Roleplay Log~
Characters: crimsontango (Kurenai), asumauqamarine (Asuma).
When: 2 days ago.
What: They go drinking?
Notes: A couple of...inside jokes....
Asuma took a final drag on his cigarette before tossing it to the asphalt, grinding it past ashes into despondency. He would have felt mildly bad about littering if he didn't also know the environmentalists who were worse bigots than the fast-food giants who ate slim-fast for their morning breakfasts.
He shrugged his shulders, adjusting the bag of balls that were still warm from their stint in the afternoon light. He was glad, if just this once, the kids hadn't listened to him when he told them to pack up and bring everything back to the equipment room. It meant he'd have to nudge them tomorrow, but hey - all kids could use a good one (when he was bothering himself to it). Ibiki was much better in that field.
He locked up the equipment room, another unlit cigarette between his lips. For all he was laid back, he also respected school policy. He'd wait to be outside before lighting up.
One of the classrooms was still lit as he went by, and music reached his ears. Was one of the students still here? That was also against school policy, and likely, not the case. Still - ahh, perhaps the dance instructor. The new woman. She was fairly attractive, if he recalled correctly. From what he'd overheard some of the female students say, she was also quite the dancer.
Not that Asuma would much know the difference. Nor would he admit to knowing how to dance - especially since most of it was far from the modern, "hip" stuff kids these days overindulged in.
But, in the name of surety... He knocked on the door. "Anyone in there?"
Kurenai had just finished another long day of instruction. She was finding the job to be half-rewarding and half frustrating. While there were a few students who were genuinely interested, and who appeared to be working hard at actually learning something, but for every one of those kinds of students, there were three of the kind that had taken dance as just a BS class, and who frequently would interrupt her when she was trying to teach. It had taken all of her willpower and focus to not snap on any of them yet, but she could already feel her patience wearing thin. She wondered how long she'd last before going off on some of them. It just wasn't fair to the students who were there to actually learn.
So, after that long day, she was winding down in the studio. On her small pay from the school, she wasn't able to afford much of an apartment. The building it was in was fairly run-down, and it contained of only a tiny living room, a tiny kitchen, and a small bathroom and bedroom. No room to move around in at all. So, she had found herself frequently spending her afternoons in the school's studio, long after everyone else had left. She'd learned after the first couple of days that all of the teachers, and especially the principal, were always quick to leave the building once the kids were gone. It left the building quiet and uninhabitated, and she liked that. It gave her the freedom to dance without having to worry about immature male students who had just hit puberty trying to spy on her through the glass in the door, and the relative silence was a welcome noise, as was whatever music she decided to play. During instruction time, she had been rather limited to classical, boring selections, but she tended to spice it up when she was alone.
She was standing at the barre, beginning to go through her cool-down stretches after she had completed a few fast-paced dances when she heard a knock on the door. Puzzled, she went quickly to the door, the leather movement shoes on her feet making a slight scuffling sound as she walked. Wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead, she opened the door, recognizing after a few seconds the new gym teacher. The...smoker. "Can I help you?" she asked, a bit shortly, but then realized she might have sounded unintentionally rude and softened it with a small smile.
Asuma was privately amused. He was fairly sure this woman had something against him - and couldn't really be arsed to care. He returned her smile with his own, easy-going, natural one. "Just checking to make sure none of the kids were in here. Every so often they feel compelled to try and pull some prank or another on campus." He eyed the room curiously, then returned his attention to her. "I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Sarutobi Asuma." He stuck out his hand good naturedly.
In actuality, she had something against everyone, usually before she even met them, and men usually got the worst of her first impressions. Being a dancer, she was committed to taking care of her body (though that didn't, of course, stop her from drinking a rather large amount of wine quite frequently), and so people who didn't do the same tended to irritate her. This easy-going gym teacher who seemed to always be smoking definitely fit that profile of the irritating ones, but she reminded herself that she had come to Oshima as a bit of a clean start, and that she shouldn't be so hasty to judge. Keeping the smile that didn't quite reach her eyes plastered to her face, she placed her crimson-manicured hand in his own, shaking it lightly. "Kurenai. Yuuhi Kurenai." Bond. James Bond. "You're the gym teacher."
"You're the dance teacher." Exchange obvious for obvious, shall we? "I've heard some of the girls complimenting your class. Probably get a better work-out here than in gym." Still smiling. In gym, they could beg off on menstruation. Which, if he thought about it, meant some of the girls... never stopped. Ah well.
"Oh, have they?" she asked lightly, removing her hand from his and running it through her hair, annoyed at the small tangles she couldn't work her fingers through. "Well, I imagine it's more interesting for them. I'm sure it's the same with the boys and your class."
"They're just a bunch of underappreciative punks who think the high-point of finess is elbowing ahead of the next guy to come in first for some race that won't matter five seconds from now, let alone five years." Spoken without the edge that experience had brought him.
She raised an eyebrow. All that most men cared about, it seemed to her, was little violent and competitive acts like that. It was...a bit refreshing to hear something different. She pursed her lips a bit, a small smile tugging at the outer corners. Interesting. "So, do you intend to try and change their viewpoints on that?" she asked.
She raised an eyebrow. All that most men cared about, it seemed to her, was little violent and competitive acts like that. It was...a bit refreshing to hear something different. She pursed her lips a bit, a small smile tugging at the outer corners. Interesting. "So, do you intend to try and change their viewpoints on that?" she asked.
"No." Amusement lightened his tone. "I plan to stand there with my cigarette buring and cull the ones who can be salvaged." To be honest with himself, it was about what he could manage. "Not much you can force others into seeing without their cooperation, but I can try." He shrugged, more a half-roll of his shoulders than anything else.
She leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms in front of her. "But what about, oh, I don't know...'setting a good example for impressionable young minds' or whatever it was in that introductory packet they gave us? Aren't you concerned with that at all?" Truth be told, she had probably been the only teacher to actually READ that packet. "Influence them while they're young and all that?"
He snorted, clearly amused. "Kids are most impressionable when they're knee-high. Even the brats in middle-school can be formed. By now? They're all too independent minded, and if they aren't, the dependencies aren't learning ones." He shrugged his shoulders. "The things they tell us are nice in theory, but in practice fail more often than succeed."
She listened and nodded in agreement. "Fair enough. I guess in a society like this when kids these age are already screwing each other and shooting each other, it's optimistic to think you could make a difference." she shrugged.
Asuma looked thoughtful. "You can," he stated carefully, "On an individual basis. The idea of grand gestures touching the hearts of thousands? Bollywood."
"And anything relatively that grand, even if possible, would take much too much effort in the first place." she said, laughing a bit to herself as she moved back into the room, beginning to straighten up chairs and small things that were out of place. She had difficulties just standing still for too long when she had things she had to do. "So, how long have you been teaching?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Five yeras come January." Asuma had no problem with staying still. It was one of his good points. It made him effective, deadly... and laid-back. "Yourself?"
He wasnt so much watching her as examining the room, catologuing the details to mull over later. He guessed at what everything was laid out for, and smiled inwardly. Too much effort for what too few appreciated. Oh well. Gym was even worse.
She began folding some of the dance mats, making a few trips back across the room in order to pick the heavy things up and placing them carefully in a stack in the corner. "This is my third." she replied, a bit short of breath. "First at this school, of course, but third overall. First two were each at seperate schools."
He raised his eyebrow. "The food that bad?" He coughed politely. "Sorry, bad joke. Most of the sailors who jumped ships about that often were trying to outrun some horrible cook or another." He shook his head. "Any reason to be jumping around that often?"
She continued stacking the mats, the pile reaching up to her waist now, and shrugged lightly. She contemplated just saying she didn't want to talk about it for a moment before just answering. "I don't like staying in one place very long, is all."
Asuma nodded. He could understand. "Wanderlust? Or just enjoy traveling?" For some it was a need. Asuma had that time in his life, and it had abated for a variety of reasons. mostly practical ones.
"I just get bored." she said shortly as she dropped the last mat on top of the pile with a violent thump.
He noted the violence with mild amusement. "Ahh." He really wished he could light up now. Kept him so stress-free, it did.
She brushed her hands off on each other, turning to survey the room with quick eyes. Everything seemed to be in place, and she nodded in satisfaction to herself, walking to her desk and beginning to pull a few things off of her desk and toss them into the dance bag she carried with her instead of a purse. "Things just get stagnant." she offered.
