Spoiler:

It was just another night in Kirigakure. The stars were out, shining bright. The people were out, moving about the village. And the lights were on, forcing away the darkness. It was just another night…

…as bar guard. Yes, she was in this job again. As much as last time was bothersome, it was only a coincidence that an incident happened. And it really was good money. The owner definitely liked how she handled the job last time, taking a volatile situation and defusing it with no real damage.

So why not spin the roulette again? Hopefully, this night wouldn’t amount to anything, right? It should just a boring watch job of standing around, looking tough in her blue skin, Kirigakure head protector, and kimono.

What could possibly happen?

Well, apparently, a lot.

This was evident by the fact that off, nearer to the corner, was a situation. Luckily, it hadn’t been noticed by the majority of the bar’s customers, especially since it was tucked away, almost out of sight. Still, it was definitely a situation that she had to put a stop to before it becomes more volatile.

There were three civilians, all of them quite drunk as evident by their rosy complexion and the unsteady sway of their bodies that sometimes required them to readjust their footing just to stay upright. They were surrounding a table—or more precisely, one person sitting at the table—each portraying a menacing glare. A couple of them were speaking, and while she couldn’t quite make out the words through the loud chatters and clinks that filled the bar, she could make out the guttural sound of their voices speaking in harsh tones. That could have been from some of the harsher alcohols that the bar served which could burn a person’s throat, but with what they were doing, it was probably not that—or at least, not just that.

She made her way through the hustle and bustle, past the practiced movements of the waiters and waitresses carrying trays filled with frothing mugs as well as past the various patrons sitting down, having a drink with their friends. Some of these customers sent her a wary look upon spotting her; they probably were here last night when she took care of those other unruly customers. Well, they were in for a show tonight, she supposed.As she got closer, she could make out the actual conversation.

“You sniveling worm! It’s because of people like you that even traveling is hard these days.”

Worse was the fact that the person they seemed to be bullying was actually a shinobi. He wore no head protector and even had fairy dirty clothing, but it was obvious from the numerous pouches and satchels attached him, each filled with items. While she didn’t have an expert eye that she could tell what they were exactly, she could guess what they had.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. This made it more imperative to intervene. The shinobi was silently taking all of their insults, but if he were to reach his breaking point, that would be a mess that would be hard to stop. She also doubted she would get paid for the night if that was the case.

“Say something, you danged idiot,” one of the drunkards said. “You keeping silent is just admitting your guilt.”

“Maybe he’s afraid. Like a…like a chicken!”

“What a stupid weakling. We can take him.” The other drunkard reached out a hand to snatch away the shinobi’s mug. “You won’t be needing this.”

The ninja in question remained silent, but just before the drunkard could touch his mug, his other hand and grabbed his wrist. That seemed to incense the other two because they got more uproarious. Okay, it was time for her to step in.

“Alright, that’s quite enough,” Ciera said as she stepped up to the table. “This is bar security, and I’m going to have to ask you all to leave.”

One of the drunkards had the galls to looked indignant. “What the hell is this?”

“You.” Ciera pointed at the man. “And you and you and you.” She pointed at each of them in turn, including the shinobi. “Out.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder and at the exit.

“Hey, you can’t tell us what to do. We’re paying customers!”

“So is everyone else here, but I only see you four making a scene. People come here to drink and relax so we don’t need nor want any kind of disturbance here. So finish up your drinks and leave now.” Ciera tapped her forehead protector. “You know what this means, right? Then I suggest you don’t make any more trouble than you have already done.”

“How about I make trouble—”

Ciera struck out with her fist, but she didn’t hit him. She stopped a few centimeters from his cheek, but he still faltered backwards, as if he was hit. It was a regular type of punch, amateurish at best and definitely not up to the style or power of a Taijutsu expert. However, it was more than enough for an inebriated drunkard who could barely see without a blur and was unsteady on his feet.

His two friends had to grab a hold of him to keep him steady. For a moment, it looked like the drunkard was going to retaliate, but then he spat on the floor.

“Forget this place. Let’s go.” The lead drunkard shoved his way past Ciera and towards the exit with the two others following unsteadily behind him.

“Hey, you too. Get up and leave,” Ciera said, turning a pointed stare at the only remaining person at the table. The shinobi.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t know if you did, and I don’t care. You’re part of the mess so you have to leave too.”

The ninja looked down at his mug, still half full. It was only a moment later that he stood up and proceeded to walk past Ciera. She kept her eyes on him until he finally exited the bar. Only then did she let out a frustrated sigh.

“Two days in a row that I have to deal with something. Does this job ever get less annoying?”

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WC 1063/1000