A Night of Audacity [private]

[Mienai]

It was late in the evening, not that anyone here would notice, but it was about that time when bars and clubs, like the one Shira found herself at, started to actually fill up with people of various assortments. The one she currently found herself in was rather small, but that did not dissuade others from attending said establishment. It was dimly lit with lights, some of different color than the traditional illumative white lights. There was some form of loud music, a band was playing or something, they weren't very good for a group that considered themselves a well known traveling group of minstrals. But that wasn't the reason most of the villagers bothered to come to it. Nope, it was for the decent assortment of liquor that stocked the shelves, as well as some decent company if you were looking for it.

It was for this very thing that Shira now found herself in the bar. It had been a rough couple days, dealing with Ko and Shizo, hearing several different sermons of the great Lord Dekishi's accomplishments. She just wanted it to stop. Another problem was that her seal was cracked. Her demon was now occasionally interrupting her thoughts or making her presense known all just to bother Shira. So what better way to fix it than to just go out and have a good time with some good old fashion alcohol. Not to mention the people she would meet was always interesting.

Sitting on her bar stool, Shira glared at the bartender as she ordered for him to bring her a mixture of sake and Shōchū. It's alcohol content wouldn't be as strong as some of the stuff she has at home, but the flavor was usually nice and she could at least get tipsy within one to two drinks. She was almost thankful that she was such a light drinker. She stared into the crowd with a bored expression a moment later, watching others converse about their day or try to pick up a random stranger. She sighed. A clink from beside her suggested that her drink was ready, and she downed it in a matter of minutes. She ordered another and told him to keep it coming. As she sat there contemplating, she could feel herself relaxing a bit. "I need to get out more." She breathed out with a slight smile as her second drink was sat down. She'd start having some fun once the alcohol set in, or when someone of interest showed up.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika was having a good time. She had been bought quite a few drinks, and now she was being rather flirty- if that's what you could call it- with the man that had bought her those drinks. The Motomori girl could tell that this man was getting to the point of no return, though he was being nice enough to not try to grope her while on the dance floor. Perhaps he had heard that that certain action would get his ass kicked. Didn't matter though. The tomboy was fully enjoying herself. Once she was finished with the guy, she excused herself. He had pouted but understood. She watched him leave with a smirk on her lips.
Suna's Crystal Healer made her way to the bar and asked for a drink, the first one of the night she was buying. Her face was flushed from dancing, but she didn't care. The bar-tend looked at her with a knowing smile and a chuckle. He knew her game, had seen it a lot. Guys she danced with ended up having to excuse themselves to home, or to find a red-light girl that looked similar to Aika, at least body wise. He fetched her favorite sake and she took the only open seat at the bar, right next to a white haired girl. After a few sips from her glass, she turned to the girl and introduced herself.
"Hello. The name's Aika. Don't often see you in here. First time to the club?"

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira took notice as a woman came over and ordered a drink from the bartender. Shira didn't particularly mind, it was after all a crowded club and many of the dancers tended to get thirsty. Shira kept mostly to herself as she held her glass in her hand and took occasional sips. She let out a sigh when she started to feel a buzz kick in. It always felt nice to lose control for a bit. Glancing sideways, Shira started to analyze the other girl. The short haired brunette appeared to be older, if not her own age, it was hard to decipher with just a glance. She was only slightly shorter than Shira, but her frame was impressive. She was definitely in shape, if the dancing she had done earlier proved any evidence of that. Shira briefly wondered how she would do in a fight, but that was a thought for later. She had done no harm and Shira really just wanted to enjoy her drinks and maybe get a little dancing in later.

