Chasers in the Bar With My Woes

While You Read:

Chasing a Panhandler
Drunks in Distress: A Bustling Bar
Relationship Woes: A Budding Interest

"You know how that should go..." Sakaiza reflected to himself with a sigh as he approached the bar which he signed up to assist for the night. It was a Saturday evening, and Yugakure had been bustling with life. Earlier today when he spoke with the recruiter the request simply entailed collecting money and cleaning up tables within the bar. Yet upon arrival the hostesses offered him a uniform she expected him to dress himself in.

Taking a look upon the black tee shirt embroidered with the bar's name, slogan, and symbol, the swordsman would tilt his head towards the woman. He'd then look down upon himself, clad in armor with swords and a devilish mask, then looked back towards the woman. "That's not going to happen," he muttered in vexation.

"Well you sure as shit ain't serving in my bar with that get up on...especially not with that monkey! But, you two could be the bouncers. Yeah that'll work just fine. Just stand outside of the bar, make sure no suspicious individuals come in, and please make sure they pay the cover fee of 10 ryo. Now off you go, go!" the woman exclaimed while giving a playful yet pushy nudge to force Sakaiza from the bar's entrance to its opening threshold.

The recently appointed Hyogakage would scoff, amused by the fact that a bar's hostess was instructing him what to do. But his identify was anonymous, and truthfully he just wanted to earn some more ryo before returning home. And so outside of the bar he stood, arms folded across his body as he guarded the entrance. It wouldn't take long before the first patrons began to pour in, somewhat taking back by the bouncer's intimidating appearance, by nevertheless happily paid the cover charge before getting patted down and entering the bar. Several iterations of the same interaction went on as the hours passed before one individual in particular appeared. He seemed vaguely familiar, almost as if he had been someone Kai was looking for. His appearance was rugged, tattered, and overall low class. Upon reaching Sakaiza he'd wave his arms to the side in anticipation of getting patted down. 

"You're going into this bar dressed like that?" Sakaiza would ask hesitantly before beginning the procedure of patting the man down.

"Sure am. Some of the best clientele is in here." the man would chuckle to himself.

Raising an eyebrow underneath the confines of his mask, Sakaiza's hands would come across a series of odd objects hidden in the man's pocket. 

"What is this?" he'd ask aloud while firmly gripping the object over the man's pocket. 

"It's just a can," the individual would respond.

With a peculiar expression, Sakaiza would move the can around back and forth to give it a bit of a shake. In turn the sound of ryo jingling in the can would pierce his ears. 

"What are you some kind of b..." the Wretched would forcibly ask before pausing. Now it was all making sense. The man's appearance and inventory suggested that he was a certain panhandler sleuthing and scamming villagers over the last few weeks. Supposedly he had posed as a homeless man and would rip people off of anywhere between 500 - 1000 ryo a week. The man was good at his craft, but poor at being conspicuous.

Realizing he was in a bad spot, the man tried to pull himself away from Sakaiza but to no avail. The grip of the Wretched would tighten upon the man's bicep and hip, keeping him firmly in place. "Bingo" Sakaiza would say, realizing he could double up on his ryo for tonight's mission by easily capturing and subduing the notorious perpetrator. Before he gave the now astonished man an opportunity to explain himself, the Binding of Yuumei already began. Besides, what better way to calmly subdue someone than to cast an indiscernible genjutsu to paralyze him. Inn shock, the man would faint. And as luck would have it, the authorities had been approaching the bar at the perfect time.

When they'd near him, Sakaiza would simply let out, "Here's your panhandler. There were fliers posted around town about him. Seems like this is the guy."

"Oh...way to make our job easier. Tag him." they'd say, grabbing ahold of the man from Sakaiza's clutches before placing a sealing tag upon him. They'd then whisk the man off, almost as quickly as they arrived. 

Returning to his post, the Shinkou felt a small sense of accomplishment with the recent encounter. This satisfaction was short lived though as the next patron began to approach him. This one had been the polar opposite of the panhandler. He was a young, clean cut man, dressed in a well fitted suit that was a bit upscale for the typical attire of the bar. Though it was a refreshing change from the beggar. Though he presented himself well, his persona was characteristic of nerves and anxiety, evident by the way he fidgeted with the lapel of his blazer. He would stop a few feet away from Sakaiza, with his eyes flickering between the bouncer and the bar's entrance. 

