My Make a Story 3

[searchingsoul]

Kyuui laughed. "Yeah, and they're probably one of the largest, too. But how do the puppies handle travel?" There was a brief pause here when Kyuui mulled over a different situation. Following the stream of her thoughts, she said aloud "However, Shinji... Sometimes I get the feeling he's not telling me everything... It's frustrating. I'm not a fragile flower who grew up in high society... I worked with wolves for heaven's sake! And wolves are NOT like domesticated dogs." She let out a deep sigh. Kyuui took the shuffled deck from Sakaki and dealt out 7 cards each. Then she placed the deck on the table and drew 4 cards from the deck and placed them on each of the sides of the cards. A game of Kings Corner was about to begin.

 

[Mankin]

Ooc: Sorry for the wait!
Sakaki giggled, "As long as puppies are with the ones that love them, they should be fine. Although they can cause many problems. They're much like people in that respect."

Sakaki nodded in agreement as Kyuui talked about Shinji. "One thing you have to understand about Shinji is, he doesn't consider himself worth making a fuss over. The last thing he wants to do is to drag anyone into his troubles and put them in danger, especially those he cares about. It's frustrating but it is a symbol of endearment." Sakaki played the game with Kyuui Ooc: Sorry I don't know much about King's Corner. *goes to google*.

Shinji couldn't help but smile. "You should start charging for these services, you know? The psychologist career is one that is always profitable." Shinji leaned back against the building, his back aching from the strain of the day. "But thank you for the advice. Just out of curiosity what brings you into this small town?"

 

[LuvAslan]

((lol, no worries. We made you wait, too))

Amiko burst into genuine hearty laughter. A few brief moments later, when she had caught her breath and sighed, she turned and leaned her shoulder on the wall. "I wouldn't say I'd go to that extent, but I'm flattered you'd think I could. Just happy to be helpful is all," she replied in an amused tone.

It wasn't every day someone, a 'client', would ask why she was in this slice of civilization. This Shinji was certainly a fascinating person. Answering his question, she said, "I've lived here for the past 4 years studying under a master artist and working part time as a waitress."

It wasn't really a lie. Amiko did take lessons on her free days. For some reason, she had held on to her childhood dream of being a cartoonist, though it was more of a hobby than a career aspiration. The waitress part wasn't a lie, either. She works at a cafe during the breakfast and lunch hours before her 3-11 shift for the Organization. The pay at the Organization was nothing spectacular, but it and the cafe money were enough to live off of in relative comfort. Work days lasted most of her waking hours, but at least the work at the Organization didn't particularly feel much like work.

Being equally curious, Amiko remarked, "I can only imagine what brings you to this town."

 

[Mankin]

Shinji was caught slightly off guard by her laughter. Normally, people would grow uncomfortable when he complimented them, probably due to his intimidating appearance. Yet this woman seemed completely open. She held no negative preconceptions about him.

"Well that's certainly a large resume. An artist, waitress, and psychologist! Those are the three finest professions in my humble opinion."

Shinji responded, "Oh, I'm afraid that's just my nature. I wander from place to place, town to town. I happen to know Sakaki, so I figured this was as good a place as any to crash."

 

[searchingsoul]

((Don't worry. I wouldn't have known if my mom hadn't taught me))
"That guy needs more self-confidence or self-esteem, if you ask me. I think he's too self-conscience of his appearance, not to mention that other half..." Looking at her hand, she saw she had a king and placed it at one corner of the deck. Seeing the possibilities, Kyuui quickly worked out the easiest way to get rid of the largest possible number of cards, which in this case was 3, and made her move. "The guy's been alone for too long. He's starting to hear voices in his head, degrading him, filling his brain with lies. Honestly, I wish I knew how to help... Your turn..."

 

[Mankin]

Sakaki placed a black 5 of spades onto one of her foundation piles then placed a red king of hearts onto another.

