The Kitakyushu Draft

[Flak]

...

Akira

There are already many warrior-types swarming around in this large common room. The entire inn seems to be built only one story high. The kanji on its sliding paper door read 'Storm Shelter' and this seemed appealing to you, but it seems like it's just a large building-like tent. Already the floor is a mess of bedrolls. People sit or stand, as is possible, eating what is obviously packed rations, and not served food. The lighting here is dim, coming from a single cheap bulb installed in the center of the ceiling.

Bad luck.

A portly man approaches you and says,

"Good evening, good sir. I'm the keeper of this inn. May I ask if you are on your way to join the Kame Defense Corps?"

At this moment, a rugged yet cheerful looking man slips past you through the door way. He wears what you can tell from your experiences on Kame are miner boots. His clothing looks cheap, grey shirt, his pants being made of the inexpensive material known in these parts as jean.

-There are twelve guests in the room, all of whom seem to be the samurai-type. A stranger in miner's clothes stands a little to your left, facing the inn keeper.
-The only door is the one you came through. The ceiling is about 7 feet high. There's room for about six or seven more bedrolls on the floor, possibly more if accomodations are made.
-You are slightly hungry.
-The innkeeper taps his foot while attempting to remain kind looking on the outside, awaiting an answer from you while still greeting the new arrival.

Seiichi

You make your way past a man in an interesting ensemble of blue and red traditional clothing and a black turtleneck, to find that this place, while protected, was not as great as the sign on the door proclaimed.

There are already many warrior-types swarming around in this large common room. The entire inn seems to be built only one story high. The kanji on its sliding paper door read 'Storm Shelter' and this seemed appealing to you, but it seems like it's just a large building-like tent. Already the floor is a mess of bedrolls. People sit or stand, as is possible, eating what is obviously packed rations, and not served food. The lighting here is dim, coming from a single cheap bulb installed in the center of the ceiling.

Bad luck.

The person you'd walked past at first is being addressed by a portly man who, you overhear, is the innkeeper. When the innkeeper finishes talking, he turns to you, while still keeping an ear open for the other man.

"Good evening, good sir. I'm the keeper of this inn. May I ask if you are on your way to join the Kame Defense Corps?"

-There are twelve guests in the room, all of whom seem to be the samurai-type. A stranger in an odd combination of samurai and more modern clothes stands to your right, facing the keeper.
-The only door is the one you came through. The ceiling is about 7 feet high. There's room for about six or seven more bedrolls on the floor, possibly more if accomodations are made.
-You are slightly hungry.
-The innkeeper taps his foot while waiting for the other man to answer, and awaits your answer as well.

[James]

Takahashi Akira.

The winds were blowing with a might Akira was not accustomed to as he strolled along the damp streets of Kitakyushu, searching for a haven from the sea salt and mist. It was only after many minutes of walking among a group of many types of fighters of types he hadn't seen, all heading towards the same destination, did he find a rickety old building labeled a storm shelter.

"Hmph," Akira snorted to himself as he opened the decaying wooden doors. He doubted the structure could weather this breeze fully, let alone a storm.

THe room was warm, but not with the heat of glowing coals or good cheer. It was ho with the breath of dozens of men, and saturated with their stench too. People from these parts weren't known well for their hygiene.

As he stood there among twelve others, already dueling it out with stare as to who gets the last few bedroll spots, he noticed one man who stood out among the cookie cutter samurais populating the room. A young lad, relatively, messy in his grroming and attire, and wielding the sickled chains the area was so famous for. A strange feeling led him to believe that young man would prove a great part of the events to come.

However, his attention was turned awa from his company and the spots on the tatami mats, quickly being taken up, by the gruff question of a man with a round belly.

"Good evening, good sir. I'm the keeper of this inn. May I ask if you are on your way to join the Kame Defense Corps?""

"I am. May I ask why you are so curious, sir?" came Akira's response.

[Flak]

Akira

"Well, you see," replies the man, who suddenly is beaming at you, "you can spend the night here for free if you're joining the Defense Corps."

He then turns back to other man after pointing to the far corner, which is, as of yet, unoccupied.

[James]

"Well, you see, you can spend the night here for free if you're joining the Defense Corps," said the potbellied man as he pointed to a free space in a far corner. One of the perks of working in the military, it seems, though Akira though of the situation in a more pessimistic light.

As he walked to place down his mat, he thought, "Great. The corner. The walls will fall on me first when the gale blows them over."

He then lay down his mat, engaged a safety lock on the blades within his clothing, and lay his head on his travelling pack. He was hungry, but it would be folly to eat his food now, when he'd just want more again come daylight. He would eat in the morning.

