7/19/2003

01:40 AM

Logfile from Chase.

 

The Berkley Apartments - 302

Sparse living at its finest, or worse. The wood flooring actually as something of a luster to it through the careful maintenance of leaser's past. Walls are a rather neutral beige with something of a wood border about a third of the way up to add some character, as sparse as it is though. There is a threadbare couch, simple table and chairs, a tiny kitchen and an even tinier bathroom. A pair of doors seem to oppose one another down the small hall to the bathroom, each one leading to a different bedroom. But it is the additions that seem to give this places its character: like the expensive stereo system just over there flanked by a couple of towers of CDs or the dreamcatcher by the window that overlooks the fire escape and the street below.

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

Chase's phone begins to ring.

Chase picks up his phone.

 

<Phone> "Hello" is Chase's drawling reply as he picks up his phone. Sound of the television on in the background and that is about it.

 

<Phone> "Chase, it's Travis." Even if Namame still has trouble with those names, though only Inami will see the half grin that's settled onto his lips. "Look, me and Kenny figure things're gettin' too damned quiet, if you know what I mean. Figure it's time to turn the light on to see how many roaches we can send runnin' and thought you'd like in on it. We're heading toward the drunken master to talk it over away from anyone that'd complain. You want to come join us?"

 

<Phone> Chase blinks for a long moment, although obviously this is only translated into silence, besides for the droning of the TV in the background. Beat. "Really?" Hard to mistake the excited glimmer coloring his voice there. "Oh, I couldn't agree with you more. You and Kenny? At the Drunken Master... I think I can find my way there again."

 

<Phone> "Alright, then don't take too long, we sure as hell aren't gonna sit around waiting on your skinny ass to get here and you might not want to miss out on any of it." With that, and a wink in Inami's direction, he hangs the phone up, half grinning. "He's on his way, want to go sit and wait for him inside? Sure as hell beats standing out here, even if it smells just as bad." 

 

Travis hangs up his phone.

 

The Mended Drum

The Mended Drum is a tavern originally built to serve the needs of the crews of the ships that came to the seport city. Now in the modern day where transport liners are more often mechanized than crewed, it has become a melting pot of the seedier and less savory members of society mixed with the occassional thrill seeker. It's reputation is so bad that even the cops only dare to raid it every few months, and even then, most of the force in the area is on the take.

It is therefore the perfect place to meet if you want to conduct certain deals in secret. People here have learned to ask very special questions or none at all. Everyone has one secret or another. The dark interior is smokey, making it somewhat hard to see. But that's just fine with most of the customers. The dark stained walls are somewhat scarred from a long history of barfights, the furniture battered and used as well. Small discrete tables hug the sides, while the center is opened enough for those who might feel the inclination to dance. The bar itself takes up most of the back with several bartenders manning the requests for drinks and in the Mended Drum, people REALLY drink.

Inami and Namame are here.

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

Kenny headed in first just long enough to get them a table in the corner where they can talk without looking more out of place than they probably do anyway. "Here." he calls to the other two as he plops into the chair, waving a waiter over and places orders for beers or whatever drinks the guys want. "There ya are Chase. Real boys night out here. Or at least peeling you two off of your girls."

 

Travis smirks, sitting back in his chair and takes his own beer. Now, it's just anyone's guess that Namame doesn't get drunk, because a drunk guy with his issues is a bad thing. He's got anger management problems, he ain't stupid.  "Tch, you mean getting that stubborn woman to let me get out of her sight for more than a few minutes? Afraid she's going to miss some sort of chance to get her ass in trouble, she is."

 

Chase practically falls into one of the chair, flopping back into it as well. Beer is taken as well, fingers wrapping about the cool container, "Thanks for asking me out here." But in the next breath he mutters, "I haven't seen Say after getting back from camping with Mina."

 

Kenny takes a swig from his own bottle, but it is a shallow thing, hard to tell from the long pull he takes from it though. "Oh you went camping with her again? That twice or more now?" He eyes Chase curiously there, but doesn't press into the matter over the oni-crazy seishi girl for the moment. The ex-con smirks over at Travis though, inclining his head. "If she gets into trouble, that's because she's sure you'd be the one dragging her into it."

 

Travis rolls his eyes.  "Just the thought of the two of you together somewhere gives me the damned shivers. Good thing you were in the woods, you'd cause wide spread damage in the city together."  And he makes it sound like teasing, too.  "Yeah, well, if she showed some gods damned sense.. never mind. It ain't changed since before, it ain't changing now. Look, I figure we need to goad these damned Yin into some sort of action. Things are far too quiet for me, which means they're up to something. They're not coming to confront us directly, so we'll just have to go after them, which is where Chase comes in. You want to prove you still got a set to back up your position as a seishi, boy?"

