Starring:
Date: September 14, 2016
Summary:
Reina finds a shinobi job to rescue a kidnapped noble, and Aburei comes along to…help, somehow? c.c
"Pawloined Princess"
The Land of Fire
The inns that Aburei and Reina stayed at were increasingly cheaper at each stop. This is since she found out her partner would work for anything. Vouchers, produce, or sometimes just heartfelt thanks. A charitable soul does not make for a fat purse, and Reina has tried harder than ever to scrape up any kind of paid work. To her horror, though, she's even found /herself/ doing things out of the generosity she never knew she had in her withered, stingy heart. She's having serious reservations about the bad influence the medic has on her.
When she comes out of her room, Aburei would see she underwent a change. Her red hair is now platinum, a silvery color with a bluish sheen. She doesn't wear a cloak anymore. It's just a tanktop, shorts, and long boots. Once she meets up with him for an early breakfast, she explains. "My last employer was Nagamura Shuuren, the Daimyo of the Land of Tea," she tells him. "I decided to leave. Funny thing is that at the same time, someone poisoned him badly. He recovered, but I imagine he might not be too happy I left right then…he may even think I did it." Her tone is completely casual, as she talks about the Daimyo being poisoned. "I'm certain if he wants to find me he can, but I'm not going to wave myself around like a red flag. I'm over and done with him, and I hope he never comes looking." She looks at Aburei with a rueful expression. "If he comes around, you should steer clear of me…or I understand if you want to wash your hands of me right now. But I wouldn't suggest you leave this instant. I found us a job today, and it doesn't pay in daisies."
Yup, Aburei's never gotten the hang of the whole 'payment for services rendered' thing. n.n He'll gladly accept whatever people give him, but he never thinks to negotiate a price beforehand. As for the inns, nearly anything is a step up from the camping he usually does. ^.^ It's a wonder Aburei's not skinnier than he already is.
At breakfast (yay food!), Aburei blinks and almost greets Reina as a stranger. "H…oh! It's you, Reina-san! Good morning." :) Aburei scratches his head as he listens to Reina's explanation. "…OH! So if somebody thinks you poisoned the Daimyou, they won't be able to recognize you so easy!" 8O Brilliant deduction, Holmes. "A job, huh? Sounds good, but why would any job pay in daisies?" -.-a
"Yeah," Reina says. "At least until it cools down a bit, it'd be nice to not be recognized at a glance. But I'm not hiding so much as…well, avoiding. If someone talk about us, it'll be about that silver haired girl traveling with a medic." She smirks. Aburei is part of her cover, but he's grown on her. She pushes second helpings on him, but warns him to eat quickly. Then she'd draw him outside and glance at the sun.
"A noblewoman had a child of hers kidnapped," she says. "A rival family. Their pretext is that he's 'visiting' and they refuse to acknowledge it as an abduction. Some authorities went to fetch the hostage. That was yesterday. They have not returned. So she's going to try and use force. Us. The kid's name is Aimi. You know it's you who got us this job. She sought us out because she heard a medic was in the area. If the kid is hurt you can help him out."
They wait for ten more minutes until a messenger arrives. "The lady's demand for Aimi-hime's retrieval have been rejected," he says morosely. "They demand the deeds to a quarter of her lands, but she fears that even if she gives it to them they'll not return Aimi-hime. You must go now and rescue our princess. I know as legendary shinobi, you will be up to the task." Reina nods and assures him they will. She doesn't correct him about that legendary shinobi part…since she was probably the one who made it up.
Aburei blinks. "Oh. Well, I'll do what I can to help, then." Y'know, after all the action is over. 'Cuz obviously he's not going to end up helplessly dragged into it, right? After the mission briefing, Aburei nods understandingly, and follows Reina's lead…although just before they get out of earshot, he remarks, "I didn't know you were a legendary shinobi, Reina-san." n.n
"I am indeed as much a legendary shinobi as you are, Aburei-kun," she says, a bit jokingly. "And from now on call me Nanashi. No one." Her tone is reminiscent when she says that, and she gives a small chuckle. They'd set out for the base, which is easy enough to find. They're vast estates situated in a natural barrier: a circle of thick forested land. They spend the good part of the hour moving swiftly yet stealthily through the forest. The plan is simple upon discovery. Reina will make a distraction, and Aburei can go in and get Aimi. "Now I think of it, I didn't ask what the princess looked like," she says. "All I know is she's six years old…and cute. According to our client."