After a few pauses, the bartender brought the woman her drink. Shira wondered what she was drinking, but kept the thought to herself. She rarely tried anything different anyway. The slight fuzziness of her brain caused her to have a slightly slower registration time. She almost didn't realize that the girl she had been analyzing was actually speaking to her. She was introducing herself, Aika. What was it she had asked? Oh, right. Shira looked at the girl and nodded. "Yeah, I don't get out often. My burden of a 'sibling' frowns upon drinking. I have to say though, I could get used to this kind of scene." Shira paused to take another sip. "My name's Shira, by the way, nice to meet you Aika. So you're a regular here I take it?" It was a little hard to talk over the loud music, but she figured she managed well enough. She wondered just how often the other woman actually came here. She seemed pretty well adjusted to the atmosphere, even with all the men that kept throwing glances her way.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika couldn't help but smile as the girl studied her. She seemed oblivious for a few moments after Aika had asked her name, but that didn't bother the young woman. Alcohol had different effects on different people, maybe her effect was to be oblivious. There she goes. She finally spoke. Her name was Shira? It certainly fit the red-eyed girl.
"I guess you could say that. I'm here when I'm off work and my brother isn't. My sibling is quite the opposite to yours if just the drinking is in question. He doesn't mind that I drink, so long as I don't get so smashed that I can't protect myself."
She took a sip of her sake and smiled. Her eyes roamed the single men. Being here so often, she could tell who was truly single and who was out behind their girlfriend's back.
"Wanna know how to tell if a guy's really single or not? You get multiple kinds here. Or would you rather know how to tell if a girl's really single?"
Ah, Aika's lovely subtlety, not. She was always blunt. Aika had been a very blunt child, and that hadn't changed in the least. Her impassive face would let the girl readily know that she didn't care what team the other batted for. Her brother was gay after all.

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira nodded, a pretty standard answer. It was common that most would come here after working a shift of some sort. Not like her, who just came for the pure hell of coming, though there were those kind of people too. She laughed a bit when she heard how Aika's brother didn't want her getting smashed. "Somehow I think even completely smashed you would put up one hell of a fight." Shira had remembered part of the reason that she herself wasn't supposed to get wasted. She was a bit too good of a fighter when purely wasted, sometimes Ko would have to use her collar as a means to get her to stop...stupid sealing charm.

Looking over at Aika, she noticed her line of vision and followed it to the remaining club's crowd. Nothing really special as far as she could tell, just your standard group of men and women. Shira took a large sip of her drink as Aika started talking about how to tell if a guy is single, not that she had much interest, as displayed by an eye roll. Men are such vile creatures. She didn't realize that Aika wasn't finished. When the subject of if a girl is really single came up, Shira not so subtely spit her alcoholic beverage out and looked on in shock at Aika. She hated that making her drunk made her lose most of her stoic fronts. "Wh-What?!? Is it that obvious?" She mentally facepalmed herself.Crap, way to go Shira, give yourself away. Idiot. She was simply making conversation. Aika's face didn't seem judgemental with the question at least. Still, it's not like anyone really knew. "I...ah...oh whatever. How?" Shira scanned the crowd casually, knocking back the rest of her drink as she did so. She was planning to get plenty drunk after that little slip up.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika smirked. She was a fair fighter, her physique showed as much, however, most of her body was shaped by training to dodge and carry heavy loads while doing so.
"I am a fair fighter, though I'm a medic, so I'd more annoy my opponent than anything with my dodging than anything." She chuckled softly and took a long draw on her sake while watching Shira once again. Having the girl beside her start stuttering after she mentioned single women made her smirk.
"No, it's not overtly obvious, though that eye roll confirmed it. How to tell them apart, well, since you'd be looking to hook up with one of them, first you look for a girl that's flirting with other women. If she seems to be looking around anxiously, then she's here behind her girlfriend's back. If not, make sure she's not hanging around one specific girl, because that would be her girlfriend. See anyone specific that you might like?"
Aika studied the girl's face, looking for facial cues and body language.

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira's cheeks flushed a bit from embarassment or possibly from the fact she was officially tipsy. She really hadn't been expecting to discuss this, but hey she was in a bar and it was bound to come up at some point. She just wished she could have played her sexuality off a bit more casually. Shira listened as Aika explained the process of observing traits to pick up women. She hadn't exactly tried due to her nature. She'd just been used to being alone, but this was freely offered advise, surely she could take it.

