Starring:
Reina, Shinime, Nanashi
Date: February 28, 2014
Summary:
The group is hired by a shady dealer to help escort him. Their cargo is concealed merchandise, which they have to transport through a land with known yakuza and bandits.
"Less Than Legal Transport"
Land of Fire
It was only a matter of time before Reina left Kirigakure in a hurry. She liked the villages there. They were hospitable and made some of the best seafood around. But the shinobi were killers. The rumors really didn't even do them justice. No matter. It's cause for celebration as soon as Reina and Nanashi managed to steer clear of the Land of Water, and end up in the dankest, filthiest, and most weed-buried inn ever. Rooms of doubtful cleanliness are upstairs. Downstairs, it's the common area with beer and food. And it's clear what most people are here for. It's the perfect place to traffic less than legal stuff. No one needs to come here… or wants to. In other words, being the most forsaken, dirty place within leagues has its advantages.
To Reina the people here are a breath of fresh air (figuratively.) They drink, they shout, they talk in shady corners. A card game that involves a lot of threats is going on. And Reina sits at the counter drinking a beer, looking at the withered lettuce and old meat on her sandwich. She's hungry… but is she that hungry?
Stepping into the bar area where Reina sits, Nanashi glances around at the goings on and lets out a sigh. Even for it, this place is a dump. It approaches the bar and peers at the rather gross-looking sandwich curiously before sitting down. "You know, Kirigakure is rather dull, but coming here is like asking someone to try to rob or kill us," it says as he glances around, pondering if there's anything here safe to order, either by standards of expiration or chance of being drugged. "Why /are/ we here anyway?"
Slipping into the bar, it is frankly unclear even to Shinime why she decided to stop in at this place. The tiny girl seems so out of place here. Doesn't at all look like she could handle herself and would likely be an easy target for…oh…well…right behind her comes a large figure, easily six feet tall or larger whose form is completely covered in tattered black robes with a hood that hangs low over whatever face may be in there. Every step gives a strange rattle, almost like bone against bone and that scythe on its back hardly looks kind. As Shinime steps further into the bar, the figure follows and she smiles as she steps up to the bar and hmms as she looks at the various choices for drink.
Reina decides to go for it. She lifts up the sandwich and takes a bite. Hmm, not bad. The bread may be a little stale, but the meat is meaty enough, and the mustard is yellow enough. When Nanashi comes up, Reina smiles wolfishly, her smile full of bread and lettuce. "Remember that thing I mentioned I have about islands?" she says. "I'm glad to be far from it. Besides, no one will try to rob us. Hey Hiro!" She waves and one of the men at the card table turns around, gives a friendly smile, and waves back.
The Miira glances around. "Well… at least one person won't rob and kill us," she says. "And it's a good place to hear news. Meet people." The kind you wouldn't meet in a respectable, sunlit inn. Reina is about to eat her sandwich when she hears it. Having grown up in the Land of the Wind, she'd recognize the rattle of a puppet anywhere. She glances around at Shinime, and relaxes when she sees it's someone she doesn't know. In fact, she'd wave the girl over. And if Shinime came, Reina would ask what brought her to this lice-ridden, foul place.
Nanashi watches curiously as reina finally takes a bite of her sandwich, half-way wondering if she's going to fall over dead. It's about to ask something when it notices Shinime approaching and peers over to look her and the figure over. That clanking has to be annoying to hear all day, but then again… Nanashi does have something more annoying. "What a plus. Now we just have to wonder about everyone else," it says with a shake of its head as it looks back at Reina. "Anyone particular you want to meet, or are we passing through?"
A blink as she sees a hand waving and the girl turns from the bar and starts over toward Reina. THe shaking and clanking doesn't happen with every moment. It almost seems to not happen much at all, unless the girl really wants it. She adjusts the high necked cloak she has on and th en smiles, "I came because it seemed foul." She nods her head, "I imagine there's likely something growing in this place t hat could kill you." She nods, "I want a sample." She then looks at the sandwich and hmms, "Maybe teh food might be a good place to start." She then waves a small hand, "I'm Shinime and this is Shikyo." She gestures to the large figure.
Reina sees Nanashi watching her. She frowns. "You didn't poison this, did you?" she asks. Somehow her question carries no anger or sadness. It's casual, as if she had asked about the weather. Reina does smile though at Nanashi's bit of humor. "He's helped me before," she says. "After that no one bothered me, even though I'm a beauty with fiery hair and great legs." She gives a sickeningly sweet smile. "As for why we came here… there's a job. But the contractor is late. He's always late. So we'll just have to wait. Maybe we can rent a room." Oh joy.