Eventually they come within sight of the estate, and it's here that they get into a bit of skullduggery. Two employees in the well manicured gardens suddenly find themselves knocked out, and wake up divested of their uniforms and tied to a tree. With their disguises in place, Reina henges into the old, withered man and Aburei would get the hulking groundskeeper about three times as big as him. Things seem to be going well until they get to the front, where guards come up. "Sorry you two, but no one goes in or out right now. Security measures." Reina glances at Aburei. Come up with something, legendary ninja!
Awww, poor gardeners. :( Even if the family that lives here is crooked, these guys are just doing their job, right? Aburei makes sure to give them a quick booster shot of chakra before leaving, so they won't have too much of a headache when they awaken. And…wait, why is he going along in this part? c.c; Too late to object, there are guards about. Meep. ._. Aburei finds himself on the spot as a henge'd gardener…and apparently Reina wants him to come up with a fib to get them past security! Aburei's no good at lying! c.C; "Um…wasn't there some sort of emergency we were called in for?" A…gardening emergency? c.c;
All three of the people stare at Aburei as if he'd said something extremely dumb. Which he had. Reina is trying to think of how to recover from that one, or put a good twist on it. But it's hard. Finally she says, "That's a dumb excuse. Actually, I need to go to the bathroom. /Right now/. Just give me a bit, okay?" She gives a more convincing act than Aburei. One of the says, "One minute. And you wait out here." He looks suspiciously at Aburei as Reina slips into the room.
"Boro," the guard says. "What did you mean by a gardening emergency?" Apparently Aburei will have to elaborate on his explanation alone. Already Reina is walking swiftly through the hallways, not to get to the bathroom, but to find this princess. She passes a few rooms, all empty.
Aburei tries his best to think quickly. =.=; Fortunately his disguise lends itself to appearing like he'd be slow to begin with. "Umm…I don't know all the details…I, err, think I heard…there's a special seed we need to plant today?" c.c Aburei warms up to the idea a bit. "Uh, yeah, it's a seed from a far-off land, and it needs to be planted today. It'll grow into a fabulous flower that only blooms for one day, and it's supposed to be on the lord's birthday for a party." Aburei shrugs. "I heard it cost a fortune to have it shipped in, but if you're sure…"
Both of the guards stare at Aburei again. One says, "I'm going to walk the perimeter and you stay here." The other guard grumbles something, and then looks at Aburei in annoyance. "You just get thicker by the day, Boro," he says. "You'll believe something anyone says to you. That other gardener must've put you up to this. Say, where is he? It's been a few minutes already." He warns Aburei to stay right there, and goes in to hunt Reina down. Reina who has finally found the master bedroom of the house. Where the princess is bound. Reina stares at the hostage in disbelief. It's a pitbull with a chunky, slobbery face. Yet on top of its head is a little crown. And a pink collar around its thick neck says 'Aimi.' This is a dog rescue mission. And as soon as Reina enters, Aimi starts to bark at her.
"No! You stupid dog!"
And outside: "Why's that mutt barking!" The guard would go to dash upstairs.
Aburei nods as the guard heads off. "Okay. I'll watch things here." Yeah, this'll work, Aburei thinks as he settles in where the guard was standing. He'll help out by watching the guard's post until he gets…oh wait, he's on the opposite side. 3.3 With guilty thoughts about what's going to happen to that guy's career, Aburei sighs and heads inward to try and find Rei — er, Nanashi.
«OOC» Reina says, "See if you can roll a ten in spd."
RP: Aburei makes a Spd roll and got 14.
RP: Reina joins the roleplay.
COMBAT: It is now Reina's turn.
RP: Aburei joins the roleplay.
