The Bloody Unicorn Rides Again

Aki stood at the entrance to the Bloody unicorn, it comical yet grim looking sign swinging over it large oaken door. Inside the air was warm, welcoming and the chatter lively but Aki was a bit hesitant to go in.

Usually after a shift on the watch Aki would tap up the Blue Lobster for some easy food and company before wandering back home, but he was now a Shinobi, a fact that had not been lost on his former watch mates. Throughout Aki’s time on the watch they were largely negative towards shinobi seeing them as massive glory hogs who did the work for massive personal gain, stacks of cash, and easy women. Aki had had many a night laughing and joking with them, but now things were different.
 
Aki hadn’t been on a proper shinobi mission but he had been training for the time to come, it was serious work that up until now he hadn’t fully appreciated. Going back to the same old trappings didn’t feel right with him, that life was for the Aki of the past.
 
So here he was stood outside one of the most famous Shinobi bars in all of Hoshi, Kage from other villages had come to drink here in the past and the place had an esteemed reputation despite its whimsical name.
 
“Ar yeh jus gonna stand there? Or do you want meh to fetch ya a red carpet” the bouncer asked, snapping Aki out of his daze, How long was he just stood in the doorway for?
 
“Sorry, I –Im going in” Aki stepped past the bouncer and into the bar. Looking around he went to find a table with a free seat. A waiter was quick to approach him
 
“Welcome, nice to see a new face, you a Genin? What would you like to order?"
 
Aki placed a quick order for an ale and a bowl of salted nuts, and tried to appear relaxed at the table as the waiter bought them over, the waiter smiled “If you’re looking to meet new people, might I recommend the window table? It’s where most people like to sit” Aki thanked the man and carried his bowl and drink to the seat and sat down placing the bowl centre table to invite people to share.
 
Aki sipped his drink, it was surprisingly good for a house ale. Aki began to unwind properly it had been a long day
 
But the night had just started

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The mission had been completed with no issue, something that Loghain was quite pleased with. It went a long way in showcasing just how far the wolf had come in such a show window of time. With the mission completed, Akaboshi had offered to share a meal with the pair that he had been working with. It was always a nice change of pace to sit down and eat a meal that another had prepared for you, especially if one wanted nothing more than to simply try and relax and enjoy the rest of the day. The red haired Jounin had something that he needed to do first, it would seem. Based on how he was during the mission, the wolf expected this detour to involve a female companion. Not wanting to intrude, he would simply wait for the man to do whatever it was that needed done. 

The wolf would make his way to the meeting location, unguided for the moment. Thanks to his relative control, and if needed his prescribed supplement, there was practically no chance of sudden transformation. Loghain would look up and find himself at a bar of some sorts named The Bloody Unicorn. The wolf had no intention of drinking, for such could very easily impair his judgement and provide the opening the beast needs to slip out. Still, it would seem that this was a bar and a grill, or at least it smelled as though it had a kitchen hard at work to cook various food dishes. The wolf would step up to the door, giving a small nod to the bouncer as he walked in. 

The place was bustling, far busier than he expected. It was especially odd to see this many shinobi all gathered in one place. It wasn't that everyone had a headband, but this seemed to be some sort of local gathering place for those practiced in the shinobi arts. Loghain felt rather out of place here... A quick scan of the room allowed for the wolf to spot Aki Yamanaka, the young genin that had just assisted earlier on the mission. The wolf would approach, making a hand motion towards one of the open seats and asking "May I join you?" They had just met, and so the wolf would understand if there was reluctance. Some of the shinobi forces in the establishment would gawk, whispering amongst themselves as some of the senior soldiers began to recognize who he was. So far, none of them would engage Loghain which was all the more a relief. 

If allowed to sit, when the waiter approached for his order Loghain would reply, "A steak, please. The largest this establishment provides. Medium. And I'll just have some water." The wolf would then glance over at Aki. "Do you frequent this place?" He would ask, hoping to strike up a conversation. 


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"May I join you?"
 
Aki looked up and recognised the vaguely familiar shape of Loghain, Smiling he pushed a seat out for him with his foot and gestured to it “Please do, the nuts are for the table should you want some” Aki gestured to the bowl on the table
 
"Do you frequent this place?"
 
“Well I hope to, it’s a famous bar this, Shinobi from all over gathered here when the Chunin exams were hosted.” Aki took a sip of his ale before continuing “Not that I saw much of the Chunin exams I was on duty on the wall for basically all of it”
 
“Im actually hoping to become friends with other shinobi, to be honest I’m very new to the path and have yet to properly find my way on it."
 