When Shinime comes over, Reina would give a nod, and then take a close look at the shrouded form of Shikyo. "That's quite the companion you have there," she says. "I guess having it out cuts back on a lot of trouble. So feel free to sit by us." Hehe. "I'm Reina. And this here is my nakama." She'd give Nanashi a friendly pat on the back.
Nanashi waves at Shinime as she approaches then looks back at her and smirks a bit. "You're also very humble. Don't forget that," it says rather sarcastically before sitting back a bit, not answering the question about poisoning the food still. "So, we're here for a probably illegal job, and you want to get a room with your new traveling companion whose gender you're not aware of. Nope, we're not reckless at all."
A look at Nanashi and Shinime hmms before looking over at Reina and smiling, "Shikyo is a good friend and companion." She nods softly and then looks at the sandwich and hmms before looking over at Nanashi again and pondering, "Well, lets see." She looks at Nanashi and then squints and looks closer, and then looks closer and then nods, "Naka is a boy." She declares and nods pointing at Nanashi, "A boy!" She then nods again and then looks back over to Reina and smiles, "Anyway, why are you here and why did you invite me over?"
Reina stares at Nanashi in horror. Probably illegal job? Gender? Reckless? The words rattle around like dice inside Reina's skull. She has now confirmed it… her nakama has absolutely no discretion at times! Why can't Nanashi be subtle like she was in Kiri? Eventually she answers her companion's question. Well, part of it. "Yes, I want to get a room." And she doesn't answer the rest. In fact, she turns away from Nanashi to hear what Shinime has to say.
She frowns. "She's a girl," Reina says to Shinime with certainty. "I've always known that. Well, I'm pretty sure. As for why I invited you over… you look like a solo act and if you're here, you have some free time on your hands, aiya?" She smiles. "Stick around a day and help us on an escort job. With a big guy like that, it'll be all the easier. And we'll each get 1/3 of the cut. Whaddaya say?" So abrupt.
The more Reina is around Nanashi, the more she'll see that this being is basically a kaleidoscope of different personalities and identities. She's just getting a small sample of that now. "Guess we will then," it says with a shrug then grins slyly as both girls say what they think it is gender-wise. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," it says in general then glances between them as it waits for Shinime to say if she's gonna join in on the mission.
"Ok! Shikyo and I don't have anything better to do with our time." She nods her ehad and then ponders, "As I said, right now we are just seeking herbs." She nods again before looking over at Nanashi again and then nods, "I don't know how you being a boy or a girl helps me sleep at night…that's weird." She then chuckles and looks at Reina, "And why do you have a job anyway? Where is it from?"
Reina takes a sip of her beer and regards Nanashi. She's done that regularly so Nanashi should be used to it. And it's fairly obvious why she stares closely, since it comes shortly after Reina would hint (or threaten, scold, plead, etc.) for Nanashi to reveal her gender. It's more comfortable to believe that she's a girl…Reina hasn't always been discreet on her wanderings. Just the thought makes her say, "I was kind enough to reveal my gender. You should do the same."
To Shinime she nods. "Yosh!" she says. She makes a fist. Team spirit! "I knew you looked like a vagabond," she says enthusiastically. "As for the job it's from a merchant named Ryuka who is greedy, foul mouthed, annoying, and lecherous. But he pays well. And if we tell him Nanashi is a girl he'll probably pay even more." She leers at Nanashi to see if she can get a rise out of her…him…?
"It's a figure of speech," Nanashi says with a glance over at Shinime, blinking then shrugging its shoulders. "And kind enough?" it asks with a glance over to Reina. "Look at your body and your clothes. Yours is obvious." It then kicks back in its chair a bit, saying, "I can pretend to be either if it's going to get us more money. Not that hard to lie… or be truthful… or truthfully lie… or speak devious truths…"
"Or be a boy pretending to be a girl." Shinime nods to Nanashi before looking over to Reina and frowning, "I'm a shinobi." She nods, "A true shinobi, unbound to any village and able to accept jobs as need be." She nods her head, "Not some vagabond." She looks back, "Isn't that right Shikyo." THe figure doesn't say or do a thing in response. Shinime however nods and looks forward, "Right."
Reina brushes her gender aside with a wave of her hand. But she doesn't reply, mostly because Nanashi is correct. She grins when Nanashi talks about getting more money, and then lies, truths, truthful lies, and so forth. "You're going to make me dizzy," she says. "And yes, he'll definitely pay more if he thinks you're a girl." She pauses. "Because I definitely think you are," she adds.
