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 Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 2:31 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:23 pm
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Part One: Being Made
Bushi looked up at the sun for a moment, around the area, then up once more. It was nearly time for his contact to arrive with a new load of goods for him, something that the big man was excited for. The man was to provide him with a few things that he was looking for, mostly in the form of precious metals and jewels, that he would in turn be bringing to some of his favorite customers. That was the plan at least, until he noticed that something seemed a little off today. It was about the time that his contact should be arriving, yet Bushi was still standing here on his own. His pink eyes set to scanning the crowd, seeking out the man's familiar face and build, and as luck would have it he actually found him. Upon seeing the man wasn't approaching he felt himself tensing a little bit. The man met Bushi's steady gaze for a moment before he ducked back into the alleyway that he'd been hovering in front of of. That was an indicator that something was definitely amiss, telling Bushi that he probably shouldn't linger any longer then he had.
His deep pink eyes set to scanning the area around him and he found himself starring at the problem, well problems plural as there were guards nearby. That would explain why his contact had bailed on him. He gave a thoughtful sound in his throat upon spotting the trio, "They shouldn't be here at the moment." He murmured to himself, not liking this surprise of sorts at all. Pushing away from the wall he'd been leaning against he look in the direction of the trio of guards, studying them closely. He knew them, the one on the left was called Shion, he was a decent guy with a pretty wife and... what was it, four kids now? He was one that Bushi had chatted with many times in the past, the two of them had a decent enough understanding, heck, Shion had actually helped him out in the past for a price. Who else?
The next one was a woman that everyone called Lala because she seemed to sing to herself while patrol, a good girl, one Bushi had chatted with a couple times, though didn't know as well as he did Shion. He just knew that on a normal day she wasn't really someone that he had to deal with. The problem was the third guy he thought to himself as his eyes went about inspecting him, giving a sighing sound as he did. That would be the ban of his existance, a man named Jaide. He was what Bushi could only describe as a hero type, the sort that followed every rule down to the letter, the sort that would do anything and everything to best serve his people. He was the sort that Bushi could respect, but he was at the same time a huge pain. While he'd bet anything that he could have gotten around the other two enough a little effort, maybe even a pay off, Jaide would never allow it. He'd bet his fortune that the guy wanted nothing more then to see Bushi in shackles... and it was confirmed when the brat was suddenly pointing at him, calling out to him to 'halt'.
It was one of those orders that actually made Bushi chuckle a little, as if he would actually just wait for the to come over and arrest him he thought to himself. It would appear as though the day was not only a bust now that his contact had vanished but he was going to forced to run as well, as if running was actually something Bushi wanted to waste his time doing. If he felt like running around all day he'd of continued on as a thief, he'd gotten into the business of a fence so that he wouldn't have to. Such a pain he thought to himself, turning on his heel and started away from the 'hero' boy, walking at a lazy pace at first, amused as he heard Jaide yelling at him from a distance. It almost sounded as though he were surprised, as though he really thought that Bushi was going to 'halt' and just wait for him. It was a naivete that was almost cute, almost.
As Bushi reached the entrance that led to one of the alleyways he glanced over toward the trio, gave them a wave, and ducked into the alley. Once he was within it he set to running forward down the alleyway, hoping to put some distance between himself and the guards as they made their way through the throngs of people. The further ahead that he got from the trio the better off he'd be, not to mention the more time he had to figure out exactly where it was that he was going and what it was that he was going to do from this point forward. He'd likely have to leave Kalv for a while, so the question then became where he'd head next. He had contacts in various other Oban cities, or he could head home for a while and just wait this out. If there was no evidence against him, and given those in power that he brought goods to, things would blow over with time even with Jaide was throwing a fit about it. He'd have to learn one day that there things out there more powerful then his goody-goody ideals, things like money.
After a moment of thought as he trotted along he heard Jaide's familiar voice yelling at him, causing him to turn, spotting the man at the far end of the alleyway. He was alone at the moment, meaning the other two might be circling around to try to cut him off? Excellent, if he was lucky he'd run into one of them he thought to himself as he pushed himself to run a little faster despite his intense dislike of doing so. Better to run into Shion or Lala instead of letting Jaide catch up to him, at least he knew how best to deal with them.
