10 Before Midnight (Private)

It was a hot night in Suna, even if it was late. The sun still was shining, as would be expected of mid-summer - though the light of it was quickly fading away, and would most likely cause the area to be dark in a few minutes. However, this was not a story about the weather, as fascinating as that may have been, but this is the story of a man who may have ended up wasting all of his time in a bar for no apparent purpose.

Kokichi sat in the bar at Suna, enjoying the town so far, even if he had been there for only a short amount of time. The bar seemed to be open till midnight tonight, and by this time, everyone else but Kokichi, who sat in a small booth, had left. It was a mere ten minutes until closing, and Kokichi had hoped to come to the bar in order to make friends or find something fun, but so far he had accomplished neither. Thanks to his accursed alcohol tolerance, he was also nowhere near being drunk despite having been here for hours. Kokichi leaned back in his seat, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a simple t-shirt - after all, it was hot outside.

Sighing, he thought about what would happen if someone were to walk in that door right now. Perhaps he would finally be able to have a decent conversation, and have his last chance of saying he didn't waste this entire evening. Kokichi looked back towards the door of the establishment, staring at it for a little while, before looking away, back to his drink. Hah, he was a wishful thinker... still though, wishful thinking didn't make things happen. After all, nobody would go to a bar ten minutes before it closed...

It didn't matter how old you were in this world. It didn't matter if you were one of the living, or one of the wandering souls. Everyone was allowed their fun. But that of course, did not mean that all crimes were excused.

Xieo had left Yamigakure to wander, to explore. She was no member of rank, and was nothing more than a traveler. She would move from small city to small town, back to large cities. All she wanted to do, was explore this massive and vast world. With infinite lives, there was infinite things to do. And with it, the mysteries of this realm called Pandora.

The former village of Konohagakure, was renamed to the Village Hidden in Shadows since that frightful day. In this world, the other villages were alive, and they existed, but were far from the world they recognized. It wasn't that long ago that Shini and Akira had opened their doors to each other, offering a haven to each other. They were allied, bonded countries. Even if their goals differed, they were still both villages from the same world. Xieo loved such an idea, having arrived so late, she had found a few establishments that were still open. Drawn to the idea of quenching her thirst, she had found a bar.

She walked in, still wearing the same dress as she always had, the simple strings and ties wrapped around her, their purpose lost. "Hey can I get a few bottles of water?" she would ask, just as she stepped in. There was no reason for her to get drunk now. It was late, and it was hot. For now, she just wanted to hydrate. ". . . Or did I miss last call?"

It seemed as though Kokichi's luck had finally come, as a woman walked into the bar, wearing a bit of a strange outfit, though he was certain he had seen weirder. Despite the fact that it was weird, it was attractive nonetheless, so Kokichi could understand why the woman would wear it. She seemed to be about his age, a bit younger perhaps. This of course was solely based off appearance, however, and Kokichi had been proven wrong about that kinda thing before. In this world, there were a lot of strange occurrences. Hell, for all he knew, she might as well be 40.

Kokichi hesitated to get up, before noticing that he was just begging in his mind for someone to show up, and that if he didn't take this chance than he would have completely wasted his night in it's entirety. As such, he moved towards the woman, standing up from his booth, before stopping a few feet from her, still near the counter however. He would attempt to be a nice guy here, after all, the best way to talk to someone in a bar was to buy them a drink (even if it was just water). He could understand the need for some water anyways, if it was still hot out there as it was when Kokichi first entered the place.

"You can put those bottles of water on my tab, barkeep. And don't worry, you don't owe me anything, girl. Well, perhaps a name, actually. I'm Kokichi, and your's is?"

It was odd to have anyone approach her so openly. She was used to a life where she was the outcast, or the one left out. To have anyone single her out and choose her for anything was strange. What was his aim? He seemed to stop himself before getting up to her, like he was waiting for her to arrive. Was everyone in Suna like him? This village was strange.

"Ling." she would tell him, "Resident of Yamigakure." she would have asked for his own, if it wasn't for the fact that he had given his answer before her. If he was nice enough to buy her drinks, then maybe it would be alright.