[NPC System]: Guard vs. Reina roll(s) Punch from 15 to 45 and get(s) a 38. - Rolled by: Reina
[NPC System]: Guard vs. Reina roll(s) Punch from 15 to 45 and get(s) a 41. - Rolled by: Reina
[NPC System]: Guard vs. Aburei roll(s) Tackle from 15 to 45 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Reina
COMBAT: Reina finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Aburei's turn.
«OOC» Reina laughs at Aburei's roll.
Reina is picking up the struggling cur when the guard bursts into the room. She lets out an undignified yelp when the dog sinks its teeth into her arm. In a poof she reverts back to her true form, and the guard shouts, "INTRUDER!" More men would come running to secure the household. As soon as Aburei comes in he'd have a dog literally hurled at him, the pit bull flying through the air stubby legs flailing. "Catch Aimi!" Reina shouts, "and protect her!" It'd be an easy throw, but not so easy when a guard runs up and would tackle Aburei, trying to grab the dog himself. Still upstairs leaning over the railing is Reina, fending off two guards.
RPCOMBAT: Aburei defends against with a NOT-EVEN-A-SCRATCH…52
«OOC» Reina says, "You'd be able to hold on to Aimi and do whatever. Fight, run, etc."
Here comes the bard, ready to assist! At whatever tasks a bard-medic might realistically assist with, being an intruder in a shady lord's castle. c.c Why did Aburei decide to go inside again? =.=a He's probably more likely to be a liability in here than a help, and if he'd stuck outside it might've lessened suspicion for — whoops! o.O; Aburei finds himself catching a projectile pooch. "Oof! Uh, hi there doggi — whoa!" Aburei executes an awkward-looking spin maneuver using the dog's mass as a counter-weight. Awkward or not, it brushes the rushing guard off and leaves Aburei on his feet. "Whew! Uh, okay Rein — Nanashi-san!" Aburei takes off back the way he came to try and get the 'princess' out of here.
COMBAT: Aburei finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Reina's turn.
RPCOMBAT: Reina defends against with a HEAT-RUSH…40
COMBAT: Reina focuses 83 stamina to turn it into 100 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Reina defends against with a HEAT-RUSH…44
There's one thing that Aimi doesn't like. And that's being picked up by strangers. While Aburei is trying to save her, she's busy trying to squirm free, bark, and bite any part of him she can reach. She's drooling all over the place as well. The commotion is bringing every security personnel the estate has into that front room, which fortunately is a finite amount. But it's still ten. Apparently their stealth entrance didn't go smoothly. How could it have failed? Now it's time to see how fast they can run, and after a bit of stumbling Reina catches up with Aburei. "Faster Aburei!" she says. "We need to reach the woods. And don't let go of the mutt." Of a very unhappy, very heavy dog.
COMBAT: Reina finishes her turn.
COMBAT: It is now Aburei's turn.
COMBAT: Aburei attacks target 1 with MUSCLE-RELAXATION-TECHNIQUE with a roll of: 25
«OOC» Aburei says, "Anything else I should roll?"
«OOC» Reina says, "Yeah. 10 in spd…minus 3 carrying Aimi. :D You can always drop her."
RP: Reina makes a Spd roll and got 13.
RP: Aburei makes a Spd roll and got 12.
«OOC» Aburei says, "So close. X)"
«OOC» Reina says, "Drop the dog and run!"
«OOC» Aburei says, "But Reina-san explicitly said not to. D:"
[NPC System]: Guard v. Aburei roll(s) Grab from 15 to 45 and get(s) a 23. - Rolled by: Reina
«OOC» Reina says, "Okay take a go, and if you win ya can reach the trees."
RPCOMBAT: Aburei defends against with a BODY-FLICKER-TECHNIQUE…39
«OOC» Reina says, "Noooooooooo! I mean well done.."
Ohfun, bitey dog. x.x "Ow! Settle down, pooch!" Aburei gives the dog a few quick pats as he runs. It's more than an attempt to placate her, though — he's manipulating the dog's muscles to make it harder for her to struggle. Aburei runs as fast as he can, but not quite fast enough to get away without issue. A guard dives in to make a grab at his ankle. Using most of his remaining available chakra, Aburei puts on an extra burst that carries him almost instantly a few meters ahead. "Nanashi-san, pass!" Aburei pants, tosses the dog back toward Reina.
