[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

Tar and feathers? She snorted in amusement. It figured he'd make that sexual. It was her kind of humor, though.

Yoko pointed out three targets for him--a standing dummy, a ring, and a round target hanging a little ways from the ceiling--but it wasn't a perfectly straight shot to hit it since it was positioned partially obscured by another obstacle. It'd be tough to hit. The others? Would depend on him.

She waited anxiously as he threw. A part of her was hoping he'd manage by unfortunate miracle to miss all three. Instead, he did the opposite. Perfect, all three, done. Her shoulderes visibly sank. Another question for her.

Yoko downed her shot and gave a nod to his first one. More drinks? That was a safe bet. "Probably." If it was just her, even, she'd have ordered more. She was planning to go until the world went black.

The question he chose to throw at her for losing the round was deeper than she'd expected. She'd sort of set the bar for that one, though, and it was only fair to give it her best shot in answering sincerely--even drunk.

Yoko set down her glass and sat down on the tabletop, crossing her legs and thinking quietly for a bit. She'd answer them in order, slowly and deliberately, careful with each word.

"About you? I'd change...your temper." She didn't have to explain why, and she wouldn't. Going into detail would only sour the mood, but he'd know what she meant. Him being angry wasn't the issue--it was how he chose to act on it toward her that she didn't like. Not in the sexual context, either--that was fine. But attacking her? Never fine.

"About me? I'd change...my thoughts. I'd change how self-destructive they are..." She didn't go into detail here. Everything in that category was still hurting, like a fresh burn. Her thoughts about the incident in Mizu no Kuni were like poison she was still trying to be rid of. And then there were the intrusive thoughts that urged her into bad situations or bad states of mind--doubting herself, second-guessing her safety, flaring paranoia to the impossible.

"About us? I'd change our communication. I'd like to talk more...without being afraid of your reaction. I'd like to be open about the little things, too." It was a little harsh but it was honest.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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Well, that one was obvious. It wasn't as though he was expecting anything else. Akira would happily take that one on the chin because he was trying to become a person that accepted his rage: and by accepting it he had power over it that he once didn't have. It could be channelled. And her thoughts. Now that - wasn't something he would have anticipated to hear.

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But honestly?

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He didn't know exactly to what extent she meant. While he knew he wanted to say it was about their situation, he didn't think it was entirely. He knew how she spoke about herself and that she thought she'd deserved her undue treatment in Mizu no Kuni. So he reserved his judgement and believed it was something she would tell him in time if it was something she wanted to speak about.

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But what she hadn't told Akira about were her thoughts and he couldn't help with something he didn't know. But all of that had been peppered and layered in to hear the answer to what he'd really wanted to know. For them.

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She wanted to talk about things that vexed him without him getting angry (a fair enough response, since he needed to be more adult about those things.) But she wanted to be open about the little things. For all purposes of the questions. It didn't really feel like new information - just that she'd reiterated what he'd already known. "I'm working on that..but... what little things?" Akira wasn't sure on whether she would directly answer him for that or if they would have to play another round for it but he was curious as to what she meant. Because he didn't.

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The alcohol running in his blood was making him want to say things that would only be unhelpful. They would feel good at the time. 'I want this.' Was the words that stopped in the deep part of his throat. It would only say what he had to tell her later much harder and he couldn't put that off.

[break][break]
But what it hadn't stopped was the closeness and proximity that drew him to her. Akira, recognising his closeness would twist away and move to the rack in one swill of a movement. "So..uh.. .senbon?" Akira didn't use Senbon. But- it was just a projectile, right?

[break][break]
God it felt like it was back at the beginning.

[break][break]
Still - in Akira's vision things were taking a fun little ride for the next stop. Head swirling from the hours of drinking prior to the shots entering his stomach. Fourty five minutes was what it usually took, and the buzz was back and stronger than ever in his gut.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

The little things. There was a certain substance in knowing about not just the big problems or big events but the smaller things--the everyday things, the nagging concerns, the troublesome thoughts, the curiosities...

