The House Always Wins

[reddosmod]

MARCH 2023 EVENT

Due to the UNIQUE NATURE of the Moss King, previous March events are NOT available during this month's event. Please keep that in mind.

IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Fanged, smiling carnivorous plant from little shop of horrors ]
[Image Two: House overgrown by roots.]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Person covered in glistening film that seems to be suffocating.]
[Image Two: Woman's face splattered in blood. ]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Poker chip with an anime girl's face on it. ]
[Image Two: Dogs Gambling Painting, but it's famous horror monster villains instead of dogs. ]

[NAVIGATION]

Prompt 1 • Prompt 2 • Prompt 3 • Plotting • Newsletter

[JUMP TO COMMENTS]

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

WHEN: March 8-31
WHERE: The City of Trench and surrounding regions
CONTENT WARNINGS: Plant-Based Peril, Isolation, Entrapment, Carnivorous Plants, possible but unlikely death.

---

The plentiful and bountiful harvest of plants that started to blossom towards the beginning of the month has continued, and if anything? It's getting more and more troublesome. The old saying goes that too much of a good thing is too much, and this is definitely the proof of that pudding. Plants are literally growing everywhere. Trenchies can be seen cutting branches out of impossible locations, and vegetation is beginning to grow inside of established businesses and homes. There is an ever increasing market for vileblood based defoliation options that are being offered by entrepreneurial Trenchies, but the fact that more than a few of those selling the stuff have gone missing under strange circumstances calls into question their efficacy.

For Sleepers, this means that the possibility of encountering enlarged and potentially dangerous plants such as those seen in the earliest parts of the months grows ever more real. A human-sized venus flytrap might very well try to snatch one up, with all of the peril that entails. However, while it is possible for any exotic plant to carry with it potentially lethal threat, most of these are able to be dealt with by even the untrained with a machete. The real problem is the root systems and the plants that ones that talk. The former are the most likely to be encountered. Root systems grow over entire buildings during the mid to late month, choking over light sources and blocking windows to dim houses. They clench their grip over doors, making getting out of one's house an act of willpower and muscle that may have to be repeaated over and over again. Worst of all is the fact that many of these root systems almost seem to be intentionally creating barriers around the Lantern Network! The little moaners are safe, but their sphere of protection becomes a dome of wood, shielding and keeping them away from those naughty sleepers trying to hack their way to a teleport.

The talking ones, though, are downright disturbing. They're not very large, at first they do indeed seem to whisper and beg to be fed. Naturally, only blood will do, and the longer that they're fed the larger and more dangerous that they can become. But, so long as one doesn't feed them, they're harmless, right? Wrong. True, they can bite and it's easy enough to avoid them. However, it's what they start to say when they're denied their food that becomes disturbing. “There is a consequence of your actions, you know.” “Do not think that you are immune.” “Saving the Moss Brat seems wise now, but have a long memory.” Things like that. The voices they take on are eerie, unnatural and do not match the plants' normal begging voices. They never clear up who is speaking or what they're speaking about, but surely it's not a big issue, right?

By the end of the month, the plants wither away and break off of the various homes and businesses, leaving no visible damage behind, as if whatever caused them has faded entirely.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

THE LEECH

WHEN: Second Half of March
WHERE: Anywhere in Trench, but not the Outpost.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Magically Cursed Ailment, Severe weakness, Anemia

---

You didn't think it would be that easy, did you? From the moment that the first talking plants appeared in Trench, there has been another ominous presence. Unbeknownst to the people of Trench, but the Moss King is recovering from Riteior's attack and, while they are safe and slowly getting back to their normal self, this has allowed for Riteior to offer a little payback in an effort to cause trouble to those seeking to stop his attacks on the Pthumerians of Trench. In the night, while characters are sleeping, the plants strike. They wake to find a thin film over them, but otherwise it appears harmless. The next full day, there's nothing wrong and they feel hail and hearty. In fact, those pesky little talking plants are gone from their house. Of course, the next day the horror begins to settle in.

