Cheating the House [Joshua/Kohaku]

Wed Nov 15, 2023 3:48 am

Kohaku Okumura

The night was a comfortable time to be out and about, enjoying the cool breeze and the silence of Rukongai streets. Unfortunately for Kohaku, he was not allowed to at the moment. Instead, he was trapped inside a gambling house with a bunch drunk men betting away their kon in hopes of beating Tsubine Shirazumi’s professional dealer. Like that was going to happen. It was rare that the house had to pay out.

Occasionally, however, someone thought they were being cheated or tried pulling in their own loaded dice, or something stupid like that, and Kohaku had to shut that shit down. That is why he stood in the doorway, keeping it open to let cool air through. Too much body heat in one room made Kohaku want to rip someone’s eyes out, so this was the better choice. And of course… here he came again…

Kohaku was sure he was a fucking cheater. Even if he didn’t win all the time, Joshua Jehanna won more often than anyone else. He claimed it was luck, but Kohaku knew better. He just needed to finally catch the stupid red-head in the act. Kohaku blamed the hat… Seeing Joshua approach the gambling house, Kohaku glared at him, making it real clear that he planned to watch the bastard all night.

End Post

Thu Nov 16, 2023 12:54 pm

For Joshua Jehanna the day had not been all together that stressful or eventful, and that was most certainly by design. Now however he was feeling restless; he’d worked in some training out of the way of prying eyes and caught a nap, he’d taken some time to catch up with some friends and Division members and still something itched in his bones. Perhaps it was nerves, perhaps it was the influence of an annoyed Zanpaku-tou spirit, or perhaps it was Joshua feeling the tension that was steadily growing in the air of the Seireitei. Things were beginning to shift and happen again, and the quiet that had settled over the realms in the last few years was falling to shambles.

Maybe he should have been more surprised, but he wasn’t.

So instead, Joshua was opting to quell his nerves with one of his other favorite past-times; gambling. There was something exciting in the games to Joshua still, even if the fate of his next meal was no longer riding on spin of the dice. There had been a time when desperation had brought Joshua to the gambling dens of the Rukongai, but that time was long in the past now. He had more than enough kon to live a simple and comfortable existence from his work in the Gotei, and that meant he could simply enjoy the games of chance for what they were. He didn’t even have to cheat, unless someone got on his nerves and he wanted to teach them a lesson.

While one could find games in the Seireitei, Joshua still preferred the gambling dens in the Rukongai. He was off duty, and as much as he liked his coworkers and friends in the Gotei there was a rougher sort of respect to be found out past the walls. Plus, people actually knew how to play out here; so many Shinigami got themselves wrapped up in the mythos of being a Shinigami and working for the Gotei and thus forgot how to enjoy the simpler things. There was a camaraderie Joshua was lucky enough to still enjoy out in the gambling dens of the Rukongai, even under their new management.

Not that he was going to find much of that here at the door though. Joshua caught sight of the doorman about when said doorman caught sight of him. He’d never been sure what he’d done to earn the ire of Kohaku Okumura, though to be fair he also had never been bothered to care too much. Joshua got along with most people, and had learned a long time ago that it wasn’t generally worth it to try and change the opinions of the ones he didn’t. Either they’d come around or they wouldn’t; it was a big world, and they could go their separate ways if they didn’t like one another. Usually.

Joshua offered a friendly wave in response to the glare he was offered as he approached the door.
“And good evening to you as well, mister Okumura. Not too rowdy inside today I hope?” he said, his tone as carefree as ever. He knew that Kohaku didn’t like him much, and as said he wasn’t going to go out of his way to change the man’s opinion if that’s what he wanted to keep, but that didn’t mean it’d hurt to be cordial with the bouncer all the same.

Sat Nov 18, 2023 3:31 pm

Cheating the House [Joshua/Kohaku] Kohaku_HeaderCasual1_470x300

Kohaku Okumura

Cheater. Every single time, the guy stopped to chat, talking about the weather or the luck of the house for the night. Kohaku rolled his eyes as the Shinigami did it again. It was almost always rowdy inside. How as this a question?

“Same as always Jehanna,” Kohaku said, standing straight. “Hat off. New rule. Caught few too many of you cheaters sleight of handing. Might even convince him to make you idiots cut your hair. Bet your kind’ll stop coming around then.”

Just then two other guards dragged a struggling patron out, moving between Jehanna and Kohaku. The man had clearly been caught cheating. “Heh… Any other district and all you cheaters would get your hands cut off, or worse…”

End Post

Mon Nov 20, 2023 5:34 pm

“Ah, well; that’s manageable then,” Joshua said with his same carefree attitude, and thought that would be the end of his conversation with Kohaku as he moved to head inside. Instead he was stopped as Kohaku stood up straight and informed Joshua that he now had to remove his hat. He raised an eyebrow, casting a look inside at a patron or two who still seemed to be wearing their own headware despite this new rule. Given Kohaku’s particular zeal for enforcing rules, it didn’t quite seem that this was in fact a new rule for the house.

Just for Joshua.

Joshua let out a sigh, reaching up and taking his hat off as though to examine it. He didn’t make to continue inside just yet though. He seemed like he was about to say something when the other gambler was dragged out of the house by the two guards. Joshua had to agree with Kohaku’s summary of the situation; the man wasn’t nearly drunk enough to warrant removal. However...
“Not exactly; even in the further out districts places that want to keep running a business tend to not go too harsh on cheaters the first time they get caught. Hard to attract business when you got a reputation for taking people’s hands because they got clever with a card or dice. Don’t get me wrong, someone comes back multiple times you end up havin’ to make an example out of ‘em. But it ain’t usually the first offense that gets such a hard response. Might rough em up a bit though,” Joshua said, with the tone like a man who knew and not from the side Kohaku might have been expecting. Joshua turned his eyes back on Kohaku, twirling his hat on his finger.

“As fer yer mandated haircuts to enter this establishment; I am sure that will go over well with the other clients. Next you’re gonna tell me we’re gonna have to play shirtless, or maybe fully in the nude. Or, well, given the fact that it seems only select clients are being asked to doff their hats maybe the rest will only follows to those select clients. In which case, I’m flattered you want to see me naked Okumura but I don’t really swing that way. No problem if anyone does by the way, you’re all free to do as you will. In fact, I may know a guy or two if the rumor mill is anything to go by you might have an interest in,” Joshua said, the care-free tone shifting only slightly into something sharper with an edge in it. Joshua wasn’t aiming to be threatening or even really to be insulting; he wasn’t letting on however that if Okumura thought he could dictate terms that Joshua was ready to give him a tongue lashing about it.

Or maybe this was Kohaku hitting on him, and a tongue lashing was exactly what the man wanted?

Thu Nov 23, 2023 4:51 pm

Kohaku Okumura

"Tch… What the hell are you on about?” Kohaku glared, his hand tightening around his sword at those implications. “You sound stupid, trying to say I’m gay or seething. You bring up walking around naked and try to spin that shit on me? I didn’t say nothing like that, fuckwit. Besides, with that shit you’re wearing, you don’t have to worry about anyone mistaking you for hetero. Why don’t you try convincing other people that you don’t like taking it from behind; I’m not interested.”

Kohaku was ready to take this to the next level if Josh decided to try him further. However, something caught his eye. Inside the building, a certain person raised an eyebrow at him. Kohaku rolled his eyes and looked out toward the street. He removed his hand from his zanpakuto and leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. “Whatever… Get lost you sneak-thief. Lucky the boss is watching.”

End Post

Cheating the House [Joshua/Kohaku]

Cheating the House [Joshua/Kohaku]

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