Into the Goblin's Eye [Private]

[Okada Kaji]

It seemed as though good times around a fireplace were never in short supply for the Hidden Leaf’s four companions. They had found yet another hospitable place to call home during their visit to the Kumogakure; but this time in a swanky tavern, much grander than the humble establishment they stayed in at Port Cirrus. There was enough fine art lining the walls to confuse the place for a museum, and the waiting staff was so abundant that a glass of fine wine or a plate of snacks were never far away. This place was certainly nicer than the places Kaji was used to, however, every place he went seemed to become a haven for the working class.

This evening made a particular exception, as it was the night the companions of the leaf came to town. Commoners were gathering as if celebrity idols had arrived, and Kaji was at the center of a large crowd, taking the last turn of a game of Goblin’s Eye. He was in good spirits now; fixed with a frothing flagon of ale, and free of his cloak and leathers in favor of more casual clothing. “This one’s the finisher,” he said, hyping up the crowd as he played with a razor-sharp kunai, spinning around an index finger. The crowd supporters were robust around him, except for a wide gap that revealed a large dart board across the room. Kaji was uncharacteristically cocky when enjoying a few drinks, and faced the board with a sly grin, and red nose. “Winner takes all!”

Kaji flung the dagger in a swift motion and sent it flying into the very center of the board. On the instance of impact, the audience ignited in an uproar immense enough to shake the walls. The unfortunate local who challenged him was one of several to leave their golden yen pieces on the table, where Kaji collect his pile of winnings.

“Who else wants some of the King of Games?” He was brazenly challenging the crowd, and mostly found entertained company content on just watching him smash challengers. “I’m starting to love this place!”

- Kaji has entered the thread.
- Open to playing or just spectating and RP.
- If you wish to play, challenge Kaji and commence your turn at Goblins Eye.

Basically, it's darts. During your turn, roll 1d20 and 1d6 (3 times). The d20 determines what number they hit. The d6 determines where on the number it hits. (for example, a 1 is in the outer ring, a 6 is in the bull's eye.) A score for each throw is accumulated by multiplying the 1d20 roll by the 1d6. Make your rolls in the gaming section on discord, and tag the fellow players (or just me) for the paper trail.

Example:
dart 1 = 8 x 6 = 48
Dart 2 = 4 x 6 = 24
Dart 3 = 13 x 2 = 26

Each player gets three kunai to throw during their turn. Points Roll over each round. The first player to 301, wins. Characters usually wager yen, valuables, or services on this game.

​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Yuii had been watching for awhile. It hadn't surprised her when her favourite tavern had been taken hostage by one of the Leaf-nins, Raiden saw fit to deal her strange situations daily as of late, but the sheer number of people drawn in by a bit of charisma and an accent was astounding. It was amusing to watch regular civilians and plainly dressed shinobi alike go up against the foreigner for a bit of glory and some gold, though, and so she had ordered herself a drink, a slice of cake and found a place tucked away enough as not to be disturbed to look on. After a few losses, most of her drink and a thinning number of drunken show-boaters, the show seemed to be winding down with Kaji the winner of a respectable pile of yen.

Yuii loved yen, and those ones looked in need of liberation.

"I'll take a turn," she offered after weaving her way through the crowd. Off duty, Yuii was a very different creature from the polished version that had met the Leaf shinobi at the gate. Sometime between then and now she looked to have been through a windstorm, tussling her hair into a nest of blue that even had a couple twigs woven in. Her white collared shirt had been untucked from her uniform black pants and unbuttoned to her collar bone and the fabric had chocolate stains from where she had wiped away the crumbs of her cake. It leant some insight into her confusion over the gate situation.

Yuii plucked up three darts, knowing to do as much from watching the earlier games, and measured their weight. They were different from any weapon she was used to, and so it was hard to say if she COULD actually win. She had never played this game after all. In all her time travelling Yuii had been heavily discouraged from playing games with the provincial folk and she'd barely spent any time with Kumogakure's apparently far more understanding regulars. Relations were always strained with Lightning's civillians and turning a town's opinion was not worth a handful of yen.

She tossed the first, then a second and a third without really analysing the results, "what's the wager?" she asked, regardless of the fact that her throws were.... awful.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

By the time Yuii made her approach Kaji was reclined in a seat by the stack of gold coins, and flipped one repeatedly, watching as the embossed emblem of the Land of Lighting spun in the air. The crowd around Kaji was partly dispersed, and as his latest challenger approached, she appeared like the sun through parting clouds after a thunderstorm.

Kaji simply forgot to catch the coin when he recognized that it was Yuii appearing through the sea of gray faces. The escaping coin found freedom. It hit the floor with a resounding clink, bounced along the cobblestone, and rolled before landing at her feet. She was game for some of Kaji’s fun, or so it seemed; and though she took him by surprise, Kaji did not look disappointed. Actually, Kaji seemed delighted to find a Lady of Yui's noble stature there at the tavern, though a tinge of red on his cheeks might’ve first reminded Yuii of the embarrassment they shared with the comments made by Kaji’s mischievous pupil. Much like her leaf counterpart, Yuii was in her casual form after her business hours, pleasantly blithe and breezy.

“Well it’s official, this must be my lucky night,” Kaji said in a good-natured repartee once Yuii accepted his challenge. After all, Tatsuo wasn’t around to deprave Kaji this time. His enthusiasm was on the rise as he bounced back to his feet with his beer in hand, and sought a better angle to spectate as Yuii went to pull the darts and take an eager turn. He was expecting to be impressed yet again, this time by her skill with the blade, but the sennin’s flying kunai made an acute triangle on the dartboard. After the fact, she spun about and asked about the wager, only to receive a careless shrug from Kaji. “The wager has been about three gold pieces,” he answered directly, though his bright eyes and cheshire grin hinted at other intentions. “But, I’m not that greedy, and won’t have much use for all this gold as-is… any more would exceed my good luck.”

Eager to start his turn, Kaji spun another Kunai between nimble fingers and crossed Yuii on his way back to the throwing mark. “How about if I win… you can keep your yen pieces, but you’ll agree to give me a tour of the village tomorrow?” He brazenly assumed that he didn’t need to gamble if he wanted to socialize with her, but Sennin were often busy shinobi, and Kaji liked a challenge. “And maybe we could have some lunch or something,” he added with a hint of nervousness at the end.

