Sunset Soirée (Private)

The evening was slightly cool and Madrigal moved through the village toward his destination with a sense of purpose. He always did things like that, moved with a sense of purpose in his stride. It made him seem confident, and in many ways he was. The cool air wasn’t enough to make one uncomfortable, just a ‘fresh’ feeling to the air that was pleasant on the senses and as such the tall man wore a black muscle shirt, black shinobi pants and combat boots. His wild mane of hair was pulled into a loose tail and his tattoo appeared prominent due to his shirt. He stood at 6’5 and due to that towered over many and he had fairly large muscles on his body that spoke of strength. A closely controlled jawbeard adorned his features and his amber eyes finished out the look to give something akin to a feral feel to him. He was also freshly showered, and wore light deodorant as tonight he was going to a party. 

While such things might not be his usual scene of choice. He would much prefer a training ground or being on a mission. He had been coerced to going to a party by one of his friends. Well, less friend and more frequent sparring partner. Over the weeks they had become relatively close as they preferred fighting each other than others simply due to the fact that their styles were so diametrically opposed. Madrigal was vicious, and brutal with a professional air to his violence while his sparring partner, Azil, was more calculating and thought things through. Relying less on instinctive reaction and more on a set plan. It made for long spars and neither ever really knew who would win when they started. Still though, Azil had noted that Madrigal seemed to spend much of his time in the training grounds. Even when not specifically training, and had confronted him about it. He hadn’t been happy to hear that Madrigal simply didn’t socialize much and preferred the quiet company of a book or lazily napping in a tree when he wasn’t pushing himself to become stronger, become better. 

So he began to harass Madrigal into trying to socialize, every time they sparred he would try to convince Madrigal to ‘get out there’ and ‘meet people, you never know what could happen.’ Madrigal of course didn’t care either way and eventually his obstinate refusal diminished until finally he had acquiesced. So here he was, going to an outdoor party on a cool spring evening. The sky a muddled swirl of oranges and purples and pinks with the sun an orange hue as it slowly began its final stretch toward the horizon. The part was out in the water gardens, and as Madrigal arrived he could see multiple set up tables, a sound system with a generator set up with speakers placed around a largish area that provided what would probably be considered the ‘dance floor’. Madrigal himself didn’t have much experience in dealing with people, he was generally just polite and tried to get away as quickly as possible. The point of this however was to try to make friends. Although Azil’s comment on ‘you never know what could happen.’ Made Madrigal assume that there were other plans running through his sparring partners head. What he couldn’t fathom, but either way he was here and in a way he had been right. One never did know what could happen. 

Moving into the party grounds, various people chatting, dancing, and all around having fun, Madrigal would make for the drink table. He didn’t generally drink alcohol, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t before. Taking a red cup and moving to lean against a tree he would survey the area to get a feel for people. He knew he wasn’t socializing yet, but he couldn’t just jump into a crowd and be friendly. He just didn’t know how and he would rather avoid making a complete and utter fool of himself. As he looked on he saw people, dancing, laughing, and enjoying themselves. Some dressed provocatively to purposefully gain the attention of others, some just more normally and were there to just have a great time. Small, multicoloured bands of light were set around some peoples wrists, ankles, necks, and anyway a loop could be placed on a human body and people danced with them with exaggerated motions to make the light bands move frequently. The music was loud on the floor but the speakers were placed to make that an intentional decision and it was a bit quieter when not on the floor. The intent obviously to allow for conversation between friends and new acquaintances. He remained there for a time, casually looking around as he leaned against a tree and taking drinks from his cup. 

WC: 805

Tonight's attire was party punk. Tsubaki would be wearing a form-fitting blue suit. The suit was sleeveless and shoulderless, just hanging off a couple of straps and a chocker. The top would really compliment her chest and abs. Her leggings were solid blue with no hips and 5 inch black heels that easily put her at 6'5. She also woresome black gloves with blue laceses that matched the pants. But why was Tsubaki wearing such provocative clothing? Well, she had been invited to a party going on in celebration of the season change and how they weren't stuck in snow anymore. Or it was just an excuse to go drinking. Either way, the party was going to have alcohol and people, so that's all Tsubaki was worried about. 