Within 48 hours, Sleepers will find themselves weak and lethargic in the extreme. The condition is not fatal, but it is problematic and irritating. They will find that no amount of food, water and rest quite gets rid of the malaise that they are experiencing, a strange drowsiness and lack of energy plaguing their every moment. The longer it persists, the more dangerous it becomes. However, there appears to be no obvious cause, at least until they visit someone capable of treating their condition, be they a Blood Minister or trained physician. Victims of this curse appear to be suffering from a severe, but not life-threatening anemia. There is no obvious cause, but the Ministers are certain that it is not natural and is likely a result of a curse of some kind. They can offer stimulants and high energy food, which will help the person experiencing the condition, but the real danger comes if they try to use their blood for a blood ritual of any kind. The insidious reason becomes obvious. Someone is attempting to stop them from safely having enough blood to perform the rituals to seal them away!

Victims are “fine” in the sense that they could get through the month safely without risk of death and just be weaker. However, if they attempt any form of blood ritual or blood letting, they risk running out of blood, which would indeed be a life threatening concern. The only solution, then, is a blood transfusion of another type. The Blood Ministers are willing to provide blood from their banks, but caution that it is better if a fresh supply is used. Do you have a friend willing to lend a hand? Or, do you miss one of the deadlines this month for fighting back Riteior?

FAQ:

This condition strikes after the mid-month, when the latest batch of rituals further weakens Riteior, and ensures the Moss King's safety.

This condition is not life threatening, unless a person attempts to use blood for a ritual or other purpose without first receiving a transfusion.

If a person attempts to perform a blood ritual before getting a transfusion, their anemia can become life threatening very quickly.

It is possible to completely avoid this prompt by not being targeted by Riteior. His cursed targeting is not that precise and he is clearly becoming desperate.

When a transfusion is given, both participants will be lightly anemic for another 24 hours, but the condition will fade afterwards completely.

It is suspected strongly by some of the Blood Ministers and Arcane Scholars that this is a curse brought about by a brief moment of control over the Moss King by Riteior. This can be learned easily in conversation with members of the orders in Trench.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

HIGH STAKES

WHEN: Second Half of March
WHERE: Goat Turning in The Cellar Door
CONTENT WARNINGS: Gambling, Possible Coersion, lowered inhibitions, Risk of Character Death

---

The Moss King appears to be 'on the mend' by the latter part of the month, or at least he seems to be his usual self. A flyer advertising a special for all Sleepers and residents of Trench at the Goat Turning, his personal gambling hall, circulates throughout town. The doors of the Goat Turning will be open to absolutely everyone, and nobody will be turned away for an event that will last the last two weeks of the month! Anyone who comes will be given a complementary set of chips for free, along with a very special commemorative poker chip embossed with their own face on it which they are assured they can keep afterwards, assuming they don't lose it betting! In fact, that commemorative chip is the only way that a person can return to the Goat Turning during this period, and has to be shown to get admittance, though you don't need to bet it even if it appears to be worth quite a lot! Every night, a new allotment of chips is offered to gamblers. It isn't much, and if they're willing to trade a few goods to get more, they can supplement their stash. What could be more fun than a friendly game?

The drinks and food are free for those attending, and even better? They don't seem to have a lot of strange effects. The drinks seem to ease the symptoms of corruption, in fact, and make a person more relaxed and at ease, along with lessening their inhibitions. The food is filling and pleasant, but salty, making one crave the drinks more. But, honestly, compared to Generosity's botched and spoiled food in January it's almost heavenly, even if it does make it easier to want to keep gambling and gambling. After all, those prizes for the big winners of the night are certainly something to behold, and the kinds of luxuries that Trenchies drool over.

The Big Prizes: (Maximum 1 big prize per character for the month)

A Lunar Orb

A Vial of Pthumerian Blood that can leave a person feeling sickly and weak if they come in contact with it

A Genuine Lantern, enabling a second teleportation location to be placed!

A Blood Enchanted Weapon or Armor.

An Item from Home that a character might not normally find washing up on shore

The Lesser Prizes:
Players are encouraged to use their imagination on lesser prizes that could be won. Food. Supplies. Furnishings. Weapons. Tools. Clothing. Any number of valuable could be won throughout the month.

