I'll Be At the Bar... [Open]

Jayr had moved past using a shot glass or cup and had gone straight to the bottle a good hour ago when she arrived. That beast was yet another in the several who had attempted to attack the village in the past few weeks, and to have such a close call with Captain Yen... it shook Jayr to her core. Something deep in Jayr's gut was telling her that this wasn't the end to the pattern of trouble they were beginning to see either. And so, when she had arrived about an hour or so ago, freshly clean with her rainbow hair just finishing drying, she had ordered and paid for a bottle of rum and had been nursing it ever since.

Her spot was at the end of the bar, and she was being given a wide berth: not out of fear but out of courtesy. The rule was that when Jayr was in this mind-frame she was to be left alone. It wasn't a rule that Jayr had come up with per say, but one that the villagers themselves had come up with: they kept the more rowdy members of the bar, as well as the vacationers who might have hit on her or bothered her, away.

Jayr brought the bottle to her lips, took another huge swip of it, and swallowed the liquid: it had stopped burning when she had gotten about a fourth of the way through the bottle, and now she was halfway done. If someone didn't intercede she'd likely end up sitting there for the rest of the night until the bottle was gone. As it was the bottle hadn't left her hand in over twenty minutes; she kept her palm on it and fingers wrapped around it even while it was sitting on the bar counter.

The bartender took a glance at her and slid her a tall glass of ice water as well as some snacks in the form of bar food. Before Jayr could open her mouth to protest he spoke, “The food's on the house, Jayr. And I don't care how strong you are; you're not leaving this bar until you've downed that water. All that alcohol isn't good for anyone. You're also not walking home by yourself.” Jayr just shut her mouth, figuring it was safer not to argue, and reached over with her left hand. She plucked what turned out to be a cheese stick from the basket of food and took a bite of it: her stomach roared to life.

It wouldn't take him long to find his daughter. He knew the bar that she frequented when she was on her breaks; the very same he went to. As he stepped into the Horned God, he was quickly greeted with smile and slaps on the back. He didnt pay them any attention, beyond the unconcious replies and head nods. He wasn't here for pleasantries; he was out to find his daughter. He'd been meeting with his advisors and strategists about planning something for the soldiers of his village. Said meeting was interupted by an urgent report that something else was attacking the village, but the situation had been handled. When he inquired as to whom exactly had responded to the emergency so fast and dealt with it just as quickly, it came as no suprise to the commander general that Jai's name was spoken.

Yea, his kid was doing a damn good job.

Something had to be done. While as her commander general, he would see to it that she was properly reconized for her actions lately; first, her damn near single handedly saving the village of Etherblade with her quick thinking, and now this. But as a father, there were other things he was responsible for; things like her well-being rather than her job. He needed to make sure that his daughter was taking care of herself, and getting the proper relaxation she needed.

As he pushed his way through the patrons of the bar, he peered through, attempting to locate his daughter, Jai came to a quiet conclusion. While his daughter was indeed a soldier -- and a damn good one at that -- she needed time to herself. Time that didnt involve sneaking someone into her room at night or out in the morning. He would see into giving her some R&R -- as soon as he could find her.

With a glance to the bartender who nodded to the back of the room, Jai soon spotted Jayr off by herself, nursing a bottle something. Making his way over to her, he slipped into the seat beside her and nudged her. "Heya, kiddo. You alright?"

Jayr brought the bottle up to her lips once more, taking quite a large gulp of the brown colored liquid. She then placed the bottle back down on the bar top, but still didn't let go of it. She stared at it for a moment, thinking about how she was beginning to form a pretty bad habit, and then thinking about how she was surprised she could think of something like that while intoxicated, when she was nudged. She turned her head, staring at her father for a moment and blinking several times to clear her vision before a grin spread across her face. “Hey dad.”