(OOC: This is assuming it's relatively late at night, and everyone is preparing to go to sleep. Otherwise, he will eat his nightly meal)

[Flak]

OOGM: It's basically late supper time, you wouldn't be able to fall asleep yet anyway due to the raucous crowd.

[Saurus]

Keijin Seiichi

Entering the tavern Keijin gladly let the warmth wash over his body. Sure enough, temperatures generally were far worse in the mountains, but down the mining shafts it always was a pleasant and constant ten degrees. Besides, here at the coast the wind was a lot fiercer, and the exhaustion of the travel was getting to him. And while he was fairly sure this inn would never actually live up to its name, it was the first tavern he had encountered, and it did provide him a warm place to rest.

The sweaty stench of an unwashed crowd hung heavily in this place, and with a smile it reminded the young warrior of the small tavern in his home town, where all the miners would crowd together after a hard day’s work to immediately drink away their modest earnings. It worked well to relax him as he walked up to the inn keeper, who was still in conversation with another patron. Keijin didn’t pay particular interest to the conversation, just overhearing a few words.

“…spend the night here for free if you're joining the Defense Corps."

Keijin’s ears twitched and his left eyebrow rose in peeked interest. The other man concluded his business with the innkeeper and made for the corner, where the last remaining bed rolls lay unoccupied. Keijin turned to the innkeeper, smiling as always.

"Good evening, good sir. I'm the keeper of this inn. May I ask if you are on your way to join the Kame Defense Corps?" the robust man greeted him.

“Well met! I sure am!” Keijin replied enthusiastically, and almost overly so. “There’s a lot of talk about the Defense Corps, though the details have escaped me right now. Would you care to share what you know of this corps?”

[Flak]

Seiichi

"I'm no military man," he says, frowning, "go ask one of them samurai over there. Or that man who I was just talking to, he had the air of one who knows what he's doing."

[Saurus]

Keijin Seiichi

"I'm no military man. Go ask one of them samurai over there. Or that man who I was just talking to, he had the air of one who knows what he's doing." The innkeeper replied after giving Keijin a frown.

“Thank you. I’ll go do that right away.” Keijin made a brief polite bow and quickly made for the corner in which the other man had installed himself.

Keijin hadn’t taken much note of him before, when he was booking a place to sleep, but now in the time it took him to cross the distance between the door and the corner, he had a moment to examine the man a little better. He didn’t seem like a very pleasant individual, his face sharp and angled, narrow eyes and relatively long and messy hair. Of course, Keijin’s own hair was not particularly -or at all- clean and well kept either. Furthermore the man whore a GI jacket, which had Keijin wonder of its origin, and particularly sinister looking gloves, being of a black fabric with metal plating running over the back of the gloves and protruding to form a metal covering for the knuckles.

Keijin had doubts of addressing this man, but in the end saw no harm in trying. The man didn’t seem particularly hot tempered, so at worst he’d be ignored. The young warrior placed himself on an as of yet unoccupied bedroll and pulled the rather heavy chains of his weapon from over his shoulder, accompanied by the clattering of metal placing it on the wooden floor, the sickle and claw bound in precisely fitting leather wrappings. While doing so he addressed the other patron.

“A good evening, sir. I couldn’t help but overhear you’re on your way to join the Kame Defense Corps. I’m heading there as well, you know; see how I can help out and stuff. Well, not that I’m saying they particularly need my help or some such, but I’m always willing to lend a hand, you know. I heard all kinds of stuff; of war and pirates and famine and what not. Sounds big. Can’t say I ever noticed any of that stuff, but then again I lived in a miners village, so we never did get much news up there. Just the occasional merchant; if he had taken the wrong turn in the valley.” Keijin laughed, apparently oblivious of whatever reaction came from the other man, and continued before he could be interrupted.

“But then I heard those things of war and all that, so I decided to get out and sign up. Even if just to see something of the world. Took me long enough to get here though. Been on the roads for days now! So now I heard this Defense Corps should be nearby; or at least not to far away, whatever is the case. Don’t know too much about it though, just hear-tell. Do you know anything specific of this Corps thing?” He paused long enough to give the man time to decide whether or not he’d want to reply.

[James]

Akira

"I'm sorry to say, sir, but I know nothing of the specific details behind the Defense Corps. I know only The generic details - raiders are sinking our merchant ships.I think, however, that the riders are just desperate citizens in need of a little quick cash. Poor conditions can make animals out of the best of men," responded Akira.