So, what's the catch? There's always a catch. Well, like any gambling hall, the saying goes that the House Always Wins. This isn't true universally. You could have a hot streak at the Craps table, or you might just win on your lucky number in Roulette. It is very possible to walk away with enough chips to win a big prize all in one night, or build up over time to claim such a lofty goal. But the trick is that commemorative chip. It's the admission, and it's also the only way you can leave the gambling den each night. The chip must be presented both at entry and leaving, and only then does the reality become clear. That chip is so valuable because it represents your life! You might literally be betting with your life here! Should you lose your chip and not have it at the end of the night, the impressive and powerful bouncers at the door will bar you from exit, and once the hall closes there is nowhere to go but the basement. Anyone who enters the basement after hours will find that their life is indeed forfeit, and their debt is called. They will die down below. How will they die? Well, considering the fighting pits down below, any of a thousand deaths, some more gruesome than others, are possible. And, if another player holds their chip, they will be given a special pass to remain below, to demand their price themselves.

So, if you lose your chip is it still possible to get it back? Absolutely! It is a gambling hall, after all. Someone just has to be willing to give it back, or to win it back from another player or the house. What could be simpler? Of course, because there are no compulsions in the commemorative chip, and no rules about how it is to be used or transferred other than that it must be won from the house in a fair game, it is almost as if the Moss King is testing his own guests to see just how far they will go, and what they will do if their life or the life of a friend is on the line.

FAQ:

Players are limited to one grand prize per character. Please record this prize on the prompt below.

Characters that die because of this event may die in any reasonable fashion in the basement. Tools are provided. This may be handwaved.

Because this event involves the potential of players bargaining for their lives and death, we remind players to be mindful and communicative with others regarding permissions and preferences during this event. Do not break permissions.

Lesser prizes can be won in quantity, but we ask that you be reasonable about this.

The Commemorative Chip is non-magical and there is no compulsion to gamble with it. It is simply worth a lot more.

The Event is not age restricted, so underage gambling is possible.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

Chozen Toguchi | Cobra Kai

[toguchi]

1. Too Much Of A Good Thing
[ cw: plant-based peril ]

Early in the month, a relative newcomer may be seen puttering about the courtyard of Miyagi-do and its nearest streets. He is dressed sensibly for heavy duty gardening, decked out in thick gloves and a battered and inexplicable baseball cap, but instead of wielding trowel or rake he carries a squared off, sloped handled machete, which he wields with enthusiasm on the profusions of unnatural, thirsty vegetation when they are too large to uproot by hand.

Anyone who gets close enough to him without his immediate notice will overhear him carrying on a mostly one-sided conversation with the chattering vampiric plants before he dismantles them.

"You are looking for blood in the wrong place, Weed-san. This is not that kind of dojo, and you will upset the students," he tells one, gently, as it snaps futilely at his gloved fingers while being pulled up by the roots, "Ah - you have very bad manners. You should learn from the bonsai. Maybe then we would not have this problem."

He tosses the limp plant into a dirt-smudged wicker basket and hunkers back on his heels, putting a hand to the small of his back and arching against it with a sigh. Perhaps he should ask some of the students for help, after all...but he would end up hovering and butting in anyway, if he is honest with himself.

When, or if, he notices a person approaching, he smiles brightly, straightening up with a quiet crackle of his knees and nodding his greetings.

2. High Stakes
[ cw: gambling, risk of death
big prize: blood-enchanted sai. ]

The man who makes his way around the gambling tables of Goat Turning could hardly seem further removed from the affable sensei at Miyagi-do. He leans rakishly against the edge of whatever game he is intent on that evening, the sharp lines of his black blazer a stark and deliberate contrast to the revolving series of bright yet stylish patterned shirts he layers beneath them. The glint in his eyes has none of the benign warmth he shows around the dojo - there is a vulpine mischief to it that has more teeth than playfulness.

He plays aggressively and unpredictably, his fortunes rising and falling in great swoops as he tries his hand at all manner of games, from blackjack to mahjong to a curious local style of poker. His nerve seems as unshakable as his hands, his expression never giving anything away beyond arched eyebrows of amusement or modestly resigned acceptance, whatever his luck happens to be.

