Jin found himself in dark street in Marigiold. His bag was thrown on the other side of the street when he ran into the gangs.

Now he stood behind one group of them as they glared at the other. He tried to take one step at a time to the right, each time a gang member in the back would pat his back with a look of brotherhood and put his arm around him.

His eyes kept drifting over to his bag as all he wanted was to sneak away and leave these gangs to there work.

A leader from each stood out front arguing with each other. it was hard to hear them through the jeers and cheers from the others that were ready with chains and bats.

"Yeah...Yeah," he played along with a weak voice long enough for the man to take his arm off him.

The gang across from him yelled out, "This is our turf. And if you keep pushing us, we are gonna take yours too." It was a bold statement as both gangs only had ten people and they hardly could say they had a turf at all.

Jin just happened to stumble into the rival gang's territory and one of their members. They chased him as he ran off and ran into the other gang's turf by accident. Now they both forgot largely about him and were on the verge of violence.

The man beside him hollered for battle. No one moved but it was a long enough distraction for Jin to slink to the side and leave the group.

Silently he hoisted up his bag and tiptoed away.

"Where the hell are you going!"

Jin froze and turned around. The Gangs were becoming loud enough to alert anyone nearby.

Jin pointed at himself, "Who me," he gave a dismissive wave. "I'm just getting out of your way. Can I interest you all in a good luck charm before you tear each other apart?"

Tomoe was called upon to deal with a public disturbance, something he considered under his pay to deal with, but it was in his own city so he would have no choice. It was evening, which was already an issue in the case of rats skulking in the shadows waiting to strike. More so, however, it was an issue because humans could only see so much in darkness. Illuminated by the street lights and the lights from houses, the Joyan wandered the general area where reports of a conflict was escalating were. Eventually, he heard noise as he turned the corner onto a dimly lit street; poorly maintained certainly, but more than that, it had the menacing aura of a location one might find themselves stabbed in.

Nevertheless, the swordsman had been stabbed many times in the past and figured it was too late to stop that kind of thing from happening now. "Shit.", he would mutter in frustration that this was happening in his own town, and then he was off.

Sprinting off down the street like a bolt, Tomoe came to a grinding halt a short while later when he saw an altercation breaking down in the streets. It seemed like two groups were about to start a brawl, muttering unintelligible phrases at each other that Tomoe knew from his own days as a thug. Would he translate? No, but he did know that it was about to get messy if they weren't stopped or at least diverted.

"Hey, fellas. You guys all mind fuckin' off somewhere else for a while and letting the people around here get some sleep? All the barkin' is really scaring the children.", Tomoe announced as he approached, taking careful measure of each of them to make sure that there wasn't some hidden war god among them or something.

Tomoe's banter would undoubtedly cause some of the stress of the situation to be shifted towards himself, but the Joyan also took note that some of the thugs had their attention directed towards someone else on the street. Some of them had looks like they wanted to punch that guy in the face, and that was enough to cause Tomoe to start to grip the handle of the golden sword on his back. He wouldn't mind if some bystander took a punch to the face, but if fists started flying rapidly he would step in to stop it.

"Oi, you good over there, buddy? Seems like you haven't picked a side in all this yet. 'Bout time to make that choice, eh?", Tomoe shouted out towards the man who seemed eager to be out of the situation; and while there was nothing wrong with that, it'd certainly require a bit of effort to get out alive at the moment.

The swordsman would observe and act accordingly with how the different parties would react in the next few seconds.

Jin was about to begin haggling with a man over charms amid the turmoil when another person arrived. And the person brought as much fire as the gangs, but he was glad at what the man said and nodded along. A little bit of peace and quiet is all Jin wanted. He patted the man next to him on the shoulder, "See, now that's some common sense. relax."

Unfortunately, the tension only rose and some of it was now aimed at the new arrival. Both of the gangs were beginning to get fed up with all the people not with them, suddenly showing up in their business. The attention of the gangs was split between killing each other and the two men who so very clearly did not belong there.

The man gripped the handle of the sword and the gangs got twitchy for combat. Some of them tightened their hold on the bats and pieces of iron and chains. The small opening in the alley was surrounded by buildings and there were only two ways out. The area was littered with crates and trash bins from storage and the residents.

