Starring:
Ayumu, Jaken (as Grim), Yagyu
Date: January 6, 2017
Summary:
Grave robbing is a terrible crime, but none could ever say they paid the price by receiving a visit from the guardian of the graveyard themselves. Grim, along with Yagyu and Ayumu, defend the graveyard from any further desecration by preventing a particular robber from escaping. Together, they help to keep the legends alive of guardian spirits and what wrath is to be incurred when their realms are trifled with.
"Ballad of the Desert Spectre"
Warrior's End Graveyard
"Why these people just can't leave other people's alone?!" Yagyu shouted while walking with the group. She held the crushed paper detailing the mission in her hand. "We gotta go catch some dude that's digging up graves because he thinks he's about to find some top or somethin'. So now we gotta go stop him. I'm mad, cause I wanna go the to bed!" She shoved the paper down into an available pocket.
She looked up at the night sky and sneered. It was dark, it was cold, but at least there was some moonlight, so she wasn't entirely useless here. "Since I have to suffer, I dragged y'all with me so that y'all could feel my pain. ESPECIALLY YOU!" She pointed out Grim. "But it's all cool, it's cool. I ain't mad or anything." Cause she totally didn't mention that a few moments ago. "I'm so calm," she inhaled deeply and sighed the breath back out. "I'm /so/ calm."
The group has traveled across the desert and to the Warrior's End graveyard where those who were in service to the village are given a final and honorable rest. Yet, a thief has decided that they wanted to defile the grave site and disturb the rest of the dead, hoping to get lucky on some abilities. Hopefully, that person will be stopped.
A night mission, it would be almost an ideal situation; cool, dark, and paying, it wasn't for the nagging sensation that at any moment someone who shall not be named ~Yagyu**cough*cough*~ was going to push him into an open grave and then give him a 21 rock-salt shot salute before accidentally covering him up. "People always trying to look for a get rich quick scheme. Every couple years or so some myth or legend about hidden treasure just pops up." he pulls the ends of the straw overcloak around his shoulders to fend off the night chill that can suddenly beseech one in the sands. "I already I told you! I got into the role!" he says with a flourish of his cloak "I am an Ach-tor!" he says before mumbling to himself "Quit acting so good Grim, Don't outshine me Grim, stop stealing my lines Grim.. Don't say it like that Grim.. meh.meh.meh" he says with a handsy-puppet.
As they approach the graveyard the levity of the situation turns a little more focused but only just, if they were to take it completely serious it wouldn't be a scorpion-squad and friends mission-sortie. "Do we know anything about the general location or the relative identity or details beyond bad guy doing shady stuff please stop him?" he asks knocking the pipe out against his boot and sliding it into the recess of his sash.
Ayumu had no business messing with graveyards in any fashion. He would say as much from the get go, and yet ultimately follow through with the request, if only due to… limited options. It certianly had nothing to do with feelings of debt regarding a previous incident. Oh no! Never! The man has a perfectly clean slate when it comes to Yagyu and Grim! :D And he most abso-LUTELY wasn't still overly curious about the pair's nature, past, and dreams. Because that would be creepy. And silly. And… creepy?
Either way, Ayumu silently endured whatever tirade Yagyu and… 'thing' with Grim that is dished out with an unchanging foxy smile. He was content, after all. The only thing of bother had been the cool night air slipping past his desert cloak. However, an absent-minded readjustment of it sees to that. When a good point is brought up by the Grim about the mission, Ayumu only turns to Yagyu with a raised brow and head canted slight to the side.
"I know you did and you got me into the role and it made it harder for me to do what I had to do! I don't care if you're an actor, I'm 'bout to act these hands across your face! When I'm done, you gonna be exiting from all sides of the stage!" Yagyu started back up after her tragically failed attempt at trying to calm down. Not that she as really trying… "You ain't gotta be silent, lookin' at me like that! You can talk too!" She dragged Ayumu into this. "All y'all got me mad and up right now!" She looked ahead to see if they had reached their destination. Almost there, it seems. "We know he a guy that robs graves and yeah, we know he's a bad guy doing shady stuff that we gotta stop! That's standard! We ain't know who this dude is, just exactly what you described. We gonna figure out everything, again! We gotta stay posted on the spot and see if the piece of shows up again."
Grim raises a finger in protest "It was to protect our identity and the identity of our employer and the target. Don't be mad at me Mitsuko, if you wore clothes that fit they wouldn't have been ogling your goods instead of the merchandise" he says in a throwback moment before looking at Ayumu, this guy was still somewhat of mystery or drunkard or both. "Well at least a night, we don't have to worry much about non-combatants. Does this place have any kind of security detail? If it did we wouldn't be here.. slash that. just thinking outloud badly. Alright so let's be on the lookout" he says pulling the rim of his hat upwards off his eyes as he glances about in the moonlight looking for moment or odd sources of light.
Ayumu stops in place only to lean away with his hands pressed over his chest as if genuinely offended accusation. But upon seeing her only get more riled up over it, the man sighs lightly and shakes his head dismissively. He carries on silently until the new Grim offers the new suggestion. After taking a few seconds to regard the ground and rub his chin, the Iga goes to pat Grim on the shoulder, grins as if thankful for something, and then… promptly moses a short ways away to find a spot to lie down for awhile.
After all, the could be waiting all night for someone to show up, so taking shifts were important!
"Masako! Wait, ," Yagyu hissed. "Ooooooooooooooooh, you tryin' me right now!" She would've yelled more, but decided against it as they'd just reached their destination. A scan of the area doesn't reveal any signs of life aside from wildlife scattering away from the area. However, there is some damage to the graves around here. Obvious signs of digging and replacing the dirt are seen. "I don't like how silent you are. Speak the up," she whispered to Ayumu. "How do I know you capable of communication when you don't even try to open your mouth?" She was none too happy right now. "Now I gotta watch you cause you ain't sayin' . You better hope I don't catch you tryin' to pull a fast one or I'll choke both of y'all out here and bury you with your * facing up."
