They're Called Wootsticks [Kazuya]

[Mekiel Echigo]

[/b][/color]

In frustration, Mekiel left yet another shop that had a lack of the sugary greatness known as the Wootstick. It was madness! It was blasphemy! It was treason to Narnia! But, they weren't in Narnia.. so it didn't really matter. With a sigh, the Iron Giant pulled his coat over his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Down the street he would walk, no real destination in mind. He didn't know where to start, let alone where to finish. It really irked him that something so important to him was so far from his grasp.

Yes, I mean the Wootsticks, but that's not the the real subject here.

Down the street he would continue, paying no attention the ridiculous abundance of people. The sea of generic faces. So many of them and not a single one knew or even heard of him. It was as if starting life in New York all over again, except this time he was much more careless. This was proven by the fact that he'd bumped into some random guy. The bump was a wondrous thing, it initiated conversation or confrontation.

"Oh.. Sorry 'bout that, brah. My bad."
[/ul]

[Kazuya Hikari]

"..." Kazuya stared down at the small brown package that had been delivered to his front door this morning. At first he thought the package had been mistakenly delivered to the wrong address, since he was pretty sure he didn't order anything, and called the post office, but nope, they told him the package had been sent to the right address, which he confirmed to be true after taking a closer look at the address on the top of the box. Cutting open the box, he saw a single piece of paper that was folded on top that said: Good luck... The Flame ------... He then saw the package sent to him was a box of some sugary snack. Picking the box up, he opened it and pulled out one of the individual wrapped packages inside, and placed the rest aside for later... maybe. Fast forwarding to present time, Kazuya was heading down the street, a piece of the snack in his mouth, the package in his hand, as someone bumped into him, nearly sending the package of Wootsticks, that's right, Wootsticks, out of his hand, as he managed to grab hold of it before it fell, though it also caused him to accidentally bite down on the piece in his mouth, sending half of it falling to the ground.

"..." Staring down at the broken piece now laying on the ground... and providing a sugar rush for the ant that had seized it and began to cart it away, Jasper then looked up, literally lifting his head up to look at the guy, who was a good 7 inches taller, that had bumped into him, as he proceeded to eat the remaining half in his mouth. "... Forget about it dude, no harm done... well, unless you consider half a piece of a sugary snack falling to the ground and carted away by an ant a tragedy." Kazuya replied after holding his index finger up in a 'Just a moment' gesture and swallowing the Wootstick, casually shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out another piece from the bag and started to eat it, seeing that he had only one more left in the bag in his hand. Despite the fact Kazuya didn't care for sweet things, he had to admit, they weren't half bad, even with a name like "Wootsticks."

[Mekiel Echigo]

[/b][/color]

Those words were all that came, his mind seemed as if it were playing tricks on him. Could it be that the legendary Wootsticks had made their way to this city as well?! Why was it no store had them in stock?! Unless.. Yes, maybe they were only sold to 'store members' or something like that. Whatever it was, it was a conspiracy against the populace!

"How is it you managed to obtain such a majestic item?"

Yes. Majestic was one of two words to describe the delicious, scrumptious Wootstick. Okay, so maybe there was more than two words. What I meant to say was there were two words that emphasized the Wootstick. Clear, now?
[/color][/ul]

[Kazuya Hikari]

Having eaten about half of the Wootstick in his mouth, Kazuya held the remaining half in his mouth like a cigarette as he stared in mild surprise as the guy suddenly tensed up after letting out a sigh of relief, causing Kazuya to automatically take up a fighting stance and be on guard, but it wasn't on purpose, it was actually a conditioned reflex of his brought on by years of fighting, as the guy's eyes widened, putting Kazuya even more on guard. His body slowly easing up, Kazuya looked down at the bag in his hand, then back up at the guy, as he nodded at him. ... Majestic? Not exactly the word I'd use to describe them... Obviously Kazuya wasn't as enthusiastic about Wootsticks as Mekiel was, as evident by the fact he was so tensed up he looked like he was ready to take on and wrestle Kazuya for the last remaining Wootstick inside the bag in his hand at any given moment.

"... Your guess is as good as mine, because I'm not exactly sure myself. I woke up this morning and found a small package delivered to my front door from an anonymous sender." Kazuya replied, continuing to stare completely bewildered at how excited the guy was for the sugary snack, the half eaten Wootstick still held in his slightly gaping mouth. Is he for real? What's so great about them anyways? I mean, I'll admit they're not half bad, but majestic? You've gotta be kidding me... He sounds like a freakin' advertisement for Wootsticks... It was definitely something Kazuya couldn't wrap his head around and understand... and probably never will. It was pretty good, but nonetheless, just a sugary snack to him, nothing he cared for or get excited over honestly.