This may have to do with the way he usually seems to come out modestly ahead at the end of the night, no matter how far down he may have tumbled during it. Someone with that kind of good fortune has no reason to fuss over temporary setbacks, surely.

And yet, for all his air of mystery and intrigue, the prizes he claims are extraordinarily prosaic. Simple medicines, food, a particularly soft and warm blanket, a parcel of nails, packets of seeds - nothing to match the sort of person he presents himself as. His frequent company, too, tends toward the slightly odd...

Chozen might be met at one of the gambling tables, or found at the bar, evidently waiting for someone. You may be that someone, or you may be a new acquaintance: either way, he will greet you with a somehow knowing smile.

3. Wildcard
[ DM me or ping me at terriblepurpose to discuss any additional starters you might be interested in! ]

high stakes

[toteninsel]

Ariane meets Chozen at the bar fairly early in the night. She says nothing until the bartender passes her a drink topped with a fun little umbrella, which Ariane wastes no time in twirling. It even has a little eye on it, which she thinks is a lovely touch.

Once the bartender leaves, Ariane slides a small collection of Coldblood stones over to Chozen and returns the knowing smile. "Bingo."

A fun little local term of art, and one that she's picked up here. Ariane lets herself look a little smug, just for a moment, before taking a sip of her drink. "The one with the eyepatch is easy, if he thinks you're new to this." Forcing him to softly hallucinate a little tune, just loud enough to be distracting, doesn't hurt either. But that's a secret trick Ariane will keep up her sleeve for now.

[toguchi]

"Bingo," Chozen echoes, palming the Coldblood stones, and as soon as he smiles, his rough persona is illuminated from within. Only Ariane will be able to see it from the angle she's sitting at, his conspiratorial delight brightening his dark eyes.

This is, of course, a serious matter. Chozen has no doubt that the powers that host these tables deal with cheats as severely as the most hardened gangsters back in Japan, if not more so.

It is good that he learned long ago that the only way you can be punished is if you first allow yourself to be caught.

"You are learning quickly, Ariane-san," he observes, Coldblood stones disappearing by sleight of hand into an inner jacket pocket, "I start to think I am too good a teacher, and too bad an influence."

[toteninsel]

"A bad influence?" Ariane smiles, hoping that she's pulled it off in a way that won't give away her position. Still, there's a bit too much teeth in it, and it reaches her red eyes, the unusual color made even more striking by the red in her dress. "Don't worry about that. My friends back on Rotfront were contraband booksellers, and I'm sure I'm a traitor to my Nation, too."

Surely a Gestalt falling in love with a Replika and refusing to die in service of the Nation's glory counts. There's a sin in uselessness, and a greater one in beauty.

"But you are a good teacher, it's true." Ariane gives her drink a little stir with that fun umbrella. "How's it going out there for you?"

[toguchi]

Chozen knows very little about where Ariane came from, and what he has gathered is not promising. It reminds him of not too distant histories, and not so distant at all geographies.

Perhaps that is why he cannot help but feel he must lean towards her side, whatever it is her nation would accuse her of. Perhaps he is simply a sentimental old man who is too easily influenced by the plight of a young woman. Perhaps it is just difficult to picture this fiercely fragile artist as capable of anything so severe as treason, especially when her most notorious old friends were hawkers of illegal literature.

It does not particularly matter, in any case.

"There are many kinds of bad influence," he says, with a low catch just beneath a chuckle as he gestures at the bartender to freshen his own drink, "But I do not worry. That is only borrowing trouble before it comes."

"And it is going well. I have always been very lucky." The waggle of his eyebrows, hidden by the turn of his head, is a well-studied exercise in elastic absurdity.

[toteninsel]

"I know."

Ariane smiles softly, thinking, as always, about Elster. There are all kinds of bad influences. There's learning how to dance, or paint, or which movies you like and which you don't. There are dangerous influences, the kind that make you believe you're stronger together, that if you just have enough faith, things will be better eventually. They'll be different for you. Bad influences are the best thing to happen to Ariane, and the worst.