 

Chase hasn't had a beer in quite some time. A rare thing, and so he is definitely going to enjoy it. The boy takes a long swig, and then nods his head heavily. "Oh yeah. She's great fun to camp with. Totally roughing it. Of course, she is like some sort of quasi-vegetarian, so it was beans, granola, and s'mores the whole time." Yeah, that really sucked. He chuckles though at Travis' words, only to squint at the other. He sighs heavily, slumping back in his chair, head lolling back, "Aww hell. Again? Travis..." *whine*

 

Kenny wishes he could argue with Travis's description, but after a few weeks of being Mina's tutor he just... can't. There were a number of times he beaned the girl in the head with a nerf and she'd just flinch and get hit.. *sigh* "She's..got potention." Only when they were handing out brains, she thought they said trains. Old joke, but sometimes too apt. "Yeah, it has been too quiet. I do not like the sitting and waiting. Gives the other side too much of the advantage if they're the ones always making the call, setting the stage."

 

Travis shakes his head at Chase.  "Nah, just want to make sure you ain't gonna back out, that's all. You want trouble, right? Well, the busier they are with us, the less likely they are to get anything else done. ..tch, potential. Potential to end up in a body bag, maybe. Hell, it's been too damned quiet for me, and when /I/ can't hear shit, something's wrong. I think it's time we get the upper hand on these people. It's either that or sit around waiting to hand 'em our asses on a silver platter."

 

"She means well," Chase emphasizes. Hey, he has to defend his best friend, right? He takes another long drink from his bottle, eyes flickering from one to the other with a growing sense of excitement. "You guys have an idea or something of what to do then?"

 

Kenny strokes his chin, as if being thoughtful, and for a second his fingers almost close on hairs that aren't really there as if he wore a beard there a long long time ago. Dropping his hand away, he nods over in Travis's direction again. "An idea. Not exactly a plan, but ideas. I think it's time we maybe hauled in one of the oni and find out what they've been up to. What they're trying to do. It's been quiet but I suspect that they've been up to things that are no good."

 

Travis shrugs.  "Means well.. that does a lot of good, ne? Doesn't matter, though. The oni are human, even if they're more than that, and that means they have family, friends, and loved ones. If we can't get ahold of one of them- and they aren't all fighter, they can't be, just look at us- we can get hold of someone close to them. What we need to do is find out just where they're vulnerable and hit them there. Mina might not be much of a seishi, but she can be used for information. You want to keep her livin', you may want to ask her about her oni friends. Make it conversational, find out what she knows. I figure that me and Kenny can do the same with those we know. 'Course, we both got reputations for not hanging with that sort of crowd."

 

Chase pushes back in the chair, tilting the seat back so that only the rear two legs are on the floor. "What do you mean? Just... grab one and...?" But he trails off as he hears Travis' words, and the boy frowns in between taking sips from his drink. "I can ask her, I suppose, but... alright." A hand reaches up to rub at the back of his neck before dropping back to the table.

 

Kenny orders another round of beers, keeping the drinks coming. He's actually careful with his drinks, but he can down probably a whole case before it even begins to haze him. Probably from years of practice. ;) "Yeah, I don't think I actually know any oni. Not entirely sure. Hard to tell you know, the very least Chase, you can tell use what you know about them so we know just whom to keep an eye out for."

 

"I don't see a problem with grabbin' someone to get answers. Hell, I did that enough last time, won't bother me to do it this time. Whatever keeps us from gettin' our asses dead."  It's not as if Travis is prone to a weak stomach at all.  "You just point out who, and I'll nab 'em, figure Kenny won't mind doin' it, too. Just keep an eye out. You can figure out who's who, ne? That's just as important as anything else. You want a fight, we'll point you to it."

 

And then we have Chase, who stands a good chance of simply getting drunk off of the alcohol's fumes, lightweight that he is. Another beer is taken though, and he takes a drink. "Well, I haven't really been around any of them for quite some time. Hell, probably not since Lex... No, wait, I did get drug into meeting that Rathan." Scowl. Smirk. Grumble. "But that is about it. And.. uh... someone by the name of Adrie, Gouka. I don't remember. I mean, I bet I could find her, but..." He shrugs his shoulders. "Sure, I'll look for more."

 

Kenny isn't so sure about hitting female oni, but in crunch time he probably wouldn't even blink. "Hmm. Rathan eh? Heard that was the one Mina was shacking up with? Doubt we could nab him without making some sort of incident. So who is this Adrie? Think she knows much about what's going on?" It could be easier hitting her, but then again it could be harder.

 

Travis nods at the agreement and then sits back, staring at Tomite in what could be either a bland or threatening manner.  "You just make sure you keep an eye on things, that's all. You get a chance to grab someone, you grab 'em, but if you want to leave the rest up to us.. hell, we'll understand. Getting information ain't like playing chase with the cops. I think we need to keep Mina's oni on our list, but not bring him in unless we absolutely have to. The more comfortable that girl feels about havin' oni company, the better off we all are."