She huffed to herself and pointed out a place they could hide at for a bit. "That looks like a good spot," she continued her harsh, salt laden whispering. "And now that we're here, we ain't got ** to do, but wait…." She yanked her hat over the top of her face so she could boil in her own frustrations.
Some time passes, but there is no activity to be seen yet. The moon has moved and changed the lighting a bit, but nothing she still couldn't handle. Her two companions were still irritating her, but such was the abnormal norm for Yagyu. "I think someone is comin'." She peered out over the rocks that obscured them and took a look down at the graveyard. From the entryway, a person carrying a bag enters and it appears there are some tools on them also.
Grim sneered at her response it was exactly what he wanted, a little known fact you have to prime the salt-cano before unleashing it on others. As they take their waiting for the badguy position, he lays about for a while, before having silent conversations with two handsy-puppets the conversation of which seem to be rather humorous as they elicit snorts and jeers from the desert mercenary. "Acknowledged" he says peeking over the rocks in looking where she has identified " ~Someone~ Confirmed" he says following up her observation as factual. "So I guess we wait for them to do something, don't want to be like the shinobi and murder some innocent guy just picking up trash cause he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time." he says before leaning back against the rocks. "Your mission, your lead, Stinger" he says patting her on the shoulder.
In Ayumu's defense, the Iga does open his mouth and starts to raise a hand as if to say something. He just timed the effort poorly, because Yagyu goes on threatening and berating both of them until her interest inevitably returns to the mission. Thoroughly bemused, Ayumu stands there for close to a solid minute before ultimately deciding to drop the hand, and just follow after Yagyu's footsteps.
Once they arrive at the new hidey-hole the Iga returns to trying finding a spot to rest. Naturally, rest was not to be this evening. He scarcely starts to lay down when the team's leader pipes up about a person. Ever the stubborn one, Ayumu huffs and only props up himself on his elbows. Anything more than that would have to be an order judging by the surly look in his now smile devoid face.
"Exactly," Yagyu responded to Grim. "I'm still mad at you, don't act like this makes up for anything." She sort of wanted to laugh about the situation, but the salt she had on it was higher in concentration than happiness. "We gonna wait here until we see somethin' happenin'. When we do, we engage. We ain't gotta attack until we know for sure there's a problem. Gotta leave all possibilities open."
She continued looking over the rocks and seeing what the person was doing. So far, nothing significant was happening. They roamed around, inspecting the graves and once they were finished, they approached their bag and began pulling out other tools to utilize. The first grave started on was one nearest to the group. The individual dug into it until the body was exposed and began to inspect around the area.
The silence of Ayumu finally reached its peak and she cut her eyes at him and proceeded to launch herself at him, hands reaching for his neck choke him. All that silence was bugging her and now she needed to choke the sound out of him. As of now, the mission was officially forgotten.
In classic Grim when the two start fighting; he vaults over the rock and walks casually over to the gravedigger. He was contemplating between greeting him kindly and asking for directions or just disappearing from the man's sense which was a latent talent of his. He looks over his shoulders for a moment with a sneer, it was bound to happen anyways better now than when it matters. As he approaches the man, he can see the trepidation and decides that stealth was more the intelligent move and attempts to conceal himself and get a closer look. It was unlikely it was a real gravedigger and more a grave robber, one doesn't usually dig up full graves.
Ever the patient one as well, Ayumu was prepared to wait at least a good, long hour for word to engage in spite of his mood. And though physically blind at the moment, his ears were just a tad to sharp not to catch a hint of brewing trouble. Regardless of whether or not it is labored breathing, popping joints, or the beginings of a snarl issuing forth that gives away the attack, Ayumu's open wide only in false surprise over the sudden assault.
Strangely, he does not even try to roll out of the way of the attack. Stranger still may be the lack of the satisfying sensation of flesh and bone being gradually crushed beneath her paws. In fact, it is almost as if there's some thin barrier eminating from that precise region. Ayumu carries on pantomiming being strangled to death up until either Yagyu has an ephiphany, or his brushing and burrowing fingers find their marks in the young woman's most ticklesh spots!
All the while he never makes a sound. *.*
Yagyu continued trying to strangle Ayumu, but she just couldn't get a handle on his neck. It was unusual! And frustrating! She decided the solution was to grip tighter, even if she had to twist his head off his neck to accomplish it, but there was one problem with that. There was a sensation building that was causing her grip to weaken and seek to defend her from traveling hands and much worse, her lips were beginning to slip into a smirk.
In the meantime, Grim would be able to approach the person no problem and observe their actions more closely. It appears the person is seeking something out, but not in the way a grave robber would. No, they're looking for something much more significant. As they kneel down and check over the corpse, they search until a pendant is produced. The individual sighed in relief and placed the pendant back. They then proceeded to place the dirt back over the grave without much issue.
The smirk Yagyu tried her hardest to hold back began to grow into a smile and though she was angry, she couldn't hold back from giggling up until it occured to her that she was still on a mission. She shook it off and raised her fist to deck Ayumu in the face. Then turned around to see that Grim was gone. "Where the did he go?" She whispered to herself. The individual in the area braced the shovel they had and proceeded to take a defensive position while asking, "Who's there?"
It seemed that it was a concerned civilian hoping that a treasured heirloom lay with their owner, but it was still not the proper way to handle the situation so it was time for a little scorpion-squad justice. Grim slides down the hat covering his eye, the single green jewel peering out from the slots, his skin is quite pale as he suddenly like a pillar of sand washes back into existence. "I am the guardian spirit of the dead, Know that you have desecrated this solemn and sacred place. I can see in your heart that you carried a burden to know but you have disturbed the dead. You must make an offering in the daylight and say a prayer to apologize to those whom you disturbed. Now begone or a curse I shall lay upon youuuuuuuuuu-ooo" he says his body seems to wash away in the column of sand and he goes back to their ~hiding~ spot. "False Alarm" he says pulling the hat off his eyes as he leans against the rock.
