gunmods | Open Post

From:

[Generally when a person would describe themselves as following through with their dreams, finally being given the shot to make it big or follow through with what they've really wanted to do with their life, it's seen as something overwhelmingly positive.

Auron could say that he's finally following through with his life's work. He's trained himself to be highly adaptable in combat and with iaido. He's learned Japanese until there's just a bit of an American accent attached to it. He's even raised his friend's son until adulthood, doing as well as he possibly could to send the young man into the real world to be an adult. And with that done, he's made it to Japan. All commendable goals.

But not really when your goal is to kill the four men responsible for killing four members of your only family. And accepting that you'll die too when that moment happens. It makes him alive to know that he's finally on the right track. All his meticulous fact checking and gathering information on the four people involved has lead him to a specific yakuza family. Auron just needs a way to get there.

So he's currently living in a squalid apartment and working a few odd jobs while studying his enemies' back yard. One of the odd jobs is bar tending for an ex-yakuza. Or just basically doing all his errands.

Which is why, one day in the summer, Auron finds himself at a particular store. He makes sure his shades are covering his eyes (and the scarred over one in particular) so not to draw that much attention to his injury. Then he walks inside.]

From:

gunmods

[Iwai would like, at this point in his life, to never get involved in the Yakuza again. Of course, knowing that, he knows very well that there's a 75% chance of him getting constantly involved with the Yakuza. It's just common sense really.

Today, he's currently sitting in his store, reading a newspaper and sucking on a lollipop. It's a... rather real quiet day here today. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing strange. He's pretty sure he might close up shop early and head home, when he sees someone enter.

Oh, and he's covering his face. Great.]

Yeah?

[Putting down his newspaper, his feet still up on the glass cases.]

Whaddya need? Got plenty here for you to look at.

From:

nofarplaneyet

[His boss, Hideo, told him what to expect from the shop and the owner. Auron isn't certain if his boss and this guy are on any decent terms at all, but he's about to find out.]

Need three airsofts and a chest protector big enough for large man. My boss wants to know if you have them on hand or if you have to custom make anything. Says he's dealt with you before.

[His boss might also be the best chance to soak in and learn anything he can about the yakuza world. Because learning a bunch of facts on the Four Assholes (he calls them in his head) is one thing but knowing the world is another.]

From:

gunmods

Boss, huh?

[He leans forward on the counter.]

Who's your boss's name?

[He's mostly wondering who he needs to bill, but also he might as well learn whatever he can.]

He got an account here or are you payin' for it?

From:

nofarplaneyet

He said he did. Name's Hideo. Has a bar about...9 or 10 kilometers away.

[He always has to pause to figure out what the journey is compared to miles. He even accepts that the metric system is way better to determine everything, but you just can't shake habits.]

He says he's not entirely sure if he's paid up on his account. If he isn't, I'll make up the difference.

[One advantage of having shades is people not being able to tell where or what you're looking at. Auron is studying tattoo partially seen on the man's neck. Tattoos aren't exactly that common here, unlike in America. Maybe this guy was ex-yakuza too?]

From:

gunmods

[He rubs his chin and goes to check the files. Seeing what he's got going on.]

Mmm... yeah, he's all paid up.

[Taking out a pad of paper.]

Okay, so three airsofts and a chest protector... y'ain't plannin' on doing anythin' illegal with this, are ya?

From:

nofarplaneyet

Nope. He says it's more like a deterrent so no one tries anything stupid at this bar. So...I'm guessing he wants me to wear it.

[Auron had a decent grasp of the language so far, but being completely submerged into it is rapidly helping him. Every step is a step forward. But now he's just honestly curious about the store itself. Did this place do decent business?]

From:

gunmods

Guess so.

[He keeps writing down notes, trying to get an idea of exactly what they plan to do with this.]

Hm. How fast do you need these securities?

From:

nofarplaneyet

I think he said if you have them in the next week or two, it'd be appreciated.

