Starring:
Date: March 8, 2014
Summary:
A fortune seeking mission of sorts becomes sidelong for the sake of a rescue.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Chronicles of the Shady Lizard Hero - Chance"
Fumma Alley - Ward 6
Ward 6 [Fuuma Alley]
/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.
Roaring searchlights, buzzing neon, arching floodlights compete under the perpetually brown-tinged lead skies of the Alley, each an attempt to draw attention to the three- and four-story casinos and other pleasure houses squeezed next to one another in the heart of the city. Fancifully constructed in the styles of a dozen lands or to look like sailing ships or tombs, the gambling houses and their marquees throw deep, concealing shadows on the wide gears of industry and narrow shanty buildings that crowd between them.
/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.|/.
How she got in Fuuma must be a mystery, but a sudden thud about Ryoji is sure to capture his attention. "I told you I would find you.." He would probably recognize her voice instantly. It's the happy-go-lucky girl he met .. You know, coming out of a barrel. "Still need my help?" Misaki says while gazing down the roads, curious as to why Ryoji went to Fuuma!
If Misaki was expecting some startled gasp of suprise or something of the sort, no such thing would be forthcoming from the Iga. He hardly seemed to notice anything all that didn't entail the city that laid stretched out before him. Shun — as always recently — is at his side, and at least she half-turns to regard the new arrival for a brief moment before turning to place a hand on her cousin's shoulder. Whatever reverie the man lost himself in is broken in an instance. "Huh… What is it Shun-sama?" He asks curiously enough. In answer, she gestures in Misaki's direction with her head.
"… Ah! Misaki darling~ Things didn't quite work out in Konoha I s'pose?" He asks, sounding genuinely curious despite knowing the answer already. Well, at least up to a certain degree in anycase. As soon as her 'master' turn to converse, Shun meanders onward down the road with the intent to get an early start on finding those information brokers the duo heard about.
"It's a long story. I might even find time to tell you." Misaki giggles and hops down to walk down next to Ryoji. "Lets just say I can be less worried now." She sighs and rubs her eyes for a moment. Travel did tire her our significantly. She peers down to where Shun goes and happily follows, in silence at first….
When they arrive at the brokers location there's an ominous silence. Where are the strenuous constant vibrant sounds of Fuuma? Something - was - definetly off!
"You sure this is the place?" Misaki asks, as something hits her shoulder, since she falls down after being bonked, though when she turns to look what hit her she sees nothing. "What the penumbra!?" She exclaims, while looking at the opened door ahead, suddenly a group of three come out, one holding rope… One has a wriggling bag over his shoulder, and the last human, doned in red clothing has a large hammer leaning against his shoulder. They look past Misaki and Ryoji and snort. "You guys seen anything pass by here?" One of em asks? "Or feel!" One adds, the least brightest of the group probably, as he gets a smack up the nose. "Ow.." He grunts, a hand moving up to hold its bridge.
Ayumu may have opened his mouth to speak, but it is Shun who answers with an "It is." without breaking her attention from the building. Something was off. Both Iga could feel as much as far deep as their bones. But the what escapes — Ayumu turns about upon hearing Misaki's exclaimation and drops down to aid her. Shun on the other hand merely glances back and peers beyond the duo, searching for something…
The search becomes hampered by the need to divide her focus between it and the group of three that just exited. "Hmm… can't speak for the sight bit my handsome fellows, though we certainly felt something alright." Ayumu speak up nonchalantly without turning to face the group, drawing their attention as well, or so he hopes. Thus, leaving Shun to pull one of her disappearing acts and investigate things from a distance.
Shun would quickly notice a creature, about the size of a horse crawling along a building, invisible to the naked eye, but to the senses he's right out there. It circled around the encounter, not running literally, but not posing a direct threat either. "What's in the bag?" Misaki says, curious.. Like a cat.. Cats like bags, see where this is going?