“If you win, all that gold is yours.” He sweetened the pot by putting everything on the line, though he was going in a bit confident after the results of Yuii’s first turn. But then he let the atmosphere and his eagerness get the best of him, as his performance fell short of the mark. All three daggers managed to hit the board, but each fell short of the trend he set in previous games. Kaji was about to lose it all.
[spoilername="Round Results"]Yui’s Throws
19x1=19
13x4=52
1x1=1

Kaji Throws
6x3=18
4x2=8
3x1=3

Game Score
Yuii: 72
Kaji: 29[/spoilername]​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

"Throwing has never been my strength," She lamented while giving the board a sour glare as if it had betrayed her. There had been some hope in her that darts would be like shooting her bow, she was god with a bow, but her lousy score proved the skill sets did nt exchange. This was why she hadn't bragged before but now she was kicking herself for even stepping up, now. Just once she would have liked to look cool, like Junko or Ayumu managed so effortlessly.

Giving up on moving the darts with her mind, she knelt to retrieve the coin at her foot then returned to her own drink. The group occupying it gave her a unanimous look of sympathy and she mistook Kaji's grin for delight over what looked to be another easy win. The sennin winced then winced again at the betting amount. Three wasn't bad, no person would go to the poor house over it, but parting with any yen over something as careless as gambling was a painful thing for a stingy woman like Yuii.

And yet, she didn't need to worry. The corners of her mouth curled up with amusement around the edge of her glass as she took a long drink to ease the pain of such a pitiful round. How anyone thought a tour run by her was worth so much was beyond the blue haired woman's comprehension.. It seemed to her he was just coming up with something to make her feel better about that bad round, but she wasn't offended.

"So if I win, I get all that yen and f I lose I have to suffer your company an a walk" She asked rhetorically, eyes bright. She leaned against the tables edge and feigned thinking about it while he took his turn, but after his awful round the answer seemed obvious.

"Deal," she laughed, holding the lost coin out at arms length, "You're doomed if I can work out the trick to this game." She moved to take her own turn and was, with each roll not PLEASED but glad to find she did better than the attempt before.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Kaji maintained his smug grin, withholding the delight as Yuii agreed to his egregious bet. She didn’t have to think twice, which bade well for Kaji, or so he thought. But then again, there was a handsome chunk of gold on the table which was hard to resist, and much more attractive than he ever hoped to be. However, Kaji had a miserable score at the end of the first round of play, and the scales were tipped heavily in the Yuii’s favor with a firm lead in the race towards three hundred and one.

Kaji graciously took back his lost coin when Yuii handed it over. There was a little irony in the exchange; the idea that Kaji might be handing it back to her soon enough. Making light conversation, Yui's humor served as a warning to Kaji, as she was beating him with pure luck, and as she got a hang of Goblin’s Eye, his chances of making a comeback would continue to decrease; soon to slim, and then to none. “Well you’re off to a hot start,” Kaji countered, “you made some decent throws Lady Kagetsu, but I was just taking it easy on you to make it a fair game…” It was a statement that may or may not have been true. “There clearly wasn’t much need for me to hold back, so this time I’m going all in.”

Kaji lined himself up once more for the toss and focused on the target with a keen stare: the look he usually gave his foes when slinging Eelspine through a target’s weak spot. The alcohol pumping through his blood was plentiful to disturb his focus, and the round target was never completely still, no matter how hard he tried to zone in on it. One, two, and three: Kaji flung his blades in rapid fire like a machine. Each blade hit the board with a resounding kerplunk, accurate enough to down most opponents, but not enough to give him the lead. “Awww” Kaji groaned, “I’m uhh, still full of surprises.” His first dagger was nestled neatly inside of the tight grouping created by Yuii, while his second and third veered off to the right, worse and worse.

More than ready to enter their third round of play, Kaji was quick to retrieve their six darts, and barely gave the stranger writing their score in chalk enough time to add his latest pitiful entry. He juggled the three blades belonging to Yuii, and then presented them with the handles safely facing her. “Alright, there’s my second slice of humble pie. I should get another ale to wash it down.” Kaji then took several coins of the stack and intercepted a barmaid who was passing by their contest. “Hit me with a refill please, and another for my friend as well!”
[spoilername="Round 2 Results"]Yuii's Throws
10x4=40
16x2=32
14x2=28

Kaji’s Throws
12x4= 48
8x3= 15
4x3= 12

Yuii: 172
Kaji: 104

Edited: Made a grammatical fix.[/spoilername]<i>​

</i>​

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Yuii shook her head in amused doubt but didn't accuse him one way or another. The prospect of winning all that yen was exciting, but even with a few drinks in her Yuii wasn't the type to get cocky after one fluke round. He seemed drunk to her, but lesser men had done greater things while so intoxicated so it was impossible to say if he had been throwing the first round. He had won a lot of yen already that night, she reminded herself, so his skills were nothing to scoff at but she had a good chance. "Just Yuii," she pleaded, fighting back the cringe that came with being called that particular title, "Everyone calls me Yuii and I'd like to keep it that way. I wouldn't call anything about those throws 'hot' either, just better."

She finished her drink while he lined up his shots which turned out to be a bad choice. Unable to help herself, Yuii burst into a fit of surprised laughter, choked, then doubled over in giggles as she tried to recover. "It was a good try," she managed to console him, a gesture that lost all effect when she struggled to say each word through laughter at his expense, "I'm sure you'll recover, Lucky! Seventy points are not an impossible difference, right?"

Setting aside her empty glass, a conservative second compared to his no doubt high number, she waited with unmasked delight while he had his moment of showmanship then delivered her blades. Another drink did sound good, though she wondered if he should be drinking more while his money was still on the line. "Don't spend so much, that's going to be my yen soon!" she chided, holding back the urge to snatch the coins away, "I have a tab, or well, it's Kogami's tab so while the gesture is appreciated don't worry about me. I will have another though," The last she addressed to the stalled barmaid, whom Yuii couldn't recall the name of for once.