"Well," she began, heaving a long sigh as she struggled to put the exact explanation together in her head. "You never really talk to me about the little things in your day. Maybe the Gobi gives you a hard time, maybe the woman at the shop said something to piss you off, maybe something in your garden died and you're disappointed about it, maybe you have to buy a new piece of furniture and don't know which brand to choose, maybe something with your family is worrying you, maybe you had a fight with someone and it'd do you good to talk about it--things like that. I don't know much about the team you lead, either, outside of that you have one. I like hearing about that kind of stuff. It makes me feel...closer to you. I think the best we've done toward that was on our Valentine's date, talking about seasons and things. It was so nice. I loved it, and I'd love to have talks like that more often."

She smiled and finished off her drink, hoping she didn't sound totally unreasonable or--worse--weird.

Yoko was oblivious to Akira's sudden shift away from her in the way of him feeling too close. She'd scarcely noticed--in fact, she'd barely taken notice of the workers patrolling the area to ensure there were no mishaps.

Their next item was senbon. Perfect. "Prepare to lose!" she sang confidently. Needles were her thing--she could've hit her mark while sleepwalking with how much of a reflex it was to throw them.

Yoko gestured to the range. "You first, though. How about you get the dummy three from the left, then that target right of the center ring, then the weird-angled one four from the right?" They weren't difficult shots--not for thin needles to make--but they'd take some effort for someone not versed in senbon.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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That was an answer he could understand. The Gobi never spoke to him though, so there was little to comment on the subject: and Akira was self assured, so he didn't always think about his decisions he just did them. It mattered in a life or death situation. But it was what Akira had wanted from her as well. It had been exactly what he'd wanted from her and had to ask for. Not how he made her feel.

[break][break]
"For an us answer, that's pretty centric-ered on me." Akira quizzically spoke of her - still not giving her a break just yet. Like he was the sole one that needed to change for a relationship to happen. Akira knew that he wasn't the only problem in their little mesh cage right now. 'Don't you know it.' but not the smart words sometimes came from his mouth.

[break][break]
But, he would line up his shots. "I'll try." Akira would turn. "I'm trying to think of what plants to add for my summer garden since some of my spring plants are dying out. Y'know, I'm not gonna get angry for asking whats on my mind." Akira would throw the first Senbon. There was truth to that. He wouldn't be: but what Yoko likely knew was that Akira, and especially to his family tended to brush off things like they weren't important to deal with.

[break][break]
The thinking was affecting his Senbon because-

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Where the fuck did it go?

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It let loose from his hand and no amount of squinting would tell the direction it had gone. Even a moment to look for it, not stepping past the warning sign but damn near getting there as he leaned over.

[break][break]
"WhERE THE FUC-?" He was confused. "whaaaaaaaa?" Akira would look back at the woman. Shrugging. "I've lost it..." Akira would try for the second target. It would ping - directly between the clone's forehead. But fell off. "Does that count?" Akira would try for the last target but that wasn't going to go anywhere. A miss.

[break][break]
As far as Akira was concerned, it was one at best. The man shook his head. "That uh - whatsit. A radio? That thing." He pointed. "Same dummy target I just did. Same ring I just did." and see how she'd get. Akira would wait in the same area though.

[break][break]
"You kno, I asked that from you as well- before? These things... they don't just happen because you're hot. After it changed, you'd never asked how my day went. About the lil' details. I mean. I know I didn't as well... so, I can try." it had been why they'd started. But, he was trying to do it in a way that they were actually able to have a conversation about it- the throwing of weaponry was therapeutic in its own way. It provided an opportunity for them to air out their feelings too, even if they were in a cage with lots of sharp weapons.

[break][break]
Akira stepped back to give her the opportunity to throw her weaponry, giving her some space quite literally and also letting him lean against the mesh between one range and the other, so he would sip at the herbal woody whiskey and enjoy himself.

[break][break]
And busting her balls was quite fun as well.

[break][break]
He wouldn't tell her that.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

Centric on him? Well, the answer was, yes. But she hadn't meant it to be so one-sided. "I meant it both ways," she added quietly, hoping he didn't think she was planning to take with no give. Explaining it from his point of view was the only way she'd thought to describe it, but maybe she... No, she was overthinking it.

Akira went to aim his shots and spoke next on his garden. Switching over to summer plants... Did he mean herbs and vegetables or was it just a flower garden he was hoping to plant?