To Shinime she actually bursts out laughing. "That's a wonderful thought. But I think we might forgo it this time." She cants her head when Shinime denies being a vagabond, and then looks to her puppet… which is silent. "I've never seen a puppet who could talk," she says. And she still hasn't seen one, from the look of it.
"Long as we get paid well, he can think what he wants," Nanashi says with another shrug of its shoulders. "So, is he going to be THAT late that we have to sleep here over night?" It glances to Shinime, asking, "And are you and your inanimate friend going to be staying with us?" It then looks to a pouch on its side, digging for something for a few moments as it waits for the other two to discuss or decide.
A glance at Reina and Shinime glares at a her a little. The hooded figure's hood turns to face her, whipping quickly as it stares at Reina from within the darkness of the hood, "He talks, to those that listen." She nods her head as if that is all that need be said before she looks over at Nanashi and hmms, "Well, I'd assume I'm staying with you." She nods, "You aren't going to try to sneak peeks at us while we sleep are you?" She hmms and peers at Nanashi.
"He doesn't like coming on time," Reina explains calmly. "Given his past business, I really can't blame him. We're already late." She sets her mug down loudly, putting an end to that subject. Then she wolfs down her sandwich. It's too late to turn back. She's even sucking the mustard off her fingers. "It tastes better than it looks," she tells her companion…well, now two companions. Hopefully she won't have to see how it looks again in the near future.
She laughs at Shinime's banter. Yup, she's going to like this one. "I tried that on the way here," she tells Shinime. "That's how I decided she was a girl. Either Nanashi is a girl, or he's a guy who leans the other way, aiya." The door to the inn opens. Then, Reina's eyes go from mirthful to serious in a second. "He's here," she says quietly. She stands up and lays down a few coins, before walking away. She gestures to her two companions. It seems they're talking outside. Too late for Nanashi to turn into a girl, though. Ah well.
"If I was going to do that kind of thing, it'd be a lot easier at a hot spring or something," Nanashi replies, lifting an eyebrow at Shinime then looking over to Reina. When she mentions that the man is here, the being casts a glance at Shinimie and puts a finger on its mouth as if to say 'shhh'. Within the moment it starts to stand, its chest and hips have expanded a bit, not to be quite voluptuous but enough to hint at being female as it turns to walk out the door to where Reina and the man are.
Approaching the exit as well, Shinime looks up at Nanashi and squints before hmming and tapping at her head a little. She follows none the less and so does the large robed figure. On their way out, Shinime looks around for a moment at the people here before they are outside and Shikyo takes up his spot directly behind Shinime. Crossing her small arms, Shinime peers up at the man and at the others here.
As soon as they're outside, it's clear who their client is. He's a bone thin man, with an angular face to be almost skeletal. His hair is black, but the dull, flat color of hair that has been dyed black. Ryuka is dressed in robes of brilliant fuchsia, whereas his employees all wear neutral colors. He has a gold chain around his neck, gold rings, and generally more jewelry than everyone else combined. It makes him rattle as he walks…though hardly the same way as Shikyo does.
When he sees the three girls, he hones in on them. "Reina-chan my sweet!" he says. "Have you missed me as much as I've missed you?" Reina just shrugs as he kisses her hand. Ryuka looks to the other two. "Are these your employees?" he asks. "They're beautiful, absolutely gorgeous." At this point, Reina should clarify and say they're partners. But she's gone silent as the grave.
That doesn't seem to deter Ryuka, who goes on, "My men are just picking up the cargo. Once we have it we can set out immediately. We'll stop by the hot springs along the way, to let you ladies relax. Maybe one with a communal section? It's lovely to meet you two." And he'd go to kiss both Nanashi and Shinime on the hand. Reina's mouth twitches. It seems being mute is her strategy.
Nanashi eyes the old man as they walk out, cutting its eyes hard at Reina. What has this girl gotten Nanashi into? It's really going to have to get her back for this one… It remains silent as well as the creepy man kisses it on the hand, giving a simple nod then looking over to Reina again. For now, it just waits for the mission to get started, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible…
The full cloak that covers Shinime from head to toe doesn't save her from th e advances of the creepy old man. However, when he does kiss her hand, he'll look up to find that Shikyo has moved down to closer to eye level so that the darkness of the robes can stare out at the old man with the big scythe looming even if it is on the thing's back. Even after he steps away it watches him. Shinime, for her part seems a little perturbed by the old man but otherwise unharmed.