She could resist the inevitable all she wanted, but Ayumu would not relent in his assault. He was filled to the brim with… DETERMINATION! Her weakening resolve only fueled his efforts to get at least a giggle out of her before the end of the night. But instead, he recieved a punch for his efforts. A solid one too, seeing as how he grunted and rubbed at the spot.
Soon enough, He literally and metaphorically shook of the pain long enough to pat Yagyu on the shoulder, risking the hand. It mattered not, for no matter what further harm may be inflicted, Ayumu's made certian to gesture with his free hand in Grim's general direction.
It seems at least /someone/ had the decency to stay focused on the mission!
Oh wait… Two someones! Yeah! >.>
The person brandishes their shovel and holds it up towards Grim while listening to him speak. "I don't remember any guardians being around here last time I came," the man spoke. The 'guardian spirit' faded out of existence, leaving a very confused average citizen. The person continued to hold up their shovel until they felt they were safe and packed it away. Time to head home. They walked off and left the area, passing by another person that was sneaking around the area hoping to get inside. They didn't know any others were here, but it seems it was just some random citizen. Stay out of the way until they pass and then head inside. Simple enough.
Yagyu took Grim's return as more than enough reason to whip around and punch him in the face. "What was all that guardian you just pulled off?" She hissed quietly at him. "The we look like out here, bruh?" Cause she totally didn't just attack Ayumu for silly reasons. Nope. "Left that dude out here all confused and . Anyway, we still posted out here. Keep an eye out. Y'all makin' my mission go on longer than expected," she grumbled to herself and gestured for them to face their eyes forward on the graveyard.
That new visitor was beginning to creep inside and look around for any activity before bringing out their own tools and digging up a choice grave. Looks like this one was scoped out for a while and has something of value. No care was given to how it was being dug up.
Grim knew it was coming, it was just time to grin and bear it, she must have been just making a point because instead of a square on punch to the face it just glances off his jaw with a little upset of his feature. "Shhh.. Stinger.. come on.." he says waving his hands at her in defensive waves. "Remember those legends I was talking about, Well now the regular people won't go around screwing with the graves and it might even stop the least intelligent criminals.. also now there will be ghost seekers and people coming here which should provide free security and watchful eyes." he looks sternly "I like to think it's proper advertising." he says before hearing something and jerking his head to look over the rocks and pointing it out "Another visitor has arrived. So what's the plan Fairy Squad Mother?" he asks trying to invoke the magic safe words.
Ayumu pats his chest, and then waves a hand before his briefly wide open eyes with a goofy smile from the ground. If neither of them caught the gesture, then so be it. But they would both rue the day they missed his joke! Rue it!
Eventually, the Iga does work up the energy to roll over into a decent spot, sit up on his butt, and feign look about the area with a hand above his eyes. Once more, it is Grim question that prompts a familiar look in Yagyu's direction, though this time it is accompanied by a mouthed 'Yea, Yea, Yea!'. What an obediant comrad!
Yagyu gave Grim's words some thought and she sighed. "You right, you right," she shook her head. "I'm just mad cause I wanna sleep and this stupid mission got me all upset. I'm still mad at you for last time, though, but I ain't gotta be this mad." She tried to get herself together and shake it all off. They've got a new visitor. A brief glance is offered to Ayumu as he makes his gesture and all the peace that filled her was about to disappear to hit him again, but nope, she's the Fairy Squad Mother. She gotta hold up that role. She understands what he's saying, but she just wishes he'd actually say it. She hopes he isn't dumb included with his blindness.
The thief continues digging until they come upon the first signs of a body and begin reaching down to clutch whatever it is they're looking for. They fuss around until they find a scroll and rip it from the hold of the skeleton, holding it up to the moonlight. Checking it over, the thief stuffed it away and moved over to another grave to begin his work.
"Alright, this should be simple enough. We trap the dude and then we capture him to take back to Suna. I'll head out first. Y'all follow up." Yagyu moves out to engage the visitor as she performs a seal to extend her shadow out to catch the person. She managed to trap them in place and force them to follow her movements. While shocked at first, the thief begins to study what he's trapped in and maintains his calm. "Guess I've been caught," he states in a nonchalant fashion. "Guess you have," the Nara responded back. "I have one question for you. Can you catch me?" Focusing chakra to his legs, he turned around and ran towards one of the walls at a break neck pace, stopping short of running into a wall himself. Still under the hold of the shadow which meant what happened to him also happened to Yagyu. Having lost control, she was flung out of her own jutsu and hit the wall, stunned for a few moments.
Grim puts a hand over his face in anguish "I don't know her" before looking to Ayumu "I doubt you have any of that fancy speed jutsu or something? And check on her." He raises his hands above his head making a fist and concentrating as a light aura swirls around him before running and flipping forward landing his fist into the ground with a resounding explosion of chakra sends him flying into the air "Flying Fist Desuuuuu!" he says as he arcs off into the direction of the guy. It was a quick back of the napkin calculation on how much chakra to blast and the angle but you know close enough good enough. Hopefully his desert hardened body could withstand the landing which was going to be forceful but graceful if he had his way.
Ayumu only has enough time to look startled in Yagyu's general direction before she takes off on her own. With a sigh, Ayumu looks to Grim, rubs his chin thoughtfully for a brief few seconds, and then shakes his head at the question. He is able and willing to try seeing to Yagyu's condition, assuming their target had no more tricks up his sleeves.
He is, however, a bit less open about it. Slowly but surely, earth churns and rises near Yagyu, coalescing in time into Ayumu's form. "Are you alright?" He asked worriedly after attempting to take hold and stead on the Nara. Even as he spoke, the Iga did not limit his actions to simply ensuring Yagyu's safety. Sensory organs masquerading as clumps of hair slip away to scatter throughout the area.
"You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to catch me!" The thief called to Yagyu. "Although, this isn't the first time ladies have been knocked off their feet over me, but I'm only ever a quick trip for them as they search for other guys," he said in mock depression. Unaware Grim has just taken to the sky, his only warning was the sound of a 'desu' flying at him and knocking him in the face. He isn't sure what just hit him, but it was large, dark, and sounded like something out of a manga. Knocked off his feet, he dropped the scroll on the ground as he was sent sailing in similar fashion to Yagyu just moments ago.
