Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Unless it concludes on a weekend, I would have to decline judgery. Working 4 10's a week is killing my weekday online time and Friday is now Friday Night DotA. XD))

((>.> Almost wonder if dropping out of the tournament was a good or a bad thng... While time consuming in terms of long waits, I do believe it would have been fun. That and I'd be able to do my not-entirely-serious bit about Tac kicking everyone's a** cause I'm that awesome. XDDD))

((And on a final note, One arm BUAH?!!? I have obviously missed something, what with not being around when Iccy is RPed. Yes, Iccy. Like Icky, but...Iccy. XD >.> Shut up, I'm tired. XD))

<~>If you think I'd do a good job, then I'd be more than happy to help. smile <~>

Sitting alone at the bar again, it was something she was used to at this point. Before her was an empty glass with only a few drops left of what was likely water. Without a passing glance, she spun around as the glass floated away to find its place in the sink. Hopping on to her feet, the flat based gray sneakers didn't make the faintest sound despite her weight. Every step thereafter shared the trait of dead silence as she made her way to the stage.

Today she was adorned in her Japanese college student outfit; a gray outfit consisting of a formal jacket and mini skirt, with a longsleeve button down white undershirt that peeked out from the collar and cuffs. Leg warmers kept her ankles cozy and the scholarly glasses took years off of her appearance.

As she sat, her skirt seemed to fly out unnaturally, her satin underwear the only protection from the cold surface of the stage, though her upper thighs were given no such blessing. She didn't mind though as her legs kicked out to and fro in her boredom, her tail flopping from the left to the right impatiently. With a sigh her mind traveled once again, lacking any intellectual challenge currently.

She was a bit taken aback at his introduction. There was no time whatsoever for a response, and before she could say anything he had turned his back to her. It made her ears twitch in a very eerie way as she bounced off of her butt back onto her feet, softly and silently as an ant crying.

When she caught up to him, not realizing that she was still moving with stealth, she slowly leaned into his field of vision to get his attention. Her gaze was fixed, stern, and yet patient with him, a rarity for anyone and lucky for him.

"Hajimemashite Hasamoto san. Atashi ha Red desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." Very politely she bowed, though not too low, making formalities, but not exactly showing respect. Noticing the bottle of sake, his complexion, and the fluency of his speech, it wasn't much of a shot in the dark for her to guess he was Japanese.

"What happened to your arm?" Obviously she cared very little about sensitivity. His left sleeve was loose. Too loose and there seemed to be no bulge in his robe, so it wasn't likely that he was a ronin or yojimbo. Those were outdated anyway.

Konosuke looked to his right, glad that this young woman had not come up on his blind side in such a silent fashion. Still, the smile on his face grew miles wide as he heard the familiar words and phrases roll off of her lips in greeting, followed by a polite bow. It had been quite a while since he'd spoken to someone who knew more than a few tidbits of Japanese, mostly from children who watched something called 'anime'.

He couldn't help but laugh as Red-san dove right into the question about his arm. Abrupt and to the point. No need for long and pointless tales with this young woman. Gesturing to a barstool, Konosuke sat down on another, supporting himself slightly with his right arm.

"I lost my arm to my enemies when they sought to kill me. Though they took the lives of my family and clansmen, they left me alive. A grave mistake on their part."

He paused, and turned his right eye to look at her more clearly.

"But that was many years ago, Red-san. It seems to me, however, that perhaps I am not the only one who feels that being left alive was someone's grave mistake. Forgive me if I asume too much."

He blinked his blue grey orb, the other visible as a closed lid through his black-green hair, three scars running over it. He knew the look of vengeance in those red eyes.

He paused, and looked towards the door as another entered, waving a mechanical arm around. Wait, what? The samurai blinked as Valin introduced himself, before taking a seat near Red-san.

"Greetings, Valin Lobel. Hasamoto Konosuke, though, if it might make it easier, please call me Kono."

He looked the young man over, noticing that he himself was not the only one missing an arm.

"Good evening Valin," she greeted her ally about as kindly as she usually did; with little interest and a dry tone long since trained to show little emotion. His humor was not in her taste most times, and today was not different. As such she treated this joke like all the others - she didn't.

Turning back to her left though, her attention fell upon the words addressing her nature as an avenger. It appeared that the two of them had something in common then. Both lost their entire family and were out for blood. Being any more alike would be disturbing to her. However it was a comfort that perhaps someone now would understand exactly what it was she felt when others preached to her against such desires.

"You assume nothing about me, I assure you. The eyes of grief and vengeance do not lie. However I suffer no scars as my family was killed in my absence. I take it a blessing however because so far it seems I'd not be able to avenge them were I there at the time of their deaths. I'm...not strong enough yet."

Gazing at him, she took in his attire, traditional Japanese down to the grains on the sandal. Something did catch her interest though, and it wasn't the scars over his left eye.

"So I take it that you're a swordsman on top of all else. What's more though is that you have only one arm which must mean you are quite skilled. Why though do you have two swords? No amount of skill will give you a large enough hand to wield them both at once."

"Your wounds are fresh, I see. Mine, though you might not believe, are centuries old. I made a deal, you see. And only when I complete my task, can I finally die in peace to be with my wife and daughter. As with all things, strength and peace come with time, Red-san."

He smirked slightly as she brought up the subject of his two blades. AN eye for detail, this one had. He liked her more and more with each passing moment. To prove that his right hand was of no extrordinary size, he held it up.

"You are correct, I cannot weild them both in my single hand. However though, I can wield one in my hand in offense, and bear the other between my teeth in defense."

Konosuke laughed slightly, and turned to lift the bottle of Sake off the counter.

"But please, enough about battle and blood. I am curious as to what kind of place this is. Never have I seen such a diverse gathering of folk before."

He paused, and glanced around the back of the bar where there stood bottles and bottles of liquids.

"Perhaps, if one of you knows where the dishes are, we could have a drink together?"

Valin thought for a moment, collecting his thoughts to make something coherent, "I don't like killing. And I don't like people dying. It's not just a Jedi thing - it's a personal thing too. I guess I'm just tired of it. Seen way too much of it for any life time, ya know?"

He shifted gears into a different subject - one that avoided the war. He was never too terribly comfortable talking about it. Valin had just been to... too many funerals and faced too many personal losses. Friends, family, and others. Didn't help to be connected to the Force - when a planet burns, you felt that as if you yourself were burning. Perhaps... perhaps he was just too open, too sensitive to such things. Couldn't help it. He just gave too much of damn at times. Older, better Jedi were better at tuning it out or knowing how to deal with. Or they were just use to war...

"As for the high or low path - I would say to always strive for the high path. It's harder, it's rougher, and never too fun. It's rewarding though," Valin smiled roughly, just sorta a 'blah' kinda look on his face, "But hey, I'm the Jedi. I'm one of those guys who are going to go around preaching the high path. I try to keep it to minimum - you folks aren't Jedi, I don't expect you to abide by our rules. I guess I just don't like seeing people die and try to impart some sort 'Hey, let's learn to forgive' message in most things."

Valin tossed his hands in the air then sulked in his chair some, "Blah! I'm not making any sense, am I? I'm preaching again, aren't I?"