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Post by KUROKAWA IROH on Feb 22, 2010 22:42:44 GMT -5
Saints and sinners are all the same, so claim some. When one looks beyond the painted faces of the "good" and the "bad," they'll notice that it is very true. Everyone in the world, no matter how they are measured, is one thing: human. With that philosophy in mind, the club --this scene-- was built.
The lights are bright and rhythmic, and the music is loud. The people gather and lose their sense of self-righteousness. There is a place to be happy and together, and there is a place to be alone and sorrowful. Sometimes, the bar and the dance floor get their occupants swapped around. Such is life: random...chaotic...human. Kurokawa Iroh was not always one to play the bar scene, however; it was apparently good for business if the head of the company made a public appearance. The white-haired young man would, truthfully, be happier in his apartment bowing the strings of his violin. Somehow, though, one of his dealers coaxed him out of his shell. Now, Iroh was here without any supervision or company. Well, that was a lie. Solomon was with Iroh, coiled up in the clay pot that was slung on the slender man's waist. He placed a hand on the jar, rubbing the holed lid with his thumb affectionately. As soon as he walked through the doors of the club building, he began to regret it. Instantly, as if on reflex, Iroh held a hand up protectively in order to pass by one of the patrons. He didn't want her company. Cautiously, Iroh made his way over to the bar and took the first seat he could find. One of the seats next to him was empty, but the other...had someone in it. Iroh cast him a sidelong glance before allowing himself to smile the slightest bit. At least he was next to someone good-looking. "An apple martini, please," he spoke to the bar matron. In a last attempt to get comfortable, Iroh adjusted his glasses until they were almost to the tip of his nose.
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Post by RAIDEN on Feb 23, 2010 1:23:40 GMT -5
[/i] anything with someone he found interesting, but he never counted it out. When someone casually sat down next to him, it was almost automatic that he turned a little toward them. For conversational purposes, of course. His first thought was, 'Oh, a women,' and then had the grace to think about being embarrassed when he reminded himself that long hair didn't always mean female. He almost apologized, before mentally smacking himself into shutting up. He hadn't said anything...there was nothing to apologize for. Right? Right. The choice of drink of his new company wasn't exactly his choice, but then again, who's was? "Hmm, apple martini..?" Had he muttered that out loud? Whoops.[/ul][/size]
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Post by KUROKAWA IROH on Feb 23, 2010 2:41:28 GMT -5
Iroh smirked roguishly. Thanks to the pulsing beats, he almost didn’t hear the comment made by his neighbor. He thanked the barkeep for his drink before shifting to look at the man beside him. He had to admit: it was a little odd for a man to order such a drink, though not unheard of.
"It's got a unique flavor," he replied as he took a sip. Iroh kept the glass close to his lips as he continued talking. "It's not too sweet, and not at all complicated to make." The white-haired man let his eyes wander to the pale green liquid before he placed the glass gently on the counter.
"I don't understand why people enjoy such complicated mixtures," he added with a sigh - mostly talking to himself. “The best flavors can be found in the most simple of things. For example: coffee is a delightful drink when you’re craving something bitter. It’s so easy to make, too.” Using a single finger, he edged his glasses up the bridge of his nose before gingerly holding his hand out to the other man.
"It seems I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Iroh." He gave a mildly shy smile as he said this. ...The drug lord had to admit: it was rather exciting to interact with strangers. …And as long as he didn’t mention his surname, he wouldn’t be scolded by his “family.”