"Nah, I ain't fine. You over here talkin' to me and I coulda swore you were mute. I don't think I'm good at all," she rose up to her feet and staggered a couple steps. "Nope, everything up right now, but I gotta get my revenge on that punk that thought he could just cross me like that." Her words were slurred, but she was sure of herself. That guy was going to pay. "Aye!" She called out to the guy. "Stand still so I can wreck your face!" The thief was just getting to his feet as he heard Yagyu talking to him. "You still gotta—Oh shoot," he reached around his person to find the scroll he had was no longer in hand and he wouldn't be able to move that fast for another few minutes. "…" He thought to himself for a few moments before reeling his leg back and kicking at the sand in the area to try and blind Grim or at least obscure his vision so that he could make a run for the scroll.
It was a rough landing but perhaps surprisingly he actually hit the target or near enough to make an impression on him, "I wouldn't taunt her unless you want to be eating through a tube" he says before the spray of sand is kicked in his direction, he raises his hand into front of his eye trying to block as much as possible but a significant amount makes it blurring his vision in a stream of mirage like liquid, Grim tries as best he can to look-past the pain and disorientation only managing to just see well enough to cut off the thief from his item. "You have disrupted the sacred earth and disrespected the dead! You will face the wrathful spectre of the desert!" it was nearly impossible for him not to make a role out of it.
Success! Sort of! The thief, though he tried to make a move for the scroll, was blocked by the giant that was Grim. Okay, he wasn't that big, but in the night, he sort of looked like an ogre and he was just big enough to keep him from reaching his prize. "We'll see about that when I escape here!" He was waiting for his chakra to circulate so that he could activate his jutsu once more.
Yagyu continued to stumble along, noting Ayumu's concern, but otherwise placing it to the side while her rage boiled over at the thief. "Don't make this hard for yourself! You done already up, so might as well sit here and take the punishment!" She called out to him. She proceeded to use her shadow once more, but found it difficult to focus while she was still trying to recover from the last hit she sustained. This pause gave enough time for the thief to activate his jutsu and use it to run around Grim and attempt to make a break for it.
Before he could leave the graveyard, tendrils of hair began to rise up and cover the exit, much like a spider web. They wove together quickly and created a netting that wouldn't allow for easy escape. The thief skid to a stop before he ran into that hair and then turned back around to face the graveyard. He needed another escape route. He supposes he could try running up the walls, but he'd have to wait until the chakra circulated once again.
"I told you to stand still!" Yagyu hissed. "I ain't lettin' you get out of here, yet!" The thief looked around, hoping to find some place to slip off to and hide to wait for a recharge. "If you think I'm going to sit and let you hit me, you're crazy! You and that spectre! And whoever that guy is!" He speaks of Ayumu while hopping off to a safe spot.
The scroll seems to become a secondary concern for the thief now that it seems that there are more important things to worry about; like his continued existence. The desert mercenary thumbs it into his palm before sliding it into the recesses of his cloak, the blur of the Thief rockets by him before disappearing into the night, but not before he catches a quick glimpse of where the trail ended with his white hot sun forged vision. "Spectre Scorpion Punch.. Desuuuu" he shouts as the sends a heavy chakra laden fist into the thief's hiding place narrowly missing but the wind of his fist raising the hair on the back of neck before there is a loud pop as the chakra pulse is sent out without a target to find in it's path. "I can smell your soul defiler! Kneel and repent or a curse of death will fall upon you!" then there is an awkward pause before Grim goes "oooooo-OOO—ooooo" added for emphasis.
The thief did, in fact, feel the hair stand up on his neck and his head and everywhere else on his body. He was narrowly missed by the attack the spectre launched and he was beginning to think that this guy meant business. Yagyu was only just beginning to recover from the strike she took and stabilize to join the fight once more. The thief, unforunately, couldn't hide much longer and his body still hadn't recovered to run off again. He doesn't even have the scroll he was looking for.
"Okay, how about this!" He begins. "How about you let me go free and we won't have to worry about me coming back to this place ever again?" Yagyu shook her head. "Nope! You ain't gettin' outta this that easily!" She started. "You gonna accept your punishment!"
The theif swallowed and rapped his fingers across the rock. "Alright, alright," he began. "I was only trying to make a little money. No hard feelings, right?" Yagyu shook her head. She had worse than hard feelings, she had salt feelings and she made certain to punctuate them by extending her shadow once more and using it to ram the thief into the wall a couple of times to knock him out, but not to cause too much damage. Just a few lumps to remember her by.
"Graveyard Inspectre, you got the scroll?" the Nara inquired. "It's only right the ghost would have it. We gonna have to return it to its rightful place."
Grim scratches the side of his jaw as he watches the thief being pummeled against the wall by the avenging shadows of the sodium spirit of supreme salt-tissity. "That's Enough Stinger. I'll carry him he won't be going anywhere" he says rooting around in his cloak producing the musty dirt-laden scroll his mind to glance at it was strong but his respect for the dead was greater so he tosses to the young nara. "Please return it while I clean up the pieces" he says hiking a thumb in the direction of the thief. Leaning down he grabs the thief in an vice like grip putting him across his shoulders like a medic carry, his vice like grip making sure that even if he woke, he wouldn't find any leeway to struggle loose. "Anyways, we have to return him alive.. at least that is what you said the contract stipulated.. if dead is option you know I can simplify that oversight." he says with a cold hearted devilish grin.
Yagyu takes the scroll in hand and her curiosity almost gets the better of her, but she decided to be professional and keep the scroll closed. She went back over to the grave and placed the scroll inside of it with its rightful owner. She then began to cover the grave once more. "We do have to return him alive. That way, he'll tell us about all the other robbing he's done so we can have the stolen items placed back where they're supposed to be. So, while I'd really like that oversight to happen, it can't. So, we gotta chill," she explained.