"Nasty habit," he commented, wryly. "Walk you out?" He said so out of politeness, and a lingering wariness from years of dealing with dark alleys and what roamed in them. Even Oshima, being a small island to mostly retirees, wasn't free of threat and danger.
She paused, about to drop a CD case into her bag, and looked up at him. What, did he think she was just some helpless female? "I'm perfectly fine to walk on my own, thanks." she responded, dropping the CD case in her bag and straightening up, sliding the strap onto her shoulder and looking back over at him. "Though, it's nice of you to offer." she added, in an afterthought. Fresh start, Kurenai, come on.
"Glad to hear it," he said simply. "Good to have another woman around who can watch herself. A man forgets there are such when surrounded by oblivious kids." He cracked his knuckles. "Then that'll be it, eh?"
"A man should never forget that." she said evenly, trying her best not to glare at him. It wasn't his fault that he was, well...a man. Okay yes it was. Anyways. She winced at the cracking of his knuckles. "That's bad for your joints, you know. And unless you want to take me out for a drink, yes, that'll be it."
He looked curious. "You a drinker?" He didn't bother commenting on her other statements, not much, once more, arsed to care. He ran a hand through his hair, making absolutely no change whatsoever. Beautiful.
"I might be." she replied simply, looking over at the clock above the door. It was getting late.
"Then if you might be inclined to alow me to accompany you, Oshima has its fair share of interesting hot spots."
"Then I think you're obligated to show a newcomer around, aren't you?" she remarked, smirking. "Your treat." A statement, not a question.
"No doubt," he said, voice neutral. "Walk or drive?"
"Walk." she said, already moving to the door. She wanted to see what kind of shape his lungs were in.
Asuma inclined his head forward in acceptance. "Looks to be a nice evening. Good choice."
"I always make good choices." she replied, walking quickly out in front of him and down the school steps. She intended to see if he could keep up with her pace.
He did, with seemingly no effort. Asuma was like that bastard of an old dude who lived to be onehundred and twenty without so much as having a simple flu, able to run a mile, and smoking his entire life. Oh yes. And eating bacons. Lots, and lots, of bacon. "Hn." He didn't feel the need to say any more at this time.
She was surprised and slightly upset at the same time, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. She walked a little bit faster, looking back at him with an unspoken challenge in her eyes.
Asuma seemingly was unaffected. Realistically, he'd responded with a bit of a spark in his eyes and an increase in the length of his stride. Challenge? We're on... withing reason.
She glared at him, trying to increase the length of her own stride without looking like she was trying too hard. "How far away is it?" she asked casually.
"About a mile, give or take a city block," he replied, just as casually.
"Long walk." she remarked cooly, shoving at his shoulder a bit as she moved in front of him.
Asuma absorbed the shock of her shove without comment, picking up his own pace and not returning the "favor." "Shorter than you'd think."
"Do you often take long walks?" she asked, turning to smirk at him. "I'd imagine not with that smoking habit of yo-" but she was cut off as she tripped, having been paying attention to his steps instead of watching where she was going.
"!" Yes, a wordless exclaimation, backed by a swift move as he tried to grab onto Kurenai before she had an uncomfortable meeting with the concrete.
She grabbed onto his arms quickly, always having had quick reflexes, and pulled herself to her feet, her face red, something very unusual for her. That...was embarassing. She almost felt like muttering the typical 'No one saw that...>_>;' but instead just brushed her clothes off, avoiding looking at him.
Asuma let it drop. He took the opportunity to let her gather herself as she saw fit, lighting up his cigarette in the mean-time. After all, wasn't this one of those juvenile things you just had to shake off? Though if he were honest... it was endearing.
She just ran a hand through her hair and began to walk again, remarkably slower and keeping her eyes fixed forward. Embarassing, embarassing, embarassing.
Trite, amusing, mildly confusing. Asuma matched her pace, much more enjoying the more casual stroll it had evolved into after her little "incident." She had an unnaturally strong grip, he noted absently, remembering her hold on his arms. Interesting. Did all dancers have this? He thought not. "Just around the next corner, and up a block," he said at last, casual, unassuming.
"Ah, good." she muttered, running a hand nervously through her hair again. Now she really needed a drink.
Asuma couldn't have agreed more - she felt tense, or at least the air around her did. The bar, known by it's sign as "The Last Donkey," was a fairly nice little place, filled with a more interesting crowd of folk who had learned what respect meant, and didn't harass the ladies - at the cost of being confronted by the bouncers. Of which there were two - neither one looking particularly friendly. Asuma said as much, idle conversation to hopefully turn Kurenai's mind off herself and her embarrassment and on to contemplating their destination.
"Sounds like an interesting place." she admitted, squinting until she spotted the sign down the street. "Ah, there it is. Interesting name for a bar." she remarked, feeling a bit more comfortable now.
"IT is. Almost as interesting as how it supposedly got it's name." He shook his head, clearly amused.
She wondered if it was going to be some cheesy story, and wondered if she should even bother asking, but decided to, as they both neared the entrance. "How it got it's name?"
"Owner's wife. She swore she'd never marry him, even if he was the last ass left on the planet. Then she did." He nodded to the bouncer, who watched them passed nonplussed. He opened the door. "Ladies first?"
"...interesting story." she mused, slightly amused and then raised her eyebrows at him, smirking and placing her hand on the door as well, motioning for him to go first. "Yes, ladies first."
He snorted, but didn't object to walking in first. "How gracious."
Inside was fairly well-lit, evoking an image of a past Japan instead of a futuristic mashup of metal and glass. The bartender was an older woman, who smiled at them cheerily as Asuma took a seat at the bar proper. "Nice to see a familiar face around here," she commented, before eying Kurenai, "And a new one as well. Have a seat! What can I get for you?" She was ignoring Asuma at that point.
Kurenai slid onto the stool beside him, thinking for a moment before answering, "Just a glass of red wine, please." Her drink of choice, always <3
The woman nodded, and turned to fill Kurenai's order. Asuma snorted, shook his head, and leaned back. "I swear she loves me," he muttered, to an answering shake of the older woman's head.
The wine arrived soon there-after, along with... well, no one was sure. But it was for Asuma.
Kurenai picked up her glass, swirling it's content around in the glass a few times before closing her eyes and taking a small sip. "This is a good one." she remarked before taking another sip.
"1996 Vintage. American, actually, though in an italian style," the woman said. Asuma listened politely, downng whatever was in his glass like it was water. Others knew better.
"Interesting combination." she replied, taking another drink and feeling the slight burn creep down her throat. She turned to Asuma, looking at him over the rim of her glass as she took another sip from it. "So. You're a gym teacher at Oshima high school, you've been working here for five years, you've got a nasty smoking habit, and your name is Asuma. What else do I get to know about you?"
Asuma ground his cigarette out in the ash tray that had "magically" appeared before him. "Not much to know. Born in Japan, brought to America to finish highschool, went to the Navy from there. Saw the world for a few years, then came back to Japan to get myself a degree. And here I am." He tapped the bar for emphasis. "And you, who avoids stagnation - more to you than that?"
"Of course there is." she replied, but didn't offer any information as she finished her glass of wine and set it down on the bar for a refill.
The bartender happily complied, and Asuma didn't bother pressing. Just as he glossed over his past, he didn't assume anyone else should be an open book. He was also far too self-contained. "Oshima been treating you nicely?"
She began on her second glass, not yet really feeling any effects of the alcohol. She shrugged. "Nicely enough. It's just like any other city."
"Bit older, I've noted," he said idly. The bartender snorted, and he smiled at her. "A well aged group, you know I mean that, Yugito." The woman rolled her eyes, but was called down the bar by another individual.
She shrugged again, finishing off her second glass easily, now beginning to feeling the warmth. "Age doesn't matter in places like this. They're still exactly the same, with the same people." she sighed.
He raised an eyebrow. "That stagnancy you were talking about?"
She nodded. "Sometimes the change of scenery in different cities helps, but everyone is always the same."
"Awfully general of you," he commented, neutral. "You're that different than the people around you?"
She set her empty glass down again, turning to look at him. "I am. Very much so. I've never met anyone else like me."