Jin's eyes opened wider and he looked past the thug he was dealing with as the man with the golden weapon yelled out to him and caught him by surprise. "Oh uh. Yeah, I'm good. hadn't put much thought in it yet..You?" he asked back curious about the man's affiliations. But that final question put the two gang leaders over the top and fuming.

"WILL SOMEONE JUST STAB THESE TWO ALREADY!" With that both gangs erupted. Part of them rushed Tomoe, the others at Jin but the bulk charged at one another ignited a small gang scuffle in the street.

"Good Luck!" he yelled back at the only other solo act to the party. Two thugs rushed Jin and he jumped onto the crates to run away. They quickly closed the distance and he tossed his glaive at them. The thug caught it and in a moment of distraction, Jin jumped up and grabbed the sliding stairs of a fire escape. The stairs unfurled and clocked both thugs on the head sending them spiraling to the ground. "It's always violence," he said as he reached out and snagged his glaive once more, even if he had no idea really how to use it. He tried to keep an eye out for the other man and skirted around the battlefield towards him for two reasons. He was the only one not with a gang and more importantly, he was by the exit.

Tomoe was about to explain his role as a peacekeeper for situations like this, but it fell on deaf and angry ears. There was no option for peace in the first place around people like this, and as Tomoe saw the unaffiliated man run away, a pit formed in his stomach wishing he could do the same. The kinds of street-level conflict like this where fights were minutes of posturing and then seconds of actual exchanged blows weren't terribly interesting to the warrior, but it wasn't a matter of his personal preference for them anymore. He had responsibilities to deal with such things, and couldn't allow these sorts of things to run rampant in his streets.

"Let's get to it, then.", Tomoe announced as thugs charged him.

The Joyan removed his hand from the handle of his blade, instead opting to rush them with a barrage of punches and kicks. He had trained his strength to an unnatural degree compared to the average civilian walking the streets, and it would prove the most beneficial in situations like the one he was engaging in. He had no magic to call his own, relying on weapons and armor enchanted by others. Such a life was the one he had to lead, and he stopped seeing it as a drawback long ago.

Ducking in and out of exchanges like a professional boxer, Tomoe also proved faster and with keener reflexes than the grunts despite his heavy armor. Whenever one of them would land a hit through sheer numbers, it would bash into the armor without hindering the Joyan at all. Reliable and sturdy, his gear held strong as he downed thug after thug with single strikes, turning some of them into craters in the ground and others being bashed into street lights until they started working again. He wouldn't dirty his weapons fighting such ineffective opponents, knowing full well that nothing they could do was of any concern to him.

After a solid minute, a good bulk of both gangs had been laid low. If more hadn't joined, it wouldn't be seen as a problem; however, more thugs did indeed join, as if this were some kind of nightly event for them and to be expected. Their numbers had grown again, and at that point Tomoe thought that the attention he had gained was enough to where they would mainly focus on him.

With that knowledge in mind, the warrior made a lung backwards to gain some distance and noting that they were indeed following him. The Joyan scanned for any sight of the man from earlier, wondering if he could get an assist. Once he saw him, he called out.

"Hey! Bud! You gonna help out or run away?", Tomoe shouted it out as a genuine question, though of course he would judge the man for turning tail and running if that was his solution to the problem.

"Every little bit helps, y'know? It's trash cleaning day, and there's a whole backlog!", Tomoe exclaimed once more, narrowly dodging a punch to the face from a pursuing thug and reciprocating with a right hook to dislocate the thug's jaw with a sickening thwack.

More time had gone by in the fight than he thought as a more than a minute passed, and he was still not out of the woods yet. The other man was mowing through one thug after the next without even drawing his sword. The gangsters seemed to be thinning out from fighting on three fronts. Jin leaned against the wall and took a relaxing breath until more poured into the small space, "Ah come on," he huffed with an exhausted slouch.

He had his hand on the corner of the wall not too far from the man who now yelled at him. He ran his hand across his forehead to push his messy hair out of his eyes. There wasn't any choice to be had really, as all the gang members turned their attention toward the warrior. He pressed his hand on the wall, helping himself stand straight and jumped from the crate down beside the warrior.