"Fuck, I didn't even bring my wallet." she thought to herself. It was good that someone had offered to pay for them, or else she would have had to resort to trying to seduce them for some water. although, she could have gotten a glass for free. That kind of thing she didn't need to pay for.

With that in mind, she did not allow her expression to show the truth she had just realized. She was now in a brand new place without any money to pay for a place to stay. As much as she didn't want to admit it, this man was about to become her new best friend. All she had to do now, was make sure he was someone safe enough to be with.

The barkeep lifted from behind the counter a small 4-pack of water bottles, held together by plastic wrap. The time would soon be up: there were now only a little more than 5 minutes until the place would be closing up shop. Perhaps since Kokichi was new in the village, he had no idea where Yamigakure was, but nonetheless he smile and nodded, not wanting to seem like he didn't know what might of been an obvious nearby town or something.

"So, Ling, what are you doing out and about so late? I've noticed not too many in this town are up at such an hour, besides me and the bartender of course." he mentioned. He had a feeling that this girl was going to be expensive if he had to help her... thinking on it though, he needed info about his new surroundings, not to mention a reason for even coming out here tonight. He supposed he could ask her what she planned to do for the night.


"What do you plan to do this late at night? Do you have a hotel to stay in, I hope? I'd feel bad if I would have to leave you sleeping out in the middle of the street with nothing but your clothes and a few bottles of water... please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you."

"I wanted to see Sunagakure, so I left home." she admitted to him. Hearing it outloud only made her realize how much of a dumb plan it was. It didn't even sound like she had put any thought into it. She regretted this venture, and felt like she needed to head back home. Perhaps a halfway house, or someone willing would aid her. It was strange to be in such a position, but she was sure it was only going to get worse.

She would head to the bartender to retrieve the water. She would remove one from the wrap and open it only to down half of it in a matter of seconds. After, she would close it right back up, tucking the other bottles under her arm as she did so. She would then try to put the bottle back in the wrap. Then he would speak again.

"That's a nice offer." she would admit it, it was like he read her mind. "I didn't arrange anything. I don't know my way around. Could you take me to the nearest, or at least the cheapest hotel or inn?" she just wanted direction. The rest she would have to try to figure out on her own.

Admittedly, Kokichi had only begun to get a very basic idea of the layout of the town, but through his time wandering around he had been able to spot and inn or two somewhere around the city. Since she wanted the cheapest, the best bet would probably be to take her to the one that seemed the least fancy, which was just around the corner from the hotel. "I know one that's just around the corner. Follow me, if you will." he said, leading the way out of the door and onto the hot streets of the village.

The night was pretty much quiet and empty, save for a snoring drunk on the corner. He probably wouldn't be a problem though, it was apparent that he was in an extremely deep sleep. Kokichi thought he had saw the sign for rates on the hotel earlier. As he walked, he put his hand on his chin and began to try and remember what exactly they were. He hoped they were enough for this poor girl... though, he supposed that he could pay if needed. Then again, the price of a hotel was a little steep.. still, he'd think about it. It then came to him the price.

"It's about 3000 yen, do you think you have that much? I'm pretty sure that this hotel is the cheapest in the village, so I dunno if there would be any other place that would take you for free..." he looked back at her and stopped, as they were in front of the modest yet comfy-looking hotel that happened to be in front of them now.

As he would direct her to follow him, she would obey, curious as to where the night would lead the both of them. As they walked, the sound of someone in a deep sleep had alerted her, and got her attention. She watched the man sleep, thinking about how anyone could sleep on the streets so comfortably. She would be no more different than he was. Would it be a crime to do such a thing around here?

He recited the price, and she thought about the conversion of money. Ryo. Yen. Copper. Everyone had a trade value. Even those gems from that other kingdom. But still, she struggled to understand how much it really was a night. Did that mean it was a lot, or not at all? What did the numbers mean? As they paused, and his gaze fell upon her, she explored the idea of staying around the hotel bar, hoping she could sneak into someone else's room. But would that be any different than staying with this man?

"o-o-oh." she would say, unsure of if she would fake being surprised, or play it off like it was normal. "So this village uses Yen. I didn't convert my money here... I really should have done that. Silly me. . . ." She was awkward, painfully so. But she needed a way to ask for what she needed, without sounding needy.