"Alright! Wish me luck!" she chimed, taking her position. This time she tried turning her body differently, assuming there was some trick to getting this right. Sadly, that only seemed to make her worse as all three darts landed in, once again, an embarrassingly widespread pattern. "The worst part is I'm not even properly drunk so I can't make excuses," she chuckled to herself, "I think I'm embarrassing my country, winning or not."

Her face lit up at the return of the barmaid, and Yuii scrambled to meet her and take both drinks. She took a long drink, fostering her poor ego, then circled back to hand off Kaji's drink. "At least I won't lose any money when you manage your triumphant and very surprising come back."

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

“Very well then, Yuii,” Kaji noted, gladly accepting friendlier terms over the strict formality he was accustomed to upholding. Kaji wondered if the lightning god would grant him a blessing tonight. He looked to his lovely friend and contemplated despite the interference of his sauced mind-set. He had reasonable doubt that a holy intervention was in order; and if anything, Raiden would seal his fate as the loser if he had any part in their game.

Following Yuii's suggestion, the waitress only took a small offering of yen out of Kaji’s open palm, along with a spare coin as gratuity, courtesy of the frivolous spender. She then went to get their drinks and noted the additional debt to the Raikage’s account. Kaji simply laughed at it all.

Yuii lined up for her throws and told Kaji to wish her luck, but his hopes were misaligned— and for good reason, of course. He sat behind her, pumping his fist and making silent cheers each time Yuii’s throws landed farther off from the bullseye. Kaji had to point up to ceiling— to her Raiden for that one, perceiving Yuii’s folly as a blessing from the heavens. “I could try to to give you a pointer or two,” Kaji offered in reply to her mention of embarrassment, “but, consider me surprised; you really know how to handle a dagger. Nothing better than a Kunoichi who’s down to throw sharp things recklessly around of a crowd of drunks.” Amidst the banter, the barmaid had come and gone, and Yuii handed Kaji one beer too many. He was turning a bit red during the exchange. Kaji let out a flustered sigh and placed a hand over his heart. “She’s going to give me a heart attack” he mused in a whisper, possibly heard, while feeling the rush of his heart pumping. The “ice-cool, ten steps ahead of the game Kaji” was absent now, in place of this bumbling imposter, who exceeded his daily limit for smiling two beers ago.

And with their drinks properly renewed it came time for Kaji to stage his third-act comeback. and indulged in another sip of brew. His upper lip collected a foamy mustache until he licked it away. “Alright then,” he said, biding his resolve for another turn at the board. “Let’s see if I can stave the Wrath of Yuii.” Kaji took his position and was coddling the kunai nervously as he stalled the round for a moment. He had to clear his thoughts if he wanted to succeed, or else he’d be out the game once Yuii had one more good round. He looked to the ceiling once again, wondering if Raiden still had his back, and turned his sight back to the target before unleashing three throws, with maximum effort. Three thuds smacked the board.

[spoilername="Round 3 Throws"]Yuii's Throws
4x3=12
2x3=6
11x5=55

Kaji Throws
1x6=6
10x1=10
7x4=28

Round 3 Score
Yuii: 245
Kaji: 148[/spoilername]​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

"I'd just feel better about winning if this wasn't just a combination of blind luck and an academy level skill set. Give me a bow and I'd have won two rounds ago," she lamented while flush pink and raking her hands through her hair with frustration, "I watched you play before and I know I shouldn't be ahead." Her last throw of the round hadn't been terrible, but she hadn't done that on purpose either. It felt like half her throws were just lucky to have landed on the board at all and everything lacked consistency. Reckless probably wasn't too far off the mark for describing her rounds, and yet beyond expectation, Yuii was far ahead on the scoreboard.

The excitement was quickly draining away with the growing gap between their scores, though. Her intention had been to wait until the game eager crowd died down, not for him to be red-faced drunk and unable to play properly. Yuii wasn't a shark; she liked to earn her money not rob the intoxicated. Her jaw clenched when his third set of throws hit with a continued lack of accuracy but she was quick to hide her frustration with a sympathetic smile. That confirmed it, he wasn't holding back to make the game entertaining. Kaji was either throwing it or just that drunk.

"Still no good, huh?" Yuii hummed, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze then quickly stepping forward to retrieve the kunai from the board. A quick side glance at the score tally confirmed she had pulled further ahead and one more good round could be the end. With a sigh, she returned with the darts and without any of the theatrics Kaji had displayed handed off his set.

Gnawing the corner of her lip nervously, Yuii tried to push back the growing sense of dread churning in her stomach. "Is it true you can read minds?" she asked, throwing all three darts without even trying to line up her shots. "Can you read mine?"

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

All things considered, Kaji wasn’t so concerned about losing the winnings. In fact, the agony had changed hands and now belonged to the victor instead. Yuii’s good nature was getting the best of her, and spoiling the victory she earned fair and square, though she didn’t quite see it that way. Perhaps Kaji just kept himself at bay from that which he desired, whether it was a beggar’s fortune or a simple walk around the nicer side of Kumogakure with a new friend.

After Kaji’s last lackluster turn, the crowd of drunks knew the game would go to their well-known Sennin, and the swell of viewers was reduced to a couple of strangers holding their own conversations nearby. “Nope, still no good” he repeated back to Yuii with a resigned tone. Fate had decided the game, though he did feel like he accomplished something that night. Once Yuii followed Kaji’s turn with her own, she tried her best to soften the blow by making poor tosses; all three at once. However, luck was truly her ally, and the board caught one of the kunai for a thirty-six point gain. The other two smacked into the wall, at the barmaid’s dismay.

With just a couple of points left to complete her domination, Yuii turned three daggers over to Kaji, who was trying to reel in his adoration as she approached him. When Yuii inquired about the Hokage’s mention of him being a mind-reader, he was looking into his mug, wondering if it had been spiked with a mind-altering potion of some kind. He glanced around, pondering if this was more trickery brought on by Tatsuo, but froze in place when he noticed Yuii drawing closer to him. Well, did he know what she was thinking?