"It's best not to. And I don't think the owner of this place particularly cares, anyway. He's just happy we're still playing." Ariane's smile turns into something sharper-edged, like a smirk. "I doubt he wants us to ever stop."

She returns the raised eyebrow. "Always? That's impressive." Ariane got eight years of luck, and is still greedy for more, even after everything. "What's your secret?"

[toguchi]

There is it again, that gentle and unmistakable look of preoccupation that can only point at someone. The luminous illustration she showed him by the sea swims back up to the surface of his own thoughts, and his expression softens just a little with hers, and with perhaps some old, dusty, luminous impressions of his own.

And that is a dangerous thing to allow, in a place and at a time like this. Fortunately, he is nearly as good at stopping such dangerous thoughts as he is at being lucky.

"Ancient methods handed down by forefathers for many generations," he says, perfectly, placidly straight-faced, "Only gamble against people who are not as clever as you, always wear only second best coat to game, and be too good-looking to hit in face."

And perhaps a few other methods not worth repeating in earshot of curious house employed bartenders. One or two overconfident boasts make for a fat, easy catch on the line. Too many are the fin of a shark.

[toteninsel]

It's sweet to see that softness mirrored in Chozen's face, even if Ariane doesn't quite know who or what he's thinking about. She could pry, or guess, but neither of those seem necessary right now. That's Chozen's business, and besides, she knows all she needs to.

"I'm honored," Ariane says, equally straight-faced, "To share in the traditions of your forefathers this evening." Then, because it might throw anyone who suspects them off their tail, and also might be fun: "Would you like to play a round with me? The game can be your choice."

Most of these games are all equally new to Ariane, after all, and it'll be interesting to see what Chozen chooses.

[toguchi]

"It would be my honour," Chozen says, sliding off his stool and offering her his arm like the gentlemen in the old black and white American movies he would watch with his friends to practise their English, "To introduce you to king of Earth games, mahjong."

With all due respect to blackjack and poker, two games which provided a younger Chozen access to funds for the finest silk shirts that other people's money could buy.

Perhaps it is not very 'cool' of him to influence Ariane into playing a game dominated by little old ladies, but there is something about her refinement and sensibility that hearkens back to some imaginary olden days. She is young, but she often strikes him as more of a peer than most young women of her generation.

Maybe that is just what all space women are like. It is no matter. He is simply fortunate to be the escort for such a dignified young lady who has not tired of his company yet.

1

[miyagimagic]

Sure, Daniel had also been a little concerned by those plants starting to invade the dojo grounds - mostly because nothing strange growing in this place can mean good news, and the way those plants were snapping at people seemed even less good.

On the other hand, the moment he saw Chozen moving into the courtyard with that weapon, Daniel figured he could leave it to the other man. Across all of the time they've been around each other, he's seen Chozen handle sharp weapons more often than not, and it leaves him with quite some confidence that the other will be able to handle their little pest problem.

.. knowing Chozen, he might actually find it fun to whack weeds with a machete, Daniel figures.

Still, he's not one to not do something to help. Even if it's in a different way than necessarily wrangling plants himself. After Chozen has been at it for a bit, Daniel exits the back door of the house into the courtyard, carrying a tray with two cups of tea and even some dango for snacks.

He's about to say that Chozen doesn't need to get up for his sake before henotices the other's bright smile, stilling all protests before they come from Daniel's mouth in favour of just smiling back at the other.

"How's it going out here so far? I thought you could use a break."

[toguchi]

In the weeks since Chozen arrived, he has found it nearly as easy to slip into the rhythm of Daniel's life here as he did in those early days in California. He puzzles over it occasionally, when he is not busy with the many other matters that request his attention. The foreignness of America is nothing compared to the foreignness of this world, where plants beg for magical blood and gods wage war in the eddies of reality all around them, and yet he has not found himself more lost here than there. He has (save for a few humbling exceptions) hardly found himself lost at all.

There is a simple explanation he could offer himself, he knows. After all, there are only two points of commonality. One of them is himself, and the assurance that comes with having few surprises left in him. The other has come bearing tea.