 

Chase shakes his head from side to side, "I swore to Mina that I wouldn't mess with Rathan. And I'm not going back on my word." He frowns for a moment though, trying to put a focus on that other woman again, "Met her in a club. Gave me a nasty case of acne for the rest of the night." If that wasn't embarrassing... "She doesn't like guys, that's for sure. Or so Lexie told me." But he is bringing his chair back down onto four legs once more with a thump, "I'm not using Mina. I can look for oni on my own. Hell, all you have to do is look up their names in the phone book, and there you go."

 

Kenny gives Chase a bit of a look as he takes another swig of beer. "Didn't say you had to mess with that oni, the ones we know we can keep an eye on one way or another, those are less of a threat. It's the ones who keep themselves hidden well and have agendas we aren't aware of, it's those that'll be the biggest problem." He has to agree though, to let Mina flounder at least in semi safe territory. "Can't look up names we don't know though, Chase. That's why we asked you. You can find out."

 

Travis mirrors Kenny's look toward Chase.  "Your pride worth more than your life? Worth more than Ash's? Look, the sooner we end this the sooner we can all get on with our lives instead of looking over our shoulders wondering when our number's up, ne? Unless you want to just hand over our miko along with a surrender note and a gift basket." A careless shrug is given, as if he could give a damn one way or the other.  "I don't mind hunting them down on my own, and I don't mind taking Mina in for information whether she wants to give it or not. This isn't time to play nice. So, either we get the information the hard way or the easy way. You know what I did, Tomite, and you know that I can do it and not give a damn." 

 

Chase nods his head towards Kenny in understanding, fingers tugging at the beer label on his bottle. "Any oni in particular you guys want me to find? Shouldn't be that hard, really. It isn't like they are all that shy or anything. Or is this just the whole lot of them and you don't really care who I look after first?" He takes another drink, hiccuping once afterwards. "Oh, Travis... don't start in on that again. You know damn well where I stand in all of this." Little bit of exaggerated finger pointing at Namame as well there. "I'll look for them, okay? Sheesh."

 

Kenny watches Chase carefully as Travis speaks, looking solemn but not so much that he doesn't keep chugging beer. "I don't want to spend another 90 years sitting around waiting for shit to happen. Been there, done that. Getting on with life is a goal, an eventual goal. So it's our turn to up the ante. I've heard a few folks talk about what we're here to do. I want to find out what /they're/ here to do. Either one way or the other, whatever's best for our miko and the rest of us, that's what we have to get done. Becoming pals or lovers with whomever is nice and all, but we gotta keep in mind that it all becomes moot if /they/ win."

 

Travis grins, shaking his head.  "Not this again, Tomite, because I already told you what happens if you turn out to be a liability."  And that's all he really has to say.  "Kenny's right, we do what we have to do, however we have to do it. I'd like to keep it clean, just because I promised I wouldn't go around killing if I didn't have to. If I have to, then that's what's going to be done. Settling this quietly ain't somethin' I'm opposed to."

 

Chase is head-bobbing once more, and more, and a little more. "Oh yeah. Sure. I'm there for ya. I'm with you a hundred... a hundred and more percent. You guys know that." Chin lifts and he favors them both with a bright grin, a grin that takes some time off when he takes another drink from the bottle. "Yeah, completely understand. You all are better at figuring out this shit then I am. But sure, I'd like to get on with things as well."

 

Kenny just plies Chase with a little more beer, guarenteeing that for a while here, Chase'll think they're his bestest friends. "Great to hear that boy. That's the spirit. Let us do the thinking, we'll tell ya what you need to do and the sooner this is done with, the faster you can go back to just stealing cars and chasing skirts."

 

Travis finishes off his beer and nods, placing the bottle on the table.  "You just let us know if you find a good target or make sure I go along with you to a few ... run ins of the friendly sort, ne? Ain't like I can't be as nice as can be to any of 'em."  Now, wouldn't that be amusing? Seeing Namame minding his manners around the enemy? It can be done, however. "We're all settled, ne?"

 

But they are his bestest friends! Right? Hrm. Don't matter. Chase has beer and all is well. He breaks out into a wider grin at Kenny's words, smile flashing, "Oh! That sounds fun. Let's do that now." Only there is another beer there. Decisions. Decisions. Head is nodding again at Travis's words. "Oh sure, but.. you know, I don't much like those oni. Rather prefer to see them all dead. Every last one of them."

 

Kenny is gonna hold off on another bottle anyhow, not wanting to be actually drunk himself. He'll just nurse the dregs of this one for a while and let Chase drink all he wants. "Just keep in touch Chase, don't make us have to look you up and all. It's good to keep together right? I mean you wanted fun and excitement, we'll be glad to help you out there instead of you going off and getting into /stupid/ trouble. There's enough real danger to be had."

