Karima's Cellar
Feb 22, 2011 18:40:29 GMT -7
Post by Steely-Eyed, Compadre-Kun on Feb 22, 2011 18:40:29 GMT -7
Karima's Cellar
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Karima’s Creed
This thread is non-death enabled.
Karima’s Creed
Somewhere in the obscure back alleys of western Kumogakure, hidden under the guise of a normal three-story inn, resides a tavern of sorts that caters nightly to the laborers and citizens of the village. It is here where troubles are forgotten and the past vaguely remembered. Where both men and women come to have a good drink and dance and converse with the rest of their community. It is a popular neighborhood hangout and only a select few who don’t live in that particular area know about it. The hours at this establishment tend to gravitate around the evening and go on long into the night—until the burden of tension and work related stress is finally lifted off the shoulders of its patrons. Karima’s Cellar doesn’t close until these circumstances are met.
Description
Out in the grassy front patio, where a glistening fountain sparkles in the center, is where most of the villager’s mingle and meet. Stone benches and fauna surrounded the antique fountain, cooling the night air surrounding it and filling the atmosphere with the soothing sound of running water. A balcony can be seen from outside the patio, on the third floor. It is there where the villagers gather to gaze at their village from a considerable height and relish its beauty. Three entrances mark the front side of the tavern, all of them sporting three wooden doors. The door in the middle, weathered and beaten with use, holds a sign that dangles from the edge of a rusty nail. Scrawled across the post with paint reads: NO FIGHTING, NO INSULTS, NO PROBLEMS.
Upon entering Karima’s Cellar, one will find a wide assortment of round tables and wooden chairs. Two longer tables can be found on each side of the room, to the left and to the right, parallel to each other, and the bar resides in the far back. The hardwood floors glisten with cleanliness, sometimes even spilled beer, and the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling glow like small suns, never wavering in their purpose until Karima’s closes down for the night.
A few doors located behind the bar’s counter lead to a kitchen, where all the small meals are prepared and cooked. The cabinets against the wall, behind the counter, are filled with a variety of strange and exotic liquors. A white board hangs from one of the cabinets, declaring the present champion of the drinking contest as: RUKIO MASAMUNE. Rukio Masamune just happens to be the large, bear-like man sitting on the stool at the end of the counter, drinking a mug full of foamy lager and oblivious to the fact that it’s dripping off his thick black beard. Framed pictures adorn the west wall within the tavern, pictures of a red-haired woman with brown eyes beside a variety of villagers and cloud ninja alike. These are photos of Karima and her favorites. She’s grown old since those days, but her serious and stubborn attitude hasn’t faltered a bit. On the east wall within the tavern is where a dartboard hangs, positioned neatly beside a memorial wall for fallen shinobi known to the neighborhood.
The stairs, located on both sides of the spacious ground floor, lead up to the second floor, where all the available rooms can be found. Following another set of stairs on the second floor takes you to the third floor, where an assortment of comfy couches and tables have been placed. It is also there where the entrance to the balcony resides. Finally, a final set of stairs located in the corner of the third floor lead to the empty rooftop—where love struck couples, or traveler’s lost in thought, often stand to gaze at the midnight moon.
Karima’s Cellar is a considerably large establishment and the only thing that keeps it from being backed up against a steep mountain face is a flat, grassy backyard, housing a single Sakura tree. This spacious part of the property is closed off to most of Karima’s patrons, however, and has only seen its use with the shinobi she’s allowed to train there.
History
Karima Yurika was the single daughter of a middle-class textile merchant and his wife, a prominent medical ninja in Kumogakure who gave up her career to raise her only daughter. She grew up happily as a child in Athos and, after years of contemplating what she wanted to do, chose to become a medic at the age of eighteen, following in her mother’s footsteps. She was a very bright but often reckless student and preferred to do things her own way- through first-hand experience.
Life was going well for her until the day she learned her mother was dying from a fatal disease. There wasn’t much anyone could do during those times, as medical practices weren’t as refined as they are today, and Karima’s mother died shortly after she’d contracted the disease. Driven by an overwhelming sadness over the loss of her mother, Karima left everything behind and escaped into open land to travel. She was only nineteen at the time.
For years, she traversed the lands of the ninja, providing medical assistance to those in need and even assisting the ninja of other villages. Her travels forced her to bear witness to many things- beautiful sceneries, horrible slaughter, tragic death, senseless war. It changed her perspective on life, made her cherish those few friends she had. By the age of 23, as an experienced medic living temporarily in the Land of Fire, Karima decided she’d return to Enrai, and visit her father.
She didn’t find him in Athos, but instead in Kumogakure, living in a large-two story house he’d used to store his textile product. He’d moved there after his wife’s death, as a means of starting fresh and moving forward. But the sadness had never left him.
