Renai [Open]

[Wakeshima Shoji]

She was a dream. A demonic wet dream that caused shivers to course up and down Shoji's spine, his pink-haired goddess. The mercenary's world was turned upside-down and inside-out by Kurai, and the man simply couldn't get enough of her. She was his everything now, and, since meeting her, the woman was just about all that swam through his dark mind.

Practically in a love-induced daze, the tall figure entered an inn in a relatively good sized village. A broad smile was smeared across his lips, lighting up his handsome features, and Shoji made his way around the crowd. Sitting down at the bar, the man rested his chin on his hands, elbows on the table, and the bartender came up, asking him what he wanted to drink. After asking for warm sake, Shoji waited, thinking about that first night that had been filled with violence, blood, and sex, and his grin only increased in size.

When the other came back, giving Sho his drink, the mercenary leaned forward, taking a sip, and asked, tone warm and rich, and filled with cheer, "Why thank you, Sakamoto-san. I must ask you a question. Have you ever been... in love~?"

Shoji closed his eyes and chuckled, and if he had a tail it certainly would have been wagging.

[[I'm realizing how the timing of this works with Valentine's Day, and looool! xD]]

[Morei Haji]

I wandered into the inn, tiredly, my cloak over my body and hood over my head. My wandering had pretty much gotten me in an unfamiliar village, and I really needed a break. Keeping my hood on, I would fish around inside of my cloak for my money, I figured I could rest in this village for the night before continuing on my way.

When I approached the innkeeper and asked for a room however, he told me they were full up, and a look of despair crossed my face.

"Noooooo... oh man, looks like I'm sleeping outdoors again."

I sighed, wandering over to a table in the inn and sitting down in a depressed slump. Oh well, at the very least I could get a meal while I was here, right? I was starving.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rather... cheerful, looking fellow, asking someone if they had even been in love. It was a random question, but I supposed that this other man was in love with someone really special, and my thoughts fluttered back to Katsumi immediately. Love... was this man feeling the same thing that I had been feeling?

Nevertheless, he was keeping the man busy, and I was really hungry. I suppose I would wait a little bit longer to order my meal. A bit grumpily though.

[Katsurayama Haruyuki]

Haruyuki had been stuck in a place where it seemed that he could not find a way back to Oshu within the night, and so he decided to find somewhere to stay here. He was dressed in such a way that he could not be distinguished from a female, as he came back from a mission from a nearby village, and so even if he wanted to change into his customary clothes, he could not until he found some place to stay.

He entered an inn, hoping to have a room inside where he could change up into something more manly. But, after inquiring the innkeeper if they had any vacant rooms and being answered that they don't have any, he felt sad, thinking that he would be stuck in this condition, prone to many attempted rapes, for some more time. He sat down at the bar, beside some person who seemed to be very excited about something. He opted to drink a lot to forget the misery that he would be getting in the future. But it seemed that because the man kept the bartender busy, a lot of orders were halted into a stall. He then looked at his back, and he saw a hooded man, seemingly very tired, but he just saw an aura of grumpiness all around him, maybe because of not getting a meal. Thinking that it should not escalate into a brawl between the noisy man and the hooded man, Haruyuki thought of something, but it made his stomach churn.

He moved nearer to the noisy man, and then said, more in the charming spectrum, "Hey, would you just talk to me instead about love, and forget about the bartender for some time?" He then glanced at the hooded man. "That man seemed to erupt sooner or later without food, so would you let the bartender do his business and we do ours instead?"

[Wakeshima Shoji]

The bartender simply looked over at Shoji with a deadpan expression, and the man expected nothing less, laughing heartily.

"Just tell me what ya want, kid?" asked the older man gruffly.

Shoji grinned widely. "Strongest stuff you got!" He then mused aloud in a playful manner, "Maybe you need some more intimate attention so you won't be so grumpy all of the time, my fine man. Haha!"

As the bartender grumbled and walked away, a small, soft voice called out to Shoji and he glanced down and at the side, blinking. There was a slender, pretty girl sitting next to him, and his brows rose. The only women who were this forward out in the open were Kurai and prostitutes, and this wasn't his goddess. And so he assumed the latter (not that he had any issues with whores.)

