Scene #7828: Pop Up Dungeon (Direct2Video)

Owner	Pose
Hesinca	The Tower looks like a music festival the day after the final show. The various pieces of set dressing are being taken down, the bits of battle detritus are being swept away, the equipment (ex: the fog machine, fake moon backdrop) is being packed up, what scraps of prinny fabric can be found are being collected to be recycled, and so on. The prinnies (at least those still in literally one piece) are doing most of the work, but Hesinca's out in the courtyard supervising, taking inventory on a clipboard and moving the heavier and/or more fragile items that shouldn't be entrusted to the prinnies.
Okada Izou	There isn't a single sound. There's not a single change. Just, one minute, there's nothing, and the next, Izou is sitting on a rock that Hesinca's moving, a jug of some eastern alcohol in one hand, a bowl in the other, and a cigarette in his mouth. He doesn't bother to look at her. He just says, "So. Why?" And then he pours himself a bowl and offers it to her.
Hesinca	Hesinca startles. "..." Saying 'you're stealthy' seems redundant, so she decides not to comment. "There's a bunch of different things 'why' could mean. You want to specify, or should I just start running down the list?" She takes the bowl and drains half of it.
Okada Izou	He lights the smoke, then offers her one from the carton, and offers her a light. "Why the whole...'break shit, live hard, die faster' thing, I mean." "I got the little Sword guy. Hell, I might even steal him and give him to Sarra to hug or whatever people do with those stuffed animal things." He takes a drag and stares at her. "So why'd'ya wanna die faster?" "'cause...that's kinda what it sounded like to me."
Hesinca	She takes the offered cigarette, but waves off the light, and just holds onto it for a moment. "If I wanted to die faster, solely on its own, I'd find a more efficient way to do so, I promise you. It's more like, I don't actually put a lot of value on seeing tomorrow." She considers the cigarette, and then eats it. "I mean," she says once she's swallowed. "Relatively less value, than most people." "I'd rather have a good time than a long time. That sort of thing. That explain it?"
Okada Izou	"Sure. But they ain't..." Izou snaps his fingers. He's not a smart man. It takes him a minute to get to, "Exclusive, y'know." He crosses one leg over his other. Apparently, eating a smoke is just 'whatever' to him these days. "Trust me, I ain't exactly a subtle guy when it comes to livin' it up. Tryin' t' get Sarra to join me in it." He tips the jug up over his arm. "But I still woulda liked, y'know, fifty more years. It sounds good, burnin' at both ends, I guess, if you ain't ever died." "Why not a good, long time?"
Hesinca	"Well, exclusive ... or sliding scale?" She shifts position a bit. Centaurs don't exactly 'sit' but the balance of her weight and stance is more towards an 'at rest' type of posture. "Trading some 'long time' for 'good time'. More than just 'some'. The 'why' for that is the same reason why I'm out here. I had 'long, reasonably good time' going on back at home. I had money, I had a Title, I had a decent amount of respect and status and connections, and I'm at an Elite power level." "And I wasn't satisfied. Or - I guess I was just bored." "That's the whole reason I'm out here. Always has been. I'm bored. I'm deathly bored. I'm soul-crushingly bored, and I know some trade secrets about literally crushing souls. And I'd rather die in an entertaining way than live on in a boring way."
Okada Izou	"Sounds more like you're lonely." Izou refreshes her bowl. "I mean, only thing you didn't say is that you had friends. Connections, money, respect...no friends." "I had friends," Izou says, emphasis on 'had', "An' they made it so I wanted to keep goin' till tomorrow. That they fucked me..." He looks down at the jug and takes another swig. "Well, it took me some time, y'know, to get that you guys were my friends now." "An' it sounds to me that you wanna be entertainin' so people'll spend time around ya, an' like ya, an' be friendly with ya." He points a finger at her. "I mean, it's just a guess, an' I ain't really a guy who's good at this, but Sarra..." He lights his own smoke and sets the jug down between them. "She said the same kinda thing. That nobody wanted to be around her for her. She was so scared I'd fuck off that she offered to pay me so I could buy her gifts." "You sound like you're in the same boat. Back home was pretty fuckin' competitive, right? From what you say, anyway." "An' it ain't like these little guys," Izou gives a passing Prinny a light kick, "Are your buddies. They don't get you. You don't talk to 'em." He takes a long drag. The smoke curls in the air. The ash drips on another passing Prinny. "So last night...y'know, it didn't sound like you wanted a party to the end of your life or nothin'." "It sounded like you were lonely an' you put on a show so people'd like ya."
