One Fine Day

Shou continued to puff as he made his way down the street, wondering where he should head first to begin making his first sales of the day. He'd have to meet up with the others, of course, since he still didn't enjoy the luxury of a cell-phone, seeing now that the thing would help him out in getting deals done and whatnot.
The demon would have been about mid-way through the blunt when he rounded the corner from one street onto the next. At first his eyes were skywards, his thoughts wandering, before suddenly noticing he was stepping into some commotion here. For one, there was Grunty, and that seemed like good news at the time, though the lady was obviously in some trouble judging by the damages around: a car that had broken through a brickwall, the strangely morphed asphalt on the streets and how chunks of the stuff were floating in the air even now. His eyes then fell to the source of the floating asphalt and noted the cursing ferret.
Shou removed the blunt from his mouth and looked to the thing almost increduously. "Damn.. uh.." The oni would ash out the thing on the bottom end of his shoe, figuring he'd had enough for the moment and some later wouldn't be a bad thing. "So what's got you guys awake this early?" He questioned out loud, placing the remaining half of the blunt back atop of his ear.

The oni was feeling way too out of body to manage a dodge from the rocks that came towards him, but he did have the instinct enough to raise his hand out in front of him in the means of defense. They struck against his palm and bounced off, returning to the street, stinging his hand though as Shou winced. "What do you think you're.." He began, but Grunty's approach had the thing jumpy and it suddenly fell off of the car's hood. The ferret seemed to have lost all balance and control as it continued before falling into a storm drain.
"That was a customer?" The oni asked, thinking the hostile little thing odd, and also realizing himself fortunate enough not to have clients like that. The events of the ferret were fast-fading in his mind, though, as he found himself alone with Grunty and feeling pretty lifted, making his way closer to the woman. "I was hoping I'd run into you, actually."

Well, she seemed to enjoy the stuff, obviously having been around it longer than he had. Although, this would have only been his second time, and having all ready smoked through half a blunt alone, he was all ready feeling at his limit. Any more would just be a waste, Shou figured. "You can go ahead and keep that rest of that." The demon would suggest, while his thoughts played on other things. Slavery was sort of something he was indecisive about, but a following and underlings were certainly neccessary if she was planning on getting some real profit made. And this would be his money too, he reminded himself.
"The lesser spirits are all trash, anyways. There's plenty around the forest, especially in that area. Hmm.. I think I'd wanna see what you have growing right now, whenever you got the time for that." The demon was interested in how these things were managed and harvested, especially with the pleasantness and calm that was inspired by the blunt.

The oni casted his glance towards the woman as she took another drag of the blunt, and was reminded of his attachment to her. Fortunately, the incident in which they had been drunk didn't seem to affect the partnership of business as much as he feared.. except now equipped with the knowledge that Grunty was a very satisfying woman in bed. It was an event that he wouldn't have minded to repeat and, so long as he continued to stay close and work with her, he was certain they could play on those notions once more. Alcohol worked very powerfully for such things.
"Heh, so I'm a student now? Guess I can't really argue with that." Shou replied, while his hand went to his pocket, fishing for a small leather bi-fold case. His fingers would press against the side of it, feeling for the objects it held, counting three of them. A good bit to take on the road with him, then, since his temporary provider of the stuff had suggested he be well-equipped in travels.. unless he was going to more secure places, of course, where cops would be a problem. Considering the Western Forest, though, Shou didn't think they'd have that problem. "Just how complicated is growing, anyways?"

The man walked beside her while allowing her to talk, listening to the answer of his question. So the difficulty in growing it wasn't in the crop itself, but the outside forces it was vulnerable to. He supposed this could be said of many plants, though this one held a different value to society, and was certainly a great release from the world. The exotic pleasures that he felt in his mind was only testament to the vegetation's worth. And apparently pigs and cows took a liking to them, something he found odd enough, wondering where in the city the swine were kept. He'd have to keep a careful eye out for those animals when dealing with the pot, not to mention the very ominous sounding 'junkies'.
"I can look after the fields for now, until you've gotten that one plan figured out. The one about getting some lowers in our servitude." The oni replied, shrugging lightly, figuring he'd make himself useful in some way. Besides, if she did have a field of this stuff, it was a bigger supply than he was running now.

The oni wondered on what it was that she was considering after he had made the suggestion. In her position, he would have assumed an immediate acceptance of his offer to assist, but he did have to remember that they hadn't met all that long ago. If there were still trust barriers that she was dealing with, Shou was fairly certain they were temporary things. Once she did agree, the demon smiled, suddenly feeling much more accomplished knowing he would caretake and grow his own supply, rather than having to buy large amounts and dishing it out in smaller portions to make some profit out of it. This way would be pure profit.
"Not as peaceful as you think.." Shou mumbled to himself lightly, briefly recalling the demon he had encountered on his revisit to the place, since he had been away. To her, though, "The spot'll work. If you could show me how to grow them too when we get there, that'd help."

