibi's child infact before she and Tama left me during the Cabal crisis. It is rather ... very complicated. Yume and I look after the child."<i></i> He would add trying to defuse Roku's anger.

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

His rage was continuing to grow and well up inside of him, but this would all quick dissipate as a blunt item collided with the top of his skull.

"Son of bitc---Sousuke! What the hell man?!"

He was then questioned on whether or not he was listening to everything else.

"Yea, yea, you got yourself into some deep crap. Some king is here but he isn't here, other villages are getting wiped off the map, demon lord at the inferno."

Sousuke then proceeded to talk about some more items on his internal itinerary, while Roku rubbed his aching head. That was until Sousuke mentioned a child.

"Wait, what?! WHAT?! WHHHHHAAAATTTTT?!?!"

There were a couple of sentences he was having a hard time coming to terms with. Most of those final sentences didn't make sense in his mind.

"You? Kid? Not by birth (that made sense)? And raising it with... A WOMAN!?"

There were many questions he had about all of this, which reminded him that he had been informed of Sousuke's love life by the granny beforehand. It was then he remembered the morphing old witch.

"Ehh..."

His reaction would no longer be excited as much as it would be mortified.

"I should have stayed in the ditch..."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke's eyes shifted to the side, then his eyes shifted skywards. "A kid is an infant goat."<i></i> He corrected. He then realized that kid was also a term for children. Sousuke held his hands behind his back. He waited for Roku for a moment calm down slightly. "Adoption."<i></i> He answered. "As in I have inherited the child from Okibi. The child's father is not ... her boyfriend. In fact. He is very dead. The child's original father. I killed him. He hurt, rather tortured, Okibi. This is what I was doing during the Cabal incursion, unfortunately when I had returned they had infiltrated Sand. I was locked out. Eventually I had returned to set things right."<i></i> Sousuke explained. "Suffice to say Okibi did not take well to the concept of being a mother, not by her choice. In turn I had taken the mantle of being the child's parent. Yume has agreed to help me raise the child."<i></i> Sousuke added. "Yes, Yume and I are an item, as unexpected as it for you."<i></i>

Sousuke shrugged, "I don't think you should have stayed in the ditch. If you did then... well... who would I have? I don't have very many friends Roku. My Lords are not my friends. Harupia and you are really the only friends I have honestly. Everyone else is an associate, ally, or ... some other designate."<i></i>

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke started, like many past moments, with a little information moment.

"Goats? Who the hell cares man about goats, get to the good stuff!"

And finally, he got his wish. Sousuke went into some minor details, and in some cases maybe major details, on what had transpired. He spoke on how he came to possess a child, the background that led to that entire situation and then the current situation. It was the first time he had heard of why the Steward was out of the village during the invasion. He then went into something a bit more emotional, the impact of Roku's return and how Sousuke viewed him.

"Sousuke..."

It was within that pause that one would normally find the remainder of the statement being something emotionally impactful in return.

"You little bitch. Always knew you were madly in love with me!"

He would then pat his high ranking official friend on the shoulder giving him a huge grin.

"Ever since Saemon seemingly vanished, I too have noticed that my familial network was low. Hell, it is just you for me man, so be thankful you have Haru and the lady."

His eyes would get me shifty as he started to gently nudge his elbow into the body of Sousuke.

"So how was the first time, tiger? I bet you had all sorts of weird, pent up nerd hormones that you let loose on that poor woman."

He would then return to his chuckle and shoulder pat of Sousuke.

"Well, hey man, you're a dad! Sure, it sounds like the rest of you life is heading for a complete shit show, but no need to dwell on that crap! Let's go get a drink, let's celebrate your new found bundle of responsibility!"

He knew it wasn't that simple, he knew it could never be that simple. But for his friend, for this one moment, he hoped it could be just that; simple.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke blinked at Roku as he spoke of subjecting Yume to the release of his hormones. "Uhm... no Okibi got us underneath the mistletoe on my birthday . I had to kiss her publically."<i></i> Sousuke rubbed his nose. This was going to probably be not well received. "I haven't really been a kisser, or a hugger. So. I kissed her on the forehead. "<i></i> He shrugged, "It seemed like the most un-radical thing to do at the time. I mean ... what does one do?"<i></i> He asked Roku. Sousuke shrugged, "The next time, she kissed me. Uhm ... truly romantically. It was unexpected, but very nice. We've had double dates, but nothing ... well ... I am expected to get married, and I would very much indeed marry her."<i></i> Sousuke explained. He broke eye contact, "A foreign friend of mine once carried me home, and played a very cruel trick on me. I had broken my legs, and had drank myself into ... stupor as it was my first time. Well ... she uhm got me into my bed, and ... herself ... and well ... she made me think we ... committed fornication. Okibi walked in and us and ... well ... the two of them had a good laugh. At my expense."<i></i> Sousuke spoke the word fornication through his teeth, "That was before Yume and I got serious. I haven't done anything overly liberal without being made aware of it."<i></i> Sousuke explained. This was Roku. The man who brought him to a strip bar once. This was perhaps going to be well received.