"Excuse me, I know you're the bouncer and all but I believe my friend is in there. And I need some help."

"Help? What do you need help with?"

Taking a deep breath, the young man would continue. "You see, there's a girl in there. And I've seen her around this bar a couple of times and I can't stop thinking about her. And I think she's into me too. But I don't know how to approach her and have felt creepy just checking her out from afar. And"

"And you want me to help you with this?" Sakaiza interjected, already aware of where the conversation was heading.

Nodding, he'd continue. "Yes. From what I can tell you seem to be capable of handling yourself in tough situations. So speaking to a woman should be easy enough for you. Maybe you can just help me come up with something to say. Like an opener, or a cool story. Something that makes me seem...not like me."

With a chuckle, Sakaiza would imply inquire, "What's your name?"

"Ryu" the man replied while attempting to straighten his posture and confidently lower his hands to his sides.

Pausing for a moment, Sakaiza's mind would cycle through a couple of stories and experiences he's had that he could potentially use for the story. "Alright Ryu, and what do you do?"

"Well...I'm a bit of an archaeologist that loves history. Specifically history on ancient weapons and things. And I've been trying to learn how to be a swordsman, and maybe even a shinobi one day."

Nodding in place, Sakaiza's wheels began to turn. "Alright so check this out. Approach her and let her know you noticed her noticing you. And then compliment her. She'll laugh and smile if she's into you, if not then just leave. But if she bites, then you need to reel her in. Make yourself seem mysterious. Don't tell her you're an archeologist, but tell her that you go on dangerous adventures in search of ancient relics. And some of the ones you've found recently have started you down a path of becoming a shinobi. Then let the conversation develop from there."

It was a reach, but Kai figured it was as good of an approach as any Ryu could come up with. Enthused, the man would say "Yeah yeah that sounds impressive. I can do that. Thanks boss!" he'd say while extending his arms outwards to be pat down, then offered Sakaiza the 10 ryo for entry.

"Don't chicken out," the Shinkou would say as he permitted the young man's entry. 

Various encounters like this would go on for the remainder of the night before 2AM rolled around, to which Sakaiza's shift would be over. The bar had started to clear out and one of the last pairings to leave were none other than the young man and a dazzling young woman on his arm. He'd offer Sakaiza a confident head nod, and be on his way out. Sakaiza would then smile to himself and re-enter the bar. He'd check out with the staff, collect his payment, then make his departure. It had been an eventful day, but one that felt relatively rewarding. If only life would always be simple...but instead his next chapter in life was leading a village. Nothing like being a bouncer for a bar. And so he'd make his departure from the bar, walking along the moonlit street of Yugakure. 

It was nights like these where he relished small interactions that held no gravity in the shape of the world. But also, they made him reflect on the opposite, where decisions of a major village would impact the climate of a continent. He couldn't help but think back on his time as a shinobi of the since destroyed Sunagakure. It had been many years since he last saw his team leader, teammates, or even Kazekage. Of course it was most probable that they were all dead by now, but the Shinkou couldn't help but wonder what series of decisions led them to that demise. And if they even realized it. He'd sigh, slightly hanging his head lower thinking on how he'd never be able to engage them in a casual drink or partake in a night out with the, visiting a bar similar to the one he had been the bouncer for. Then he'd chuckle lightly, thinking on how friendly rivalry with Nobu would likely escalate into them getting thrown out of a bar. Maybe it was for the best that things happened this way. But one thing was for certain, he wouldn't let history repeat itself.

WC = 1626

- Exit - 

Claims:
1626 WC towards Pure Darkness (1923/2250); Rest Learned here
- 3x E Rank Mission Rewards -> 3000 Ryo + 15 AP
- Converting 15 AP to Ryo -> 15 * 50 = 750 Ryo
- Kage Pay for 3 missions -> 45,000 Ryo
- Total Ryo Claim = 48,750

Sakaiza wrote:
Claims:
1626 WC towards Pure Darkness (1923/2250); Rest Learned here
- 3x E Rank Mission Rewards -> 3000 Ryo + 15 AP
- Converting 15 AP to Ryo -> 15 * 50 = 750 Ryo
- Kage Pay for 3 missions -> 45,000 Ryo
- Total Ryo Claim = 48,750

Approved