"I guess good fortune comes with a little work," he remarked as he landed in time to see the warrior clock a thug across the chin. "I'll watch your flank," he said as he created a shield of light around his arm. "good luck charm?" he asked and pulled one from his pocket and held it out for the man with a grin on his face.

Then the next stage began. Jin wasn't much of a fighter. The warrior's skills eclipsed everyone's around them. But Jin did have a few things he could do. The light mage whirled around and blocked blows intended for both him and the warrior with his shield. If any blows snuck their way through, Jin would reach out and tap the warrior giving him small heals between blows. With the low abilities of the thugs, the heal was more than enough to take away the abrasion left by a bat.

Jin stood his ground and parried blow after blow, mixing in blocks with throws that sent his opponents landing prone in range for the warrior to take them out. A series of strikes made their way into Jin's abdomen, briefly knocking the wind from him. They closed the distance, but he flung a potion bottle from his bag, shattering in their face.

After bloody blows and beatings, the wave of thugs yielded and Jin collapsed against a wall with his shield of light shattered and gone. He breathed heavily and held himself up with his hands on his knees.

"Thanks for the help. I'm jin,"

Tomoe appreciated the man's confidence, accepting his offer of a good luck charm before continuing the fight. "Much obliged!", he would shout with a grin.

What ensued after was a cooperative brawl and a whirlwind of fists, weaponry and magic all combining together to create a sight to behold in the middle of a mundane, darkened street in Marigold. If residents in their houses listening in were scared before, they would be terrified during the remainder of the event that unfolded with the screams of agony, crunching bones and various cuss words erupting and echoing out into the streets and around the entire neighborhood.

Tomoe grunted through any cheap shots and sneak attacks, warding off the pain through willpower and adrenaline as he always had; this time, however, there was also the support of what he felt was some kind of healing magic behind it as well, noting injuries that would fade away soon after they were delivered. He wouldn't look too deeply into it until the fight had concluded, leaving such novelties as 'strategy' and 'tactics' to everyone else while he adamantly blazed his own bloody path.

With bodies heaped on top of bodies, the final of the thugs being struck down after a very physical and violent struggle, all had grown quiet save for the ragged breathing of the two remaining fighters and victors of the street brawl. Tomoe would be the first to regain his breath and posture, having grown accustomed to such physically demanding encounters over his time questing and travelling. Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, he jogged over to see how his ally in the situation was handling the aftermath.

"You good, buddy? Not dyin', are ya? Fuck if I know if I could cover your bills or funeral if that were the case, so reassure me here.", Tomoe blurted out, moving a hand through his ruffled hair after taking off his red helmet, cracked and damaged from the fight.

After ensuring that the man was not immediately dying, Tomoe began to acknowledge him by his name.

"Jin, huh? Well, Jin, take this."

Tomoe held out the lucky charm he had received minutes earlier and gave an underhand toss with it towards Jin. Tomoe's lip turned into a mischievous and knowing curl as he looked at Jin with his arms now crossed.

"I've run into a whole lot of bad dudes in the past. And while ya don't seem bad, I don't trust the kinds o' guys that sell lucky charms. From my experience in the past, scam artists at best and actively assisting in gang activity on the worse end of things. And considering who I just saw ya hangin' around minutes ago...", Tomoe trailed off while turning to the side slightly, still maintaining eye contact with Jin.

"You mind tellin' me how you got caught up in THIS?", he finished, gesturing towards the sea of bodies piled on top of bodies next to a mound of crude street weaponry that they once claimed as their own.

"Ya don't get caught up in the middle of assholes like these without good reason, y'know? So spill it. Supporter? Runner? Fanboy? What is it? Eh?", Tomoe pushed just a little further, adamant about squeezing the truth out of the situation no matter what that might mean.

Jin held up his hand through tired breaths, "Yeah...yeah I'm good," he replied and caught his breath and leaned more upright on the wall. "Thanks for showing up. You have some impressive moves."