 

"Yeah, you start makin' the rest of us look bad and /I'm/ gonna have to kick your ass just to make up for it. Like Kenny says, we got /real/ excitement for ya, so no need to go pansy assing around with car theft. Hell, any five year old can hotwire."  Travis isn't touching another beer, but do we want the psycho to drink too much? No. "And, if you want, we can start by hunting tomorrow. Nothing like getting started while you still got your goal in mind."

 

"Oh. Oh yeah. Of course. I mean, the ones we'll know about are here in the city, right? So it isn't like I'm going to be disappearing off into the countryside to go hunting for game. It'll be great." Don't know what it is about Travis tonight, but he's got Chase snickering again, "Heh. Yeah. /Real/ excitement. This is the sort of stuff that'll really feel great to do. You bet." Beat. "Tomorrow? Yeah, why not? I haven't got anything else to do."

 

Kenny nods slowly. "I don't know if there are other oni outside of the city. Good golly I hope not, that boggles the mind to think we may have to hunt them down all over the world after this? Feh, no way. NYC is enough for me man." Kenny's turn to lean back on the chair, arms folded behind his head. "Tomorrow is fine by me. Waited long enough."

 

"Right, let's get together in the park, figure out where we're heading, and then go from there. Go for the weaker ones in the herd to get to the stronger, ne? Don't forget that it's just as well to take people they care about. Better a few people get hurt than what could happen."  Travis really doesn't have morals where this is concerned and it shows.  "Then we'll get to do what we're here for. Don't think any of us three were meant to sit around on our asses sharpening our weapons."

 

Chase flickers a glance to Kenny. He said 'good golly'. *snicker* Beer bottle is lifted up, waved around a little as he speaks, "Ahhh. We're here. /Everyone/ is here. Well, in the city, not /here/. But I'm sure they'll all end up here eventually too -again, I mean the city." Yeah, something like that. *hic* "I don't care who it is, if they are weaker or stronger, ugly or pretty. Don't matter to me."

 

Kenny slowly rises from the table, thunking down the last emptied bottle of beer. "Then it's set. Tomorrow in the park and hopefully our hunt will be fruitful." Eyeing the giggly Chase, he shakes his head, but not without a fond grin at his erstwhile apartment mate. "It'll matter for a little while, but not in the end. Night guys. I think this has been a blast, but I wanted to get some shut eye before tomorrow."

T

ravis has always been disturbed by that giggling.  "Yeah, Chase, we know. C'mon, let's get our asses out of here before we've been around too long. Nothing like being a sitting target, ne? Yeah, I better get back before Anana gets curious. Last thing I need is that stubborn woman bitching at me, ne?" 

 

Chase is grinning like a fool once more. "Oh, hunting. I haven't been hunting for so long. Oni hunting." Yes, indeed, the teenager is actually giggling once more. Hand slaps down upon the top of the table, reaching for his bottle again. A farewell is on his lips, only to blink, "We're leaving? Awwwww. Do we have to?"  He struggles to his feet though, teetering. Gonna be fun getting home.

 

Actually wasn't that part of the plan? Letting Chase stumble through the city drunk, maybe waking up in the drunk tank of police headquarters? Kenny doesn't breath a word about that as he pays for the drinks and starts heading back out. "Yep, time to head out boys. Say hi to Anana for me, would ya Travis? Thanks for coming Chase. Stay out of trouble, ya hear?" Which is tatamount to ordering the boy to get into a fight.

 

Most definitely The Plan, but Travis isn't going to breath a word of it.  "Yeah, just don't get your ass into anything you can't get out of, ne?"  And, with that, he's out, nodding to Inami as he goes.  "Yeah, I will. She's gonna be pissed that she didn't get to see ya, but I sure as hell ain't lettin' her in on this." Trouble. No. TROUBLE. >.>

OOC: Namame adooores. And, Chase? If you get tossed into the drunk tank, don't call me? I'm turning my phone off. ;D

 

Namame exits the tavern.

 

Oif. Brice promised not to lift a finger if he ends up in the hands of the authorities. Waking up there is the /last/ thing Chase wants to have happen. Then again, this buzz doesn't exactly give him a chance to even thing about that. Bah. "Yeah. Bye." Actually, he might just try to blunder his way to Sayuri's place, throw pebbles at her window, maybe try to climb up to her window and hope the father figure isn't around. >.>; Won't his girlfriend be proud!

 

Inami goes home.

 

 

7/20/2003

02:00 AM

Logfile from Chase.

 

 

You exit the tavern, hopefully in one piece.