Roku then suggested they go have a drink. Sousuke tapped his fingers together. "I have learned how to drink better now. I may infact drink you under the table. I think that is what they say when you want to say you can outdrink someone."<i></i> Sousuke tried very hard to have a way with words and too be a smartass with Roku.

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

"Had to kiss her publically?!"

He would express in unauthentic amazement. That was when he followed up that he kissed her on the forehead. This would be met with a slight chuckle, but Roku was wanting to be respectful so he maintain his composure. That was until the next story made its way out. As Sousuke began Roku grew interested, then it got to the part about drinking himself in a stupor. Then Sousuke began to struggle through the next portion, which was by far the best part. Roku, begin a good friend, maintained a straight face throughout the struggle. Then he said "fornication" in almost an inaudible tone. But Roku heard, oh did he hear.

"FORNICATION?!!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

The sheer joy this moment caused him could not be measured in an accurate amount of "ha's". His laughter would be almost as deafening as his original yell for Sousuke that started this adventure. He then listened as Sousuke mentioned he learned how to drink, still being met by laughter. Then the Steward mentioned he might be able to out drink Roku.

Everything would go silent as Roku, with a dead glare, pierced Sousuke with his intense stare before slamming his right first into his upturned left palm.

"Challenge accepted."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke covered his hears at the sound of Roku's overly loud laughter at his misfortune. At a few points, Sousuke tried to lower his hands, but nope. Roku was still laughing, and laughing very hard. Sousuke began walking straight to the pub where he would indeed challenge Roku to a drinking contest. Finally the laughter had subsided. Unfortunately for Sousuke there was a ringing in his ears which was blocking out most sound. "My ears are ringing."<i></i> He said but he did not hear his own words. "I think Roku you may have damaged my hearing. I can't hear anything now, but thankfully I can read lips."<i></i> Sousuke was now speaking louder than usual.

Sousuke in time would make his way to the table with some difficulty of maintaining his balance. He raised his hand and ordered four beers for starters. Curiously Sousuke would eye Roku and tap his fingers on the table as he awaited the first round of drinks to arrive. Soon enough four frothing mugs of beers would be placed before the two men. Sousuke would grab his mug and eye Roku with a mischevious look as he proceeded to down the contents of the mug of beer. Pacing was the key here. Too much and balance would be lost, along with other things and quite a mess. Sousuke would drain the contents entirely, and slam the mug down on the table. One drink did not effect the man as of yet, but a few would. Perhaps Roku had lost his tolerance to the liquid poision that sat before them as the glasses sweated and continued to froth. " Sousuke: one. Zero. Roku: zero."<i></i> He would say once again slightly louder than usual. The ringing in his ears ever persisting.

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

It would seem that Sousuke was not as jovial about that funny chunks of story as Roku was, and that was fine for him as he hand no plans of not enjoying each and every one of these juicy nuggets of comedy gold. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if Roku was present for these fun moment.

Wait, no, I don't think I would want to be present for the naked in bed one.

Sousuke would mention that his ears were ringing, but Roku would get a miscommunication on that as Roku heard something different.

"Yea my body is ringing with anticipation... but isn't the expression buzzing? Ah nevermind, ya big goofball!"

The rest of his explanation would be missed as his mind was only concerned with the idea of the cruel jokes he could play on Sousuke with this new information and the thought of drinking. His grin would quickly return as they headed off to start the drinking challenge, which was very surprising. Roku had just assumed that the Steward was all talk, but he was not in anyway disappointed that the man was going to attempt to show Roku how much of a better drinker he was. After a few moments, they would reach their intended destination and Sousuke would get the first round prepped. Four mugs would appear before them as Sousuke did not look all that well for a split second, something he noticed before. Sousuke would very calmly, and yet still quicker than he had expected, finish one of the concoctions before Roku would even touch a mug. This would cause a small chuckle.

"Great opening volley, however..."

He would quickly snatch up two mugs on his own, raise one up to his lips and seemingly inhale the drink in a fashion that would almost look unreal. Once that glass hit the table, the next would already be to his lips. With the same haste he would finish his second. There was no pacing for him.