"Oh," Jin replied as he caught the charm. Not many people ever tossed them back to him. Most of the time they lept them or pitched them in the bin. Things began to make more sense as the man crossed his arms with a smile that made Jin put his hand on his face and sigh. Lady luck was a moody one indeed. And now his day took a steeper turn when he was accused of gang activity. "Me with those guys. They were both just trying to kill me. And who is turning a profit selling charms to gangs?" He defended himself and finally stood up straight and dusted off his clothes.

"Scam artist is such a harsh word. The charms are just to bring people hope. A manifestation of their own will to turn their life around. Some people pray to invisible gods ya know," he responded in a dignified way although he left out that it did put some money in his pocket for food and hotels. Whoever this man was he was serious and to the point. He could try running away, but if he wasn't being attacked that probably wouldn't be the wisest choice. Not that the thought didn't cross his mind.

Tomoe gestured to the pile of injured gang members and the stash of weapons. He accused him again and before Jin could give a rebuttal, Tomoe hammered his questioning home and Jin rose his hands like a knight just declared he was being arrested. "Whoa, easy there."

He then stepped forward quickly and next to the man as if they were old chums ready to walk out of the alley and away from the madness. But Jin narrowed his eyes at Tomoe in an equally accusatory manner. "You're right. it's not everybody that gets caught up in something like this. So maybe I should ask you the same. Seeing as how we both ended up in the middle of this." He tried to turn the tables back on the man and then gave a smile, shifting his mood to friendly again, "Or we could just call it even and go get a drink. It's on me," he said as he was already lifting his bag and beginning to walk out of the alley.

"And just so you know. I also sell lucky in love charms. So that has to account for something. Romance is the spice of life," he spoke as if nothing had just happened.

Tomoe was about to open his mouth to counter the man's sly accusations, but stopped himself before doing so. It would be too much of a hassle to explain himself and his intentions; even more so, to explain his role as a guild master and glorified security guard of the guild residing in this very town. The warrior very much hated the spotlight, and wanted nothing to do with the showboating involved with publicly outing oneself as the leader of a wizard guild. Besides, a part of him rather enjoyed unrelenting, fierce and bloody brawls such as the one that had taken place on this night, and all the mishaps that went along with it. Tomoe's opinion of the charm seller was that he was sketchy, but not villainous; not entirely anyway, as there could easily be more lurking beneath the surface. For now, however, Tomoe would call it even.

"You have any particular place in mind? I'll have to take ya up on that then. Don't underestimate my ability to pound back any drink ya can throw at me though!", Tomoe chuckled, his mood visibly lightening after getting through the pesky yellow tape known as 'the law', and 'interrogation', of which he was never proficient at in the first place.

Jin spoke the language of liquor, and that was good enough for Tomoe. He went along with the man's plan, deciding that there was nothing to lose by agreeing to get plastered after a good fight.

"Do those charms do anything, or are they just for show? You can be honest, I ain't gonna rat out your business.", Tomoe asked as they walked to Jin's drinking spot of choice, genuinely intrigued as to the validity of charms in a world where magic did in fact exist.

He was sweating for a moment, hoping that his plan would work. It was a bold move to already start walking and he swallowed already thinking the man could easily just snatch him back. It came as a rush of relief and the spring he kept in his step to quickly flew faded when the man agreed to the terms. Although it made it all the more interesting that he didn't speak about his affiliation or lack thereof with the gang members either. Seemed like they both had something to hide.

Jin rested his hand on the back of his head, "Good to hear it. I'm actually new around here but I think I know one place. And that sounds like a challenge," he replied with a bit of a nod accepting the idea. He would probably lose but at least it would be good company and not the kind that wanted to kill him.

After that was settled, Jin would lead the man to the only pub he knew. It was a fair size, with plenty of room and also the scene of a bar brawl a few days prior. Hopefully, the man wasn't aware of that fact.

"hmm," he opened with critical thought about the man's question. "I suppose its more about if people wanna buy something encouraging. BUT," he said holding a finger high in the air and with his other hand he pulled out the charm that Tomoe tossed back to him. He handed it to the man once more, "There is only one way to find out. What I can tell you is I was surrounded by a gang of people and lucky enough to have a talented warrior come bail me out," he smirked but left out the part about his near-constant run-ins with bad luck. Or the fact that he was only there out of sheer misfortune.