Aki regarded Loghain closely, the man seemed on edge for as long as Aki had known him, which admittedly was not that long at all. At the festival he had voiced concerns about being around a lot of people, yet he had shown up at a bar nonetheless. Aki decided to ask him about it
 
“Its nice to see a face I know though, I wasn’t sure if people would show up, Akaboshi seemed to eyes on the festival only, and you don’t seem particularly fond of crowds I have noticed”

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The wolf would sit down, motioning with his hand that he did not want any of the nuts. "I'll pass. I want to save my appetite for a proper meal while I am in town." Such might be an odd statement to be heard from those not knowing the young wolf. "Unfortunately, I missed the exams. It was probably for the best, though." Loghain would state, a twinge of disappointment carried in his tone of voice. "I've never been here before, though if it is as popular as you say, I'm sure that the meal will be a good one." 

The stares of a few of the patrons could be felt by the man, his whole body tense. The wolf would try and focus on his conversation instead, doing everything in his power to keep calm and collected and to ignore the people all around him. "Everyone has to start somewhere. I consider myself fairly new to this whole shinobi life, too. It wasn't something I sought out. No, it was more thrust upon me than anything. I preferred life as a simple laborer." Loghain would say aloud before pausing to take a drink of his water. The wolf couldn't help but wondering how Aki felt upon hearing such a thing. Some people took great pride in their shinobi status, their hard work and training finally paying off. Loghain was not one of these people. He took pride in his personal accomplishments and learning to control his rage, but he never really felt like a proper shinobi. 

When asked about his unease with crowds, Loghain would ponder a moment how best to explain without going into detail. It wasn't something he particularly enjoyed explaining or talking about. His voice would fall to a whisper, to be heard only by Aki, "Let's just say that there are times when I can be... dangerous to be around." Understanding that such a statement was a bit ominous, the wolf would pull out a pill bottle, "But worry not. I have my medication to avoid such. No danger today." 

The waiter would bring over a delicious looking steak, cooked to perfection. "Did you get anything more than just those nuts?" Loghain would ask, hoping not to be impolite and start eating if Aki was was waiting on his food. 

"So, what made you decide to walk this path?" The wolf would ask. It was a simple question, but something that would help allow the  young wolf to better understand his comrade. 


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Aki raised an eyebrow, and shifted his weight a little, eyeing Loghain carefully. While it was clear that Loghain didnt want to talk about his condition, Aki reasoned, it couldn’t be all that bad as he was allowed free reign of the village. Still the exact nature of Loghains malady did intrigue him, but it wasn’t worth alienating the man by pressing him for answers. Aki cast a cursory glance at the pill bottle, it bore no markings or identifiable features even with his knowledge of herbal remedies he had no idea what they were. A closer look at Loghain’s chakra bore no new information either
 
"Did you get anything more than just those nuts?"
 
Aki shook his head am motioned for Loghain to enjoy his meal, “I actually ate before I came, its unwise to drink on an empty stomach…at least that’s what I have been told” Aki shelved the thoughts on Loghain, whatever cryptic danger he may pose, he did show up to share a drink and a meal, and it wouldn’t do Aki any good to offend him at this stage.
 
"So, what made you decide to walk this path?"
 
“Oh that…well it’s a bit awkward really” Aki took a sip of ale “I moved to the village with my mother after my father died. The village officers looked into my genealogy and found out that my father was a Yamanaka ninja and basically told my mother she had to have me enrolled in the academy” Aki took a bigger sip “I mean sure if I was like an Uchiha, or a Hyuuga, or…those fish people, you know Clans with weaponised eyeballs or skin….that makes some kinda sense.” “But as far as I could tell Yamanakas just have a couple of hidden Jutsus they came up with, and I had no relative that could teach me em so…I was just kinda average. Which disappointed my teachers who were expecting something bigger for ‘The Yamanaka Scion’ “Aki laughed and finished his drink placing the mug back on the mat.
 
“I enlisted on the guard after the academy, I didn’t want anything to do with ninjas at all, was content to just coast on easy jobs. Then I ended up apprehending a village defector and was offered an immediate ‘promotion’ to Genin” Aki rubbed his eyes “Honestly the last few weeks have been rough, I have been training for the first time in years, made and idiot of myself in front of Toneri, and found out my mother hid a cache of my dad’s stuff from me just in case I ever did become a shinobi.”
 
“Lately though, after learning more about my dad, and what the life of a shinobi means, I feel a lot more, content?...not that’s the wrong word…. Accepting of my path, it feels strange and I often feel like I’m not worthy of it a lot of the time… it’s why I decided to start hanging out here where other shinobi go, hopefully I can learn thing to make navigating my own future a bit more clear”




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The Yamanaka had already had his meal earlier, so there was nothing holding Loghain back from enjoying the food. He would listen intently as he brought each cut chunk of the meat to his mouth to be chewed and swallowed. The bites were fairly large, much larger than one might expect but Loghain wanted to eat as much as he could in this visit. Honestly this steak was probably going to only end up being round one, with at least another to come. 