“For your sake and my own, nay,” he confessed. “Though, if I could read your mind, I might not have needed tp resort to some awful bet just to try getting to know you a little.” Some of his fingers were busy in his lap, moving the gold coin from before between them, until he flipped it into the air again with his thumb. “This was a foolish idea” he admitted with a returning smirk, “but it worked.” And to prove how little he cared for the bet, Kaji complemented Yuii’s last attempt with his own triple-toss. Two of Kaji’s kunai fought to hang onto the board, and the third wasn’t doing much better. “Well then,” He continued as he eyed the dartboard, and then shifted his focus back to her. “I think it's high time we finish this game… the King of Games has been dethroned.”
[spoilername="Round 4 Throws"]Yuii's Throws
0x2=0
3x12=36
4x0=0

Kaji’s Throws
1x6=6
9x1=9
15x2=30

Round 4 Score
Yuii: 281
Kaji: 193[/spoilername]​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Yuii made a high pitched, cat-like growl in the back of her throat when her one dart dared to make it onto the board. She had almost won the game without even trying! That shouldn't have been possible, and yet here she was watching her score crawl ever upward while Kaji hovered far below. Perhaps there was some trickery forcing her to win. Magnets? Jutsu? Surely not Genjutsu; Yuii would have known. "I thought not," she answered absently, pulling her star pendant free of her shirt and gnawing on one of the sharp points to save her lips of more abuse. It was a paltry stand in for the sweets her anxiety over winning made her crave.

There was some hope that he would take the extra round her poor throws had gifted him and do something amazing like pull that stunning last minute win or at least make the scores close but to her horror he tossed the kunai with no more effort than she had mustered in her attempt to throw the game. Staring at the scoreboard with wide eyes, she cringed internally as his tally crawled only a little higher. "Definitely not," she sighed aloud, massaging the palm of her hand against her forehead to ease the tension in her brow.

There shouldn't have been a problem with winning now that he had thrown the game but guilt had never been Yuii's concern. It felt wrong to win when he was well sauced and throwing like a civilian but he his winnings had belonged once to equally foolish game players so the moral issue of it was easy to wave. Her problem was deeper, and not one she had considered before stepping forward or accepting the bet because Yuii rarely played games and when she did she was expected to lose. The aqua haired woman was so anxious doubted she could even line up a shot at that moment, let alone get one kunai on the board. Trying to throw now would be dangerous for most of the taverns population. Raiden forbid that she have to pay out restitution until her end days for taking out someone's eye.

"You're right," she agreed, darting forward to retrieve their kunai again, "We're done." Instead of returning to play her last round she politely handed them off to their faithful scorekeeper. She hovered long enough to make sure he erased the abysmal score then stalked back far more at ease than when she'd left.

"There now, your majesty, I forfeit. Consider your reign unquestioned until a fair rematch," Yuii teased, skulling down the rest of her drink, "I've got obligations tomorrow morning, but you can treat me to lunch and I may carve out time for that tour. Unless..."

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Just like that, their game of Goblin’s Eye came to an abrupt end, with Yuii mercifully calling it a draw. While Yuii oversaw the erasure of their game from history, Kaji revealed a small leather satchel from his pocket. He took a handful of the coins and filled the sack to its capacity.

Now the two shinobi stood there alone between the small pile of gold and some anxious intentions. Yuii playfully countered Kaji’s notion about handing over his crown as the king of games, and they’d share in the laughter as all the talk of royalty gave him an idea. Kaji played with another coin off the top of the stack as Yuii mentioned an obligation she had to keep the next day, though Kaji presumed that he knew where she’d be expected; the Kages’ Meeting. Kaji gave a following nod when she was keen to the idea of lunch, but a clever brightness in his eyes inferred that he had another plan. “Unless…” He imitated playfully, “how about we put this yen to work for us now? This is way more than I’d care to lug around… and a good king should give back to his subjects.” Kaji then made a loud whistle, boisterous enough to catch the opinion of everyone in the room. “Gather up the flagons and roll us out another barrel of ale… I want drinks for the house until every last coin is gone!” Every voice in the bar was lifted into a hearty cheer that could be heard for blocks, and the volume of people in the tavern seemed to double in an instant. Barmaids rushed to the pile, quickly scooping at the pile of gold with heavy collections gathering in their aprons.

Rambunctious merriment filled the tavern, and starry-eyed Kaji was nearly lost in a sea of activity as more patrons piled in, yet he shoved and bumped them all in order to stay within an audible range from his new friend. “Ah, the night is still young,” he told the fair sennin with renewed vigor. “How about we enjoy this time we have now, hmm? We’re both tough enough for it; how about a good ole’ fashion bender?” Kaji tried to take another sip of his ale then, but someone bumped him in the back, and some splashed on his face instead. “Then we can feel sorry about it together in the morning... Our Kages won’t even know the difference.”

Another bump from the crowded room revealed how quickly it became akin to a sardine can. Perhaps drawing a crowd wasn’t the best idea after all. “I know,” he said, with his inspiration heightening, “The Raikage scored us some really nice suites upstairs… we didn’t even have to share rooms.” He was then turning rosy again, rightfully nervous. “I mean, mine has a balcony view and everything… I bet we can upgrade from this swill and have the barmaids bring up some of the good stuff and some of that cake… I’m famished.”​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Creating a free alcohol-fueled craze amongst tavern patrons had not been on the list of expectations for that evening. It was like being in the ocean with waves pounding against her frame with enough ferocity to send her toppling. There was nothing to hold on to, but at least here unlike the beach with its unstable stand, she was able to ground herself with chakra and hold her lean body upright against the pushing crowd. "Your benevolence will make you famous, your highness, for there is nothing else the commoners of Kumogakure love more than a free drink. I think you've started a frenzy." she teased above the cheerful crowd while stepping into the small wake that his stationary body created.

The blue haired woman had seen the same energy in pig farms during feeding time, and as much concern for the ones feeding them. She nearly lost him to the jostling crowd and fought just as hard to stay close. It seemed to her that the smart thing to do would be to move out of the way of the greedy patrons but in exchange of the obvious she pressed closer and hoped the tavern would calm down again soon.

