Yamaguchi Tadashi (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tsukkinice) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
heleanor2015-01-13 03:45 pm
tsukkinice) wrote in heleanor2015-01-13 03:45 pm
Entry tags:
♠ ＧＯＬＤ ♥ ＧＵＮＳ ♦ ＧＩＲＬＳ ♣
Source: @dduck_hq (x)
WELCOME TO THE KARASUNO FAMILY
» Post with your character
» Include any info you want – their job, how they got here, what they'd be doing on a typical Tuesday, etc.
» Non-Karasuno/rival gangs A-OK
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» Anything goes, OOC communications open if needed
» Headcanons/inspiration galore here!
/shuffles in here
the only thing that was really drilled into his head was that they were neutral. they held no loyalties, they held no grudges - any gang that had the money was a welcome customer of theirs.
upon inheriting the shop, keishin keeps that in mind for a time. he's lazy, for the most part, and doesn't plan to get involved with specifics anyway. it's the kind of thing that'll bring more trouble than he wants to deal with.
until a certain family makes a comeback and a certain weapons supplier he goes through insists he only wants to do dealings with karasuno.
and once keishin meets the leader... well, so much for not holding loyalties. ]
[[ ukai is basically the guy who owns an unassuming shop that specializes in backroom deals, specifically with the karasuno family as of late. thanks a lot for stealing his loyalty, guys.
anyway, on top of being able to get them just about anything they ask for, he's also the person to go to when somebody needs hiding or tending to. as grumpy as he can act at times, he'll never turn away a member of the family who needs a place to lie low or somebody to stop them from bleeding. or a drinking buddy, but that's a given. ]]
YAAAAAS imma tag the shit outta you w/takeda once I figure out what he's even doing
Yamaguchi frequently manages deal negotiations over the phone with Shimada, and other members of Ukai's so-called "Neighborhood Association." But, the number of times he'll have seen Ukai directly is easily counted by memory, and limited to meetings in a group. Karasuno has other, more reliable runners and ambassadors than Yamaguchi to be sending out. Or at least they're supposed to.
But of course something's off today—and no wonder, given how aggressively Seijou's been working the past few weeks to reclaim the territory it lost to Karasuno while "Grand King" Oikawa was out of commission. Kageyama was the first one caught, injured in a trap set by Aoba Johsai members, but Hinata and the others that came after got somewhat worse than the few minor knife wounds. There haven't been any permanent casualties yet, but everyone's tense about the close calls. And it's not only gang members Oikawa's trying to take out, but also its foot traffic, and business. All kinds of business.
It's late afternoon when Yamaguchi arrives at Ukai's. The knock at Sakanoshita's "undisclosed" backroom entrance is loud, properly coded with the Karasuno pattern, yet obviously impatient. If Ukai checked the security camera already, or checks it now, he'll see it's Yamaguchi there alone holding what looks like a parcel (briefcase) that he's delivering. Ukai's shop is longstanding in "the business" and technically still considered neutral turf among the gangs, but Yamaguchi's pretty damn anxious to be let in already so he's not just standing outside.
Yamaguchi's not handcuffed to his parcel this time. Last time he was, and he ended up with a hairline fracture on his wrist after some other guys got the jump on him—he supposes he should count himself lucky he didn't die in the end, and they did. After that fuck-up, Yamaguchi's determined not to let a minor injury slow him down, not while the others are in a pinch and everyone needs to be performing at their best.]