She then glanced over to the bartender who looked quite pleased to see that Jai had arrived. Feeling suspicious and a little bit drunk she looked back at her father, remembering that he had asked her a question. Her first instinct was to say that she was alright, and that everything was okay. But, this was her father, and not a perfect stranger. “I'm... kind of... I dunno.”, she stopped, thinking. She wasn't intoxicated enough not to be able to form words, hell her speech wasn't even slurred yet, but she didn't know how to explain exactly how she was feeling. “I had a close call today. Captain Yen was helping someone stuck in the mud, and that beast took aim at her... I almost didn't make it in time. Had I been a hair too late she would have been killed, and she never would have even saw it coming. Her back was to it; I don't know what she was thinking... I tackled her and the person she was helping out of the way... I was so close I could feel that bullet pass behind me...”

She sighed suddenly and let go of the bottle. She reached over and picked up the rest of her cheese stick: she tore another small piece off of it and ate it. She chewed quietly. ”I thought maybe a drink would help me relax...”

“I had a close call today. Captain Yen was helping someone stuck in the mud, and that beast took aim at her... I almost didn't make it in time. Had I been a hair too late she would have been killed, and she never would have even saw it coming. Her back was to it; I don't know what she was thinking... I tackled her and the person she was helping out of the way... I was so close I could feel that bullet pass behind me...I thought maybe a drink would help me relax.." Jai nodded in sympathy; he could understand the feeling very well -- he himself had come close to dying many times while he was in the field. It was something you never truely got over, no matter how many times it happened. But at the same time, Jayr knew the risks when she signed up; she knew intimately what happened to those who wore the symbols, those who wore the medals.The price was high, paid for daily with blood, sweat and tears.

Taking the bottle away, Jai nudged Jayr again and offered her a smile. "Hey, but you saved them both yea? And even then, you singlehandedly stopped that thing from destorying the village. You should be proud of yourself, Jayr. I know I'm proud of you." He slid the bottle away from her, further down the bar before he spoke again, leaning in close so that only she could hear him speak.. "And for that, Jayr Kyamalie, let me be the first to congratulate you on your promotion." He paused for a moment, allowing what he said to sink in. "That is, if you wish to take it."

"I'm putting together a small unit of soldiers whose purpose is to deal with issues such as the creature from today, or the flame demon from a few weeks back, among things. They'll only answer to me. If you remember anything about the other villages, this unit is modeled after what is known as thier 'Anbu' units. Now, obviously, we don't use the same terms as rest of the 'hidden' villages, so I was thinking of something.. 'modern'. Perhaps Wolfpack?" He stopped again, motioning to the bartender. When he came over, the commander general asked for something quick and easy.

"Dragon's Cum, please." As she walked off, Jai turned his attention to Jayr once more, smiling again. "I guess what I'm saying is that I'm offering you a position within this group. It will take you off the regular rotation, and allow you more free time -- however, you will be on call for activation at anytime. You're free to say no, but I want you think about it while you're off on your next mission..."

And he was taking the bottle away she'd finally released her hold on: probably for the best, in fact she knew it was for the best. The damned booze was doing her no good after all, and it was only making her head and thoughts fuzzy. She liked drinking, she wouldn't deny it, but perhaps it wasn't the best idea to be doing it while she was in her current mind frame.

She allowed her father's words to set in: he was right, she had saved them both, and she hadn't died either. It was a close call, but those happened. There was no point in dwelling on it. To hear that her father was proud of her made her smile, and put her mind further at ease: to hear such words even if she knew them deep down regardless had a rather sobering effect on Jayr in a rather nice way.

And then his next words caused her to really sober up: a promotion? She was only seventeen years old and ranked higher then most people could achieve in a lifetime, and now she had a chance to go higher still? As her father outlined what this Wolfpack would be like and how she would have more free time but technically be on call at any time, she thought it over carefully. More free time meant more time to spend with her family – something none of them got often enough, but it was the nature of the job. Being on call to handle situations like the one she just handled... well, she could deal. She was confident in her skills and yet not cocky: she knew she would have to be careful because it would be dangerous.

She didn't need more time to think it over. “I accept.”, she said with a grin which turned playful as her mood completely shifted into a far better one. ”That means I'll have more time to annoy you Kadi.”, she said with a chuckle.