An old friend is like an anchor, he thinks. They can hold you in place wherever you are.

"I think you are right," he agrees, solemnness teetering between sincere and playful, and he pulls a slightly exaggerated face as he makes the short journey over to Daniel. "It is only fair to my opponents."

He breathes deeply when close enough to catch the steam of the tea, the smell alone enough to lighten his fatigue slightly.

"Thank you, Daniel-san." Chozen begins to pull off his gloves, flexing his hands one at a time as he frees them.

[miyagimagic]

"No problem," Daniel easily says, moving to sit on the back steps of the building, putting down the tray next to him but leaving enough room for Chozen to sit down as well on the other side of said tray. Really, making some tea for the other is the least he can do when Chozen is currently keeping the dojo danger-free for the kids' sakes.

He grabs his own cup, holding it between his hands, even though it's been months upon months since the last time he's actually been able to properly sense heat of any kind. Maybe it's habit, more than anything else.

"So how are those plants? Nothing too bad to deal with, right?"

It had been Daniel's first assessment upon spotting them. After all, if they had seemed any more dangerous, there's no way he would have let Chozen deal with them by himself. It's the sort of thing that has nothing to do with how capable Chozen is - since Daniel wouldn't doubt that at this point - and much more with how fussy Daniel is.

There's a faint pause, and then his lips twitch with something faintly awkward as he adds: ".. by this place's standards, anyway."

B-Before Chozen assumes Daniel thinks it's normal to deal with flesheating plants. He's still trying to retain his normalcy even in this odd, odd place, okay.

[toguchi]

Chozen takes up his place on the other side of the tray with a soft exhale, like a dog settling into a basket. He holds his tea much like Daniel does, but doesn't drink it right away, savouring the moments of anticipation and peace first. That, and the mild quirk of his mouth at Daniel's self-correction.

"Nothing too bad to deal with," he echoes, first, in reassurance, before he sips his tea. He makes a little show of his enjoyment, his sigh of satisfaction nearly good enough for casting in a colourful beverage commercial. Daniel makes good tea. He makes tea that tastes like the kind Chozen grew up with, and he reflects on the funny accident of fate and distance and time that lets him still drink that tea, all the way in another world, next to a man who grew up across an ocean from him.

"They are not very good neighbours by anywhere's standards," he says, mildly, "Very rude. No respect."

Two men in the dignified latter halves of their lives sitting on a stoop in spring sunshine, drinking tea, and grousing about the young new transplants in their local area is surely about as normal as things can be. He doesn't mind going along with Daniel's efforts to keep things orderly and understandable in the world; if anything, he admires it. Someone needs to keep things rooted.

[miyagimagic]

When Chozen opts to voice it that way, it does sound like they're just two normal people discussing lawn care, huh. The sort of thing people may have voiced back home at the country club, except the plants wouldn't be snapping at people like something out of a movie, and they probably would have let their automatic lawn care machines take care of it, rather than their karate-rival-turned-co-sensei.

But maybe those details are what Daniel likes. Not so much the plants hungering for flesh, sure, but the part where it's Chozen helping him out rather than some fancy lawn equipment? Daniel does like that, when it gives him moments like these. Sitting down with a face that's slowly getting a bit more familiar, having a calm moment.

"You fit in here like it's natural," he can't help but remark, smiling a little over the edge of his cup.

It's not a bad thing, especially when Daniel's fussing over other people's wellbeing in this place certainly isn't just limited to the gaggle of children he's trying to teach and protect.

"When you talk like that, it's as if I've already been here with you for half a year of weed-whacking."

[toguchi]

Chozen furrows his brow in mild thought as he sets his tea aside and picks up one of the dango skewers, snagging one of the chewy treats and pulling it free with shamelessly childlike gusto. He chews the remark and the dango over with the same deliberateness, looking out over the too lush garden.

"Perhaps it is easier for me." He shrugs, rolling his skewer slightly and absently between his fingers. "This place is difficult. I was a difficult boy. For a long time, a difficult man."