Shira started what would be her 6th scan of the people in the club, her focal point on the women. She noticed a few that showed traits that Aika mentioned, so she quickly paid them little mind. As her eyes scanned the crowd she kept glancing a little anxiously back at Aika. Was this a test or something? The woman was clearly one of, if not the most, attractive one here. Get a grip, Shira. You are losing it, she's just a nice person trying to help you. Do not hit on her. Her stupid demon decided to rear her ugly voice. Of course you should. People are tools, use them that way. Shira shook her head. No, she would not use Aika that way. She bit her lip ever so slightly, deciding that the best way to avoid this was a distraction. "I might see someone I like, I might not..."Suddenly the music picked up a bit and saved her. "Hey, why don't we go dance?" Shira smirked and stood suddenly, losing her balance a bit as she did. What was this? Ugh, never mind that. She would turn back ever so slightly, a fang poking out a bit as she continued smirking at the other women. "Unless you don't think you can keep up." A chuckle left her lips as she gave Aika a once over and took off into the crowd. There's a bit of her old self.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika's blue eyes held a smile as she watched Shira look around the room again. She felt herself mentally smirk when she noticed that the girl's eyes kept flicking back to her. It wasn't like she wasn't used to being hit on by both sexes, it was just different this time because Shira was fairly close to her age. Aika thought herself straight as an arrow, but what was the harm in trying something new, something different?
She could see those red eyes working, almost arguing with herself at one point, wondering if it would be alright to flirt with her. Aika unconsciously opened her seated stance. Her forearms rested against the bar, giving Shira an even better view of her toned, muscled, body. Even though Aika's breasts were bound like usual, if Shira took the time to study her form, she would be able to see that she had a good sized chest, not that the cleavage from being bound didn't show that already.
"Dancing sounds good. I'm curious though. Who are you interested in?" Aika smiled a tiny smirk but sounded sincere as she asked. While or before Shira answered, Aika hopped up and pulled them over to the dance floor. She'd let Shira answer the question before they started dancing, Aika was still rather curious as to what the white-haired girl had to say.

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira gave Aika another once over. She appeared obvious of Shira's own inner musings, somehow. Shira really had no subtlety when she was past tipsy. As a fighter, Shira could always appreciate when someone took care of their physical frame, which the muscle tone Aika had obviously showed. Shira blushed a bit as Aika pushed her chest out. She was also very...gifted in that department as well. Her blush darkened a bit more. When asked once more to tell who she was finding an interest in, Shira paused. She hoped not to stutter, considering she seemed to have suddenly lost her bluntness. She would wait until they reached the dance floor before she spoke. Taking in a deep sigh, Shira tried to come off smooth, despite her slight inebriation, it would most likely fail. It would be an effort none the less and she really didn't want to screw this up. Making sure to make eye contact, Shira smirked. "Well, if you really want to know; she's a brunette, has beautifully defined features, is a bit persistant, and..." A playful gleam came into Shira's eyes. "I do believe she's standing in front of me." Shira would wait to see what Aika's reaction would be before she made any further pursuits, though she still had the feeling that she already knew. Regardless of any further conversation, Shira would start to move her body with the music a little, determined to have a little fun while out here. It would be Aika's choice if she wanted to join in or walk away. Shira would still be focused on the other woman.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika chuckled softly at Shira's admission. At least she was certain now that the girl was into her. She didn't want to play her, she'd been played once, of course, the guy hadn't ended up all that "pretty" in the end. She started dancing, somewhat following the other girl's moves. She wasn't sure where exactly this might end up. She felt nervous, and that sobered her very quickly. She danced in close to Shira, getting close enough that she wouldn't have to be very loud for what she was about to say, she really didn't want anyone to hear her.
"Shira, I'm willing to try this, but I won't make any promises. I have never done anything with a woman and have no idea how I might respond." she paused to let that sink in. "I do not want to lead you on, not at all. So tell me if you are comfortable with me trying this."
Aika hoped that would sober Shira at least a little, hopefully enough for her to make a clear decision.

