Checking out the competition (Kiyoshi)

[Deleted]

Kiyoshi just stared back as he got the once over after his wild comment, wouldn't be the first or the last time it happened. But at least she seemed willing to accept it for the time being, which would make it easier as he wouldn't have to prove it. A task that often could be tricky. Though a puzzled look crossed his face at the mention of the strange Japanese guy, close to Leon but off in many regards. For now, he didn't want to touch that one.

However, in the end, she seemed to figure out what he'd been hinting at for some time. Kiyoshi laughed lightly again.

"I wouldn't expect you to. I know this isn't some crazy party place anymore, it can't be until the hospital, housing, and armory warehouses are completed. This place has too many functions for that."

He shrugged while looking around at everyone doing their jobs.

"The prices we pay sometimes... ah well. What's your story? You know, before you landed in my lap. Very nice by the way."

Obviously talking about her rear.

[Silk Sanada]

"Hmm? Oh well thank you." Silk said with a smirk as she wiggled around in his lap for a moment. She would take another sip of her rum and think a moment. "I was really only in here to see what type of place this is. I'm thinking of opening a club I used to have in New York. Give people the option to have some fun even during the darkest times." She said before looking around at the different people.

"I think it would be helpful in many ways, most of all, boosting morality. I thought this place might be some sort of competition but seeing as that is the last thought on a long list of what this place does, my club should be fine." Silk smiled to herself before sipping her drink. She knew it would be hard to establish and more work to actually get it to function but, she had been cooped up for a while and had some extra energy to burn.

[Deleted]

Kiyoshi gave her a little appreciative pat on the hip after the wiggle. He was definitely a connoisseur of the finer things in life. Still, he listened to her plans to open her own place for people to drink, be merry, and relax their troubles away. Not a bad idea by his standards.

"Go for it. I'm sure people could use a place like that. There might even be some buildings in our territory that would suit your needs just fine and leave you without worrying about Barker and his goons all the time."

Obviously, Kiyoshi didn't care at all about competition. Really, the nest hadn't been a club for a long time now and there was no need to pretend otherwise. Even if it was, he would welcome the challenge.

"From New York though... 552, I'd wager."

[Silk Sanada]

"Territory? Oh yes, I forgot. I'm in Crow territory aren't I? Well, as far as Barker's goons go... I'm not scared of them." She said and something lit in those green eyes of hers. Some sort of fire that was almost excited by the idea of going toe to toe with some of those dangerous men. She hadn't forgotten what Barker had done to Leon. Matter of fact, Silk would love more than anything to just barge into where he was and rip him apart with her bare hands. However, with age came the knowledge that for her, that wasn't possible. At least... not yet.

"I had noticed some rather nice warehouses that I believe would do nicely once I fixed them up." She said changing the subject from Barker's goons. She had ignored the little pat on her hip as it wasn't really that bothersome. She was raising her glass to her lips to take another sip of her rum and stopped. She would look at the boy and blink. "You... know about 552?" A smile spread over her lips. "Well that just earned you bonus points sweetheart. I spent..." She counted on one hand thinking for a moment. "Hmmm 6 years there. I wasn't a very good student." She smirked and giggled a bit.

"But I'm curious as to how you might know of it..." She would sip her rum and watch him from the corner of her eye.

[Deleted]

"Never said you were."

Kiyoshi said simply on the matter of Barker's goons. Really, the only problem they seemed to pose was shear overwhelming numbers, which was easily overcome these days. That was his biggest edge.

Of course, he didn't mind the switch of subject nor did he object to her ideas. So long as she wasn't planning on taking on of the warehouses in the immediate vicinity of the Nest, which already had designations for construction, then she was free to pick. Part of rebuilding the world was the whole rebuilding thing. He couldn't monopolize everything in the area now could he? Nope.

Moving on, he cracked a rather smug grin when she asked about 552. Did he know 552? Kiyoshi folded his hands behind his head.