Hesinca	"I... had friends," says Hesinca, hesitantly and not convincingly. Did she have friends or did she have employees, minions, and staff? "... I mean, yeah, it was competitive. Like, that was how you got ahead. Strength, intimidation, reputation..." The passing prinnies look like they agree with Okada's assessment of their treatment. Hesinca doesn't bother trying to deny or refute it, so she just ignores it. "... Yeah, so?" she asks, her posture shifting from 'at-rest' to 'neutral'. "So it's a show. So what?" She goes to pour herself another measure from the jug.
Okada Izou	"Naw, it ain't about the show. That was fun. A real blast." Izou takes another drag of the cigarette. "But you don't need that to get us to like you, that's all." "So just, y'know...don't think you do. 'cause you're actually pretty nice, when y' get right down to it. You did all this for Sarra an' Staren even before you knew Sarra was datin' me, an' then, after, we all decided it sounded like fun anyway, so we did it. You did it for us." He pats Hesinca on the back. Awkwardly, he then gives her hair a little brush like he's taking care of a horse. He's at least pretty OK at it. He probably rode horses back when he was a samurai. "So don't be in any hurry to kick off just 'cause you think you live harder if you live faster. You got people around you now who give a shit about ya even if you ain't performin' or whatever." "An', hey, if it ain't like that, then it ain't like that. The fuck I got any right to tell you how to live?" He shrugs. "I just figured...y'know, maybe you wanted somebody to talk to an' drink with for a while."
Hesinca	There's a long pause from Hesinca. She doesn't react to the pats or brushing. Then, after a bit, she grins. "Alright then!" She pounds a fist into her palm. "Friends it is, then!" "Friends, and more booze! Lemme get some of mine out, I've got a cabinet of stuff in the... pocket netherworld. Which I used the doomsday thing on." She frowns. Then she grins. "I have no idea how I'm gonna fix that, or find a new one, or what." The fist pounds into her palm, again. "But I'll figure it out!"
Okada Izou	"Got me. I ain't a fixer guy. I'm a killin' guy. Probably got some fixin' guys in the Concord, tho." "Might as well ask." He pats her on the back again. "'sides. We could go raid some of your shitty ol' coworkers for booze."
Hesinca	There's another long thoughtful pause. "Manslayer... are you a religious man?" she asks, turning her head to look him up and down.
Okada Izou	"Nope," Izou replies idly, "Never have been, never will be. I mean, hell. I died, remember? I know waits for me when I die again." He takes a sip from the jug. "'sides, I ain't one for big morality arguments or nothin', neither."
Hesinca	Hesinca nods. "Just checking, then in that case..." "... You wanna go steal booze from heaven?"
Okada Izou	"Fuck the hell yes I do," Izou says, standing and finishing off his smoke.
Hesinca	"Great. Heaven has good booze. Hell has the better mixed drinks, but all that shit about carefully tended vineyards and measured acidity levels and cultivating a vine across multiple generations and all that other stuff - we've got no patience for it. Whereas the angels are boring enough to get it all set up and maintain it." "I'll plan out a raid - we'll want Concord backing if we wanna hit a decent sized stockpile and make it worth it."
Okada Izou	"I'll..." Izou considers. "...get..." "...jugs?" "...for the booze?" Izou's not good at this part of the job.
Hesinca	"I'll handle all the logistical stuff. You just gotta show up and stealth at things and sword at things."