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira was actually starting to enjoy herself. Here she was out dancing, not being such a stick in the mud, and getting to talk to an attractive woman. It was a nice change from what she was normally used to. As Aika drew closer, Shira smiled genuinely, maybe this wasn't as bad as she thought it could've been. Through her fuzzy mind, Shira picked up the tone Aika was speaking it. She stopped dancing for a second as the words sunk in. So, this was a new experience for Aika. Shira understood she needed to not just blow this off, she took a moment to gather her thoughts, it being somewhat easier to think now. She nodded at Aika. "Look, if you don't feel comfortable, just tell me. I won't force you into anything you don't like. I've known for years that I don't like men, but if it at all feels disconcerting for you, I'll back off. No strings or obligations attached. If you want to try, I can be patient. If anything, I appreciate your honesty, Aika." A playful smirk danced on Shira's lips. Shira would go to place her hands on Aika's hips as she resumed her dancing. "So, is this ok?"

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

The mednin's body paused when Shira's did, waiting for her to speak. When the white haired lass did, she certainly sounded more sober than she had a moment ago. That, and her words, made Aika glad that she had spoken her mind. Aika smiled at Shira's words. It was good to know that if she wasn't comfortable with the intimacy part, then she'd at least have a sometimes friend out of this experiment. She felt the girl's hands on her hips, and felt herself stiffen momentarily. However, she let Shira guide her into dancing. Instead of keeping her arms hanging down at her sides, she rested her forearms on the slightly taller girl's shoulders.
"Yeah, this is okay." She boldly stepped so that her body was flush against Shira's with a small smirk.

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira appeared ready to remove her hands as she felt Aika stiffen a bit, but relaxed and kept them in place when she placed her arms on her shoulders. This drew a small smile from Shira, at least she hadn't crossed any drastic lines. Shira chuckled a bit when Aika went a step further, removing the space between them. "Comfy?" She was clearly kidding, but it was fun to tease. Starting back into a simple rhythmic pattern of steps, Shira took lead of the pair. Before she proceeded further with any advances, she wanted to make sure Aika could adjust to just co-existing in a close space. She wasn't an expert at small talk, but she would try. She raised her voice slightly so that the music wouldn't drown her out."So, asside from the fact that you're a mednin, have a brother, and could beat any man in here to a pulp, which I highly admire by the way, what else is there to know about you, Aika? What kind of things do you like?" Shira would keep up a light pace, but her focus wasn't really on the dancing. She was genuinely curious about learning more about her, considering Aika was one of the first few people she was actually enjoying the company of.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

A chuckle echoed from Aika's throat at Shira's question of her comfort. "So far, yes. Yes, I am."
The music changed a bit, and so did the steps she was being lead through. Aika let herself get lost in the music and started moving her hips a bit more. She could feel eyes on them, though especially on Shira. She didn't appreciate that much. She could tell that many here couldn't believe that the girl who had only danced with and teased men, was dancing with a woman. They all wanted to know how exactly this woman had caught Aika's attention. Was there anything else Shira should know?
"Well, there is something rather cool that I can do. It's inherited from my clan." She took a moment to study what the other woman was wearing before settling on her eyes. Slowly, so that Shira knew she meant no harm, she moved her hands to form a sort of necklace around the girl's neck. She concentrated, let chakra flow through her and form crystals. Her blue eyes seemed to shine for a moment and Aika pulled back to survey her work.
A weight would be around Shira's neck, and if she looked down, she would see a chain of onyx stone that ended in a blood red tear-drop ruby.
"I figured that this would suit you. I've never made one for someone else before, and I think it turned out rather well."

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira smiled, glad to see the other woman enjoying herself. Shira's eyes glanced up at the crowd as she saw Aika take notice of something while they were dancing. She saw several members of crowd looking at her wish disdain. She'd been feeling the eyes of onlookers since she was a child, so this time would be no different. If any of these punks wanted to try anything she would give them a run for their money. If her fists couldn't solve a problem, her skill with blood could. She glared at one particularly unfriendly face as he appeared to be one of the more likely to try something; he looked the other direction soon after. It wasn't like it was her fault she had gained Aika's interest, or maybe it was, who knows. But, Shira wasn't here to please other people, so as such, she just lightly shrugged it off and smirked, deciding to go to spin Aika for fun.