"Amazing," he said, eyes twinkling. "I haven't either." He took a new cigarette out, rolling it between his figers.
"Lucky you then, hmm?" she said lightly, catching the bartender's eye and indicating her glass before turning back to him. "How many of those do you smoke a day?!"
"Enough," he said simply, shrugging. "Whatever keeps me going." His glass was replaced with something equally unidentifiable. Still liquid, still alcohol. "Thanks, Yugito."
She picked up her third glass, sipping at it. "How old were you when you started? That's so bad for your body, you know." she said, tipping back more of the wine into her mouth. "You might not be showing signs of bad health now, but you will. And even if you don't, smokers always smell so gross. And I bet you have bad breath."
He smiled, looking up to the right, signifiying he was recalling. "Twelve, give or take a few months." He shrugged. "There are worse things to be or have."
She shook her head at how young he'd started. "Nothing is worse than bad breath." she replied.
He half-smiled. "I'll remember that." He didn't think he had particularly bad breath. And strangely enough it was true. He just smelled of the cherry-scented cigarettes he favored.
She took another large sip of her wine, definitely feeling it hitting her now. For all she drank, she was still fairly a lightweight. Go figure. "Yeah, remember it, and like...invest stock in a mint company or something..."
He snorted. "I'll stick with markets that are bull, not bear."
"...what?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "Economics. Had a buddy big into playing the market in the navy. Some of it stuck."
"...oh. Right." Economics just made her think of money, and money just made her think of her parents, and that was never a terribly pleasant thought for her, so she downed the rest of her glass quickly, setting it down on the bar and obnoxiously tapping on the wood for a refill.
Yugito was apparently the wonder-woman of bartending, for before Kurenai had been tapping long her glass was refilled. "Boring stuff, really. The people who play slots are at least more honest abou ttheir obsession."
"Do you play slots?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the rim of her glass for something to do with her hands.
"When company calls for it," he said, shrugging.
"Gamblers are always interesting." she remarked, taking a sip of her wine and then setting the glass back down and resuming the finger tapping. "It seems they play their lives like they play their games, you know?"
Asuma thought about it. "Do you speak from personal experience, Kurenai?" His thoughts meandered around the idea and concept of gamblers playing their life on the same losing odds as their bets - unless luck rode with them bitch. He really should learn to not think about motorcycles at inopportune moments.
She shook her head, swallowing a mouthful of wine before speaking. "No, no, I'm not a big gambler myself, really. Never had the money for it. Just the ones I've met have always been interesting."
"Like our esteemed principal?" Asuma was fond of Tsunade. She was a fascinating person to know, and he respected her greatly. Much more so than components of his own family.
She nodded, smiling a bit. "Yes, Tsunade is very interesting. We took me out drinking a couple nights ago, it was fun. She's nice to spend time around."
"She's probably the sanest person I know," Asuma said levelly. "Most the reason why I am still here, but don't tell her that - might get to her head." He knew it wouldn't, so the good-natured tease was amusing moreso than anything else.
"Are the other teachers not particularly sane?" she asked, sipping at the last of her wine. "I haven't really had the chance to meet any of them yet."
"Sane's a relative term with most those around here. Iruka's nice, but much more of an artist than I've ever been. I admire that, but admittedly, don't understand it as much as say, something I can work out, like math. Ibiki's intelligent, though he's a bit of a disciplinarian with the kids. Gai... Gai is...," he shrugged, "Dramatic."
"They all sound fascinating." she lied, looking at her empty glass and contemplating going for another. Realizing it was a bit difficult to focus on the glass, she decided against it.
"Your idea of fascinating is very different than mine, then." He snorted. "How're you feeling?"
"I feel fine." she lied, as she was actually starting to feel a bit dizzy even sitting on the stool. "I could use some water, though, I think."
Asuma signaled to Yugito, and a cool glass of water was placed before Kurenai within moments. "As you wish," he said, a touch sardonic, half-closing his eyes in silent contemplation of his own empty glass.
Kurenai picked a piece of fake fur off the side of the glass after Yugito set it down, which had been stuck to the moisture, and wondered absently how it got there. She picked it up, taking a small sip.
Asuma noted the fur lining to Yugito's jacket that she had just put on after going into the refrigerator to retrieve a new batch of ice. He could tell it was new because it was still shedding - he'd avoid asking her for anything food-like for a while. "Glad to have the day wrap up," he mused.
"Mhmm..." she murmured, sipping at her water. "You know, teaching isn't that hard of a job in and of itself, not dance at least, but the days are so long."
He smiled at his glass. "No, teaching in itself isn't... difficult." And he didn't have any pesky tests to grade, or papers to read, or anything of that sort. Gym was nice that way.
It was the same for her, albeit the mandatory 'history of dance' reports she'd have to give out later, fufilling the written requirement for the course that was in place so that the students who had taken it for a 'freebie' would have to actually do some kind of work. "I hate it." she said suddenly, setting down her glass hard on the bar.
He raised his eyebrow, looking over at her in mild curiousity. "I that so?" He didn't bother asking what. She'd tell if it bothered her, and if she simply ranted... People needed to let off steam.
"It is so." she said, staring at her glass down on the bar, still gripping it tightly. "It's so...pointless, you know? This isn't what I ever thought I'd be ending up doing. Teaching a bunch of losers who could care less."
"Where did you think you were going?" Time to let her speak; he was likely neither needed nor wanted.
"I don't know. I didn't have anything ELSE I wanted to do. But...I definitely would never have imagined being a teacher." she sighed, letting go of the glass and running her hand through her hair, annoyed that she still felt tangles in it. "Whatever. It doesn't matter."
"Maybe," he said, "But it matters enough to you to be at odds with it." He shrugged. "Hardly thought I'd end up here either. I doubt even half of us teachers start out thinking we will be teaching anything at all."
"So how DID you end up here?" she questioned, turning around on her stool so that she was resting her elbows back against the cool wood of the bar.
"Pissed a few too many people off when I was even a bit younger than the brats at Oshima." He shrugged. "Once I got out of the Navy, I wanted to be back in Japan. Home country, whatnot," he said, trailing off for a moment. He spoke again. "Teaching was something I could see myself doing without attracting undue, probably hazardous, attention to myself. So here I am."
She snorted, winking at him. "Wow, you're so hardcore. Sort of on the run, eh?"
He smiled at her, the lightness not really reaching his eyes. "You could say that," he allowed.
"Well." she began, waving an arm to indicate the outside of the bar. "It certainly does seem like a nice quiet place to hide out."
He nodded. "And conveniently well bought-off," he added cryptically. But then he was smiling, and to think he had said anything of the sort seemed ridiculous.
She laughed a bit, pushing away from the counter and standing up, swaying back and forth a moment before getting her balance. "Come on, let's go. I'm getting tired of sitting indoors."
Asuma noted her sway in amused silence. "As you wish," he said graciously, paying Yugito who snorted and made, "She's sloshed" motions at him as he shook his head and followed her outside.
She waited for him, and when he had reached her, began walking, taking very slow, deliberate steps. Balance, usually one of her very strong suits, was not very much so when she had been drinking.
He didn't comment, but kept pace and tracked her from the corner of his eyes to ensure she didn't take a nose-dive in her less than optimal state. "Clear night, tonight. The fog stayed out."
She looked upwards, stopping walking as she did because she knew it wouldn't be a good idea to walk and try to concentrate on something other than, well, walking in her state. "Yeah. You can see a lot of stars out here."
"Nice thing about being out of the city lights," he commented, pausing with her. "How far away do you live from campus?"
"Yeah." she agreed, still looking up at the sky. "Not that far. A fifteen minute walk, maybe."
He nodded, absorbing the information. "What street?"
She told him, as the mun is too lazy to make up a street name, but then looked down at him. "Wait, you're not going to do that 'helpless woman who needs to be walked home' thing, are you?"
"Why would I bother with that?" He lit his cigarette, being so kind as to blow his smoke away from Kurenai. "I was going to point out a short-cut, but hey - it is night, might be better to go the way you know."
She thought for a minute. Normally, she would prefer to just go the way she knew, but she wasn't much in the mood for walking at the moment. "....how much of a short-cut?"
"Half your travel time," he said, shrugging.
She leaned back against a lightpole that was conveniently there for her to lean on, and crossed her arms. "Tell me."