"I play for keeps, big guy. Another round, make it six this time!"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Sousuke watched Roku down his two mugs with ease. Six more came. Sousuke sat there for a moment as his ears finally stopped ringing. Well. That was very much an improvement. The best kind going. He decided to make some calculations. Roku had one drink ahead of him. He couldn't just drink two beers at once as his moth would overflow and spill the drink on the floor and thus it would ... disqualify him from this contest. Sousuke took the next drink and proceeded to drain it whole. Then he would reach for the next one within a moment and begin to down the contents of that one too. He blinked for a moment as he felt a slight tingling. It was ever so faint. The tingling was something he was slightly accustomed to. It was in his fingers. Sousuke reached for the third drink he would look at Roku questioningly. "I too am playing for keeps. What it is we are keeping, I am not sure. I think part of this contest is to keep track of the number of alcoholic contented drinks we are consuming on mass. This will be number four now."<i></i> He answered as he downed the drink. At the very least the content of alcohol was minimal on these drinks, considering that the knock out was the time Sousuke was drinking dark ales with a cream liquor dropped into the mug. One had to drink that potent mixture very quickly as the cream portion would cause the rest of the drink to ... sour and taste quite terrible. He had it on good word that is what indeed would occur.

"The ball. It is in your court. I have after all, hit a home run I do believe."<i></i> Sousuke would say as he motioned for next round of drinks to come. Eight drinks were to arrive. Roku was behind two drinks? Maybe it was one drink. No... it was two? No. It was one. Most certainly. "No. Wait. I need to put the ball not so much in the court, but perhaps a park."<i></i> Sousuke took another drink and eyed Roku again. Well. Pacing was his strength. Best not push it, but ... this was about sending a message? What kind was it now? Oh yes. He was superior to Roku. In drinking. Sousuke downed the next beer at a quicker pace now. He was starting to challenge the threshold here. A moment's reprieve may help here. After all, Roku now for certain had two drinks to get caught up on.

 

[Raizo]

Re: Hello from the OtterSlide (Requesting Sousuke/OPEN to al

Roku was in actual shock as Sousuke not only answered his challenge, but made a smart ass remark and continued to drink. Following the impressive display the Steward would bring about the next round of beers, this one a tray full of eight mugs. Their math would eventually degrade to utter shit, but at this time Roku was clear enough to focus on the task at hand. His hand would raise as he began to count the remainder of the drinks from his round along with the ones on the way, as his eyes would close as if he was attempting to solve some great math problem.

"Ok, ok, what would work... carry the three... hmmm..."

His eyes would reopen as he began to scan around the area until finding something that made him grin widely.

"One moment, kind sir."

He would then step away from the table as he made his way up to one of the serves who happened to have a metal tray in her hand. She was on her way to the back to drop off the item and continue her duties waiting on the patrons. Roku would approach her, tapping her on the shoulder with a joyful grin on his face.

"Excuse me, I know that you might get in trouble for this but do you think I could have that tray?"

Roku could have attempted to use his former charm to win over this young maiden, who was at a loss for the request at the moment, but Roku had a much easier strategy.

"See, the only reason I ask is because the Kazekage, you know--the leader of this village, he is over there and was needing this item for something right quick. You know how that family is, right? Always coming up with the strangest things with metal. Anyways, if it wouldn't be a problem I would like the tray and will gladly double your highest tip of the day if we happen to break it or get you in trouble."

His pleading would work, for which reason he would not really care, as she handed over the tray after verifying that the Steward-Kazekage was indeed in the bar. Roku, still smiling, would bow to the barmaid and take the tray back to his table. Using his abnormal strength, which he really didn't need to use much of for this task, would began to roll up the metal tray. He would focus on just one half of the tray causing it to transform into a cone, with the side he had manipulated the most to be a narrow opening while the other side was a mark larger one. He now had a funnel. Sitting open the ground he would look at the nearest guy to their table and would motion for him to come over.

"Hey, buddy, you ever met the Kazekage?"

The guy would jump at the interesting question and Roku would raise the funnel up to his mouth with a thumb over the narrow opening.

"Also, since you are here, could you do me a favor? Could you take those mugs, one at a time, and pour them into this funnel? Kazekage is trying to test a theory, you know that he is always up to the oddest things, right?"

The guy was confused, but easy to manipulate. Without much urging he would take the first mug.

"What you need to do is pour one into this funnel, then wait one moment, then pour the next. You will do this for five mugs. Afterwards, Kazekage Sousuke will give you a autograph piece of shinobi equipment. Life can't get much sweeter, am I right!?"

Roku would then give the now over-the-moon man a thumbs up as the first mug would go into the funnel. This sort of practice took some breathing to accomplish, but since the drinks were limited to one mug at a time with a small break it would prove to be rather easy. One through five would come and go as the man would drop the last mug and look over to the Kazekage for his reward. Roku would release a loud belch as he began to laugh like he had just been told the greatest joke ever. His cheeks were now starting to turn visibly rosy.

"Ok, Sousuke. I think once we finish these beers we need to move to shots. It seems you prowess has been underestimated, StewyKage!"

He would slap the side of his leg as he continued to giggle down on the ground with his man made funnel. He was now three above his friend.