"That was one of the reasons I broke up with Shinji. A man can't love someone else if he hates himself. It broke my heart to do it, but I realized he wouldn't be able to move on as long as he was hanging on to me. But that's probably due to his nature. He doesn't like staying in one place for too long."

Sakaki nodded forcefully. "The poor man can't reconcile those voices in his head, so he simply believes it's some kind of demon he can remove. Yet, the time he's spent with you, it seems like that voice is becoming weaker. He doesn't keep those bandages on all the time anymore."

 

[LuvAslan]

Shinji was caught slightly off guard by her laughter. Normally, people would grow uncomfortable when he complimented them, probably due to his intimidating appearance. Yet this woman seemed completely open. She held no negative preconceptions about him.

"Well that's certainly a large resume. An artist, waitress, and psychologist! Those are the three finest professions in my humble opinion."

Shinji responded, "Oh, I'm afraid that's just my nature. I wander from place to place, town to town. I happen to know Sakaki, so I figured this was as good a place as any to crash."

Amiko was far from being a professional artist and waitressing was more of an entry-level job. Admitting to being a professional psychologist was forbidden in the Organization. Rather than correct him, or lie straight to his covered face, she merely chuckled with a whimsical expression, “haha, fine they are; I just wouldn't say they're mine.” A true statement on all accounts.

So he was a traveler. Amiko wondered if he had a real home and why he was traveling, but she judged those questions too rude and nosy. “I don't know Sakaki, but I'm glad you landed here. I bet you've seen countless amazing places,” she commented, eyes pleading him to tell her about his experiences. She was getting side-tracked from her mission slightly. Traveling hadn't been something she'd done much of, though she was still fascinated by it. Perhaps one day she would see for herself.

 

[Mankin]

Amiko was far from being a professional artist and waitressing was more of an entry-level job. Admitting to being a professional psychologist was forbidden in the Organization. Rather than correct him, or lie straight to his covered face, she merely chuckled with a whimsical expression, “haha, fine they are; I just wouldn't say they're mine.” A true statement on all accounts.

So he was a traveler. Amiko wondered if he had a real home and why he was traveling, but she judged those questions too rude and nosy. “I don't know Sakaki, but I'm glad you landed here. I bet you've seen countless amazing places,” she commented, eyes pleading him to tell her about his experiences. She was getting side-tracked from her mission slightly. Traveling hadn't been something she'd done much of, though she was still fascinated by it. Perhaps one day she would see for herself.

Shinji could tell from the woman's nervous answer that she was avoiding his question. It was likely that she didn't want to make her profession known. Understanding the woman's reluctance, he let the matter rest.

"Well I have seen many interesting places. I once wandered through an Arabic bazaar. Quite a chaotic place. People shouting, bartering, and generally trying to make a buck. It can be quite fun if you know how to navigate the chaos. I've also been in some very...unusual locales. I've traversed a few temples of various cults. Some of them are quite frightening, others rather humorous. I once went into one temple dedicated to the art of having panic attacks. It was quite distressful to say the least."

 

[searchingsoul]

Sakaki placed a black 5 of spades onto one of her foundation piles then placed a red king of hearts onto another.

"That was one of the reasons I broke up with Shinji. A man can't love someone else if he hates himself. It broke my heart to do it, but I realized he wouldn't be able to move on as long as he was hanging on to me. But that's probably due to his nature. He doesn't like staying in one place for too long."

Sakaki nodded forcefully. "The poor man can't reconcile those voices in his head, so he simply believes it's some kind of demon he can remove. Yet, the time he's spent with you, it seems like that voice is becoming weaker. He doesn't keep those bandages on all the time anymore."

"Well, I believe that sometimes it takes someone else to accept you before you can accept yourself. Besides, I didn't fall in love with Shinji because of his looks, his personality was what struck me the hardest." Kyuui said. She placed her 4 of hearts and the 3 of clubs down, ending her turn.