The East River Docks

The farther east you go in this part of New York City, the darker it seems to get. Shadows cast by the Brooklyn Bridge and the raised parkway, the F.D.R. Drive, seem to keep this area in constant shade and perpetual semi-darkness. The air is somewhat cooler here as well, nearer to the waterfront. Apart from the South Street Seaport, which is located slightly north of this location, the area is mostly deserted by the tourist trade. Only hardened New Yorkers come here - the ones that can fend for themselves.

Dirt and grime are the keywords as they blanket every dark corner. The smell of fish permeates the air as a number of old werehouses, each probably garnering at least ten different building code violations, line the shores of the river. With so many places to hide and lurk, the dredges of New York consider this a haven.

Meiyou is here.

Obvious exits:

Bowery St. (WE)   The Mended Drum   Abandoned Warehouse

 

Chase fairly stumbles out of the door of the Drum, quite a few steps taken before he manages to keep his balance and only by the luck of there being a lightpole not all that far from the doorway. Whew. The boy snickers about something or another, before slowly sliding down the length of the pole to sit in the gutter. Heh. Been here before. Snicker.

 

Why Meiyou is hopping over the various shipping crates, dressed as though she'd never considered wearing colour in her life (ie, dressed like her brother would if he had a choice in the matter), is really not something that can be easily answered. Either way, she comes to the end of a line of them near The Mended Drum and pauses, tilting her head for any sounds of fighting within -- or just sounds of interest. Chase's exit earns the young man a curious look before she hops down, landing in a crouch, and pads over towards him, pausing in front of him and holding out her hand to him without saying a word.

 

Chase's chin drops forward, long bangs overshadowing his eyes, still snickering once in awhile and nearly sounding like giggles. "That's going to be so fun. So fun. Ghetto huntin'." He snickers once more, but head falls back at the sound of footsteps. He might be drunk, but those old habits die hard. A hand? He looks past the hand, up the arm and on to the person. "Don't mind if I do," he responds, reaching to take it. Heck, it was offered, so why not?

 

Meiyou chuckles and tries to pull him to his feet. "Ghetto hunting? What is that?" she asks curiously, "and why is it fun? But enough of that, unless you wish for your wallet to be taken, if not your clothes -- which I think would amuse Sayuri-chan, but it would be a loss -- we should leave here." The sounds of a beginning brawl in the Drum reach her ears, though, and she nods towards it. "Or worse." Or better, depending on one's point of view.

 

Chase is easily pulled up, and he nearly bounces afterwards. Well, only to immediately reach for that lamp post once more to keep that precarious balance. *hic* "Great fun. Amazingly fun. It'll be a blast." His eyes flash with excitement before going hazy once again. "Ooooh. Sayuri. Maybe I should go see her. Dad might get mad, but who cares!" More snickering, that is until he hears the brawling, "Oh. Lets go play." As in getting into that brawl? Bad.

 

"What is ghetto hunting?" Meiyou repeats, eyeing the hugged lamppost curiously. Thankfully, it wasn't her. "Your father, or hers? Though I doubt that she would appreciate you falling over her doorstep... if you could stand up straight without falling over, I might consider going in there." If it weren't spilling outside at this point, yells and broken bottles being brandished. "... or perhaps now would be a good time to go."

 

"Well, it sure ain't hunting for rabbits," Chase replies, eyes lighting up once again. "Not many bunnies in the city. Lots of pigeons though. But those wouldn't be any fun to go after anywhere. All over the place. Boooooring." And then his head shakes from side to side, "Her father. Although I'll bet mine wouldn't be so happy either. Don't matter, cause he sure ain't here." Watch as his grammar really falls to pieces. Head turns as the fight comes outside now, turning to watch. As they come closer, the boy actually toddles in front of her. "I'll protect you from the drunks! Stand back!" Uh-huh.

 

Meiyou is such a city girl. The concept of hunting for animals isn't one that she's put into practice. "Hai, hai," she agrees, though to what is left up to Chase's imagination. The fight's proceeding further out, apparently due to two or more crews mixing with the local toughs -- at least it's fists and broken bottles and furniture rather than any sort of actual blades or weaponry just yet. She reaches out to tug on his arm as a knot of fighting nears their lamp post. "I do not need protection..."

 

"Sure, you do," Chase is quick to counter. He moves to try to tug his arm away from her, although it is rather the half-hearted kind that only the drunk can pull off. "You just don't realize it yet." He tries to bobble forward a step. "Come'ere you!" Who knows which one of the many 'you's he could be meaning.

 

See, saying that to drunken bargoers in this part of the city is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. The knot of fighting breaks apart, and a few of the people, seeing Chase and Meiyou there and apparently unharmed as yet by the fighting, decide that the two teens would make good pickings. "Oy, oy, gonna join in the fun?" one slurs, then takes a wild swing at Chase.

 

Meiyou is just trying to get Chase out of here by this point, and thus the girl's a little distracted by this point -- the wild swing is missed, and then she's busy ducking another punch from another thug.

