River of Life

Anzo, having already had a few drinks by now, carries a pair of drinks back to his table with Hanabi, whom he'd invited to drink with him in celebration of their increase in rank; hers already announced by the Hokage, and his own soon to occur. He slips the drink over to Hanabi, smirking at her with his yellow sunglasses slightly askew and the collar of his jacket opened just enough to fully expose his face, letting everyone see his happiness with the celebration. Peragus himself had chosen to avoid the celebration himself, likely because the man would have felt a little awkward, since he had been the one to personally put in the recommendation for his rank increase. So, for now at least, the two were together alone, having a rowdy little party of their own in the middle of a fairly populated bar.

Anzo himself plops into his own chair, causing it to rock backwards at a dangerous angle; thankfully, even when he was tipsy, he was able to completely control his movements, and with just a bit of forward momentum, he's able to perfectly balanced the chair on it's back legs. Anzo laughs uproariously at his own display of skill before rocking forwards again to get all four legs back to the ground as he takes a big gulp of a drink he'd never heard of before that the barman had called "takeela", which Anzo had thought was a silly name for a drink. The drink tasted good, though, especially with lime and salt.

"Hey hey, pretty lady! Ya lil hic hot momma! Whaddaya say we have ourselves a dance, for ol' hic time's sake?"

Anzo grins at Hanabi, his cheeks flushed after having a few drinks, his drunken smile was surprisingly infectious; thankfully, Anzo had left his Kikaichu in his home in a specialized terrarium to keep them fed and breeding to continue their numbers. He didn't want anything happening with his Kikaichu after he'd gotten drunk. His hair, normally spiked upwards smoothly, was now somehow a bit more wild, and he was even wearing a necktie around his forehead like a Konoha headband, with the floppy tie flapping on the side of his head. In spite of his 6'5" body, Anzo's silliness kept him from looking intimidating, when normally his expression was serious and stoic.

Hanabi, laying back in the seat with an arm on the back of the booth, her other arm placed on the table. Her hand remains open until she lightly clasps her hand around the glass that anzo gives her, lifting it and taking a sip as she keeps an eye on Anzo himself. Just before she finishes her gulp, she places the glass back down and stands up, her hands on the table. When she thought anzo would fallover, she was stunned to see he kept his balance or at least managed to let back down.

Hanabi's eyes close as she sits back down abruptly, her chest bouncing just a bit as she leans back and goes to her previous position. It was a time for Anzo to relax and celebrate his Rank up which brought a genuine smile to Hanabi's face. Hanabi's drink was a fruity cocktail with razzberrys and oranges freshly squeezed within a light liquor, making a beautiful purple reddish color. She would take a sip and smack her lips as her tongue clicked, all from the tartness of this drink itself. Her eyebrow raised from the sudden flirt from Anzo and chuckled softly. "I don't think dancing is a good idea especially when you're THIS drunk." She hid her other reasonings but it was a good cover.


Anzo was a dashing young man and actually looked better with his hair laid out messy and flat. She would occasionally catch glimpses of the man but quickly divert her eyes to a near bystander. Hanabi made a large exhale, glad that Masae wasn't around her today. All she felt was genuine uncomfiness from her like she didn't want to be around Hanabi. Hanabi would take another sip and watch the door.

Hobbies were essential to pursue for most adults to maintain sanity levels during their daily grind. Midori's below average physical performance made her not too enthused for typical outdoorsy fairs such as sports or practice match making. Her remarkably average constitution and lack of social grace urged her to avoid alcohol frequently, which of course limited Midori to the one thing she was good at.

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The horned bluette squatted along the baseboard of the drinking establishment favored by many civilians and ninja alike. A small archway bore through the base leading to the interior walls fit large enough for a small rodent who happened to be the prize of game. Midori awaited anxiously with a partially complete bingo card and a red market wielded in both hands before a small cheese curd— the remaining dish and ice water on her table not far from her location. Zoning out of the indistinguishable chatter that occurred all around her she patiently waited for her hypothesis to be proven and allowing her to mark off the 'mouse hole' space in her Bingo Scavenger Hunt playing sheet.

But the generous heave from the Aburame kinsman magnetized Midori's attention away from her experiment— primarily out of fear from being crushed —to Anzo's chair being saved minutes from falling in reverse thanks to his own dexterity and definitely not the woman's horns which effortlessly bit into the hardwood backrest of the seat but not-so-effortlessly freed itself as it was rocked forward.

Midori didn't resist, being thrown onto her knees and palms with her body locked in position and eyes staring at the dingy plank floor which filled the young woman with grief. While she didn't get a thorough look at the perpetrator Midori was well aware the owner of said chair was indeed a male. Relying on common sense she rose her left arm and prodded the Aburame's back with an index finger before speaking up in her ordinary tone, which was softly spoken and often a little hard to hear in noisy environments. "Uhm...excuse me, sir. Sorry to bother you, but could you help free me from this oaky prison?" She was referring to the chair, of course.