/whispers the most unassuming weapons dealer ever -- takeda
which he suspects might start happening more often with seijou on the offense as of late. things have been calm for long enough that ukai isn't particularly surprised by the uptick in violence, but that doesn't mean he likes it. he prefers a steady give and take that focuses more on goods and business deals over the growing potential of hearing that someone he respects or likes is gone.
honestly being neutral would be ideal right now. not because it would make the store more unlikely to fall under any kind of attack, but because he might not care so much if things go wrong for karasuno. as things stand, though, he knows what side he's on.
it's obvious. because the moment he spots the movement that is yamaguchi on the screen of the small television he keeps under the counter in the front of the store, he's on his feet. no one is currently shopping, so it makes locking up the front and tossing the closed sign up that much easier. then he heads directly to the back, tugging the door open not too long after the knock, stepping back to allow yamaguchi to get in before he says anything at all.
once he closes the door behind him, though, his brows furrow in slight worry. ] I thought Tanaka was coming by today. Did something happen?
no subject
Good afternoon, Ukai-san. Tanaka-san's covering watch duty today for Kinoshita-san, so he couldn't come. [Hisashi will live, but Tsukishima unfortunately has to spend some time patching him up.]
no subject
because while he knows things are getting rougher, he's not kept in the immediate loop of everything that's happening. ]
What's going on that's got things so turned around? Another attack?
no subject
[Yamaguchi's hands curl into fists at his side, the handle of the briefcase digging into his palm where he's gripping it.]
A fire broke out at one of our warehouses. We lost a lot of stuff. Kinoshita-san was there and he's pretty hurt, but...
Well, it's impossible to prove who did it, but apparently the bastards knew exactly when to set off the detonator so he'd be inside. There's no way the timing of it's just a coincidence. [Karasuno's been changing the patrol schedules every damn day since the attacks began to escalate, so the only way someone could have known in advance was by monitoring their communications. Seijou's the obvious suspect but there's more than one gang in the area that's more adept than them at tracking the competition.]
finally an excuse to thread w/u
daichi doesn't bother hanging out in the store once he arrives - ukai knew he was coming after all. he remembers the way to swing around the alley of the store, to the large storage shed in the back, to knock twice and pause before knocking a third time and opening the door.
the scent of gunpowder and metal hits his nose the second he steps inside. just what he ordered. too bad he doesn't actually see the boss around... ]
Ukai-san?
pls feel free to thread with this loser coach whenever
that's why he doesn't mind sticking his neck out for them when they ask. he draws a hard line at obtaining people, but it's something he knows he'll never have to worry about with daichi. he's not that type.
sticking his neck out doesn't mean he goes easy on them, though. he heckles and fusses and, when he's done with giving a hard time for the sake of it, he's clear about how hard it is to get some things into the country or just into their area without setting off any kind of questions from law enforcement. that's exactly what he went through with daichi not too long before this, though, and it's clear how well his attempts to warn work out. ]
If anybody ends up bleeding on my floor because of these-- [ ukai appears behind daichi from who knows where, nudging his way by him with an unassuming gym bag hanging from his shoulder. when he puts it down, the weight is a lot more obvious. and once it's on the ground, he turns to daichi, giving him a look that clearly says he isn't as irritated as his griping might lead other people to believe. ] I dried up favors for you, Sawamura. I owe a guy a favor now.
i want to but starting threads is hard
daichi eyes the gym bag now with interest, and there's no reason to hide the excited glint in his eye or the way his lips curl into a nasty smile. he didn't order military grade precision sniper rifles and a handful of customizable M16's for shits and giggles. seijoh was crawling all over them, and wakun was now starting to eye pieces of karasuno's well won territory. if they were going to keep it, they were going to need better distance operations, and better weapons for training for some of their newbies. ]
Don't worry, we'll keep the blood off your hands.
[ that was always part of the deal, because neutral ground only works if it's not stained red.
daichi holds out the bottle to ukai, a small sign of appreciation, if the money hadn't said it enough. ]
I'm sure we can help with favors if it comes to that.
i'm good with starting. just hmu next time you feel the urge
money or not, daichi and the rest of the karasuno crew have become something of an extended family to him. so his fussing isn't so much over the trouble to get the weapons as it is over what might come from having them. he knows they're meant to level the field or to give karasuno more of an advantage, but he also knows how these things go. that oikawa isn't the type to just settle for some kind of agreement.
the reply he gets earns a sigh even as he looks at the bottle, which he accepts after a second. ]
I'm not worried about blood or the favors.