 

Oh! Oh! A fight! Chase apparently does get the attention of someone or another, and a punch is cast his way. The kid might be drunk, but if he can't at least dodge a wild punch like that, he would be really pathetic. It is a close thing, but the boy is bouncing backwards, nearly right into Meiyou. Of course, in the next breath he is launching forward to try to tackle the man. You know, like a football lineman sort of shoulder to the gut thing. So pathetic. Is he laughing as he does this?

 

Meiyou saw Chase's bounce-back coming, and used the distraction in time to use her opponent's head as a springboard to hop up on the shipping crates and survey the fighting from above, leaving the aforementioned opponent face-down in the gutter. Such lovely, lovely flavours there. "Chase-kun no BAKA!" she yells, watching the tackle attempt succeed partially -- the thug in question is heavily-built and gets sent back a few steps rather than bowled over just yet.

 

Chase is nearly halted dead in his tracks. Oif. Wasn't the guy supposed to fall over about now? And why is he hugging a thug? The boy immediately releases him, stumbling back a few paces with that touch of dizziness that is definitely hazing up his senses. It is that voice yelling at him though that manages to gain the teenager some focus, swinging his head up to look at Meiyou. "What?"

 

The guy who got hugged is rather winded by the hug in question, but it's enough for him to aim another punch at the teen when he looks up at Meiyou, still somewhat wild due to the haze of alcohol that's affecting him. Meiyou facepalms and hops down, boots landing one to a shoulder upon someone trying to take advantage of Chase's distraction to come up from behind. "Look OUT!"

 

Crack! That would be the sound of a fist glancing off of the side of the boy's head. Granted, it wasn't straight on, but he is more than likely going to end up with quite the shiner tomorrow. Okay, now that one really hurt. Pain lances through his head, and he is staggering to the side a pair of steps, hand reaching up to the side of his face. Ow. "Dammit," he mutters, says something else under his breath, and then with a flash of chi, you had better believe that the sidewalk is going to get really slippery now. Well, everywhere but around him that is.

 

This is bad, because it means that rather than landing on nice, unslippery pavement, Meiyou, when she jumps back, lands on ice (and therefore, on her butt). So do the rest of the fighters in question, though, and they're mostly drunk -- which makes getting up hard. The one that managed to hit Chase? He's close enough to Chase that only one foot gets stuck on the slippery ice, and he flails wildly for a moment to try to keep his balance, looking like an overgrown, smelly duckling trying to fly before landing on his back. "Time to go!" Meiyou yells, getting carefully to her feet and reaching out to grab Chase's hand.

 

Chase is still rubbing at the side of his head, rather oblivious as to how everyone else is fairing with this new change in circumstance. One eyes is squeezed shut as he tentatively feels about his cheek, jaw working. The boy simply allows himself to be tugged off by Meiyou, feet sliding over the ice with... well, with ease. "Ow. That guy hit me."

 

Meiyou skitters across the ice fairly gracefully, once she's not caught by surprise by the stuff. "Baka, baka, baka, baka," she mutters as she drags him along and out. "He did hit you, because you are /drunk/ and all but falling over. And I am going to-" One less-drunk thug reaches out and grabs her ankle at this point, and she goes sprawling.

 

"Pretty shoddy hit too. My grandmother can hit better then him," Chase complains. And then complains some more. "That hurt." Can't win, eh? He is somewhat following Meiyou's words, only to stumble as she falls over. Of course, in his progress, he manages to step upon the thug's hand, but still keeps his feet. That was luck there. A haphazard turn, and he is trying to reach down for Meiyou, and hope he doesn't end up faceplanting too. "You fell." Duh.

 

"But I am not drunk," Meiyou says, giving the man a rather vicious kick in the nose to get him to let go of her ankle before she takes Chase's hand and gets to her feet. "That is the difference. Eeeto, we're leaving now. Where do you live?" Plan A: get him home. Plan B: Dump him somewhere that won't be quite so painful for him to wake up in. Let's hope that Plan A works.

 

"Actually, I think I might be a little tipsy." Happens when fellow Genbu ply you with alcohol. But it was so good. Chase is tuggled along, managing to keep up with a fairly good, if scattered, pace. "Oh, a ways from here. Long, long ways. I think. Yeah. Why? You wanna come home with me? Benito might like you. Kenny too."

 

Meiyou shakes her head ruefully. "More than tipsy, you are falling-down drunk and you have more than your share of luck." State your opinion, Mei-chan, really. "We will get a /taxi/, then, because I do not trust you to manage to get stuck in the subway entrances. Where do you live?" Now to find a taxi, somewhere. "Who is Kenny, and who is Benito, and you still have not told me what ghetto hunting is."