"So, then, you seem top be one of the younger recruits here. What drove you to take up the path, and where did you learn whatever you know of this game called war? And how have the great spirits favored you in recent events. Apparently one is ma about someting, else we wouldn't be all packed in this sorry excuse for a building while cowering from this storm. Something black obviously hangs in the skies today"

[Saurus]

Keijin Seiichi

Keijin was glad to note the man was indeed far more benign then his looks would have him appear. He replied without hesitation to his questions and didn’t seem at all bothered to lend an ear to his talking. That he knew just a little of this talk of war came as not much of a surprise. No one he had talked to up until now seemed to know more then the popular rumors.

“I’m not really one to think the spirits favor or care about anything at all, actually.” Keijin replied smiling to show his statement was not in disrespect. “I’d rather prefer to think it’s within my own power to decide my course. Something is only as black as you make it, and if an entire nation talks of war, then sure enough there will be.” He shook his elbows as if it was just another unfortunate fact, and nothing more.

“As of what I know of war; dramatically little, I’m afraid. The most I’ve ever stood up to was nervous bandits frightened of the sight of a blade. I might be young, but not without defense.” Keijin gloated as he petted his weapon lying next to him.

[James]

"I never said you were without defense, kid. I only remarked that you were young. Aye, 'Twould seem instruments of steel speak louder these days than words. It is a sad state of afairs indeed. Anyway, you seem to wield a weapon of resourcefulness. A strategic choice. I myself deal with weapons of deception."

He said this as he undid the safety indiscreetly on the blade on his right arm, outstretched his arm, flicked is wrist to start the contraption, and let the blade shoot out of his sleeve and lock into place on his palm. He held it their for a few seconds as his neighboring people looked on, and then pulled the assembly back together.

"I admit, it's not as handy outside of combat, but it provides a few good easy strikes when used as a surprise."

[Saurus]

Keijin Seiichi

“I myself deal with weapons of deception."

The man outstretched his arm on which he had strapped a metal device of sorts, and with the flick of his wrist he caused a blade to shoot out of his sleeve and lock into place on his palm. Keijin leaned back startled and let out a surprised “wow”. Some of the other patrons nearby had also taken note of the weapon and were staring.

"I admit, it's not as handy outside of combat.” The man continued as he reset the mechanism. “But it provides a few good easy strikes when used as a surprise."

Keijin sat up straight again to give the machine a better look. “I’ll say. I’d definitely never see it coming! On the other hand, if you actually walk around with a weapon people might just decide not to attack you in the first place. Or provoke them even more.” His eyebrows formed a question mark as he contemplated this. The he shrugged his shoulders and let it slide. “I’m Keijin, by the way. Keijin Seiichi”

[Flak]

OOGM: great interactions guys, good to see I managed to set something up before I disappeared into the evil of my mother's internet-less house. On a side note, Saurus, it's not GI jacket, it's 'gi'. It just a style of clothing. If you've ever seen pictures of samurai, it's what they wear without armor on. It's basically just a very traditionally Japanese top. All the guys in the room pretty much are wearing them.

EDIT: Hehe, forgot to update some things.

All
___
You are both rather hungry by now.
The stench of the samurai has become less by your exposure to it.

Another wanderer has entered the inn, this one clad all in green- and rather tight clothes, at that. He bears a staff in one hand, and leans on it heavily as he walks. He seems to be hurt. He looks young, maybe around fifteen or so. He has long black hair and brown eyes.

You notice that he's haggling with the inn keeper. Perhaps he isn't joining the military... eh.

Suddenly crashing noises emit as two of the samurai decide to have a sparring match and swords clear scabbards. They go at it, creating quite a spectacle indeed. It's easy to see that they both suck at sword play, but they both seem full of themselves and overly confident.

[James]

Akira

"Right. Well meet, then. I'm Akira. Takahashi Akira. And actually, te reason anyone might not see such an assault coming now is their unpreparedness. When you see one such weapon, you're likely to recognize the same type later down he road of life. The surprise aspect works on few, actually."

His voice trailed off as he gave a yawn. He oened a pack f raions and remarked, "The day has been long, and my tired body knows it. I believe I shall eat and then rest the night away, our raucous company permitting." He then began eating looking down from his new acquaintence, in silence.

OOC: Is it just me, or do some of you also see Saurus's apostrophes and quotation marks as question marks?

[Flak]

OOGM: Seems that way to you, James? Odd. Not for me.

Akira

You are full and have 1 more day's worth of rations (I'm assuming you ate earlier on in the day as well.)