"Black Wings?" The oni questioned upon hearing the name, reminding him of the vaspire he had met some nights ago, though he wasn't sure of a connection. Something else she had said grabbed his attention though, when she had stated she didn't know the strain of what she had. That meant there were different kinds of plants out there, didn't it? Simply more things he would have to learn more about, something he was hoping he could get through quickly. As much as he liked to learn something new everyday, his lack of knowledge on the topic would only hold him back from being the dealer he was hoping to become.
Shou looked to the woman as she told a story about some wolf demons, a little disturbed to hear that she had eaten one of them.. whether it had been in her fox or human form, both thoughts were a worrisome image.

Seeing the woman inhale at the smoke that he gave off around himself, he couldn't help but chuckle lightly. Her wants were clear, here, and with a smirk he handed the joint towards her. The intention hopefully wouldn't have been confused with what happened with the blunt, as he was simply tossing her into a means of rotation. Besides, if he liked the stuff and she liked the stuff then they had enough similarities in which he could count on her as an ally and friend.
"We're competitors to them, though, so it's not unlikely to think that they might attack us.. right?" It seemed reasonable. After all, everybody wanted the most customers, and to do that one would have to take out rivaling sellers. Then again, Grunty didn't really seem too high-key of a dealer.. as far as he knew, the Black Wings didn't know of her existance.
When asked of his motives, Shou snickered, all three of those things sounding good to him. However, he all ready knew the answer before hand. "I want to save this pitiful human race." The oni replied, glancing around their surroundings of the Lower Commons. "And continue to enjoy the same pleasures that they do."

Again, she mentioned the dreaded pigs. How such an animal could pose a threat to them, he didn't know, but he supposed it was something he'd just have to take her word for. Shou supposed he had never met a pig demon.. and now he hoped he would never have to.
The woman seemed to have taken his words seriously, though he had expected something different of an answer from one such as herself. He hadn't really thought other demons would have seen the same things he did in the human race, the potentials that they held, the luxuries and activities that seemed exclusive to them alone. The joint that they passed between eachother was only another example of what they had to offer. The oni took the thing within his finger's pinch, bringing it to his lips once more as he puffed on the thing, the cherry on it having burned about mid-way through the paper now.
Breathing smoke as he spoke, he kept his gaze forward while they continued to walk. "I probably wouldn't have thought to either if you hadn't brought me into their world."

The oni made as if to speak, though he kept silent as she made the assumption that he was a spirit bred from other means. In truth, his being was the result of his human self dying, though for some reason any thoughts pass his immediate death were hazy and unclear. He really wouldn't have been able to offer her a better explanation with his own limited knowledge, deciding as soon as he found out, she would.. if she decided to ask on it again.
As she spoke ill of the humans, the demon turned towards her rather curiously. He hadn't had as much experience as her dealing with humans, at least not known to him, but her harsh judgements didn't really seem to bother him. If they really did hide behind such masks, Shou supposed they should do as they like. After all, the notion of doing whatever it was that he wanted was the one that kept him lured to the human world.

The buildings grew fewer and not as close together. Some of the more questionable shops and areas lurked about here, Shou had noticed, though they didn't stay there too long as the surface beneath his feet shifted from the pavement of the streets of the Lower Commons to the soft and short grass and boxes and tents lined up all around the field. As the woman spoke, he glanced her way and met her gaze with his own. While what she said might have been construed as being way too deep to be coming out of the thug oni's mouth, Shou was beginning to realize now just how insightful this woman could be.
Again, the Black Wings were mentioned once more, and he noted the advantage that they held over Grunty when it came to sales. If they couldn't even enter the main City Metro, it couldn't be expected that they would have much impact when it came to their society. "What else do you know about them?" Shou asked, "The Black Wings, I mean.."

The other oni's comments of the organization being led by two women, with a possible love connection, only caused him to chuckle at Grunty's behavior towards it. It was something unheard of to him, though the idea didn't seem as ridiculous as it did to her. "Well, when you put it that way, the best friend idea has to be it, right?" Shou said, though the statement was more of a tease than anything, a smirk set on his expression.
She had mentioned the pigs again, though. It was enough reminder to sour his mood, the smirk fading once more. If it was true that they were devourers of weed, then their great numbers would prove to be formidable in their favor, indeed. "We really got to look out for those pigs, though, huh?"

Had the demon misunderstood somewhere? Divison 12 was supposed to be the working anti-demon force that the human possessed.. could it be that the secret was within the swine? That the humans controlled and put them to their own uses, that these things were the secret weapons of the mortal race and..
Shou stopped himself there, narrowing his eyes lightly with a little bit of thought. Yes, now he realized that this 'pig' term was simply a nickname endowed to the police force. "Tch.." He glanced to the side, somewhat embarrassed of himself, though it seemed that the woman wasn't aware of his thoughts. That was a plus, at least, and now he could play it off as if he had known this whole time.
"We really have the entirety of the human race working against us, then, don't we? Both the good and the bad."

