Life Of The Party (Invite SHROOM)

Ryuseki could feel a voice in his mind. Although he had been banished for practicing forbidden techniques, he did study for a long time under Gemoonian sages, so he was well versed in exposure to powers of the mind. He wouldn't let himself be overtaken, and laughed it off while preparing to go head up with Tulan.

"I bet another Porunga Sour I won't even have to take off my gloves to finish you," he said. Tulan recklessly and sloppily took a swing, easily being evaded by the Gemoonian bad boy. After a couple of slips and dodges, Ryuseki laid in a stuff three punch combination, ending with an uppercut that sent the Namekian flying into a far away wall, breaking glass frames and knocking over decorative art. Tulan's friends were noticeably afraid after seeing this, but one of them had the gumption to lunge towards Ryuseki with an attack.

"Sonic Harpoon..." Ryuseki said aloud, not raising his voice. He cocked his arm back and punched the Namekian so hard in the jaw that the reverberation knocked over the entire group. Drinks went flying, tables were broken and the jazz band on stage stopped playing for a second in shock at the altercation. Ryuseki wiped his hands and stood over the fallen group, laughing at his own handy work.

"...What's the big deal?" he asked, among the silence and awe taking place in the presence of the bruhaha. After a few seconds, the jazz band started playing again and people started to dance and converse as if nothing had happened. Ryuseki sat back down and began to talk to the bartender again.

"Anyway... told ya I didn't need to take off my gloves -- I'll have that second drink now, m'lady," he stated, laughing at the destruction he had just caused. Off in the distance you could see two bouncers carrying Tulan and his friends out of the bar. "Hopefully everybody on Namek isn't as stupid as that guy." He took a sip of his drink, and noticed the feeling of some cold looks, onlooking stares and gazes of curiosity from around the bar.

"I'm sorry about Tulan...he isn't always like that," Armana said, leaning over the bar. "Now that things have settled down a bit, I can't help but wonder, what do you like to do for fun?"

"I like to sing a little bit in my spare time, when I'm not putting the hands to people like your buddy. If this drink is as strong as I think it is, maybe I'll end up on stage before the night is over and I can show you my skills first hand," Ryuseki responded, with a cocky energy.

"Ooh! A singer?! How dreamy -- you'll have to sing me a song, I wanna see this with my own eyes," she said.

"I'm in a band called the Ghouls of Fire, we're the sickest in the universe!" Ryuseki couldn't contain his own arrogance. A couple of alien women sat next to Mr. Baltimore at the bar, almost as if his increasing audacity worked as a physical magnet. Little did he know there was watchful eye in the nearby area, taking plenty of mental notes...

"I really only came here to have some fun, but I'm not one to turn down a curious opportunity," Ryuseki responded to the demon. He handed some currency to the bartender. "You know where to find me," Armana replied. He stood up, and slowly followed Lebu past the dance floor, beyond some couches, through a curtain and into a back hallway which lead to a nondescript door that every patron clearly didn't get to have access to. They stopped in front of the door before Lebu opened it and ducked through the frame. Ryuseki took his flask out, looked at it and put it away before following. His antennas were clearly up, as he had been through plenty of scenarios before where he was to "meet the boss," and he knew they could end up in a myriad of ways.

Baltimore looked around in the back room he was now in and surveyed the scene. He noticed the two way mirror and immediately his suspicions rose. He also noticed who must have been Ricu, the namesake of the club. Ricu was well dressed, yet very strange Shinjin who seemed to be using plenty of energy to keep this lounge actualized in the physical realm. Lebu sat down in a chair and a few objects in the room rattled in response to it. 

The Gemoonian took notice of the casino tables and took a mental note, he knew he could kick ass at whatever Namekian gambling games were taking place back here. There was a bit of smoke in the air, a few hangers on playing cards, and a gang of women sitting around Ricu. Ryuseki definitely made a mental note of that as well. Wherever there was a group of women, he was interested in being nearby. He still kept his guard up though, as he could definitely handle his liquor and wasn't anywhere near intoxicated enough to get caught slipping in any way shape or form at this point in the day. He looked over at the giant Lebu who was about to address him directly.

"This dude is huge," he thought to himself. "I'm sure I can take him if I had to, but I'd rather not. Those gambling tables are calling my name."

"Welcome to a materialization of Ricu's will," Lebu stated. "This is the boss -- Shroom," he said as he pointed towards a larger throne. Ryuseki looked directly at the elder Namekian who clearly was the authority figure, heading up this operation.

