Follow the wood [P]

Seeing a rather bleak sign in front of a building, to which Rakka had stopped, made Xyxer realise this must be the place. He had not engaged in the consumption of alcohol for a very long time, after all, it was quite dangerous for him. The removal of the frail inhibitions he already had combined with the power he possessed would ultimately lead to some.. distasteful events. As the door was opened before him, he was faced with internal conflicts; should he order alcohol anyway to blend in? How much would he stand out if he simply drank good ol' OJ, the safe drink Shinji had introduced him to. Passing through the door, the words that Rakka uttered passed by him effortlessly, the current thoughts on his mind distracting him from the light banter. Finding a seat not too far from the door, he took his time in removing the sentient blade from his back, propping it a little away from him against the wall closest to him. 

Now, it was time for the most important questions for this trial of error in his head.. How much would his village power deplete if he was to kill their shinobi? Who in the village could potentially harm him? There were quite a few high ranking shinobi in his village, but were any of them on par with him? Would Takeo ignore him for the murder of these innocent people? Would he consider them innocent? A wave of relief slowly ran it's course over his body, the ultimate voice in his head had given it's verdict on the matter that he could not decide.. The fun he would have would easily outweigh the cons of loss. It was fortunate as well since the bar man had recently came over to their table and Rakka was just finishing saying Sour. Strange. However, just because Xyxer's thoughts drifted towards homicide did not excuse him from continuing his string of pick up lines. Smiling at the bartender, he ordered one of the few drinks he heard were exceptional on this island before it was doused in mist. His eyes shifted from the bartender, to Rakka, back to the bartender multiple times as the words slipped off his tongue, "Sex on the beach, please." Perhaps the hint was not strong enough, in which case he would supplement it with a wink directed at his company. By now, he realised that the cloak would inhibit his movements in this simple place, so he simply stood up and slid his left hand over to the clasp at the top before peeling it and removing it in it's entirety. The bartender, still staring in awe at such a good looking (albeit batshit crazy) leader, held his arm out instinctively to take the cloak, a look of worry quickly flashing over his features in case the rumours of Xyxer torturing those who annoyed him was true. However, he simply handed the cloak to him with a faint smile, for the man was fortunate enough that Xyxer's thoughts lay elsewhere on this night, thoughts that perhaps pertained to the name of the drink he had ordered. Sitting down once more, his arms slid over the table and folded before him. "I took a boat into this village through the defenses and Naoki simply handed the village over to me.. would you consider him a Demetri, Rakka?" Naturally, he skipped the part where he had threatened Naoki and his people with duress, after all, that was only a minor thing." The whole ordeal had amused Xyxer on recollection, albeit somewhat disappointed him. His powers could have truly been tested that day, but Atlas had forced him to take the diplomatic path.

The vibrant drink he had ordered was now set down before him, and he had to admit, it sure did look wonderful. How long would it take for him to feel the affects of booze overtake him? Would he be able to stop before the full loss of inhibition? These thoughts continued to glide idly through his head as one hand clasped the glass at the bottom and lifted it upwards, his lips naturally moving around the straw to get some of that sweet sweet juice in his mouth, know what I mean? Once he had finished the sip, he lifted his head and spoke, "I used to study Fuinjutsu myself, it was a very interesting field of study. Although, I feel as if I could never truly incorporate it into my.. style. It didn't allow for much usage, in my experience, in terms of close quarters combat. I heard about stories of seals that can knock a person out, but where's the fun in that if they're not bleeding?" Realising he trailed off a little in regards to violence, he immediately reeled himself back in, "Although if you ever get bored of punishing your liver or studying, feel free to find me for a talk or something." Deciding to lighten things up just a little bit more, he smirked and lifted his eyebrows a little as he poised a new question, "Perhaps, if you should get bored enough, you could escort me to meet my family for the first time. The notion of my sisters and mother seeing me for the first time in so many years terrifies me, Rakka, I can not lie. It would be worthwhile for me to invest in a female bodyguard." Of course, the actual implication was different, but he was sure she understood that.

