Description: It's said that the Bakumatsu was begun with Perry's black ships pulling into the harbor. Fortunately, the black ship pulling into Chihayaakasaka isn't starting any revolutions, but it is sparking Kerian's curiosity...and he'll do anything to make sure it doesn't spark Drake's, as well!
Domino has prepared himself as best he knows how while in Southtown. He's brushed up on his skills, trained himself, taken care of his home, and even got another location penciled in on his World Tour. But now it's time to move on to the location in question: Japan.
..Well, sure, he was already in Japan. But a JAPANESE place in Japan. Not Southtown. In fact, Drake had sent the notification to the representative of Japan to meet him tomorrow in Osaka - in the village of Chihayaakasaka. Seriously, that's what it's called. Drake can't make names like that up.
But he's here first and foremost to make nice with the natives, showing what a good individual he is. That, you know, he's not necessarily here to defame Japan, should he triumph. As such, he's just leaving the village office, a fairly squat building. Barefoot and tredding in his personal, brand new gi (after the other one got shot up, grumble mutter), Drake proceeds along the road to take in the scenery. Village, they say, but it doesn't look... old enough to convince him. Very quiet and very rural, for sure, but it still isn't terribly convincing. Ah well. He heard there's a castle to be found here!
So that's where Drake is headed, with the sun shining unhindered overhead and the cool ocean breeze to keep him company.
Kerian similarly is in the village of the Insane Name. But he's not here for tredding or making nice with the natives - no, he's got his gun in the mouth of a local miscreant who tried to accost him.
He drops his gun and tosses the man to the ground. "And if you try to do that again," he hisses, "I'll throw you in the bloody drink and we'll see how well you can swim, mmm?"
The poor thug scurries off, and Kerian slides his gun back into his jacket, the frown still on his pretty face. The fellow hadn't known a damn thing. Another dead end.
He turns, heading up the path, away from the castle.
It's then when the ship pulls in, setting anchor outside the village due to lack of harbor. Kerian freezes in his path.
'Valentine Shipping' is painted across the side of the ship.
Oh, that wasn't good.
His eyes narrow into practical slits, and he starts similarly heading up the path, ironically heading...directly for Drake.
Ah, how the bully-types flourish in these little villages. Little more than pirates, they tend to be. But since the population is so low, and they're so very undersourced, these 'thugs' tend to get a run of things. Kind've sad, really.
But which one is the thug? The one with the seriously long hair, or the one with the gun stuck in his mouth like a pacifier? Oh, Brittany Spears might condone such a method of soothing an infant, but Drake cannot! ..Not that the other guy is an -infant-, per se!
"He-," Drake starts. He stops himself, however, catching the tone of voice and, finally, the individual that turns around. What was going to be a full-on leap to defense turns into a bout of confusion, the supermodel nearly tripping over his own feet. When his balance is regained, he tries a different approach.
"Hey!" Well, okay, that part stays the same. "..Wasn't your name Kerian?" Drake's posture is unaggressive, shoulders relaxed and only his right hand lifted with fingers splayed - it's a wave, not a bitchslap.
Kerian jerks his head around to stare at Drake. "Ah...Drake, yes? The model fellow?" Yes, it was coming back to him, now.
"Yes, that's right." He breaks into a smile, immediately hiding his frown at the ship. No need for Drake to know that yet.
"Fellow tried to rob me," he notes cheerily, "I taught him what-for." His elegent, feminine fingers dip into his pocket, ascertaining that, yes, his wallet is in fact still there, the thug quickly retreating hadn't tried anything slick, and he was in the clear.
"So what are you doing so far up?" Kerian inquires curiously, watching Drake's face for a reaction. "A photo shoot or somesuch?" Not that he actually really cares - in fact, he's still flicking his eyes at the ship every so often. He had to get over there and investigate what the hell they were doing here...but first, he'd have to make certain Drake wasn't...part of it.
