The Road Not Taken [Open RP]

[Enomoto Satoshi]

[I thought I'd start a thread in a somewhat under-frequented subforum and see if anyone bites. After a semester of taking nothing but science classes I need a good writing warm up lol.]

Ryunaramaru Jin was up bright and early, for today was a special day. As he opened his eyes he instinctively stretched his limbs up towards the ceiling and took in a deep breath of the brisk, invigorating air permeating through his modest abode. Jin resided in a little igloo, crafted by his own hands, in Cloud country though several miles out from the general population. It was located on a mountain slope where temperatures remained particularly frigid at all times of the year. But while this circumstance did little to bolster his house’s resale value, to Jin, below zero temperatures were of little consequence. He was a man incapable of feeling cold. Today happened to be a unique day for Jin because once again he would be making his weekly trek into town; every seven days he deviated from his customary routine of meditating and training amongst the wild beasts of the mountain to travel down the slope for a fresh batch of supplies and necessities. While he appreciated the change of scenery and return to civilization, however, Kumogakure’s far more temperate climate made Jin feel like Frosty the Snowman during springtime. With a bit of foreboding apprehension, he began to put on the appropriate clothes, dressing himself modestly in just a pair of thin pants and a short-sleeve shirt.

The sun radiated and gleamed off every minute flake of ice encasing the mountain slope, though Jin’s mind had already begun to wander off to other worlds, and barely noticed the rising temperatures and increasing presence of green grass as he got closer and closer into town. Unfortunately, Jin was a bit aloof to the village’s social dynamics and failed to even register a problem as he turned into a rather seedy section of the village. Cronopolis, while once a thriving municipality standing as a bastion of Cloud’s military might, has since slipped into a rather blighted purlieu for housing citizens at the bottom end of the socio-economic scale. Having been training in isolation for so long, however, relative to a desolate mountainside present-day Cronopolis looked like a thriving metropolis to him. A pleasant-looking tea house caught Jin’s interest from the corner of his eye, and realizing he was a bit thirsty after his long hike, decided to check the place out.

The interior was far larger than Jin had imagined and stuffed to the brim with a rowdy pack of customers. There were dense crowds sprawled at tables and on the floor, gambling with various forms of cards and dice. To get to the counter Jin even had to tip toe over the bodies of blacked out drunkards who appeared to have been left laying on the ground from the night before. This domicile, which was clearly more of a bar than a tea house, was raucous and disorientating and smelled of a curious amalgamation of smoke and old people.

At last Jin found his way to the counter and took a seat between two empty stools. Without even taking the time to turn his glance towards Jin, the bartender started yapping at his new customer. “Heh heh heh, looks like we got anotha’ wannabe shinobi here,” the old man cackled behind the counter, wiping the inside of a glass with a ragged cloth yet still not facing Jin. “You see all them hooligans passed out in their own drool? ‘I’m gonna be a shinobi when I grow up! Believe it, believe it!’ they all said, and look at ‘em now. Spent so long chasing the stars they forgot to live in the real world.”

The old man gave a slight grin, and with an abrupt 180 degree spin, faced Jin with an electric glare. Despite his age his eyes exuded vigor and energy. “But maybe you’ll be the one who finally can get out of the hellhole and make somethin’ for ya’self. So anyway, what can I do for ya? Beer, sake, somethin’ harder?”

“Well sir…” Jin stammered, completely unprepared to meet a character like this so early in the morning. “Tea will be perfectly fine for me, please. Green. And on the cooler side, if you don’t mind.” The old man let out an audible grunt as Jin finished his request with a slight bow, barking some explicative as he filled a glass and slammed it on the counter in front of Jin. The young shinobi slowly sipped at his cup, enjoying the pleasant aroma that was made up a single drop of equanimity in a sea of debauchery. Jin could never predict what going to town would entail, and that randomness provided him a bit of warm relief from his cold, regimented schedule. He pondered what other interesting characters just might join him in this small, seedy bar on this exciting morning in Cloud Village.