(( Word Count: 1030 ))
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 8:30 pm
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Part Two: A Daring Escape!
A Bushi continued to hoof it, making his way down the alleyway as quickly as his wide frame would allow he heard a little 'Pst' sound, the sort that instantly caught the smuggler's attention, causing him to turn. He saw a door up ahead, one that was opened just a crack and he went for it. The door opened long enough for him to slid into the empty, dusty building, and was closed behind him just as quickly. Ducking down looked out through the crack between the door and the frame, watching closely as Jaide went racing passed, still calling his name. The boy was far too hasty he thought to himself as he turned to face the one that had helped him, giving a bit of a smile, "Hey there Brax, not exactly how we were supposed to meet, but I'll late it." He said in a hushed tone, pushing to his feet, and followed along after his contact.
"Your lucky that I am so eager to drop these goods, Bushi, or I'd just leave you here to deal with Jaide and his lackeys on your own. You might know the ins and outs of this town but I can't say I do, I'm more familiar with Jatine myself." The man said, giving Bushi a long look as they paused near the entrance to the old, dusty building, peeking out of it before turning back to Bushi, "Here and now, you are going to pay me for the goods I have for you, then we are going our own separate ways for a while. It's far too hot here for us to make any more exchanges. Next time it's going to have to be somewhere, anywhere, else other then Kalv, got it?"
Giving a sigh Bushi nodded, "Fine, fine, we will figure out somewhere a little less crowded next time, a place where Jaide doesn't venture so we don't have to worry about him." The kid really needed to get a swift kick in the backside if you asked Bushi. That or he just needed to finally just break down and make a deal with Bush as so many others before him had. Not as though it was such a terrible thing to treat with him, in fact it was something that allowed for mutually beneficial arrangements, "It's a shame the guy is such a prude. If he wanted to be a hero then he should have joined the war, such things don't apply in day to day life." At least not in Bushi's eyes. Life was hard and one had to do whatever was necessary to survive, which made him almost feel bad for Jaide and his strange ideals. It was one of those things that would come back to bite the boy in the backside one day and might even break his spirit.
Brax gave a shrug of one shoulder, "I would be careful with him, Bushi, wannabe hero or not he's actually caught the ear of a few people amongst the guard, enough so that he might actually end up being a bother to you." The man said, shrugging out of the pack that he had over one shoulder, holding it out to the big man in front of him, "You really need to pray to all the Gods and Goddesses who might be listening that you're able to find a way to bring Jaide around. Until then I'd suggest a change of scenery, Bushi, maybe up North? You always talked about wanting to make some contacts outside of Oba, right?"
Reaching out to take the pack Bushi opened it up, making a quick tally of everything inside, before nodding his head, "Everything seems to be in order." He murmured, taking out a bag of coins from his pouch, giving it a jingle before tossing it to Brax, "You might be right about going North for a bit, I hear that Tale is nice though, though it might be a bit of a pain making friends after our countrymen went off making such a ruckus up there. If anyone can make friends with the Northerners though I'd bet it would be me." He said this with much confidence, though he knew that it might be a bit more difficult then he let on. He needed to think about things from their side after all, the Obans were a driving force, one that liked to be in charge, and to rule over all the others out there.
Being on top, in theory, was nice but it was no way to make friends if the people of Matori were any indication. All that Oba lording over them got was a whole tribe of people that hated them. Well, he supposed there were a few in there that might like the Obans, or at least specific ones, but as a whole he doubted that they wanted anything to do with the Obans and, in turn, Bushi. One day though he'd figure out how to get some contacts within Matori but Tale seemed a better place to start. Sure, they'd warred with them, but Oba had lost, and there wasn't years upon years worth of slavery of the Leaft Tribe to get in the way of business.
"Alright, we are going to go out at the count of two, you go left, I'm going right." Bushi said after slinging the pack over his shoulder. After counting the two of them went their separate ways with him trotting forward, hoping that he would be able to get ahead of Jaide. He was sure that he'd circle back, figure out where Bushi had vanished to, and in the end he find him again. He was pretty tenacious, like a little janarim pup with a toy.
