Starring:
Michiko (emitter), Hiei, Arashi, Akira, Reza
Date: January 20, 2016
Summary:
The Jinzen family, yet another family mentioned during the initial investigation, is being investigated by a group of undercover Kumo-nin.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Thieves of Torture - The Jinzen Family Restaurant Investigation"
Land of Lightning - Raiun City
The strange kidnappings and sudden disappearances within the prisons have slowed and stopped altogether. It's been that way for a while, actually. The group itself was learning to cover their tracks better? Perhaps… Which is why Michiko decided that it was time to investigate another family that was supposedly a member of the criminal organization. As they delved deeper into the group and picked out more people, Kumogakure knew that they'd have to tread carefully.
Hiei, Arashi, Reza, and surprisingly Akira were selected for this mission. In some way or another, they could be considered related. They were to pose as a family going on a simple outing and exploring the capital of the Land of Lightning: Raiun City. The family in question are known as the Jinzen family, and they are well-known for their restaurant. One of a kind ramen specials and a lot of delicious other things! They even expanded into a small gift shop for the more loyal customers. The team's job is simply to watch them and see if anything suspicious is going on, naturally. In the report, the new gift shop is supposedly the most suspicious section of this popular food-place.
The assignment was pretty straight forward. In fact, it's been a long time since Hiei has gone undercover…not since he had to pose as part of a married couple while investigating a couple's retreat. However, since it's not his first time in Raiun City, he's dressed casually in a pair of black cargo pants, a long sleeved blue t-shirt and a short black leather jacket. His long hair is tied into a ponytail and he has no visible weapons on his body, though that doesn't mean he's not packing. Taking on the role of tourist, he's showing Akira some of the sights of the big city as the small group makes their way towards the Jinzen family resturant for lunch. "And over there is where the Daimyo's offices are…" He states as they walk along. "..it's been awhile since I've been here."
Akira hadn't been expecting a call for a mission before a team assignment, but he nevertheless promptly attends. However, it's a bit of a surprise when he discovers that he's been tasked with pursuing the same goal as his father. His first mission, and he's going with the Raikage? Somehow, this suddenly seems like it would be a bit over his head! On the other hand, it does make the task of presenting himself as family that much easier.
Posing as a family on an outing. Well, for that, the boy leaves behind his headband and changes into a green kimono stitched with gold leaves instead. A bit less wealthy (and shinobi) looking, but no less flowing for purposes of movement. Rather than the formal way he normally ties his hair against the back of his head, Akira wears it down in a simple ponytail.
"I'm sorry, father," Akira mutters under his breath to Hiei, rather out of the blue. He then perks up as he roams along with the herd, looking here and there as they go. This is the boy's first visit to the capital, so it's a chance to take in many an important sight. "I like it, but it's a little crowded …"
Arashi had on a different clothes display than his usual shinobi garb. It was a shirt that could be buttoned up over top of another shirt. The color that of a white and blue. His pants were a dark-ish blue and had a seaweed green tint to it. He liked the outfit himself. Reminded him of the sea and his old life. "So. Interesting place this is. I was here when younger as well. Though…not as a tourist." His mind went back to that day and what he remembered was his captain picking a fight with someone and it not ending well for anyone. Well except the captain that is who came out with no marks.
Reza dressed in a pair of khaki colored baggy capri pants, a yellow striped black loose-fitting long sleeve shirt, and a hooded black vest. Walking along with the group he'd keep a certain lackadaisical air about him as he kept pace. "Raiun City is always fun…wonder if Ragyo still lives around here…" He'd start to say more before stopping immediately suddenly remember the kid here.
As noted, the restaurant is a bit crowded. Well, the group /did/ show up during a busy hour… So it only makes sense. There are a few waitresses and waiters that have no relation at all to the Jinzen family, of course, and they're rushing around. The youngest daughter, Jinzen Emiri, would wave happily in greeting. By the looks of it, she recently lost two teeth! "Weh-come to the Jinsen Wah-men shop! How many of you is there?" she asks. The girl is probably four or five, and she has her blonde hair done up in pigtails.