Closing his eyes, the man smiled down at her charmingly. "I appreciate the offer, but I spent most of the money on me on room and board for the next couple of nights. I doubt I could afford you right now~"

Not that that was usually a concern considering his psychopathy, but Shoji was in a particularly amiable mood, love and romance flooding him because of his goddess. He couldn't really get her off of his mind, and didn't want to, and so Shoji wasn't particularly interested in having sex after that magical, bloody night (and the following ones) just a couple of days previous. At least, not at that very moment. Of course, that could easily change for the lustful man.

The bartender slid a drink over at Shoji and the merc smiled at him. After taking a sip, Shoji blinked and pursed his lips. The drink was rather weak. Huh. "Ah. I think I offended him. Oh well~"

He grinned and chuckled, glancing over at the person the slender woman had mentioned. Pursing his lips more, Shoji leaned towards him, leaning down so he could peer under the hood. After getting a look, Shoji sat straight up and exclaimed, afterwards laughing heartily, cheerfully, "You know, boy, you should put that hood down of yours. You're too nice too look at for you to hide yourself away~ Haha!"

Tag: Morei Haji & Katsurayama Haruyuki

[Oshiro Daichi]

Daichi grumbled as he opened the door and stepped through into the warm interior of the inn. He’d just gotten turned down by some decently attractive women and now he was looking to blow off a little steam by imbibing too much alcohol. The short and plump man waddled up to the bar counter and made numerous grunting noises as he heaved himself up and into a seat.

“My good man, bring me a bottle of your finest watered down liquor.”

Daichi was being a bit of a smart-ass this day and that carried through into his interactions with people. Frankly he hadn’t the foggiest idea if the drinks were watered down in this place, but he hoped the keeper would catch his drift and bring him the cheapest shit he had on hand. Daichi no longer lived a life of luxury and excess, so the good stuff wasn’t really in his budget anymore. As he sipped on his bad drink, he took to looking about the room, glancing back and forth at the other patrons.

[Oshiro Daichi]

Daichi yawned as time dragged on and on, some people came and went. Others seemed like they were going to be staying for an extended period of time, but Daichi was not among them. Having finished more than a few drinks without anything interesting happening, he simply informed the barkeep that he'd like to pay off his tab and hit the road. The overweight wannabe swordsman collected his thoughts and simply got out of his seat and staggered off towards the door on shaky legs. He had somewhere he had to be in a couple of days and he couldn't afford to linger here any longer.

[Morei Haji]

I blinked, looking around me as the lovestruck man from before began to speak. Was he talking to me? Turned out he was, because I was all by my lonesome on this side of the bar. But what he said caught me off guard? I'm nice to look at?

"I'm nice to look at?"

I blinked again. Whenever Katsumi complimented me it filled me with a sense of happiness and my cheeks would flush red. But coming from this guy, a random stranger no less, I... I wasn't sure how to feel. I was confused, scared, afraid, nervous, completely unsure of how to feel. Was it a simple compliment? Was he just stating something nonchalantly? Was he just so happy he was complementing everyone? Was he hitting on me? What do I do?!

"Um... well... I... uh... thank you... I think..."

My gaze looked away from him. If I put my hood down, would it encourage him to say more? If I kept it up, would he say more simply to try and get me to put my hood down? I was so conflicted. Katsumi, save me pls.

[Katsurayama Haruyuki]

Haruyuki just gave a small laugh at the mention of him being paid for advice and "other things". He knew that kind of attitude he displayed was unbecoming of him and he himself was ashamed in that display, and so that kind of response just fitted him perfectly. He then replied, "I'm only here to give you free advice on love and you treated me like a courtesan? I am ashamed of myself. I just appeared so that you would free the barkeep of a worry in addition to what he received daily, and I am conversant of this thing called 'love'. And I'm not a courtesan nor I am planning on becoming one anytime soon. My body had a great price, and it is only for the one who truly accepts everything in me."

He then looked at the other person, and how he had became shy on the mention of him by the person at his side. He smiled and said to the lovestruck man, "Looks like he had nothing more to say right now, since he might have been taken, or have set his eyes on a person who he thought would be his love of a lifetime. If it was a person who lived by himself, he might either become proud of himself or respond with humble words. He might have been clueless on what to respond to such a scenario, due to his being also in a state of love."