Like the building he lived in, Karima’s father was beaten down and weary. He knew he didn’t have much time to spend and was going to die soon, but was glad Karima had been there before he passed. With his death, Karima inherited all of his wealth and property.
Confused, agonized, lonely- these were only a few of the emotions Karima felt with her father’s passing. She had half a mind to run away again, but stayed instead. Her travels had turned her into a mature and self-assured individual. She knew leaving Kaminari behind wouldn’t solve her problems, wouldn’t cure her sadness. But perhaps bringing some kind of joy to others would. So, with her father’s remaining wealth and textile product, she repaired her property in western Kumogakure and created Karima’s Bar and Tavern.
Gradually, business began to pick up around her establishment, especially with the local villagers. Her hospitality and stock was unrivaled in the area, thanks to her connections in Enrai and a variety of friends she’d made during her travels. It wasn’t long before Karima’s Bar and Tavern was simply referred to as Karima’s Cellar, due to the vast quantity of alcohol she kept stored down there.
By word of mouth, the villagers of western Kumogakure flocked to Karima’s Cellar each night and was often visited by Cloud shinobi that had grown up in that same neighborhood. Over the years, Karima developed a deep respect for Kumogakure and its shinobi and often provided them with free housing when they needed it, even going as far as letting them train in her backyard. Her cordial attitude towards the village ninja brought her even more business and she was ultimately forced to add a third story to her home.
Karima Yurika was the single daughter of a middle-class textile merchant and his wife, a prominent medical ninja in Kumogakure who gave up her career to raise her only daughter. She grew up happily as a child in Athos and, after years of contemplating what she wanted to do, chose to become a medic at the age of eighteen, following in her mother’s footsteps. She was a very bright but often reckless student and preferred to do things her own way- through first-hand experience.
Life was going well for her until the day she learned her mother was dying from a fatal disease. There wasn’t much anyone could do during those times, as medical practices weren’t as refined as they are today, and Karima’s mother died shortly after she’d contracted the disease. Driven by an overwhelming sadness over the loss of her mother, Karima left everything behind and escaped into open land to travel. She was only nineteen at the time.
For years, she traversed the lands of the ninja, providing medical assistance to those in need and even assisting the ninja of other villages. Her travels forced her to bear witness to many things- beautiful sceneries, horrible slaughter, tragic death, senseless war. It changed her perspective on life, made her cherish those few friends she had. By the age of 23, as an experienced medic living temporarily in the Land of Fire, Karima decided she’d return to Enrai, and visit her father.
She didn’t find him in Athos, but instead in Kumogakure, living in a large-two story house he’d used to store his textile product. He’d moved there after his wife’s death, as a means of starting fresh and moving forward. But the sadness had never left him.
Like the building he lived in, Karima’s father was beaten down and weary. He knew he didn’t have much time to spend and was going to die soon, but was glad Karima had been there before he passed. With his death, Karima inherited all of his wealth and property.
Confused, agonized, lonely- these were only a few of the emotions Karima felt with her father’s passing. She had half a mind to run away again, but stayed instead. Her travels had turned her into a mature and self-assured individual. She knew leaving Kaminari behind wouldn’t solve her problems, wouldn’t cure her sadness. But perhaps bringing some kind of joy to others would. So, with her father’s remaining wealth and textile product, she repaired her property in western Kumogakure and created Karima’s Bar and Tavern.
Gradually, business began to pick up around her establishment, especially with the local villagers. Her hospitality and stock was unrivaled in the area, thanks to her connections in Enrai and a variety of friends she’d made during her travels. It wasn’t long before Karima’s Bar and Tavern was simply referred to as Karima’s Cellar, due to the vast quantity of alcohol she kept stored down there.
By word of mouth, the villagers of western Kumogakure flocked to Karima’s Cellar each night and was often visited by Cloud shinobi that had grown up in that same neighborhood. Over the years, Karima developed a deep respect for Kumogakure and its shinobi and often provided them with free housing when they needed it, even going as far as letting them train in her backyard. Her cordial attitude towards the village ninja brought her even more business and she was ultimately forced to add a third story to her home.
…
So ends that chapter on Karima’s Cellar. No one but a small handful of people know how old Karima really is now or how exactly how long the tavern has been standing, but it doesn’t really matter to the villagers or anyone else really. As long as the drinks keep coming and the atmosphere stays festive, Karima’s Cellar is fine just the way it is.
It is by no account popular or well known within most of Kumogakure, and some would even go as far as stating that it pales in comparison to the tavern’s found in Athos or Enrai. But to many of those who live in the village, who struggle with the toils of everyday life, Karima’s is always the place to go to relieve their troubles.