Reina looks over at Aburei as he throws her the dog. "Why are you still calling me Nanashi?" she asks, as if she can't believe he's still doing it. She finds the dog easier to manage. She seems a bit more relaxed, and not barking anymore. Just keeping up a low, menacing growl. They finally reach the wooded area, with half the household on their heels. Reina pauses here, thinking over her options. Normally she'd set everything on fire. A burning house and woods would certainly take priority over a single dog. But she doesn't think her current companion would take to her homicidal plan.
She sighs. She's going to have to do a rather bad thing. "It looks like this is where we…" That's when the cavalry comes. A police force comes galloping up, reminding them of the fact that their earlier comrade had disappeared at this very estate. At first, Reina is quite happy to see the force subduing the household guards and saving them the time and trouble. Until one of the officers confiscates Aimi-hime as evidence.
"We assure you that you'll get the reward offered by the lady," the officer in charge says, as the dog snarls and barks at the officers.
Yay, saved! n.n Aburei has no objections to handing over the dog to the good, trustworthy officers of the law. And he doesn't particularly notice that they never get paid what was promised. Such a trifling matter, after all. ^.^ What matters is that justice is done! And the…princess is home. n.n;
The inns that Aburei and Reina stayed at were increasingly cheaper at each stop. This is since she found out her partner would work for anything. Vouchers, produce, or sometimes just heartfelt thanks. A charitable soul does not make for a fat purse, and Reina has tried harder than ever to scrape up any kind of paid work. To her horror, though, she's even found /herself/ doing things out of the generosity she never knew she had in her withered, stingy heart. She's having serious reservations about the bad influence the medic has on her.
When she comes out of her room, Aburei would see she underwent a change. Her red hair is now platinum, a silvery color with a bluish sheen. She doesn't wear a cloak anymore. It's just a tanktop, shorts, and long boots. Once she meets up with him for an early breakfast, she explains. "My last employer was Nagamura Shuuren, the Daimyo of the Land of Tea," she tells him. "I decided to leave. Funny thing is that at the same time, someone poisoned him badly. He recovered, but I imagine he might not be too happy I left right then…he may even think I did it." Her tone is completely casual, as she talks about the Daimyo being poisoned. "I'm certain if he wants to find me he can, but I'm not going to wave myself around like a red flag. I'm over and done with him, and I hope he never comes looking." She looks at Aburei with a rueful expression. "If he comes around, you should steer clear of me…or I understand if you want to wash your hands of me right now. But I wouldn't suggest you leave this instant. I found us a job today, and it doesn't pay in daisies."
Yup, Aburei's never gotten the hang of the whole 'payment for services rendered' thing. n.n He'll gladly accept whatever people give him, but he never thinks to negotiate a price beforehand. As for the inns, nearly anything is a step up from the camping he usually does. ^.^ It's a wonder Aburei's not skinnier than he already is.
At breakfast (yay food!), Aburei blinks and almost greets Reina as a stranger. "H…oh! It's you, Reina-san! Good morning." :) Aburei scratches his head as he listens to Reina's explanation. "…OH! So if somebody thinks you poisoned the Daimyou, they won't be able to recognize you so easy!" 8O Brilliant deduction, Holmes. "A job, huh? Sounds good, but why would any job pay in daisies?" -.-a
"Yeah," Reina says. "At least until it cools down a bit, it'd be nice to not be recognized at a glance. But I'm not hiding so much as…well, avoiding. If someone talk about us, it'll be about that silver haired girl traveling with a medic." She smirks. Aburei is part of her cover, but he's grown on her. She pushes second helpings on him, but warns him to eat quickly. Then she'd draw him outside and glance at the sun.
"A noblewoman had a child of hers kidnapped," she says. "A rival family. Their pretext is that he's 'visiting' and they refuse to acknowledge it as an abduction. Some authorities went to fetch the hostage. That was yesterday. They have not returned. So she's going to try and use force. Us. The kid's name is Aimi. You know it's you who got us this job. She sought us out because she heard a medic was in the area. If the kid is hurt you can help him out."