She patted down the dirt on the grave to ensure it was all evened out prior to stuffing the tools away and bringing them with her. "Alright, we can all head out. Good job, y'all. I hope we can get some rest from all of this. I know I ain't takin' no more contracts until I get some rest."
"Why these people just can't leave other people's **** alone?!" Yagyu shouted while walking with the group. She held the crushed paper detailing the mission in her hand. "We gotta go catch some dude that's digging up graves because he thinks he's about to find some top **** or somethin'. So now we gotta go stop him. I'm mad, cause I wanna go the **** to bed!" She shoved the paper down into an available pocket.
She looked up at the night sky and sneered. It was dark, it was cold, but at least there was some moonlight, so she wasn't entirely useless here. "Since I have to suffer, I dragged y'all with me so that y'all could feel my pain. ESPECIALLY YOU!" She pointed out Grim. "But it's all cool, it's cool. I ain't mad or anything." Cause she totally didn't mention that a few moments ago. "I'm so calm," she inhaled deeply and sighed the breath back out. "I'm /so/ calm."
The group has traveled across the desert and to the Warrior's End graveyard where those who were in service to the village are given a final and honorable rest. Yet, a thief has decided that they wanted to defile the grave site and disturb the rest of the dead, hoping to get lucky on some abilities. Hopefully, that person will be stopped.
A night mission, it would be almost an ideal situation; cool, dark, and paying, it wasn't for the nagging sensation that at any moment someone who shall not be named ~Yagyu**cough*cough*~ was going to push him into an open grave and then give him a 21 rock-salt shot salute before accidentally covering him up. "People always trying to look for a get rich quick scheme. Every couple years or so some myth or legend about hidden treasure just pops up." he pulls the ends of the straw overcloak around his shoulders to fend off the night chill that can suddenly beseech one in the sands. "I already I told you! I got into the role!" he says with a flourish of his cloak "I am an Ach-tor!" he says before mumbling to himself "Quit acting so good Grim, Don't outshine me Grim, stop stealing my lines Grim.. Don't say it like that Grim.. meh.meh.meh" he says with a handsy-puppet.
As they approach the graveyard the levity of the situation turns a little more focused but only just, if they were to take it completely serious it wouldn't be a scorpion-squad and friends mission-sortie. "Do we know anything about the general location or the relative identity or details beyond bad guy doing shady stuff please stop him?" he asks knocking the pipe out against his boot and sliding it into the recess of his sash.
Ayumu had no business messing with graveyards in any fashion. He would say as much from the get go, and yet ultimately follow through with the request, if only due to… limited options. It certianly had nothing to do with feelings of debt regarding a previous incident. Oh no! Never! The man has a perfectly clean slate when it comes to Yagyu and Grim! :D And he most abso-LUTELY wasn't still overly curious about the pair's nature, past, and dreams. Because that would be creepy. And silly. And… creepy?
Either way, Ayumu silently endured whatever tirade Yagyu and… 'thing' with Grim that is dished out with an unchanging foxy smile. He was content, after all. The only thing of bother had been the cool night air slipping past his desert cloak. However, an absent-minded readjustment of it sees to that. When a good point is brought up by the Grim about the mission, Ayumu only turns to Yagyu with a raised brow and head canted slight to the side.
"I know you did and you got me into the role and it made it harder for me to do what I had to do! I don't care if you're an actor, I'm 'bout to act these hands across your face! When I'm done, you gonna be exiting from all sides of the stage!" Yagyu started back up after her tragically failed attempt at trying to calm down. Not that she as really trying… "You ain't gotta be silent, lookin' at me like that! You can talk too!" She dragged Ayumu into this. "All y'all got me mad and **** up right now!" She looked ahead to see if they had reached their destination. Almost there, it seems. "We know he a guy that robs graves and yeah, we know he's a bad guy doing shady stuff that we gotta stop! That's standard! We ain't know who this dude is, just exactly what you described. We gonna figure out everything, again! We gotta stay posted on the spot and see if the piece of **** shows up again."
Grim raises a finger in protest "It was to protect our identity and the identity of our employer and the target. Don't be mad at me Mitsuko, if you wore clothes that fit they wouldn't have been ogling your goods instead of the merchandise" he says in a throwback moment before looking at Ayumu, this guy was still somewhat of mystery or drunkard or both. "Well at least a night, we don't have to worry much about non-combatants. Does this place have any kind of security detail? If it did we wouldn't be here.. slash that. just thinking outloud badly. Alright so let's be on the lookout" he says pulling the rim of his hat upwards off his eyes as he glances about in the moonlight looking for moment or odd sources of light.
Ayumu stops in place only to lean away with his hands pressed over his chest as if genuinely offended accusation. But upon seeing her only get more riled up over it, the man sighs lightly and shakes his head dismissively. He carries on silently until the new Grim offers the new suggestion. After taking a few seconds to regard the ground and rub his chin, the Iga goes to pat Grim on the shoulder, grins as if thankful for something, and then… promptly moses a short ways away to find a spot to lie down for awhile.
After all, the could be waiting all night for someone to show up, so taking shifts were important!
"Masako! Wait, ****," Yagyu hissed. "Ooooooooooooooooh, you tryin' me right now!" She would've yelled more, but decided against it as they'd just reached their destination. A scan of the area doesn't reveal any signs of life aside from wildlife scattering away from the area. However, there is some damage to the graves around here. Obvious signs of digging and replacing the dirt are seen. "I don't like how silent you are. Speak the **** up," she whispered to Ayumu. "How do I know you capable of communication when you don't even try to open your **** mouth?" She was none too happy right now. "Now I gotta watch you cause you ain't sayin' ****. You better hope I don't catch you tryin' to pull a fast one or I'll choke both of y'all out here and bury you with your *** facing up."
She huffed to herself and pointed out a place they could hide at for a bit. "That looks like a good spot," she continued her harsh, salt laden whispering. "And now that we're here, we ain't got **** to do, but wait…." She yanked her hat over the top of her face so she could boil in her own frustrations.