Tsubaki had been working pretty hard on mission and keeping Hoshi enacted during the chunin exams as all the nations were coming to participate. There was a lot of pressure on the Jonin, so she needed this time off, and what better way to do that than to go to a party with lots of people. 

The Senju first heard of this party from some of her party friends from her time as a genin. That's how she was able to get most party information. Tsubaki was always in the loop about some kind of civilian or Shinobi run party. So this one was already planned and widespread.

Once Tsubaki had arrived in her attire, she was given some bands of glow sticks. It seemed that it was going to be rave-themed. Tsubaki put two bands around each wrist and then wore a larger one as a necklace. As she started dancing, the glowing aura of the sticks would wave around her and some other party dancers. The flow of the stick's movement was hypnotic and colorful. She danced with strangers for awhile- only half an hour- before heading over to the drink stand. There, she would take a couple of shots, shooting them like no tomorrow. This wasn't Tsubaki's first time with the alcohol and she was considered pretty good at holding her liquor. She showed that well when after three shots in 30 mins, she was still walking around like she was before- if only a little bit more droopy and slow. 

However, despite her state, she noticed a hunk of a man leaning against a tree. He was a large build man, with biceps the size of her head and standing at a staggering 6'5 feet- about the same height as Tsubaki with her heels on. His eyes glowed an amber hue in his chiseled and scarred face. He stood out from the crowd because he wasn't a part of it; choosing to look like a wrestler. Tsubaki had to meet this man. 

"Hey there, Hot stuff," Tsubaki approached confidently, making her presence known a couple of meters away. When she got close, she leaned her hand against the tree, close to where the man was. "I haven't seen you around here before." Which was quite a feat, especially for a man like this. 

WC: 515

(I'm going to keep playing with colours until I stumble upon one I like)

As he leaned against his tree a woman would stride toward him from the drink stand. He had seen her before, leaving the crowd of people dancing and then knocking back shots. The glow sticks attached to her, some on her wrists and one as a necklace, had made for picking her out easily. There were many of them around yes, but not many on someone who was as tall as him. Even if the reason for that height was due to her heels. Her gait was languid and relaxed, as if she didn’t need to hurry and as she approached she would call out to him from a couple of meters before closing the distance and leaning her hand against the tree. That put her extremely close to him and his amber eyes took her in from head to toe. He wasn’t particularly shy about doing so either, but not because he was trying to be overly forward. He just honestly wasn’t good at being subtle. It was something he needed to work on quite severely. Still, a woman who dressed like this did so in the effort to gain attention as he understood. She wanted eyes upon her, and wanted those eyes to notice.

When she continued speaking, his eyes would snap back to hers, he usually wasn’t one to forego eye contact unless he felt it necessary. Like when he felt a fight was about to happen, or in the middle of one. Far better to watch an opponent’s body for subtle tells that would give their movements away than to look into the eyes which told her virtually nothing besides being uncomfortably intimate. This however was not combat, and he didn’t expect a fight to be breaking out. So meet her eyes he did, and once she finished speaking he would nod in acknowledgement. He took a deep breath before responding, his nose picked up the scent of alcohol, flowers, and sweat. The alcohol was obvious, due to her recent stop by the drink stand. The sweat too was easily picked out as an after effect of her time dancing. The flowers however weren’t easily explained. At least not with anything at the part itself. Perhaps perfume? Floral soap or shampoo? He wasn’t sure, and frankly it didn’t matter. 

Releasing the breath he had taken he would speak. He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to her referring to him as ‘hot stuff’. However he could respond to her comment that she hadn’t seen him around before, first though he would have set up a safety net for any awkwardness. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’m not used to being around so many people at once. As to why you hadn’t seen me around. It’s simply because I’m usually at the training grounds, on a mission, or home. I came here at the urging of a sparring partner slash friend. He wanted me to come out here and see what came of it.” He would say, flashing her a brief smile at the end before taking a drink of his beer and then nodding his head in greeting to her. “I’m Madrigal, Madrigal Kaguya, and if I may say. It is a distinct pleasure to meet you.” He would say, his eyes moving down her form again. Was that too forward? Probably, but he expected to get slapped once or twice before the night was done. So he wouldn’t be surprised if she took offense. 