Hiei chuckles at Akira's response. "I agree. It's a fun place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here. Way too crowded for me." He asides to Arashi. "I've never been here as a tourist. The job brought me here a few times in the past." That and his sister was in the prison here, but there's no need to mention that. A faint smirk towards Reza as he begins to talk about something that Akira's ears were probably too young for. However as the group steps foot into the resturant, Hiei smiles down at their short greeter. "Why hello there. There are four of us." He looks around at the busy room before turning back to his group. "A table for me, my son, and my two brothers-in-law please." Even just glancing around, he's taking note of the place, looking for anything that might be amiss. Just a basic inspection for the moment.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a PERCEPTION…34
Akira does what someone his age should do, of course. "Who's Ragyo?" With the question lingering in the air, he otherwise lets his father do the initial talking as they enter the ramen shop. For some reason, the sight of a child with missing teeth prompts him to stiffen his back a bit, but he exhales and relaxes himself. A smile is mustered for their presumed hostess as he idly brushes strands of loose white hair from his face, tucking it behind an ear. It's rough, negotiating one's path in such a busy city, among so many tall legs!
Arashi raised a brow at Reza as he spoke and glanced between him and Hiei before joining them in the resturant. When they were greeted by someone as young as their hostess he smiled a bit and let Hiei speak. He took the time to look around the area though himself since Hiei would be the one ordering and… they are supposedly brother-in-laws. Well it was a simple solution to being related and the smartest one really.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…19
Reza coughs a bit as Akira asks further about Ragyo. "Oh ahhh….ahhh…a very nice lady who owned a clothing store." His eyes would shift a bit as he scratched his head. "Welp! We're here." He'd say as they entered the resturant. Taking his seat he'd take note of the little girl with the missing teeth and just beam with a smile but keeping quiet for now rather than do what he really wanted which was comment on her adorability. His eyes would scan the room taking in the details of things.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…33
"HAI!" the little girl would say, hopping down from the tall stool she sat upon and grabbing four menus. "Five. Nine. Seven. Fo-ah!" She nods as if she totally knew what she was doing, then would lead the group to an empty table with four chairs. She sets the menus down on the table in a stack, then turns and yells loudly, "Oniiiiiiii-chaaaaaannnnn! I has cun-stew-mers!" Then she'd turn back and bow to the group. "I hope you wike the food!" Then she bounces away to go help the next group of people. On first glance, no one would really notice anything strange. The restaurant was crowded and the food smelled delicious! Everyone was chatting happily, too.
Hiei had a genuine smile plastered on his face as he watches the little girl lead them to a table and then give them menus. As he takes his seat, he can't help but to keep smiling at the girl. She was insanely cute. As he passes menus out to eveyone, he does keep looking around discreetly, but now that he's seated, he looks towards the door that leads into the gift shop next door. After the girl calls for her sister, he lowers his voice to conversation range and comments, "Alright. Arashi, in a little bit, I want you to make a comment about getting something for your sister, my wife, and head towards the gift shop to take a look around. Reza, chat up our waitress and see if you can glean any information from her. Akira? I think it's time you made a new friend. Go ask our cute hostess if she knows where the little boy's room is and see if you can get her to admit anything about the gift shop. It's along shot because she might not know anything, but then again, she might. And she'd be more open with someone her own age. As for me, I'll pretend to study the menu and give the place a good checking out from my seat. Everyone clear on what they're to do?" He asks as he absently moves a lock of hair out of his face as if he's having casual conversation with the group.
Akira casually accepts Reza's answer, even though he can certainly sense nervousness in the initial response. "That's nice, but father bought me new clothes when I came to live with him." So, whatever the embarrassing tale may be, the once unfortunate target is now off the hook! The boy takes a seat alongside Hiei, looking for all the world to be his father's son in truth. Their physical resemblance is stunning, if one can look beyond the age gap. "Well, the food sounds good …" He's reading the menu initially, trying to remember to blend in.