"I'd have to see your plot again for size, but watermelon is great for summer?" she suggested. "It takes up space though and you'd have to think about the plants strangling others nearby--especially if you end up in an apartment with less land to plant on." It was still a weird idea to her, that he was considering moving.

As for Akira claiming he wouldn't be angry for asking what was on his mind? She would believe that in time. It was such a spring-trap question for her, or it had been in the past, and she wasn't used to taking such a forward approach to things. But like him, she would try, too.

Akira was, for all his proficiency with weapons, not the best at actually keeping track of the smaller ones. Senbon were designed to be hard to see, but the scene of him scrambling over where his first toss had gone was enough to force her into a fit of giggles. The senbon not sticking totally didn't count. "Nu-uh!" she teased. Though even if she'd been charitable with that shot, it wouldn't have given him the score he needed.

Akira stepped away and opened up the targets to her. Yoko took three senbon and stood for a moment to aim the first one. Akira's words on reciprocating the effort were heard. She pondered them a moment before throwing.

"I'm sorry. I got so used to showing how I felt that I didn't always think to put it in my words. I'll try harder." She really would. They'd touched on the topic before--when he'd said she'd never actually stated what she loved about him--and she couldn't expect him to be more vocal if she wasn't, too.

"Noooow," she sang sweetly, bringing back her throwing arm. The pinkette unleashed all three needles at the targets he'd pointed out--all were dead center on the mark.

The woman jumped happily as a grin spread across her face. "Ahh! I got it!" Except the jumping didn't help her balance any and she ended up stepping sideways suddenly, grabbing at his arm to steady herself some while the room began to tilt.

"Totally fine," she insisted before he could question it, gently releasing the man's forearm. "So for my question..." She brought him a shot. "If you could picture what your perfect life is, a year from now, what would it look like?"

She would've used something like 5 or 10 years, but as ninja their expected lifespans weren't all that long, so it seemed more realistic to look at a shorter window.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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Akira just subdued a sigh, because he'd really expected her to say something for herself. But no, it was him that needed to change. Him who needed to quell his anger. Him who needed to talk about his feelings, him who needed to bring up those conversations, him who needed to trash his old love and commit to her. Akira knew there were things he needed to reflect on, and there was guilt that followed him for that. But for her, the Satori kept on coming back to the same issue. Saying that she loved him... primarily. There were others. Another. One other - he had to correct himself. 'I hope.' was that internal voice. So what he managed for Yoko was a nod.

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"Just my back garden, for summer plants. Not food." Akira didn't have a need for food and he was growing tea leaves at the most but even then, that didn't particularly count. Akira swallowed an invisible buildup of saliva, stifling a burp that wanted to leave from his sternum in a spectacular fashion. Unless he moved to somewhere that had more room to plant. He was thinking about his current house.

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They had their fun and projectiles thrown. Akira had seen her with Senbon as a favoured weapon of choice on many occasions. It didn't surprise him that her aim would strike true working with them so proficiently.

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Honestly? The Satori more saw her commitments, or her words as defeat now. He hadn't wanted her to start doing it now. He'd wanted her to do it to begin with. To effectively go about doing what he'd asked now he had asked it. Like putting on a mask, an act to win him over when all he wanted was a genuine woman who did it because she wanted to. Akira would nod, a weak smile. Accepting her words, and who would know? He was trying his best to accept it, and the man wanted to believe that she would really put in the effort.

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And what was more, they were rebuilding what had been lost in his eyes. Perhaps Yoko saw differently, but right now? It wasn't sexual, or emotionally intimate. Just two people trying to figure it out and where they placed in the world. But Akira knew her emotions toward him, or so she'd said. "Ohohoo....." she'd hit her targets. Akira went for a shot: but ended up being used as a board to hold up the woman. It was just so she could keep herself up. Standing.

[break][break]
She'd let go of his arm quickly enough though, and Akira would use that opportunity in his thoughts to think about it, and went to their table. Still, she was probing, seeing where he stood. Maybe she hadn't intended or meant to, but Akira knew she was probing him for a future that included her. Akira looked down at the ring seal on his middle finger.