Amongst all the chaos, Kaji suggested they drink more and share in a hangover the next day. Yuii burst out into laughter at the thought. Nursing a hangover through what had the potential to be a very boring meeting was not exactly what a responsible Sennin and guard ought to do. Besides that, Ayumu's office at the top of the Torre could be quite bright, as she had learned the hard way before, and her Raikage would likely make her face a window if he found out she had been so irresponsible. And yet, Yuii was having too much fun to want the night to end. Who knew how long the Konoha shinobi would be staying or how the conference would go. Her dilemma wasn't saying yes, it was the familiar faces she saw moving amongst the crowd, a cousin, and the crush of people that made her take pause.

His second idea was much more to her liking. Her relieved smile was cut short by another body shoving itself into her with enough force to nearly trip her up. That one felt purposeful, if not a direct attack, and so she countered her 'attacker' with an elbow to the ribs. She glanced backwards over her shoulder and paled when she recognised another one of her many cousins. By the tall, black haired man's glare, he was not pleased to see her there or with present company. She fumbled her her necklace again and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I think you're drunk! I'll help you find your way to your room!" Yuii laughed, needlessly louder than needed with their proximity while her large blue eyes pleaded silently for Kaji to understand, "I'll get my coat." Quick and agile like her feline companions, Yuii darted through the crowd to where she'd left her few personal items all that time before she'd stepped up to play their game. After a very quick stop at the bar, she returned again just as quickly with her black jacket on her arm and ever important scarf coiled around her shoulders. She offered her arm, because hopefully by then he'd realised he was supposed to play at being drunk, then nodded towards the door out. "Lead the way."

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

As a mere outsider, Kaji was unscathed by the scores of prying eyes; everywhere he turned, envious eyes from the Cloud’s upper-class looked away as if seeing the two shinobi together imposed on their opulence. During their mingling, Kaji had almost forgotten that Yuii was cut from an esteemed cloth in this land; a notion he left behind once she overlooked the gaps in their status. Kaji was a lowly commoner— even by Fire Country standards. Kaji then caught a side-eye from someone particularly unimpressed by the company Yuii kept. Kaji looked back at him with the same snarling gesture before giving way to mocking laughter.

Yuii then sold a half-truth to whoever would listen, claiming the noble effort of helping Kaji back to his suite. Kaji was complicit and began a bit of theatrics to support her claim. He was reasonably tipsy but maintained enough wit to commit. “Oh pleeease, I’m not as think as you drunk I am,” he petitioned. Kaji then slid his arm around Yuii's arm until they met at the elbows, and the duo was merrily off to the races.

Two pairs of eager boots stomped up the long spiral staircase leading to the second floor of the hotel. The aesthetic of luxury within the hotel doubled once they escaped the crowded tavern scene. Together they approached the chamber reserved to Kaji, which was enclosed behind white double doors, trimmed in gaudy gold. “This is easily the nicest place I’ve ever stayed,” Kaji admitted as he motioned to unlock the suite with a key on a golden chain from his pocket. The lock submitted with a click and the glow of warm candlelight spilled out from within in an exorbitant golden hue.

Kaji led their way into the chamber and left the entrance open so that the butler who served the second floor would know to visit. The elegance of the suite was twice as fine as Kaji had described. A ruby red rug ran down the center of the room and led to a massive bed fit for royalty. The bed was covered in fur blankets made from exotic pelts and silk pillows. At the foot of the bed was a large coffer where he left his belongings safely locked away. Several large windows painted a vast portrait of the Kumogakure skyline at night, and the promised balcony was there but closed for the time being.

“This is it; quite a home away from home, wouldn’t you say? Every time I come back to this place, I start confusing the summit for a vacation...” As he regarded the room he welcomed Yuii in beside him and kicked his boots off by the door. Kaji maneuvered over to a vintage phonograph record player in the corner of the room and began browsing through a crate of vinyl records. He thought himself clever by searching for something to entertaining but was interrupted by the sound of a knock at the doors.

As expected, a butler arrived at the door and asked Kaji and Yuii if they wanted anything to compliment their evening. Kaji emerged in the doorway, insisting on some “top shelf booze,” and “some snacks good for soaking up said booze.” Kaji eagerly swiveled his head towards Yuii, and sought her input along with the butler, who observed her with a quizzical expression. He probably wondered why a woman like Lady Kagetsu would ever be caught alive or dead in a private space with an unrefined street urchin like Okada Kaji.​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

As they climbed, Yuii felt as if her heart was trying to escape through her throat. All the training and breathing exercises in the world did nothing to ease her nerves when they cleared the threshold of the bar and raced up floor after floor of stairs. A third set of footsteps followed them, or not, as an owner never appeared.

Ayumu's generosity was staggering. These were rooms a Daimyo of the eleven moon council would rent. Four of Yuii's apartment could fit inside, bedroom and all. "Ahhh, it's pretty," she sang, resisting the urge to kneel and rub the carpet. His room reminded her of the apartments in the Torre Celeste before the Raikage following her aunt had modernised the space. All the filigree and decor was horribly impractical to keep clean, the furs were near impossible to wash and the silk had to be a nightmare but that was what opulence was about; beauty over practicality. Decor had changed in the last few decades to reflect the quickly changing ideals of their country and village, and most of Kumogakure's people favoured clean, practical lines now. Her aunt had been a relic by her second term as Raikage though and had always favoured the familiar yet useless decor.

Following Kaji's example, Yuii removed her boots and set them neatly aside and left her coat atop to keep them company. It was different without the dim lighting and din of the tavern peoples. "Thank-you for before. That guy was my cousin, one of a couple I saw." she chimed, both fishing for a conversation to fill the silence and genuinely appreciative. In truth, Yuii had forgotten about the ever present small army of relatives that got sadistic pleasure out of tattling on each other. She rarely had time for a drink anymore with her abject position as sennin and so they rarely crossed her mind.

"They're an overbearing bunch of meatheads and might have started a fight if they knew I was headed up here. I'm in for a lecture tomorrow for being out, but there's no reward without risk, right?" She explained shyly while wandering curiously over to the large bed. The furs had caught her interest and she plucked the closest one up to look over. "'Yuii-gaki, you're our representative and Sennin, don't spend time at the bar with all the rabble.' 'Yuii-baka, an unmarried woman shouldn't be out partying.' 'Kuso-Yuii your reputation is important to the clan, stop being so selfish and think about us first.' 'Yuii, choose your company better and if you're going to be in public brush your hair!' 'You need to move onto the compound this instance so we can control your every waking hour,' Blah, blah, blah, so boring." she muttered under her breath to herself while admiring what was a very well cured wolf pelt. Sadly she couldn't find a working symbol on the underside because Yuii could have used a good tanner with Oniyuri's eating habits.

