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Post by Juni on Mar 29, 2020 8:14:35 GMT -8
Hachiko listened closely to the others explain themselves to Zukkah about why he was summoned. It must have been quite a bit of information for one saiyan to handle, at some point, Koma failed to introduce himself to the man as he was in the middle of a phone call with someone named Yao Choi. However, his name was mentioned by the person on the phone when instructing Maxine to close the cabaret in order to host this private party to deliberate over the future of all saiyans in Little Vegeta. The man who was in prison wanted a cigarette, there was concern over affecting the taste of the food with the smoke, and the Tea Princess pulled out a capsule case from her pocket. It was a special edition case with a catalogue screen, with a quick search through it, she was able to download a vape pen into one of the empty DynoCapsules. With one click and a puff of smoke the vape pen kit emerged, which the red tipped horned demoness slid across the counter in front of Zukkah, and smiled at him.
“To clarify our positions with the Pig Demon Duchies, Koma hails from the White Cat Clan who are the Guardians of Korin’s Tower outside of Oolong City, and I am from the Tea Clan who has been ruling the Western Lands for over 400 hundred years.” Hachiko closed the case and put it back inside her designer kimono’s pocket before she continued speaking, “Saiyans in Little Vegeta, have been left unchecked long enough, our ancestors have ignored their gang activity, and in order to counter their crimes we need a leader among their kind. With proper training, you can become an honored samurai, and be an influence on others.”
[295] [3,956]
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Post by Zukkah on Apr 4, 2020 10:20:40 GMT -8
Zukkah was genuinely interested in what this group was offering him and completely caught off guard as well, but while Riku poured a drink and slid it over to the saiyan, Zukkah couldn't help but to smile. "Thank you, Riku." He said while picking up the glass and taking a large mouthful, before swallowing the contents with ease. With what the others had told him about Little Vegeta and rising up as some sort of leader for his people, Zukkah took another sip trying to take in all this information. "This is a lot to take in at once, but I do have some questions of my own, if that is okay with you all?"
The saiyan looked at the different varieties of food and grinned a bit, before sliding a small plate of beef and vegetables toward himself. Zukkah quickly began to eat the food as if he had not eaten in several days, but that was typical for a saiyan to eat like a lot. The food was absolutely delicious and Zukkah couldn't have been more grateful for what they have done to help him so far. "I must say, you all are much different than those I was used to being around. I feel..." He paused for a moment, grabbing the drink and washing his food down completely. "I feel safe. I don't think I need to worry about looking over my shoulder at all times." He announced to the group as a whole.
There was much going on around him, maids of his own race being escorted out of the room, while the others spoke to him in such a kind manner. Zukkah didn't mind what he was seeing, but his mind was focused on the offer Koma and the others had given to him. It was obvious that Zukk wanted to change and live a better life, one without the senseless killing and boring bar fights. Maybe this offer would be the first step for the saiyan in a whole new direction.
As Maxine officially introduced herself, Zukkah gave a slight nod. "Thank you, Maxine, but this is more than enough for now. By the way, my name is Zukkah." He replied in a calm tone, while putting his focus back upon Koma. "So, Little Vegeta needs a little makeover? Are these bastards getting out of hand or what?" He asked, but was quickly drawn to the fact that Hachiko spawned a vape pen from a small DynoCapsule and slid the device in his direction.
The saiyan quickly grabbed up the pen and figured out how to activate it, before taking a long drag from the device. Smoke slowly exhaled from the saiyan's nostrils, while listening to everything Hachiko had said. It seemed that she answered his question to Koma, but he continued to listen to every word the Tea Princess had to say. "A samurai, aye?" The saiyan began to think of what this would lead to, then a smirk flashed across his face. "When do I start?" He asked, as he glanced around at the others.
Word Count: 545 Total Word Count: 1,827
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Post by Koma on Jul 2, 2020 18:27:32 GMT -8
It wasn't a Samurai's place to evangelize about their beliefs. Simply saying them the one time was enough for a man of true honor and bravado. To repeat them would imply they thought that someone was not listening to the words they said, and to delve further into the subject without the coy gesture of a question or further comment on it was the sign of a barbarian. A man without class who was not fit to sit at the table of true warriors. So when Maxine didn't respond to Koma's remarks about his thought on androids and on items of great value, period- he didn't push further.
As Maxine did her excellent job as a hostess towards Zukkah, and as Hachiko explained the situation- Koma was silent. His eyes were indeed closed as the half-Saiyan Samurai thought of what was to come and what was to be done.