So, the woman didn't have any money after all.. this would be a problem. Kokichi was a little short on funds himself, even if he could easily pay for her hotel room, he would have to be on a very tight budget for the rest of the week Still though, was it really right to leave this woman out here in the cold of the night, possibly have her get snatched up by some random drunk too? That didn't seem like a very good idea, so he supposed he would have to do something and get her the hotel room. Still though, he wouldn't do it for free. He was a bit selfish by nature after all, and as such he would make sure to try and get something out of this exchange for himself. He wasn't quite sure what it was yet, so he would have to ask her.

"That's alright, I can pay for your hotel room. But it'll put my funds down a lot, so you're gonna have to do something in return. Anything you can offer me, Ling?" he asked. He felt kinda bad for making her have to do something for this, but it was needed. What she would offer, he wasn't sure - but he probably wouldn't be accepting any family trinkets as a exchange. She'd have to figure out something that would please him should she want him to buy the hotel room for her.

"O-oh, u-u-uh... How about..." She listened to his words, and she had feared what it was coming to. But perhaps it was what she was trying to get at all along. He wasn't too bad looking. Maybe he was a nice person who wouldn't take advantage of what she was about to say.

"How about you just take me to you place? I can crash there, and in the morning I can pay you back for the water as well as the hospitality." she would say to him. With that, she would at least save him money, and she would also gain a place to stay. While it wasn't much to ask, perhaps compared to spending a bunch of money, it would be preferable. Hopefully the next morning she would be able to pay him back somehow.

"Well.. you see, I'm staying with someone in the village kind enough to rent me a room, but it's only one room with a bed and a dresser.. but, I suppose you could sleep on the floor, or I could sleep on the floor, but still.. if she catches me with you and I don't have a good reason, I'm pretty much hooped.. hmm..." the risks of this plan seemed a bit too high. It would certainly take a little bit more convincing if she was to be able to crash at his place.

He was nice, but he was still somewhat selfish, and wouldn't do too many things if there wasn't something in it for him at the end of the day. For now, he put his hand on his chin, thinking. If the woman wanted to find a good place to stay, she would have to give him a good reason to help her - and fast, mind you. The night would not last forever after all, and he could feel himself getting somewhat tired after a rather long day. For now, he stood in front of the hotel, thinking to himself, perhaps also waiting for her to chime in since quite frankly he didn't have many ideas right now.

it was not his place, but another's. That seemed safe enough. He would not, or rather, could not try anything without the risk of being found. Her own presence was grounds for his own punishment to get evicted. He had more to lose than she did, making it seem like the perfect plan for her to take advantage of. There was no risk for her in this case. It was perfect.

"Well, I think helping out someone who is willing to work for their stay should be good enough reason." she would speak more confidently now. "Or I'll be so quiet, she won't even notice me."

She. She She... She? So he stayed with another female, it was definitely safe to shack up with him for the night. "I can clean your room, or even make you breakfast as payment for helping me out." she would say, trying to sweeten the deal. "I mean, it's like you'll be the one on the floor, I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen to my honorable host." She would even go as far to bow to him, trying to seal the deal. The top of her dress showing, and almost showcasing her chest.

She wasn't going to have this any other way.

Kokichi sighed. It seemed like this woman wouldn't take no for an answer. That was alright with him though, he was sure he would find some way or another for her to pay him back. The risk was there, but there was still a high chance he could do this without being caught. Besides, he was sure he would be able to find an explanation should things go terribly wrong... probably.

"Alright, well, we'll be on our way then. I suppose this could work out." he said, as he waved his hand to signal the woman to follow him to wherever he happened to be staying. It would only take a few minutes to get there, and he believed that the person he was staying with was out tonight and wouldn't be back until morning. It was when it did turn into morning that would worry him. Would he be able to wake up early enough to ensure everything was hidden and whatnot? He hoped so. If he was caught, he'd have to resort to lying his way out of the situation.

"Alright, so, the room has one king-sized bed in it, as well as a dresser and a desk. There's not much space on the floor, so we'll have to see if we can fit you somewhere. I'm just worried about what would happen if there's not enough is all..."