1 At The Day's End [Private/Akira/NK] Tue Nov 17, 2015 4:30 pm
Tōkai
D-rank
"La-da-da... Da-da..."
The man with blue hair hummed along to the melody of his guitar. His fingers strumming against the strings in perfect precision, practically rehearsed and well-performed as if an audience was there to listen. Tōkai walked with along guitar in arm, playing away a simple lullaby as the sky above turned shades of orange and red. Of course as the man was deaf he had little to no ability to tell just how his song sounded, but he well knew it sounded as it should. Each finger on the board exactly as it should, each play of the strings memorized to the exact feel. The song sounded as it should, nothing more and nothing less.
The wanderer went wherever his feet would take him, and today that meant the village hidden in the stones. He had just come to the giant and and very large wall, The famous protective fortress that surrounded the village of Iwagakure. There were of course guards on standby, and several travelers and villagers milling about at the day's end. Tōkai himself was just making his way inside, flashing some travel papers by without giving time for too much scrutinization. Whether they were fake or real was left to be imagined, the traveler wouldn't take a chance to have them examined too closely however. It was far easier to keep such things as names under a sort of veil. Otsuka was a name he sometimes tried not to throw around too freely. Iwa was the origin of his bloodline's Kekkei Genkai, perhaps that was one of the unknown reasons Tōkai had found himself here. And for that same reason, he wished to keep the Otsuka name unknown.
In any case, perhaps it was just because the young man hadn't been to the Hidden Stone village yet was the other reason why he was here now. Or... Had he? He couldn't quite remember. But, since he wasn't sure, it always nice to visit places anyway. As a wanderer, he had no one that could tell him where he could go and where he could not. He walked freely, a sort of lightness to his steps while his fingers dancing over the guitar strings. After a few quick glances around, he noticed that a some passerby had taken notice of his performance. With a smile and slight bow, Tōkai stopped in his steps, conveniently spotting a curb to stand on, he found himself a miniature stage and audience.
He played along, keeping the crowd entertained for the remainder of his song. It wasn't exactly a festive tune, but one fit for the day's end. It was, after all, a lullaby meant to lull the weary to sleep after a day of work or play. Tōkai himself wasn't sure if there happened to be a difference. The younger of the crowd surrounded him with dreamy stares. He kept his smile up, undisturbed by the spell of his own song. If only anyone knew that the musician was deaf, would they hear something different? Since he couldn't hear at all, he only had to wonder. The last time he had heard the song be played aloud was so long ago before he had lost his hearing, but with each strum of the strings he felt the melody through as if the memory of sound was returning to him. It was one of the reasons why he loved to play guitar, but of course only those limited songs he could remember.
The melody soon slowed as the lullaby came to its end. Tōkai waited an appropriate moment before taking a bow. He saw the few people clap their hands together politely. The blue haired man took off the hat on his head, holding it upturned and walked around the crowd. Just as he expected he felt the weight of the hat become heavier as people threw in change. After making a round the crowd had already began to disperse. Tōkai quickly counted the coins, it wasn't much but a little in change. He didn't expect that much considering it was an impromptu performance. It was however just enough for one drink at bar, or nightclub. It was all he needed for now, and it was better than being penniless just the few moments before he had walked into the gates.
"Well... I'll just have... To think up... Something for... Tomorrow night."
He thought out loud, half joking at himself. It wasn't unusual for him to be unsure of where his next meal would come or if he would have a roof over his at night. Most nights it wasn't so, and other days all he would do was get drinks from a bar, get horridly drunk, and then wake up the next day in a bed with some stranger. At least the countless, forgettable one night stands had given him a place to sleep, so he couldn't complain. It looked like that was where he was headed tonight, if he was successful in winning over someone. The traveler never really had plans for how things would go, but it was sometimes funny that certain way was something that happened to him often. He couldn't help but smile, laughing to himself over his own predicament. At the day's end, it would only be his visit's beginning.
916 Total Words~