They wait for ten more minutes until a messenger arrives. "The lady's demand for Aimi-hime's retrieval have been rejected," he says morosely. "They demand the deeds to a quarter of her lands, but she fears that even if she gives it to them they'll not return Aimi-hime. You must go now and rescue our princess. I know as legendary shinobi, you will be up to the task." Reina nods and assures him they will. She doesn't correct him about that legendary shinobi part…since she was probably the one who made it up.
Aburei blinks. "Oh. Well, I'll do what I can to help, then." Y'know, after all the action is over. 'Cuz obviously he's not going to end up helplessly dragged into it, right? After the mission briefing, Aburei nods understandingly, and follows Reina's lead…although just before they get out of earshot, he remarks, "I didn't know you were a legendary shinobi, Reina-san." n.n
"I am indeed as much a legendary shinobi as you are, Aburei-kun," she says, a bit jokingly. "And from now on call me Nanashi. No one." Her tone is reminiscent when she says that, and she gives a small chuckle. They'd set out for the base, which is easy enough to find. They're vast estates situated in a natural barrier: a circle of thick forested land. They spend the good part of the hour moving swiftly yet stealthily through the forest. The plan is simple upon discovery. Reina will make a distraction, and Aburei can go in and get Aimi. "Now I think of it, I didn't ask what the princess looked like," she says. "All I know is she's six years old…and cute. According to our client."
Eventually they come within sight of the estate, and it's here that they get into a bit of skullduggery. Two employees in the well manicured gardens suddenly find themselves knocked out, and wake up divested of their uniforms and tied to a tree. With their disguises in place, Reina henges into the old, withered man and Aburei would get the hulking groundskeeper about three times as big as him. Things seem to be going well until they get to the front, where guards come up. "Sorry you two, but no one goes in or out right now. Security measures." Reina glances at Aburei. Come up with something, legendary ninja!
Awww, poor gardeners. :( Even if the family that lives here is crooked, these guys are just doing their job, right? Aburei makes sure to give them a quick booster shot of chakra before leaving, so they won't have too much of a headache when they awaken. And…wait, why is he going along in this part? c.c; Too late to object, there are guards about. Meep. ._. Aburei finds himself on the spot as a henge'd gardener…and apparently Reina wants him to come up with a fib to get them past security! Aburei's no good at lying! c.C; "Um…wasn't there some sort of emergency we were called in for?" A…gardening emergency? c.c;
All three of the people stare at Aburei as if he'd said something extremely dumb. Which he had. Reina is trying to think of how to recover from that one, or put a good twist on it. But it's hard. Finally she says, "That's a dumb excuse. Actually, I need to go to the bathroom. /Right now/. Just give me a bit, okay?" She gives a more convincing act than Aburei. One of the says, "One minute. And you wait out here." He looks suspiciously at Aburei as Reina slips into the room.
"Boro," the guard says. "What did you mean by a gardening emergency?" Apparently Aburei will have to elaborate on his explanation alone. Already Reina is walking swiftly through the hallways, not to get to the bathroom, but to find this princess. She passes a few rooms, all empty.
Aburei tries his best to think quickly. =.=; Fortunately his disguise lends itself to appearing like he'd be slow to begin with. "Umm…I don't know all the details…I, err, think I heard…there's a special seed we need to plant today?" c.c Aburei warms up to the idea a bit. "Uh, yeah, it's a seed from a far-off land, and it needs to be planted today. It'll grow into a fabulous flower that only blooms for one day, and it's supposed to be on the lord's birthday for a party." Aburei shrugs. "I heard it cost a fortune to have it shipped in, but if you're sure…"
Both of the guards stare at Aburei again. One says, "I'm going to walk the perimeter and you stay here." The other guard grumbles something, and then looks at Aburei in annoyance. "You just get thicker by the day, Boro," he says. "You'll believe something anyone says to you. That other gardener must've put you up to this. Say, where is he? It's been a few minutes already." He warns Aburei to stay right there, and goes in to hunt Reina down. Reina who has finally found the master bedroom of the house. Where the princess is bound. Reina stares at the hostage in disbelief. It's a pitbull with a chunky, slobbery face. Yet on top of its head is a little crown. And a pink collar around its thick neck says 'Aimi.' This is a dog rescue mission. And as soon as Reina enters, Aimi starts to bark at her.