[break][break]
Shot down plus coughing - he wasn't cut out to do shots, and he even felt a dribble from his nose. "Fuck," he wiped his face. "I want to be happy. Married." He'd thought about Arashi in a wedding dress many times, but that was a sad reality he would never see. Still, it was clear and yet vague all the same - eyes fixed to Yoko's as he spoke, a potential reality possible in his head. "Perhaps." He added on, knowing it wasn't so easy as that. "Doing something meaningful. A sanctuary I can spend my time in... being at peace with my Bijuu, ideally." But he was going too far with the dream. Akira was realistic. All of this actually happening? Unlikely.

[break][break]
Akira would touch her arm, coming back to her. Against the back of her elbow - a light one. A smile - not a genuine one. But a smile nonetheless - one where the corners of his eyes didn't move up or the certain crinkles he had on the underside of and around his mouth weren't there.

[break][break]
But. More fun first. Because, after tonight? It was going to get a hell of a lot worse or a hell of a lot better and Akira had no idea which. He still had bones to pick with her, but he needed to do it in a way that wasn't aggressive. Akira needed to be in control of himself. And.. he just wanted to have a positive memory.

[break][break]
"So...? Javelin? That dummy in the centre?" Akira cheekily suggested. Hand touching the small in her back as he directed her back toward the throwing area. Rather than finesse, this was a thing of strength. "Unless you had a better idea?" They had an entire small armoury: and she could peruse it. Was Akira treating this more like a date by touching her? Perhaps. Should he have? Probably not. But it was hard having to juggle the desire to be wanted and the logical part of his brain that was starting to be whisked away by liquid luck welling in his belly.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

Summer plants, but not food...so herbs? Tea? Or just flowering plants? She supposed if she actually went to take a look at them or accompanied him shopping--that was a cute thought--she'd just find out then.

Akira's answer to her was sort of cookie-cutter but no less sweet. To be married...that implied he wanted to have something solid, a relationship, and not be stuck in the situation he was now (with all the lingering feelings and frustration). His expansion on it was a little more narrow--doing something with his life that meant something, having a nice place to call his own (though in Yoko's mind he already had that), and to be at peace. She couldn't even venture a guess on how arduous a goal it was to want to reach any state of contentedness with a bijuu--or if that was even possible. But she had said "ideally."

"That sounds nice," she said simply--softly. She meant it, no matter how realistic or unrealistic it ended up being.

The touch to her arm was met with more standoffishness--the pinkette looking at him for only an instant (seeing the smile) before turning away. There was tension in her frame--but like last time, she didn't brush him off or move away. But the discomfort was obvious. She was still struggling.

He suggested the javelin this time. She didn't have a better idea than that, though she knew she was going to have a rough time with it. When had she ever--ever--thrown a javelin? Like...never? "Okay," she agreed softly, letting herself be guided over by the hand against her lower back. Again, she was tense--and he'd probably feel that--but she obliged anyway and moved on to grab one of the weapons.

She was trying.

Yoko lifted the javelin to level out above her shoulder. Balancing it wasn't all that easy with her strength level. "Is this thing made of cast iron?" she mumbled. Either that or she was just much weaker and much drunker than she'd realized. Probably the second one.

The woman wobbled a little trying to get her stance right. "Remind me of this if I ever decide to try harpooning," she joked, shooting him a look. And then she threw it at the center dummy that Akira had pointed out--and missed. The javelin struck the side of another target and awkwardly smacked against the floor, twirling to a stop very far from her actual goal.

She grimaced at her whoppingly large failure. "Oh. Um. That was...horrible." Embarrassment rushed heat to her face. It was one thing to miss here or there with smaller projectiles, but she'd had one shot to make and totally screwed it up.

Yoko stepped away to give him room. "Well. The bar's been set," she said with an awkward smile.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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"Yeah." Loosely passed that test. 'Phew.' was the internal narration by the man. A big part of him wanted to ask the same, but he didn't know if that would either be a) well received or b) even help for their situation.

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So. Projectile fly-ey time.

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The touch was not well received. That was loud and clear, and so he was very gingerly passing her toward the warning area, to the point he slid off her part way as if it was all very casual. Well... it was meant to be. He was trying. It had been a conscious decision that he wanted to do with her, but it was too much too soon.

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And that, too made him uncomfortable.

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"It's just a large senbon. Easy." in response to her comment about the weight. Brushing it off. Breezy. Yep, that was Akira. Breeeeeeeezy. He'd cross his arms though, turning his head to burp softly. Lots of drink. Drank. Yaaaaaaah.