"I went there for a time, even became a pupil of the Crimson Fury. Small world, isn't it?"

[Silk Sanada]

The Crimson Fury huh? This kid was his pupil... Silk looked at the boy. She didn't think he'd lie and even if he was it didn't mean much to her either way. She had never spent much time around the man who went by that name. In fact, she was certain she only heard of him from others and never actually met him. Still it didn't diminish the fact that the man was a legend, even she knew the importance of that. "Well, good on you." She smiled and patted the boy on the head.

"I believe my ex was his friend or something of the like. Tenchi always knew people." That isn't to say she didn't. She did, she just never remembered the names those people had earned from others. She gave them all names and none of them ever kept them. It was a bit annoying. At least to her. Who wouldn't wanna be called 'Cutie McQuackers' Silk thought that was a pretty amusing name. Though perhaps it didn't strike the fear the boys intended it to. She would shrug with this thought and then look back at the boy. "I was the first and only female Knight that school had. Tenchi made The Knights the first gang that the school ever saw. I was ecstatic till he slacked off and every one of our members joined other gangs or started their own."

She would sip her drink and sit back against him a little. Obviously she was rather comfortable there. It seemed she had no problem invading his space. "My roommate is The Lightning Dragon's student. I seem to surround my self with too many students." She chuckled a bit at the idea. "I think I should give you a name..." She said sounding rather thoughtful. "I'll call you... Mr.Cuddles." She smirked and glanced at him.

[Deleted]

Kiyoshi shrugged lightly, he didn't really know who she was talking about or any of Auroth's friends. Not to mention that to say he was a student was a little far-fetched. He was more so a vagrant going through withdrawals that Auroth scooped up one night to lend a hand. There was really little else to their interaction than Kiyoshi being a ward of sorts.

Of course that lack of knowledge extended to the group that Silk mentioned, he'd never heard of them. However he made no indication of that to anyone as he nodded simply in understanding. That obviously meant that he didn't have anything to say on the matter either. However that would all change when he heard his little pet from her. This girl might have a serious screw loose!

"But we haven't even cuddled yet..."

Seriously.

[Silk Sanada]

"Eh, your lap is comfy enough and considering I usually cuddle my chairs when I sit in them, Mr.Cuddles seems appropriate." Silk replied not caring that the boy hadn't said anything about her old title or group. Hardly anyone remembered them and she doubted that their reputation extended out here to California. It was okay anyway, she was sure that "The Knights" had been before his time anyway. She would take another sip of her rum and hmm for a bit as if she were thinking.

"So... this being Crow territory and all, you wouldn't happen to know any of the boys in charge of the crows would you? I figure I might as well join because I'm putting my club in their territory." She would sit up still in his lap, her rear shifting around against him before she sipped at her rum a bit more.

[Deleted]

Not exactly what Kiyoshi was getting at but he couldn't argue her bizarre manner of logic. He just nodded halfheartedly with a small shrug of acceptance. It was nothing to dwell on anyway, a bizarre nickname from one weird woman was no worse than being constantly stabbed by another. However, his jaw almost dropped at the next question.

They were in the Crows Nest, headquarters to the Crows, and he was the owner. It would be quite a bizarre circumstance if he wasn't the leader himself. He could've gone for another round of teasing about it in a similar manner to the last one but he decided to forgo that when she shifted again. Instead, Kiyoshi wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned forward to place his chin on her shoulder, knowing full well he might be hit. A very arrogant grin graced his face as he began to speak.

"Why would you want to join them?"

[Silk Sanada]

She felt arms around her waist. Her brow quirked and then a chin rested on her shoulder. She was quiet for a moment and thought this out. If she punched him, well that would probably be bad wouldn't it? Though she couldn't honestly say that he made her uncomfortable. It was rather nice getting some attention after all. She thought about his question though. Why would she want to join them? Now that was tricky because all through high school she kept herself out of those gang wars and stupid school take overs. That had been Marcus' thing, not hers. Yet... she found her mind going to something personal. The man named Barker... she felt he had wronged her in some way. Along with many others of course but... Silk took things personally.