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Post by RAIDEN on Feb 23, 2010 5:49:17 GMT -5
[/b]he said, trying for casual and maybe succeeding. He gestured to Iroh's drink with his own cup, just to make the comment more clear, maybe a little mockingly, but in a good-natured way. As if such a thing exists for Raiden. Rai sort of looked at the offered hand for a heartbeat, then decided there was no point in not shaking it. Though what he ended up doing was less of a shake and more of a mere touching of hands. He got this instant image of old-fashioned times when men used to kiss the hand, and then it was gone. He shook it as gingerly as it had been put out, introducing himself before letting the other man's hand drop out of his. "It's Raiden," he replied, not being able to do anything except answer with his own form of a shy smile, though with an undercurrent of suspicion. He couldn't help it. He vaguely wondered if he came off as innocent, and felt like laughing at the thought. Nah, might scare him. [/size][/ul]
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Post by KUROKAWA IROH on Feb 24, 2010 0:35:20 GMT -5
Iroh gave a slight smile at Raiden's reply. He did have a point: alcohol's not sweet. ...Not always, anyway. Iroh had to admit, he was half-expecting his companion to attempt to kiss his hand. …Why was he thinking that way, anyway? Maybe it was a sign he needed to get out more.
"There are some sweet concoctions out there, though." Iroh took another drink from his glass, almost downing the whole thing. He twisted and turned in his seat until he was facing the dance floor. He watched with a rather bland expression, not the least bit interested in the people there.
"Luckily for me, though, I don't care too much for sweet things. Once in a while," Iroh paused to push a strand of hair behind his ear, and cross one leg over the other as he leaned back against the counter. "Once in a while, I can't help but be curious about the flavor. Like a cat locked away from the mouse, I need that craving taken care of."
He...he had just compared himself to a cat, didn’t he? A soft blush crept to Iroh's cheeks as he gave a light laugh and shook his head. "You'll have to excuse me if I ramble; I don't get out of the house much." The only thing Iroh was having a harder thing believing was…he was actually having fun talking with this person. This was definitely a sign that he needed to get out more. Being alone with a snake most of the day was starting to take its toll on the white-haired man.
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Post by RAIDEN on Feb 24, 2010 15:54:06 GMT -5
[/b] he paused to find the right word, sticking his tongue out as if he was thinking hard about it, "...entertaining." It was often difficult for Rai to just say things without being insulting, which he didn't usually try to contain. That's why it'd taken a moment to remind himself not to say 'weird' or 'strange'. It might have offended Iroh or something. When his coffee arrived, he mimicked Iroh's movements, not having ever crossed his legs before. It was uncomfortable, and with a slightly confused and unhappy expression on his face, he uncrossed them and just let them rest on the floor. He looked over at the other man with curiosity. "There's no need to blush, I haven't said anything you have to be embarrassed about," he said, missing the reason why he might be embarrassed. "Though I just stick to coffee." He chuckled at all the times he'd tasted anything but coffee and grimaced. "And how do you do that?" He motioned to the way he was sitting. "It's awfully uncomfortable." He said it matter-of-factly, just being curious. He wasn't usually this polite to people, but Iroh hadn't annoyed him yet, so he was safe...for the moment, anyway. "I don't get out too much, either, don't worry. If you couldn't tell, I'm not a big fan of being social, or people in general. They can be entertaining something, though, I suppose." It was practically a speech for him. He just didn't talk that much.[/size][/ul]
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Post by KUROKAWA IROH on Feb 24, 2010 17:48:51 GMT -5
Entertaining, eh? That's the first time anyone had called him entertaining. ...You would have thought that at some point, that name would have come up. But then again, the man didn't get out much, so...it was a reasonable excuse to not be used to that sort of...compliment.
When Raiden had asked about Iroh's sitting position, the man had to draw a blank and dumbly look down at his lap. His blush was starting to fade away with the more he talked to this man.
"I...I honestly don't know." Iroh lifted his gaze and brushed hair out of his face as he turned to look at Raiden. "I've always been able to sit like this; it's never bothered me before." Iroh gave a somewhat charming smile before adding on to his statement. "My mother used to sit like this when no one was around. I guess it's just one of those things I picked up from her."
Raiden was right: Iroh had no reason to be blushing. And, sure enough, the white-haired man's blush was soon gone. "I'm not used to...talking to people, especially men." Believe it or not, talking and conducting business weren't the same thing. Even so, Iroh barely met the customers in person.