[ he turns to put the bottle down as he moves to open the gym bag on the floor, unzipping it and pushing it open to reveal boxes of ammo tightly packed inside with what looks to be t-shirts lining around them, keeping the bag from looking as boxy as it should. ]
I'd just rather put off that day that one of you shows up here to tell me somebody's gone.
[ then he's straightening up and moving toward a few lengthy crates, the lid of one already pried open for the sake of inspection. ]
We've gotta find a different way to get these from here to where you want them, but everything's here. Take a look.
omg will do
at least seeing the ammo makes him feel a little better. at least if something does go down, this amount will make them more than ready for it. ]
You and me both, Ukai.
[ the formalities drop for now, figuring there's not much point for them now. there was business to attend to and that business was just a little bit more personal than either of them would like. usually, having emotions muddled in business was a kiss of death on both cheeks. for now, it didn't seem to be a problem.
he follows ukai to the half open crates, crates with logos for random, unassuming snack foods. usually food was a good choice to keep out prying eyes, but if ukai said they needed a new cover, they would get a new cover. a shop manager would know better than he did, and he'd trust his judgement on it. ]
Do you think passing them off as cleaning supplies would be easier than passing them off as food?
[ at least then the weights would make more sense, but again, it's really not's daichi's specialty. he just opens up the crates, pulling out the disassembled parts of sniper rifles and analyzing them. this daichi knows, years of watching other gangs and shooting rangers and research has taught him how to look at guns to make sure they're not broken, that they're good quality, that the serial numbers have disappeared to keep things out of suspicion from the law. everything seemed in order, but daichi was meticulous, checking over the full crate to see that everything was there. ]
winky face emoticon @ u
Of course, the locals don't get to see the good stuff, kept under lock and key in the back, but they're not stupid.
No one questions why boys dressed all in black come to this store to buy bottles of bleach and plastic buckets. No one questions why the store is sometimes closed during peak business hours; always for less than an hour, and never on the same days. Mostly, no one questions how a family owned and operated store has managed to thrive in a region that is quickly becoming too prosperous to support such a seemingly small operation.
For once in Asahi's life, no one even questions why he's leaning on Ukai's counter, hanging around the store like he's got nothing better to do than take up space.
Well... none of the customers (all two- no, kids don't really count- one and a half of them) seem to, in any case. ]
i hate these two. so fucking much. in all contexts.
that it remains neutral ground is why ukai spends most of his days doing things like stocking cereal and checking dates on prepackaged buns.
which is exactly why he returns to the counter holding a couple of melon buns that are only a day over their sell-by date, one of which he presses against asahi's chest as he comes to a stop in front of him. ]
I'm gonna start making you clean for all the time you spend in here. [ ukai steps over and leans back against the counter beside asahi, opening the bun he's still holding. despite the way he pokes fun, he does like seeing asahi around outside of showing up to collect things or make a payment for something else that's needed. of course, he doesn't know what the reason for the visit is just yet, but he can hope it's a casual one.
he takes a bite of the bun he's holding, not even glancing over as he chews, swallows, then offers up a question. ]
You off today?
sorry all i see is you asking me to make it worse :,)???
This is a losers game, and it hurts when you lose someone you've come to know.
Asahi pulls open the wrapper on his melon pan, the plastic crinkling in his fingers over the sound of whatever forgettable background noise is playing over the store speakers. ]
You just want someone else to wear the apron. [ He's not supposed to mention the apron-- oops. Asahi takes a quick bite of his bread, before Ukai gets it in his head to snatch the treat away in retaliation. (He still... could.. but at least Asahi'd get away with a bite.)
Nodding, because he's sure Ukai can see it in his peripheral. ] Yeah, I was in the neighborhood.
