Going going Goa gone

[Genbu]

The Goa Kingdom, a great place he was told, filled with such riches and the high class that one would be able to find any sort of food they could think of. That going there, as long as you had the money, you would be treated with great respect. 

And yet...


Lukas had landed in the port of the Kingdom and instantly felt unease being there. What's more, a smell lingered in the air that most people seemed to ignore but it made Lukas and Lisa both wish to leave faster than possible. It both made him feel a little ill and it reminded him too much of his past, and that was almost worse. 

It would have been a while for the next boat to leave and Lukas was really against coming to an island and just leaving before he got to spend any time enjoying an island, but if the island was just this how would he be able to really be able to enjoy things...

Until he learned about another town outside of the city, across the mountains, that seemed like it would fit his sensibilities better. And thus Lukas had left the Goa Kingdom and started his trek out into the wild, passing through the Gray Terminal as quickly as he could and entering into the mountains. 

And as he walked through the mountains, following what he could only describe as the opposite smell of the Goa Kingdom, Lukas got further and further away from the city and deeper into the mountains. 

And just like that....



"Well... fuck." Lukas grumbled, hands on his hips as he looked around himself, surrounded by large trees that almost blocked out the sky. He had been traveling for a decent amount of time and as it was, the sun was starting to set and the jungle was beginning to get a bit colder.  Without a doubt in his mind, he was...

"I'm Lost." 

[Kami-Gaz]

There was a clattering as a metal weapon fell to the floor and bounced away from its wielder, a burly man dressed like a mountain bandit. Behind him were the littered and groaning bodies of all of his goons that had been beaten up, black splatters of oil coated all of them. “Just you wait kid! We’ll come back with our boss, and he’ll show you!” He growled as he ran back, picking up all four of the men up in his arms and running away from the dojo.

“Please do! I want to try some new techniques out!” Rakka replied with a bright and inviting smile, he was just on his way out to head towards the town to see if Mister Gabriel Moon was still around, or if he had left to go to Logue Town. Master Bubbles had explained multiple times that these bandits kept on coming to try and teach him a lesson and he always sent them packing. He thought they were a good training tool to keep his reflexes sharp, training dummies could only do so much to surprise you after all.

The marine kicked some of the weapons to the side and began his trek, it was going to be the better part of the evening to make the trip down have lunch and then come back, but it was worth it. Master bubbles was a notorious bad cook and had even asked Rakka to bring him back something to eat for dinner tonight.

It did not take all to long for the young man to stumble out from the hidden path into a clearing to see a man with a turtle back looking lost. “Hey Lost, I’m Rakka…”

---

Rakka: ffffff

[Genbu]

Noises in the jungle behind him... in front of him... somewhere around him... 

The sound in the jungle was so different than what he was used too that even with his training he couldn't directly pin-point where it was coming from. Granted, he was never really trained to pin-point where sounds came from, not exactly part of the skills the military force trained, though survival training did cover some of it. 

Yet whatever it was, it didn't seem to feel the need to hide himself, and as he was about to seek cover, a voice rung out from off to the side and Lukas quickly hopped away from the source, hands somewhat ready just in case, but the voice was honestly did not seem threatening. 

Lukas would deny it, but the sudden call out surprised him and caused him to jump. 

Letting out a sigh, he shook his head a bit and stretched out a little, rubbing the back of his neck as he calmed his nerves before deciding to address the stranger. "Heya Rakka, the name's actually Lukas... figured I should return the greeting." Lukas said, shaking his arms a little to relieve the tension that had built up before looking the other once over. "Um... ya wouldn't know the way to the town would ya? Not the big city, I heard there was a small town across the mountains."

"As you heard... I'm Lost." He repeated, moreso to give himself a bit of a mental scolding rather than letting Rakka know what was up. He really let himself get lost and that was more annoying than anything else that had happened recently. And hopefully, whomever Rakka was he would hopefully be a lot less lost than Lukas was and be able to help the man find his way. 

[Kami-Gaz]

With the kind reaction of the man before him Rakka grinned as he moved forward to be formal. So, this was a guy called Lukas? That was a cool name. The young martial artist marine heard that his fellow jungle traverser was lost and heading for the village, that was the same way he was going.