Maybe it was that she was recognisable, or maybe it was the fact that Yuii had her face half buried in soft black rabbit fur that made the butler look at her strangely. Rooms like these probably saw more well behaved high-class escorts and geisha than odd blue haired women molesting the bedding. "Cake, please! Any kind is fine!" she called, turning a rosy pink tinge over being caught in the act of mammalian fur stroking."It's soft!" she huffed, daring Kaji to make fun of her.

Ardently keeping ahold of the fur, she wandered again, this time drawn to the selection of music Kaji had been thumbing through. There was nothing she recognised, not being a music lover by any stretch, but she admired the disks and read from a randomly picked cover for something to do. "My aunt liked this sort of thing," she muttered, absently rubbing the cover of the cover, "are they any good?"

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Kaji was relieved when he realized that Yuii enjoyed the illustrious setting. She was taken aback by the grandness of it all, just as Kaji was when he first checked in. However, for Kaji, not even the comfort and luxury of Kumogakure’s finest hotel kept its appeal for very long. He often yearned to be free from any setting that surrounded him with four walls and a ceiling, but the nights in this land were a bit too cold for sleeping under the stars. And on this evening, in particular, Kaji was a bit more thankful for the luxury suite than before.

As Yuii made herself comfortable, Kaji wondered if she would have even bothered passing through the doorframe if they had arrived at his humble cottage at the stables back in Konoha instead of the fantastic suite. He shook his head once, loosening his speculations in favor of recognizing the situation for what it was. He was far from the cottage, and even farther from his cell in the Onyxian Sanctum— and the company he kept was a lively friend, far more compelling than anyone he knew in either of those previous places, save for his horse, Kukki.

The sound of Kaji sampling music on the record player was complimented when Yuii casually commented on their escape from the jam-packed tavern downstairs. “Well... I don’t blame them for staring,” Kaji admitted in regard to Yuii's envious onlookers. “If they don’t want to be you, they want to be with you.” The remark could have been taken in a number of ways, but Kaji just came around with a subtle tenderness. “To be so upper-class, they sure could learn some manners— hmph.”

It seemed as if a moment of personal reflection occurred for Yuii, with Kaji lending an ear and the occasional nod. Yuii had some venting to do and ran through a laundry list of the worst commentary her family had to offer. “No offense, but your family sounds like a bunch of jerks” Kaji admitted, allowing the sauce to coax him into speaking bluntly. “I mean sure, they might actually have your best interests at heart... but what a way to show it. All things considered, I think you’re overdue for a night to cut loose. And I can say the same… Only The Five know how long it’s been since I have been something like this.” He merely tested the waters of being suggestive, and a mischievous smirk returned.

Once the butler had come and gone, Kaji found a record to play and was setting the needle onto the disc. Perhaps magnetically, or just curiously, Yuii joined him by the player, and still had a pelt of fur cuddled in her arms. Rather than judging her, he ran his fingers across the furred blanket to caress it himself, and with an agreeing nod he said, “Even the most savage dire wolves have a soft side.”

Kaji then pushed the crate of discs back under the spinning record player. The song Kaji chose wouldn’t end up in his all-time favorites, but it would suffice for background music. Yuii was curious of his record choice, but Kaji merely shrugged. “I dunno. Most of the time I just listen to whoever is playing music live at the tavern and throw a couple yen in their tipping jars. To be honest, I think this is the first time I have seen a record player in person.” Kaji’s eyebrows perked then, and a playful idea came to mind, “Now, I know there’s a landline phone in here somewhere… we could just call your aunt and ask for a recommendation.”

Shenanigans.​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Yuii's smile turned strained in an effort to keep from arguing against his benign compliment. The gods knew no one wanted to be her, not with her predicament with clan and country, and while the latter might have held some truth the many social hurdles made approaching her nigh impossible. The many trials and troubles of her life weren't worth dwelling on, however, and there was no cause to explain either. It would only harm their budding friendship to go into detail and Yuii had only said so much already because of her relaxed state. Lucky for her, Kaji was not put off by her faux pas and was happy to lend his own playful opinion. Cheerfully, she hummed in agreement to his blunt assessment of her clan and again with more enthusiasm when he suggested cutting loose. A night of fun was overdue and Yuii intended to enjoy it entirely; nerves permitting. His grin evoked a shy one in return.

A bit more liquid courage was in demand before that bridge was crossed.

The tender moments continued, and Yuii watched half lidded and declawed as he merely stroked the pelt and agreed with her in an odd way. With a blithe smile, she held the fur up once his hand retreated and silently delighted in the fact that the colour matched his hair. It would have to come home with her.

The music he chose was neither lively, vocal or instrumentally complex, but it was pretty in its own way and didn't make her cringe. Yuii gave a satisfied nod, as if the choice had been her own, and slipped the record case she had been looking over back in place. "No? There are a few in the Torre, like Kogami's office and apartments, but they're rare and hardly used. They banned Gramophones and unregulated music until the government reform a decade ago, so this one was probably imported or hidden away." Watching the needle move hypnotically across the vinyl disk was much more interesting than the trivia she was. With cat-level curiousity she wanted to touch it to see what would happen.

So engrossed, Yuii missed the prompt for his joke. "Raiden's tits, i'd rather tongue kiss a hungry bear," Yuii snapped dryly, recoilling at the thought of involving her Aunt in their evening. When she realised her mistake, he closed her mouth with an audible click and her cheeks turned cherry red. Apologetically she stuttered a quick, "O-oh", and an unintelligable explaination from behind her scarf.