"My name is Ryuseki, Ryuseki Baltimore," he said. "Chohan of the Eighth Ray. I'm not with all the psycho-manipulation shit -- I'm no rookie," he continued to Shroom. "Anything you got to say to me, you can look me in my eyes and talk to me straight on. Otherwise... nice to meet you pal." Ryuseki rolled his neck around the axis of his shoulders and folded his arms, nonchalantly awaiting to hear the response he was to receive from the Namekian in charge of this outfit.

There was a modicum of tension in the air, as neither side knew what was to happen next. Ryuseki was curious as to why Shroom wanted to meet him, and what this group of mismatched comrades had to offer him. Regardless, he definitely wanted to find some new ways to make money here on Namek, and he wasn't afraid to use his hands to do it. Making allies was going to have to be a part of his expedition here. He was a long way from the street fighting tournaments in Dana on Gemoon with the Ghouls of Fire. He was also itching to get into some trouble, it's what he knew best at the end of the day. 

It seemed as if Shroom was about to speak.

"Tch," Ryuseki sucked his teeth at the notion of Shroom leaving the scene without properly greeting him. "The disrespect," he thought. "No matter, either way I can get some coin out of this situation and not leave empty handed. Seems like Armana is a part of this troupe somehow...duly noted."

"A game of blackjack, huh? I'll entertain it for the time being. I don't have anything else on my calendar today. Show me how it's done on the Ajisa continent," he said with a smirk on his face. Ryuseki sat down in a chair in front of a blackjack table and picked up a drink. The stakes were relatively low, as blackjack is only the players vs. the dealer, and there was no intrapersonal competition. He leaned back in the chair confidently and let out a sigh of relief as he got ready to engage in the game. He looked at the dealer who began to shuffle an obscene amount of cards, extremely fast. He dealt a card to Ryuseki, one to Ricu, and one to Lebu.

Ryuseki was dealt an ace, Lebu was dealt a 7, and Ricu was dealt a 5. "Ooh, would you look at that?! The luck of the draw. I get to decide if my ace is worth a 1 or an 11. I have the upper hand so far," he thought. On the outside, he didn't react whatsoever. 

"Let's make this interesting," Ricu said. "I'll put 1000 currency down that I win this game! WOO!"

"I'll take that bet," Ryuseki said nonchalantly. He was reluctant to start betting in his first game here before he scoped his competition out, but he didn't feel like backing down in the moment. Lebu looked over slowly and nodded. A nod was worth a thousand words when it came to him.

"Hit me," they all said at the same time. The Namekian dealer dealt out three more cards to the men at the table. Ryuseki was dealt a 5, Lebu was dealt a 3 and Ricu was dealt a 10. A bead of sweat trickled down Ricu's face. 

"WOO, looks like I'm getting close," Ricu said. Ryuseki and Lebu looked over sat him and remained unfazed.  

"Hit me," they all said at the same time. Ricu was dealt a 9, Lebu was dealt a 4, and Ryuseki was dealt a 2. Ryuseki had 18 (or 8), Ricu had 26, and Lebu had 14. "Damn it, I went bust!" Ricu stood up in a tizzy and knocked over a drink in frustration. "1000 down the drain, but I can go all damn night!" Ryuseki and Lebu looked at the dealer sternly. "What do you guys wanna do?" the dealer asked both participants.

Lebu gave the dealer a head nod. "Hit me," Ryuseki said, without changing his expression at all. Lebu was dealt an 8, and Ryuseki was dealt a 3...Ryuseki wins! "Hmph," Lebu said, placing 1000 currency down on the game surface and making the entire table shake.

"Ahhh wow, one game in and I'm up. Lucky me," he said aloud. "Either the casino is trying to grease my wheels, or I'm just a fortunate son of a gun," he thought to himself. A beautiful alien woman walked up to Ryuseki and massaged his shoulders. "Congratulations newbie," she said before sitting down nearby. Baltimore looked up and over at her and smiled in her direction. "Thanks, it's just a light start," he said. "I'm definitely not sitting around here playing games with these guys all night so I can get jerked out of all of my money. This whole casino is a projection of Ricu's mind. They're in the drivers seat. Little do they know I have the ability of materialization myself. Where did that Shroom guy go?" he thought.

"Where are you from?" the beautiful alien woman asked.

"A planet called Gemoon," Baltimore responded. "And you?"

"Oh wow, Gemoon? I've never heard of it. Is it nice? I'm from Earth, my name is Coffey by the way."