“Oh, it’s this way! I was just heading there myself. Sensei cannot cook to save his life so I’m going to get dinner and bring him something back.” Rakka spoke as he gestured in the correct direction down a very overgrown and beaten path that had not seen any real use beyond a few people coming to this dojo. The mountain bandits always came from a different route.

“It’s alright, I got lost my first time up here as well. I got lucky to find the dojo.” Rakka explained as he lead the way, taking an exact path to avoid degradations in the path and animal leavings. Now he had trained in Fishman Karate his movements were fluid and flowing into one another, he was using this trip into town as a further method of training himself to be like liquid.

“What brings you here by the way? I’m on vacation.”

[Genbu]

Another wave of relief rolled through Lukas, the random person he met in the wild jungles of this island actually knew where to go and how to get there and that meant that Lukas would not remain lost. And while he couldn't really see anything through the thick trees and growth, the fact that this individual believed that he'd be able to get to the town and back to wherever he came from before it got too late also gave Lukas a bit of hope that he'd make it in time to get something to eat from the town too. 

Something he said though got him a little interested, and Lukas wondered just what he meant by 'dojo'. A part of him wanted to dig deeper and figure out just what the youth meant by Dojo but firstly and foremost, he wanted to get some dinner before it got too late. "I take it not many people happen to travel in the jungle... smarter people probably use a boat to travel between the city and the town..." Lukas said, partly musing aloud partly talking with Rakka. 

Lukas couldn't help but notice how easy Rakka was moving through the Jungle, and while Lukas wasn't tripping over himself he wasn't exactly having an easy time following after the youth through the forage along a path he could barely see. Perhaps Lukas should spend some time running through the jungle like this, getting himself used to such uneven natural ground and train himself a little more like this. It'd probably be really good for future fights where he could encounter people who'd mess up the terrain in different ways. 

"Hm? Oh! Well I like traveling around and experiencing different foods and entertainment. I couldn't stand the smell of the big city but heard that there was a town past the mountains that might be better."

[Kami-Gaz]

Rakka shrugged at the first guess of this Lukas fellow. He was not a native either, so he really didn’t know. All he had been told by the Ayoki clan and his sensei were that the mountains were usually full of dangerous animals and bandits that often ventured out to the town or the city to get themselves supplies or just have fun. “I wouldn’t really know; I just go where I want…” He spoke, trying to not let his concentration break from that particular portion of the path.

There was a specific point were Rakka transformed his feet into oil and flowed over a down tree before letting them return to normal, sucking all oil he left behind so his companion wouldn’t slip. “My friend and his family are from the town, and it was really nice when I spent a few days there. There are some amazing places to eat too!” Rakka explained, a big grin coming from his face before he spun and took the next few steps backwards.

“Though Rouge’s cooking is the best, I can’t wait for when she next makes something for me!” He said, his cheeks reddening a little remembering the spice but also enjoying the heart of it. She was such a good woman and older sister of his friend. Before he could carry on though he hit a rock slightly wrong and stumbled, in a heart beat he shifted his weight and made the motion a cartwheel and recovered into a good run.

“Whoops! Got distracted…”

[Genbu]

Based on the response he got from Rakka, the random forest man didn't actually know how others traversed between the cities, but Lukas was pretty sure that he knew it wasn't... well... jungle trekking. This was followed up by Rakka stating that they did what they wanted, and Lukas had to give an approving nod to the statement, because honestly that was how he was moving through life right now. 

As Rakka slipped down a tree with relative ease, Lukas hopped to do the same, only for his feet to catch and him to almost stumble down the tree and to the ground, and he looked at the youth with a curious eyebrow raise. Was it possible that he had some sort of power? Before he could question it anymore, Rakka spoke out to him. And boy were the words that was spoken made Lukas quite excited, because when it came to things that really brought him happiness was food. "Well you had my attention, and now you have my interest! I've not eaten for a bit of time and now I am super excited for something delicious!" Lukas said with a grin, as the youth had turned around to face him as they chatted. 