[Mekiel Echigo]

[/b][/color] A gentlemanly handshake. Hopefully.

If things took a turn for the worse he could always get his ass kicked kick some ass. But, what were the chances of that happening? Still, he steeled himself for an attack. Once again, his body would tense, though it would be hardly noticeable. It'd be quite subtle. If the guy were to make a move... He'd be dropped like an AT&T phone call!

Hopefully.[/color][/ul]

[Kazuya Hikari]

Oh they were the real deal alright, these weren't some cheap knock off Woosticks. But you can't really blame Kazuya for not having an addiction to Wootsticks yet, this was the first time he tried them after all, hell, he never even heard of them before up until today. Still on guard, Kazuya saw the guy pause and then quickly settle down, as he rolled his shoulders back and held his right hand out to Kazuya. Relaxing slightly, his guard subtly but not noticeably up, Kazuya straightened up and shook Mekiel's hand with a firm grip. "Nice to meet you Mekiel, name's Kazuya." He replied, shrugging his shoulders casually.

Releasing Mekiel's hand, he ate the remaining half of the Wootstick in his mouth, and proceeded to pull the last remaining Wootstick out of the package. Crumpling the bag in his hand, he tossed it like a basketball into a trash bin located on the sidewalk nearby. "... You really love these Wootsticks don't you?" He commented dryly as he rubbed the back of his neck, unknowingly waving the Wootstick in his hand back and forth slightly in front of Mekiel's face as he spoke, not taunting or trying to provoke the poor guy on purpose. "I gotta admit though, they are pretty good. Addictive you could say."

[Mekiel Echigo]

[OoC: It's good, brah. ^^]

[/b][/color]

The taunting.. It was like nails on a chalk board, as if a little child continuously kicking you in the groin. Still, he knew better. He'd hold himself.. for now. The moment this guy was without his Wootstick and alone in a dark alley he'd get the ass kicking of a lifetime.

"I'm not going to lie, they used to be like cocain to me." But he never did cocain.[/color][/ul]

[Kazuya Hikari]

As Kazuya turned and tossed the crumpled up bag in his hand into a nearby trash bin, he would not see Mekiel clench his teeth up, refraining from stealing the Wootstick in Kazuya's hand, his body already relaxed the moment Kazuya turned back around, none the wiser, as he saw Mekiel grin and cock a brow. Kazuya found it hard to believe, but no, it was the truth, he was honest to God completely serious about it, no joke. "... Seriously?" Kazuya asked as he continued to unwittingly wave the Wootstick slightly in front of Mekiel's face, he was hardcore for Wootsticks, no lie.

Kazuya had a hunch Mekiel loved Wootsticks, but this was beyond love, it was almost like he was obsessed with them. "... That much, huh?" He asked, not exactly doubting Mekiel, seeing as he was starting to get addicted to them himself. Lifting the Wootstick up, he was about to take a bite from it, still unaware that he was taunting and provoking Mekiel even more, and probably torturing him too, since the guy adored Wootsticks to the point of obsession. But Kazuya wasn't trying to egg Mekiel on on purpose, that was not his intention at all, though it probably looked like his arm was moving in slow motion from Mekiel's prospective, intentional or not.

[Mekiel Echigo]

[/b][/color] Friendliness won all battles. Right? I think so. I hope so. Otherwise, Mekky got himself into shit. Oh, yeah, and the wrist grabbing. Too assertive, I guess.

He'd release the wrist and let his arm fall back to his side, and his hand retreating to the dark safeness of the pocket. Only time - and the guy - would tell how he'd react. Oh boy, he hoped he wasn't going to get his ass kicked.

Aw, who am I kiddin'? He wanted a fight! He lived for 'em! Let's see how this plays out, yeah?[/ul][/color]

[Kazuya Hikari]

What the...!? Kazuya's eyes flared in surprise as he saw Mekiel's hand reach up, he assumed he was going for the Wootstick in his hand, but in actuality, his wrist, causing him to automatically jerk his wrist back, avoiding Mekiel taking hold of his wrist, as he stuck the Wootstick in his mouth, holding it like a cigarette as he ducked down underneath Mekiel's outstretched arm and was about to rise up with a right uppercut but halted in mid-action the moment he saw Mekiel grin, his fist halfway up to Mekiel's chin. "..." And here Kazuya was planning on sharing his stock of Wootsticks with Mekiel, but not any more... Only joking. Backing up a bit, Kazuya straightened up as he saw Mekiel's arm fall back to his side and shove his hand into his pocket.