Jin opened the door to the pub and gestured for his comrade to enter. It was spacious and filled with chairs. The pool tables weren't in use and the corner had a pile of broken pool sticks.

Tomoe avoided turning sheet white as a chill ran up when they closed in on Jin's pub of choice. Truth be told, the Joyan was involved in a bar brawl a few evenings prior while in one of his disguises. It wasn't the sort of thing that could be explained rationally, as he was anything but at the time of the fight. Salazar Worthington was a man of high self esteem and problematic pride, and he wouldn't handle his bald patches insulted and made a mockery of so loudly by his fellow patrons.

The results of that night were messy, but Sal did emerge the victor and walked out with a bloody lip and some torn clothing. Thinking about that night under the guise of Mr. Worthington, Tomoe cringed. When donning the face of another, it was easy to let loose all the social restrictions that he had forced upon him with his new role in Penumbral Guard. Starting a brawl was satisfying, and while perhaps he'd have handled it differently as Sal, it was nevertheless a moment he wouldn't take back even if he could.

Thankfully, due to his drastic difference in appearance from Salazar, nobody so much as gave a second glance at Tomoe. He did his best to hide his shifty eyes, darting around and looking for the asshole that insulted Sal's hair if he dared show up again without learning his lesson.

"Alright, I'll let ya decide what we get for the first round. You've been here more than I have, yeah? Let's see your taste, kid.", Tomoe stated as if he had decided upon something of importance once they had taken seats.

It would likely come off as odd, Tomoe referring to Jin as a 'kid' due to his own appearance as someone of nineteen or twenty years of age. His mannerisms of laid-back experience betrayed his appearance as well, though it was unclear if it was simply a case of odd behavior for a nineteen year old or something more. He wouldn't sweat the details either way, leaning back in his chair and taking a look over towards the broken pool sticks. With a head nod towards the pile, he looked back at Jin.

"What's that all about? Someone get too salty at their losses 'round here?", Tomoe inquired with a slight chuckle at the thought of somebody smashing stick after stick over his knee; maybe it was the same guy that Salazar had broken the kneecaps of a few nights prior, even.

There was a hint of hesitation on the face of the warrior. It was an intriguing mystery but every man had their stories and this was one Jin didn't track down. But perhaps this place held as many memories for the light mage as they did for the warrior.

Jin waited for Tomoe to sit down, "You looking for someone" he asked as his comrade scanned the room. "They can be a rowdy bunch." Jin had yet to sit down and stood, with his hands on the back of a chair.

"Oh"shock crossed his face at the offer. He couldn't say for certain if he had been here more times than Tomoe. There was still a lot he didn't know about the man, and when he called him a kid, Jin tilted his head to the side. They had to be somewhere around the same age, but he shrugged with a smile, "Who knows. You live here, right?" He asked with a hunch that the answer was yes and that he may have been here before.

"But I'll go with my favorite," he tried to flag down the bartender but the man was all the way at the other end trying to smooth talk a pretty young number that had sauntered in. Jin sighed and swooped around the edge of the bar to the other side and reached below to grab some glasses and a bottle.

"You like bourbon," a smirk gleaned on his face and he set the two glasses down and the jewels for the drinks next to them. He waved at the other bartender, "For now instead of peddling charms I moonlight as a bartender here."

The rich and aromatic bourbon flowed from the bottle and into the glasses. We clinked his glass to Tomoe's "Cheers," and tipped the glass letting the smooth and thick beverage warm his gullet.

"Oh, that was from a brawl. people were about to start stabbing at each other." He was ready to pour another glass.

"And then I showed that old geezer what was what," a drunkard at a nearby table, bellowed to his buddies.

Jin paid it no attention, "That's one down. So how'd you learn to fight like that?"

Jin appeared to be a man of many talents - such a thing was something Tomoe would keep in mind as a drink was offered to him. Multi-talented individuals were the craftiest of individuals, which was something that the Joyan simultaneously respected and loathed. He had to be cautious in spite of his relaxed demeanor; that was always the trick that worked best, at the end of the day. He would nod in response to the question of whether he was looking for someone, and then once more when asked if he lived around here.

