jiggyt35
Jul 31, 2012 23:42:43 GMT -6
Post by jiggyt35 on Jul 31, 2012 23:42:43 GMT -6
In retrospect, Niko saw that his comment about the breadcrumbs would probably have gone over anybody's head. He could feel his ears turning red from embarrassment, though he reminded himself angrily that there was no reason to feel that way. "Oh, I should probably tell you: there's an old story about a little girl who goes into the forest, and she leaves a trail of breadcrumbs so she can find her way home." While his poor comedic timing was learned from his grandfather (the master), all the stories Niko grew up with were from Granny Hiroka herself. He knew this one by heart and continued to give Airi the abridged version, far past the point of relevance. " And she meets this old woman with gray hair and loooooong fingernails who tries to lure her inside her house, but it turns out the old woman is an evil bloodbender!" Niko raised his hands up like the claws of a monster, as was custom when telling the scary part.
He knew he had gotten way off topic, but who doesn't love a good story? He quickly lowered his hands and cleared his throat as if to dispel all the silliness in the atmosphere. "Anyway," he said with all the seriousness he could muster," I was wondering about the Yue bay." His voice dropped down to barely more than a whisper, "Is it true that they... ya know, after the triads," he ran a finger across his throat dramatically, " 'off' someone... is it true that they throw the bodies in the water? Because I heard that they tie them to rocks so they stay at the bottom, and no one can even see them from the surface." He wondered just how many people were at the bottom of the bay right then, and the thought made a shiver go up and down his spine.
jiggyt35
Aug 7, 2012 17:52:22 GMT -6
Post by jiggyt35 on Aug 7, 2012 17:52:22 GMT -6
It was an enormous relief to find out that what he had heard was completely false. It was nothing more than a tale strung together by the overactive imaginations of children, who dared each other to invent and improve upon the scariest stories they knew. One of the few things people are very good at is hyperbole and every time a tale is told it spirals further and further from fact. It was no surprise that the city had a gang problem, but Niko was just thankful that that 'problem' wasn't murder.
The whole duration of their conversation, Niko had been sinking deeper and deeper into his own thoughts, it was a lot to process: the gangs, the protection money, the extortion. He got a mental image of a giant, writhing elbow leech slithering through the streets of the Dragon Flats borough. An involuntary ".....ew" escaped his lips, but the mention of the Equalists brought his attention back to the surface. They didn't quite fit with his idea of gangs, the Equalists weren't leeches, they were people. "I always thought of them as more of a movement." he said trying not to sound like he was defending them. "I can't sympathize with them myself, but...." He was starting to sound to like he sided too heavily with these guys. Airi had said herself that they were scary, and people who only wanted to do good shouldn't be scary. He abandoned the idea of sympathy and muttered instead, "If they're trying to make Republic City a better place, then why do they need chi blockers anyway?"
It was all so confusing ...to say that the Equalists were bad......then again, nothing in politics is black and white. Niko just wanted to stop thinking of them all together. "Well!" he said trying to wave away all their words that still hung in the air, "I don't mean to brag, but all this talk doesn't suit such marvleous food!" He gathered a particularly large clump of rice and stuffed it quickly in his mouth, pretending that he hadn't just lost his appitite
jiggyt35
Aug 11, 2012 19:52:13 GMT -6
Post by jiggyt35 on Aug 11, 2012 19:52:13 GMT -6
When he had first expressed his desire to start working it nearly drove his mother to tears. She had misinterpreted his eagerness, and it lead to another one of those long lectures that Niko despised about how it wasn't his responsibility to support them. These chats were often perforated with statements like "I'm the parent, not you!" and "You will never have to carry us, I will always provide for you". While these proclamations were very touching, they did little to appease him. Getting a job wasn't about the money, or the responsibility. To Niko, it was the prospect of waking up everyday and knowing that someone out there needs you. Just to know that someone is counting on you to make their day a little easier was satisfying.
Naturally, when Airi suggested he come work for them, it brightened his mood considerably! In such disbelief it was hard to piece together an actual sentence. "Me? Of course I.....This is ....wow!" He couldn't shake the smile that had spread across his face and the young man was practically quaking with excitement. "Are you kidding me? I....It would be an honor to work for your family's bakery! You're amazing, I really mean it." Niko wasn't quite sure why he was trying to flatter her, but it was the only thing he could think of to express his joy. "You're the best!"
Once he got started talking he couldn't stop: "Do you really think your parents will let me work for them? This is the greatest thing that has even happened to me! You know what? I can start tomorrow morning...no, I can start right now! You're the greatest!"
