When the comforts of civilization begin to dull our senses, we must never forget that in the beginning, there was war. And war. And more war. Long before there were empires, there were humans consumed with greed and the hunger for power. Resources, territories, information—these were the forms of sustenance upon which we preyed. Today, we call such habits vices. Oh, how arrogant we have become! Are we not still impelled by those primordial emotions? Is the advent of war so far-fetched? But alas, for you to truly understand, we must dive deeper into this land’s half-forgotten past.
There was a time when might was the only law that humankind knew. Fearsome clans roamed throughout the land, seeking amenable grounds within which they could take root and opposing forces against whom they could test their mettle. Given the irregularity of nature’s bounty, certain regions appealed more than others, and dominion over such coveted territories became the spark that ignited the earliest inter-clan wars. These fierce, internecine affairs tended to conclude only when one side had decimated their competition into oblivion, and many clans of story were rendered extinct during this period.
The victors of war, having claimed their territories, often made truces with surrounding locals, offering protection in exchange for access to the yields of agriculture. Over time, certain communities emerged as more dominant than others, either due to numbers or sheer talent, and their rapid expansion would force smaller, neighboring communities to either collapse into their fold or be devastated. When the dust settled, humankind found itself divided into the five major territories that we are familiar with today. And was the bloodshed over? With our lands obtained and our bellies filled, were we finally content?
06/01/2023 June is for Juggin
We made it y’all, another month of OTA, and fresh off the press we have another promotion ready. Leaving behind the opening bonus sadly, we welcome the jugggggg! June is for juggin AKA working hard, so we are making it a double rewards month for every mission completed! Yes we said it's double rewards, now you all can really get into the thick of those builds if you work hard enough. And who knows what you might uncover in the process. AND all jobs are free to enroll no quest EXCEPT ANBU(Black Ops) roles.
Kaori had a much better sense of how to handle the situation with the marbles, impressing Honoka immeasurably. She had simply attempted to count rows and columns before blurting out a number, but Kaori even held the jar in her hands in order to get a better idea of how many were inside. Interestingly enough, their numbers were close enough to one another and she clapped at the coincidence. Though they were both given prizes, after seeing the amazing won Kaori picked for her she didn't care about whatever lame second row prize she attained. Screw that, leave it to some other poor lonely loser.
"Thanks so much! I love it, you're right! It reminds me of my hair, she said before dissolving into a puddle of giggles before happily squeezing the stuffed creature tightly and jumping up and down. She was having so much fun it was unbelievable, shocked at how free she truly felt at this moment. Everything was made better by the company she had in the gorgeous Kaori. The vision of her smiling while she handed the prize to Honoka was just wonderful. This time she takes her hand, verbalizing her agreement that they would go get the goldfish.
"Yeah, let's do it!" she cried out in agreement as she allowed the energetic woman to take the lead over to the station that Honoka had heard of. A large, rectangular glass was filled with little fake trees and rocks, colorful rainbow colored fake stones, and several goldfish floating around. Armed only with an incredibly small scoop, the net had barely any slack it was more like a tennis racket, but Honoka was more determined than ever. Taking some coins out from her bag, she paid for a couple tries and was given the 'scoop.' Her first dip scared most of the fish away, but it did give her an idea.
Her second dip was super slow, just kissing the surface of the water and instead of chasing a fish she simply waited. After a few moments, one appeared over top of her scoop and she sliced up like a pro. Dropping the fish in the process with a wonderful resounding 'plop', causing Honoka to blink in confusion. She would look over to Kaori, rage deep within her eyes as if asking if she saw that crap that just happened.
Thrusting out more money, she handed the scoop to her companion.
"Your turn," she said, hope and rage in equal measure within her voice.
Post by You Banned Retard on Jun 9, 2023 12:12:18 GMT -6
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Kaori Shikiri
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THE UPSTART ━━━━━━━━━
Kaori can only smile even more when Honoka states that she loves it and that it reminds her of her hair, and the giggling fit that seems to take her after being given such a gift from the other woman. She feels her heart flutter a little in her chest, but she tries to keep her cool. Despite her attempts, the smile simply cannot be removed, feeling quite excitable with Honoka around. She was certainly good for Kaori's energy, with their eagerness feeding off each other in a building loop. So that when they get to the fake pond, she frowns at the sight of the scoop they're given, especially with how tightly the net is kept over the rim, and she wonders how Honoka is going to succeed at such a seemingly impossible task. As expected, the first try simply scares away all the skittish fish, and the second try only results in the fish being dropped from the net. This at least gives her a few ideas of how the game is supposed to be won with such lopsided rules and parameters for the game.
