The long fingers of night had strewn out stars like countless specs of sand, pinpricks of the days majesty torn into the air. There was no panic underneath for it, but laughter, joy; the roar of a fire and the faint lapping of the waves. No one minded the sky above them, only the sands beneath them.
Even my eyes had long drifted down from the sky, guard duty having been wheeled off to some other hired hand. The party had been going in full swing for some time, no hostile villagers had made their way in yet. A break was in order, and I chose cards.
"Hmmm." there wasn't much of a choice. Looking back down at my hand of cards, my lip twisted as I put them back down on the table. If you could call it that - some party goers makeshift plank of wood on a rock, not much of a table.
"Raise you." a chirp followed by a smile, watching his face as I leaned back. It was an awful hand, a pair of fours and a loose jack. They don't have to know that~ Sometimes you have to give yourself a friendly reminder. Helps to keep the face on.
A faint smirk with both sides of the face hoisted into spirals, the faint line of teeth that let them know you were ready to laugh at whatever misfortune you led them to. There were times I was upset at my own disposition, but with gambling?
I'm the goddamn king.
One by one, the other players would drop out or raise their bets, a cacophony of poorly made financial decisions.
@--- | 279 words | join in with cards, and see where it goes! 1-2 people max, please
MADE BY ★MEULK
Last Edit: Aug 31, 2021 13:56:44 GMT by Nomura Benkei
What even was gambling? A mainstay of the pirate life, for one. The number of times the Inuzuka had gambled for their lives or riches went beyond counting. Unfortunately, Makoto never took much consideration for the rules and, like a great many things, simply followed her gut.
"Heh. Yer on," the kunoichi chuckled from across the makeshift table, her fangs accentuating a confident smirk as she raised her bet.
Makoto may not have known what she was getting into, but glancing down to her cards she had nothing but the utmost faith in her victory. Two was a good number, seven had a nice ring to it, and the last card had a fancy symbol on it. Yeah, it was probably the strongest card without a doubt! This was going to be an easy win.
As for the other competitors that slowly began to drop out one by one, Makoto could do nothing but growl in disdain or shoot them dirty looks. Were they really giving up just like that? Without putting up a fight? It was shameful.
Looking back to Nomura, the jounin offered a challenging leer as her claws tapped against the table impatiently. "Those puny cards of yers don't stand a chance."
A faint glance shifted across the remainders - my sensei, and a pair of drunkards who seemed to have little sense left between them. An eye would creak open further than usual, slipping across the surface of the table as I rapped knuckles across the hand I had been dealt.
The others responded in kind, although Makoto would be rather loud about it. Sometimes I wonder about her... An errant thought, discarded only to be picked up time and time again.
"Read'em and weep." followed, flipping the cards face up onto the table. Grin widening as the drunks audibly cursed, refusing to reveal their own hands and instead leaving the table - sore losers. I'd stifle a laugh at the woman's cards, fingers idling tracing against the wood.
Facing Makoto, a hand idly reached for the pittance of winnings at the center of the table. "I never took you for gambling, sensei."
The soft tone would change to almost mocking, the words chiming quietly against each other; "Doesn't seem like something you should stick with." My smiled stretched further - almost too thin - as fingers closed around the coin, drawing it to my side of the table. "But if you find another group, we can go again?"
The words were sugary sweet, propping myself atop crossed hands awaiting her answer. "I've been needing a new sword."
"HAH!" A lone, powerful laugh marked the Inuzuka's unequivocal victory as soon as she flipped her cards over, the excitement nearly making her jump into the air as she gloated in triumph. There was no doubt in her mind that she won this contest, not a sliver of consideration that her strategy could be beaten. It just wasn't possible.
Then Makoto gauged the reactions of the others at the table and a foreboding realization slowly settled in.
"Wait. N-No way..." she gawked. It was far too late to do anything though, as Nomura was already raking in the winnings. The outcome was so baffling that Makoto found herself scratching her head in confusion for a few extra moments, trying to understand what happened. "My seven is stronger than yer fours! It could beat both of 'em no problem!" she growled and grumbled, shooting the genin a cross look. Ordinarily she wasn't such a sore loser but after making so many beginner mistakes it sounded like she'd convinced herself of an entirely different set of rules.
"What sorta idiot made up this crap anyway?"
The jounin appeared to resign from her argument with a huff, none too pleased at her lack of a prize. She was however interested in what Nomura said about a sword, clinging to the next topic like her pride depended on it.
"New sword? What happened to the old one? Don't tell me ya went droppin' it overboard again."
"I don't know why you'd sit down to bet without knowing the rules, sensei." curdled on my lips, a faint chuckle tucked in my throat. Easy money though. She does owe me already, though...