Some time passes, but there is no activity to be seen yet. The moon has moved and changed the lighting a bit, but nothing she still couldn't handle. Her two companions were still irritating her, but such was the abnormal norm for Yagyu. "I think someone is comin'." She peered out over the rocks that obscured them and took a look down at the graveyard. From the entryway, a person carrying a bag enters and it appears there are some tools on them also.
Grim sneered at her response it was exactly what he wanted, a little known fact you have to prime the salt-cano before unleashing it on others. As they take their waiting for the badguy position, he lays about for a while, before having silent conversations with two handsy-puppets the conversation of which seem to be rather humorous as they elicit snorts and jeers from the desert mercenary. "Acknowledged" he says peeking over the rocks in looking where she has identified " ~Someone~ Confirmed" he says following up her observation as factual. "So I guess we wait for them to do something, don't want to be like the shinobi and murder some innocent guy just picking up trash cause he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time." he says before leaning back against the rocks. "Your mission, your lead, Stinger" he says patting her on the shoulder.
In Ayumu's defense, the Iga does open his mouth and starts to raise a hand as if to say something. He just timed the effort poorly, because Yagyu goes on threatening and berating both of them until her interest inevitably returns to the mission. Thoroughly bemused, Ayumu stands there for close to a solid minute before ultimately deciding to drop the hand, and just follow after Yagyu's footsteps.
Once they arrive at the new hidey-hole the Iga returns to trying finding a spot to rest. Naturally, rest was not to be this evening. He scarcely starts to lay down when the team's leader pipes up about a person. Ever the stubborn one, Ayumu huffs and only props up himself on his elbows. Anything more than that would have to be an order judging by the surly look in his now smile devoid face.
"Exactly," Yagyu responded to Grim. "I'm still mad at you, don't act like this makes up for anything." She sort of wanted to laugh about the situation, but the salt she had on it was higher in concentration than happiness. "We gonna wait here until we see somethin' happenin'. When we do, we engage. We ain't gotta attack until we know for sure there's a problem. Gotta leave all possibilities open."
She continued looking over the rocks and seeing what the person was doing. So far, nothing significant was happening. They roamed around, inspecting the graves and once they were finished, they approached their bag and began pulling out other tools to utilize. The first grave started on was one nearest to the group. The individual dug into it until the body was exposed and began to inspect around the area.
The silence of Ayumu finally reached its peak and she cut her eyes at him and proceeded to launch herself at him, hands reaching for his neck choke him. All that silence was bugging her and now she needed to choke the sound out of him. As of now, the mission was officially forgotten.
In classic Grim when the two start fighting; he vaults over the rock and walks casually over to the gravedigger. He was contemplating between greeting him kindly and asking for directions or just disappearing from the man's sense which was a latent talent of his. He looks over his shoulders for a moment with a sneer, it was bound to happen anyways better now than when it matters. As he approaches the man, he can see the trepidation and decides that stealth was more the intelligent move and attempts to conceal himself and get a closer look. It was unlikely it was a real gravedigger and more a grave robber, one doesn't usually dig up full graves.
Ever the patient one as well, Ayumu was prepared to wait at least a good, long hour for word to engage in spite of his mood. And though physically blind at the moment, his ears were just a tad to sharp not to catch a hint of brewing trouble. Regardless of whether or not it is labored breathing, popping joints, or the beginings of a snarl issuing forth that gives away the attack, Ayumu's open wide only in false surprise over the sudden assault.
Strangely, he does not even try to roll out of the way of the attack. Stranger still may be the lack of the satisfying sensation of flesh and bone being gradually crushed beneath her paws. In fact, it is almost as if there's some thin barrier eminating from that precise region. Ayumu carries on pantomiming being strangled to death up until either Yagyu has an ephiphany, or his brushing and burrowing fingers find their marks in the young woman's most ticklesh spots!
All the while he never makes a sound. *.*
Yagyu continued trying to strangle Ayumu, but she just couldn't get a handle on his neck. It was unusual! And frustrating! She decided the solution was to grip tighter, even if she had to twist his head off his neck to accomplish it, but there was one problem with that. There was a sensation building that was causing her grip to weaken and seek to defend her from traveling hands and much worse, her lips were beginning to slip into a smirk.
In the meantime, Grim would be able to approach the person no problem and observe their actions more closely. It appears the person is seeking something out, but not in the way a grave robber would. No, they're looking for something much more significant. As they kneel down and check over the corpse, they search until a pendant is produced. The individual sighed in relief and placed the pendant back. They then proceeded to place the dirt back over the grave without much issue.
The smirk Yagyu tried her hardest to hold back began to grow into a smile and though she was angry, she couldn't hold back from giggling up until it occured to her that she was still on a mission. She shook it off and raised her fist to deck Ayumu in the face. Then turned around to see that Grim was gone. "Where the **** did he go?" She whispered to herself. The individual in the area braced the shovel they had and proceeded to take a defensive position while asking, "Who's there?"
It seemed that it was a concerned civilian hoping that a treasured heirloom lay with their owner, but it was still not the proper way to handle the situation so it was time for a little scorpion-squad justice. Grim slides down the hat covering his eye, the single green jewel peering out from the slots, his skin is quite pale as he suddenly like a pillar of sand washes back into existence. "I am the guardian spirit of the dead, Know that you have desecrated this solemn and sacred place. I can see in your heart that you carried a burden to know but you have disturbed the dead. You must make an offering in the daylight and say a prayer to apologize to those whom you disturbed. Now begone or a curse I shall lay upon youuuuuuuuuu-ooo" he says his body seems to wash away in the column of sand and he goes back to their ~hiding~ spot. "False Alarm" he says pulling the hat off his eyes as he leans against the rock.
She could resist the inevitable all she wanted, but Ayumu would not relent in his assault. He was filled to the brim with… DETERMINATION! Her weakening resolve only fueled his efforts to get at least a giggle out of her before the end of the night. But instead, he recieved a punch for his efforts. A solid one too, seeing as how he grunted and rubbed at the spot.