 

[LuvAslan]

Shinji could tell from the woman's nervous answer that she was avoiding his question. It was likely that she didn't want to make her profession known. Understanding the woman's reluctance, he let the matter rest.

"Well I have seen many interesting places. I once wandered through an Arabic bazaar. Quite a chaotic place. People shouting, bartering, and generally trying to make a buck. It can be quite fun if you know how to navigate the chaos. I've also been in some very...unusual locales. I've traversed a few temples of various cults. Some of them are quite frightening, others rather humorous. I once went into one temple dedicated to the art of having panic attacks. It was quite distressful to say the least."

((Whoa! Good gravy, I am so sorry! This sorta slipped my mind for a while...Please forgive me?))

With the image of monk-like figures synchronizing their hyperventilations and shaking in her mind, Amiko laughed. No, panic attacks weren't to be taken lightly, but the idea of them being encouraged and practiced was quite amusing, even if it made one tense. "Hahaha! I'd say you were making that up, but you don't seem the type to tell frivolous lies. What more have you seen?"

Admittedly, traveling was a mere starry night's wish before this night. But listening to Shinji's stories planted the seed of the genuine dream. If it weren't for her obligations to this town's psychological suffering, she would leave for adventure. The thought of expanding her assistance were dashed due to remembering that no other town had accepted such unconventional methods. Oh well. She had a 2 week vacation next month...

 

[Mankin]

"Well, I believe that sometimes it takes someone else to accept you before you can accept yourself. Besides, I didn't fall in love with Shinji because of his looks, his personality was what struck me the hardest." Kyuui said. She placed her 4 of hearts and the 3 of clubs down, ending her turn.

Sakaki looked down at her hand and cursed silently as she was unable to play anything. She ended her turn. "Yes that certainly is true. His personality can be rather irritating at times, but also very charming and caring. So what are your plans after you leave this town? Got any special places you plan to visit?"

((Whoa! Good gravy, I am so sorry! This sorta slipped my mind for a while...Please forgive me?))

With the image of monk-like figures synchronizing their hyperventilations and shaking in her mind, Amiko laughed. No, panic attacks weren't to be taken lightly, but the idea of them being encouraged and practiced was quite amusing, even if it made one tense. "Hahaha! I'd say you were making that up, but you don't seem the type to tell frivolous lies. What more have you seen?"

Admittedly, traveling was a mere starry night's wish before this night. But listening to Shinji's stories planted the seed of the genuine dream. If it weren't for her obligations to this town's psychological suffering, she would leave for adventure. The thought of expanding her assistance were dashed due to remembering that no other town had accepted such unconventional methods. Oh well. She had a 2 week vacation next month...

"Oh I'm not one to tell tall tales. I assure you all of these stories are 100% truth." Of course, Shinji didn't count exaggeration as being untruthful. He just considered it artistic creativity. It was true that Shinji had a way of finding himself in very unorthodox situations. His personality was not the most normal in the universe so it was oddly fitting.

"There was another time where I entered a restrauant. The waiter supplied me with my food, a finely cooked dish of pasta. He gave me a fork and a knife. So naturally I picked up the fork and knife, and everyone turned around and stared at me. Apparently in this restrauant, it was considered customary to eat everything with your hands and the silverware was just for show! In addition, the regulars became a bit violent due to my mistake. Let's just leave it at that." Shinji flashed a goofy grin.

 

[searchingsoul]

Unable to place anything down, Kyuui picked up a card from the middle deck and looked at it. No luck. She ended her turn as well. "Well, I was thinking of maybe extending my education of medicine. I want to be able to heal any wound Shinji may get in the future. But I guess I should also take some more self-defense lessons."

 

[ssandy]

Great posts all.......

 

[Mankin]

OOC: If Aslan doesn't post for a while, I'm probably going to send Shinji back into the hotel.