The creature is noted, though its form suggests the impossible by most standards. Still, Shun would accept as much and endeavor to keep an eye on the creature while Ayumu handled the situation on the ground. She could only pray her cousin would actually try 'genuine' negotiation tactics for once.
"What's in the bag o' darling Misa-me-chan? Why it'd be none other than a rarity I profess!" He exclaims with a hearty cackle. The cackling comes to an abrupt end. One in which Ayumu slicked back his hair and adjusted his robe a little. "Is that not right my fellow man? And if so, better it be to share such a thing with the world than keep it contained?… Or have you no sense of shame?" The last he adds with his head canted slightly to the side.
The man sniffs his nose and grunts, looking at Ayumu, before Misaki and Ayumu could probably spot question marks forming in his blank staring eyes. "YOU WHOT MATE!?" Says he with the most flat, unrefined gritty accent you could possibly imagine. Misaki looks at Ryoji and blinks. "We're here for an exotic Pet…" She is also starting to develop things akin to those question marks. "Or here to rescue one?" She touches her wristbands and gloves, peering at the three having a Mexican standoff with Ryoji and her.
Ayumu sighs and face palms lightly at everyone's antics. And to think, he was actually 'trying' to be more normal about his speech patterns. "Ah well…" He murmurs. "We are friends. Friends share things. We — " He motioned to himself and Misaki. " — shared information. So, only fiar that you show your friends what's in the bag, no?" He asks, hoping for better results this time around. All the while he kept on measuring them up, noting any physical weakness (besides the obvious - i.e intelligence) for what may just devolve into a scrap.
They seem like common thugs. Though there is a give-away. Whatever's in that bag is rumored not to be weak at all. And to scare away something of the size that's on the walls now is not easy. So these three might be more than they look to be. That said, one of them slowly nods. "That makes sense…" The boss-man won't have none of it though. "Nah-nah.." He says. "You ain' my friend and you aint gonna' be.." He peers at Ryoji. "And now, good day! Cheerio!" He waves and is about to literally bump Ryoji's shoulder on his way past him. "Come on boys… Leggo!"
'Foreingers. Common Thugs. Atypical Physique. Three. Abnormal?'
Brushing too closely to Ayumu — even as he merely pouted in response to the trio — is a mistake their leader might just pay for. He hand is raised almost languidly and pressed against the leaders abdomen. The other, quickly raised to cover the man's shoulder plate. If either are succesful in making contact, the leader would either double over and start to throw-up or find it harder to breathe from his organs being twisted about. So long as either happens, the bundle would hopefully be dropped in process, allowing for Misaki or Shun to try and grasp it. Albeit in the latter case, it'd be by way of tendril of hair shaped into the form of a hand snatching it up and pulling it to the roof tops.
The thug was underestimating Ryoji. So at that sudden touch the man bellows, doubling over with spit coming from his lips, bag dropping onto the ground, jutting around left and right. Something's in that thing and very much alive. "LET ME THE SHADE OUT…" Says a cute little voice. Misaki flinching… "Ryoji!" She says, as she watches his .. Hair going for it? Too late however, a second thug ran up to the thing and held onto it tightly. Misaki knew how to deal with that though, walking up to the man and popping her nekote with an almost sadistic grin. "I recommend you let go now.." *Schwing schwing* … four claws are drawn diagonally along the thugs face, bleeding slightly, the hurt makes him grasp for his face, finally letting go of the bag. What did she just do.. For who, and why!?
Shun curses under breath before edging forward within her shadowed perch, intent on taking on the more personal route now that her position was revealed anyhow. Misaki stepping in saves her the trouble… but even so, the red-haired woman would keep a closer eye on things now, awaiting another opportunity to aid her companions in their endeavors. Er… companion, technically.
Ayumu fell along with the thug, kneeling in order to keep that hand pressed and ready to keep the sickness going, or to press on into the more lethal variation of the banshee strike. After a quick 'glance' to check and see if any of the other thugs had secret leadership potential (as these things tend to go), Ayumu says, "I'd do what darling Misaki-chan asked now, Takimaki-san. Ruined mugs aside… it'd be unfortunate if I have to get any more involved than I already am." His voice may have been bright and nonchalance, but there's an edge to it without a doubt. Shun of course knew and would be the blade to deliver that threat if need be.