In many words, Ryuka explains the mission. They're transporting…cheap kimonos? It's what is under the kimonos that concerns them though. Shinobi weapons and other items such as scrolls and seals. Unsanctioned and, though left unsaid, certainly stolen. The weapons are stored in scrolls which are stored in a lift-able board in the bottom of the wagon, which is stored under layers of kimonos. "I have an understanding with the local custom officers," Ryuka explains. "They won't search my merchandise. But there's yakuza, bandits, other disreputable people in those parts. I hope to avoid notice by taking a small escort with women. And for appearance's sake you have to wear these."
And he holds out three kimonos to them. Reina quickly grabs the one on the top, which also happens to be the least ludicrous and most neutrally colored one. She smiles and says, "Payment up front, please."
Ryuka frowns. "I do give you payment up front, but we have some new people. I'll pay you half now, and half at the end."
Reina says, "I trust them completely. They're powerful shinobi too."
Ryuka says, "Half now. Half at the end." Then he leers at Nanashi. "And five percent of the merchandise. Final offer."
Reina says, "Okay." Then she goes back in to change. But not before giving Nanashi and Shinime a smile. They get to wear pretty kimonos! Isn't that fun?
Nanashi seems to be liking this less and less by the second. It grumbles a bit and grabs a black and red kimono then turns to walk back into the establishment to change. "… Were you really this desperate to find out?" it asks loud enough that Reina would probably hear as it quickly puts the kimono on over its clothes. Oddly enough, it looks as if it doesn't have other clothes on under the kimono, perhaps a bit of shifting of its form to allow this.
Glaring at Reina for a moment…Shinime then suddenly goes, "Yay!" And she goes to retrieve one before hmming, "You…have one in a smaller size?" She peers at the Kimono and if given one that is appropriate for her, she will go change…if not she will sulk. Being only a little four and a half feet tall doesn't really help one pick out clothes that are made for women…
The Miiru receives the payment, and goes to give it to her friends. Three exact equal shares. And it's a hefty amount too, enough to constitute an A-rank mission. Reina answers Nanashi's annoyance with a grin. It really wasn't a joke when she gave a description of their client. Lecherous, annoying, greedy, pretty much all o that was demonstrated in the first minute they met him. Her companions had been warned. And she knows Nanashi isn't the type to back out…well, that's what Reina thinks. Sometimes that woman is hard to read. Or that man. See? Reina dresses in a green kimono, and pulls her hair back into a ponytail.
"Of course my dear!" Ryuka simpers. And he goes to select one more her size. Red with white polkadots. He says to her, "Your companion is wonderful, my dear. But could you conceal him? It's a bit obvious…well, you know." Then, he would wait outside for them. He's taking only one other person—a bulky shinobi bristling with weapons, roughly the size of a boulder, with a dangerous glint in his eye. It's hard to conceal him for anything but what he is. Reina suspects the kimonos may not help much as far as stealth goes.
"Remind me to pay you back later," Nanashi says, glaring at Reina again before giving her a light flick on the ear as it turns to walk back out of the building to where the group is. It looks around curiously as it waits for the transport they're escorting to arrive, not seeming all that interested in the man or the people he has with him. It just wants to get this over with…
A blink and then the girl stares at the man and then looks over at the other large shinobi and then points, "You have your big man, I have mine." She gestures at Shikyo, "You have to have Shikyo with us." She nods, "Or else we would be very bad off." She nods her head and then goes to get changed. Once she is changed, Shikyo came with her, obviously, she seems quite pleased to be in a pretty kimono. She twirls once and then peers at Reina before looking up at Shikyo and then at the man and then at the rather rough looking shinobi.
"With money, I hope," Reina says to Nanashi with a smile. "And Shinime you look lovely. You ought to wear kimonos every now and then." Then to both of them. "Just remember that he pays well. Just bear with it."
It only gets worse. Ryuka is a talker. Silences make him uncomfortable and he can't be quiet. He converses through the forest. He prattles on the plains. He blathers over the hills. And he talks echoingly in the mountain passage. It soon becomes obvious why Reina took Shinime on this commission. It's to try and avoid Ryuka, by giving him another victim to give his attentions to. The bodyguard doesn't help. Ryuka only pays attention to the women. He calls Shinime "my dear" but it's nowhere as bad as Nanashi's "my pet." He calls Reina's seeming muteness, "Adorably shy."