 

[LuvAslan]

"Oh I'm not one to tell tall tales. I assure you all of these stories are 100% truth." Of course, Shinji didn't count exaggeration as being untruthful. He just considered it artistic creativity. It was true that Shinji had a way of finding himself in very unorthodox situations. His personality was not the most normal in the universe so it was oddly fitting.

"There was another time where I entered a restrauant. The waiter supplied me with my food, a finely cooked dish of pasta. He gave me a fork and a knife. So naturally I picked up the fork and knife, and everyone turned around and stared at me. Apparently in this restrauant, it was considered customary to eat everything with your hands and the silverware was just for show! In addition, the regulars became a bit violent due to my mistake. Let's just leave it at that." Shinji flashed a goofy grin.

(Oh! Erm...Thanks for the warning, Mankin. I needed that. ^^; Sorry for taking forever.)

"Haha! Your tales are absolutely incredible. I would never blame you for your error, since I'd probably do the same. You fought off all the vicious customers by yourself, Shinji? I couldn't say how strong you are, but you seem capable of taking care of yourself. I bet you've got a million more stories," Amiko spoke in awe and fascination.
But realizing how late the hour was and he would probably need to get up early to continue his travels, or something, she sighed sadly. "It's been a while since I've had a conversation this wonderful, but I suppose you'll be wanting to head back to the inn soon, so I won't keep you. Good night, Shinji."
She turned to head home, but paused after passing him a few steps. "By the way...you have an enchanting grin. I can see why Kyuui loves you," she told him. "I hope we meet again some day." As she began walking again, Amiko waved good-bye without turning around, the other hand in her pocket. "And thank you," she whispered, barely audible.
She was glad he couldn't see her face, as it held grief for the end of an amazing first interaction with a stranger. It wasn't that she fell in love with him, as many would guess, but rather, she had grown fond of him, as a friend, and may never get a chance to hear the rest of his travel adventures.

 

[Mankin]

Unable to place anything down, Kyuui picked up a card from the middle deck and looked at it. No luck. She ended her turn as well. "Well, I was thinking of maybe extending my education of medicine. I want to be able to heal any wound Shinji may get in the future. But I guess I should also take some more self-defense lessons."

"That certainly seems like a good skill to learn for any situation. Although I have a feeling Shinji can take care of himself. The boy's been through many dangerous circumstances. But I'm sure he'd be glad to have your assistance."
Sakaki heard footsteps coming from behind and she turned around to see if it was a potential customer. "Well speak of the devil, there you are Shinji. Enjoying the company of a lovely lady hmmmm. Careful, Kyuui might get jealous."

(Oh! Erm...Thanks for the warning, Mankin. I needed that. ^^; Sorry for taking forever.)

"Haha! Your tales are absolutely incredible. I would never blame you for your error, since I'd probably do the same. You fought off all the vicious customers by yourself, Shinji? I couldn't say how strong you are, but you seem capable of taking care of yourself. I bet you've got a million more stories," Amiko spoke in awe and fascination.
But realizing how late the hour was and he would probably need to get up early to continue his travels, or something, she sighed sadly. "It's been a while since I've had a conversation this wonderful, but I suppose you'll be wanting to head back to the inn soon, so I won't keep you. Good night, Shinji."
She turned to head home, but paused after passing him a few steps. "By the way...you have an enchanting grin. I can see why Kyuui loves you," she told him. "I hope we meet again some day." As she began walking again, Amiko waved good-bye without turning around, the other hand in her pocket. "And thank you," she whispered, barely audible.
She was glad he couldn't see her face, as it held grief for the end of an amazing first interaction with a stranger. It wasn't that she fell in love with him, as many would guess, but rather, she had grown fond of him, as a friend, and may never get a chance to hear the rest of his travel adventures.

Shinji couldn't help but feel flattered by Amiko's comments. Most people would hardly look at him, much less want to hear all his crazy stories.

"Well, I can handle myself well enough. When you have a face like mine, everyone wants to fight you. I do have many other stories. There was this one time where..." Shinji stopped in the middle of his sentence when he heard that Amiko was leaving.