As he hurried along someone suddenly grabbed hold of his arm, slowing him down, causing him to jerk his head around, expecting to see Jaide standing there only to see Shion instead. He blinked a couple times, then gave a smile, "Shion, how's the wife?" He murmured, giving him a friendly smile before the man took a swing at him, one that he was able to block with his hand... then realized that something was being pressed against his palm, a note? He blinked a couple times, drawing back, and was quick to tuck it into his pocket. Once that was done he said, "You know how it's got to be, right? Gotta look real." Shion gave a nod of his head as Bushi drew back and gave him a punch in the midsection, drooping him to one knee where he hunched forward over the small pouch of coins that Bushi had passed to him.
"Stay down for a three count." He murmured before he started running once more, counting off in his head, before Shion would climb to his feet to pursue. They had to make it look real after all or else Jaide would hassle them both instead of just Bushi. It wasn't long before he heard Jaide once more, yelling at him for what felt like the millionth time to 'halt' but finally he was able to find a crowd big enough to lose himself in, heading North. His business was concluded and he had a note he needed to read over, something that would need to wait until he was out of town. Once he'd made his daring escape he'd check the note and see what it was that Shion wanted him to know.
(( Word Count: 1244 ))
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Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2015 10:42 pm
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Part Three: A Slap on the Wrist & Onward to Tale!
It took everything for Bushi to get himself out of town and by the time he made it out of Kalv he was exhausted and soaked in sweat, "Ugh, after this I refuse to run for the next month." He muttered to himself, lifting a hand, and mopped his forehead off with it, "Ugh, I hate running, I am not built for running, that's why I am a damn business man!" He complained to nobody in particular since nobody was around, but still, he felt the need to complain out loud over the fact that he had gotten himself chased out of one of his favorite cities. It wasn't where he lived, no where close, but it was a good one for a 'business man' like him. Now that he wasn't about to stay in Kalv, not until things cooled off and Jaide found something else to do at least, he supposed he would need to see about heading North to Tale.
Before that though he remembered, reaching into his pocket, looking over the note that Shion had handed over to him. He read it over once, twice, then a final time before giving a hiss sound between his teeth, "That little upstart." He muttered to himself, knowing well the name that was written on the paper, the name of the man that had apparently ratted him out to the Jaide and the other guards, the man that was trying to 'woo' Brax and steal the man's business away from him. Such a bother, to have to deal with not only the guards, but there were also younger men who were trying to n** at his heels and steal his contacts. He had been making deals with Brax a lot longer then this brat though, not to mention that he was better at what he did. He had years of honing the talents he had after all, but this brat, he was just now getting into things.
He gave a thoughtful sound before he got out a flint and his knife, using them to set the note alight. Once it had burned away he started on his way once more. He needed to spread the word, to let some of his contacts know that he was going North, but, more importantly, he was going to tell them about what the little upstart tried today. People claimed there was 'no honor among thieves' but that was something Bushi knew was BS, they made deals and worked hard just like anyone else. If they knew that one of their potential fence's was a nark, one that would just go to the guards to stab a fellow 'business man' in the back over a single contact, it would put him back in his place. It would also put him back several years when it came to making himself a good contact network. It would either teach him the value of not whining to the guards or he would become a professional nark. Either way it was best that those Bushi likes, those he worked alongside for so long like Brax, knew the truth about him.
So first he'd see to it that the little brat was dealt with in a sufficient manner and then he was heading into Tale so that he would be able to see about making himself some contacts. That he had a pack full of various treasures, as well as a decent amount of coin even after paying Brax and Shion, he felt it should go well enough. He just had to convince them that he was 'one of the good guys' at least in his own manner. That in mind he started toward an oasis that some of his thief friends frequented first, he might be able to get some rations from them in fact, which would help him out with his travels as well. The upside of being good at trading and having things that people wanted he thought to himself and once more Bushi was on the move. It was likely the most he'd moved about in a while, which made him want for nothing more then a nap once he finally made it to Tale.
(( Word Count: 698 ))
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 4:20 pm
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 11:12 am
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Bushi Gets a Bushi
Well now, this was an interesting situation indeed Bushi found himself thinking as he starred at a massive, rust red beast, the very one that he had taken his business name from. The creature starred back, it's small golden eyes locked with that of Bushi. He blinked a couple times, finally breaking the gaze, and looked over at the man that owned the great turtle. He had said that he would trade Bushi for it, for a pretty good price in face, and if he didn't take the creature off his hands that he meant to turn him into stew for anyone willing to pay for a bowl of it. Not a threat that he much cared for, feeling that the large beast would be far more useful alive then it would chopped up in a bowl. He couldn't let the man know that though, if he knew that Bushi didn't want to see the creature end up as dinner then he'd be able to hike up the asking price. He'd need to be more shrewd, though there was the risk of losing the turtle if he did so.