The words of the old man infiltrated Jin’s pleasant thoughts, however, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit overwrought at the prospect of them potentially being true. Were all these unshaven, middle-aged bums, spending what few pennies they had to their name on cards and beer, really failed shinobis no different than himself once upon a time? Jin subconsciously tapped his forehead protector. It had been hardly a week since he had successfully completed his Chuunin Exam, one of the few moments in recent memory that made the traditionally reserved Jin smile with excitement. Now he frowned slightly, but Jin knew that unlike these men who had since given up hope long ago, he still had something to fight for. His love for his Village and all of his Cloud brethren, even these friendly rapscallions who probably hadn’t held a real job in the past decade, was too strong for Jin to ever give up his quest to become a powerful shinobi. Knowing that he’d be lying dead on a battlefield long before he ended up drinking his failures away in some seedy bar brought great solace to Jin’s conflicted mind, and seeing the end result of those who given up firsthand only further motivated Jin to chase his dreams with even more vigor.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu sat cross-legged on the floor of the seedy little "tea house", his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he stared hard at the hand of cards he held in front of his face. He glanced from the hand he held to the few cards lined up on the floor in the middle of the four that sat on the floor as well, and then glanced back at his cards. At the moment, he had two 9s in his hand with one 9 and two Jacks on the floor- a full house. It was a good hand, but it wasn't certain victory. He glanced at the other players over the top of his glasses, trying to figure out how good their hands were. One had already folded, and it was currently Ayumu's turn. He chewed slightly on his lip for a moment as the others gave little sign about their hands. He sighed, unable to tell a thing about his opponents here- they all had well practiced poker faces. That was something he liked about this place, there was never assurance, he just had to take a risk.

"Raise," he said, pushing forward a couple of bills. The man after him simply grunted and dropped his cards, folding. Ayumu grinned and looked to the next man. This man did the same sort of glances around that Ayumu had just done and then finally called, putting for the required amount. The next man grinned and pushed a bit extra forward, raising. Ayumu was a bit nervous now, though he managed not to show it. Still, his hand was not bad and he was a bit reckless, so he called. The third man folded, leaving Ayumu and the fourth to duke it out. Both let the last of the round pass, and it was time to show their hands. Ayumu looked up as a man he didn't recognize entered the room, but quickly returned his eyes to his hand. The owner started barking at the newcomer as he was wont to do, insulting his patrons without a care. Ayumu simply shook his head, not really caring what the old man thought about them at the moment. He placed his cards down assuredly which prompted some chuckles around him as others seemed to think he had won. The other man grinned and placed two Jacks before him, completing a four of a kind. The small group erupted with laughter as Ayumu groaned and threw up his hands in disgust. 'Well, enough of that for the day!' he thought, standing up and turning to the newcomer and the owner. Now that he wasn't occupied with giving away money, he felt like responding to what the old man had said.

"I hope you're not stereotyping, old man, people will think you're ignorant," he said with a grin, despite the fact that he had just lost some money. It wasn't a hostile statement, it was more so a playful quip. Ayumu was fairly certain the owner could take it as well as he could dish it out. No need to hold back. He started towards the counter and as he did so noticed the forehead protector of the stranger sitting at the counter. Along with his brown jacket over a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans, Ayumu was wearing a belt which incorporated his own forehead protector, polished and shining. As he reached the counter he swung a leg over a stool and took a seat. Angling this thumb to point at his fellow shinobi, he addressed the owner once more.

"Besides, this one's already got his forehead protector. Like me. We aren't chasing stars, we already reached 'em," he said smugly. He winced slightly at the sound of a round of laughter from the group he had just parted from. He could hear the man who had just taken his money counting the bills out loud, almost certainly speaking loud enough for Ayumu to hear it on purpose. Ayumu groaned in annoyance and quickly ordered a beer, drowning out the annoying noise coming from behind. It was morning, but at the moment he didn't care about the time. He turned to the other man at the counter and extended his hand over the empty stool between them, offering it in greeting.

"I'm Ayumu. What brings you to this sordid little... 'tea house'?" he introduced himself and asked, waiting for the handshake before tilting back up to his seat. The mug of beer arrived, slammed just as Jin's tea had been. Apparently the old man was a touch dramatic. Ayumu raised the mug to his mouth and took a swig before setting it back down much more quietly than it had been placed the first time. Jin seemed a bit out of place to him there, not that he was judging a book by its cover. Others had likely thought the same of Ayumu his first time as well.