"Gemoon is...it's alright I guess. It has it's beautiful areas and it's had it's fair share of war, poverty and destruction, just like any place else. It definitely made me who I am, but I'm onto different journeys at the moment." 

"I see you and Coffey are becoming well acquainted! Haha, I always stay around some incredible company! Would you like to engage us in another game?" Ricu asked.

"Maybe later, I think I'll enjoy this drink for the moment..." Ryuseki responded. People were shuffling around in the background, coming and going from the room. The party scene was still alive on the outside and the jazz band was still playing. Roulette, poker and slot games were taking place in the VIP room. 

"These strange gloves..." Coffey went to reach inside Ryuseki's gloves, when he swiftly batted her hand away.

"Hey --" he began, before pausing.

"You don't want to do that," he said grimly, before showing a softer side for the first time today and grasping her by the hand -- as if to ensure he was protecting her.

"What, got some nasty scars? I don't scare easy," she said.

"If only it was just that... These things are weapons... These gloves, right here...?" Ryuseki raised his hands slowly and looked at them with intent before continuing. "They keep me from destroying everything I touch," he said. Lebu and Ricu listened intently, taking serious note of the first vulnerable piece of information the Gemoonian seemed to be offering up.

Glasses fell, picture frames began to shake, and the room trembled. Ryuseki looked up and around slowly, confused and increasingly apprehensively. On top of all that, he was generally conflicted. Half of him was glad that the truth of the situation was starting to come out, and he could begin to see through the smoke and get to the nitty gritty with his new suitors. The other half of him was disappointed that it seemed as if the party was about to end. He didn't get phone numbers or make dates with any of the women he had met, and the effects of the drinks were beginning to wear off. "At least I won the blackjack game and kicked that Namekian's ass," he thought.

He sat in silence for a few moments, stroking his chin and taking in what Lebu had just suggested to him. Money always sounded like his favorite song, and so did cracking some heads, no matter what the reason. But who was he signing up to go after, and who was he signing up to be aligned with? He just wasn't sure.

"Hey, I'm gonna be honest with ya big fella," Ryuseki said. "I'm not much of a legalese reader -- and I ain't got no lawyer with me on Namek. Remember I'm in a band? I'm not the type of guy who's in a hurry to sign contracts. And really...no disrespect -- I'd rather it be Shroom himself making this offer. I know he's the one pulling the strings, and I'm not gonna let my strings be pulled."

Lebu looked on silently and stoically as he awaited for Ryuseki to finish speaking. Ricu was beginning to become visibly upset at Ryuseki's audacity to not immediately jump at the offer being presented to him. He couldn't hide his emotions whatsoever. There was a moment of pause in the room.

"I'm no stranger to combat," Baltimore continued assuredly. "If there's a group of assholes that needs taking care of, you can sign me up as long as it pays well. But I'm not going any further than a trial run with you folks until I know who I'm dealing with. Instead of a contract, how's about paying half up front?"

"You think we don't got the money?! Lebu, this fool thinks we don't got the money! We ride in limousines, we fly jets, we're wheeling and dealing, WOO! Don't ever disrespect us like we're running some type of game here!" Ricu emphatically exclaimed.

"Ricu...enough." Lebu barely raised his arm and held Ricu back, who went flying down into a chair.

"That'll be up for the boss to decide. And boss speaks to who he wants... when he wants. Anything else?" Lebu asked.

"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Ryuseki Baltimore ain't never been afraid of a fight. Tell me more about this alien stronghold. I'm ready for a challenge," he said, taking sunglasses out of his pocket and putting them on, stroking his hair back to keep his bangs tucked away from the front of his face. 

Lebu gave Ricu a head nod, leading Ricu to get up from his chair and leave the room. Was he going to retrieve something? Was he going to consult with Shroom? Did Lebu just want to speak to the Gemoonian party animal one on one? All of these thoughts crossed Ryuseki's mind in the blink of an eye. He didn't let it show on his face, he just sat patiently and prepared for whatever was about to occur.

The jazz was still playing out in the main room, and could faintly be heard through the walls of the VIP. A perfect juxtapositional soundtrack for the heinous business that the two sides had been deliberating and the impending destruction that was no doubt presumed to come along with it.