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Post by RAIDEN on Feb 25, 2010 14:37:11 GMT -5
[/b] he said really without thinking, though wasn't really saddened by the idea. He'd been alone and lived with it quite contently. Couldn't miss what you'd never had, huh? Raiden shifted uncomfortably as he reached for his jacket, then remembered that he couldn't take it off with his Browning Hi-Power sitting nicely in its holster. If you started flashing a gun one of two things would happen; people would either panic or become stupid enough to grab it and start shooting people. They were rarely intelligent enough to just leave it the hell alone{he knows from experience}, so he simply hid it. And not just when his life was in danger. It'd become a habit over the years to put it on, just part of his wardrobe. A little sulky because the coffee was making him hot and he couldn't reduce this by stripping down, he picked the drink in question back up and rejoined the conversation. "Well, what's so different about men?" Now he was teasing a little bit, pushing the other man's buttons. Though he also didn't understand why someone had trouble, or lack of, talking to men but not so much with women, he could have left it alone. There wasn't much fun in that, now, was there?[/size][/ul]
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Post by KUROKAWA IROH on Feb 25, 2010 16:45:36 GMT -5
Iroh gave a slight, sagely nod as he listened to Raiden. He had been lucky knowing his mother, even being raised by her to some extent. "If it's any compensation," he began as he leaned back a bit, and accidentally showing off some of his stomach, "I never knew my father."
Iroh let his left arm fall to his side. His hand came to rest on Solomon's jar, where he once again thumbed the edge of the lid. Without much thought or consideration, the man shifted to an upright poistion as he popped the lid off. After the snake was removed and coiled safely around Iroh's wrist, the lid was replaced and the man leaned back against the counter.
The thing he adored most about Solomon was he wasn't colored like normal king snakes. It was fascinating how many people would run and shriek at the sight of something red, black, and yellow without actually looking at it. Iroh brought the small snake up to his neck, and the serpent instantly began to slither from the wrist to the neck. "He's harmless; don't worry," Iroh assured no one in particular.
When he heard Raiden ask about, basically, why he had a harder time dealing with men, Iroh couldn't help but chuckle. Careful not to disturb Solomon, he looked over to Raiden. "Well, when you're not interested in the opposite sex, it's easier to talk with them." He turned in his seat so that he was facing the counter, and casually folded his arms on the surface. "I don't have to worry about women getting into my pants, and they're more predictable so I know which ones to avoid. Men are different for me because of one thing."
Iroh paused to finish the last of his drink. "You see, Raiden: I'm gay. It's as simple as that."
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Post by RAIDEN on Feb 25, 2010 19:36:58 GMT -5
[/b] he said with another shrug, not knowing what emotion to show. He wasn't sad, but it seemed a bit heartless to be nonchalant about it. Then he remembered he didn't care. As he talked, though, he couldn't help but glance at the small spot of Iroh's stomach that was momentarily visible. He looked away just as quickly, sipping his coffee to make the motion not so obvious. Or trying to. He was a sucker for the pretty ones. He also could help but lean forward and touch the thing now wrapped around the other's wrist. "Red by black is a friend of Jack..." he muttered it to himself, speaking to no one in particular. He watched almost in wonder as in moved to his neck. "Cool." Rai coughed, snapping out of his stupidity long enough to pay attention to the rest of the conversation. "I sort of figured he was harmless. I didn't take you as someone who would keep something venomous on your person." Was that a compliment..? He looked at Iroh when he chuckled, narrowing his eyes until the words coming out of his mouth registered. Then he couldn't help but laugh quietly himself, thinking about the way he put things. It made sense, at least. Though it was sort of the opposite with Raiden; he was able to talk to both sexes without much trouble, even while being attracted to both. Outgoing or a horndog, you decide. Raiden continued to laugh and shake his head as he turned around to lean his chin in his hand against the bar surface. He just looked at Iroh, amused. "Well, I'm half gay. Does that count?" The situation just got a hell of a lot more amusing, that's for sure. He didn't stop propping his chin in the palm of his hand when drinking the remainder of his coffee. Gone again. Damn. He decided to take his attention away from the empty cup to turn his body more fully toward Iroh. For conversational purposes, of course.[/ul][/size]
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