Seeing that his face was not yet a designated target for violence, he pulled it back and took another sip from the cocktail, shrugging his shoulders a little, "It was worth a shot."

Rakka watched Xyxer do a double, no, triple, no, quadruple take between Rakka and the bartender, before delivering a line so cheesy it made her wonder if the man had ever gotten a date. She was starting to feel bad for him, as it seemed he didn't quite know how to act around girls. Well, Rakka could teach him, but that would make his attempts on her even more irritating; mostly because they might actually be impressive. As Xyxer delivered the line, there was utter silence at the table for a moment, before the bartender promptly responded Rakka glanced over at the bartender for a second, then back to him. There was utter silence at the table as Rakka looked pointedly at the bartender, who was busy writing on his notepad.
"Good choice, Lord Mizukage. A whiskey sour and a sex on the beach, coming right up." He said, returning to the bar to begin mixing drinks. Rakka cocked her head at Xyxer.
"Huh. Not what I expected." She said simply, pretending to be oblivious to the man's attempt at a pick up line. 

After that erratic outburst, Xyxer seemed to become more serious once again, asking why she felt that Naoki wasn't a monster, the same as Demetri. She just shook her head, as the bartender began making a loud racket. Over by the bar, he had mixed up the most fruity, girly drink one could possibly imagine, a deep pink liquid with heart shaped, red colored ice cubes, and a huge dab of whipped cream topping it off. The whole thing probably had a total alcohol content of like two drops. Garnishing the ensemble was a little red umbrella jutting out along with a straw that was comically long, bending and looping all over the place. To top it all off, the waiter stuck the finishing touch into the drink; The Sparkler, which he lit as he carried the drink over to the Mizukage. He set Rakka's drink, a simple short glass with a few normal ice cubes, down in front of her without much fanfare, before setting Xyxer's drink down before him. "A whiskey sour, and a sex on the beach. Hope you two enjoy!" Said the bartender with a smile.

It took all of her willpower to not burst out laughing. Rakka's face was very visibly curling into a grin as she tried to keep a straight face, but it was no good. She cracked a grin and began laughing uncontrollably. This continued for a good 30 seconds until she finally calmed down, taking deep breaths to calm herself. would continue speaking to Xyxer, chuckling a little as he offered her companionship should she ever tire of living this way. "Trust me, I'm not punishing my liver. I'm just conditioning it." She joked as she took a drink from her glass. "Besides, my drink could never be as cool as yours. It doesn't even have a sparkler." She said with a grin. 

The conversation seemed to take a serious turn as Xyxer asked her what she though of Naoki, and why she thought he was not any worse then Demetri. She simply shrugged.
"You and I both know there's more to that story." She said dismissively. "Naoki wasn't a Demetri, even if what you said was true, which it isn't. He went out of his way to strengthen his village and, as far as I can tell, made this place his number one priority. He didn't sacrifice the people of the village under pressure for his own glory." She explained.

She just chuckled at the man's offer to escort him to meet his parents for the first time.
"I think I'll pass. As much as I'd like to see the heartfelt return of the prodigal son, I shudder to think of what exactly you mean by escort" She answered. "Although I might take you up on the offer of visiting you, if it means more free drinks." She added thoughtfully.

[Sorry fell asleep whilst posting]

Even though it was partially a pick up joke, Xyxer did genuinely prefer cocktails to other alcohols. Life was short in his line of work, especially when one wielded a mentality such as his, so why not have a little fun while you still can. Just, of course.. not the torturing kind of fun.. Not at the moment anyway! "What's life without a little 'flair'? My brother taught me that lesson with all of his queer antics." He explained simply.