Shira listened intently as Aika explained something special she could do as a result of her clan. She watched the girl give her a quick once. Shira shivered, hoping it would go unnoticed. Shira was so drawn to the sparkle in those deep blue of her eyes that she didn't realize Aika had moved her hands and had done something. When she felt a light weight place itself on her, she looked down in confusion, but then awe when she saw the onyx necklace and the tear-drop ruby. The whole thing itself was stunning. And Aika made this? Shira grinned and leaned her head close to Aika's, nearly resting her forehead against the other girls. "This is beautiful. For someone who is new to this, you are going above and beyond expectations." Looking back up and seeing the other members of the crowd were growing only more furious, Shira was starting to get a little on edge herself. "What do you say we get out of here? I have better drinks at my place, and we can talk a bit more privately." Shira would go to take Aika's hand and play with it a bit as she stared hopefully at her, wondering if that had been too forward.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika almost shrieked when Shira span her. She stumbled for a bit and ended up leaning on Shira for support.
"I'm glad you like the necklace, but was the spin really necessary?" Aika was suddenly feeling slightly tipsy again, and she didn't like that. However, the offer of a stronger drink away from the crowds was rather tempting.
"Sure, that sounds like a plan." She pulled their connected hands toward the exit only to be stopped by the Onoko-teme. His hand went around Aika's throat and he started to squeeze even before she could put up her crystal defenses.
"You bitch! I was dishonorably released from being a shinobi because of you! Why couldn't you have just been like all the other women, eh? Why couldn't you just let me fuck you senseless and then give me that promotion! I deserved it, you bitch!"
She tried not to let the pain and lack of air show on her face, but she had a few squeaks of pain echo out with each tightened squeeze. She tried to fly through one handed signs for a medical technique to use to make him let go, but couldn't gather the concentration enough to make it very powerful. All he got for her efforts was a small cut on his forearm, and she just got a tightened grip on her throat. Next thing she knew, everything went black.

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira actually burst out laughing at Aika's reaction. She didn't expect it. Coughing a bit to cover up her heavy laughter, she smiled and just followed along with Aika as she pulled her to the exit. She was happy that her idea had been accepted rather quickly. The bar scene was getting a bit problematic for her. When they stopped, Shira was wondering what was happening until she saw the man had Aika held in the air with his hands around her throat. He was hurting her, insulting her; Shira thought back of her father, how he threatened to kill her. That's right. And now this man is hurting Aika. What are you going to do about it? She was being baited, but in this instance it was necessary. Aika's yelps of pain were a breaking point for her and she was already readying to attack the bastard when suddenly something hit her senses. She stopped, it was sweet. Shira looked up and saw Aika unconcious and then she noticed the scratch on his arm. The white of her eyes became black. She snarled, the sound utterly carnal and rippling from her throat. She leapt into action immediately. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Shira placed a nice round house kick to his temple, a solid blow, but it wasn't enough to kill him. She wanted him to suffer. It did however cause him to drop Aika, who Shira caught her with ease. She had enough resolve to set the girl down carefully before addressing the man who was now focusing on her. Shira hunched down and charged forward. Her speed was not something that should be underestimated, especially when in a blood rage. He swung a couple fists out at her, but missed miserably. He attempted to grab her like, Aika, but she was moving too fast. Shira turned back and slammed her fist into the man's jaw; she heard a loud pop. Followed by her grabbing him and smashing her knee into his groin, he fell to the ground. Shira saw the cut again and placed a finger up to her mouth. With her fangs, she bit down, creating two small hole. Shira controlled the blood and sent it into the man's cut. From there, she controlled his to heat up the veins. "I shouldn't let you live, but I made promises I intend to keep. That and she's far more important than a pig like you."He squirmed and twisted as his entire body was filled with a burning sense. He was clawing at his skin now. Shira smashed her foot down onto his leg, it breaking instantly. The man looked to be pretty beat down now. At least he couldn't hurt anyone for a while.