He says it as matter of fact as he might say that he used to be able to stay awake until three in the morning and still wake up fresh at dawn. Another of those little foibles of youth, but of course, it was more than that. They both know how much difficulty is held at a gentle remove by the euphemism.

"Or perhaps," he says, with a small, mildly mischievous smile, "I am lucky to have a friend here to help me, so it is not so difficult after all."

Daniel thinks he can come out to give Chozen snacks and come out unscathed by complimentary teasing? If he did, he should know better, and Chozen is happy to teach him another lesson.

[miyagimagic]

P-Please, Chozen, a critical hit right in the middle of the praise kink? In broad daylight? It's a good thing there aren't any students around right now..!

It's effective as all hell though, just hearing those words. Other people might see them as simple, but for a guy who's been notoriously bad at making actual friends wherever he went? Just hearing the friend word feels like something precious to Daniel, and he has to duck his head a little to try and hide his fluster. No, that isn't a very faint coldblood flush on his cheeks, clearly it's just very hot out here. Even though he's a coldblood who can't feel temperature. Obviously.

"Yeah, well," Daniel manages to continue after recovering for a moment, raising his head again. "I guess you were lucky with your welcoming reception here."

Not that Chozen ever asked to be taken into Daniel's house or anything before Daniel himself already decided the other could stay. No, that's not the point, it's just--

"When I first showed up here, I only had Johnny Lawrence kicking one of the locals into the sea right in front of me and then proceed to get angry at me and threaten me just for showing up." There's no true anger in that statement though - just the kind of bothered feeling that's shugged off with a near-roll of his eyes.

high stakes

[wannasmash]

Midoriya has been missing most classes since February. Daniel and Robby got the reason why out of him then, and he's been slowly coming back more often to the dojo. Midoriya doesn't know Chozen well, but he seems like a nice old man. (Well, not that old; Midoriya doesn't want to be rude!) Chozen has a pleasant demeanor, like a favorite uncle, and his colorful shirts are fun.

Midoriya has no intention to gamble. Technically, he should still be resting after the incident with Mob. He really is being very good: He is not following up on reports of disappearances at Goat Turning. The young Hero in training is just looking out for someone he did not expect to see.

"Sensei?! I thought I saw you come in here and followed. What... What are you doing...?"

Midoriya's Corruption is worse than ever, and he is more bandages than boy, but his clouded eyes are not twitchy and furtive today.

[toguchi]

If Chozen is ruffled to be discovered at the bar with a trio of heavily tattooed (and, perhaps, very lightly mutated - though that may be a trick of the light making their eyes seem so far apart, and their skin so pale and clammy) sailors by his student, he makes no sign of it. His smile is undimmed as he pushes back from the bar and nods to his companions, who flash bright, large teeth back at him.

"Excuse me, my friends," he says, jovially, sliding a pile of shiny trinkets across the bar, "Do not wait for me - please, enjoy the first round! I must catch up with my student."

"Sure thing, old timer," one of them answers, voice thick enough with rasp that his tone is difficult to discern, "It's your bill."

Chozen laughs lightly and carelessly at that, waving his hand affably as he disembarks his stool and nods Midoriya towards another corner.

"Why are you not resting, Deku-san?" He asks, lowering his voice into gentle chiding as he herds the boy away from his new friends. "You should not be up so soon. It is bad for your health."

Somehow, in his concern, he seems to have completely overlooked the question Midoriya asked him. Old men are so forgetful.

[wannasmash]

First thing: Midoriya knows better than anyone not to judge a book by its cover. He's a fan of Gang Orca, who regularly appears on ranked lists of Heroes who look like villains. It's a whole thing and part of publicity. He trusts in people first. So, Midoriya really does believe Chozen is innocently here with some pals.

He allows Chozen to draw him aside. Of course he must answer his sensei's question first before attending to his own.

"It's true I got restless, but I'm not doing anything crazy." Midoriya knows a few people who would murder him if he did. "I was, uh, just out for a walk." Around here specifically. He blinks rapidly; he has no poker face.

"But really, Sensei, I've heard--it's not safe here. I mean, not just normal stuff like someone might get mugged. People have been disappearing around here."