A sudden female shriek followed by what was clearly the sound of a glass breaking caused her to jerk her head to the right and towards the front door: Cana had apparently just wandered in and while the villagers were all too used to the massive wolf the tourists were not so lucky. Cana, took one look at the woman, stared at her for a fraction of a second, and then wandered over to Jayr. The woman looked around, clearly shaken as to why no one else was reacting the same way. One of the villagers calmly began to explain to her who exactly Cana was while one of the waitresses got a broom and began to clean up the mess.

Cana whined softly as she came up on the other side of Jayr and placed her large head in Jayr's lap, staring up at her and Jai with an apologetic expression. Jayr scratched the top of Cana's head gently. ”S'alright. Not your fault. I have good news....” and at that Jayr paused, speaking to Cana not in english but in the same short burst of growls and barks the wolf so often used to communicate: clearly explaining to her what her father had just told her, only doing it in a way that would allow them to communicate without the rest of the bar catching on.

Cana, suddenly excited, began to thump her tail against the wall: apparently she was all on board with this too.

All that could be seen was the hood and the occasional glow of the cigarette that was raised by his hand to his mouth and the subsequent smoke that came from the unseen mouth hidden in darkness. Bankai did not want to strut around the city with any servants. No not this time. So far he had no been successful in keeping up the Misaki name as a soldier. The last mission he was on, yes he did an important task of getting the civilians out to safety he still felt inadequate. There was still so much he could improve on by leaps and bound the others that were on that mission surpassed him. He took another smoke and looked at the two that sat in the same bar that he sat in. The Commander General himself was here, and he was speaking to his daughter. From the looks of things, her body language and facial expression, everything was not a hundred percent with her. Classic scene of father consoling a troubled child. He remembered when his parents was there when he escaped from the lab after the experiments. He remembered when he would be shaking from the post traumatic stress that his mother would come and minister to him at night and his father would embolden him with his encouraging words. But Bankai could not help but over hearing the Commander's words and he was about to take his leave out of courtesy when he heard phrases like 'small unit of soldiers' and hearing the part about the unit being modeled after the ninja ANBU it piqued his interest to say the least. Involvement in a group like that would mean Bankai along with his comrades would truly be protecting the village. He simply sat there thinking how it may be like to be in a special unit. He likened it to being in his own clan with only the members of the unit and the Commander himself knowing the deeds of the other and no one else. Not even the common soldier or even his family would know. The thought truly intrigued him as he took another pull of his cigarette. Then without a doubt the girl was happy about whatever it was that her father told her. Bankai's eyes shifted a bit to a large animal, he had seen it before as it placed its head on its owner's lap as she talked to it soothingly. He outed his cigarette and took a swig of his saki straight from the bottle as the warm liquid made its way down his throat.

ooc: 434 words

Jai grinned, holding up his hands in a mock display of defense. "Hey, hey. I said to think it over, not to agree so fast. Besides, I did say think it over while you were on your next mission, yea?" He grinned at his daughter, patting her back then reaching down to pat at Cana whom come into the bar.

It was then that his drink arrived, causing the commander general to pause for a moment to sip at it. Pretty soon, the shot was gone, and the commander was quite happy he'd ordered. It was a recomendation be one of of his more adventurous captains, and Jai was far from disappointed.

Glancing about the bar, he blinked slightly then turned to Jayr and stood up before holding out a hand to her. While he trusted the people of his nation, this was not the place to be discussing a mission of the caliber he was about to give Jayr; perhaps another palce would be more suited. "Come. Lets talk in my office about your next mission, yea? Get two coffee's to go, love. I need you sober for this." With that, he would wait for her until she was up and moving, then turn and take his leave from the bar.

-Exit unless prevented-

WC: 1027

Jayr laughed softly and simply shook her head causing her rainbow colored locks to come falling down over her shoulders. Cana simply thumped her tail harder at the attention from Jai before lifting her head and licking Jayr on the face. Jayr, all too used to this, simply reached beneath Cana's chin and gave her a good scratch.