"Straight up Avacado and left on Jurisdiction Street." Mun sucks hard at names. "Bring you right to your road."
Kurenai blinked, having not been around the city much other than going to school and back. ".....what streets?"
Kurenai blinked, having not been around the city much other than going to school and back. ".....what streets?"
"Avacado's a block away. Jurisdiction is about three down from that."
"Alright, got it. Watermelon and...Jury duty..something..." she ticked them off on her fingers.
Asuma snorted, walking again. "Of course." He pause, waiting for her to move.
"You know." she said, not moving and looking up at the stars again, half-talking to herself. "I never understood the whole 'rabbit in the moon' thing. I don't see it."
"What do you see?" He didn't look up. Earth was enough for him to stare at, and he wasn't contemplative enough to want to stare at what every mortal being had seen in their lifetime.
She shrugged. "A moon." She thought it was rather stupid to come up with pictures for the constellations and whatnot. They were just stars.
"And what do you see when you're not looking at the moon, Kurenai?"
"....what do you mean?"
He took a long drag from his cigarette. "Curious," he said, not explaining, but not seeming to have noticed her framing it as a question anyway, "Just curious."
"I see whatever I'm looking at at the time, I guess?" she answered, confused. She was never a particularly deep person.
Asuma, surprisingly, had his moments. "True, that," he said, laughing. "Whatever's in front of you." Suddenly, several other things made sense.
"What do YOU see?" she asked, still confused. Maybe he was the drunk one.
"Live people," he said. "Lots and lots... Of live people." He was a smart one, that Asuma.
"You're strange." she said, looking at him.
"Thank you," he replied. And grinned.
"Are you always so...easy-going?" she asked. It annoyed her. He seemed the type that never got riled up. "I mean...most people would be upset....that someone called them strange.."
"I've been in my share of fights," he said, a mostly evasive answer, "As to not need to find more where they don't matter."
Annoying. He never gave straight answers, either. She glared, the alcohol making her more internally angry than she usually would have been.
He was unaffected. He raised his eyebrow in mute question.
She rolled her eyes and returned to glaring at him, crossing her arms in front of him. And at first I wrote crossing her eyes. That would have been quite the humorous sight.
Yes, it would have been. Regardless, Asuma found it amusing, is the slight smile on his lips proved anything. Or the fact his cigarette was slowly burning back toward his flesh. Let the stare-down begin.
She held his gaze, narrowing her eyes even more, breathing in the cool night air through her nostrils.
Asuma blinked in that lazy, unaffected way that seemed to ask, "Why are you staring? I'mnot going anywhere.
And Kurenai glared back with intensity that said...well, it didn't really say anything other than the fact that she was angry for some reason.
Asuma was the one to lay the metaphorical communication cards down on the table. "You seem angered."
"I'm not." she said through clenched teeth. Really, now, she couldn't even remember why she WAS in the first place. But she was starting to feel really dizzy.
"Glad to hear," Asuma said, watching her cautiously. "Feeling alright?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Want to sit down?"
She nodded, trying to stop seeing two of him.
He approached her, more than ready to help stead her as he scanned around for a seat. A bus-stop bench would have to suffice. "There good enough?" he indicated with a finger.
She nodded again, delicately making her way towards it.
Asuma followed, leaving enough room to give her personal space, but close enough to prevent any nasty spills. "Lightweight?"
She sat down carefully, leaning her head back against the plastic of the bus stop walls, and nodded. "Yeah. Drinking doesn't affect my mindset too much or anything, but my motor skills, yeah, they're the first to go..."
"When did you start drinking?" he asked, leaning against the sign pole, cigarette between his fingers.
"College. It was what everyone did, you know?" she sighed, glad to not feel as dizzy anymore. "Soon I realized I didn't really have a taste for cheap beer, or partying for that matter, and started drinking wine."
"Ever choose to joing the tasting curcuit, or was it more of a personal thing?" He knew a fair amount about wine, by circumstance of who he grew up with.
"More of a personal thing." she answered. "I went to a couple of tastings, they were usually full of soccer moms looking for an excuse to get away from their kids, or creepy men just trying to pick up on wine-loving women."
"On the hope wine loving means often inebriated," Asuma added, snorting. He had know those guilty of just that - both male and female.
She nodded, smiling wryly. "Exactly. So they weren't exactly my type of thing."
He nodded. "So I see. Better for you in the end, I'd think."
"Why do you say that?" she asked.
"Overzealous predators and escapists do not pleasant company make," he replied with a shrug.
"You're right about that." she said, laughing a bit to herself. "Well, I made certain a few of them wouldn't ever try coming back to a wine tasting, at least if they wanted to keep all of their parts in working order."
Asuma laughed appreciatively at that. "Smart."
"I am." she said, shrugging.
"Yes," he agreed, "You are. And how are you planning on getting home?"
"Walking. I'll be fine in a minute, I think." she said, noting that at least nothing was spinning.
"Glad to hear." He wouldn't mention where his walk home took him. She'd likely... not be glad.
She stood up slowly, testing her balance before nodding to herself. "Yeah. Much better."
He straightened. "Stay smart walking," he said.
"I will. And thanks. For the drinks." she said.
"No problem," he said idly. So he bgan walking up the street.
She walked as well, looking at all the roads. "Which one am I taking again?" she asked.
"This next one," he indicated, knowing that had she seemed less stuck on the subject, he would have been taking this one too.
"Okay. Thanks. Where do you live? And what are their rates on apartments?" she asked, thinking about her super-cramped apartment.
"Two streets up from yours. Cheaper, but fairly large and with full kitchens. Studios, the lot of them, with a balcony, sometimes two."
"...are you serious?! Why did the real estate agent not show me one of those?" Maybe it was because she turned down his offer for a date...after that, it seemed he only showed her REALLY crappy apartments...
"Which agent did you use?" He knew several who were perfect pindicks, and acted like it.
"Ebis...Ebis something, I don't remember...one of those idiots that wear sunglasses inside a building."
"Ebisu? That guy's a royal dick," Asuma said conversationally. "You would have been better off with Aoba. He's loud, obnoxious, and incredibly well tuned to good deals."
"Well, I didn't know." she said, sighing. "Asshole. Maybe I'll just move."
"You aren't in Sesame Tree apartments, are you?" He paused his thought train.
"Yeah, I think that's the name of them. Why?" she asked.
"..." Asuma laughed. "You've been the equivalent of punk'd. I suggest you make a morning meeting with Ebisu and see to his probable castration as soon as possible." He was still laughing. "Poor idiot, he is. Sesame Tree are the most overpriced, undermanaged apartments in town."
".....are you serious?!" she replied angrily, her voice squeaking a bit at the last syllable. That happened when she was really angry. "Oh, that jerk..I'm going to kill him...I'm going to kill him.....ugh, men......" she cracked her knuckles, while images of castrated Ebisus danced in her head.
Asuma felt the heat of her anger, but still felt he needed to say something for his gender. "A man."
She shook her head. "No, you're all the same, when it comes down to it, and I'm tired of it. And I'm going to take my frustrations out on him."
He snorted. "Glad to see you walk forward with both eyes open," he said caustically. "Good luck with your enuch manuever," he added.
"You think they aren't?" she asked, snorting as well. "And thanks. I can't wait to see him again."
"If you heard he hangs out at the Marina Sushi Bar, it wasn't from me." Which was his intended parting remark. He hated to see people who generalized so much as she did - it was sad to see people shut themselves in.
To her, it wasn't generalization, it was based on years of experiencing nothing but men like that. Though, in combination to her rather stubborn and not open-minded personality, a few jerky guys were enough for her to make a lifetime of generalizations. "Marina Sushi Bar, right, got it." she replied, making a mental note of it. She hoped there was a nice deserted alleyway close behind it.
Asuma had been confronted with stereotypes his whole life - and plenty of reasons to back them up. Still, it wasn't in his nature to hold past relationships against current people. You lost too much in that translation. Though he was never close, anyway. Too chancy - for himself, and any friend.
Finding herself at the intersection to the first street she mentioned, she waved a little at him. "Thanks again. I'll see you around at the school, I guess. Or maybe at your apartment soon. Er, the building, I mean. If I move, you know."
He inclined his head graciously. "See you, Kurenai-san." Gratuitous name use. And now he'd have to walk home the long way. Damn.