 

[Enomoto Satoshi]

Jin met the stranger’s extended hand with a firm grasp and a headshake. “So, there are others like me in here,” thought the fire-headed ninja as he spotted the familiar gleam of a forehead protector which was being economically used as a belt. Jin hastily added that to his mental list of good ideas he’d need to try out someday. Jin had been so out of his element entering this modest little tea/hard liquor house that he’d failed to notice any ostensible shinobi in the building, a major oversight for his line of work, but no doubt this guy before him was very familiar with the ranks. Though younger than most Chuunins and still learning something new everyday, Jin was beginning to identify talent just by picking up on the small nuances separating the good shinobi from the great. Genins, of course, stood out like a sore thumb by the timidness they wore on their faces everywhere they scurried, and their naïve enthusiasm for battle each and every time the opportunity presented itself. Jin remembered fondly his spirited ardor to take on as many missions as he could once he was granted that most esteemed forehead protector; dejected at the fact that the only ones available for his lowly position were tiresome, menial tasks and pining for anything with an hint of danger. Since those innocuous days that same danger he once desired has hardened him, embittering the youthful outlook he had for the world yet only furthering his love and devotion to the Village Hidden in the Clouds. And from his eyeball test, this similarly-aged shinboi who called himself Ayumu exhibited no signs of timidness or naivete in his demeanor; though friendly and casual, he was clearly quite powerful as well.

“Ah, good to meet you Ayumu. I’m Jin – Ryunaramaru Jin,” began Jin, pausing briefly to take another sip of his tea. Though initially galvanized by the salutary green tea smell, as he continued to drink a bitter aftertaste permeated through his taste buds. Shockingly – not – this was a cheap brew, though at last Jin realized that the reason people flocked to this rickety shack wasn’t to drink world-class tea. A quick thinker, Jin scanned the room during the two seconds he spent gulping his drink, wanting to get a better feel for his surroundings considering how obliviously he’d stumbled in here. The floor of the place was a mini casino, no doubt unlicensed yet far below the dignity of the police to warrant trudging through slums like this. Large clusters of ancient old men with long, unkempt gray beards yet glabrous bald heads and burly, heavily tattooed delinquents whose eyes gave hair-raising glares yet lacked a single flicker of intelligence were packed like sardines on a tattered tatami carpet. Both groups were gambling together whilst boastfully brandishing wads of cash, probably the only money to their name, and their scantily clad hookers who were charging small fees to sit by their customer for “good luck”, or to distract the opposition, and larger fees for other activities out back. Soaking all of this in, Jin lowered his glass, merely three seconds after having introduced himself, and continued chatting with Ayumu.

“What brings me here is a good question; actually I’m still asking that myself. I live pretty far away on the outskirts of town and every so often I make the trip back here for food, supplies, and just catching up.” Jin eyed his presently empty tea glass. He was certainly less thirsty than before, yet still not quite satisfied. “But I always seem to take a wrong turn along the way and end up…haha well, in places like this.”

Jin heard the old bar owner slam something else down, and turn to Jin with a fire in his eye. For such a noisy room he seemed to be paying ironically close attention to their conversation. “Whaddya mean by that ya little brat?! Don’t let the appearance – or the smell fool ya, this here bar is the grandest in all of Cloud Village! Kids these days don’t have no damn appreciation for anything.” With his hands raised Jin began apologizing profusely. “No, no, sir! That really wasn’t what I meant, really! I wasn’t trying to insult your…fine culinary establishment, I just meant this wasn’t quite what I had been looking for.” The bar tender gave reticent grunt, and with a sigh of relief, Jin raised his glass and continued. “If you’re not busy, though, would you mind fixing me a beer please? I can’t say I usually drink in the morning but I don’t get out to first-rate taverns like this all the time, so when in Rome...” The bar owner, with a suddenly cheery disposition, quickly fixed up a mug of the same stuff Ayumu was drinking and carefully set it in front of Jin with barely a sound. Though blowing a lot of smoke, Jin was not entirely insincere in his praise for the old man’s bar, he just merely wanted to avoid a confrontation spurred from his foolish word choice and hopefully perhaps brighten the day of a ragged old guy who was clearly a powder keg. He was genuinely happy to have come upon this hole in the wall however; it seemed like every time he made the trek into Cloud Village he discovered some fresh detail that gave his beloved village a new, colorful stroke. He would’ve never guessed this shanty little pub even existed, but to see how jubilant these vagabonds looked to be in this place, even in their states of drunkenness and poverty, only strengthened his desire to protect these people as a shinobi of Cloud Village. The cranky old man behind the counter had created a community and a safe haven for those who otherwise would be accepted nowhere, and for that his actions were truly noble.