This just looks completely impossible...
Kaori watches as Honoka aggressively pays for another try, but instead of Honoka herself taking a try at it, Kaori herself is handed the "net", much to her dismay. She hadn't expected to have the pressure of an attempt of her own so soon, but she'd been carefully watching Honoka and others try it as well, so she thought that perhaps she had a good chance at it, and certainly a better chance since Honoka had given the first try and shown Kaori what not to do. She sighs softly, almost somewhat hoping she fails at it.
Mimicking Honoka's second try, she slips the net in at a glacial pace, barely even sending any ripples on the water as the drags it down low, watching carefully as fish bump into it, then swim around it. One eventually comes in close enough that Kaori can slide the net directly into it to try and drag it up, but it spooks and swims away before she can catch it. Frowning, Kaori pays for her own next attempt, practically tossing her ryo at the festival worker, who only seems to be getting more worried about the two women now furiously trying to catch a fish. She carefully looks over the net, then, trying hard not to get caught, manages to cut one of the holes of the net into its neighbor near the center, and then dips the net back into the water again. This time, after a fish dips its face into the new slightly larger opening, she swings upwards, catching the fish half-inside the net and firmly trapping it.
"Easy as that, nothing to it!"
She quickly but carefully pulls the goldfish out of the net before the worker can turn to see her cheering about the victory, and she lets the festival worker slip the goldfish into a bag, giving it a temporary home until they can put it in an actual tank. Kaori, actually having no intention of keeping the goldfish herself, turns towards Honoka, smiling at her proudly as she holds out the baggie to her new friend.
Honoka waits breathlessly as she hands the scoop to Kaori who, similarly to her, tries to go with a slow pace and have the fish merely approach the net themselves. Her first attempt, though better than Honoka's, still ended in failure sadly and she slammed her foot in the ground in frustration earning her the ire of players nearby and the owner. Obstinate, she stuck out her tongue and pulled down the skin from her eye to antagonize them. Made worse by Kaori tossing money at the vendor, causing her to obnoxiously laugh at him. She couldn't help it, she needed the frustration to flow through her so that she could focus on the great date she was having with the woman.
Though she manages to fool everyone else Honoka is able to see her in action as a result of their proximity. Though she didn't approve of such tactics, that was the same as cheating, it was also unfair to give out customers subpar materials. As she scoops in again, this time she succeeds! Jumping up and down not unlike a child, Honoka began to cheer and congratulate the woman in equal measure. "Go Kaori, Go Kaori! Yes! You did it! Go girl!" she yelled happily, her one goal for the day already fulfilled.
She greets the smiling woman with a beam of her own, before embracing her tightly as a thanks. Before she realized it, they were incredibly close allowing their bosoms to touch. Remembering where she was, what was going on, and the underlying romance around she instantly let go and tried not to let the other woman see the thick sheet of crimson spread across her face.
As if on cue, to save herself from the awfulness of her socially awkward nature, the sound of a thick whistle before a loud pop cut through the night air. As it reached the climax of its journey, the firework exploded into a beautiful flower design. Despite the fact that she was embarrassed by the current events, she still wanted to get a great view of everything.
"Let's get up higher and watch the show Kaori, it's gonna be a good one it seems like!" she screamed so that she could be heard over the thunderous entertainment going on overhead. Without another word, she would apply chakra to the bottom of her feet and begin climbing the stalls, and then the walls behind them, so that she could get a clear, unobstructed view of the festivities with her newly appointed pet clenched tightly in the bag within her right hand. She thought about the various names that she may give her, but there was nothing that she had settled on. Oh well, there was a ton of time for that, anyway!
Post by You Banned Retard on Jun 12, 2023 10:17:19 GMT -6
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Kaori Shikiri
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Kaori can't help but to notice the sensation of their bosoms pressing against one another, which also makes her own cheeks redden, but she keeps the hug going for at least a little while before she feels Honoka's arms drop, apparently from the embarrassment of being so close that they touched in such a way. Even so, they're saved from potentially even more social embarrassment by a sudden whistle, followed by the sharp explosion of a firework going off, and her eyes light right up, like Honoka's own. It seems they're both eager to watch the show, and she rapidly follows Honoka up to the top of the nearest covered stall, thankfully waiting for Honoka to start climbing the wall so their combined weight, though light, wouldn't tear the fabric overhang before Kaori follows her new friend up the wall. She's also careful to keep her own sash wrapped firmly around her hips and waist, ensuring her own kimono doesn't fall open and expose far more skin than she'd normally be comfortable with. Which was saying a lot, as her normal attire left a lot of leg skin visible.