Anzo raises an eyebrow when Hanabi seems to be suggesting that dancing when he's as intoxicated as he is isn't a bad idea, his grin widening as he is about to get back up, his glass emptied of tequila already, when he suddenly feels a tap at his back, thoroughly surprising him; thankfully for Midori, although his jacket was heavily armored, he could still feel the pressure of her finger pushing on him through the way the fabric of his jacket had moved against his back. He quickly looks over his shoulder at the stranger and sees that she's somewhat stuck, so the soon-to-be Chuunin rapidly gets up off the chair, holding her head still by gripping the horn that's stuck in the chair with one hand. He then uses his other hand, funneling chakra into the entirety of his arm in order to use his Chakra-Enhanced Strength to rip the chair off of her horn, carefully following the shape of her appendage in order to avoid any further damage. Despite his drunken state, he's still able to use such a focus-heavy technique, thanks to his many months of practice in using such a technique.

"Aw jeez, I'm really sorry. I oughta be more careful."

Soon after freeing her horn, he also lifts her up so she can get back on her feet fully, then invites her to the table to join himself and Hanabi before he grabs two chairs, one for this stranger and one for himself to replace the one he'd accidentally ruined just now.

"Anyways, we was juss discussing how I'm a great dancer, even when 'm drunk. And hor'zontal dancin' too!"

Anzo gives Hanabi a knowing wink, then drunkenly tries to drink more tequila from his empty glass, apparently having forgotten that he'd already emptied it. He starts to call for another round, then realizes he's being rude, having neither introduced himself nor offering to pay for the stranger's refreshments.

"'m so sorry, where's my manners? I am Anzo Aburame, clan leader for the Aburame clan and the Human Typhoon... Why da hell do people call me that, I don't even have wind release?"

Anzo's eyebrows furrow in confusion after his own introduction, having momentarily lost his train of thought, then quickly remembers that he's talking to a stranger and he grind again at her while he gets his shot of tequila refilled, letting Hanabi introduce herself if she likes while he swallows his drink rapidly, already feeling quite good about sitting at a table with two women that he notices are really quite attractive, although his eyes keep slowly being drawn to Hanabi's own golden gaze, and every time he does look into them, his cheeks seem to flush a little more in a way that has absolutely nothing to do with alcohol. He would never admit it, especially now, but she really was quite gorgeous, and he had thought this way about her long before her wardrobe change.

Hanabi chuckles softly to Anzo, taking another sip of her drink, then seeing a stranger who seemed to get caught as Anzo rocked himself back, her horn getting jammed and stuck within the now warped wood of the chair. "OH my, are you okay?!" She'd ask as she went to get up and check on the girl who anzo started to help before Hanabi could really do anything. Hanabi noticed the horn and blinked a few times before looking at Anzo and then back to the woman in which would be freed by Anzo shortly there after. She sighed and went back to her seat, huffing as she sat back down. "You know you really need to be more careful." Her eyes followed him as he brought back two additional chairs, one for the woman and one to replace the chair he broke. Her eyes continued to follow him as he sat back down, hearing him speaking about dancing and bringing up horizontal dancing. This made hanabi raise a brow but turned to a quick flushed face as she looked away and drank the rest of her drink. Anzo had winked at her and she felt embarrassed for unspoken events, causing her to immediately order another drink.

Anzo finally introduced himself and asked the question of why people called him the human typhoon. The waitress came by and filled up everyone's drinks and brought the young woman's choice of drink as well, Hanabi gulping about half down and then setting it down hard. "Maybe because you cause a wreck everywhere you go? There's always a mess you leave behind." She snickered at her own joke before gulping the rest down, now drinking at a faster pace. Her face began to get flushed for alcohol reasons but her eyes kept going to Anzo, meeting his every once in a while. She then trailed to Midori. "I'm Hanabi. I'm called the Golden Flower of Konoha. Not sure why that particular title but it's what they named me." She said, slowly beginning to slur her words here and there. "Your name? And what brings you to the bar?" If the girl were to introduce, she'd listen while staring at Anzo's eyes just for a few seconds, catching herself and looking back to the girl. Her eyes always met with his however, like a magnet being pulled.

Midori was no stranger to her horns being caught in places where they shouldn't, and knew the procedure fairly well: wait for someone kind enough to pry her free. As pathetic as it sounded her years of trial and failure led her to believe that was the best solution. Unable to see most of the time, and physically too frail there were not many options she was capable of. Fortunately this stranger was more than capable despite his mildly inebriated state. His hands were firm and forceful with a certain degree of care like a highly experience surgeon. It was the quickest she had been freed before feeling the weight and her connection with the chair be freed in a single thud. Glancing over to the mouse hole the cheese curd was gone. Darn...