She turned back to look at Aika and felt herself calming. The white returned to her eyes and she took some deep breaths as she picked Aika up bridal style, it made her happy she had the strength to actually do that. Shira had absolutely no idea where Aika even lived, nor who her brother was. The best she could do was go home and see what Ko could do for her, if he was there. Shira quickly carried the woman not that far down the street before she reached her house. Entering the building, she headed towards the guest room and placed her on the large bed. Of course Ko wasn't home tonight of all nights. Shira scowled. She left the room to go attain some of the special ice packs from the freezer; Ko had made sure to use extra strength ice crystals in a few of them. It also for once made her glad that the house was nearly always cold because Ko made sure to keep it that way. Shira grabbed one of the packs and brought it back into the room. For once she felt bad for not actually being able to do something sooner. "I'm sorry, Aika. This wasn't my intention."She sat down on the bed next to Aika, lightly applying the pack to her neck. She would just have to wait until she woke up.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika vaguely had the feeling of being gently rested somewhere after being carried for an amount of time she wasn't sure of. Her return to consciousness was slow going. Her throat slowly unclenched and she felt herself being able to breathe once more. A muffled voice came from beside her, and she felt something rather cold on throat. A soft moan came from her throat and crystal surrounded her throat instinctively. The weight pressed on the bruises and they receded with a small whimper of pain.
It took a few more minutes before she awoke properly. With a groan she put a hand to her throat, removing the ice pack and sitting up. Aika took a deep breath and hissed in pain. She could feel Shira beside whatever it was that she was laying on. Couch, bed, futon, it didn't really matter to her, but it was soft. Before looking at her new friend, she ran through her handseals and healed her neck, the bruise gradually disappearing under the glow of blue-green chakra. When she finally spoke, her voice still sounded a little weak.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Shira. That was rather kind of you. And not taking me to the tower, eh? How cold it is, I suspect that ice-using brat lives with you? Haven't met him, but I've heard plenty of stories."

 

[Mienai]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Shira withdrew her hand from the ice pack when she saw Aika's crystals appear. She stood from the bed to allow the other woman to have her space. She remained silent, simply watching, as Aika adjusted to her surroundings. As she sat up and healed herself, Shira let out a sigh of relief. At least the injuries weren't that bad, still it was causing her discomfort and she wished she could've done more. Shira took note of the crackling of her voice when she did speak. When Aika thanked her, Shira crossed her arms and looked to the side, not making eye contact. "Yeah, it's uh, no big deal. I couldn't just leave you there." Then the matter of not taking her to the tower was brought up. She had thought of that, but she just couldn't go. It was a phobia of sorts she refused to admit."Um, I just, don't really like going to the tower and I lived closer so I just brought you here. The 'ice-using brat' does indeed live here; I can't seem to get rid of him, but he can be useful.'" She smirked a bit, shaking her head at Aika's name for him. It was funny. Shira was a little unsure of what to do in these kind of situations, but she rubbed her hands together and looked around the room. "Is there anything I can get for you to make you more comfortable?" Shira was a bit detached in her tone. She was still deep in thought, thinking back to what happened in the bar. That was the first time in a while she had really lost control like that.

 

[Hoshirei]

Re: A Night of Audacity [open]

Aika just nodded and maneuvered to get up off of the rather large bed she was sitting on. She made sure to keep her breathing slow, so she wouldn't aggravate the internal injury. Her brother would certainly have a fit if she came home hurt again. He might not like how men in the main clan are treated, but he was still rather protective of her. At Shira's admission that she couldn't just leave her there, Aika just shrugged.
"I've had worse and been left laying there on the floor until someone actually worked up the nerve to move me into a private room. Usually it's the bar keep. Woke up once with him fussing over me until a medic showed. I wasn't that bad, unless you take into account that I was puking up blood. My blood's acidic, so that's not a good thing. The other guy was worse though. His buddies had to drag him to the tower. I watched them go and didn't black out until they were completely gone."
She took a few steps and cleared her throat, just to test how it felt. She flinched a bit, but it wasn't terrible. She laughed as much as she could with the sore throat when Shira more or less agreed that Ko was a brat. She was starting to get cold when the white haired girl offered her anything. Aika smiled softly and nodded.
"How about we get some of that booze you were talking about earlier? And perhaps go to a couch?"