"I think I like tavern music better than this too," she squeaked, grasping at their earlier conversation topic to smooth over snapping and reinstate the infectiously good cheer,"The people in the god's spine mountains always had a fiddle on hand and I was always partial to how lively or lovely it could be. H-have you seen the Mochizuki travelling circus? The have this drum music they play for their belly dancer that is-" Yuii snapped her fingers to the approximate beat she could remember and swayed her hips in a pale example of the dance, "exotic and fun, you know?" Now more than ever Yuii wished she had grabbed a bottle of something from the tavern before coming upstairs. Three drinks just wasn't enough to do more than make an idiot of herself which was normally done well enough without alcohol.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

The melody of the gramophone was completing the atmosphere, setting a rhythm to the duo as if they were both instruments in playing the night’s song. There were rises and falls, delight and some stirring tension that challenged them like two musicians running through the same sheet music for the first time; and this was an original song. They were letting their ambitions— unsaid but mutually felt, carry them through the awkward stages of the evening. A little more joking and small talk; the sharing of personalities to gain a sense of familiarity with each other.

A skip in their spinning record popped once as Kaji’s attempt as ribbing Yui with the aunt joke had gone over awkwardly, yet they stayed the course. The subject of their banter deferred to the music; a thing they found in common. He didn’t really know how or when, but Kaji realized how close they had gravitated to each other, as if she were the moon to his earth, glowing stellarly as she was pulled out of orbit and about to collide. Somewhere in their universe, brighter stars would be envious still. It was a suitable ending, he knew. “Nah, I haven’t seen the Mochizuki, but I’ll take your word for it” he replied agreeably, as thoughts of planets and moons were washed from his mind. “But at Port Cirrus, there was this amazing bard who had six arms and played three instruments at a time. Imagine what you could do with six hands, let alone just two.” As Yuii swayed, Kaji used his wordplay like a cue to attempt a playful advance, and he slid his hands around her. “Like this?” He began to mirror her motions, entering the dance, and complimenting her movements with his own. Kaji intended to show her exotic and fun, soon enough.

“I used to hate dancing,” he admitted amidst their rhythmic gyrations, which insisted otherwise. “But then I wound up having to dance for freedom once... there’s this huge city in the Land of Wind where they choose their leadership based on,” he paused, considering how foolish he must have sounded, “a dancing competition.’ Their leader challenged me to a dance-off in order to liberate a tribe of lizards they were using like beasts of burden.” Kaji then gently swept the blanket from Yuii and wrapped it over her shoulders before pulling the two of them closer again in one swift motion, slick as oil. “Vive Libre” he whispered tenderly, spoken in his native Maruishan tongue.

But then a knock at the door put a screeching halt to the moment, and tore Kaji away from Yuii, perhaps giving her a moment to breathe, away from the steamy moment. Kaji shouted “Be right there” as he eagerly made his way across the long suite. He turned around the slight corner where the room began, and after a brief exchange reappeared with a large, chilled bottle of fancy ale under his arm, two clean flagons, and two trays with aluminum tops balanced on his possession. “Look at what I found,” he said excitedly, and then set the snacks and accessories on a large table in the dining section of the suite. They had everything they asked for, plus a little more. “Let’s turn it up in here!”​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

How he did it, Yuii could not comprehend, but like the mind reader that the Hokage had introduced him as, Kaji accessed each interaction and pushed forward just enough to distract and challenge her. The doubt and nerves she had been suffering were banished with bubbly with laughter as he swept off her feet in the most literal of ways. She found hand holds on his shoulders and smiled with delight as the traditionally solitary dance became a shared moment. Whether it was purposeful or simply how Kaji played the game, the slow approach was working.

"By dance-off?" she repeated, the corners of her mouth quirking up with amusement. The player smirk she was beginning to associate with his sense of humour was absent when Yuii searched his face. Stranger tales existed, their very religion was peppered with tales too tall to stand alone, but dancing for leadership was a stretch of the imagination. Yuii pondered the tale as they swayed, admittedly distracted by the intoxicating musk at the edge of her senses, and struggled to create the scene or place him in it. Where leadership and rhythm and dexterity met to choose a good leader was lost to her without explanation, and she had never once seen a lizard let alone the country of Wind. All efforts fled when he drew their bodies flush.

The arrival of the food was well timed and heartily welcomed by her stomach which gave peel of excited screeches that would have sounded more natural coming from piglets. Yuii found herself studying his back profile absently while trying to soothe her mind back from the salacious thoughts their dance had created. It wasn't working, damn him.

The red light emergency of her headset blinking through the fabric of her jacket caught Yuii's eye. It wasn't cause for alarm, it would have started making noise in a proper emergency, but Yuii felt her stomach sink. Not now, not when they were having so much fun. When Kaji returned she was crouched, braced against the wall and listening diligently to the chatter. A student had been hospitalised, another was in jail but thank Raiden it sounded as if Junko and Ayumu were already seeing to the aftermath. If anything more happened that night it should have been Yuii's responsibility but in a wave of selfishness she hit the kill switch and tossed it aside. They could handle one night without her.

"You've been to wind country," she stated enviously, joining him at the table. She knew the lightning country well, but Yuii had never been given the freedom to leave her country. The more time she spent managing travellers from foreign lands, the greater her desire to see their far off homelands became. A child's description of an oasis was likely nothing compared to the real thing. "I've never seen a lizard," she added, unapologetically, dragging the tray of what turned out to be many smaller of cakes to herself, "but I think Oniyuri has called them tasty? Is it food?" With the same fervour of her feline friend tore heads from rabbits, she devoured the first cake then was half way through the second when the alcohol caught her attention.

"If you want one of these, take it now," she warned once her drink was poured and her mouth was cleared, "They won't last!" The third was as good as the first, and the fourth even better.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

Vapor leaked out from the ice-cold jug once Kaji popped the cap. He used the steel ring of a kunai from his hip holster and slipped the blade back into safe-keeping by the time the bottle cap bounced onto the table. Kaji found pleasure from furthering their inebriation and poured both drinks in a steady stream. Amber ale was flowing into the tall mugs until the foam was frothing at its peak, filling the edges and ready to overflow. His posture beside the dining table resembled a server at a fine restaurant as he eagerly dealt out a poor pairing of chocolate cake for the ale. Kaji was stowing away any signs of shame he felt in calling Lady Kagetsu up to his room; he had noticed from the corner of his eye when she seemed troubled a moment ago. Perhaps she was having second thoughts about her choices, he wondered. If she wanted to go, she could go and Kaji would have only supported her decision, though his desire said otherwise.