[break][break]
Off her arm went. For what it was worth, she still wasn't bad at it. Akira had abandoned the idea to begin with. And still. It was really hot in here - so he'd pull at the top of his shirt, to try and get some breathing room but it wasn't happening. Off came the bowtie, undone. In the mean time, he watched her actual 'harpooning skills'. "Good thing we're not close to water, huh?" and so it was. But it was his go: Akira would go to collect some of the items on the way over to the javelin, picking all of it up. 'Feels composite, hollow?' He quickly sussed it out as he made his way back, dropping a few of the fallen projectiles back in their box. Then, back to the box with the javelin.

[break][break]
"Can't be too hard."

[break][break]
Akira would aim it: properly now. Try his best. And he did: it would pierce through the centre target, through the middle. Yeah, he did have a good decent amount of strength. Was there anything fun he could say? Do? Uh. Eh.....

[break][break]
"That's..."

[break][break]
'Hm.'

[break][break]
Akira went to pull the javelin out. What sort of question was best? With his back still turned to her, he would ask. "If you could have dinner with any person in the world, alive or dead - who would it be?" It was almost a generic one but he would be interested to know who she'd pick. It was for the purpose of getting to know her and for him to keep on asking vague questions toward their situation wouldn't be doing anything at all to actually help either of them. But still, it would let loose and Akira would fall back. Laughing, if only because he felt foolish - laying against the cold concrete ground with the javelin in his palm.

[break][break]
"Bonus question, what would it take for you to help me up?" Akira continued laying, feeling the world swirl a lot more than he'd intended on feeling tonight - and there was something a bit too strong about laying down after you'd had a few too many.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

A giant senbon? Ha. Hardly. If it'd been that straightforward she'd have done better. The javelin felt like it weighed half of her--an exaggeration from the liquor--but she did her best. She did wonder about the people who fought with weapons like this all the time. Javelins, spears...weren't they really bulky to carry around and swing?

Akira breezed through his own attempt, hitting the dummy dead center. "Show off," she mumbled, playful smile in place. She wasn't surprised, though--she'd known she was going to lose, or at least lose worse than him if he managed to miss too.

His question to her was about dinner. Who would she have dinner with, alive or dead? That list wasn't very long. She'd never thought about it before, something like that, who she would want to sit down with for any length of time that had passed. And there were very few people in her life now that she felt that close to.

She thought about it and was quiet, watching him free the javelin. She considered Ryo--for the simple fact she would use the time at dinner to unleash all the pent-up anger and fear and frustration on him, scream about how she really felt, get everything off her chest about the way he'd treated her. But then those thoughts devolved into the opposite, how a part of her would still crave his affections even now--she'd crave a knowing touch, a sly tease, that glimmer in his eye when he looked at her wearing something he'd bought for her...

She thought about Kaito and then about Akira himself, both of them for the same reason--that she cared about them. But that would be too expected, wouldn't it? Choosing someone for a dinner meeting because she loved them? And, really, she could've invited Akira to dinner right then and there and it'd be done. Her drunk brain was immediately latching onto all of the romantic things. And how could it not? She was lonely, hurting, afraid... She wanted comfort, and men were comfort.

And yet...

As she dug deeper--beyond the drinks and beyond the romance and beyond the lust--she found her answer. So much more substantial than all of that was the ache in her heart for the one who'd left her too soon: her mom. The woman had struggled with sickness before her passing and Yoko found herself struck by the realization that out of everyone, she would choose her. Dinner. A time to talk. Just one more time. One more time to see her smile. One more time to hear her voice...

"My mom," she said solemnly. But she wouldn't elaborate--there was no need, and she didn't want to cry.

It was then that Akira fell and asked for her help to stand. Yoko went over silently, offering her hand to him. She would end up using both hands around his to pull him up. But in heels, it wasn't an easy thing to right her own balance, and she stumbled backwards as soon as she'd pulled him up, her heel digging awkwardly into the concrete. She reflexively held onto his arms to steady herself, not realizing that she failed to let go when she spoke next.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, practically a whisper. Her eyes were on his, not looking away this time but moving between his own with concern. She was close--close enough to feel his body heat through the thin fabric of her dress. But she didn't seem to realize that either--only worried about whether he'd been hurt.