[Wakeshima Shoji]

(Prepare for some douchiness, btw. Lolol!)

She talked far too much. Unless it was Kurai or they were talking sensually to him, that was a really unattractive trait. At her words (at least the ones that he paid attention to before droning out), he raised his brows.

"Courtesan?" Shoji thought she was just an ordinary whore. Courtesans generally didn't hang out around these areas. They were far too classy and were in nice whorehouses and with the wealthy. Shoji would know, often mooching off of the rich. It was Shoji's turn to laugh. "Oh... sure."

The psychopath leaned in close, crimson eyes peering into hers. But he was above her, looking down at her, both in a literal and figurative sense. His deep, buttery voice dripped with sarcasm and there was a smirk glistening within her blood-red eyes as he remarked, "I am uncertain as to where you are from, Little Miss, but in Japan, women do not hang around in bars offering to talk about love and discussing business, unless they are whores. So beg pardon if I offended you in some way. Obviously, you are a respectable woman with the utmost class."

He leaned back, the man snorting and downing the rest of his drink. As he stood up, Shoji lightly pat her cheek. "Also," added the psychopath with the tilt of his head and with a wide smile. If it weren't for the condescension, he would come across as entirely charming, "I recommend smiling and giggling more, and talking considerably less, if you wish to be married and not live out your days alone. I do not know of a single country where the culture cares about what women have to say or what they think. Maybe in the future, but not today."

Shoji bent down and whispered, "... Just a word of advice, kid."

The woman didn't interest Shoji whatsoever. Sure, she was pretty, but that was it. The girl had this air of confidence and entitlement, and the Japanese man found it to be entirely unbecoming. This girl was not a goddess. She did not cover herself in blood and consume the suffering of others. It was just some stupid girl who thought she deserved respect from him, and all that made him want to do was crush her. Make her squirm and writhe in agony.

But... she was suddenly unattractive to him and Shoji was in a cheerful mood. A pleasant one (and not just to him, but for others, too. Genuinely so.) Tormenting others pleased him, but Shoji was being genuinely amiable. He wanted to skip and dance in his emotion of love, and to spread it, in a sense. Surprisingly, Shoji didn't feel like raping and killing. All he wanted to do was giggle and have a good, non-bloody and non-scream-filled time.

Buuuut with that being said, Shoji really did like what he saw of this hooded boy. Shoji sauntered over to Haji, and an arm slid around his shoulders. The pleasant psychopath grinned widely. Not in any sort of menacing way. In fact, the expression on the tall man was quite... adorable. Anything and everything Haru had said was either forgotten or entirely ignored. Either way, it had the same result.

Haji was Shoji's focus right now. The apple of his eyes.

Oh boy.

"Why yes~" cooed the man. He released an adorkable giggle and pat Haji's shoulder. "In fact, I'd venture to say that you are the most attractive in the room. And that snow-white hair. Why, I don't know about you, but I find it to be quite mystifying. Bewitching, even."

He blinked, releasing that could come across rude, and his free hand waved up and down. Shoji closed his eyes, sweatdropping a little, and chuckling lightly as though in fear of offending Haji. "But only in the most positive light, of course."

His thoughts went to Kurai, and a loving sigh released from his lips. He smiled as she came to mind. "Her hair is the same. Oh, but she dyes it a most soft pink. Like cherry blossoms~"

Shoji drifted out of dreamland and shook his head. Sitting down, he tilted his head, so that he could look at Haji's hidden face and gaze upon him. A cheeky grin spread across his lips. "Do you have a special someone?"

The man's eyes opened and a flicker was within his eyes, an idea popping into his head. He grew excited and leaned in closer, arm still over his shoulders unless Haji punched him right in the face as he said gleefully, "Ooo! I have a little bit of money left. I can pay for your dinner and we can talk the night away~ Haha! Whaddya say~?"

(Did Shoji's fingers rub Haji's arm a little bit? I don't know. It could have been in Haji's head. -whistles innocently-)