When he spoke of Rouge, Lukas couldn't help but see the hint of red in Rakka's cheeks, though he wondered exactly why there was the bit of flushed cheeks there....

And then Rakka almost fell, cartwheeled, and continued, and Lukas let out a hearty laugh. "Nice job catching yourself there!" He said, kicking the rock as he went past it and sending it into the underbrush. "I probably would of taken a nasty spill if that were me. You seem pretty well trained for this, do you do this often?" Lukas asked, making sure to keep up the pace that Rakka was setting.

[Kami-Gaz]

The young marine on leave looked over to his new friend and who was asking if he had done this before, and he cracked a warm smile. He had been running through forests and jungles since he was a kid, so this kind of terrain was a second nature for him. “Yeah, I’ve done this for a while.” He spoke, not elaborating all too much as he made his over a final hurdle to reveal a path with an open view over the town below and the farmlands that were around it.

“This view reminds me of Home in the south blue!” He spoke before standing there, seeing the late afternoon sun over the horizon as the waves gently lapped against the towns small port and beaches. The reddening light of the sun was shimmering in the heat and gave the colourful and verdant fields an amber haze.

“I grew up on Karate Island in the south blue, my mum was a marine and I always wanted to impress her so I would go and train myself in the jungles for days at a time… My Grangran and Pawpaw hated it.” Rakka spoke with a chuckle and a soft smile before shaking his head and starting to walk on down the path that run with the contours of the hill. “What about you Lukas, Where are you from?” He asked after just spilling a portion of his own backstory.

---

Rakka: ffffff

[Genbu]

'For a while' was the answer and Lukas knew that much to be true, as he continued to do his best to keep up without falling flat on his face. What he lacked in the agility that the youth seemed to have, Lukas made up for it with some pretty solid feet planting to keep himself from tumbling forward onto his face. Following Rakka over the last hurdle, Lukas finally was able to catch his breath a little, standing a little behind the youth as he panted a little, feeling like he may have worked a few muscles he didn't usually use all too often in their jungle traversal. 

Stretching a little and cracking his back, Lukas finally was able to take in the view and... it was sort of plain and simple and yet... it was so relaxed and calm that Lukas liked what he was seeing. Maybe it was the time of day, maybe it was the fact that the smells from the town was so gentle on his nose, or maybe it was just because he was hungry and food was so close, but Lukas felt a wave of calm flow through him and his body relaxed a little too much. A small jolt of pain hit his arms and Lukas quickly crossed his arms over his chest, clenching his fists in an attempt to stop any more pain. Lisa slithered out from her pouch from the shield on his back and wrapped around his neck a little, looking at him. 

As Rakka spoke about his past, his family, and how he trained a bit, Lukas nodded a little, following behind him and taking in what he was saying. And then Rakka asked about his own past and Lukas just, offered a weak sort of smile and shook his head a bit. "I.. uh... spent a lot of my youth on a ship learning basic skills and such for survival and combat... uh..." He mused, trying to word things in a way that didn't really... reveal much about his past. "I saw many places and met many people and eventually ended up meeting Lisa and we went about doing things on our own." He said, giving the albino snake a small scratch on her head. 

"Not much to really go into further about my past though... what about this village, what can you tell me about it?" Lukas would ask, avoiding more talk about his past. 

[Kami-Gaz]

The young marine on leave nodded along as the other man spoke about himself, clearly hiding some things he didn’t want to disclose. Though having an albino snake called Lisa was cute and brightened the smile that Rakka was bearing. He continued the walk down the path, passing by farms and homesteads as they did, the setting sun and early twilight of the night making the waves below dazzle like jewels in the night sky.

“There’s not all that much I can say.” He said truthfully, outside of this place being where Reynard and his family lived, he knew next to nothing about this small town. They passed by a familiar gate of the Ayoki farm and Rakka looked over with a warm smile to it. They would be having their dinner now… best not to intrude on their family time.

“This place is small, isolated and nearly always under threat from pirates and bandits. Those I’ve met are hardy and tough and know how to look after themselves.” Rakka explained, looking over his shoulder to the other man as they got into the town proper, they were close to the restaurant in question… the one that Rakka had fallen in love with. The air was alive with the sounds of people milling about and doing their evening tasks. The smells in the air as homes cooked their dinners and the deep crimson sky illuminated it all.