Sober Yoko knew the man to be more durable. But drunk Yoko wasn't privy to that logic in the moment.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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That was sweet and sad. His thoughts were elsewhere and it was the history of which he'd only learned a limited amount about her mother. He filed it was a question that he would ask her at a later date. He had to try too, right?

[break][break]
He had expected a far off celebrity. Akira had a person in his mind: a psychologist. Dead: but a wealth of information that Akira wanted to ask questions. But she did help him get up which was better than saying no, and he would use the javelin as a sort of pillar as well. A difficult process for two less than sober people but doable all the same.

[break][break]
And he would be there for her too.

[break][break]
She'd steady herself using him, which was only fair because he'd been using her to get to standing. So when she did, Akira pulled her back to him so she would be able to stand upright. And Akira noticed the touch, how it continued even after she'd asked him. How he focused on those hands.

[break][break]
How was he was a difficult question. In the small time of being uncomfortable he was unsure of where he stood with her, arguably more difficult in his heart as the touch was what he focused on.

[break][break]
And she had those eyes staring at him, green and gorgeous and so difficult to focus.

[break][break]
"I'm alive." Akira didn't really have a good way of delivering it. It didn't feel like he was really living.

[break][break]
"Not living. Not okay." To Akira, a weakness in him for her. The man tried his usual divert, but under her gaze he couldn't help it. Unable to really lie to her in the moment. "I'm sorry..." looking down. Akira knew she had been talking about him falling over. But was that what she really wanted to know? He licked his lips, wholly unintentionally but the subconscious was speaking for him some as well.

[break][break]
'I'm falling in love with you.' it was a very bittersweet thing to think at her, but the words in his mouth didn't form into them. 'And I hate you.' He wasn't even sure if he did. Maybe it was alcohol talking. But...

[break][break]
"I miss you so much." It wasn't the worst thing to say in the world but he had missed her fingers lazily running across his back in the morning or how she thought of him to buy separate spare sets of clothing. He let go of her hand, pulling it back to run his palms down his trousers for growing clammy.

[break][break]
But he had other things he needed to tell her.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

Alive, he said. But then...not? Not living. Not okay. What did that mean? Was he referring to them? Their situation? Something else?

Yoko waited, watching him with soft eyes, and then came his words: "I'm sorry." And instantly she felt her heart sink a thousand leagues. The only times recently she'd been spoken to that way--with such a soft apology--were when she was getting bad news, and she couldn't stop the blaring, booming thought that rose up in her conscience:

"He's about to say something that's going to hurt you."

And that apprehension would show on her face, orbs of emerald pleading with him: What are you sorry for? Was it something I did? Did I mess up? Are you going to reject me? Tell me you never want to see me again? What did I do?

In an instant, her intoxicated brain called forth flashes of every worst-case scenario. She felt fear--but this time of a different sort. It wasn't fear for how he'd break her bones but instead fear over how he might break her heart. She was quiet--waiting, watching. And then...

He...missed her? That was it? It wasn't some let-down or rejection. He just...missed her.

The relief swept in like a wave through her chest. That apprehensive stare was overtaken with a smile and a sudden swell of tears just on the edge of falling. She felt so overwhelmed in the moment, so suddenly reassured.

Akira withdrew his hands and Yoko's own hugged loosely around herself. "I miss you too," she said softly, offering him a warmer smile.

But all of the stress was also its own entity, and paired with the fruity drinks and shots, she felt a very rapid urge to either pass out or throw up. The room spun and stars speckled in her peripheral vision. The nausea would have her backing away, now.

"I'm going to get another drink, okay?" she said quietly, a bit hurriedly. "And also try to keep the shots down. I'll be back..." She managed to flash a small smile and then off she went, grabbing her bag and leaving the throwing area behind, trotting out of sight around a corner.

The bathroom was empty. Yoko stood in front of the toilet for a while, holding her stomach, willing herself to keep everything down. "You can throw up when you get home," she told herself. "You've been sipping fruity things this long, suck it up. Keep yourself pleasant."

The insistence seemed to work. Eventually her stomach settled itself and the dizziness did, too. She went to the sink, washed up, and let the cold water run over her hands and forearms. It was soothing with the constant heat wave of being drunk.