When: 2 days ago.
What: They go drinking?
Notes: A couple of...inside jokes....
Asuma took a final drag on his cigarette before tossing it to the asphalt, grinding it past ashes into despondency. He would have felt mildly bad about littering if he didn't also know the environmentalists who were worse bigots than the fast-food giants who ate slim-fast for their morning breakfasts.
He shrugged his shulders, adjusting the bag of balls that were still warm from their stint in the afternoon light. He was glad, if just this once, the kids hadn't listened to him when he told them to pack up and bring everything back to the equipment room. It meant he'd have to nudge them tomorrow, but hey - all kids could use a good one (when he was bothering himself to it). Ibiki was much better in that field.
He locked up the equipment room, another unlit cigarette between his lips. For all he was laid back, he also respected school policy. He'd wait to be outside before lighting up.
One of the classrooms was still lit as he went by, and music reached his ears. Was one of the students still here? That was also against school policy, and likely, not the case. Still - ahh, perhaps the dance instructor. The new woman. She was fairly attractive, if he recalled correctly. From what he'd overheard some of the female students say, she was also quite the dancer.
Not that Asuma would much know the difference. Nor would he admit to knowing how to dance - especially since most of it was far from the modern, "hip" stuff kids these days overindulged in.
But, in the name of surety... He knocked on the door. "Anyone in there?"
Kurenai had just finished another long day of instruction. She was finding the job to be half-rewarding and half frustrating. While there were a few students who were genuinely interested, and who appeared to be working hard at actually learning something, but for every one of those kinds of students, there were three of the kind that had taken dance as just a BS class, and who frequently would interrupt her when she was trying to teach. It had taken all of her willpower and focus to not snap on any of them yet, but she could already feel her patience wearing thin. She wondered how long she'd last before going off on some of them. It just wasn't fair to the students who were there to actually learn.
So, after that long day, she was winding down in the studio. On her small pay from the school, she wasn't able to afford much of an apartment. The building it was in was fairly run-down, and it contained of only a tiny living room, a tiny kitchen, and a small bathroom and bedroom. No room to move around in at all. So, she had found herself frequently spending her afternoons in the school's studio, long after everyone else had left. She'd learned after the first couple of days that all of the teachers, and especially the principal, were always quick to leave the building once the kids were gone. It left the building quiet and uninhabitated, and she liked that. It gave her the freedom to dance without having to worry about immature male students who had just hit puberty trying to spy on her through the glass in the door, and the relative silence was a welcome noise, as was whatever music she decided to play. During instruction time, she had been rather limited to classical, boring selections, but she tended to spice it up when she was alone.
She was standing at the barre, beginning to go through her cool-down stretches after she had completed a few fast-paced dances when she heard a knock on the door. Puzzled, she went quickly to the door, the leather movement shoes on her feet making a slight scuffling sound as she walked. Wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead, she opened the door, recognizing after a few seconds the new gym teacher. The...smoker. "Can I help you?" she asked, a bit shortly, but then realized she might have sounded unintentionally rude and softened it with a small smile.
Asuma was privately amused. He was fairly sure this woman had something against him - and couldn't really be arsed to care. He returned her smile with his own, easy-going, natural one. "Just checking to make sure none of the kids were in here. Every so often they feel compelled to try and pull some prank or another on campus." He eyed the room curiously, then returned his attention to her. "I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Sarutobi Asuma." He stuck out his hand good naturedly.
In actuality, she had something against everyone, usually before she even met them, and men usually got the worst of her first impressions. Being a dancer, she was committed to taking care of her body (though that didn't, of course, stop her from drinking a rather large amount of wine quite frequently), and so people who didn't do the same tended to irritate her. This easy-going gym teacher who seemed to always be smoking definitely fit that profile of the irritating ones, but she reminded herself that she had come to Oshima as a bit of a clean start, and that she shouldn't be so hasty to judge. Keeping the smile that didn't quite reach her eyes plastered to her face, she placed her crimson-manicured hand in his own, shaking it lightly. "Kurenai. Yuuhi Kurenai." Bond. James Bond. "You're the gym teacher."
"You're the dance teacher." Exchange obvious for obvious, shall we? "I've heard some of the girls complimenting your class. Probably get a better work-out here than in gym." Still smiling. In gym, they could beg off on menstruation. Which, if he thought about it, meant some of the girls... never stopped. Ah well.
"Oh, have they?" she asked lightly, removing her hand from his and running it through her hair, annoyed at the small tangles she couldn't work her fingers through. "Well, I imagine it's more interesting for them. I'm sure it's the same with the boys and your class."
"They're just a bunch of underappreciative punks who think the high-point of finess is elbowing ahead of the next guy to come in first for some race that won't matter five seconds from now, let alone five years." Spoken without the edge that experience had brought him.
She raised an eyebrow. All that most men cared about, it seemed to her, was little violent and competitive acts like that. It was...a bit refreshing to hear something different. She pursed her lips a bit, a small smile tugging at the outer corners. Interesting. "So, do you intend to try and change their viewpoints on that?" she asked.
She raised an eyebrow. All that most men cared about, it seemed to her, was little violent and competitive acts like that. It was...a bit refreshing to hear something different. She pursed her lips a bit, a small smile tugging at the outer corners. Interesting. "So, do you intend to try and change their viewpoints on that?" she asked.
"No." Amusement lightened his tone. "I plan to stand there with my cigarette buring and cull the ones who can be salvaged." To be honest with himself, it was about what he could manage. "Not much you can force others into seeing without their cooperation, but I can try." He shrugged, more a half-roll of his shoulders than anything else.
She leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms in front of her. "But what about, oh, I don't know...'setting a good example for impressionable young minds' or whatever it was in that introductory packet they gave us? Aren't you concerned with that at all?" Truth be told, she had probably been the only teacher to actually READ that packet. "Influence them while they're young and all that?"
He snorted, clearly amused. "Kids are most impressionable when they're knee-high. Even the brats in middle-school can be formed. By now? They're all too independent minded, and if they aren't, the dependencies aren't learning ones." He shrugged his shoulders. "The things they tell us are nice in theory, but in practice fail more often than succeed."
She listened and nodded in agreement. "Fair enough. I guess in a society like this when kids these age are already screwing each other and shooting each other, it's optimistic to think you could make a difference." she shrugged.
Asuma looked thoughtful. "You can," he stated carefully, "On an individual basis. The idea of grand gestures touching the hearts of thousands? Bollywood."
"And anything relatively that grand, even if possible, would take much too much effort in the first place." she said, laughing a bit to herself as she moved back into the room, beginning to straighten up chairs and small things that were out of place. She had difficulties just standing still for too long when she had things she had to do. "So, how long have you been teaching?" she asked over her shoulder.
"Five yeras come January." Asuma had no problem with staying still. It was one of his good points. It made him effective, deadly... and laid-back. "Yourself?"
He wasnt so much watching her as examining the room, catologuing the details to mull over later. He guessed at what everything was laid out for, and smiled inwardly. Too much effort for what too few appreciated. Oh well. Gym was even worse.
She began folding some of the dance mats, making a few trips back across the room in order to pick the heavy things up and placing them carefully in a stack in the corner. "This is my third." she replied, a bit short of breath. "First at this school, of course, but third overall. First two were each at seperate schools."
He raised his eyebrow. "The food that bad?" He coughed politely. "Sorry, bad joke. Most of the sailors who jumped ships about that often were trying to outrun some horrible cook or another." He shook his head. "Any reason to be jumping around that often?"
She continued stacking the mats, the pile reaching up to her waist now, and shrugged lightly. She contemplated just saying she didn't want to talk about it for a moment before just answering. "I don't like staying in one place very long, is all."
Asuma nodded. He could understand. "Wanderlust? Or just enjoy traveling?" For some it was a need. Asuma had that time in his life, and it had abated for a variety of reasons. mostly practical ones.
"I just get bored." she said shortly as she dropped the last mat on top of the pile with a violent thump.
He noted the violence with mild amusement. "Ahh." He really wished he could light up now. Kept him so stress-free, it did.
She brushed her hands off on each other, turning to survey the room with quick eyes. Everything seemed to be in place, and she nodded in satisfaction to herself, walking to her desk and beginning to pull a few things off of her desk and toss them into the dance bag she carried with her instead of a purse. "Things just get stagnant." she offered.