Witnessing the flamboyancy of a drink make it's way in front of him, he was stunned at first. This was indeed, a drink with 'flair'. Perhaps.. a bit too much, but it still had the damn thing. Thoroughly impressed with the straw, however, he simply lifted the drink and allowed the liquid to twirl and swirl through it, nodding his head faintly. Placing it back down onto the table, nodding some more, "Yes, this is fine. This is swell." After all, why get drunk quickly when you can enjoy yourself? The bartender walked off with a grin at the words of the Mizukage. He could make a man's day with simple compliments.. perhaps he'd been doing life wrong. Perhaps he should stop murdering and degrading people in exchange for complimenting everyone and being an upstanding member of the community! "You are right there, Rakka. Both you and your drink pale in comparison to your counterparts. The sparkler simply represents my sword, you know?" Light banter, just what the doctor had ordered. Or rather, the Mizukage.

She spoke of Naoki in a positive manner, which was something interesting to him. A member of the Akatsuki that was revered! Would he himself be revered or feared? A hero in a tragic tale of history, or the monster mothers would use to persuade their children to not talk back? The monster under the bed, or the male in shining armour.. All of these choices, these options.. angered him. He wished for a simpler life, yet now he must consider other's morals. The only thing he knew for sure was that he would not go out simply. He would be remembered for going out fighting, and that was enough for him. Although, just to keep this point going, he'd state something he believed, "If people need to be sacrificed in order to further your own needs, that's perfectly acceptable dont you think? The world is destined to be run by the strong, and the strong don't fear the repercussions of hurting others."

Chuckling somewhat, he shrugged his shoulders, "Of course, it was intended to be purely platonic, but if that's how you think then I can understand why you have to numb your mind so much with all of that alcohol." To further accentuate his point, he sipped the fruity drink from the radical straw.

Rakka just smirked. It seemed Xyxer was either playing this one straight, or he legitimately enjoyed fruity little drinks. Either way, it amused her that someone who tried as hard as Xyxer to come off as dark and imposing was holding that colorful little number, sipping from the disproportionately large curly straw. He explained that he learned to enjoy the flair from his brother, which elicited a chuckle from Rakka.
"Well, he certainly sounds interesting. I didn't know so many Shinobi liked their drinks served with a bendy straw and a sparkler." She teased.

The look on the man's face as the drink approached said it all, he definitely didn't expect what he got. His look of satisfaction as he inspected the straw only added to the hilarity.
"I'm sure it is. I'd make sure not to confuse the sparkler with the straw, if I were you." She warned sarcastically. It was almost as if this simple drink was changing Xyxer's entire outlook on life, or perhaps he was just trying very hard to hide his surprise. She was intrigued to know which it really was. 

Rakka gave an audible laugh as the man compared the sparkler to his sword, considering the thought she had about it before.
"So you do use the sword to compensate for something? I figured, but didn't want to assume. The sparkler suits you then, I assume." She sneered. Like the old saying went, a put down a day keeps the Mizukage away. Not that she though that was true for a moment, as Xyxer seemed to be more stubborn then most suitors she'd met. In a way, it was starting to grow on her. The way an annoying dog tends to. 

He then tested her morals yet again, stating that sacrifice for a good cause was always acceptable. There, she had to disagree. "For a Shinobi, sure. We signed up for the job, and we knew the risks. But an innocent villager? They never made the vows we made, and our first and foremost duty is to protect them. To sacrifice an innocent would be just like failing a mission." She asserted passionately. This was an issue she was very heartfelt about. 

Xyxer's joke caught Rakka slightly off guard. He had yet to throw any abuse back at her, and quite frankly, she enjoyed it just a little. One sided teasing got boring rather fast, after all. 
"You're not far off, unfortunately." She said simply, sidestepping the jest. "I'll think about it, I suppose. You haven't made for awful company, and I suppose I could make do with you if I need someone to drink with." She said coyly.