Then, Hiei begins to dole out the orders. He just barely restrains a wince at having to go spend more time with she of the missing teeth, for whatever reason he has that reaction to her. "They're all trying hard to be happy," Akira observes, more on his own assessment than anything telltale he's noticed. He's never been to any restaurant where everybody's been so giddy, from the staff on down. He waits for a time so as to not be suspicious, and then puts his menu down.
Akira pushes up to his feet and turns about, pursuing the little hostess as best he can. He's older than her, but he tries to keep it to her level. "Scuse me," he says, forcing another smile at that mouth of missing teeth. Lightly scratching at the back of his head, Akira asks her, "Do you have a restroom?"
Arashi looked at Hiei and only pictured himself for a moment being related to Sachiko somehow and visibly shivered a bit. Though he wasn't complaing at all about the order. "Yeah I can do that. Shouldn't be hard at all. And Akira.. sometimes family buisness like this they act happy to gain service…or they are told to act happy because the owners can do more to get at them." He stretched a bit and relaxed before looking at his menu. For now he would sit. Though next time the waitress came by he would make a comment to Hiei speaking of getting a gift and politely getting up to go check out the gift shop. When in there he would idly look at things to buy like any normal customer and for now look on his own. Though he might ask for 'help' in a bit.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…27
Reza simply nods as orders are doled out. When Hiei arrives at his task Reza simply turns towards him and with a look great bewilderment and just stares at him for a few moments. "Did you just tell me to…Oh man. Best. Boss. Ever." He'd say in an almost inaudible whisper. Without missing a beat Reza would lean back in his seat watching as Akira and Arashi set upon their relative tasks. Reza would motion for their waitress with a raise of his hand. "Excuse me Miss? My lovely little brother here just informed me that in honor of my latest success with my shipping company he'd treat me to whatever I desired from the menu." He'd smile nodding towards Hiei. "But you see. I'm a little more interested in what's not on the menu." He'd continue ending with a wink and a smile (and a slight gleam from his teeth.)
Reza simply nods as orders are doled out. When Hiei arrives at his task Reza simply turns towards him and with a look great bewilderment and just stares at him for a few moments. "Did you just tell me to…Oh man. Best. Boss. Ever." He'd say in an almost inaudible whisper. Without missing a beat Reza would lean back in his seat watching as Akira and Arashi set upon their relative tasks. Reza would motion for their waitress with a raise of his hand. "Excuse me? My lovely little brother here just informed me that in honor of my latest success with my shipping company he'd treat me to whatever I desired from the menu." He'd smile nodding towards Hiei. "But you see. I'm a little more interested in what's not on the menu." He'd continue ending with a wink as he aimed his eyes towards a cute waitress across the room. "From one guy to another. How's my chances?"
Emiri would beam to Akira when he comes over, her lack of front teeth showing quite clearly. "Hewwo! What's a west-woom? … Oh! A woom whe-ah you west? Isn't that the west-want?" The poor girl sounds really confused… Maybe the word 'restroom' is just too complicated for her D: "Umm… Oh! I know! I can show you my sekwit hideout! And we can west the-weh!" She nods and grabs Akira's hand, tugging him along. …
The waiter comes over, looking … Well, not bored, but not excited. "Welcome to Jinzen's Ramen Shop. Can I bring you all some tea?" Then he pauses and looks to Reza, a frown creasing his features. "Um… Sorry, I'm not into guys… I know we put up ads for making a three-some, but I was really hoping another girl would be interested -.-;" He sighs a bit. "Anyway, I can go get your tea. Just give me a moment. And I'll send your actual waiter over once he's done with bartending." The dude would scribble something down before he would wander off.
Arashi would enter the gift shop, and it would be … filled with merchandise. Insta-ramen, in particular. And then there were all sorts of plushies (noodle plushies, meat-plushies, vegetable plushies… They came with a bed-bowl), t-shirts, and pjs. A woman who looks to be in her late twenties chimes, "Welcome to the gift shop! I hope you buy something wonderful~ Is there anything I can help you with?"