"No! You stupid dog!"
And outside: "Why's that mutt barking!" The guard would go to dash upstairs.
Aburei nods as the guard heads off. "Okay. I'll watch things here." Yeah, this'll work, Aburei thinks as he settles in where the guard was standing. He'll help out by watching the guard's post until he gets…oh wait, he's on the opposite side. 3.3 With guilty thoughts about what's going to happen to that guy's career, Aburei sighs and heads inward to try and find Rei — er, Nanashi.
Reina is picking up the struggling cur when the guard bursts into the room. She lets out an undignified yelp when the dog sinks its teeth into her arm. In a poof she reverts back to her true form, and the guard shouts, "INTRUDER!" More men would come running to secure the household. As soon as Aburei comes in he'd have a dog literally hurled at him, the pit bull flying through the air stubby legs flailing. "Catch Aimi!" Reina shouts, "and protect her!" It'd be an easy throw, but not so easy when a guard runs up and would tackle Aburei, trying to grab the dog himself. Still upstairs leaning over the railing is Reina, fending off two guards.
Here comes the bard, ready to assist! At whatever tasks a bard-medic might realistically assist with, being an intruder in a shady lord's castle. c.c Why did Aburei decide to go inside again? =.=a He's probably more likely to be a liability in here than a help, and if he'd stuck outside it might've lessened suspicion for — whoops! o.O; Aburei finds himself catching a projectile pooch. "Oof! Uh, hi there doggi — whoa!" Aburei executes an awkward-looking spin maneuver using the dog's mass as a counter-weight. Awkward or not, it brushes the rushing guard off and leaves Aburei on his feet. "Whew! Uh, okay Rein — Nanashi-san!" Aburei takes off back the way he came to try and get the 'princess' out of here.
There's one thing that Aimi doesn't like. And that's being picked up by strangers. While Aburei is trying to save her, she's busy trying to squirm free, bark, and bite any part of him she can reach. She's drooling all over the place as well. The commotion is bringing every security personnel the estate has into that front room, which fortunately is a finite amount. But it's still ten. Apparently their stealth entrance didn't go smoothly. How could it have failed? Now it's time to see how fast they can run, and after a bit of stumbling Reina catches up with Aburei. "Faster Aburei!" she says. "We need to reach the woods. And don't let go of the mutt." Of a very unhappy, very heavy dog.
Ohfun, bitey dog. x.x "Ow! Settle down, pooch!" Aburei gives the dog a few quick pats as he runs. It's more than an attempt to placate her, though — he's manipulating the dog's muscles to make it harder for her to struggle. Aburei runs as fast as he can, but not quite fast enough to get away without issue. A guard dives in to make a grab at his ankle. Using most of his remaining available chakra, Aburei puts on an extra burst that carries him almost instantly a few meters ahead. "Nanashi-san, pass!" Aburei pants, tosses the dog back toward Reina.
Reina looks over at Aburei as he throws her the dog. "Why are you still calling me Nanashi?" she asks, as if she can't believe he's still doing it. She finds the dog easier to manage. She seems a bit more relaxed, and not barking anymore. Just keeping up a low, menacing growl. They finally reach the wooded area, with half the household on their heels. Reina pauses here, thinking over her options. Normally she'd set everything on fire. A burning house and woods would certainly take priority over a single dog. But she doesn't think her current companion would take to her homicidal plan.
She sighs. She's going to have to do a rather bad thing. "It looks like this is where we…" That's when the cavalry comes. A police force comes galloping up, reminding them of the fact that their earlier comrade had disappeared at this very estate. At first, Reina is quite happy to see the force subduing the household guards and saving them the time and trouble. Until one of the officers confiscates Aimi-hime as evidence.
"We assure you that you'll get the reward offered by the lady," the officer in charge says, as the dog snarls and barks at the officers.
Yay, saved! n.n Aburei has no objections to handing over the dog to the good, trustworthy officers of the law. And he doesn't particularly notice that they never get paid what was promised. Such a trifling matter, after all. ^.^ What matters is that justice is done! And the…princess is home. n.n;