He hoped not. He liked the model fellow, or at least as much as he usually liked people. Not as much as Zangief, but he was cheery enough. "Or are you just seeing the sights?"
That was simple enough. Kerian was decent and told him straight up what was going on. Drake figures it was probably his voice that gave away his suspicion. "Oh. Well, that's cool then." He leans aside to peer past Kerian briefly, then settles back the way he was.
Though Kerian's furtive glances aside are rather noteworthy.
"I'm here for my Tour match tomorrow. I'll be fighting the representative of Japan.. which is about time, coming. Had quite a few delays, just in Korea." That's what Drake gets for under-estimating a certain Hwan's laziness. Bah. "But for the time being? I guess you could say I'm checking out the sights."
He pauses a moment, and a single obsidian eyebrow lowers to give Kerian a more inspecting look. "Whaaat'cha lookin' at, Bud'?"
He frowns. Crap. He hadn't been stealthy enough.
"Ah...that ship,"
he says, fingering his pocket. "Over there. It just...caught my eye, that's all." He nods in the direction of the ship - he couldn't recall telling Drake his last name, and even if he did, maybe the man wouldn't make the connection. Maybe.
"Ahhh, so you are sight-seeing...would you like a guide? I've been here before...some time ago, in fact. I'd be happy to accompany you, if you like."
"Yeah?," Drake asks. Tactlessly, the teen about-faces to peer at the ship with the very obvious 'VALENTINE' lettering. "...Fan of Hallmark?," he asks glibly over his shoulder to Kerian. A smug little grin touches to his lips before he shrugs. "Sure, wouldn't mind a guide. I was hoping to find the castle that's supposed to be here, actually..."
Kerian inwardly exhales a sigh of relief. So he hadn't told Drake his last name.
"Ah, yes. The castle." He nods, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking forward. "It's this way...rather lovely sight, too, from what I recall." A delay, but a delay he'd accept - better that than let Drake in on what might actually be going on.
Not that -he- knew what was going on. No, that, too, was a mystery to him...but again, better it be a mystery to him than Drake have to deal with his dirty laundry.
"So do you always take in the sights of a country, or is this a first time?"
"I like to when I get the opportunity," Drake replies as he starts to walk alongside Kerian. "I especially try to when a country's gonna be on the tour. I wanna find the best spots in the area to really bring out the best the country has to offer." His left hand lifts, hooking behind his neck casually. "The Tour's as much for my own personal pleasure, as much as it is showcasing the world's best, and really testing myself."
Drake then tilts his head to regard Kerian in silence. This lasts about three steps. "What're you doing out here in Chiya-.. Chuyo-.. whatever this place is caled?"
"Chihayaakasaka," he corrects quite flunetly, "It's Chihayaakasaka. And I'm out here on a spot of business." Nasty business, admittedly, but it was still business.
He slides his hands behind his head, leaning his head back into his slender, soft hands.
"C'mon. You'll fall behind, mate."
He winds on up the road, keeping his eyes open for thieves. Here a shadow darts back into the alley, there a shifty-looking face stops eyeing him like a target and recoils in fear. It wasn't really a seedy town, he knew, but there were always some in this sort of place, people who loved to take advantage of know-nothing tourists.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a know-nothing tourist. He was an expert fighter.
"Bit of past to take care of...you know."
"Out -here-?," Drake asks.
Nevertheless, Drake's pace hastens to maintain at his side while remaining casual about the whole thing. Though heavily involved in vigilante justice, Drake doesn't seem to be paying much mind to the would-be ruffians around him. Perhaps a hint cocky, this wrestler.
"So, what sort'a business are you here on?," asks the nosey Mr. Vyril.
"My own," he replies, clearly not wanting to answer that. A pickpocket collides with him by the shoulder, dipping his fingers into Kerian's belt; the gun meets the man's face, batting him aside quite swiftly. It was rather ironic - he kept getting people going for his belt, despite wielding a rather large handgun and wearing a sword at his hip almost as long as he was tall.