Ryuseki was skeptical of this entire outfit and didn't trust any of them as far as he could throw them -- but he was new on Namek and wanted money, and adventure. "I know there's a catch here, and Ryuseki Baltimore is nobody's minion, let's be clear...but this bag is the right weight," he said to the group. "Why isn't Shroom coming with us to this battle? I may not have the best sense of others' power level, but I know he's not just some frail old man, especially if these two are following him," he thought to himself. "Why is he sending us without being willing to get blood on his own hands? Agh, whatever. Like I said, the bag is the right weight. I'm not married to these people," his trail of thoughts continued.

He was weary of the limousine, of Amaru, of the driver, and of the impending tunnel system. It all felt like a setup to him. He denied the offering of any more drinks, and got into the car. He sat in the backseat, silently as Ricu slept and Lebu thumbed through a magazine. He looked out the window and had no idea where he was or where he was going. He had gotten out of situations worse than this in his travels, so he was far from shaken. He leaned back, comfortably, and listened to the music in the car. "They don't know anything about my new sonar techniques," he thought. "I could set this entire tunnel on eternal fire through the vibrations of the tunes coming out of the radio. This curse has its upsides." He sat in silence and looked around in the bag he was handed by Shroom and his group. He took the money out of his pocket that he won from blackjack and counted it. He was off to a good start.

"This car needs some women in it," he said aloud, breaking the tension.

Lebu slowly looked up at Ryuseki, smirked and let out a small laugh, and went back to his magazine.

Baltimore had a quick flashback to the days training energy under the honorable sages of the temples of Gemoon. They always told him to be careful whose battles he chose to run into head first. He only ever took that advice about half the time. Although he was only 29 years of age, which was extremely young to species across the galaxy, he had seen his fair share of fist fights, blood, compromising situations and hell holes most people would never recover from. Ever since he was banned from the temples, he almost made it his mission to find the comfort in those circumstances -- going along with the rhythm of the heavy metal of life, if you will. "Those old sage robes never would've looked right on me anyway," he thought.

Ricu was loudly snoring, and fell over in his seat. Ryuseki's concept of time was becoming blurred, as he was still adjusting to Namek's terrain of constant daylight, which was very different to those of Gemoon. He wasn't going to sleep in the car though, he knew better than that. He maintained control of his mind, and stayed sharper than the average man even under the influence of alcohol. He had won numerous tournaments intoxicated, and some even said he fought better and faster this way. There was no going back now.

The limousine continued to ride through the dark rocky caverns and tunnels. He could see an opening towards the Ajisa continents surface in the far distance. A light at the end of the tunnel, as the Earthlings would say. "Can you put on some rap music?" he asked the driver. The driver obliged. Bombastic hip hop tunes in foreign languages came through the airwaves and Ryuseki found a second level of comfort while enjoying it. "This is the type of music we used to spar to all the time. It's much easier to maintain my Mach 10 state when I'm catching the rhythm of some sick tunes," he thought.

The limousine rode up towards the surface, and the driver, looking in the rear view mirror, locked eyes with Ryuseki for a brief second. Ryuseki continued to look out of the window, seeing that they were leaving the nicer villages and entering the slums. "There's a hood everywhere," he thought. Nowhere did he feel more at home, more safe. This is the type of neighborhood he was born and bred in, he didn't come from money or opportunity at all. If the destination was somewhere in this area, he knew he would be able to read the rooms and understand the unspoken languages and undertones of the environment with ease. 

They were now on the outskirts, far away from the markets and beautiful architecture that the main areas of the metropolis was known for. The buildings they were around were haphazardly put together with wood, clay, dirt and rocks. The roads were muddy and littered. There's no way there was an abundance of clean water. Ryuseki imagined that the average villagers here were poor farmers, beggars, or criminals. He knew what was in the hearts of the children that lay asleep in their beds as they drove by. Existential dread, vengeance and the blind fury of determination for more. Neighborhoods like this can build tight knit communities that have each others back, so even on a trek to combat with potential raiders -- it was important to have a grasp of the habitat. Anything and everything could and would happen, and allies of the enemy could and would pop out from anywhere.

It seemed as if they were getting closer to their ultimate destination and Ricu started to stir. "Wake up..." Lebu said to Ricu. Ricu hopped up in a haze, drooling as he fixed his falling sunglasses. He looked around and tried to gather his wits about him as we were no longer anywehre near his materialized nightclub.

Ryuseki put his hand in his pocket and caressed a large Jasper Blood stone, a sentimental heirloom and a harbinger of both light and dark energy depending on how it was intentioned. He carried it with him everywhere he went, as it boosted his vigor in the heat of battle. It was about to be time to activate it's energy sooner rather than later...