[toguchi]

Not every teenager could have spent their youth in as many dastardly pursuits as Chozen did, but still - Midoriya is a particularly open book. Chozen makes sure that his wide, guileless eyes are well-shielded by strategic angling before he responds to the young hero's earnest warning.

"Yes," he says, still affable, but with a new tempering of seriousness, "It is not safe here, which is another danger to your health. I would not be a very responsible teacher if I allowed a student to visit a gambling club where people are going missing."

In another world, he would add a strategic layer of what would your mother think of me? He knows better than that here, even if he suspects from Midoriya's impeccable manners and determined kindness that his mother would object to her son being mired in a den of depravity, especially in his condition.

Another unfortunate, invisible pressure on Chozen's shoulders: so many of their students have no parents to guide them, or ensure they don't sneak out of their sickbeds for 'walks'.

[wannasmash]

Midoriya would be an easy mark. As for Inko, she has regular heart attacks every time she hears about Midoriya getting in over his head, supervised or not. (Though she does feel a little better about his supervision, and even stopped worrying for all of a few months.)

"I should say... It's not a true Hero patrol really, but I have a very good way of, uh, looking out for myself. Just by being here." In all his wide-eyed glory. "It's preventative. So... Sensei, will you let me look out for you? Watch your back?"

[toguchi]

This is certainly a dilemma.

Chozen's first responsibility is to his student's safety, but if there is anything the recent calamity has shown it is that safeguarding these new students is a more complicated matter than Chozen might have once suspected.

Midoriya, Deku by his Hero name, also thinks it is his duty to keep Chozen safe. If Chozen sends him away, who is to say he will not linger, or come back? If the boy is in his line of sight, Chozen at least knows where he is and what he is doing.

"I know you are a resourceful young man," he says, at last, with solemnity trending to the edge of resignation. He puffs out his cheeks with an exhale, a silly gesture that is oddly joyless when paired with the real worry deepening the creases around his eyes.

"If you stay, we will watch each other's backs." And Chozen will hope Daniel-san does not find out about it until he is recovery, so if he wishes to strangle Chozen, it does not put him at risk of aggravating his injuries. "And you will follow my lead - and if I say we are finished? We will leave right away, and I will make sure you get home. Can you agree to that?"

[wannasmash]

Once upon a time, keeping him safe could have been as easy as forbidding him from dangerous things, but Mr. Aizawa learned that was impossible with Midoriya. He, too, opted to keep his eyes on Midoriya instead.

"Yes," he says immediately. He knows exactly how he needs to act. He's interned at Hero agencies and knows how the sidekick thing goes. Furthermore, this is his sensei. Surely Chozen knows more about being in a place like this than he does. Not that Midoriya thinks Chozen is a criminal, certainly not, it's just that he's the more wise and experienced ojisan.

"So those people... aren't your friends?"

He's finally catching on because Chozen seems so ready to be on guard.

Too Much Of A Good Thing

[smallshot]

Gabi had spent her whole life in Libero or on the battlefield. The odd building had gotten her attention, she'd never seen anything like it. And it wasn't like anyone was stopping her from just walking in and staring.

The voice made her jump. Flinching as she held her machete up, ready for whatever.

Only... It was just an old guy. Wait, students?

"This is a school?"

It's so tiny?

I am so sorry about the lateness on this, feel free to drop if it's too old

[toguchi]

At the young girl's flinch, Chozen's entire demeanour shifts. It is not a dramatic alteration from his benevolent good humour, but a change in its tone and degree. The brightness of his smile is dimmed like a soft lampshade set over a candle to moderate the starkness of its light. He holds his hands up, palms outward, and is glad he had the sense to leave the machete leaning up against his basket. His eyes do not go to the weapon in her hand, but stay on her face for a moment, before they shift away to observe the school behind her.

"It is a dojo," he says, nodding, "A school for students of karate, and I am one of the teachers, Toguchi Chozen. It is called Miyagi-do."

He tips his hands a little from side to side, then lets them down. Idly, he takes a half-step back, rocking slightly on his heel and inclining his head. Just an old man, and one at a respectful distance from a skittish young woman he so rudely surprised.