"Good try," he says cheerily at the man now lying against the wall, groaning at the massive gun-shaped imprint on his face. "A bit less obvious might do you some good."
Finally, they pass out of the main area, arriving at the massive castle. It really is a sight - towers and walls and...
Hah hah, yeah, right. This is a Japanese village - the castle's a massive, Japanese pagoda-style tower. Kerian gives a bit of a whistle - he'd been here before, but it was still an impressive place. Reminded him of England, for some reason he could never put his finger on. Maybe the tower looks like Big Ben if you squint and look at it from the north.
"Here we are, then."
The sudden impacting 'crack' of a gun against a face catches Drake's attention immediately. He lingers a few seconds after Kerian resumes talking, just to remark, "It's the hair. It picks up vibrations in the air around him. Like feelers." Drake's hands lift, fingers wiggling in some indication or another of insect antannae. "Impossible to sneak up." That information divulged, Drake hurries to catch back up with Kerian. If the Brit's mood isn't peachy, Drake's certainly would appear to be. "No offense or nothin'. Just joking around." Huge. Innocent. Grin.
When they reach the castle, Drake folds his arms loosely over his chest and cocks his head slightly to the side. "This could do. Definitely showcases Japanese architecture..."
Kerian actually seems vaguely amused by the 'hair is an antennae', though it's really quite hard to read him.
"Indeed," he agrees. "A lovely castle. Want to go inside?"
He gestures to the gates.
"We can head inside to see the museum, if you like."
He brushes his hair backwards, a complex gesture removing whatever might've lodged in, as well as fluffing himself out a bit and catching the wind for an instant brush. Huh, so that's how he did it.
"I'm feeling generous...I'll pay the admission fee if there is one." All the better to keep Drake's big, fat original pre-nosejob nose out of his business, he reasons. He could take a hit to the pocketbook...he just needed to keep Drake occupied until he could investigate...
Instant bish moment. Cue the pink background with strange, out-of-nowhere bubbles.
Drake, however, quickly spins on Kerian. "A museum, huh? Think they'd care that I'm barefoot?" In indication, his right foot lifts at an angle, showing off the flawless, creamy pad on the underside. One might not suspect he spends many afternoons using it to kick people in the head. "And there's no way you're paying for me! You're the tour guide, not the escort!"
Kerian laughs. "It's alright. You're the guest here, after all, mmm? I've been in this country long enough, and it's rude to make the guest pay."
It was true. He was fluent, he was basically a citizen, he had all the same rights any other citizen had, and he'd graduated high school in this nation.
...not to mention, he'd been pitched off more cliffs, waterfalls, shrines, roofs, skyscrapers, trees, and God only knows what else, in this nation. He probably qualified for frequent flier miles, now that he thought of it.
Thinking about Ginyu, however, only reminded him of what he was doing. "Besides, this is a rather historic place, and I'd rather you get the full story than be worried about footing the bill. It's alright."
"Well..," Drake considers, setting his foot back down to the ground. "..I guess. But don't you go getting any ideas. If you start yawning and reaching an arm around here, I'm gonna snap you into a hammerlock -so- fast...," he threatens. Though with the lilt of his voice and bemused smile, it should be pretty obvious that he's joking.
"Honestly, though. If it's really expensive or somethin', you've got to let me pay for myself. I'm a model. I can stop wars when I start sulking."
"Can you really? Fascinating." He seems more amused by the concept of him being gay than anything, though the statement of 'stop wars when I sulk' might have something to do with his amusement, too. He pushes the gate open and heads for the door, checking over his shoulder to make sure Drake is still there.