WC: 579
TWC: 1,384

Tsubaki thought this brute of a man would be a lot more confident, being that he was at a party and he was an attractive young man, but she would see that looks could be deceiving. It took the man a minute to look at Tsubaki's eyes and respond to her forward flirt. It seemed to catch the socially deprived man off guard. But when he did respond, he was very polite, not wanting to offend her or send the wrong attitude. He introduced himself as Madrigal Kaguya and from his earlier response, Tsubaki assumed he was a shinobi. "Madrigal? A pleasure to meet you. I'm Tsubaki Senju." The 20-year-old kunoichi held her hand out for a hand shack to further solidify their interactions. She knew now not to be super forward with flirts and continuing to keep things casual. 

Tsubaki took her hand away from the tree and switched to leaning next to him. "You know, I'm a shinobi myself. I'm no stranger to being attached to the training grounds and just working your tail off. But it's still good to get out there and interact with citizens and other shinobi away from work. Getting too absorbed in your work can lead to you not finding out more about yourself. Especially as a shinobi when your work is centered around service to your village." She paused for a moment to let Madrigal process or respond. The light and music all seemed to blur into one as the two conversed, Tsubaki just focused on their conversation. They started to disconnect from the crowd for a moment. Tsubaki would need to find a way to convince Mad to join her for a moment on the dance floor. 


"You know, partying can be a form of training, if you think about it in a certain light," She paused to let what she said sit. "Think of it like this; you're on a mission where you have to blend in with a crowd. You don't blend in by staying away from the crowd, you have to join it. Otherwise, anyone could see that you're spying on them or following them." It was a strange situation but not an uncommon one. Sometimes a shinobi has to hide in plain sight. "And dancing is like a spar when done with someone," Tsubaki would then get off the tree and lend a hand to the shy brute, "care to be my spar partner?" Tsubaki's grin was cheeky as she knew she was smooth. 

WC: 417
TWC: 932

She would offer her hand to him and he would blink in surprise. Most didn’t do at parties from what he had heard but regardless he would take her hand in his and grip it briefly, his strength moderated to not hurt the woman. He couldn’t know how strong she was after all, besides the old ‘grip as hard you can’ shit was overly macho in his opinion. However he wouldn’t just stop with a quick grip. He would add to it, bringing her hand up to his and brushing his lips over the back it politely. He had heard somewhere that that was how one greeted a woman. He wasn’t sure how accurate that information was. He was however floundering in the dark regarding what to do or say and so anything he might try might be helpful right? Probably not actually. Regardless she would switch to leaning on her hand against the tree to leaning on it in full, next to him in fact. His burnished eyed never left hers as she spoke, letting her finish before speaking himself. 

He would nod at her words in acknowledgment before speaking himself “I’m starting to realize that. When I started training to become a shinobi I discovered a love of sparring and combat. I ended up letting that be my focus for years and my own social skills have suffered. It appears I need to get out more. It also appears that I owe my sparring partner a thousand ryo.” He would say, the ending being a small joke that he would chuckle out. After a few moments she would bring up the fact that partying could be a form of training if one thought about it. He was skeptical for a moment, but he let her finish as she pointed out a situation where such a thing could happen and he would give a small shrug. “I suppose in that situation it is possible to see partying as training sure.” He would say, still giving her his full attention. Then she would talk of dancing and mention how it too could be seen like a spar. Then asking him if he would spar with her, going so far as to getting off the tree and lending him a hand. 

Madrigal couldn’t help it, he felt a grin stretch across his face, one that almost made him feel boyish and he downed the rest of his cup of beer and tossed it into the trash can before taking her hand. “I’m not sure how good of a sparring partner I’ll be in this circumstance. We’ll simply have to see for ourselves won’t we?” He would ask, moving with her. The two of them were more or less the tallest people in the crowd, him naturally standing a 6’5 and her matching him with her heels. As they moved toward the crowd of individuals dancing a change would occur in Madrigal. When he arrived he was a guy who had no one whom he knew here, and simply didn’t know how to interact. However now he enjoying the company of someone else at the party. He still did not know much of what he was doing. However, provided Tsubaki was willing to be patient with him, which thus far she seemed to be willing to be. He could figure that out as they moved. His amber eyes took in the movements of the crowd, the type of dancing, how the men were moving with the women they were dancing with. 