With hands braced on the sink, Yoko stared at her reflection for a while--the drunken kind of staring with thoughts aplenty to match. So many thoughts. Most were turning into want, everything physical, how much she desired the person waiting for her back in the range. How badly she wanted to be at ease with him. How badly she wanted to just wrap her arms around him. How badly she wanted him. Imagery plagued her mind--his lips on her skin, his hand around her throat, her nails digging into the sheets...

"We should slow down on the drinks," she told her reflection. And then, after a pause, "But if we sober up now it'll all come back."

So more drinks it was.

She touched up her makeup, spritzed herself with a fresh mist of perfume (a fresh, fruity and exotic scent) and then went to the bar.

She would return to their room with a tall glass of something blue with a straw skewered with fruit pieces (the "surprise me" response from one of the bartenders), a pair of shots layered in three colors (red, orange, and pink, at her request), and then another glass of what Akira had ordered--which she'd had to ask about having not been there before.

Yoko set everything down on the table and immediately took a sip of her new cocktail.

"Pretty, right?" she asked, referring to the shots.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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In the moments afterwards seeing her exterior break from a deer in headlights to a bright face felt good. It felt good to hear her say that. To see her face light up again lit up lights in his body and eased the built anxiety in his chest. But, it came back in a wave soon after when he knew their conversation was coming on.

[break][break]
But she wanted a break from him to get another drink. "Yeah. Can I get a glass of water and another Eiko?" He held his own whiskey glass up, but placed it back onto the table they'd been drinking from. It was the same drink he'd liked. Her going though, had an entirely different effect. "Yeah...." he would say as she went.

[break][break]
And rather than trying to give everyone else a visible look of what was on his face he turned around, facing toward the range - his heart freezing over. She'd chosen to leave in that moment? he tried telling himself that it was he just trying to figure it out. That she was trying to work through what he said, and it was just the alcohol. Yeah. His heart rate had increased and he would wipe his forehead, slick in sweat already - a combination of his clothes, being hot and the new elevated heart rate.

[break][break]
He needed something to do and quickly. Akira exhaled visibly, loudly and with immediacy and did the thing he could do best. Went to the range to grab a one handed axe - and his method of study as a Shinobi came to light when his body was like a well oiled machine in how it flex from his hands, he hadn't even moved from his position at the rack and the axe flew from his hand, a twirl and blur of movement as it embedded itself down to the hilt in the centre of the middle backboard.

[break][break]
He knew his emotions and how they worked, at least a little bit better than he had in previous years. Knew that a love was developing for her. A hatred was there: and she wasn't the only one who sat on there. Arashi was fading, but that wasn't quite what he had meant.

[break][break]
Akira was in a very different mindset when she returned. Akira tried his best to hide it, returning to her. A few more axes had already embedded themselves into the backboard in the middle - all relatively similar in proximity. Like he'd thought: the adrenaline brought back some focus of his training.

[break][break]
"Thanks," he smiled at her - and looked down at the shot glasses which she had pointed out. Then went eye-level to them to see how. "That's odd. Yes, but odd." Akira didn't know the science or how they managed to do it so that they didn't mix into one shape. But it was pretty. "Burning in three colours."

[break][break]
She didn't seem any different. "Three of your five a day goes well with alcohol." Akira nodded, putting his hands on his hips. One more button from his top had come off, revealing the top of his chest from having flung axes quite hard.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

Odd? He thought they were odd? Did he not notice the colors she'd specifically chosen for the layers? It was a cute little trio of their colors. Sober Yoko might have been offended and left it, but in the moment, Yoko was filled with fuzzy feelings and wanted to draw attention to it.

"It's our colors," she pointed out. "Orange for you, pink for me, red for...us." She smiled at him, now feeling a little shy for a reason she couldn't quite pin down. She took another sip of her own drink. His joke about the fruit on the straw had the pinkette taking a closer look at what had been skewered onto it. Ooh, pineapple, too? And cherries. There was a sad absence of strawberry, though.