She nodded at her father's next words: it did seem best to go elsewhere for this conversation. She looked over to the bartender who had been hovering nearby. The guy nodded to the water in front of Jayr while he went about making two excellent, very strong, cups of coffee – the guy was a godsend really. Jayr downed the glass of water to get some liquid in her other then the half of a bottle of rum she had downed, and then took the two large lidded coffee's complete with the works when they were handed over.


Jayr slipped off her stool skillfully, coffee's in hand, and followed her father out of the bar. Cana followed behind her, pausing to get her ears scratched several times, but otherwise keeping up with the pair as they left.


[Exit Unless Prevented]

Bankai did not hesitate to make his move. His curiosity had indeed piqued and he simply had to know. He rose when he saw them turn to take their leave and moved as well and stood in front of both the Commander General and his daughter and simply looked at them both, his blue eyes literally glowing. He realized recently it happened when he was either excited or angry but here, it happened because he simply was not too sure of himself and this was a rare occurrence. He simply mustered his courage and his lips parted. This was the man his father had spoken about and his reputation as a leader and a fighter. Even the wealthy and powerful Misaki clan had revered him and so did Bankai. He was after all his leader.

"Commander General..."he acknowledged him with a salute, "Colonel." he acknowledged her with a salute as well. "I could not help but over hearing what you were saying Commander. But if you were to allow me, I would like to offer my views on it sir."

Bankai looked at the Commander with impassive eyes awaiting his response. He knew what he wanted to say, it would not be wise to utter anything. Because just as he heard them, other unknown persons, maybe enemies could be listening as well. The Commander could just dismiss him and it would all be over too. This thing could swing either way but Bankai hoped this was a first step in the right direction in showing his dedication to Hanagakure. If there was a way to show his absolute devotion then he was going to take it. Anything for his pride and joy...

Jai took no more than three steps before someone stepped in front of him.

The fuck was this? Was someone looking to brawl? Somebody was about to get fu--

"Commander General..." Was that.. Lieutenant Bankai? Wonderful. He needed to speak to him about his actions during the fire demon's actions-- "I could not help but over hearing what you were saying Commander. But if you were to allow me, I would like to offer my views on it sir."

Help but over hearing? Jai remembered whispering to his daughter this information in a noisy bar; if Bankai was to 'overhear' anything, it meant he was listening in with intention. This was why Jai was attempting to leave with Jayr to discuss her mission and promotion in private; too many people were around, and Bankai standing before them, offering his opinion on a matter that did not concern him was solid proof.

"If I wanted your opinion on this matter, Lietentant Bankai, I would offer you an position on my advisory counci, but as it were, this is a classified matter, and you are not on the council. I would like to advise you, however, to keep quiet about anything that you might have happened to 'overhear'."

Translation: This doesn't concern you; Mind your business.

Stepping around the Lt., Jai continued onward to the exit. Before he could step outside, he would pause, turning his head back to Bankai. There was something that needed to be addressed, and he would take care of it today. "Bankai. There is something that does require you attention. Meet me in my office in one hour. Good day."

-Exit unless prevented-

WC: 1300

OHGODTHEYWERESTOPPING. WHYWERETHEYSTOPPING?!


One did not simply stop someone who was drunk from walking: someone who had downed half a bottle of rum in an hours time. No, one did not simply do that.


But, of course they did; or he did as the case was. Jayr came to a stop, wobbling in place. Cana came up behind her, sticking her large head to her back and keeping Jayr from toppling backwards: thank god Cana's size meant that Jayr could lean against her and not hurt her because that's exactly what Jayr female was doing.


A conversation was had in which Jayr took no part; though she paid close attention despite being a bit more tipsy then she realized. Without a word she then left after her father, Cana still bringing up the rear in case Jayr happened to be stopped again.


[Exit]

Bankai as always had an impassive expression on his face as he side stepped and let them pass. He would appear in the Commander General's office soon. He was unsure of what it was but braced himself mentally for it. He had no intention of letting anyone know what he knows, it was not part of his persona to let things slip from his lips in any conversation. When they left, he too also took his leave.

(exit thread)