Everything has been going well for a day and a half when the attack comes. It's when they're watering their horses by a woodsy stream, and a bit more relaxed. The party may not notice the sudden rustle of leaves, a shadow slipping across, and then masked bandits jumping out to cut them down.
"… Hope for something else," Nanashi says, shaking its head. It is silent as they move on through the land, seeming rater annoyed at the name it's called. As they're waiting, it smirks slightly as the shadows move, eyes cutting to the incoming bandits. "… Finally," it says as it points both hands out and fires a series of sand balls out at the incoming bandits.
Shinime was the perfect choice. She's a little talker herself it seems, though there'll probably be a few times that they have to steer the conversation away from something macabre…like how to use body parts in your work or the best kind of poison to use. She is a good listener, too. She listens well…just she tries to talk herself and it often turns bad. Good thing she's cute, right? Well…then the bad guys attack and she screeches in terror! Wait? Isn't she a shinobi? Was Reina wrong about this one…the bandit puts a blade right into her little chest and then…she disappears in a puff of smoke and the bandit is putting a blade into a black robe with a huge figure holding a scythe that is glaring down at him. Moments later the figure brings the large blade down in a vicious slice into the man that is then followed with another that simply takes the bandits head off. The rattling sound coming from the robes causes the head of the robe to twitch and look over toward any other bandits with menace. Shinime? Well, she's back behind the cart now, grinning and giggling, "Get him, Shikyo!"
Reina flickers behind a man and aims a solid blow to his back. It's not honorable. But even worse, she didn't even manage to kill him. Well, at least it was a solid attack. The Miira looks up to make sure her teammates are okay… and blinks. Nanashi is dealing death to the bandits around her, and causing some of them to retreat. One managed to slip past to target the leader: Ryuka. Ryuka falls on his butt and scoots backwards, shrieking shrilly. Fortunately, Shinime is there to deal with the stray, her companion first wounding the bandit and finishing him off.
More are attacking a whimpering Ryuka. In other words, they have to get through Shinime. And a couple attacks are aimed at her. Reina goes to attack the man she'd wounded. One bandit around the slaughter Nanashi has done has decided to stay. He draws a rusty claymore about the size of Nanashi and aims a heavy blow at her.
SLASH! Nanashi's body is cleaved in twain!… But no blood comes out. Its body stands in two pieces almost with the blade inside. "That's just rude," its soft voice rings out as it points a hand directly at the man's face, sending a ball of sand directly at him at basically point-blank range. "Where do they find these guys? Honestly, I'm not even strong, and they're like featherweights."
And poor Shinime is now next to the target of the villain's attacks and so she does her best to defend him…but they aren't attacking her again. Suddenly they are attacking the puppet once more, Shikyo switches with her again. However, one of the bandits wasn't fooled and came after her from teh side. She is attacked and sliced into causing her to stumble back. She gasps and looks to the client, "Uh oh…wait…I found something." She reaches into the kimono and pulls out a scroll, "Ah ha! This is for you, bandit!" She states and opens it up only for a pair of bolas to fly right out and right for his legs. Even as she does that, she reaches out with her hands and pulls and suddenly the men after the client might find themselves regretting it as from the hood of Shikyo, almost like a breath weapon out of a dragon, needles begin flying forth as it turns its head to go after the men before it, each needle tipped with a very nasty poison.
The claymore bandit stands there dumbly as Nanashi reforms. That's not supposed to happen, right? So he slashes again and again. "You're dead! Dead!" he shouts, as if shouting it will make it a bit more true. Reina takes a moment to stare at Nanashi. She didn't know her friend could do that. She'll have to ask about that later. Shinime needs her help…a bit. But Shinime is barely scratched before one bandit is wrapped in bolas and both are sprayed with a lethal barrage of needles. Reina is tempted to just finish off the tied up guy. But instead she sees now Shinime finished him off already. Oh. Reina shrugs. She goes over to help Ryuka up. "Are you hurt?" she asks. He shakes his head, too scared to speak. Finally.
The claymore strikes Nanashi again and again, yet the being seems rather impervious despite its body being cleaved through again and again, only to fully reform as if never touched, and blinks. "Yeah, it doesn't look that way," it says with a shrug of its shoulders as sand begins to swarm around them man to completely bind him from all sides and trap him inside a coffin of it before a ball forms within the coffin to fire at his face and go into his mouth, breaking tooth and jaw to loge a large amount of sand in his throat and finish him off.