It was around about the point that Rakka mentioned the sparkler that Xyxer realised there was a faint burning sensation on the bottom of his chin. During the anarchy of playing it cool, he had forgot to wait for the sparkler to fade. Moving his head back up with a slight jerking motion due to the sensation, he frowned for a second before simply clinching his forefinger and thumb over the sparkler to stop the movement of the flame before removing it from the delicious beverage, before going back towards sipping. "Good call, Rakka. Perhaps the best one you've made all night, but I'm sure there'll be more options for you to improve on throughout the rest of it." He could barely restrain a grin whilst sipping, instinctively moving his hand up to wipe his mouth in case some of the SEX ON THE BEACH slipped from his jaws. 

Removing the straw from his mouth, he chuckled at what Rakka had to say before simply adding on, "I guess you'll simply have to find out yourself, after all, you wouldn't want a biased opinion would you? Try beefore you buy and all that." He was unsure on whether he had already said this during the conversation, but dammit he would try again regardless.

Then to the more serious matter it was, one that Xyxer could not truly understand. As far as he understood, everyone had always been his to sacrifice. His Mizukage had been his to sacrifice. His subjects were his to sacrifice, regardless of whether they were villagers or shinobi. Being sacrificed was an honour for them, he was sure they understood albeit Rakka did not seem to. "Is anybody truly innocent, Rakka? They lack any sense of loyalty. They drift from one Kage to the next without a care in the world. If I was to die, they would follow the next Kage without a care in a world, so why should I in turn care for them? Shinobi can simply sacrifice more."

It appeared that he had struck a nerve of sorts when it came to numbing their mind. Was this the right time to inquire? She had seemed somewhat put down by it, and he imagined going onto negative matters when trying to get in Japanties would be quite detrimental to his chances, so he simply made a mental note and moved on. "You're a terrible company. It's like I'm being hit with verbal haymakers from Kisame." He was unsure on whether she'd get the reference, and if she didn't, she was not waifu material, "Alas, you are the best I can do. An icy heart for an icy heart I suppose." He winked with a grin.

Rakka watched the man stoically stick his face onto the sparkler, somehow miraculously avoiding setting his own clothes alike as he clinched the flame out prematurely, partially to Rakka's disappointment, as the fireworks show that might have followed would have been entertaining, though she feared somehow the barkeep's life would be lost in the process. Perhaps it was for the best then, she did enjoy drinking here, at least when the locals weren't harassing her as they were now. 
"I guess we'll see, maybe you'll try to eat an explosive tag and I'll have to remind you not to do that, too." Rakka said sarcastically in response to the man's rather creepy line.

At the man's offer to, well, "Try it out for herself," Rakka did what she could to avoid gagging. That was either the cheesiest or the creepiest pickup attempt she'd ever heard.
"I'll stick to what it says on the label; 'Overcompensation through armament.'" She said, shrugging off the attempt. 

She took another long drink as the man seemed to wonder aloud just how innocent his villagers were, and what they were worth with supposedly questionable loyalty.
"That's the job of the villagers, Xyxer. They carry the will of the village even after the leader falls. If you sacrificed all of these villagers, you'd have nobody to be remembered by." She said, trying to translate her thoughts into terms Xyxer would understand, as she felt she was starting to get a feel for how he thought. "A Kage's job is to lead the people, first and foremost, and insure their safety. Sacrificing them compromises your very purpose and makes you a failure by definition." She continued. 

While Rakka tried for a compliment, it seemed Xyxer wanted to go for the inverse. Odd. Maybe he didn't know how this flirting thing worked. 
"Kisame? I thought he was a swordsman, not a boxer." Rakka said coyly. "I'm sure you could find somebody more appealing, if that's what you think. I had really thought there was a connection here, but I guess it was all for naught." She said in mock sadness.

This was going atrociously. Slumping back in his seat, the lack of playfulness from Rakka bored him greatly. Every minor thing had been taken in poor taste. Staring up at the ceiling for a few seconds, there was a wish that he could simply be back in his home, doing whatever mundane kind of stuff came to mind. Instead he had to remain in a bar surrounded by people he considered dredges, listening to lame insults. It was around about this point that Xyxer started to envy the peace the fallen from Kirigakure had achieved.