"Yeah, somethin' like that anyway. I just walk around, 'n make sure people don't start shit. It's a life.", Tomoe cynically responded as he downed his first glass the moment it was handed to him, showing his enjoyment instantly with a cold sigh of satisfaction.

The Joyan couldn't, for the life of him, remember any stabbings during his own brawl. Perhaps this place went through rowdy times more often than he thought. Having just gotten out of a fight with his fists still warm from breaking bones, Tomoe couldn't deny a certain level of anticipation for it. It wasn't that he'd go out of his way to fight, but if something came up... what else would a man do besides take part?

That was when a question was thrown the warrior's way. Jin was interested to know where Tomoe learned to fight. That was something of a rough answer to give, as the answer could be a great many things. Though a more broad answer would be the most likely to draw less suspicion, in this case.

"Used to be a samurai over in Joya. With my job being to protect my lord, there's not much to it. Either I learn to hit a motherfucker really hard, learn to twirl like a ballerina like those 'elegant' types of samurai, or be out of a job and stab myself in the stomach for bringing shame to my family. I ain't twirlin', and I ain't dyin', so that left one other option really.", Tomoe explained, taking a breather to point for another glass of bourbon that he so desperately craved.

He didn't wish to think much on Joya, and as a result his expression grew more somber for a brief moment. Quickly he returned to his usual self as he looked back up at Jin.

"How 'bout you? There's a few scratches I should have that I no longer do. Tells me you know a few things about magic, and you weren't the worst when a guy got close either. Not just a simple charm merchant anyway. So what's the deal? Guild mage, wanderer, or what?", Tomoe fired back inquisitively, leaning into the table with curiosity.

The man gave the details of a simple life here. But in Jin's experience, the people that talked least about themselves often had the most going on. "Seems like there's pretty steady work around here then. Keeps your mind sharp in combat I imagine. I couldn't do it though. I'm here for the shows at the theater."

Jin looked wide-eyed at how quickly the man knocked back the drink. He was in for a long night and took a longer swig of his own. He set it down with a smile and used his sleeve to wipe the excess from around his lips.

With one fight already having erupted around him today, Jin wished for a calmer evening. Something this place wasn't known for or the fact that trouble seemed to follow him no matter where he went. At least, for now, things were calm, but the night was still young.  

"A samurai...That's a long way off. Impressive," he replied with a quick head tilt and finished off his bourbon. In the blink of an eye and only a few sentences, a man could learn a lot about someone's life, and Tomoe's was a tale to be told. Jin friend and grab the bottle to pour them both another drink.

The bottle tipped forward and it flowed back into Tomoe's glass, "A respectable path," Jin spoke almost with a different tone. One closer to serious wistful as opposed to his normal jovial exuberance.  

"My father is Joyan. He served as a warrior for many years. I grew up hearing stories about the feats of the samurai and harrowing lives they lived," he said as the flow of bourbon reflected in his eyes like reminded him of the fire he once sat beside with his father for a late-night chat.

With a small laugh, he rose his glass, "To not twirling and dying." A light-hearted take on it hoping to get past Tomoe's brief somber moment. Jin's eyes showed the moment was more for the respect of having been a samurai and living to make his way all the way here.

"I don't know though," Jin flashed a cheeky grin. "The way you move around a battlefield with ease. You sure you haven't picked up any dance classes in Fiore?" He took a larger swig of his own, much more than he had before, trying to keep pace with his comrade. He took a deep breath after the drink and blinked his eyes.

Jin rose his eyebrows and pointed at himself when Tomoe asked about his...'deal.'
"Me..well that's a trade secret but I'll let ya in on it," he replied and flipped another glass up from the counter and filled it with water. He slid it across the countertop from one hand to the other. Which in hindsight would not help his case of not being a swindler.

"My true moneymaker," he said as he caught the glass of water, poured some mana into it, and made the water glow with light magic. "Jin's Magic Tunic. Heals nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, and diarrhea. As well as some minor injuries."

"Yeah, I'm a guild mage. Healer. Still learning the ropes though. But what about you?" Jin leaned in on the table as well. "Most people in this country are mage's but I'm curious about that sword on your back. You didn't pull it out in the battle?"