When Zukkah asked the scarred, grey eyed warrior when he started, Koma's immediate response was to throw a skewer pole from the plate where they stayed stacked. He did it without his eyes opened, but it should have moved towards Zukkah none the less. A test to see how fighting fit the Saiyan truly was.
“As soon as you are ready, and the others are, I will provide you with the proper equipment for a Samurai, and then we will go outside. I've arranged for the favored radio station of the local area to play a greatest hits selection of my choosing... and it should bring the gangs out.”
He didn't bring up the murder of Ma-Te, a crown prince of the realm, because this was not about punishing Zukkah about it and with the other two Saiyans tantamountly involved in that death currently missing, if Koma allowed himself to speak of Ma-Te, he might have attacked Zukkah for real.
He did however roll a capsule to Zukkah which had all of the items he had spoken of in it. A pair of suits, both a traditional samurai's kimono and a more modern equivalent- that of a tracksuit favored by Oolong City's alleyway samurai, and a daisho with three blades, a Tanto, a Wakizashi, and a Katana. It would be doubtful that the Saiyan who was about to be upjumped into Samurai status would know how to use it at a level comparable to Koma or Riku, but he had potential to learn and the Daisho was a badge of office.
“I plan to remind, effectively, Zukkah, to those of Little Vegeta – that they still live in Oolong City with the blessing of the Tea and White Cat Clans. And that I have no intention for them to pretend we're West City and one of those Brief Clan members calls the shots here.”
[465] [5042]
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Post by Rik on Jul 9, 2020 18:19:49 GMT -8
Riku tried to push away the haze from his mind and payed attention to the offer that was extended to Zukkah. If the saiyan man was wise, he would seize the opportunity that was being laid before him, and Riku would be happy to have the brash warrior at his side instead of across his blade. As Koma mentions the playlist and "bringing the gangs out" Riku sighed and drains the last of his sake once more. If they were going to be fighting he supposed he should sober up. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm haze washing through his body for another moment and told Zukkah, "I will help train you with the blade if you wish it, Zukkah. It is probably honestly best not to use it until you learn the ways of handing it properly, but if you must... hit the other man with the sharp end." Riku cackled for a moment and shook his head, bringing up the warning he had previously dismissed to view in his HUD:
WARNING Ethanol levels in the blood stream are reaching detrimental levels. Do you wish to turn on blood scrubbers? Y/N?
This time he selected yes and almost immediately he could feel... something happening to his blood vessels. The edge of his drunkenness wore off quickly and he was slammed headfirst into hangover mode. He winced and turned to Maxine, "Miss Maxine, could I get a large pitcher of water? I find myself suddenly... quite parched and in need of hydration."
The strange sensation continued to sober him up, but he could feel himself growing more parched by the moment. At least he could see straight now... and he could always get drunk again after the fight, time allowing. That sounded like a pleasant reward, actually...
[300/4143]
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Post by Maxine on Jul 10, 2020 2:02:48 GMT -8
As she organised the maids and cleaned up the remaining tables, Maxine –kept her ears and eyes open – Hachiko’s offer of a vape pen would have made the android scoff if she wasn’t so restrained or professional. If that had been offered at one of the old-fashioned Duchies’ meetings, she’d surely have been laughed out of the room! But, the android kept her mouth shut in spite of the temptation. Ah, these young people… well, that was supposed to be a good thing, wasn’t it? Perhaps the time for cigarettes was behind them. Maxine wouldn’t know, after all… she couldn’t exactly smoke, much less appreciate little more than the scent. She was personally more of a ‘beautiful lady with a kiseru’ person, anyway… err, well, maybe ‘fan’ was a better term than ‘person’…
However, Hachiko’s remarks proved more concerning than her trends. Maxine’s eye narrowed. To claim a single clan to have been ruling the Western Lands… that did not sit well. The Duchies were a conglomerate for a reason. Not that she hadn’t heard similar claims from plenty of bosses, but… not ones who had shown so little to their name so far. Maxine had certainly heard of the Tea Clan, but she couldn’t consider them a major player in the Duchies from her eyes. She would even say the White Cat Clan’s protégé had more sway… if only due to the foolishness of the Grand Dukes. Maxine agreed with the disgruntled clans far below them – the days of swords and samurai were disappearing further and further into the past. She’d certainly agree that the Saiyan in Little Vegeta had been rowdy, so she continued to keep quiet… but, to call an enforcer an ‘honoured samurai’ was no different than calling a killer a knight. Their actions would speak louder than any title.