A twitch rode my lip like an electric sting, a faint shot of air from my nose. As faint as a monsoon, anyway. This was not a memory I was fond of, although it was recent.
"'Dropping it overboard' is one way to describe how that happened." air quotes emerging from raised hands, my tone having a bit more bite than I intended. No point in apologizing, though. "I wasn't the one playing fetch with my sword. And no, I'm looking for an upgrade.
Bitch never pay me back for that last one, though. a faint sigh followed as I leaned back.
"That thing we got coming up in Oto has me a little antsy." I'd add, scratching the back of my neck. For a second, I wondered what I was forgetting.
For a second.
A frown creased as I lifted my head up, looking around the crowded beach. "Wait, what are your dogs doing?" letting slip the tiniest bit of panic.
"Don't go gettin' cold feet now," the jounin chided. The last thing she needed was somebody in her platoon losing focus and compromising the operation due to second thoughts. In the field those tiny slip-ups could very well mean the difference between life and death.
But before they discussed any of that, there was the matter of her ninken drawing some attention. Naturally, Makoto brought a veritable army of them whenever she roamed the village, from playful pups to grumpy old hounds. And as one would fully expect from such canny canines, they were a troublesome bunch when left to their own devices.
Such as right now, they were attracting people with wagging tails and happy pants, yet coralling the humans like sheep by the water's edge. What unfolded soon after was a chaotic spectacle as the ninken began shoving people into the water, only to drag them out a moment later among howls of satisfaction. And the unfortunate 'volunteers' they lured into their game were forced to play the routine not just once, but at least five or six times.
"What? Them?" Makoto's brow crinkled as she watched the ninken go about their work like a well-oiled machine, tossing civilians into the water like ragdolls. Then she shrugged as if failing to understand what the fuss was all about. "Rescue trainin'. C'mon, what's it look like?" That much seemed obvious. The ninja hounds she trained were great swimmers and had plenty of experience with search and rescue drills. Granted, they were pretty excessive when it came to practicing, often leaving the locals worse for wear.
"Gotta be prepared, y'know. Never can tell when thing's are gunna change." Makoto used the opportunity to segway back to the previous topic, casually leaning against the table as she picked up a loose card. "Kinda like this mission we got. Who knows what's gunna happen, so we hafta stay on our toes. No heroics, no dumb stunts. Got it?"
Rescue training. the words rang quietly, going so far as to mock them. Boggling.
The people drying themselves off would continue giving the dogs a dirty look through the night, a few unsuccessfully trying to kick them - untrained mutts. It had occurred to me a few times before that they might intentionally act like this, but I refused to believe it.
Given more time, that might change.
"'Cold feet', 'heroics', 'dumb stunts' - are you giving me or you advice?" I quipped, pointing a finger to the wet-and-disturbed gathering of people, another at a mass of hair and noise.
"If it's important enough, of course I'm gonna bother." I continued, my voice rising into a oh-too-sweet, not-too-real pitch. Dropping another few octaves after; "It's definitely paying enough to be worth it. Travel, too!"
It was an exciting proposition, to get away from the drunks and the empty beaches. Not the first time I'd be out of country, but the longest, by far. That mission was sour anyways.
All smiles, as I began scooping away the small amount of coin. Leaning forward, my elbows pressed down against the makeshift table, causing it to wobble a moment as I whispered. "I'm worried about the other part - hey, no!" I'd snap, spinning backwards on my seat. A dog - practically an overgrown rat - biting at the edge of my clothes. A hand raised saw it run off before I could do anything, a scowl having torn across my face.
"Seriously, what do you... DO, with those things?" an exhausted question, one I didn't expect any satisfying answer to.
Makoto eyed the genin skeptically. "Huuuh? What kinda question is that?" She failed to understanding his meaning. It was like being asked what one 'did' with family or why they mattered in the first place. There were too many answers that it just seemed obvious. The dogs were a part of her life, as important as siblings or parents or her own children. "If ya still can't figure that much out, maybe I'll hafta send a few o' my new pups home with ya."
Yeah, Nomura would probably love that.
"Who knows? Could make some good trainin' and get ya in shape for the mission. Hehe." Makoto chuckled at the thought. Her pups were more of a handful than most realized and she knew how quick others were to dismiss their antics as nothing more than a nuisance. "Some of the lil' ones like to run around the island at least four times a day. Makes for a great warm-up between the swimmin' races and the cliff divin'." That much was a light day too. Sometimes there wasn't even a chance to stand still until exhaustion took its toll. Regardless, Makoto had her fun with that kind of lifestyle.
"Sounds like ya need distractions anyway. That what all this's for?" the Jounin asked with a curious hum as she flicked a card at the genin's face. "I never took ya for the anxious type."