"Nasty habit," he commented, wryly. "Walk you out?" He said so out of politeness, and a lingering wariness from years of dealing with dark alleys and what roamed in them. Even Oshima, being a small island to mostly retirees, wasn't free of threat and danger.
She paused, about to drop a CD case into her bag, and looked up at him. What, did he think she was just some helpless female? "I'm perfectly fine to walk on my own, thanks." she responded, dropping the CD case in her bag and straightening up, sliding the strap onto her shoulder and looking back over at him. "Though, it's nice of you to offer." she added, in an afterthought. Fresh start, Kurenai, come on.
"Glad to hear it," he said simply. "Good to have another woman around who can watch herself. A man forgets there are such when surrounded by oblivious kids." He cracked his knuckles. "Then that'll be it, eh?"
"A man should never forget that." she said evenly, trying her best not to glare at him. It wasn't his fault that he was, well...a man. Okay yes it was. Anyways. She winced at the cracking of his knuckles. "That's bad for your joints, you know. And unless you want to take me out for a drink, yes, that'll be it."
He looked curious. "You a drinker?" He didn't bother commenting on her other statements, not much, once more, arsed to care. He ran a hand through his hair, making absolutely no change whatsoever. Beautiful.
"I might be." she replied simply, looking over at the clock above the door. It was getting late.
"Then if you might be inclined to alow me to accompany you, Oshima has its fair share of interesting hot spots."
"Then I think you're obligated to show a newcomer around, aren't you?" she remarked, smirking. "Your treat." A statement, not a question.
"No doubt," he said, voice neutral. "Walk or drive?"
"Walk." she said, already moving to the door. She wanted to see what kind of shape his lungs were in.
Asuma inclined his head forward in acceptance. "Looks to be a nice evening. Good choice."
"I always make good choices." she replied, walking quickly out in front of him and down the school steps. She intended to see if he could keep up with her pace.
He did, with seemingly no effort. Asuma was like that bastard of an old dude who lived to be onehundred and twenty without so much as having a simple flu, able to run a mile, and smoking his entire life. Oh yes. And eating bacons. Lots, and lots, of bacon. "Hn." He didn't feel the need to say any more at this time.
She was surprised and slightly upset at the same time, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. She walked a little bit faster, looking back at him with an unspoken challenge in her eyes.
Asuma seemingly was unaffected. Realistically, he'd responded with a bit of a spark in his eyes and an increase in the length of his stride. Challenge? We're on... withing reason.
She glared at him, trying to increase the length of her own stride without looking like she was trying too hard. "How far away is it?" she asked casually.
"About a mile, give or take a city block," he replied, just as casually.
"Long walk." she remarked cooly, shoving at his shoulder a bit as she moved in front of him.
Asuma absorbed the shock of her shove without comment, picking up his own pace and not returning the "favor." "Shorter than you'd think."
"Do you often take long walks?" she asked, turning to smirk at him. "I'd imagine not with that smoking habit of yo-" but she was cut off as she tripped, having been paying attention to his steps instead of watching where she was going.
"!" Yes, a wordless exclaimation, backed by a swift move as he tried to grab onto Kurenai before she had an uncomfortable meeting with the concrete.
She grabbed onto his arms quickly, always having had quick reflexes, and pulled herself to her feet, her face red, something very unusual for her. That...was embarassing. She almost felt like muttering the typical 'No one saw that...>_>;' but instead just brushed her clothes off, avoiding looking at him.
Asuma let it drop. He took the opportunity to let her gather herself as she saw fit, lighting up his cigarette in the mean-time. After all, wasn't this one of those juvenile things you just had to shake off? Though if he were honest... it was endearing.
She just ran a hand through her hair and began to walk again, remarkably slower and keeping her eyes fixed forward. Embarassing, embarassing, embarassing.
Trite, amusing, mildly confusing. Asuma matched her pace, much more enjoying the more casual stroll it had evolved into after her little "incident." She had an unnaturally strong grip, he noted absently, remembering her hold on his arms. Interesting. Did all dancers have this? He thought not. "Just around the next corner, and up a block," he said at last, casual, unassuming.
"Ah, good." she muttered, running a hand nervously through her hair again. Now she really needed a drink.
Asuma couldn't have agreed more - she felt tense, or at least the air around her did. The bar, known by it's sign as "The Last Donkey," was a fairly nice little place, filled with a more interesting crowd of folk who had learned what respect meant, and didn't harass the ladies - at the cost of being confronted by the bouncers. Of which there were two - neither one looking particularly friendly. Asuma said as much, idle conversation to hopefully turn Kurenai's mind off herself and her embarrassment and on to contemplating their destination.
"Sounds like an interesting place." she admitted, squinting until she spotted the sign down the street. "Ah, there it is. Interesting name for a bar." she remarked, feeling a bit more comfortable now.
"IT is. Almost as interesting as how it supposedly got it's name." He shook his head, clearly amused.
She wondered if it was going to be some cheesy story, and wondered if she should even bother asking, but decided to, as they both neared the entrance. "How it got it's name?"
"Owner's wife. She swore she'd never marry him, even if he was the last ass left on the planet. Then she did." He nodded to the bouncer, who watched them passed nonplussed. He opened the door. "Ladies first?"
"...interesting story." she mused, slightly amused and then raised her eyebrows at him, smirking and placing her hand on the door as well, motioning for him to go first. "Yes, ladies first."
He snorted, but didn't object to walking in first. "How gracious."
Inside was fairly well-lit, evoking an image of a past Japan instead of a futuristic mashup of metal and glass. The bartender was an older woman, who smiled at them cheerily as Asuma took a seat at the bar proper. "Nice to see a familiar face around here," she commented, before eying Kurenai, "And a new one as well. Have a seat! What can I get for you?" She was ignoring Asuma at that point.
Kurenai slid onto the stool beside him, thinking for a moment before answering, "Just a glass of red wine, please." Her drink of choice, always <3
The woman nodded, and turned to fill Kurenai's order. Asuma snorted, shook his head, and leaned back. "I swear she loves me," he muttered, to an answering shake of the older woman's head.
The wine arrived soon there-after, along with... well, no one was sure. But it was for Asuma.
Kurenai picked up her glass, swirling it's content around in the glass a few times before closing her eyes and taking a small sip. "This is a good one." she remarked before taking another sip.
"1996 Vintage. American, actually, though in an italian style," the woman said. Asuma listened politely, downng whatever was in his glass like it was water. Others knew better.
"Interesting combination." she replied, taking another drink and feeling the slight burn creep down her throat. She turned to Asuma, looking at him over the rim of her glass as she took another sip from it. "So. You're a gym teacher at Oshima high school, you've been working here for five years, you've got a nasty smoking habit, and your name is Asuma. What else do I get to know about you?"
Asuma ground his cigarette out in the ash tray that had "magically" appeared before him. "Not much to know. Born in Japan, brought to America to finish highschool, went to the Navy from there. Saw the world for a few years, then came back to Japan to get myself a degree. And here I am." He tapped the bar for emphasis. "And you, who avoids stagnation - more to you than that?"
"Of course there is." she replied, but didn't offer any information as she finished her glass of wine and set it down on the bar for a refill.
The bartender happily complied, and Asuma didn't bother pressing. Just as he glossed over his past, he didn't assume anyone else should be an open book. He was also far too self-contained. "Oshima been treating you nicely?"
She began on her second glass, not yet really feeling any effects of the alcohol. She shrugged. "Nicely enough. It's just like any other city."
"Bit older, I've noted," he said idly. The bartender snorted, and he smiled at her. "A well aged group, you know I mean that, Yugito." The woman rolled her eyes, but was called down the bar by another individual.
She shrugged again, finishing off her second glass easily, now beginning to feeling the warmth. "Age doesn't matter in places like this. They're still exactly the same, with the same people." she sighed.
He raised an eyebrow. "That stagnancy you were talking about?"
She nodded. "Sometimes the change of scenery in different cities helps, but everyone is always the same."
"Awfully general of you," he commented, neutral. "You're that different than the people around you?"
She set her empty glass down again, turning to look at him. "I am. Very much so. I've never met anyone else like me."
"Amazing," he said, eyes twinkling. "I haven't either." He took a new cigarette out, rolling it between his figers.