[Genbu]

For a place aparently under threat from pirates and bandits Lukas had to say... it looked pretty peaceful and calm. He wondered if there was someone who helped protect it from those threats, or if the people themselves were more than capable of protecting themselves from any threats. From what Rakka said, the people were pretty much capable of protecting themselves, so maybe they just had things handled all by themselves, which made him a little curious about just how strong they might be for things to seem so peaceful. 

"A tough town protected by its tough residents? That sounds pretty nice for some peace of mind." He said, musing a little bit as he looked out over the ocean on the horizon, taking a moment to just relax. He looked back to Rakka and saw that he was once more falling behind, so he jogged a little to get back in pace with the young man. As they walked into town, the sound of people going about their evening flowed over them like a soft soundtrack added to the feeling of someone being home, but what really drew Lukas was the smell of all the food being cooked all around him. So many various meals being cooked up by various families, and Lukas was really starting to get hungry. 

A growl could be heard from his stomach as he rubbed it, as he and Lisa both sniffed the air, his nose twitching at the scents as her tongue flickered out over and over. "Ah... this all smells... fantastic..." Lukas said, almost on his tip toes as if trying to figure out where the best smells were coming from. He was a little too distracted and had to stop himself from entering a random home in search for something to eat. 

Wiping his mouth, Lukas looked to Rakka once again. "So, where is this place to eat you were talkin about?" He asked, grinning widely, the only thing on his mind right now being food. 

[Kami-Gaz]

“Right here!” Rakka announced with a flourish of his arms as they walked into a building that had a swinging sign over it, marking it as. “The Golden Swan Inn”. Once the pair had gotten past the warm light that exploded out of the doorway, they were met with a traditional bar restaurant that was alive with patrons of all shapes and sizes. A ship had pulled into the small port here and the crew had taken to the small town to relax, filling every one of the inns and diners to booze and eat in a rowdy show. If one were to guess these people were pirates.

Rakka looked over the place and found a small table that had two seats available not too far from the bar. The young man smiled as he waved over to his new friend with a bright smile. “Over here Lukas! There is a table for us.” He said before moving over and pulling a chair out just as one of the larger men purposefully moved to steal it from him.

“Buzz off fly, this place is for cool people. You and your boyfriend aren’t welcome here.” The man grunted as he tried to yank the chair away only to realise Rakka’s grip was firm and not budging. “Laddie, let go or getting dinner is going to be the last of yer concerns.” He growled before putting some real strength into the motion.

“Sorry, but we spotted this table first and just came down from the mountains to get a good meal. If you want the table when we are done, you are more than welcome to it.” He spoke before making a harsh tug and yanking the seat away before sitting down on the chair. His characteristic smile had faded somewhat as he did and his eyes focussed on the brutes, making him cringe back a bit.

[Genbu]

Finally!

Without a doubt this was the main event of Lukas' day, and even though he practically skipped lunch via getting lost in the jungle, having himself a big meal would more than make up for it. The noise and clatter from within the building was music for his ears, for it meant food was on it's way and soon Lukas would have enough to sate his appetite, no matter how many plates he would have to order. The mixture of smells was divine to say the least, enough variety to distract from the fact that the two of them were getting stares from the other patrons of the bar. 

Lukas was hungry and the bar smelt amazing, ok?

Rakka had moved a bit quicker than him, and had called out to him as the youth approached an empty table, only for him to somehow encounter another individual trying to claim the table. "... Cool people?" Lukas said, not super loudly but pretty confused at the stranger's statement. Shaking his head, he made his way to the other seat at the table and pulled out the chair, looking around for anyone who might try to take his chair, before looking at Rakka and the stranger, Rakka easily over-powering the man and taking his seat. 