He was a taijutsu user, he thrived purely on hand to hand combat and while he didn’t currently know any techniques his body was still trained for such things. Employing the movements of a dance of any kind was not in any way outside of his grasp. With the change in location the music’s volume changed abruptly, he could feel the thrum of it through the ground now that he was in the effective line of fire for the speakers and he took a deep breath as he felt himself become comfortable with the situation. With the music, the people, everything. He turned toward Tsubaki and shot her another smirk. “Shall we?” He would mouth, the music too loud to hear each other over it. He hadn’t expected to be dancing at his first party, but hey, why not right?

WC: 729
TWC: 2,113

When Tsubaki offered her hand for a simple handshake, this adorably awkward brute instead took her hand to his lips to lay a polite kiss. Tsubaki smiled cheekily with a light blush. Here she thought she was going to be the only one making all these moves. Although there was a socially awkward outward appearance, once broken it was a different person. A person that Tsubaki would have some fun dancing with. He understood that he was sacrificing his social life with vigorous training. He was lucky his sparring partner helped him get out here, for that he owed him a thousand ryo. Tsubaki chuckled at that. She was also glad his friend brought him there. She wasn't sure how far she was going to be able to take this.

Fortunately, he accepted her dancing proposition- even if it was with little confidence. The duo made their way to the dance floor, towering over the rest of the randoms at the dance. MadriThis and the fact they were both extremely attractive drew the crowd's attention. The band playing also noticed and started to pick up the pace of the song and intensify their melody. gal looked at Tsubaki with a boyish grin. Tsubaki and Madrigal started their dance. Tsubaki was much better than her partner at dancing at the start having experience, but he would pick it up not long after. "There ya go!" Tsubaki cheered him on over the loud music as she danced along with him. The world absolved around them, just like before at the tree. All Tsubaki could focus on was Madrigal and the music- the crowd and the musician would once again combine in a swirling image. 

The music was starting to wrap up with some final cords. Tsubaki would end their dance by grasping both of his hands with hers, stopping both of their movements. The music and the dance had resolved. Cheers from the crowd filled the place of the loud music. They cheered not only for the talented musicians but for the two towering dancers on the dance floor. Tsubaki knew that it can be extremely uncomfortable being the center of attention, so she led Mad to the bar to get out of the spotlight. The music continued again as the two were out from the limelight. "You were a pretty good dancer, Mads. I knew you were hiding some of that social talent." Tsubaki poked him a couple of times in a teasing behavior. She then picks up another strong shot and takes it in one swig. 

WC: 426
TWC: 1394

When they reached the dance floor it would quickly become evident that they were above and beyond the tallest ones there. Her because of her heels, and him because of his genetics. Others seemed to draw their attention to them and Madrigal noticed, but focused on the situation at hand rather than letting the crowd get to him. He didn’t really understand that he would be ‘considered’ attractive as his social interactions were quite few and far between. So in his eyes they drew attention because of Tsubaki and their height. Which was alright, he couldn’t just avoid the eyes of people all of his life could he? No, of course not, that would be silly. Still the band playing a new melody was odd, had they noticed too? Madrigal couldn’t tell without looking away and that would be too rude to do so he would keep from doing so.

So they began to dance, at first Madrigal had difficulty given his sheer lack of experience in the matter of dancing but after a minute or so he would begin to feel comfortable with it. He would move with Tsubaki, the two of them dancing on a floor that seemed to have a great deal more room than it did before but he would ignore it in favor of not looking away from his dance partner. His practice in hand to hand combat came in use here as he could judge what she would do next based on how her body began to move and then, rather than counter it as he would in a taijutsu fight, would instead move with it. When she cheered him on over the music his grin would come again. It had never entirely left but it would widen once more and he would keep his focus on Tsubaki and the music.