"This village," he says, "Or rather, this castle, during the Sengoku era, was the site of one of the least famous battles in the world - a shadow war between two groups of ninjas. On one side, Tokugawa Shogunate's Hanzo Hattori and his allies, and on the other, a mysterious group of gunmen supposedly working for Oda Nobunaga." He left out exactly who those gunmen were - especially that one of them was his school's founder - quietly. "It's not a terribly well-known story, but then, I know a fair spot of Sengoku history. Always found that period fascinating." That, and Ginyu had more or less drummed the bigger stories involving Shinsokuhou-Ryu into his head. The taking of this castle, the side-change to Tokugawa, the bloodbaths during the Bakamatsu...he'd heard them all proclaimed loudly and proudly by the big man, who seemed to see such things as a badge of honor for the style. It was old, it was distinguished, and that was that for Ginyu.
He opens his wallet, drawing out a few bills. One glimpse at that wallet would tell Drake everything he needs to know - that this guy is -loaded-, probably of the upper-classish variety. So why in the world does he walk around in a Japanese school uniform if he's already graduated, with that kind of cash burning a hole in his wallet? He could be hanging out in fine tuxedos and flying on private jets if he wanted, or so that wallet says. And for that matter, what sort of 'business' could possibly bring such a wealthy individual all the way to -Japan- from his homeland, nevermind to this tiny little village? Strange questions, perhaps stranger answers.
Kerian slides his wallet back into his pocket, handing the entry fee to the gatekeeper. The man opens the door for them both and bows, allowing them entry into the massive castle-slash-museum. "And bob's your uncle, in we go."
"No joke, huh?," Drake asks. "Nobunaga?"
Drake, blissfully unaware of Kerian's thought processes (terribly fortunate, that), proceeds past the gate with Kerian. "You know a heck of a lot about the local history. Especially for a battle that, as you say, was pretty unknown," he remarks. "How'd you come to learn about it? What got you into it?"
Kerian practically stumbles mid-step at that. Oh crap, that's a good point. He hadn't even thought of that - he'd gotten wrapped up in the history and...oh hell.
He catches himself, however, and the stumble is reduced to nothing more than a simple mis-step, from which he recovers quite gracefully. "Ah, well. I just found that particular period of history fascinating...warlods vying for power, you know. Very romantic ideals being thrown about - honor, nobility, revolution. I'm really rather a history geek when it comes to Japanese wars. So, you know...when you get interested in something, you throw yourself in full-on and hunt down all the information you can..." Okay, it was a lie, but it was a seamless one, and it really did basically make sense. And it was true, he did find it fascinating. Maybe it wasn't -that- much of a lie. It was basically true.
Drake nods at him once. "Sure, I get it. Totally get all enraptured into something... but something that obscure?," he asks. "I mean, it sounds like you're going after the curator's job!" He lets out a soft, whimsical laugh at that, then proceeds on into the palace/museum itself. "So, what's the deal? All the way out here, no lady-friend?"
Kerian glances back at Drake. "Are you hitting on me?" He asks, a bit of a grin spreading across his face, a grin that sadly doesn't meet his eyes all the way. "Sorry, mate - I bat for the proper team and all. Not that I'm not flattered." And of course, he probably could date models if he was so inclined - whether they would like him or the money in his wallet was a different story entirely.
"Seriously though...no. I've...got other things on my mind. And besides," he adds ruefully, "I've terrible luck with women lately. Been attacked by no less than four of them, and not in a particularly fun way. It seems the only chance I'd have is with girls three years younger'n I am."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Drake says, coming to a halt. He looks to be a bit stung by this. "I'm just makin' conversation. When I first met you, you were ooglin' a flock of girls in the park, so I figured one of'em was probably your girl..." He squints his eyes a little. "Lemme make this totally clear: I'm perfectly straight. My girls are just off doing their own thing right now. So don't take my joking'n such as anything more than that. Last thing I need is another Alma lapse. God."
Drake exhales a sigh and resumes walking, expression less cheerful and carefree - more reserved and perhaps slightly agitated. "-Anyway-, Southtown is really not the place to find girls. I kid you not." A few more steps, then, "So, what else is remarkable about this place?"
Kerian actually laughs at his reaction to the good-natured joking.