Lukas sat down as well and grinned widely at the stranger as Rakka had won the little tug-of-war, before slapping his hands on the table lightly, looking at Rakka. "Ok! So! What is good here!? Do they have Cheese?!" Lukas asked, noticing the livestock on the outside of the town. Even if he was mostly focused on what kind of food he could eat, Lukas watched as the stranger who had fought Rakka over the chair made his way back to a large group all sitting together, and they all began to talk amongst themselves, stealing glances over at him and Rakka. 

Lukas just took a deep breath and shook his head a little, before looking at Rakka with a bit of a shrug. "So... do you think they'll try anything before we eat... or after we eat outside?" He asked, a little too used to strangers in bars trying to fight him for small reasons. Honestly he had hoped for after they ate, but if it was before he hoped the bar would be spared any damage.

[Kami-Gaz]

Rakka stopped paying any attention to the almost obvious pirates as his new friend asked an important question. It was a nice distraction from the looming and obvious fight that was going to come to the pair sooner or later. “Cheese? I think so!” Rakka replied with a hearty chuckle as he picked a menu up from the table and started to scan over it. “I really like their Double Bacon Cheese Burgers with Curly Fries and salad.” He spoke as he spotted it on the menu and nodded to himself.

“It goes great with a glass Pipsi.” He added before folding his menu closed and looking over to Lukas. He asked the question Rakka somewhat knew the answer too. With a shrug to young man raised his hand to get the attention of the waitress that was wandering around. “It’s fine, they’ll attack when they feel comfortable. If they do it when we eat, then I’m not holding back.” He explained with a shrug and a very out of character coldness. Food was very important to the young marine. “Any time before or after then slap them about and try not to make a mess.” The young man joked before looing to the side and seeing the waitress heading their way

“Hi Rakka, you brought a friend!” The peppy young woman spoke as she looked over the two with a practiced smile, but a more enthusiastic tone. “Are you ready to order? … Do you want your usual?” She asked as her steely blue eyes rested on the blonde marine, his Stetson hanging off of the back of his neck.

“Yes please Stacey!” The young man spoke with a chipper tone. “I don’t know what Lukas wants but I’ll take a large Pipsi today please.” He added, shifting in his seat to get comfortable.

“I thought so!” The brunette woman wearing a frilly apron. Stacey nodded as she turned to look at the newcomer Lukas. “And are you ready to order?”

[Genbu]

What sort of magical spell was this young man spewing forth at such unreasonable speeds? What sort of curse was he trying to put on this hungry sea farer? How could one say such a sorcery with such a straight face and normal demeanor? 

Lukas wiped his mouth, knowing not if he was drooling or not but rather as a precaution either way, as the words seemed to drip through his ears and into his stomach, which let out a mighty grumble in want. "I... I think I know what I want to order..." He managed to get out, a hand on his stomach and his eyes almost sparkling with the idea of such a feast. 

He snapped back to reality when Rakka brought up the ruffians who tried to stop them from sitting and he thought about it for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "If they managed to interrupt my meal and the food gets cold I'll make sure they pay for a replacement meal... after I finish the first one. Good food is still good cold, but it's meant to be eaten as it's served." 

Lukas wasn't about to waste food, even hypothetical food that didn't quite exist yet. 

When the woman asked if he wanted the usual and Rakka responded with such confidence, Lukas couldn't help but get a little excited. He came here enough that the people knew him and knew what his preferences was and honestly that was good enough for Lukas to know well enough to trust the place even more.

"I'll take a Double Bacon Cheese Burger with Curly Fries and Salad! And a large Pipsi too, please!" Lukas said, the words sounding like musical notes to his ears as he said them, wanting to be done ordering so the food would arrive all the faster. He had hoped he was pleasant enough in his ordering to the woman, as he was certain he almost slipped on his words in trying to get his order out quick enough.

He looked back at Rakka with a smile, before he felt a small bit of movement against his back and remembered he had another mouth to feed with him. "Oh! Um, I have a small request too... do you perhaps have a bit of raw meat or fish I could order on the side? I have a companion who also needs something to eat." Lukas asked as nicely as he could, knowing that Lisa would enjoy something like that. "And a glass of water, no ice needed."

Lukas looked to Rakka with a small smile, "I would like Lisa to join us at the table, but I'm not sure her appearance would be too appreciated..."