Yup. To not twirling and dying. Heh.", Tomoe responded to the toast despite having already smashed one back earlier.

The Joyan decided that maybe he'd pace himself tonight, not wanting to risk starting a fight. Every now and again he could swear that the guy at the table behind him was looking at him funny, but when Tomoe would fully look over in that direction ever so subtly, he and his buddies would be minding their own business. It wasn't that alcohol made Tomoe more paranoid - or maybe it did - but more so that he desperately wished to avoid another bar fight. Too many random fights breaking out in Marigold would just start to look bad for him, regardless of the circumstances.

Putting the other table out of his head, Tomoe looked back at Jin as he began to explain his healing. Magic drinks? That was certainly a selling point. Reminded him of the natural remedies of his homeland that... worked? No, no, they only worked some of the time. When it involved magic though, it was probably fine, right?

Jin confirmed he was a guild mage, and then...

"Oh, this sword? Nah, it ain't for dirtbags causin' shit. Can't be staining it with their shitty blood. I treat my weapons better than that.", Tomoe stated, waving his hand at the ridiculous notion of ever drawing it against common thugs.

The golden blade was still resting on his back even as he drank, clearly wanting to keep it close. It was in stark contrast to the rest of the man's appearance, which gave off no air of nobility or elegance in the same manner.

"I don't got any natural ability to cast magic, see. I gotta rely on strength 'n weapons to get the job done. Ya could throw in 'strategy', but fuck that."

Tomoe began to drink further into his glass as he gave the man time to respond.

Jin threw back the drink with the toast. He was a bit worried the man wouldn't find it funny. You never knew what could set anyone off these days, and some didn't appreciate his knack for making humor out of just about anything.

The warrior made a few glances back at a table behind them. One that had been giving them the eye for a little while. Jin didn't want things to escalate anymore, even if Tomoe liked to get into brawls. The light mage swallowed and swayed a bit to the left, clearly feeling the hit of the drinks. He called over a waiter and set enough drinks on the tray for the table over there. "Hopefully that'll take their eye off us," Jin said as he gave them a friendly wave. The men at the table grumbled and took the drinks.

He nodded along to the warrior's disdain for the common thugs and his pride about the weapon. He held true to the stories his father had told him about the pride of a samurai. He kept the sword in better condition than himself. meanwhile Jin had a weapon but kept it as haphazard as he was. Using it more for a tool of intimidation than to be used, and it was leaned against the rack of alcohol behind him.

"Just headfirst and fearless. I can respect that. not many people with that kinda bravado." he set his empty glass down and looked at the man with a question forming on his face. "How is it? Living without magic and using a sword in a land full of mages? Seems like you've done well for yourself"

Jin had always had magic. It was a part of every aspect of who he was. But seeing a man excel without, which he knew was possible, but still...he wanted to know more.

Tomoe's cheeks were starting to become somewhat rosy as the drinks disappeared down his gullet. He was a thirsty man, and the only thing that could ever quench it was enough alcohol to kill a horse. Being asked about the Joyan's inability to utilize magic properly, he could only loosen his shoulders before shrugging them.

What was there to say? In Tomoe's eyes, he was pretty much an inferior being for his shortcomings in the arcane. He had to fight twice as hard for the same results as those born powerful. He had carved his way to competency and success with nothing but a sword and a bull's stubborn moxie. Perhaps he could afford to be at least a little honest - not much, but enough to not seem like he was trying too hard to be distant or anything like that.

"You kinda need to learn the patterns of mages after a while. Start thinkin' to yourself, 'how much more do I need to push myself than my opponent?'. As a non-mage, the answer will always be that you'll need to push yourself further than even the inexperienced mages or else see yourself put down pretty fast.", Tomoe explained, letting loose some of the insight he had gained from his time as a warrior against wizards, demons, and all manner of creatures with unnatural power.

"Appearing reckless and seemin' like you're underestimating your enemy and takin' it easy with a smile, while on the inside, you're burning at 200% determination and hot-blooded fury. That's how I've stuck it to any mages that have crossed my path, and it's how I'll do it in the future, too.", Tomoe finished, pointing a thumb at himself in pride as he leaned back in his chair.