As she returned to the table, a tiny part of her wanted to warn Zukkah not to let his guard down so eagerly; but this was all part of the business. And, she had a feeling he was well aware that his arm was being twisted. Giving a deep bow as her offer was politely dismissed, Maxine simply took a few steps back to stay outside of the conversation… while listening quite intently. It was all rather dramatic for her tastes, but that came with the gokudō. She got the feeling she should stick around just in case… they could bring as many swords as they’d like, but it would be a bad look if these souls were shot to ribbons while she was on staff. Her treasured revolver was in her suitcase in the back, so maybe…
If nothing else – she could certainly agree with Koma’s intentions. ”Far be it from me to speak above my position here as a mere manager; but if I may offer some advice for your safety’s sake, as my clientele – there is a seafood restaurant three blocks north of here, overlooking the small Bakuto plaza. As the plaza is popular during the evenings for its street stalls which often serve traditional Saiyan staples; or at least replications of them; the restaurant has become a common meeting place and neutral ground for these gangs’ leaders.” Pausing, Maxine fixed her gaze away from the group, as if to deliberately avoid noticing any reactions; ”For your safety, I would recommend avoiding the area… I imagine any disturbance that occurred there would be hard for any of those groups to ignore.”
Far from the most elegant offer, but she felt like it sounded good. Hopefully she wasn’t being recorded. She doubted it, given the style of the Duchies, but you never know. Oh well. It was fun, at least.
Maybe another time Riku’s raucous nature after so much sake would be annoying, but Maxine deeply appreciated his old-school charm at the moment; particularly in contract to Hachiko and Koma’s demeanours. The android could plainly see that the alcohol was catching up with him, and was quick to bow and excuse herself to answer his request – though she’d take a second or two longer in order to also acquire her revolver while she was in the back. And, err, then a few seconds more to figure out where you would put such a thing in a maid outfit… there were some pockets, but having a gun in your apron was kind of obvious!
Thankfully, she’d return swiftly and pour a glass of water for Riku, and be very much ready to pour him another as soon as the first vanished. However, she’d also put a trio of spring rolls by him as well. There’d been a few left after the kitchen had been closed, so she might as well put them to good use. ”You may find yourself peckish while you are clearing your head… please enjoy these, on the house.” They weren’t exactly going to be sold now, so may as well give a good impression! And, it was true that they’d help a little bit in helping him sober… err, well, as much as one could have faith in such methods on a cyborg. Maybe she’d be better off offering a defrag?
Stepping away from the table to the bar again, Maxine quietly added a new feature to the table – a tiny portable radio. She had it at a very low volume, but she got the feeling it might be… appreciated, and not just for the ambience.
[908/6356]
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Post by Juni on Jul 10, 2020 16:22:50 GMT -8
The Pig Demon duchies were a conglomerate, however Oolong descendants were in economical rule, focusing on increasing their wealth through the casinos they owned in the city, and spending their funds on the villages ruled by the duchies to cycle that wealth. The pig demon duchies elected a village that would sponsor the biennial sponsored global event at every new year gathering in order to lure in tourists to the Western Lands. Tundra Village had been elected to host the winter event last year which was fully funded by the Tea clan and the White cat clan. While both clans do not lead as a monarchy, their power of influence is entirely an economical one, and as heir to the Tea clan it was her responsibility to continue growing the family fortune.
The petty warlords of little vegeta interfered with Juniper’s path towards economical glory and their efforts to control this district of Little Vegeta had been left unchecked. It was the primary reason Hachiko arrived at The Flying Monkey, to witness for herself the type of successful business her brother Ma-Te invested in, and to discover the reason why the revenue had declined for months after he passed away. At the time she had no idea that Koma was involved when she arrived as a customer and his influence on the owner. In addition, he requested to close the cabaret early so that they could receive Zukkah as an ally, meant that he had connections in this district, and it was not enough to simply disguise herself as Hachiko; she had no choice but to trust in Koma’s plan to solve their troubles with the saiyans, and restore their influence. Over time she had been learning that zeni was not enough and she had a lot to learn as representative of the Tea clan.
“Excuse me, I have indulged enough in food and drink, please take your time to relax. I need to step outside for a moment for some fresh air, do not mind me Zukkah-san it is not the smoke, I simply have trouble staying in one spot for too long.” Hachiko rose from her seat in her designer kimono and walked over to Riku, “Would you care to join me Riku-san? Fresh air can also help restore the senses.” With a light bow directed at everyone, she turned on her strap heels, and left through the front entrance.