She glanced over at the dummies. There were new items out there--axes embedded into a few things. He'd been throwing while she was gone? "I hope I wasn't gone that long," she said, worried. "I didn't mean to dash off on you. I just, um, didn't want a repeat of what happened at the other bar. My brain handles drinks better than my stomach does." And that was obvious enough by how her words still made a lot of sense despite how drunk she was. Some people devolved into senseless slurring but Yoko was pretty put together even totally trashed. That didn't stop the nausea and anxiety from creeping in from time to time, though.

"Want to do these together?" she asked, setting down her glass and picking up one of the shots. "Maybe, um, a little toast to something?" It was a cute thought--and there was a cute smile to match--but as for what that something would be? She had no idea.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!

[Deleted]

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Their colours? Oh. OH.

[break][break]
He hadn't been perceptive enough to notice that. He smiled. "That's sweet." It was thoughtful. Thoughtful by the way of alcohol. But not something Akira would have noticed. While he would've gone on to offer another round she wanted them to do a toast, and not only that - an explanation for where she'd been and why.

[break][break]
"Oh." That was soothing for him to hear from her - it was a manner of her stomach playing games and not because she was upset. Certainly could've been better timing but for once he did believe her. "I might have to do the same." Akira's vision was suffering a bit. While able for him to focus his peripherals were suffering now. It was a good sign for Yoko though because it meant his focus was entirely on her.

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So he would pick up two shots, offer one to Yoko, but interlock his arm around hers so that in order to drink the shot, they'd effectively be looping their arms between the other's.

[break][break]
"To one heart." It was a simple toast: no words mincing his intentions with her, no beating around the bush like he had in the past. But, he felt wrong for doing it - the conviction he'd bought wasn't for nothing. It was to prove a point later on. But because he expected her to give him everything, just as he would for her. Anything less wasn't enough. 'That's a manipulative way to put it.' he was chiding himself for his words. Internally, he sighed. 'It's what I want. Right?'

[break][break]
But it was there for him to improve what had once been strong. So he'd thought. And after it had gone down, he would slowly remove his arm from around hers making sure to not knock into her.

[break][break]
But Akira didn't move away from her. Just waiting. Fixated to her. Those outside the area looking in might've cringed at the moment happening seeing two drunk people being so intimate. But in reality, nobody cared. Nobody was staring, making fun, and were focused on their own thing.

[break][break]
But he wasn't a man if he could take action first, if she had maintained the doe eyed look which she knew how to command as a woman of her persuasion, that nonverbal communication would be all he needed to place a hand aside her cheek. One hand leaning on the table, keeping him upright.

[break][break]
Definitely more physically incapacitated than he'd given off.

[attr="class","sacred_credit1"]♰

[Deleted]

@akira

#ef6799

Now that he understood the meaning behind the colors, he noted it was sweet. She smiled. She knew it was--and seeing that he appreciated it made it worth the time it'd taken the bartender to get the pours just right to make sure the liquids stacked as they should.

With Akira's arm moving around hers, they were basically interlocked with their respective shots. It brought them closer, though, and this time Yoko didn't have the same knee-jerk tension at the closeness. It was nice. It felt, well, sweet.

The man's chosen toast was more heartfelt than she'd expected.

One heart. Oh, her own heart just about melted in her chest. The joy spilled over into her expression: the touched gaze, the affectionate smile, the softness in her eyes.

Yoko downed the shot--not really registering the taste, but it was in fact a mix of strawberry and cherry--and then those same soft emerald eyes found his again. She set her shot glass down, her heartbeat on the rise with whatever this moment was that suddenly came into being between them.

Holding that gaze, she felt a surge of want as his hand touched her cheek. There was no flinch to the contact nor aversion of her eyes. She was swept away into that moment, wanting him now suddenly so much more than she had the rest of the night. Not just physically, but emotionally. Mostly emotionally, in fact.

And it wasn't the alcohol that urged her to lean forward to kiss him--but it was certainly cheering her on. It was feeling. It was love. Maybe things weren't perfect outside of this little date night they'd put together, but it felt right in the moment, leaning forward just enough to bring her lips to his. It would be but a gentle thing, tinted with cherry vodka...if he allowed it.

OOC INFO

& NOTES!

SPECIAL ABILITIES ❖ Enhanced Chakra Control ❖ Medical Training ❖ Poisons ❖ Evasion ❖ Heightened Speed

TECHNIQUES/TOOLS [❖] (None)

❤ NOTES: No notes!