The oni couldn't could back some laughter at that thought. They represented death? He had to grin at that, taking some measure of pride in being a demon, though death was something he was trying to prevent for the human race. "That's probably because we are dead. And most demon seem fine in just throwing their lives away for those little bits of chaos that they can manage before they get done in by the humans, hm?" Shou closed his eyes, sighing lightly, though his mood nor his smile faded. "I can relate, when I see them at it, it seems really fun.. my heart pounds and I wanna join in. And the funnest part is that the humans don't even see it coming! The lives that they fall so routine into ends adrubtly by mere ghosts." Again, he chuckled, before shaking his head and opening his eyes to look Grunty's way.
"I would, but they have some methods of defending themselves, and I'm hoping I can have my fun for years to come."
Shou glanced up ahead towards the trees of the forest that they approached. "I'll save them now to make the hunt more.. exclusive. This way they don't get wiped out before I've had my fill."

The woman beside him seemed considerably less talkative as they neared the forest, glancing her way sensing that something might have been wrong. Even in her expression, it was obvious that her mood had shifted, she actually seemed quite sad. Of course, this might have been due to the consistent drug abuse that the demoness engaged in and the nasty effects of not having something in one's system when being used to it. Such things were common knowledge among the drug world, though Shou couldn't be certain what they did to an oni, since they didn't actually possess a real human body and therefore they didn't possess many of their weaknesses. Perhaps Grunty was immune to such ideas as addiction.
Shou couldn't have known what part of their conversation had lowered her moods as they did, or if it had been something he had sayed at all. Now, though, he felt awkward and compelled to try and cheer her up. "It's okay.. I'd let you join me on those hunts." The oni offered.

Shou chuckled lightly, "A bonfire would definitely do the trick, hmm?" He couldn't help but smile at the thought, also glad to see that Grunty was making the effort to cheer up without too much work on his part. His gaze moved away from her and forward as the shadows of the trees fell over the pair now, their steps taking them into the forest by this point. He more or less remembered the way to the spot, though Grunty would probably hold a better recollection of it as she must have visited the Western Forest much more often than himself. Since having left the place, he had only returned on two occassions and those were training exercises, one of them accompanied by the spiritual artist, Yon.
As he weaved between the trees, eventually finding something of a pathway on the ground, he reached into his pocket. "Here. It's my last, but you could definitely use it, I think. Just be sure to return the favor sometime, heh." Producing his final joint, he figured he had made enough sales to even himself out for buying another pound or so of the substance while having a good supply of his own. One might have been a little disappointed at the lack of profit, but this way Shou was smoking practically free weed.

Shou kept his gaze on her for the moment, watching as she took the drag from the joint, pleased to see that he could have helped cheered her up. He didn't feel any real compulsion to have the woman happy, though her company was a far more depressing one when she didn't have the usual demeanor about her, the oni was simply paying her a favor. After all, they were about to come upon fields of the very thing that she was smoking. Shou had seen the buds of the plants before from where he had picked up his own supply, but those had been indoor plants and few in number.

The question took him aback a little, raising an eyebrow as he glanced her way, meeting her eyes. "Truthfully..?" The oni asked, pausing for a moment. A smirk couldn't help but cross his expression as the words came together, flowing out of his mouth as he looked away from her once more. "I would think that such a question doesn't really befit you, Grunty. You're not the type to really give a damn about what people think of you, right?" She sure hadn't shown any signs of caring of other's opinions this far, so he figured his answer would have been appropriate enough to snap her back into that same attitude and forget about his thoughts about her.
"That stuff's not making you soft, is it?" The oni further teased her, giving a nod to indicate the joint in the woman's hand.

Of course the other oni couldn't have understood just how sappy she was beginning to sound. Shou didn't suppose she had ever dealt with those kinds of feelings, at least not while she had been a spirit. Grunty was, of course, talking about a relationship, an intimate bonding between man and woman. He had to wonder if she could even be considered capable of that kind of thing, especially since it didn't prove much difficulty for one to get to take her to bed with them. Should she ever manage herself a relationship, Shou had to wonder if her loyalties would lie true.
The oni simply shrugged, as those kinds of things held no real interest to he, himself, but he figured he should at least offer her some reassurance to her thoughts. "That's the kind of thing that you won't be able to rush. It'll either come to you or leave you alone." He was a little surprised of himself that he was offering this woman advice, however valid it might be. "Why the sudden interest?"

Shou noticed the pause and again it seemed he was witnessing the effects of the drugs on the woman. When she finally did manage to collect those thoughts, though, and provide an answer, Shou couldn't help but chuckle at the mentioning of him being scared. While he was never one to admit his own fear, always the type to overcome it, she had certainly provided an easy and sureproof way out of the question. "That's right, Grunty. You got me tremblin'." He stated, a smirk coming to his face. If he wanted to escape the inquiry all together, a hasty topic change was in order; "So how far away is that field of yours, anyways?"

Shou came to a stop once they came to the spot with the dead trees. Whatever damage that had been caused here seemed to spread out for quite a distance, the oni noticed, his eyes scanning the scenery before returning to look to Grunty as the woman hopped ontop of a large rock and crouched to get a better view. Shou joined her just afterwards, kneeling beside her to see what it was that she was talking about.