She would be scooped up by the slenderly built male at no expense of her own effort. Back on her own two feet she'd gingerly rub the tips of her horns to ensure there was no scuffing, dullness, or damage they endured during the debacle, and visibly she would sign in relief confirming they were unscathed. "Oh no, it's totally my fault! I shouldn't have been in your personal space."[/color] Patting down her palms and knees she'd remove any residual dust and dirt that may have collected on her body.

Midori accepted the chair using it as a rest. Squatting was hard for long period of time, despite her weight being average for her height! They've introduced themselves as Anzo and Hanabi, along with their respective titles. Anzo's, who Midori was actually quite familiar with. Although she did not immediately recognize Hanabi's she presumed she was equally an experienced ninja. "Oh, I love horizontal dancing too! Even though I don't dance too much these days, aha..."[/color] She was a horrible dancer and knew it! But Midori figured it would help keep her up to par with these highly decorated sort instead of just being an obnoxious stray Genin. "I'm Midori...the Sarutobi. I was actually here to finish my scavenger hunt. I was told this place had a rat problem, so I was hoping to sight one. Say, do you dance too, Hanabi? It would be cool learn from professionals some day!" Midori cluelessly exclaimed to the stranger, hoping to work an angle in with the cool kid table and develop a new hobby that was less dweebish.

Anzo smiles proudly at having freed his (somewhat temporary) charge from the chair and having invited her over, although it's quickly replaced with a highly theatrical grimace when she exclaims that his title is The Human Typhoon because everywhere he goes, he seems to leave a mess behind, and he at least puts up a little defense.

"Thass not fair, 'snot my fault..."

Even in his slightly intoxicated state, he's able to catch Hanabi's eye quite often with his own, and he notices her face also becoming more flushed as their eyes meet and even sometimes explore each other, catching one another occasionally, though some part of his mind works hard to remind himself that there's a recently graduated genin next to them; he didn't want it to get awkward for her, or at least more awkward than it already is with himself and Hanabi being quite distracted with one another. Still, her comment about her not being sure why she's called the Golden Flower of Konoha causes Anzo to speak up, just as she did earlier when he remarked about his own title.

"They call ya that because your eyes hic are like gorgeous golden flowers... And other flowers don't... come close."

It's somewhat surprising that Anzo barely even slurs his words when he speaks this time around, but he's definitely still drunk. Perhaps he was focusing much harder on getting his words out clearly for her. He's about halfway through his next drink of "takeela" when Midori, seemingly clueless to the meaning of "horizontal dancing", proclaims that she loves to do it, and he nearly chokes on his drink, having to turn away from both women to clear his throat and his nose of the burning alcohol as he tries hard to regain his composure, covering his coughing laughter as much as he can and not turning back towards either women until his face is clean.

"Clumsy me. I... swallowed wrongggg..."

It takes some effort, but he manages to keep himself from laughing again at the word "swallow". In any case, he seems at least somewhat interested when Midori brings up the scavenger hunt, although he was apparently unaware of there being a rat problem. He looks down into his empty glass and has second thoughts suddenly about getting another drink.

"Oh uhhhhhh... Hehe.~ Hanabi has her own way of dancin' that's... tantric...~"

Never in Hanabi's life had she seen someone with a horn, just like Midori's. Hanabi sipped her drink, keeping an eye on the two as they did their apologies and what not, her eyes never leaving the horns of the woman. "Nonsense. It's the imbeciles fault for not being careful." She said, taking another drink before getting another refill. Hanabi would go to take a sip, her lips being placed on the glass but stopping, her face becoming more Red than before. Her eyes widened and she looked away, clearing her throat. "Ahem-, I suppose." Hanabi took a few sips, listening to Anzo speak about said Horizontal dancing and with Midoris comment... She would react much like Anzo, hiding her face and covering her mouth as alcohol spewed between her fingers, hitting the floor. With hanabi now embarrassed, she took this time to clean up and excuse herself from the table, heading to the women's restroom. Not hearing about the invitation to Dance, she'd completely dismiss what Midori said.


Hanabi placed her hands on the sink and let the water run, her lips quivering, her eyes wide and panicked. Why was he acting like this?! She'd wash her face and eventually return to the group, refreshed yet still smelling like alcohol. "Now where were we... The... Horizontal... Dancing.. isn't what you think it is, hon." Not knowing if she was incapable of understanding things or if her education was a bit behind, she'd remain PG with the woman. "Anyway, what do you specialize in?"

[Ooc exit due to inactivity and clearing up threads]

[OOC: also exit due to inactivity]