The story of the young man was not one filled with joy and happiness. His father had passed, and when he had to relocate to the village he was forced to enroll in the shinobi ninja academy. Much of his choice was taken away, instead forced to walk a path others had decided for him. It was... a surprisingly common thing, the wolf imagined. Shinobi clans are families of ninja that were born, bred and trained to be weapons for the village. Making sure to finish chewing and swallowing before opening his mouth to speak, Loghain would inquire more. "It sounds like you didn't really have much choice in the matter of this promotion. It may be rough, but I am glad to hear that you are becoming more content with this sudden barrage of life changes." The wolf would sip on his glass of water, the steak that was once in front of him now gone. "The fact that you took down a village defector is an impressive feat, especially without more advanced shinobi training or a more weaponized bloodline." 

"If given the choice... would you take a different path? Or would you still become a shinobi for the village?" This question was something that the wolf himself had wondered from time to time. His relationship with the village was a good one, but he only found himself in this position because of the curse he was afflicted with. If he was ever given the chance to purge himself of the wolf and the bloodlust that accompanies it.... well, he isn't entirely sure what he would do. "Such a thought weighs on me often."

When the waiting stopped by again, the wolf would request another steak cooked same as the last. The other bar patrons have kept an eye on the pair, more specifically the hungry wolf sitting among them. Many of the obvious stares had died down, and between eating and conversing with Aki, it was helping keep Loghain's mind off of the rest of the bar.

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"If given the choice... would you take a different path? Or would you still become a shinobi for the village? Such a thought weighs on me often."

Aki pondered it over for a moment before replying, “It’s true that I did not choose this path, however when I add up all the choices I have made to get where I am now, I can’t count all that many” Aki took a handful of nuts and ate 3 of them before continuing “It’s not our abilities or skills that determine how we live and who we are, it’s our choices…and for most of my life I haven’t really lived at all, since I have made very few choices of my own.” 

“I don’t think much can be gained by pondering about what could have been, if I was given the choice. Go back to a few months ago the old me he wouldn’t have chosen anything at all and continued his job of staring over the walls into nothing. I have been through a lot of changes as of late and I’m still learning about myself, what I can do and what I want”


“Would I turn down the shinobi life and practice something else…at the moment I don’t think I would, this path is good for me.” Aki sat up on his stool and leaned forward resting his elbows on the table “In you case I would ask the same questions, ignore whatever condition, or bloodline, or skillset you have, they don’t define you as a person. Weigh up the choices you have made to get here so far and ask yourself if you are happy with them, and if not, make new choices until you are”

Aki smiled “Course it’s easy for me to say, my choice log to date is a blank slate. But the things that take effort are often worth it”

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The wolf would listen to his comrade speak, explaining his views on the matter. It was an interesting take, something that the wolf would have to consider. How many choices did he make to end up here? The server would set another plate of steak in front of Loghain, the man immediately starting to cut the meat up into manageable bites. "I will say that being in the shinobi forces does have its upsides. It has given me the opportunity to prove myself to the village, and more importantly to myself, that I'm not just a force of violence and a danger to all around me." He would take a bite, chewing quickly before swallowing it down and raising his gaze to meet the Yamanaka. "My biggest concerns are with the choices we are forced to make in this line of work... it isn't always guard duty or stopping petty theft. Sometimes it gets..." He looked away, unease settling in. He didn't really want to get into details of the matter, for this was a very bloody profession they found themselves in, "Well it gets to be more than I ever expected. It... weighs on you, some of the things we end up having to do." 

Loghain would take a moment, saying nothing and not even eating his food. He just seemed in a trance, staring at the table in silence as he thought about what all he had done.

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Loghain seemed lost in a deep thought, judging by the look on his face Aki could tell it wasn’t a happy thought either. This guy had deep personal issues with himself and was clearly struggling to fit in and make sense of a world that was shaping him to be a weapon. Aki regarded Loghain closely, he had defiantly been in some action, what I was Aki couldn’t say, and he didn’t want to bring it up either. But clearly it troubled him a lot, which was a good thing as it meant he was still in possession of his humanity

 Then he was quickly bought to attention by the sounds of people getting up to leave, the evening had progressed a lot further than he thought, and it was about time for Aki to head home for bed

“Sorry, I didn’t mean for this to be so…deep”, Aki scratches his head trying to think of something to make the pause easier. Unfortunately nothing sprang to mind so he gave in “look its late now and I have to go , I need to be up for training tomorrow but if your around some other time after a mission we can do this again” Aki smiled  

“glad we could talk Loghain” Aki left a small tip on the table and turned to walk out the door into the chilly night air to leave Loghain with his thoughts. The cobbled streets of hoshi got quieter as Aki made the long walk back to his house near the village wall. Letting himself in he kicked of his sandals by the door and headed for bed, the long day done.

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