In this case maybe a little too personally. "Barker hurt my friend. I know the Crows are going to take back the city and probably go after him." She sipped her rum again before sliding her tongue over her lips. "Obviously...Little me can't go after him by myself, and I'd probably benefit them in many ways. My club could be their happy place... and an extra pair of hands, a girl with money to spare for weapons..." To be honest, Silk wasn't exactly sure how money played out now, but she was willing to use all that she had to get at Barker. As for knowing if Kiyoshi was the leader of the crows... that was simple enough to explain. Silk never paid attention to people when they told her things about places. She just asked for a bar and a direction and then went for it.

If anything else was told to her, she was already gone. So the information she could have used to look less stupid well, it never reached her ears. That is what happened when she got certain ideas in her head.

[Deleted]

"I see, that makes sense. Revenge does tend to be a great motivator and the Crows will take this city back. But there's a problem with your logic at one point. You won't be able to get to him even with all that."

Kiyoshi replied with a matter of fact tone, unflinching from his position. His voice lowers as he explained the reason why she wouldn't be able to get Barker.

"He's mine."

[Silk Sanada]

Silk wasn't fond of being told that there was a problem with her logic. As far as she was concerned, her logic was infallible. It was good for Kiyoshi to explain as quickly as he did because she thought about punching him for his insolence. Her brow rose hearing that Barker was his and she hmmed for a moment. "Well... see... I'm sure you have a nice claim on him and all but..." She swirled the rum in her glass a bit. "I would really really like to give him something to scream about for a few days. If he goes and gets killed nice and quick, there's no fun in that for me. Certainly not a proper revenge. What if I torture him for a while and then you can kill him?"

Silk was being fairly serious, which was unlike her. Even in a fight she made jokes and was a bit of a goof. However, this barker guy had taken one of her last friends from her. Silk had watched so many of her friends die back in New York and she never once concerned herself with vengeance but... time was a funny thing. It could change you in so many ways.

[Deleted]

In a perfect world, Kiyoshi could easily agree to this woman's proposal without hesitation. He would topple and capture Barker thus enabling this woman to have the revenge she wanted for as long as she wanted. Of course that was in a perfect world and this world was about as imperfect as it could ever get, thus his answer was clear.

"No. The moment I have the opportunity to strike him down... he dies."

No matter what the cost to his own well being. There was to much at stake for him to falter or to try and keep Barker alive and restrained for simple revenge. Their city, their home, was at stake and he planned to see it free.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

[Silk Sanada]

So that was how it was going to be? A simple no from this boy and Silk wouldn't get her shot at Barker. She thought about this. Was it really all that important SHE dispose of him? Could she just be happy maiming and killing his goons? Even though Barker had taken Leon from her... and Silk really wanted to make him pay, she wasn't very into revenge. At least not as much as she should have been to push the issue.

"I see, well... if you get to him before me, you are more than welcome to kill him off then. I'd rather have him dead anyway." She thought that was a fair compromise. As long as the boy gets to Barker before she does, he can kill him all he wants. If she gets to him first, well Silk would take pleasure in torturing Barker. The topic had gotten rather dull to her. All this who gets to kill who never really excited her.

"So... I'm guessing since you think you could get directly to Barker, you must be the boss man of the crows hmmm?" She smirked a bit to herself before sipping her rum and setting the glass down, motioning for another refill. "Seems I landed right where I wanted to be." Another smirk passed over her lips.

[Deleted]

Kiyoshi was fine with that as well. There was no guarantee he'd even be able to pull it off but he would sure as shit try. Of course the seriousness faded with her next comment, the gang leader laughed.

"I guess you did then. That mean you want to join our little group?"