[All right, Auron is getting even more curious. This is just so different from anything he'd seen before.]

Got a question for you. Do you make all of this yourself?

From:

gunmods

Yeah, that's not a problem.

[He's gonna write that down, before looking up at him, leaning forward a bit.]

Yeah, I do. Any other questions?

From:

nofarplaneyet

Not right now. You do good work.

[The amount of detail for everything is insane. No wonder Hideo wanted him to come to this place.]

Thanks for helping me out. I'll be back to pick everything up once it's ready.

From:

gunmods

Yeah, no problem. Here, gimme your number so I can text you.

[He pushes over the order sheet to him, leaving a pen on the counter.]

From:

nofarplaneyet

[As Auron writes down his number, it occurs to him that first impressions are sometimes deceiving. You'd think this Iwai would be kinda rough, but he's actually a craftsman. Someone who pays fine attention to detail. So what if that detail is for airsoft rifles and gear. It's not something just anyone can do.

Maybe it's why Hideo has an account with him.]

Here you go. Thanks for your help.

From:

gunmods

[Iwai nods and slips it into the account.]

Yeah, no problem. See you soon.

[He's not going to think too much about this guy... though he might have to really start looking into those accounts he has laying around.]

From:

gunmods

[The whole thing puts Iwai on edge. He shouldn't care what a person is doing with them if they tell him one thing and promise not to use it for anything illegal, but...

Something bugs him about all of this.

With Auron's phonenumber, he shoots off a text. Hey, he was Yakuza, he knows what to do.]

This is Iwai. Can you stop in the shop for a bit today? Got some questions.

From:

nofarplaneyet

[Auron had been settling into the country and his role well enough. Being in the bar and absorbing the knowledge and the stories he could goad his boss into telling helped his cause immensely. He had as much time as he needed to get it completely right before striking.

So it's with some surprise he stares at the text, taking a moment to realize who this is from. Right, the guy who ran the shop.]

Sure. I don't have to work until later so I can spare a little bit. In an hour is good?

From:

gunmods

Yeah, that's fine. Just come in to the front.

[Well hey, it's probably not suspicious, right? Right?]

See you soon.

From:

nofarplaneyet

[It takes Auron slightly more than an hour because of subway hopping, but he does get to the shop. His shades are firmly in place once again. No need to cause a scene in public, after all.]

Hey. What did you need me for? Something you need to pass on to my boss?

From:

gunmods

Yeah... but also nah.

[He pauses for a moment before looking at him.]

It's a lotta work. I can do it but gettin' some help might be a good thing. If you can spend some time helpin' me out, I'd appreciate it.

From:

nofarplaneyet

[This is honestly surprising. Enough that even with shades, Iwai might be able to tell Auron's blinking a bit.]

I...guess I could do that. Haven't made anything like what you're doing before, so you'll have to show me what you need.

From:

gunmods

Yeah, that's fine.

[He moves to the side of the counter to open the door.]

Come on in the back.

From:

nofarplaneyet

[Auron is immediately alerted that this scenario could go two ways. Number one, the normal way, where he helps someone do legitimate business. Number two, he's going to be held up.

Well sucks to be this guy because Auron only has about 2000 yen on him. He's also been trained in disarming people. It would be much smarter to walk away. But he knows he has to test himself. If he can defend himself here, it's more confidence to when he has to face the Four.

So he might hesitate for a few seconds, but he follows Iwai in the back, ready for damn near anything.]

From:

gunmods

[Iwai, if he was a few years younger and didn't have a kid of his own, might have considered doing just that. Even 2000 yen was more than enough sometimes, especially if someone wanted to buy a hooker or a stripper.

Sitting down at his desk, he pointed to a chair nearby.]

Get comfy. How good are you with small parts?

From:

nofarplaneyet

[Hookers and strippers of dubious quality, to be sure. Not that Auron cared about that kind of thing.

His shoulders do relax as it seems like he's not getting mugged.]

You mean putting stuff together? Probably all right. Might have to show me specifically what you want.