“Well Ayumu, now that you’ve heard my story, mind if I ask you the same thing? What brings you to this neck of the woods? You don’t look like the drink-away-your-woman-sorrows type, so I’m guessing either hotshot gambler or fine-liquor connoisseur.”

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu nodded as the man gave his name in response and took another sip from his drink. It wasn't bad, he mused, though not the best he had ever had by far. It was not an expensive drink, surely, but Ayumu wasn't sure this place even sold anything expensive. It didn't seem that kind of place, to him. That was fine, he wasn't really hear for drinking anyway. He noticed the man named Jin was having something decidedly less alcoholic, which was probably the more respectable thing to order so in the AM, but Ayumu wasn't much of a tea drinker. He shrugged and took another sip, setting the mug down once more. Jin proceeded to answer his question, giving a surprising revelation. Apparently he lived far away on the outskirts of town, far enough away that he had to make trips occasionally for supplies. Not only that, but he was unfamiliar enough with the populated areas to get lost. Well, to be perfectly honest, Ayumu was prone to getting lost as well and he had lived in the heart of the village for his entire life, but that was his own personal shortcoming.

Apparently the old man of the bar didn't like the way Jin had said 'places like this' and as usual he made it abundantly clear. Ayumu stifled a laugh at the man's annoyance, but more so at his claim that they were sitting in the grandest bar in all of Cloud Village. He supposed it was good to have pride in your work, no matter what the job. The man was a business owner, regardless of what the business was. Ayumu laughed a bit more as Jin backpedaled, trying to avoid trouble, and even flatter the man a bit. He was polite, something Ayumu couldn't truly say about himself. To his surprise Jin also ordered a beer to replace his tea. He supposed the man truly wanted to experience the bar as it was experienced by those that frequented it.

"So early in the morning? For shame," he said jokingly with a smirk. Hopefully he would catch the humor, even if they had only just met. Obviously Ayumu was in no position to criticize, and truthfully he thought it must be almost lunch time by now. He wasn't entirely sure, though. Now the conversation came around to him, and it was his turn to say what had brought him to the fine establishment they were in. Ayumu laughed at the possible identities Jin had thought up for him, none of which really fit him. He was definitely not the type of have woman-sorrows, he'd have to have a woman first. He was not very popular with women, sadly, but he didn't want to talk about that unsurprisingly. Fine-liquor connoisseur was far from the truth as well. Fine-liquor was not in his budget.

"Hmmm, well I can't say I really know one liquor from another, but I must say I don't think this could really be called fine-liquor. I don't usually have anything more expensive than this," he said, lifting up the beer to give it a quick glance. It wasn't a terribly cheap beer, but it was still beer. Beer was hard to call fine, no matter what brand, in his opinion. As for the hot-shot gambler, he supposed that was a somewhat close guess. He had been gambling a moment ago, perhaps Jin had even seen or heard it. Hothot was the adjective that wasn't entirely accurate.

"Well, I'm not going to say I'm a terrible gambler, but hotshot is definitely not me either. Just ask those guys over there. I'm sure they'd love to tell you how much of a 'hotshot' I am," he said before taking another sip of his beer. He set it down and tapped his fingers on the label before taking a look over his shoulder at the group he had just come from. They were playing another game now, already forgotten about Ayumu. He was sure that they were here everyday they weren't working, if they worked at all. It was possible that they made money by taking it from people like Ayumu. He won occasionally, but he could only recall a few times when he left with more money than he came with. He didn't do it for the money, though.

"I suppose I just enjoy doing it, even if I don't make money from it. I would say it's a cheap thrill, but it's not all that cheap sometimes," he said with a laugh, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. It was in his character to seek thrills, so even if it was just trying to win some money, he enjoyed it. "I only come here when I have nothing better to do, though. Don't get the wrong idea about me. Anyway, so you live in the outskirts, huh? Got a cabin in the woods?" he asked curiously, wondering what exactly he meant by the outskirts.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

[I have been informed by Jin that he'll be needing to take care of some IRL obligations and as such won't be able to continue this thread. So I'm out! Topic Left]