"Anxious." Another pair of air quotes adjourned the word, the click of teeth as I scoffed underneath my breath. "Sorry I'm not used to traveling deep into a potential enemy's territory to clean up their mess." My voice soured, a crooked scowl etching itself into my face.
"And I don't need a dog." was muttered, although not loud nor long enough to be heard. House already had what, four? Five? Cats now. After dad walked out, Mom got a little... Catty's too joking. Feral. Won't let a dog near the place if she can.
"I'm bored of sitting around, waiting to 'ship out'. Not like we're going on a boat." a smirk flickered onto my lip, but the joke wasn't particularly worth bringing attention to. "With the freeze on missions and that dojo I go to getting smashed to hell and back, nothing."
Frustrated hands prostrated themselves to the sky, a sigh resounding with slumped shoulders. "And they're always drunk." My sight had returned to the sky, the pinpricks of something other staring back at me. Glimmering tear drops of sand. "Shit, wait."
My head would pop back up, cocked brow aimed at the Inuzuka. "Are you drunk right now?"
"Don't change the subject." Makoto's tone got suddenly firm, her icy blues narrowing at the genin for a moment. Whether she had a few drinks or not, she couldn't ignore the plight of her subordinates on the eve of such an important mission. Disruptions like that were just a disaster waiting to happen. Yet the fact that Nomura seemed to be taking things so seriously was reassuring. "It's good that yer tense, pup. Don't forget that feelin' cus it might just save yer life in the field."
Both sound advice and words of encouragement.
"Besides, I bet there's lots of folks thinkin' this deal is a chance for the villages to work together, build trust and blah blah blah." The Inuzuka growled in discontent, clearly not the type to entertain those flowery notions. Her views were much more black and white, tempered by a lifetime of conflict, and thus left little room for niceties. "But I'd rather ya be on the lookout for a knife in the back than go believin' this mission will go off without a hitch."
As for the boredom Nomura mentioned earlier, well, there was always one way to solve that.
"And if ya got all that time on yer hands to be worryin', we could always go a few rounds instead." Makoto sneered and calmly placed her sword on the table, the old rusted edge barely reflecting any sunlight. "Can't have that sword arm gettin' all flabby before the misson begins."
Her change in tone was almost enough for me to react! But that's no fun. "Oh my toes, right, right. You know where we live, right?" a raised eyebrow followed the sarcasm to the dog-woman as I pointed off into the crowd. "I counted at least three of those gamblers earlier openly carrying knives, and in that crowd another ten. If they wanted to, they could all jump us."
Of course, it was another conversation of if. Kirigakure might be built on the bones of shinobi, but these tools? Probably not even academy worthy. Power in numbers made that a different ballgame, but they didn't seem smart enough to recognize that. "Whenever. If they grew big enough balls, anyway." The words sounded defeated, dammit!
"Okay, so maybe I'm over-exaggerating a little bit." hands spread out in front of myself, a faint shrug shadowing my shoulders. "'Take it serious'. Gotcha. Won't be running around without an eye in the back of my head." Mom. As silent as the last word was, it was extremely loud.
It took a moment for me to respond, fidgeting slightly with the bag of winnings, the thought of having to fight all of them off having hit a little closer to home than intended. More thinking than I wanted - almost made me wish I had a drink.
Training, huh? 'sWoRd ArM fLaBbY' - yeah yeah. I wonder... I took another look to the group of drunkards and partygoers, before slowly standing up. Brushing the loose sand off my clothes, I scratched the corner of my mouth as I replied. "I am kind of on the job right now, but as long as my shift cover doesn't show..." I cleared my throat, taking a step away from the table.
A nod of my head opposite the main entrance, I'd attempt to bring Makoto towards another part of the party. "Heard there was a little fight club going on further down the beach. a whisper as she neared, smile wide on my face. "You wanna make some money?"
Makoto rolled her eyes at the genin's witty refusal for training, expecting that sort of answer from the get-go. Having known Nomura for some time now, she had no doubts that the lad would get more excitement out of socializing than swinging a sword around. If only he put as much effort into refining his battle skills as he did swindling drunkards, then maybe he could earn some real fame someday.
For now, it was back to the regularly scheduled scheming.
Readjusting her sword across her back after all was said, the Jounin shot her subordinate a skeptical look. "By 'make money' ya really mean 'get yer sensei to cover yer sorry ass' right?" Makoto chuckled and gave a shake of her head, unsure of whether to be proud of him for taking an interest in fighting or irate for shirking his duties. Either way, she resigned to a groan. "Well, I can't let ya go divin' into danger without some backup. What kinda leader would I be if my numbskull of a student got himself hospitalized before the big mission?" Because if the 'fight club' he mentioned was anything like the ones from Makoto's pirating days, then neither of them were going to walk out without a couple of fresh cuts and bruises.