Misaki quickly reaches for the bag and throws it straight up. It was something going by her gut feeling, but she almost knew for certain Shun would swoop in to catch it and take it to a safe place. Or perhaps to the thing that bumped into her. "They don't need to die Ryoji." She says calmly, looking at him, a little pissed. Was there really a need to engage again? No politics? "Lets fall back, figure stuff out… Maybe you can tell me what's going on…" Just as she says that, due to the fact she's turned one of the bandits gets up, a blade being drawn, aiming a swift slash at Misaki's exposed side.
Misaki would be correct in her assumptions. While Shun did not leap, the tendrils of hair shaped into a hand from before does whip out from a shadow and captures the package before withdrawing it the owner's side. Whatever inside can squirm and yell all it wants, but Shun would not heed it. No, the only thing worth heeding now was the invisible creature from before now that things settled down earthward. Or, so she thought at first…
A string explodes into pieces as that which it bound rapidly expanded and reshaped itself into the rough shape of a hand. The ponytail turned ligament rapidly stretches out, intercepting the blade, if only just. "Aye, they need not, though one certainly seems to be begging for it." He says nonchalantly and icily all at once. On that note tendrils separate from the hand and stretch out rapidly, binding the poor fool if he isn't fast enough.
Misaki flinches, her eyes flashing two different colors for a brief moment, before she relaxed. "Well dusk it.." She says, cracking her knuckles and suddenly doing a spinning kick, landing her heel on the man's jaw, causing him to go lights out instantly. "Who attacks a lady when she isn't looking.." She 'hmps' while bowing to Ryoji in obvious, deep gratitude. "I guess I need to thank you again." She says while peering at the last thug, who's literally clawing at the ground to get up and sprint away. His … well everything shouting: NOPE …
They have more immediate things to worry about though. From the side of another building, due to the turmoil a sudden pink hole opens, a huge tongue rolling out and rapidly shooting at Shun, attaching all over his body and starting to pull with the strength of many. Towards that pinkish mouth appearing from nothingness. "What… THE GLOOM IS THAT…." Says Misaki, pointing with a trembling finger. All the poor larger Chameleon wants is his kid back, the animal in the sack. But he's clearly not identified friend from foe!
"Not a problem my darling." Ayumu says, though his eyes stayed on the thug trying to retreat. It was… kind of amusing, really. So much so that the man began to wonder if perhaps he should help him along. Both Iga's ear twitches as the hole of pink opens, but by the time either of them can confirm the source, Shun is captured and nearly yanked off her feet. Nearly, but not quite. Gluing her feet to the roof keeps her from sliding further, but then, even that starts to give with time. She bowed her head and is just preparing to start separating tongue from body when Ayumu calls out to her.
"Shun. Press the bag into the tongue." Shun gives Ayumu a look… but ultimately caves into her cousin wish.
As soon as that's done the tongue gently retreats, the bag disappearing into nothingness again… "Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Says a deep, almost echoing voice….
Shun turns to glower at Ayumu the moment the bag disappears into nothingness. Even if she could still trace where it has gone, relinquishing a hostage in a potential hostile situation was not a smart choice. If aware of her mood Ayumu shows no sign of having picked up. Instead, all of his attention is focused towards the source of the sound, or at least what the extrasensory organs in his hair picks up as such. "Ayumu, Iga Ayumu… though I s'pose in circles around the city I'd be known as Wakahisa Ryoji." Ayumu states pleasantly enough. "I'm… afraid I can't necessarily speak for — "
"Iga Shun," Shun interrupts, eliciting a curious glance back from her cousin.
Misaki blinks as Ryoji makes the first move. "Misaki…" She says, forgoing suffixes and blinking at nothing. "What… are you exactly?"