Eventually their dance would end, Tsubaki would grasp both of his hands in hers, stopping their movements. Madrigal heard the final chords of the musicians on this song but he also heard the cheering of a crowd. Blinking in surprise he would look around to find both him and Tsubaki as the center of attention and he would feel himself start to tense a bit. Tsubaki however would lead him out of the crowd and toward the bar. The music would kick off again the moment they were out of the attention of the crowd and people would begin to dance again. Once they reached the bar Tsubaki would comment on him being a good dancer and even give him a nickname as she poked him in a teasing manner. The large man would poke her back in just such a teasing manner as he responded. “Only because I had such a wonderful partner.” He would say before taking a shot of his own, downing it. It wouldn’t be the first time he had imbibed a strong alcoholic drink, not even the second. So he knew his tolerance for the stuff was high. Probably due to his size and build.

“Also, ‘Mads’? Interesting nickname there Tsu.” He would say shortening her name similarly to how she shortened his. For a moment he would turn and watch the crowd dance and enjoy themselves before turning his amber eyes back to hers curiosity alighting in his eyes. “So, oh mighty party guide. There’s drinking, there’s dancing, is that all there is to a party? I’m in the mood for new experiences tonight it seems because so far I just keep finding myself wanting to do more. So, what can you tell me?” He would ask, his burnished eyes meeting her olive coloured ones.

WC: 608
TWC: 2,721

Mid-Thread Claim.
2,700 Words.
Claiming 27 stats, putting 18 into Speed, making it 50 and the other 9 into Vigor making it 34. That'll make my AP 370 (340 base + 30 from Missions).
This puts me at 184 stats, making my health bar 200.
Putting all the words toward Eight Inner Gates Jutsu.
I have 2,000 words toward the above jutsu already from Morning Flames.
This finishes the initial unlock of Gate of Opening and since the subsequent gates are 1,000 each I'll be unlocking 2 more with the fourth gate being at 700/1,000.
This will put me at the Third Gate.

Approved

Mads' and Tsu's energies seemed to intertwine as they complimented each other dancing. She was glad that he was having such a wonderful time with her, as she was with him. They enjoyed each other's company, which was a step up from what Tsubaki was used to. Her time at parties like this would wastefully be spent on men that didn't seem to care much about the magical feeling of the intimacy of just dancing and more interesting to see the intimacy of the sheets. However, she noticed that her relationships were starting to strengthen with people like Masashi, her teammate who seemed to also have some romantic interests with her. It seemed even to some strangers, like Mads, that she could create bonds that would last a lot longer than the ones that seemed to have a one-track mindset. Perhaps it was her own confidence that led to the stronger bonds and not using people as a means to an end like in her more recent youth.

The world froze again as Tsubaki and Madrigal stared off into the blurring colors of the crowds and party lights. She noticed his eye peering at, so she turned to face the firey eyes of Mads. She could feel her face get hot and flushed as their faces were mere moments from each other. She was so enchanted that it took a moment for her to realize that Mads was talking to her. He asks her what's next in almost a boyish mood. He wanted to explore more of what Tsubaki had to offer him. Her heart throbbed for a moment, almost forgetting how to speak as her mind and body were fighting the situation's dominance. 


"R-right. Well, there is plenty we can do," She chuckles lightly to herself, "But I think right now I just want to get away from the lights. There's only so much anyone of person can handle of the limelight." Tsubaki's shoulder bumps him as she walks further away from the outdoor party. She led him to a more private section of the village, which was only a block away from the party. It was a social area or at least one during more lively times of the day with a bench and a small water fountain in the center. 

"I gotta say, Mads, I'm very impressed with how well you're doing at your first party. You're a natural. You're thirst for adventure and new things are what makes parties so much fun." She smiles at him warmly and sincerely. "That's why I go anyway. No two parties are the same, so you never want to miss out." She sighs serenely. "It's also a place you can discover more about people. People who you might have never meant if you hadn't gone to the party." She places her hand on Mads large chest. Tsu bites the inside of her lip for some restraint. "You know what I mean?"

WC: 491
TWC: 1885