After a moment of though, as well as two laps around the bushi as though he were sizing the creature up he said, "I admit that it's a decent enough offer but you also know that now that you have told me your plans for the bushi that it changes everything. No longer are we looking at a 'rare and valuable pet', which you would have been able to ask more for, but instead we are looking at stew meat." Saying the words made his chest ache a little since it sounded so mean, but he hoped the big beast would be able to forgive his cruel words, "As such we need to figure out how much he's worth in meat. Unless you're willing to do the work yourself you will also need to figure in the fact that you would need to pay a skilled butcher to prepare him for a stew as well."
Bushi stroked his beard as he considered all the angles a moment, before he continued, "The price of the meat, of which there is less then you would think since bushi contain a lot of bone and shell, the price the butcher would charge you, what you might make in stew provided you would be able to sell it all before it went bad, and then the work that would come with having to dispose of any left over stew that had turned. Really, you should be paying me to take the beast off of your hands but being the nice man that I am I'm willing to negotiate. I'll offer you half of your asking price which we both know is way to high."
The man standing next to the bushi gave a sputtering sound, his cheeks going red from anger, "I'll have you know that these creatures are prized back in Matori! They are used as mounts by the Water Tribe, and are amiable enough that even children can play with them! How dare you make such a poor offer!" He spat out, stomping a foot in an ineffective manner on the sand.
"As I said, you should have lead with that instead of telling me that you meant to turn him into stew. You lost the ability to sell him as a pet when you did that. On top of that mistake you must keep in mind that we are in Oba, not Matori, so that argument is falling flat. I've given you my offer, this should be the part where you try to negotiate, to tell me that I am correct in my assumption about the bushi, butter me up a bit, and try to squeeze more coins out of me." The man opened his mouth, as though he were planning to try that, but already Bushi was shaking his head, "I said that is what you should be doing, you didn't, so that chance has passed. I am thinking that maybe I offered too much... maybe you think that the bushi isn't even worth what I am offering, huh? Is that why you aren't trying very hard?"
The man sputtered again, trying to find his words, before he spat out an angry string of curses, "I don't know who you think you are..." The man snapped, "This bushi is worth more then what you're offering and... wait, what...? Are you walking away?" The man asked as Bushi scooped up his pack, slinging it over his shoulder, before taking a couple steps away, "Fine! Fine... we can talk... I... fine, your initial offer, I will take it, but not even a coin lower! I swear if..." The man found a bag of coins being tossed his way, something he fumbled to catch while Bushi too the lead rope that was around the rust red bushi's neck.
"It's been interesting, not nice, but interesting. Do enjoy your coin, and try a little harder figuring out the right and wrong way to go about negotiations, will you? You make us all look bad when you don't even try." He really would never under how some people got into this business without even understanding the first thing about being a business man. Maybe he'd just been at it long enough that he was leagues ahead of newbies, but it still irked him a bit. The man needed to be friendly, welcoming, he couldn't threaten people that if they didn't buy something from him that he would destroy it, nor should he then get all flustered and angry. He shouldn't... but it made Bushi's life a lot easier, not to mention that he was able to get a bushi for a low, low price by talking circles around the fool.
Once they were out of earshot of the still fuming man Bushi lifted a hand to pat the big beast on the head, "Sorry about referring to you as stew meat, I have no plans at all to cook you. If anything you're going to become my best friend on the trip we are about to take." He told the creature. Undoing the rope he set to work tying it around the turtle's shell, then hung his packs off of it, "There we go, a load off my back, and I doubt you even feel it. Come on then, we have a long walk ahead of us, plenty of time for us to figure out a name for you that isn't stew meat." Bushi said before they were heading north once more toward Tale.