 

"I ain't on the ground now, am I?" Although, just as he says those words, Chase stumbles over something or another (more than likely his own feet) and there is a close moment when he nearly falls to his knees. Whew. "As I was saying, I'm not now. Oh, the subway. Betcha we could get into another fight there. Won't that be great. Two in one night!" He actually sounds excited over this too. An address is rattled off though along with other conversation, "My roommate and my dog. Oh, that's hunting, only street style."

 

Glancing over her shoulder at Chase, Meiyou wipes a smudge of dirt off of her face before shaking her head at him. "Baaaaaaka," she drawls, "you really do like getting into fights. Much better to just use a sleep spell on them and get away --- Ahah!" She hails a taxi and drags him into it. If he hits his head, well, it'll just be another few braincells, right?

 

Meiyou walks several blocks west towards Bowery Street.

 

Meiyou hails a taxi.

Etc...

You open the door and step out of the taxi.

 

Chase mutters as he continues along with Meiyou, "Sleep spell? Eh? If I was some hypnotist, then maybe... but that ain't me. Nope." Obviously not. "And that would have been boring. Put them to sleep." But a hand remains upon his bruised eye, still prodding at it. *hic* "And would you stop saying that. Damn. I hear that enough as it is. Baka this and baka that."

 

Meiyou looks about as she gets out of the taxi, not having been in this part of the city before. "I will have to come back here!" she declares cheerfully, which doesn't go well with her clothes -- but hey, she was more or less trying to go as unnoticed as she could. "Then do something to /stop/ being called an idiot," she calls over her shoulder, then sighs and steps back, offering him her shoulder for support -- she might look fragile, but she's not without /some/ strength at least. "Come on, we must get you home. That building, ne?" She nods at the Berkley.

 

 

You walk into apartment 302.

The Berkley Apartments - 302

Sparse living at its finest, or worse. The wood flooring actually as something of a luster to it through the careful maintenance of leaser's past. Walls are a rather neutral beige with something of a wood border about a third of the way up to add some character, as sparse as it is though. There is a threadbare couch, simple table and chairs, a tiny kitchen and an even tinier bathroom. A pair of doors seem to oppose one another down the small hall to the bathroom, each one leading to a different bedroom. But it is the additions that seem to give this places its character: like the expensive stereo system just over there flanked by a couple of towers of CDs or the dreamcatcher by the window that overlooks the fire escape and the street below.

Inami is here.

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

Meiyou walks into the apartment.

 

*Bang* "Ouch" That would be Chase nearly falling against the door of their apartment, a haphazard jangle of keys, some tense moments as he tries to actually unlock the door, and then it finally is opening to admit both him and Meiyou. "Oh, it was fun." *hick* "Great fun. Let's do it again." He is about ready to try to stumble his way back out the door though.

 

"Anou, Chase-kun, that is the wall, not the door," Meiyou points out helpfully as he opens the door. Curiosity or concern prompts her to stick her foot out to try to trip him as he tries to make his escape once more. "Are you trying to run away?" she asks curiously.

 

*Thunk* Yes, this next noise in the long list of noises coming from the seishi is the result of Chase faceplanting upon the hardwood floor. Ow. Nose hurts now too. And the knees. Good thing he is drunk enough not to feel most of that pain. Muffled response might be able to be picked out, "Not anymore I'm not."

 

Meiyou hums under her breath as she crouches next to Chase, looking at him with a mixture of amusement and pity. "Good!" she says cheerfully. "Because if you did, then I would worry that you weren't telling me the truth about where you live. Now, are you able to get up, or shall I tuck you into bed?"

 

Chase manages to push himself back up, looking all kinds of bleary-eyed and rather rough around the edges. So pathetic. Really. He squints after Meiyou, reaching a hand over, finger pointed, as if to tap her on the nose. But, you know drunks, they tend to miss, so hopefully he doesn't take one of her eyes out. "I do so live here. If you find a room with a bunch of Legolas stuff in it. That's mine. Hate Legolas. Hate elves. Hate Orlando Bloom."

 

Meiyou gets poked in the cheek, having hastily closed an eye against wavering fingers. The other remains open as she regards that pathetic look and finally just sighs. "Mou," comes the rote protest, "Come on, I'll put you in bed, but I am /not/ going to undress you. Why do you have it if you hate it? Orlando Bloom is quite bishounen as Legolas."

 

Gag reflex. Happens every time the words bishounen and Bloom are mentioned in the same sentence. Chase is going to try this best to climb to his feet now, more than likely using Meiyou as the object to climb up with. "Cause Mina gave it to me." Isn't that explanation enough?

 

Meiyou is getting climbed upon. Well, normally this would result in the person climbing her to get hurt at various points, but this is because Chase is drunk and falling down. Therefore, she's just going to pluck his hands off of certain points and drag him towards one door. Peek. Okay, someone on the bed already. Other door: Orlando Bloom. "Can you get your shoes off?" she asks of Chase.