"Lucky you then, hmm?" she said lightly, catching the bartender's eye and indicating her glass before turning back to him. "How many of those do you smoke a day?!"
"Enough," he said simply, shrugging. "Whatever keeps me going." His glass was replaced with something equally unidentifiable. Still liquid, still alcohol. "Thanks, Yugito."
She picked up her third glass, sipping at it. "How old were you when you started? That's so bad for your body, you know." she said, tipping back more of the wine into her mouth. "You might not be showing signs of bad health now, but you will. And even if you don't, smokers always smell so gross. And I bet you have bad breath."
He smiled, looking up to the right, signifiying he was recalling. "Twelve, give or take a few months." He shrugged. "There are worse things to be or have."
She shook her head at how young he'd started. "Nothing is worse than bad breath." she replied.
He half-smiled. "I'll remember that." He didn't think he had particularly bad breath. And strangely enough it was true. He just smelled of the cherry-scented cigarettes he favored.
She took another large sip of her wine, definitely feeling it hitting her now. For all she drank, she was still fairly a lightweight. Go figure. "Yeah, remember it, and like...invest stock in a mint company or something..."
He snorted. "I'll stick with markets that are bull, not bear."
"...what?"
He waved his hand dismissively. "Economics. Had a buddy big into playing the market in the navy. Some of it stuck."
"...oh. Right." Economics just made her think of money, and money just made her think of her parents, and that was never a terribly pleasant thought for her, so she downed the rest of her glass quickly, setting it down on the bar and obnoxiously tapping on the wood for a refill.
Yugito was apparently the wonder-woman of bartending, for before Kurenai had been tapping long her glass was refilled. "Boring stuff, really. The people who play slots are at least more honest abou ttheir obsession."
"Do you play slots?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the rim of her glass for something to do with her hands.
"When company calls for it," he said, shrugging.
"Gamblers are always interesting." she remarked, taking a sip of her wine and then setting the glass back down and resuming the finger tapping. "It seems they play their lives like they play their games, you know?"
Asuma thought about it. "Do you speak from personal experience, Kurenai?" His thoughts meandered around the idea and concept of gamblers playing their life on the same losing odds as their bets - unless luck rode with them bitch. He really should learn to not think about motorcycles at inopportune moments.
She shook her head, swallowing a mouthful of wine before speaking. "No, no, I'm not a big gambler myself, really. Never had the money for it. Just the ones I've met have always been interesting."
"Like our esteemed principal?" Asuma was fond of Tsunade. She was a fascinating person to know, and he respected her greatly. Much more so than components of his own family.
She nodded, smiling a bit. "Yes, Tsunade is very interesting. We took me out drinking a couple nights ago, it was fun. She's nice to spend time around."
"She's probably the sanest person I know," Asuma said levelly. "Most the reason why I am still here, but don't tell her that - might get to her head." He knew it wouldn't, so the good-natured tease was amusing moreso than anything else.
"Are the other teachers not particularly sane?" she asked, sipping at the last of her wine. "I haven't really had the chance to meet any of them yet."
"Sane's a relative term with most those around here. Iruka's nice, but much more of an artist than I've ever been. I admire that, but admittedly, don't understand it as much as say, something I can work out, like math. Ibiki's intelligent, though he's a bit of a disciplinarian with the kids. Gai... Gai is...," he shrugged, "Dramatic."
"They all sound fascinating." she lied, looking at her empty glass and contemplating going for another. Realizing it was a bit difficult to focus on the glass, she decided against it.
"Your idea of fascinating is very different than mine, then." He snorted. "How're you feeling?"
"I feel fine." she lied, as she was actually starting to feel a bit dizzy even sitting on the stool. "I could use some water, though, I think."
Asuma signaled to Yugito, and a cool glass of water was placed before Kurenai within moments. "As you wish," he said, a touch sardonic, half-closing his eyes in silent contemplation of his own empty glass.
Kurenai picked a piece of fake fur off the side of the glass after Yugito set it down, which had been stuck to the moisture, and wondered absently how it got there. She picked it up, taking a small sip.
Asuma noted the fur lining to Yugito's jacket that she had just put on after going into the refrigerator to retrieve a new batch of ice. He could tell it was new because it was still shedding - he'd avoid asking her for anything food-like for a while. "Glad to have the day wrap up," he mused.
"Mhmm..." she murmured, sipping at her water. "You know, teaching isn't that hard of a job in and of itself, not dance at least, but the days are so long."
He smiled at his glass. "No, teaching in itself isn't... difficult." And he didn't have any pesky tests to grade, or papers to read, or anything of that sort. Gym was nice that way.
It was the same for her, albeit the mandatory 'history of dance' reports she'd have to give out later, fufilling the written requirement for the course that was in place so that the students who had taken it for a 'freebie' would have to actually do some kind of work. "I hate it." she said suddenly, setting down her glass hard on the bar.
He raised his eyebrow, looking over at her in mild curiousity. "I that so?" He didn't bother asking what. She'd tell if it bothered her, and if she simply ranted... People needed to let off steam.
"It is so." she said, staring at her glass down on the bar, still gripping it tightly. "It's so...pointless, you know? This isn't what I ever thought I'd be ending up doing. Teaching a bunch of losers who could care less."
"Where did you think you were going?" Time to let her speak; he was likely neither needed nor wanted.
"I don't know. I didn't have anything ELSE I wanted to do. But...I definitely would never have imagined being a teacher." she sighed, letting go of the glass and running her hand through her hair, annoyed that she still felt tangles in it. "Whatever. It doesn't matter."
"Maybe," he said, "But it matters enough to you to be at odds with it." He shrugged. "Hardly thought I'd end up here either. I doubt even half of us teachers start out thinking we will be teaching anything at all."
"So how DID you end up here?" she questioned, turning around on her stool so that she was resting her elbows back against the cool wood of the bar.
"Pissed a few too many people off when I was even a bit younger than the brats at Oshima." He shrugged. "Once I got out of the Navy, I wanted to be back in Japan. Home country, whatnot," he said, trailing off for a moment. He spoke again. "Teaching was something I could see myself doing without attracting undue, probably hazardous, attention to myself. So here I am."
She snorted, winking at him. "Wow, you're so hardcore. Sort of on the run, eh?"
He smiled at her, the lightness not really reaching his eyes. "You could say that," he allowed.
"Well." she began, waving an arm to indicate the outside of the bar. "It certainly does seem like a nice quiet place to hide out."
He nodded. "And conveniently well bought-off," he added cryptically. But then he was smiling, and to think he had said anything of the sort seemed ridiculous.
She laughed a bit, pushing away from the counter and standing up, swaying back and forth a moment before getting her balance. "Come on, let's go. I'm getting tired of sitting indoors."
Asuma noted her sway in amused silence. "As you wish," he said graciously, paying Yugito who snorted and made, "She's sloshed" motions at him as he shook his head and followed her outside.
She waited for him, and when he had reached her, began walking, taking very slow, deliberate steps. Balance, usually one of her very strong suits, was not very much so when she had been drinking.
He didn't comment, but kept pace and tracked her from the corner of his eyes to ensure she didn't take a nose-dive in her less than optimal state. "Clear night, tonight. The fog stayed out."
She looked upwards, stopping walking as she did because she knew it wouldn't be a good idea to walk and try to concentrate on something other than, well, walking in her state. "Yeah. You can see a lot of stars out here."
"Nice thing about being out of the city lights," he commented, pausing with her. "How far away do you live from campus?"
"Yeah." she agreed, still looking up at the sky. "Not that far. A fifteen minute walk, maybe."
He nodded, absorbing the information. "What street?"
She told him, as the mun is too lazy to make up a street name, but then looked down at him. "Wait, you're not going to do that 'helpless woman who needs to be walked home' thing, are you?"
"Why would I bother with that?" He lit his cigarette, being so kind as to blow his smoke away from Kurenai. "I was going to point out a short-cut, but hey - it is night, might be better to go the way you know."
She thought for a minute. Normally, she would prefer to just go the way she knew, but she wasn't much in the mood for walking at the moment. "....how much of a short-cut?"
"Half your travel time," he said, shrugging.
She leaned back against a lightpole that was conveniently there for her to lean on, and crossed her arms. "Tell me."