Red lanterns illuminated the entire street to imitate their competitors in the red light district located at the opposite end of the city, furthest away from the grand duke’s castles, and little vegeta was a bit too close for comfort wedged between the restaurants and housing district for the employees at the casinos. There was a veil of fog falling from the midnight sky like a curtain. It was refreshing that the light pollution had not affected the air quality from the time Pine Tea ruled as heir to maintain Oolong City’s lifestyle by countering it with an entire forest surrounding the city. The stars were still in view above from the natural growth of the forest which made her wonder what she would do to strengthen the unity of the Pig demon duchies, even now her clan had been making the decisions on her behalf, and the full responsibility behind her position had not weighed in entirely.
Crimson red eyes observed her surroundings, the street was not a walk in a park, it was dangerous to be alone, and it was not time for her to return home yet until she solved the problem of the petty saiyan warlords.
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Post by Zukkah on Jul 10, 2020 19:29:36 GMT -8
Zukkah kept his eyes on Koma, as the scarred, grey eyed warrior had his eyes closed, obviously in deep thought about something. In the blink of an eye, Koma picked up the skewer pole and quickly threw it at the saiyan with his eyes still closed. Luckily for Zukk he had his attention on Koma the entire time, so he managed to evade by moving his head to the left just a bit. "I don’t really know much about this Koma guy, but I do like his style." He thought to himself, as he glanced at the skewer pole, then back to Koma when he finally responded to Zukkah’s question, along with an explanation of what was next to come.
The saiyan was rather excited to get his hands dirty and get straight to business, but the fact that he would train to become a samurai in the future was rather thrilling. Having to train in a whole new way and becoming much more than what he had thought he would be. "I like how fast you work, but I was ready the moment I was transported here." He responded to the man, while grabbing his drink and chugging down the rest of the cold liquid. That was when Riku had mentioned how he would train Zukk with the blade if he wished, so the saiyan warrior looked at the android with a slight smile. "Sounds like a great idea, Riku. You looked to be well trained with your sword the last time we met."
As Maxine placed the radio on the table on low volume, Zukkah began to move his head to the beat of the song. Whatever it was, it definitely had his attention, causing him to zone out the rest of the group for a short time. The booze had obviously loosened up the saiyan a bit, causing him to warm up to those around him, but with Koma mentioning the gangs only a few short minutes ago, Zukk began to grin at the thought of putting what power he had to good use. The last time he even fought anyone was when Romanus, Marjhan, and himself went on that wild little spree. It was something he would have to get over in order to move on in life.
Zukkah took the vape pen to his lips once more and took another hit. As he blew the smoke upward so that nobody would breathe it in, Juni had excused herself from the table, mentioning how it was not the smoke causing her to do so, then she suggested that Riku would follow her. Koma rolled a capsule across the table to Zukkah, then spoke to him of how he planned to remind those of Little Vegeta who really own that territory. The warrior picked up the capsule and examined it for just a moment, before looking to Koma. "Sounds like a dangerous job, but a fun one to say the least." He spoke, as he held the dynocapsule within his palm for the time being.
Word Count: 526 Total Word Count: 2,353
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Post by Koma on Jul 12, 2020 1:58:01 GMT -8
What does it really mean to be a samurai? Was it skill in swordsmanship? Was it skill in the martial arts and the numerous weapons which appealed to the modern form of warfare? Koma thought to himself of a long gone battle, and of a diminutive little brunette girl hiding her fear and her self-doubt with the totem of a traditional kabuto helm upon her head, letting the sounds of her enemies and her allies rush past her ears as she focused. Focused on the feel of the rough leather strap of the kabuto's chin guard against her chin and the feel of the bone shaking vibration and heat from the emplaced machine gun she was manning. Was she any less a samurai than a braggart in fine silks and with a finely crafted, lavishly inlayed Jinboari with the samurai's Clan crest embossed with jewels? Was the test of a samurai their willingness to kill or die for their feudal lord? Perhaps the old timers said that as a real question, but few of them actually had ever had to do it unless it was against someone wholly alien and enemy to their clan. Koma didn't question either half of the equation. Neither of them were true in his stone gray eyes. Images of an alliance among the Bear Clan with the Ermine Clan and with Koma having to decide against the orders of his feudal sovereign, the lady Kuma of the Bear Clan. Images of Koma cutting down six Ermine Clan samurai in one series of movements to protect a poor farmer and her six children when the Ermine Duke wished to kill them to solve the question of back taxes that they owed. The Bear Clan's most fierce warrior and captain spat at the Duke of the Ermine's feet on that day. “Take their pay and back pay to cover the taxes if you are so worried about them.” On the