Kaji took a seat and perched his chin against an elbow on the table as Yuii tore through some of the cake, and took an interest in his adventures in Kaze no Kuni. Kaji’s free hand navigated his beer to his mouth as the only motion he made while listened to her, hanging on every word. Kaji was twice as starry-eyed and lovestruck as he was in the tavern and lost himself in Yuii’s charm until she placed his reptilian allies in a similar category as the cake on her plate. Even then he let out a laugh at her presumption and considered it the cutest thing he had ever heard. “Well, they say some cultures consider gator tail as a delicacy… perhaps your friend Oniyuri is a bit more sophisticated than me, but normally I stray away from the exotic cuisine.” Tonight was far from normal for Kaji though, as he too adopted the sensibilities of a hunting cat on the prowl.

When Yuii thought to warn Kaji of how quickly they’d run through the first jug of ale, he accepted their fate and was resolved to simply order more from where that came from. “That’s not all I want to take,” he said suggestively, looking down as he began busying himself with unbuttoning and removing his collared shirt. He had another ale in his system, after all. How incredibly forward it must have seemed, though he was merely confirming the obvious as far as he knew. “Here, let me show you my lizard,” he said in a sultry tone as he got up from his seat. He was making what seemed like a bold play and came around the table in a direct approach as if he’d ravage her with affection then and there, but in a show of restraint he playfully slid to a stop and leaned his back against the table. He presented himself— bearing his exposed left arm, which was covered in an elaborate tattoo beginning at his forearm, and ran up to his bicep in a sleeve of ongoing art. The tattoo was a combination of an array of colors which complimented his tan complexion and the contours of his musculature. Among the many glyphs lining the sealing tattoo was detailed imagery of an incredibly long creature with red scales, fierce claws, sharp teeth, and emeraldine flames engulfing it from head to tail.

“I had it inked and sealed onto me in order to commemorate the journey” he explained, though having the summoning seal tattooed made the process much faster when Kaji needed to call his reptilian allies. “In truth, all of my travels leave marks on me like stamps on a passport; I’m sure I’ll earn something to remember Kumogakure by as well.” That tattoo on his arm led to another design on his chest, which was an emblem from the Hidden Stone’s Anbu Indoctrination process: a Curse Seal. Kaji continued removing his shirt until he dropped it aside, and finally revealed a Leaf Anbu tattoo on his opposite bicep. What was meant as a gesture to show Yuii a lizard became a modest attempt at modeling the artwork installed on his body between his battle scars. “The lands of Earth, Wind, Fire, and now Lightning are checked off my list, along with every space between,” he admitted proudly. “I want to witness the tundra of the Land of Water, but they say you should take a partner, at least to share the body heat... everyone is afraid to come with me.”​

<i></i>

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Re: Into the Goblin's Eye [Open]

The warm earthy flavour made her head spin immediately, and she recognised the flavour with a grin. The bottle must have been a brother to one in her aunt's stash, she remembered it quite well as it had been on the coating of her tongue after a long night of partying when she was young. That made it one of the stronger brews made specifically to get a shinobi drunk, as they were medically enhanced to be quite efficient, and she hadn't been ready for the kick it had as a girl. Now, well, she just didn't care. Yuii would regret the headache tomorrow, but it wasn't tomorrow yet.

A Gator wasn't on the short list of creatures Yuii knew. That was a creature that had never made it to Oniyuri's 'tasty' list, but Yuii guessed it must be connected to the lizard creatures. She would need to ask her feline companion someday, she mused while eating another cake."No?" she answered absently, pushing the platter of sweets forward on the assumption he wanted one. The double meaning seemed lost on her as she enjoyed her sweets, but there was no ignoring Kaji's next move. All thoughts fled as he began loosening buttons, one after another, after another. Yuii's focus narrowed to his hands and she wondered if he knew how attractive they were. It was a strange moment; Kaji removing his shirt, Yuii staring like a cat on the hunt and all in an oddly civilised backdrop with poorly matched music.

"Oh Raiden's teeth, you're not!?" Yuii squealed, nearly choking on her drink as she broke out into a fresh peel of laughter. She had never laid eyes on a lizard, but the suggestive way he has said that paired with his half naked state implied enough to make his intention understood. When he twisted to show his arm instead, Yuii was torn between contending relief and disappointment. Regardless, she would be happy to one day tell the story of how she had been coaxed up into a strange man's room and shown his lizard. "I-I thought you w-" A few shaky breaths calmed her racing heart though it did nothing for the deepening colour on her cheeks. Her eyes flicked downwards, betraying exactly what she had been thinking, then dutifully looked anywhere else. "Nevermind! Nevermind. Let me see," she rushed, wiping her hands twice across her white cotton shirt as she stood that left streaks of chocolate and cream in their wake.

Her attention was immediately drawn to the lizard, though only just with so much other artwork around it. "Oh it's a little like a chubby snake with legs," She beamed with wonder and amusement while her finger traced the curve of the lizard. Her words weren't meant to sound offensive or to simplify the fantastic creature that looked so lifelike it could have been real and perched on his arm. It was a wonder of colour and detail, and Yuii expected the artist had been well paid. It didn't look like a creature anyone should be rushing to eat.

Yuii mused over the artwork as he explained their meaning then mentioned his intended travels. "What an adventure that would be," she sighed, eyes raking again of the symbols again with appreciation and envy. What an odd mix to want to be someone and be with them at the same time. It was at the tip of her tongue to offer to go. Yuii knew little of Water country beyond the sad stories that had leaked north and her desire to see it had never been as strong as the draw to the deserts and forests of the Wind and Fire countries. Yuii had to admit though, the thought of sharing body heat anywhere with him was a tantalising idea. Water country was far away if she was remembering her map right, and there would be many lands to see in between. They could have such amazing adventures together on the way; it made her head swim at all the possibilities. That was the beauty of new beginnings.

But Yuii had nothing to say. It was impossible to miss the longing in her continuous grin, but commitment came hard to the Main Branch Sennin. Ayumu had cursed her with a third carrying a third of their village on her shoulders. "Maybe," she purred and with a playful smirk, Yuii leant forward and raked her teeth across the creature on his arm while never one breaking eye contact. "Yes, tasty."