 

"Yep," Chase answers. One shoe off. One shoe nearly off... nearly... there, finally. *thunk* This one not nearly as violent as Chase bounces off of a wall as there is a distinct lack of balance there. "Kenny home?" Bastard. Leaves him for dead at the bar.

 

Meiyou makes sure that Chase doesn't fall asleep on the floor, at least. In a far-too-cheerful voice, she asks, "Do you want to be tucked in?" Well, if he's going to whine like he did earlier, she might as well treat him as the age he was acting? "Yes, he's asleep in the other room."

 

"Tucked in?" Sure is a perk to Chase's voice now. "You would do that? Awwwww, Meiyou. That's so sweet. You really are a nice girl. Really nice. So sweet and pretty and really, really, really nice." At least he didn't start in with the drunken 'I love you's.

Yet.

 

Meiyou rolls her eyes at him. "Of course I'm pretty," she says in a cheerful tone, "Now, do you shower in the evening or in the morning, and do you think you could manage to do so without falling over now?" Stands to reason that she's not the slightest bit embarrassed about this. "Or should I shove you in there and make you deal with cold water, or let you sleep in clothes that've been in the gutter? The clothes don't deserve that."

 

Chase is giggling again. Oh boy. "Man, you talk just like my mom. Showering. Tucking me in." But a hand is lifting rather dramatically, fist raised to the ceiling. "I will do so now." Stumble. And his back hits flat against the wall, only to ricochet off of it and tumble towards Meiyou. Catch! "Was I in the gutter?"

 

Meiyou squeaks as she catches Chase, and goes thump to the floor with a protesting yelp. "I am NOT your mother!" she states firmly, if a little louder than she intended. "You were in the gutter, hugging a lamp post! Now, go shower!" This is where she thanks the gods -- whichever ones are out there -- that her brother only nearly gets himself killed, not drunk.

 

Okay, so how many times has Chase fallen now?  Hey, at least this time he has Meiyou to cushion him. Oif. Being this up close and personally, he gets a really good look at her face. "No. No, you sure as hell aren't." More pushing around as he tries to get up, most against her. "Oh yeah. Guess I was." Although he just figures... the heck with it, and crawls towards the bathroom.

 

Meiyou blinks at him from the short distance away, looking puzzled by his comment for a moment, and then she makes a face at his breath. "Brush your teeth too," she calls after him, then picks herself up to open the door to the bathroom -- seems she's not so sure he won't run into that, too.

 

Chase has managed to blunder into everything else. What is a door to him? But, he makes it through once it is opened, not closing it behind him, as clothes are sort of plucked from his body, climbing his way back to his feet for that shower. Good cold shower to wake up the senses. Brrrrrrrr.

 

While Chase is showering, Meiyou rummages through his clothing to find a clean set for him. This is yet another thing that might embarrass someone else to do for a relative stranger, but Meiyou just does and sets it just inside the door for him. "Clean clothes are there," she says, then settles down to wait.

 

And as Meiyou will notice, those clothes of his are actually put away rather neatly. Momma taught him well. He emerges, dripping, and tugs on the other clothes. This time, he isn't quite as bouncy against the walls, but there is still a haziness to his eyes that tends to linger. "Th-thank you." *drip*

 

"You're welcome," Meiyou replies, "Ready to sleep now?" She can go from frustration to concern in a second, and this is one of those occasions. Now, however, it's teasing. "You'll have a headache in the morning, and not even magic can will that away." As far as she knows. "Are you going to be all right?"

 

Chase nods his head, a droplet of water slipping 'tween his eyes to finally fall from the tip of his nose. "Yeah, I am." His voice is soft, a little wavery about the edges, and then without warning, the boy reaches over as if to drag Meiyou into a hug. She has better be quick to avoid it. "I love you, Meiyou!" Yep, there it is. Inevitable, eh?

 

Meiyou pats Chase on the back, having been hugged while off-guard. "No, you are simply drunk," she says calmly while trying, with her other hand, to pry Chase's arms from around her. "Sayuri-chan would be very, very angry. Now, let go of me, and I will tuck you in and you can sleep and forget that this ever happened."

 

Chase is pried away, but that sappy grin remains. "Oh, she would understand. Cause I love her too. I love her sooooo much. You know what? I got her a present. She is going to love it too. Just for her. She really is the most amazing girl. We shoot guns and steal cars together. And you know what we do with whipped topping?..." But the boy is toddling off to his bedroom, tripping over one of those shoes, and then falling flat on his face on the bed. Zzzzzzzzz.

 

Meiyou nods cheerfully, much happier now that Chase isn't glomped on to her. "I am sure that she would," she says brightly, "but I am engaged already. Oyasumi nasai, Chase-kun." She promised she'd tuck him in, so he's getting tucked in, and then she's making her escape before the other person decides to wake up.