"Oooooh, you picked a good spot..."
Kaori sat on Honoka's left side, leaning just a little bit against her new similarly flirtatious friend as they get a great view of the fireworks display taking place over a small lake, framed by some of the cherry trees, whose gorgeous and soft pink colors reminded Kaori instantly of Honoka herself. She pretends to be a little bit feckless and accident-prone when she rests her right hand directly on top of Honoka's left as the fireworks gradually build in their intensity and numbers, with bright lights and almost neon colors illuminating their faces. She can see Honoka still holding the bag with her new goldfish out of the corner of her eye, but her own heart is racing furiously as she feels like maybe a little peck on the cheek isn't being too forward; friends kiss each other on the cheeks all the time! At least in the stories she's read! So Kaori turns her head a little and leans in, holding her breath as she approaches Honoka and then plants a quick, but fervent smooch right on her cheek.
"You're right, the view up here is magical.~"
Aw, hell, who cares about being too forward anyways?
In spite of herself, with the glorious display before them, Honoka found herself also leaning into her newfound friend. The flirtations and all the contact they had made was most certainly on her mind, it had just taken a back burner for the time being. The various colors exploded in front of their eyes, all whistling before popping loudly. She was so enraptured that she actually missed Kaori complimenting her on the spot she had picked, though it was much more of a spur of the moment decision. She lived a mostly sheltered life consisting of training and other training, she never had the time to enjoy frivolities such as this.
The Minamino scion was experiencing many new things on this outing, and she was finding it to be most fulfilling. The scenery in the background of the fireworks only added to the splendor, the beautifully vibrant cherry blossoms in full bloom and could even be used for viewing. This gave Honoka some ideas as that would be a truly great way to get everyone together and have another good time! But that was for another day. Lost in thoughts while gazing lovingly at the display before her, she accepted the hand being placed on top of hers without much resistance or embarrassment, though the only reason being that she simply hadn't noticed. Yet.
"Woah, this is just magnificent..." she said, finding immense joy in the fireworks, as they reached their climax. Around this same time, Kaori had moved closer and in for a delicate peck on the cheek.
This action finally cracked the distraction that was causing Honoka to be oblivious to the reality in front of her. She first looked down at the hand that was over her own, and then she looked up at Kaori. Not fully able to comprehend, she looked down and up once more. Slowly, like molasses, realization crept upon the young woman and her entire face became beet red. The blood flowing to her face said everything, and her lip quivered as she was unable to decide what to do. It wasn't as if she disliked it, she simply didn't know how to handle it.
Yeah, very magical, really! This day was something different, and..." she said, still sorting, before she made a concrete decision.
There was no need to overthink everything, and there was nothing wrong with enjoying oneself as long as they didn't submit to the hedonism of her fallen clan. Kaori had helped Honoka win a pet goldfish and had also given her a lovely stuffed animal, along with a growing feeling of sorts. But she was at her limit for the day, and she felt the strain of the day weighing on her.
"This has been a lovely day, really. I had so much fun, and we should meet up again! But I'm feeling beat for today, so I think I'll call this goodnight," she would announce to her new friend, ensuring that they would see one another once more, before making her way back home to get some well deserved rest.
Post by You Banned Retard on Jun 14, 2023 8:52:07 GMT -6
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Kaori Shikiri
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THE UPSTART ━━━━━━━━━
Kaori feels at least a little bit of relief when it seems that her little peck on the cheek isn't immediately met with disgust, horror, or repulsion, so there's that at least. The blush even makes her look even more adorable in Kaori's eyes. She also states that this day had been "something different", and Kaori lets herself feel at least a little bit of hope in maybe getting even closer to Honoka in the future, since they seem to both feel the same way about their little impromptu date. She smiles as Honoka admits that she's feeling tired after such a full day of excitement, especially ending with a climax such as this.
"Well, then, have some sweet dreams of me, darling, and I'll be sure to return the favor."
She gives Honoka a little wink before she sighs softly to herself, wondering if they're really on track to being more than just friends. At the moment, it was harmless flirting and one good date, so the prospects were looking very good, but she also didn't want to get too ahead of herself or too hopeful. It was her first time on a date with someone, but she thought it had gone swimmingly. No pun intended, after thinking about the goldfish game.
I hope we get to see each other again soon...
Kaori watches the fireworks a little longer, until the last few peter out and drop back to earth, and she carries her new teddy bear back home, holding it in a big hug and thinking that she'll definitely be remembering this night for a while, and also somewhat wondering when the next festival would be taking place.