Grinning as she looks over toward Nanashi, she blinks, "You are weird…" She nods and giggles as she looks at the sand before looking toward the client and then at Reina, "Those guys were silly." She nods, "Why would they attack us with Shikyo here?" She hmms and walks over to pat the big puppet, "Don't worry Shikyo, they didn't really hurt me." She nods her head and grins before looking to the client again, "You ok?"
Reina watches intently as Nanashi traps the last bandit foolish enough to stay. It's fascinating. He suffocates on the sand and his pitiful struggles finally stop. Reina now looks around at what the fighting has caused, and lets out a low whistle. This is impressive. Yeah the bandits were amateurs, but it hardly took a minute for them to be wiped out. She's a bit in awe…and a bit jealous, though she'd never admit that right now. It seems she's climbed into bed with some formidable companions.
"You guys are amazing," Reina says. Unlike her usual joking tone, she sounds sincere.
Before Ryuka can respond, the boulder sized body guard (Kento) steps out. "Where were you!?" Ryuka shrieks.
"I was guarding the merchandise," Kento says. "I saw that the girls could handle it." And it'd be a blowout with him around.
Nanashi seems to ignore the others for now, looking at the big man who popped out and tilting its head slightly. Just as it seems to be about to turn away, Kento would hear its soft voice from right above it before a pair of feet land on its shoulder. "Who are you?" it asks, tapping on the man's head four times in a drumming pattern that repeats once in a while. "Maybe you'd like to share with the class why you sold your boss out?" It looks up at Reina, giving a look that says 'hold off', this apparently actually being a test of a suspicion.
A blink as she hears the big man return and she smiles a little before walking to Shikyo to make sure he is ok. Of course, then she hears the speaking of Nanashi and she looks over and blinks, "Huh?" She asks and then tilts her head, leaning on Shikyo as she considers this new development.
RPCOMBAT: You cannot move.
"This is madness!" Kento says. "You're crazy. Crazy!" But now he's sweating bullets. He swings a fist up at Nanashi.
"Get off of…" Reina starts, but then she pauses. If she thinks about it carefully, what Nanashi is saying makes some sense. Would the bodyguard really have stood aside while his boss had blades slashing inches from his face? Even Ryuka looks suspicious for a second. Then, he waves it away. "He couldn't be," he says. "But next time make sure to do your job, Kento! You useless lump!"
"Well, guess you can let him get to you another day," Nanashi says, shrugging its shoulders and leaping off to a spot back ahead of the transport. "Let's get going then." Of course, it casts a glance back at Kento once in a while, wondering when the big man might try to strike at them or the old man. Oh well, not its problem anymore.
Smiling as that is settled, she nods her head, "Well, if the boss says it is ok, then it is ok!" She nods her head and Shinime then grins, "We go onward!" she nods again before looking at Shikyo and pointing to the back of the cart and off he shambles even as he puts his scythe away.
"Wait," Reina says. She stares at Kento. "If you are lying, it seems you were working with these bandits. I'm going to track one down and question him." She pauses. "I'll make him confess. And if he tells me you were in on this, I'll cut off your lying head." She pauses. "But confess right now, and I swear on my honor I won't lay a finger on you."
Kento looks terrified, and that fear is enough of a giveaway. He says, "Okay…I admit it! This is my homeland. My village badly needs the money. No…wait." He turns to all three of them. "How about you just… walk away. I'll let you have a quarter of the merchandise. No, half! Just leave and don't tell anyone about this. What do you say?"
Looking at the situation, Shinime sighs and shakes her head, "You were going to kill the man you work for?" She shakes her head, "Tut tut. A thief is a thief and not a shinobi." She then immediately gestures, "Shikyo, what do you think?" And then the figure looks at the man and suddenly whips out its Scythe, "Uh oh, Shikyo doesn't like thieves." And with that, it suddenly races over and with three quick cuts, it take shim across the gut, across the chest and across the neck. Then she shakes her head again, "Bad bad thieves." She then watches the man fall to the ground.
"Wait!" Kento yelps as Shikyo comes forth. "You swore you wouldn't lay a finger on me if I confessed!"
Reina shrugs. "And I won't," she says. She smiles to Shinime. "But my friends never promised that."
Ryuka is shivering, silent with fear. It's a welcome change. Reina turns to the merchant. "We gave you your life," she says. "So here's the new deal. My friends and I don't leave you while you're in these desperate lands. And you give us one third of your merchandise. Split the cost between what you give us and what the late and very foolishly hired Kento offered. If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'okay' then we'll just… move on."
And that's how they get away twice as rich.