"Do I even wanna know how ya found out about this place?" the Inuzuka added reluctantly as they approached a different section of the beach. A moment later she reconsidered how savvy the genin had proven to be with his card skills, causing her dismiss the question entirely and replace it with a more direct remark. "Actually, no. Just tell me ya aren't in debt to these guys..."
Up ahead, Makoto was alerted to the noise of a heavy wallop of fist on flesh followed by a body crashing onto the sand. Racuous cheers, shouted curses and boisterous laughter came right afterward. Those were the sounds of a brawl alright. She knew them well.
"In debt?" indignation alight, "It would seem your opinion of me keeps slipping, sensei." I turned to face her, a deep frown followed with a very I-can't-beleive-you-just shake of a finger.
"And you hear things, when you listen." continuing as I nodded towards one of the bouncers, as lifting the small sack of won coin. "You should know how loud people are when they think no one is listening." the dripping sneer of my words causing a few heads to turn, only for their attention to be drawn back to the disparate snapping of bone. The cries of pain that followed even more audible.
"See? Loud as it gets." A grin having returned as I spoke, I nudged to join the crowd of spectators, going further into the secluded section of beach. Sticking a hand above the crowd, motioning for Makoto to follow as I bumped shoulders, and shook a few hands.
"Now, I ain't saying I need your help, but -" a pause, making sure she was still within earshot, "If you do, it'll be a way bigger payday. So, yes?" a half cocked smile turned to her, before snapping back to the crowd. There - the betting odds were lined across a massive blackboard, various names and rates listed side-by-side-by-side.
Once she found herself brushing shoulders with shady spectators and slipping past drunken obstacles on all-fours, Makoto realized she had the distinct urge to punch someone. Maybe it was because of the feeling in the air, like the rowdy cheers that now pierced her ears, or just the frustration of having to witness so many ugly faces clustered in one place. Ah yes, it truly reminded her of the good ol' pirating days.
Finally pushing her way to where Nomura was at the head of the pack, the kunoichi groaned in annoyance. "Fiiine. Go ahead, pup. But don't say I never did nothin' for ya." To be honest, she was a bit excited beneath her snarling visage. If she was going to punch somebody today, may as well get paid to do it right? She wasn't going to praise Nomura for giving her that opportunity though. Not yet at least.
Glancing up to the blackboard, the Inuzuka squinted to see how much money was really on the line. Enough to buy a shiny sword for a genin? Probably. All those numbers made her head spin though - numbers were the worst. Seeing as the rewards didn't tempt her much to begin with, the kunoichi's attention slowly shifted to the names of the fighters, garnering a small gasp.
"Hey, no way! I know summa these!"
Makoto sounded genuinely astonished, giving a quick shake of her wild black mane in disbelief.
"Two-Fist Hachi...Benzo the Brute...Jumpin' Jin. Hahaha! Wow, had no idea these guys were still alive n' kickin'."
Better than recognizing the names of old acquaintances, it gave her a solid idea of what she was up against.
"So what's the deal? I can challenge anybody signed up there?"
Two-fist might be the lamest moniker. Half a laugh escaped, shaking my head as the rise of my chest betrayed the emotion. "You recognize them?" The crowd around us seemed a little less excitable than usual, meant it was a slow night more often than not. Or so I'd heard.
Relaxing, my smile shifted to a slight grin, raising an arm out of the crowd. "That's kinda sad, sensei." A faint sneer lived within the words, but before I could continue a brick shithouse of a man approached us, picking his way through the crowd. A bow followed as he approached, shallow as it was.
"Just go along with it." whispering towards Makoto, I lifted myself back up with a vibrant greeting, reaching a hand out to shake his hand. "I'm here to submit a new fighter, and make a few bets. Are you accepting anyone new tonight?"
Silence.
The man's eyes turned over the two of us, stripping us down to meat with a glare. My spine tingled for a moment, the raw killing intent radiating off him sitting in my stomach. A moment later, it'd stop, and he spoke. "Okay. Odds are three to five, she has ten minutes." the boom of his voice swallowing the crowd, an arm extending with an open palm. Silently, I'd drop the sack of coin into his hand, swallowing quietly.
The tower of skin walked away as I stood there - like a moron - with my jaw almost askew. Why the hell is he the bouncer? A shake of the head, and it'd pull towards Makoto, mouth next to ear. "Okay, so, 10 minutes, you go in there, kick the guys ass. They've got you three to five, meaning you're the expected winner. Payouts not as big, but..." a sigh stifled itself, a laugh hiding silently in resentment.
"Did you really expect to be the underdog?" Not a pun I was proud of.
Makoto Inuzuka | 320 words | was gonna ask you to take the fall, but