(( Word Count: 1103 ))
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 11:13 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:17 am
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:25 am
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 2:51 am
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 5:03 am
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Back to the Village
The moment that Bushi returned to where Aatos was waiting for him he set to work quickly packing everything up while the bird that he was holding under one arm was chirping loudly. It was probably best that he got them all out of here before the rest of the kinfa came after them in an attempt to retrieve the little blue kinfa. He'd bet everything that he owned at the moment that they would probably try attacking him again if they noticed that he'd caught one of their number. That was definitely not something he wanted to deal with as he'd had more then enough getting kicked around by kinfa and being forced to run around like a crazed perzi for his liking. All he really wanted was to be able to lay down and take a long nap in the shade somewhere... but that wasn't an option quite yet. No, it would actually be best for the lot of them to go back to the village Bushi had started off in before they tried to rest up.
Opening up one of the empty baskets that hung off of Aatos's shell he eased the blue kinfa chick into it, "You wait in here, little one. I will take you back out again once we get to the village." He told the little bird, giving her a little smile before he replaced the cover. The weave of the basket would provide plenty of air and it would also allow the little bird to calm down a bit. From here on out he was going to have to tame the little one to his hand. She was calmer then when he first netted her but she was by no stretch of the imagination tamed. That would be something for him to work on with her once they were far enough from the rest of the flock. So back to town, they could rest up after the marathon, and then Bushi would see about trading for the best kinfa treats that the village had to offer. It would be something that would be quite useful as far as taming was concerned.
There was a little squawk from the basket, one that caused Bushi to laugh and pat the container, "It will be alright, little bird, I promise that you can come out of there once you calm a little and once I have some treats to win you over with." He knew that the best way to win Bushi himself over would be treats, so here was to hoping it was the same for the bird that he'd netted. There would be an initial investment that he'd have to pay to get the kinfa trained but once that was done he could make the money back. He could use of her beautiful feathers for various accessories that would sell well among the people of Oba who didn't have access to such colorful feathers back home. It would be more then worth the time and effort involved since he knew there was a profit to be had. He just had to look to the future he thought to himself, giving a little smile.
It didn't take long for the kinfa to settle down inside of the basket, and it allowed Bushi and Aatos make their way back to the Leaf Tribe village of Yera without much incident. Upon arriving it seemed as though people seemed almost surprised that he was back so soon. Not only had Bushi returned swiftly but he'd arrived in one piece with a kinfa in hand. It was likely not what they were expecting from him, not even in the least bit. He doubted that he was exactly the sort of person that people thought would could catch a kinfa. His large size didn't exactly inspire confidence, not when it came to chasing anything down, let alone a flying beast like a kinfa. Lucky for Bushi the baby kinfa, the ones that actually appeared to be tamable, were flightless, allowing him to get his hands on one of them.
Heading toward where the market place was set up Bushi was quick to buy what was needed for the care of the kinfa. A bag of food that was made to help kinfa grow up strong, some treats for her, as well as some helpful information from the salesman about kinfa. He would take any information that he could get his hands on when it came to the little bird, he did want to take good care of her after all. With everything in hand, and Aatos following along behind him, he moved off to find himself some shade to sit in and enjoy. He'd left Oba, which was hot enough in and of itself, but Tale seemed to be no better really.
"It was quite the busy day, wasn't it, Aatos?" He said, reaching out to pat him on the shell before they moved off to find somewhere to wait out the heat. Once they found a tree that didn't have anyone sitting under it he scooped the little kinfa out of the basket, "Let's sit, shall we?" He smiled and settled down on the ground, setting the kinfa on his lap. He pat the baby kinfa on the head before offering her some of the treats that he'd traded for in the marketplace, "Hungry, little one? How about we all have some nice snacks then get a nice nap."
Digging into his pack he got out a head of a leafy vegetable that he'd bought earlier, tossing it to Aatos who caught it and set to chewing on it slowly. Giving a smile the big man then offered more treats to the kinfa, "I think that the next thing that we need to do is figure out your gender and a name for you." The kinfa, like Aatos, was going to need a name... but it would be difficult to figure out a name for the bird until he knew the gender. Maybe he'd bring the bird to visit with the guy who he'd bought the food and treats for? That thought in mind he gave the bird a few more treats, had a couple snacks himself, and then laid back in the shade for some well deserved rest.
(( Word Count: 1047 ))
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 5:04 am
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:10 am
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:47 pm
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 1:36 pm
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