"Oh well that is true. I shouldn't be keeping you up so late either. Good night."

Shinji was about to enter the inn when he saw Amiko turn around and heard her sweet words. Underneath his bandages, he blushed. "Oh well, I suppose so.." Kyuui loves me? She's never actually said it, but...

"Well I'm not leaving immediately, so perhaps we'll see each other tommorrow. Good night." Shinji turned around and made his way back into the inn. It had been a while that a complete stranger had engaged him in any form of conversation. That Amiko. I'd like to learn more about her. She's a different kind of girl. I'm sure she has all sorts of stories.
When he entered the inn, he found Sakaki and Kyuui engaged in a rigorous card game.

"Well ladies, I hope you aren't placing any high bets. Kyuui, we have to eat after all," Shinji joked.

Shinji crossed his arms at Sakaki's comment.

"I was merely engaging in an intriguing conversation with a stranger. Is there anything wrong with that?"

 

[searchingsoul]

"No, no bets here. just a game of king's corner to pass the time. I got bored waiting for you, you know. next time I hope you're more considerate to tell me where you're going." Kyuui said, drawing a better card, placing it down.

 

[LuvAslan]

As Amiko walked home, her thoughts buzzed. She regretted leaving before he could tell his next epic tale of adventure. But there was still a chance she could hear it, with at least a few others, if she ran into him again. Buuuut she had to work at the cafe in the morning...Amiko sighed. And then a deviant thought crept into her head. She hadn't taken any sick days for a while, and the cafe wasn't usually super busy on those week days. They could handle things without her just this once, right? It wouldn't be forbidden by the Organization, either, since Shinji seemed to want to talk again, too. As long as she won't over sleep, she should be able to meet Shinji and Kyuui before they left. It wasn't going to be fun to lie to her boss, but this was an opportunity to hear stories of travel and get to know that interesting guy better and Amiko was not about to pass it up.
She unlocked her door and stepped inside the modest, yet cozy apartment. Going through her evening pre-bedtime rituals, she noticed a voice message left on her cell phone (which had been on silent the entire night). It was not a number she knew, but she listened to it.

"Hey, Amiko, it's me." She gasped and clasped her hand to her mouth at the sound of the familiar voice. "How long has it been? Four years? I'm, uh, littled tied up at the moment at Jikura...They caught me again. You're welcome for me staying out of trouble for so long, though. They want me to tell you that unless I find someone to speak on my behalf, I'm gonna get fried or strung out or tenderized or decapitated. They haven't quite decided yet..." Amiko slapped her forehead while he continued. "Pleeeeeaaaase come? I know it's a long way to go, but you're my only hope and they're only going to keep me fresh for 20 more days. We may not have parted on the best of terms, but I know you don't really hate me..." She was about to delete the message for the sake of her grudge, but a harsh older man interrupted in the background. "-Aren't you finished yet, scumbag? How long does it TAKE to beg an old associate? Gimme that!" She heard the man rip the phone away and hang up.

The moron! Well, it wasn't the biggest shock in the world, but she honestly thought he would have forgotten her already. She began to sulk off to bed, with a last irritated mutter, "Kudo..."

 

[Mankin]

"No, no bets here. just a game of king's corner to pass the time. I got bored waiting for you, you know. next time I hope you're more considerate to tell me where you're going." Kyuui said, drawing a better card, placing it down.

Shinji held both of his hands up in mock innocence. "I just decided to get some fresh air and a patron here at the hotel decided to talk to me. I apologize."

Sakaki turned to Shinji. "You better not have been driving away my customers Shinji. We don't want anything unpleasant happening to you."

Shinji gave a nervous laugh. "Well, I suppose I'll be going to bed. Feel free to play as long as you like."

 

[searchingsoul]

"I'll probably join you after I beat Sakaki here. Good night, Shinji." Kyuui said, giving Sakaki a mischievous grin.