At this point, crying mentally, Xyxer simply picked up the drink from the table and moved it towards his lips, disregarding the first two replies for something at least a shred more interesting. Yet, alas, a conflict of ideals had appeared once more. It was only to be expected after all, different upbringings. "If I can sacrifice ten villagers to save one hundred, then it will be done, obviously. There are situations where sacrifices are the best option to make as I have learned throughout my life." There was a brief pause as he recalled Suzaku's unwilling sacrifice. "I have went out of my way to save the villagers from before Tengakure and Shimagakure, it should be abundantly clear how grave the situation must be if a sacrifice is required. I'm not talking about a fucking mass execution just for the fun of it." Ignoring the latter part of what Rakka had said, she had reminded him of Shinji. Despite his affection for the female ANBU, he had most likely been the Kage Xyxer had respected the most. He would have sacrificed himself for the village, but Xyxer was unsure on whether he would do the same.

Pausing for a moment, he simply decided to transfer an astronaut joke, albeit quite butchered, "He was quite the boxer, se-" He turned his eyes towards Rakka for a moment, shrugging his shoulders a little, "Never mind, I guess you just had to be there." All the while these conversations took place, Xyxer kept sipping from his beverage, hoping to deplete it as rapidly as possible.

Rakka sighed as the tone of the conversation seemed to shift to something much less at ease. It was honestly rather boring. The awkward silence carried for a few moments, with Rakka simply throwing her head back and downing the rest of her drink, so the silence didn’t seem as awkward. She set it down quickly, knocking lightly on the table to signal the bartender she wanted another drink. It seemed Xyxer had begun to take offense to her
”Anyways, I have a question, Xyxer.” She said, deciding to try and recover the conversation, since he WAS paying for her drinks. ”Why did you come here? Sitting in a bar, hitting on some girl doesn’t seem quite your style.” She asked.

He seemed to make a tiny bit more sense in their ethical side argument, citing that ten villagers were worth the lives of a hundred.
”I agree, but that’s without accounting for our Shinobi. A Shinobi should always give their lives before a citizen. It’s part of the job. We dedicate our lives to protecting those who cannot protect themselves, and in turn, they feed and clothe us. It’s our social contract, our…” She began, her face drooping to a noticeable dissatisfaction with what she was about to say. ”God, it’s cheesy, but it’s our ninja way.” She said.

That last thing Xyxer said caught Rakka’s attention.
”Wait… You’re saying you’’ve met Kisame Hoshigaki? Bullshit.”

Seeing that Rakka had downed her drink, he imagined they both had the same idea and repeated the motion himself, of course, removing the decorative items from inside the drink; Ice was always good for a Hozuki anyway. Standing up as Rakka knocked on the table, he was somewhat confused by her gesture due to not being in a bar often, wondering whether she was summoning a bill or simply calling over the bartender. How queer. He shrugged his shoulders lightly, tucking the chair under the table, "It isn't. It was an.. interesting change of pace though." He remarked, picking up Samehada which wasn't too far away and slinging the sash over his shoulder and around his hip to holster it effectively. At this point, assuming Rakka had simply called over for a bill, he continued to make his arrangements to leave by retrieving anything he had left at the table.

"What a noble train of thought, Rakka. Although I think you'll have difficulty finding a single ninja in any nation willing to die for a single civilian. The world evolves and it adapts, as do creeds. If you were presented with an option to save yourself and let a civilian die, or vice versa, I'm confident in what I believe you'd pick." Of course, if there was a dispute in this field, he could always put it to the test at a later date, after all, words with no bite were awfully lame.

Once more he shrugged his shoulders at what she said at the end, with the bartender finally being here he handed him whatever ryo he requested, granted that it sounded reasonable to him, and nodded his head to him, leaving soon after. "Take care." Xyxer said before moving through the door.

[Exit]