other side of the equation? A battle field some years ago – or should it be said, THE battlefield, the one where his most important battle in life had occurred, and where a change of heart had come into the young samurai. Killing without just cause just because one's lord said so wasn't the test of a samurai, and neither was dying just because one's sovereign told them to. He could still hear the sweet whisper of her voice tickling in his ears as her voice rose and the Duchess of the Bear Clan went from helping carry Koma to stabbing him with a tanto as she shouted, 'DIE!' As he lay bleeding in the mud of that field and fighting back exhaustion and defeat, the answer came to Koma. It did not matter where they cut, samurai were not an extension of their lord's will to cut along a given line. A samurai could be made out of anyone if they had the force of will. A knife, however beautiful, was still meant to stab, to cut, to carve. It was just a matter of who was using it, a matter of if the knife was willing to allow itself to be manipulated. While Koma had spent long days in the wilderness, pushing himself to survive and living the life of a samurai afloat in the path of waves, he had thought of that. Thought of his own goals, thought of why he cut, why he stabbed, why he carved. With every sliding step through the world, as he trudged on to the future, he thought why the people of the Pig Demon Duchies had rallied to the Samurai path and the Bushido. Just because he had seen dukes and duchesses who failed at their gods given tasks of ruler-ship did not mean that the system itself could not work or did not have merit. Ma-Te's death had both changed and accelerated his plans. Initially he had thought to convince his friend of the truth of the situation and use Ma-Te's influence to get the Tea Clan behind such movements and to help build a restored Bear Clan with Koma at its head. It had brought Koma back with a fervor that made him worry about the truth of things, and even with the gifts that Ma-Te had left the eternal vagabond, it would have been a challenge. As other factors came to be known to the once sword-less Samurai, from the truth of his parentage and his lineage to the fact that he had been chosen to marry Juniper of the Tea Clan and potentially inherit the Grand Ducal title of the White Cat Clan? Nothing changed except now Koma had a lot more to work with. Where before he would have had to scrape by with scraps, now he didn't have to waste time on finding rusty forks to reforge into new blades. He just had to take the unwavering forward step. The shuffle of a Samurai confident in himself and in the gods. He could forge a new Bear Clan army with him at its head if he did and even as Riku asked for a pitcher of water and Juniper- or rather Hachiko stepped outside, Koma had begun to stoke the fires of the forge which he planned to reforge useless metal into something which could be a sword, a shield, and a screwdriver with. As Maxine gave her much lauded warning, such customer service as her tactically placed piece of information was truly best-in-class, Koma listened to the words and smiled. Perhaps he could make a bigger show of things than he had initially planned, and not only show the Saiyan toughs what a real warrior looked like but do so with such skill that he could turn those who wanted to wear century old armor and talk about some mythical places that didn't even exist into true samurai. It might be a fool's gambit, but he was born with the name of a spinning top associated with tanuki, and anyone who spun such a toy or thought of such lackadaisical creatures such as the Tanuki with any adoration? They knew that every step of his life as a samurai was a fool's gambit. “Don't slow down and don't think of the cleavers on all the sides of the arena.” he told himself mentally as he thought about stepping more lightly in this. “Spin and charge forward.”His win here didn't have to be precise, it didn't have to be beautiful. It didn't have to be the sort of thing which people would write great calligraphic art telling the story of. It just had to succeed. If it was big? Good, it sent those of the Saber Cat Clan a message. Koma the spinning top was still spinning. As the others left (in the case of Hachiko), brought refreshments for Riku (in the case of Maxine), presumably consumed those refreshments (in the case of Riku), and came to terms with the new status quo (in the case of Zukkah), Koma mused for a moment and then took a deep breath. Mentally it was pushing on the billows of the forge's fire, building it as he prepared. He stood up from the table, giving Maxine a polite bow, and then shifted his Katanas in their holsters upon his belt. He was in a track suit after all, an Obi wouldn't have worked very well for carrying the swords. “Tonight will be a day that they remember in Little Vegeta and Oolong City as a whole. It might be the source of a new ballad, but whatever else happens it will be a step forward in change. Be it in consolidating more power beneath the banner of the Tea and White Cat Clans and their associates, or be it a sign to the world that they are weakening and ripe targets. Tonight will be a day that they remember, and I'm honored to have your calligraphy gracing the scroll.” Poetic, serious, who knew. Koma still doubted his ability as a ruler at times, he was still an up jumped captain of a cadre of orphans turned samurai no matter how many people might bow and call him 'My Prince', in the future.
And so our heroes left the Flying Monkey, to begin the night's real events.
[1384] [6426] Juni Maxine Zukkah Rik
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