Soon enough, He literally and metaphorically shook of the pain long enough to pat Yagyu on the shoulder, risking the hand. It mattered not, for no matter what further harm may be inflicted, Ayumu's made certian to gesture with his free hand in Grim's general direction.
It seems at least /someone/ had the decency to stay focused on the mission!
Oh wait… Two someones! Yeah! >.>
The person brandishes their shovel and holds it up towards Grim while listening to him speak. "I don't remember any guardians being around here last time I came," the man spoke. The 'guardian spirit' faded out of existence, leaving a very confused average citizen. The person continued to hold up their shovel until they felt they were safe and packed it away. Time to head home. They walked off and left the area, passing by another person that was sneaking around the area hoping to get inside. They didn't know any others were here, but it seems it was just some random citizen. Stay out of the way until they pass and then head inside. Simple enough.
Yagyu took Grim's return as more than enough reason to whip around and punch him in the face. "What was all that guardian **** you just pulled off?" She hissed quietly at him. "The **** we look like out here, bruh?" Cause she totally didn't just attack Ayumu for silly reasons. Nope. "Left that dude out here all confused and ****. Anyway, we still posted out here. Keep an eye out. Y'all makin' my mission go on longer than expected," she grumbled to herself and gestured for them to face their eyes forward on the graveyard.
That new visitor was beginning to creep inside and look around for any activity before bringing out their own tools and digging up a choice grave. Looks like this one was scoped out for a while and has something of value. No care was given to how it was being dug up.
Grim knew it was coming, it was just time to grin and bear it, she must have been just making a point because instead of a square on punch to the face it just glances off his jaw with a little upset of his feature. "Shhh.. Stinger.. come on.." he says waving his hands at her in defensive waves. "Remember those legends I was talking about, Well now the regular people won't go around **** with the graves and it might even stop the least intelligent criminals.. also now there will be ghost seekers and people coming here which should provide free security and watchful eyes." he looks sternly "I like to think it's proper advertising." he says before hearing something and jerking his head to look over the rocks and pointing it out "Another visitor has arrived. So what's the plan Fairy Squad Mother?" he asks trying to invoke the magic safe words.
Ayumu pats his chest, and then waves a hand before his briefly wide open eyes with a goofy smile from the ground. If neither of them caught the gesture, then so be it. But they would both rue the day they missed his joke! Rue it!
Eventually, the Iga does work up the energy to roll over into a decent spot, sit up on his butt, and feign look about the area with a hand above his eyes. Once more, it is Grim question that prompts a familiar look in Yagyu's direction, though this time it is accompanied by a mouthed 'Yea, Yea, Yea!'. What an obediant comrad!
Yagyu gave Grim's words some thought and she sighed. "You right, you right," she shook her head. "I'm just mad cause I wanna sleep and this stupid mission got me all upset. I'm still mad at you for last time, though, but I ain't gotta be this mad." She tried to get herself together and shake it all off. They've got a new visitor. A brief glance is offered to Ayumu as he makes his gesture and all the peace that filled her was about to disappear to hit him again, but nope, she's the Fairy Squad Mother. She gotta hold up that role. She understands what he's saying, but she just wishes he'd actually say it. She hopes he isn't dumb included with his blindness.
The thief continues digging until they come upon the first signs of a body and begin reaching down to clutch whatever it is they're looking for. They fuss around until they find a scroll and rip it from the hold of the skeleton, holding it up to the moonlight. Checking it over, the thief stuffed it away and moved over to another grave to begin his work.
"Alright, this should be simple enough. We trap the dude and then we capture him to take back to Suna. I'll head out first. Y'all follow up." Yagyu moves out to engage the visitor as she performs a seal to extend her shadow out to catch the person. She managed to trap them in place and force them to follow her movements. While shocked at first, the thief begins to study what he's trapped in and maintains his calm. "Guess I've been caught," he states in a nonchalant fashion. "Guess you have," the Nara responded back. "I have one question for you. Can you catch me?" Focusing chakra to his legs, he turned around and ran towards one of the walls at a break neck pace, stopping short of running into a wall himself. Still under the hold of the shadow which meant what happened to him also happened to Yagyu. Having lost control, she was flung out of her own jutsu and hit the wall, stunned for a few moments.
Grim puts a hand over his face in anguish "I don't know her" before looking to Ayumu "I doubt you have any of that fancy speed jutsu or something? And check on her." He raises his hands above his head making a fist and concentrating as a light aura swirls around him before running and flipping forward landing his fist into the ground with a resounding explosion of chakra sends him flying into the air "Flying Fist Desuuuuu!" he says as he arcs off into the direction of the guy. It was a quick back of the napkin calculation on how much chakra to blast and the angle but you know close enough good enough. Hopefully his desert hardened body could withstand the landing which was going to be forceful but graceful if he had his way.
Ayumu only has enough time to look startled in Yagyu's general direction before she takes off on her own. With a sigh, Ayumu looks to Grim, rubs his chin thoughtfully for a brief few seconds, and then shakes his head at the question. He is able and willing to try seeing to Yagyu's condition, assuming their target had no more tricks up his sleeves.
He is, however, a bit less open about it. Slowly but surely, earth churns and rises near Yagyu, coalescing in time into Ayumu's form. "Are you alright?" He asked worriedly after attempting to take hold and stead on the Nara. Even as he spoke, the Iga did not limit his actions to simply ensuring Yagyu's safety. Sensory organs masquerading as clumps of hair slip away to scatter throughout the area.
"You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to catch me!" The thief called to Yagyu. "Although, this isn't the first time ladies have been knocked off their feet over me, but I'm only ever a quick trip for them as they search for other guys," he said in mock depression. Unaware Grim has just taken to the sky, his only warning was the sound of a 'desu' flying at him and knocking him in the face. He isn't sure what just hit him, but it was large, dark, and sounded like something out of a manga. Knocked off his feet, he dropped the scroll on the ground as he was sent sailing in similar fashion to Yagyu just moments ago.