[ Unlikely, and untrue, but Ukai probably already knows that. Saying he was around is just easier than explaining why Asahi continues to hang around Ukai's shop when it's not on Diachi's orders. Munching away while idly watching the kid press his face to the glass doors of the refrigerator unit that displays all the frozen treats, Asahi asks, ] How's the family?
quietly cries into my hands
he feels like there should be less comfort, less familiarity, here. what's supposed to have been a business and just that has become something a lot more personal to him and it shows that, no, he's probably not really cut out for this kind of work. it's something he might've considered moving on from if he'd remained as neutral as he was supposed to, but getting close to people calls for sticking around for the long haul.
close to people like the guy standing next to him, lying about his reasons for being at the store. ukai doesn't try to pry a reason out of him, but he does offer a soft snort in reply, making it clear that he knows.
the next question is the kind that earns an unfavorable wrinkle of his nose behind the bun he's still holding near his mouth. ] Well enough that I've spent the last couple of weeks making excuses to get out of potential marriage interviews. So I'd say they're fine.
[ he takes another bite, looking over at asahi when he gets around to swallowing. ]
What've you been up to on the days you haven't made it over here?
no subject
With customers roaming around the store, that snort is as close to calling bullshit as Ukai will likely allow himself. It's the only reason Asahi doesn't mind the bored looking middle aged man inspecting the nutrition labels of two seemingly identical instant ramen packages. ]
That's... [ Ukai's personal life is none of Asahi's business. Not really. ] Good? I mean- that your mother's still got the energy to set such things up. I know she wasn't taking retirement too kindly. [ Asahi takes a bite of his bread, chewing thoroughly. Convincing himself he's asking because marriage interviews could mean a lot of things- for business. ] Nothing we should know about?
[ Families entering into marriage negotiations to keep business strong or relations between factions inseparable isn't unheard of. As far as Asahi knows, the Ukai's have always operated in-family, but it wouldn't be unheard of for a marriage to be in the works if something were troubling the family. So when Asahi asks, what he really means, is there something we can help with?
Unless, of course, it's just the opposite. A case of Ukai being an eligible bachelor who puts too much of himself into his work. In which case...
Asahi shrugs, and the action doesn't pull at him as much without his holster strapped around his back-- a reminder of where he is. Neutral territory. The question isn't meant to make him feel guilty ( he doesn't think ), but Asahi has never been very good at not taking things personally. ]
We've been busy. Daichi's still negotiating with The Wall, which puts him in a wonderful mood-- and some of the new members are... [ batshit ] eccentric. They're still learning the ropes. Which, uh, by the way, [ Asahi rubs at the back of his neck, secondhand embarrassment creeping up on him. ] Apologies for the uh, thing with Hinata and Kageyama the other day.
no subject
[ it seems more like some kind of mission she's invested herself in, if he's honest. and it makes going near his mother or grandfather a pain in the ass because every conversation seems to turn to his need to be married and produce some kids who will inevitably take over the family business once they're old enough to know the ropes.
ukai glances over at asahi at the question and he can't stop himself from chuckling at it. ] Nah, everything's fine. She's trying to set me up with the daughters of her, as she calls them, normal friends. She thinks I'll give her some grandkids if she can wear me down into listening to her and it's not happening.
[ because he's seen enough of certain people - hinata and kageyama, let's be honest - as of late to be sure he never wants kids. and that's not really counting how unappealing the prospect of marriage is before children are involved. suffice to say, there won't be any proposals or weddings - business-related or otherwise - in ukai's future for a long, long time.
but he appreciates the potential help that could be offered if it were a business issue. he wouldn't ask for help so easily, but it's always a good thing to know he can if it comes down to that.
he takes another bite of bread as asahi talks, his nose wrinkling once more at the mention of the wall. better them than nekoma, though.
it's after he swallows that he raises a hand to pat asahi's shoulder, his voice low and somewhat amused. ] Don't worry about it. It's not the first time shelves have been knocked down. Or that somebody's asked me if I kept the guns behind the counter in front of customers. I scared the shit out of them after that, so I think they'll be fine from now on.
[ and by scaring the shit out of them, he means he reached down behind the counter while promising to shut the two of them up. it's not really his fault that they both thought he was reaching for a gun while he was actually going for the handle of the broom he'd dropped. ]