"... Are you serious? You're that desperate for a Wootstick to actually beg for it?" Kazuya asked in mild disbelief, the last remaining Wootstick still held in his slightly gaping mouth. "... And here I was planning on sharing my stock of Wootsticks with you, but..." Kazuya trailed off, sounding slightly unsure as he rubbed the back of his neck and took a bite of the Wootstick... right in front of Mekiel's face. But it wasn't the assertive attempt at grabbing his wrist that caused him to unwittingly torture Mekiel like this, in all honesty, it wasn't a big of a deal to him anyways. But seriously, Kazuya was going to share his Wootsticks with Mekiel regardless of what happens.

[Mekiel Echigo]

[/color][/b]

Of course, he couldn't. The chances of him getting that holy, majestic Wootstick were, without a doubt, very, very low. Astronomical, even. Though, truth be told, I don't really know how well astronomical fits into this situation.. Anyway, back to the point: Mekiel's arms would fall to his waist - obviously, one would rise, since it is currently in his pocket - and he'd shrug, fighting off the intent to kill this man for depriving a fellow man of the holy and almighty delight that is the Wootstick! He would burn in hell.

"Now, now. I'm sure we can come to a mutual agreement before you finish off that delectable snack you've got there." He'd point his right index finger and the Wootstick, then raise his hand to his chin to stroke his imaginary beard. "Aha! I've got a proposal for you!" No, not marriage. "A quick spar. Winner take all."[/ul]

[Kazuya Hikari]

"You might want to try a different approach, generally people won't give you stuff if you try to lunge for their wrist." Kazuya replied, as he saw Mekiel's arm fall back to his waist and shrug, though it didn't matter to Kazuya, he was still going to give Mekiel a portion of his Wootsticks stock regardless of what the giant did, as he took a bite of the Wootstick thoughtfully. "... Huh? Oh..." Kazuya said, as he saw Mekiel point at him and pulled the remaining Wootstick out of his mouth, as Mekiel raised his hand and stroked his chin, like he had an imaginary beard of some sort. "Aha! I've got a proposal for you!" I hope he's not asking me to marry him... "A quick spar. Winner take all." Now that's what I'm talking about! Grinning slightly, Kazuya stuck the remaining half of the Wootstick back in his mouth like a cigarette, already he could feel the adrenaline rushing through him, getting pumped up.

Although Kazuya didn't like to fight unnecessarily, he did like a friendly spar once in a while. And what a great way to welcome him back to San Diego. "And here I was going to give you a portion of my Wootsticks stock, no questions asked. But challenges makes life much more interesting." Kazuya said, as he rolled his shoulders, loosening his arm muscles up, which was funny, given Kazuya's fighting style. Tightening up the white headband tied around his head, he shoved one hand into his loose white track pants pockets and lifted his other hand, giving Mekiel the universal gesture for "bring it on," proceeding to shove his other hand into his pocket, and stood in a slightly sideways stance, his feet spread apart slightly. "Shall we?"

[Mekiel Echigo]

[/color]

[Kazuya Hikari]

A fiery look burning in Kazuya's eyes, he saw Mekiel's right arm come up and scratch the back of his head, his arm falling back to the side as he saw grin and a just as fiery look as his own appear in Mekiel's eyes. Taking up his usual fighting stance, he saw Mekiel's fists clench up and drew his left arm back before placing in his pocket, and quickly close the distance between the two of them with a quick step forward with his right foot, as he saw Mekiel's right fist shoot out for a quick hook. Instead of dodging and leaving himself open for a follow-up attack, Kazuya simply leaned his left shoulder back, as Mekiel's fist flew past Kazuya's face.

Quickly ducking down, Kazuya stuck his right leg out and he quickly pivoted on his foot, aiming to sweep Mekiel's legs out from under him. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? If his strike succeeded or did not, Kazuya would then quickly dash to the side and turn around, facing Mekiel as he straightened up, his hands still in his pockets amazingly. Anyone could literally see the flames burning in Kazuya's eyes, it had been a while since he had a spar just for fun, instead of for something important, how he had missed the adrenaline rush that came with it.

[bilalansari]

While this subject can be very touchy for most people,employment
my opinion is that there has to be a middle or common ground that we all can find.Business Articles
I do appreciate that youve added relevant and intelligent commentary here though. Thank you!