"Nah, I ain't fine. You over here talkin' to me and I coulda swore you were mute. I don't think I'm good at all," she rose up to her feet and staggered a couple steps. "Nope, everything **** up right now, but I gotta get my revenge on that punk that thought he could just cross me like that." Her words were slurred, but she was sure of herself. That guy was going to pay. "Aye!" She called out to the guy. "Stand still so I can wreck your face!" The thief was just getting to his feet as he heard Yagyu talking to him. "You still gotta—Oh shoot," he reached around his person to find the scroll he had was no longer in hand and he wouldn't be able to move that fast for another few minutes. "…" He thought to himself for a few moments before reeling his leg back and kicking at the sand in the area to try and blind Grim or at least obscure his vision so that he could make a run for the scroll.
It was a rough landing but perhaps surprisingly he actually hit the target or near enough to make an impression on him, "I wouldn't taunt her unless you want to be eating through a tube" he says before the spray of sand is kicked in his direction, he raises his hand into front of his eye trying to block as much as possible but a significant amount makes it blurring his vision in a stream of mirage like liquid, Grim tries as best he can to look-past the pain and disorientation only managing to just see well enough to cut off the thief from his item. "You have disrupted the sacred earth and disrespected the dead! You will face the wrathful spectre of the desert!" it was nearly impossible for him not to make a role out of it.
Success! Sort of! The thief, though he tried to make a move for the scroll, was blocked by the giant that was Grim. Okay, he wasn't that big, but in the night, he sort of looked like an ogre and he was just big enough to keep him from reaching his prize. "We'll see about that when I escape here!" He was waiting for his chakra to circulate so that he could activate his jutsu once more.
Yagyu continued to stumble along, noting Ayumu's concern, but otherwise placing it to the side while her rage boiled over at the thief. "Don't make this hard for yourself! You done already **** up, so might as well sit here and take the punishment!" She called out to him. She proceeded to use her shadow once more, but found it difficult to focus while she was still trying to recover from the last hit she sustained. This pause gave enough time for the thief to activate his jutsu and use it to run around Grim and attempt to make a break for it.
Before he could leave the graveyard, tendrils of hair began to rise up and cover the exit, much like a spider web. They wove together quickly and created a netting that wouldn't allow for easy escape. The thief skid to a stop before he ran into that hair and then turned back around to face the graveyard. He needed another escape route. He supposes he could try running up the walls, but he'd have to wait until the chakra circulated once again.
"I told you to stand still!" Yagyu hissed. "I ain't lettin' you get out of here, yet!" The thief looked around, hoping to find some place to slip off to and hide to wait for a recharge. "If you think I'm going to sit and let you hit me, you're crazy! You and that spectre! And whoever that guy is!" He speaks of Ayumu while hopping off to a safe spot.
The scroll seems to become a secondary concern for the thief now that it seems that there are more important things to worry about; like his continued existence. The desert mercenary thumbs it into his palm before sliding it into the recesses of his cloak, the blur of the Thief rockets by him before disappearing into the night, but not before he catches a quick glimpse of where the trail ended with his white hot sun forged vision. "Spectre Scorpion Punch.. Desuuuu" he shouts as the sends a heavy chakra laden fist into the thief's hiding place narrowly missing but the wind of his fist raising the hair on the back of neck before there is a loud pop as the chakra pulse is sent out without a target to find in it's path. "I can smell your soul defiler! Kneel and repent or a curse of death will fall upon you!" then there is an awkward pause before Grim goes "oooooo-OOO—ooooo" added for emphasis.
The thief did, in fact, feel the hair stand up on his neck and his head and everywhere else on his body. He was narrowly missed by the attack the spectre launched and he was beginning to think that this guy meant business. Yagyu was only just beginning to recover from the strike she took and stabilize to join the fight once more. The thief, unforunately, couldn't hide much longer and his body still hadn't recovered to run off again. He doesn't even have the scroll he was looking for.
"Okay, how about this!" He begins. "How about you let me go free and we won't have to worry about me coming back to this place ever again?" Yagyu shook her head. "Nope! You ain't gettin' outta this that easily!" She started. "You gonna accept your punishment!"
The theif swallowed and rapped his fingers across the rock. "Alright, alright," he began. "I was only trying to make a little money. No hard feelings, right?" Yagyu shook her head. She had worse than hard feelings, she had salt feelings and she made certain to punctuate them by extending her shadow once more and using it to ram the thief into the wall a couple of times to knock him out, but not to cause too much damage. Just a few lumps to remember her by.
"Graveyard Inspectre, you got the scroll?" the Nara inquired. "It's only right the ghost would have it. We gonna have to return it to its rightful place."
Grim scratches the side of his jaw as he watches the thief being pummeled against the wall by the avenging shadows of the sodium spirit of supreme salt-tissity. "That's Enough Stinger. I'll carry him he won't be going anywhere" he says rooting around in his cloak producing the musty dirt-laden scroll his mind to glance at it was strong but his respect for the dead was greater so he tosses to the young nara. "Please return it while I clean up the pieces" he says hiking a thumb in the direction of the thief. Leaning down he grabs the thief in an vice like grip putting him across his shoulders like a medic carry, his vice like grip making sure that even if he woke, he wouldn't find any leeway to struggle loose. "Anyways, we have to return him alive.. at least that is what you said the contract stipulated.. if dead is option you know I can simplify that oversight." he says with a cold hearted devilish grin.
Yagyu takes the scroll in hand and her curiosity almost gets the better of her, but she decided to be professional and keep the scroll closed. She went back over to the grave and placed the scroll inside of it with its rightful owner. She then began to cover the grave once more. "We do have to return him alive. That way, he'll tell us about all the other robbing he's done so we can have the stolen items placed back where they're supposed to be. So, while I'd really like that oversight to happen, it can't. So, we gotta chill," she explained.
She patted down the dirt on the grave to ensure it was all evened out prior to stuffing the tools away and bringing them with her. "Alright, we can all head out. Good job, y'all. I hope we can get some rest from all of this. I know I ain't takin' no more contracts until I get some rest."