"Ah, don't worry - I go for the skirts too. You've nothing to fear - just funning with you a touch." He still grins as he turns back to face the museum. "Mmm...what else is unusual...well, there's of course the passages used by the ninja." He taps his foot against one of the panels as he walks, and the wall slides open - it's probably well-known to the curators, but it would look like a most effective stealth method to a random passer-by. "Then again, most of these old castles were build like that - escape panels and infiltration methods. Quite common architecture...actually, common all over the world." He removes his foot from the panel, and it slides back shut.
"Yeah.. sorry. I guess I'm still touchy about that. Used to be people immediately compared me to someone else who -is- like that - they just got on the fightin' scene first. So I got stuck with the stereotyping." Drake's hands lift in a shrug - and freeze halfway on the way when the wall slides apart.
"Okay, how the eff' did you know that was gonna be there?," Drake asks, turning to face him fully.
Kerian points down at the floor. Indeed, it's a bit discolored in that spot - if one wasn't looking for it, one wouldn't've noticed it.
"Observation," he notes. And it was true - he was good at picking out little details like that. It's probably part of why Ginyu had taught him in the first place, that observative skill, that ability to read situations and people like books.
"If you know what to look for, you find it quickly - one would assume defending ninja would know what to look for, mmm?" He taps the wall in another place, and the floor slides open to reveal stairs. "See what I mean?"
"You freak me out," Drake says promptly. "And I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be with a bunch of sliding doors in my castle. Especially designed just for ninjas. I don't like ninjas as it -is-," he remarks.
Kerian laughs. "I like showing off my knowledge of this sort of situation," he admits. "Personally, I think I'd be much more comfortable -with- escape passages than without. After all, it's designed so the ninja can get where they need to go as fast as possible...you just have to keep it from the enemy."
He runs his fingers through that elegant, beautiful hair of his as the floor closes up. "But this isn't part of the museum tour...we should probably find an actual guide. I'm certain they've got a far more in-depth story about some of these artifacts...or at least, I'm certain they're paid enough to regurgitate one for the tourists."
"You paid for it, so I guess I should go and hear what they have to say." Pause. "Regurgitated or not." Drake's somewhat agitated look melts into a small, reluctant grin, and he starts further into the palace to find a cluster of individuals. Of course, he does this expecting Kerian to be right along with him.
Kerian is, indeed, right with him. He's right behind the man - although he's now cast his mind back to better days, and it's not the model he's watching, it's Master Ginyu leading him through the same halls, telling him all the stories about the battle, showing him all the things his master had taught him...
As they reach the cluster of individuals, his brain snaps back to the present. "Ah, it's your tour, isn't it? Don't get caught up in who paid for it...just enjoy it, mmm?"
Drake comes to a halt and turns to look back to Kerian. "Guess so." Pause. "Thanks for paying. You really didn't have to do that." But having said that, Drake brings his attention back to the tour in progress and falls silent. His bare feet shuffle anxiously, waiting for the guide to begin the tour and explanations.
Kerian follows along behind the tour for a while before waiting until they round the corner. His foot sinks onto one of the hidden panels, and he slides out the castle through it, hopping off the multi-layered roof and darting out of the castle grounds. He makes a beeline for the ship, ready to steal their shore-boat or, hell, run across the water on his chi or even -swim- there if he had to. It didn't matter. He was going to find out what was going on.
And Drake, he'd managed to elude most expertly. He'd've felt bad if the model'd had to pay for the tour - it was, after all, essentially a massive diversion, and it would've been quite impolite of him to skip out had Drake paid. It was a twisted sort of honor, but then, one had to be a bit twisted when talking about that sort of thing.
He runs up to the little dingy, gun drawn, and points it into the mouth of the man currently disembarking with his cargo. "Who..." He says calmly, "...ordered that ship here?"
Log created on 20:39:16 11/06/2008 by Kerian, and last modified on 00:32:51 11/07/2008.