Perhaps he had said too much, but alcohol had a dangerous way of bringing the truth out of people. There were, of course, some truths he wouldn't dare utter under even the sloppiest of intoxicated ramblings, but a sober Tomoe would already consider his current explanations as too much. Nevertheless, he was feeling in the teaching mood tonight, and would expense any other wisdom that Jin would ask.

Jin waited for the man to answer, but mostly because the alcohol was starting to hit him as he struggled to keep pace with the warrior. He dared not take a single step for fear of his legs wobbling. They already felt like he was standing on a gently rocking ship in the ocean.

Nonetheless he took down the warrior's words like they were another swig of ale and nodded along. "That's some sure as fire grit you got there," jin spoke with looser lips with the drinks kicking in. ". I still gotta learn the melee ropes myself," he replied and pointed over his shoulder at the glaive. Even in his drunken state he could tell the man he was with had a wealth of experience. He imagined most mages wouldn't handle someone in their face slashing away. The panic of the moment was probably enough to knock most people off balance.

"Ay bossman! I'm heading out with my pal," he yelled sloppily waving a fresh bottle of ale at the owner. He staggered to the small partition that separated the back of the counter from the patrons flung it open.

"Whoops," he leaned over the counter and grabbed the glaive, and leaned it against his shoulder. Quickly he made his way beside Tomoe and threw an arm around the man's shoulder. "Whaddya say. Let's hit the town!" he rose the bottle in the air as if to cheers the heavens. The owner let out a heavy sigh and made his way down to take care of the rest of the bar. Luckily it wasn't a busy night and most of the people had already been served the rounds.

He took his arm from around Tomoe and marched in a slight zig-zag to the doorway. "Care to share any of those stories about facing down mages with nothing but strength and might?" Jin would swiftly kick the swinging doors open letting in a faint breeze from the brisk outdoors. He propped the door open with his back and waited for Tomoe.

-Exit-

Tomoe agreed to get out of the bar, stuffy as it was. His body filled with vim, vigor and liquid courage, the Joyan stepped outside into the chilly Spring night air. His body was warm against the cold, hair-raising air in contrast, and he felt heavier and satisfied after having left the bar. It wasn't the sort of thing he got to do as much anymore, drinking and shooting the breeze. He found it nostalgic, being able to live simpler for a while. No worries of guild obligations or protection, but just living.

"Sure, let's hit it. I can share ya a story or two. Let's see now..."

With that, the duo would take off into the night, with Tomoe sharing stories of his adventures. He'd keep the details vague on some, preferring not to name specifics or context on particular bits. Though he would speak of his time as a member of Fairy Tail, acting as a scout and frontline fighter for them as necessary. He wasn't very well known among their ranks, and he preferred to keep it that way. As a swordsman who finished off his opponents before they had time to figure him out, Tomoe always tried to show his opponents as little of himself as he could; or to otherwise overpower them with all his might at once before they could react. That was the kind of swordsmanship that the Joyan prided himself on, and it was those that his drunken mouth allowed him to share.

After some hours had passed, Tomoe's buzz began to wear off and he began to realize how long he'd been off duty for.

Shit, that long...?, Tomoe thought, shaking his head to wake himself up somewhat from his drunken stupor if even a little.

He'd turn to Jin with a resigned smile and sighed.

"Didn't realize how late it was gettin'. I've chatted your head off tonight though, so I'll be gettin' out of your hair. Got to see 'bout finishing up patrol and all that, and then callin' it a night. Let's do it again some time though, yeah?", Tomoe would speak up in a more sober tone, offering a handshake to Jin. "If you wanna shoot the shit again some time, come on over to Penumbral Guard. I'm a member there, so if ya wanna swing by I can bust out some rum. The good stuff! Heh."

Regardless of whether Jin would accept, Tomoe was off into the night. Shaking off the last of the liquor that had been building up, he made his way off to finish the rest of his patrol to see about the thugs; if they'd truly gone, or if there were some stragglers. Upon finding nothing as he walked, Tomoe made his way home.

---

- Exit -