"Straight up Avacado and left on Jurisdiction Street." Mun sucks hard at names. "Bring you right to your road."
Kurenai blinked, having not been around the city much other than going to school and back. ".....what streets?"
Kurenai blinked, having not been around the city much other than going to school and back. ".....what streets?"
"Avacado's a block away. Jurisdiction is about three down from that."
"Alright, got it. Watermelon and...Jury duty..something..." she ticked them off on her fingers.
Asuma snorted, walking again. "Of course." He pause, waiting for her to move.
"You know." she said, not moving and looking up at the stars again, half-talking to herself. "I never understood the whole 'rabbit in the moon' thing. I don't see it."
"What do you see?" He didn't look up. Earth was enough for him to stare at, and he wasn't contemplative enough to want to stare at what every mortal being had seen in their lifetime.
She shrugged. "A moon." She thought it was rather stupid to come up with pictures for the constellations and whatnot. They were just stars.
"And what do you see when you're not looking at the moon, Kurenai?"
"....what do you mean?"
He took a long drag from his cigarette. "Curious," he said, not explaining, but not seeming to have noticed her framing it as a question anyway, "Just curious."
"I see whatever I'm looking at at the time, I guess?" she answered, confused. She was never a particularly deep person.
Asuma, surprisingly, had his moments. "True, that," he said, laughing. "Whatever's in front of you." Suddenly, several other things made sense.
"What do YOU see?" she asked, still confused. Maybe he was the drunk one.
"Live people," he said. "Lots and lots... Of live people." He was a smart one, that Asuma.
"You're strange." she said, looking at him.
"Thank you," he replied. And grinned.
"Are you always so...easy-going?" she asked. It annoyed her. He seemed the type that never got riled up. "I mean...most people would be upset....that someone called them strange.."
"I've been in my share of fights," he said, a mostly evasive answer, "As to not need to find more where they don't matter."
Annoying. He never gave straight answers, either. She glared, the alcohol making her more internally angry than she usually would have been.
He was unaffected. He raised his eyebrow in mute question.
She rolled her eyes and returned to glaring at him, crossing her arms in front of him. And at first I wrote crossing her eyes. That would have been quite the humorous sight.
Yes, it would have been. Regardless, Asuma found it amusing, is the slight smile on his lips proved anything. Or the fact his cigarette was slowly burning back toward his flesh. Let the stare-down begin.
She held his gaze, narrowing her eyes even more, breathing in the cool night air through her nostrils.
Asuma blinked in that lazy, unaffected way that seemed to ask, "Why are you staring? I'mnot going anywhere.
And Kurenai glared back with intensity that said...well, it didn't really say anything other than the fact that she was angry for some reason.
Asuma was the one to lay the metaphorical communication cards down on the table. "You seem angered."
"I'm not." she said through clenched teeth. Really, now, she couldn't even remember why she WAS in the first place. But she was starting to feel really dizzy.
"Glad to hear," Asuma said, watching her cautiously. "Feeling alright?"
She shook her head. "No."
"Want to sit down?"
She nodded, trying to stop seeing two of him.
He approached her, more than ready to help stead her as he scanned around for a seat. A bus-stop bench would have to suffice. "There good enough?" he indicated with a finger.
She nodded again, delicately making her way towards it.
Asuma followed, leaving enough room to give her personal space, but close enough to prevent any nasty spills. "Lightweight?"
She sat down carefully, leaning her head back against the plastic of the bus stop walls, and nodded. "Yeah. Drinking doesn't affect my mindset too much or anything, but my motor skills, yeah, they're the first to go..."
"When did you start drinking?" he asked, leaning against the sign pole, cigarette between his fingers.
"College. It was what everyone did, you know?" she sighed, glad to not feel as dizzy anymore. "Soon I realized I didn't really have a taste for cheap beer, or partying for that matter, and started drinking wine."
"Ever choose to joing the tasting curcuit, or was it more of a personal thing?" He knew a fair amount about wine, by circumstance of who he grew up with.
"More of a personal thing." she answered. "I went to a couple of tastings, they were usually full of soccer moms looking for an excuse to get away from their kids, or creepy men just trying to pick up on wine-loving women."
"On the hope wine loving means often inebriated," Asuma added, snorting. He had know those guilty of just that - both male and female.
She nodded, smiling wryly. "Exactly. So they weren't exactly my type of thing."
He nodded. "So I see. Better for you in the end, I'd think."
"Why do you say that?" she asked.
"Overzealous predators and escapists do not pleasant company make," he replied with a shrug.
"You're right about that." she said, laughing a bit to herself. "Well, I made certain a few of them wouldn't ever try coming back to a wine tasting, at least if they wanted to keep all of their parts in working order."
Asuma laughed appreciatively at that. "Smart."
"I am." she said, shrugging.
"Yes," he agreed, "You are. And how are you planning on getting home?"
"Walking. I'll be fine in a minute, I think." she said, noting that at least nothing was spinning.
"Glad to hear." He wouldn't mention where his walk home took him. She'd likely... not be glad.
She stood up slowly, testing her balance before nodding to herself. "Yeah. Much better."
He straightened. "Stay smart walking," he said.
"I will. And thanks. For the drinks." she said.
"No problem," he said idly. So he bgan walking up the street.
She walked as well, looking at all the roads. "Which one am I taking again?" she asked.
"This next one," he indicated, knowing that had she seemed less stuck on the subject, he would have been taking this one too.
"Okay. Thanks. Where do you live? And what are their rates on apartments?" she asked, thinking about her super-cramped apartment.
"Two streets up from yours. Cheaper, but fairly large and with full kitchens. Studios, the lot of them, with a balcony, sometimes two."
"...are you serious?! Why did the real estate agent not show me one of those?" Maybe it was because she turned down his offer for a date...after that, it seemed he only showed her REALLY crappy apartments...
"Which agent did you use?" He knew several who were perfect pindicks, and acted like it.
"Ebis...Ebis something, I don't remember...one of those idiots that wear sunglasses inside a building."
"Ebisu? That guy's a royal dick," Asuma said conversationally. "You would have been better off with Aoba. He's loud, obnoxious, and incredibly well tuned to good deals."
"Well, I didn't know." she said, sighing. "Asshole. Maybe I'll just move."
"You aren't in Sesame Tree apartments, are you?" He paused his thought train.
"Yeah, I think that's the name of them. Why?" she asked.
"..." Asuma laughed. "You've been the equivalent of punk'd. I suggest you make a morning meeting with Ebisu and see to his probable castration as soon as possible." He was still laughing. "Poor idiot, he is. Sesame Tree are the most overpriced, undermanaged apartments in town."
".....are you serious?!" she replied angrily, her voice squeaking a bit at the last syllable. That happened when she was really angry. "Oh, that jerk..I'm going to kill him...I'm going to kill him.....ugh, men......" she cracked her knuckles, while images of castrated Ebisus danced in her head.
Asuma felt the heat of her anger, but still felt he needed to say something for his gender. "A man."
She shook her head. "No, you're all the same, when it comes down to it, and I'm tired of it. And I'm going to take my frustrations out on him."
He snorted. "Glad to see you walk forward with both eyes open," he said caustically. "Good luck with your enuch manuever," he added.
"You think they aren't?" she asked, snorting as well. "And thanks. I can't wait to see him again."
"If you heard he hangs out at the Marina Sushi Bar, it wasn't from me." Which was his intended parting remark. He hated to see people who generalized so much as she did - it was sad to see people shut themselves in.
To her, it wasn't generalization, it was based on years of experiencing nothing but men like that. Though, in combination to her rather stubborn and not open-minded personality, a few jerky guys were enough for her to make a lifetime of generalizations. "Marina Sushi Bar, right, got it." she replied, making a mental note of it. She hoped there was a nice deserted alleyway close behind it.
Asuma had been confronted with stereotypes his whole life - and plenty of reasons to back them up. Still, it wasn't in his nature to hold past relationships against current people. You lost too much in that translation. Though he was never close, anyway. Too chancy - for himself, and any friend.
Finding herself at the intersection to the first street she mentioned, she waved a little at him. "Thanks again. I'll see you around at the school, I guess. Or maybe at your apartment soon. Er, the building, I mean. If I move, you know."
He inclined his head graciously. "See you, Kurenai-san." Gratuitous name use. And now he'd have to walk home the long way. Damn.