Hiei smirks a bit at the honest mistake and simply nods faintly when he's called the best boss ever. Well…he did intend for Reza to flirt with one of the female servers, but apparently they're not around. So he sets about doing his own job. He looks towards the entrance to the gift shop again, this time eyes look for any small detail..from someone going where they're not supposed to, all the way to the expression on faces that might indicate that they have something to hide, or seem nervous for some reason.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a MASTERED-PERCEPTION…81
Akira isn't quite so far away yet that he can't hear what's being discussed at the table. After filing away a query about what a threesome is, to be delivered to his father at a later time, he finds that the girl is utterly confused by his question. "Um, you know. It's a place where you go … Uh, hey!" Now, not only is the girl toothless, but she has him by the hand and is spiriting him away! Nevertheless, a secret hiding place? It /could/ be promising, so Akira just shuts himself up and plays along obligingly.
"Don't you have to work? It looks really busy," Akira says to Emeri, "even in the gift shop. Lots of people go there, it looks like."
Arashi looked around for a moment before walking towards the woman who greeted him. "Yes I uhh. My sister got married not too long ago, and I wanted to surprise her with another gift from this place. She wasn't able to come herself as she had her friends and other family to hang out with. What would you suggest Iget for her? You know…the best thing to encompass what all of this place is about.
0.o Reza sits there for a moment with yet another look of bewilderment stretched across his face. This time however it's clear the meaning of this one is the opposite of the one he gave Hiei earlier. He'd slowly turn towards Hiei before speaking. "Wait you can put up ads for that kinda stuff?…..Do…Do they work?" He'd say before pausing for a moment to locate Akira again. He'd palm his face before cackling. "Gonna need something stronger than tea after that." He'd say scanning the resturant once again.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…32
Along the walls, there are small decorations here and there. The paneling is quite obvious in the different places, and there's random furniture everywhere. But Hiei might notice something off about that one section of the wall nearer the bar. Interestingly, that's where Akira is being led to.
Emiri would drag Akira off to a secret staircase section that is only accessible when you touch a certain spot on the wall. She goes up the staircase, of course, and leads Akira to her room that she shares with an older sister by the looks of it. It's very girly, decorated in pink and lace with multiple ramen-plushies. One corner has a fort-like construction that Emiri proudly shows off. "Ta-dahhhh!"
The gift shop keeper would smile winningly. "I think you should get her our special ramen shop! Or maybe our pajamas, which have our logo on them. They're very comfortable, and our customers just can't get enough of them." The woman would lead Arashi to various sections of the shop where he might notice something off…
Shortly after the first waiter came over, the tea would be delivered by a rather handsome-looking young man who looks to be in his late teens. His dark hair was carefully styled in such a way that most ladies would start gossiping at first sight. "Sorry for my co-worker. My name is Jinzen Shiare. I recommend today's special, pork ramen with extra meat in it. But there are many other selections. We also have spicy-ramen now, which is a recent addition to our menu."
Hiei orders some hot green tea as he continues to study the menu. Reza's look towards him is responded with a slight shrug from him. Who knew? He watches as Akira is taken into a secret area by Emeri though he's not exactly worried. Akira still thought girls were icky, so no worries there. And it might allow his son to figure out what's going on. So for the time being, all he can do is just sit there. Though he does look up at the waiter with a smile. "We'll take the house special. Um…can I ask you a question? I've heard people rave about your gift shop. Might I ask what's so special about it?"
Akira soon finds himself out of earshot from his party's table, but beyond sight of the establishment as a whole. The girl so carelessly leads him to the secret passageway. If he didn't have his own demons, he'd feel a bit bad about taking advantage of her innocence, but he follows along all the way to her room. This time around, Akira's back seizes up more in revulsion at the girliness of the room! In his life, Akira's largely had only male role-models, and he suspects none would've approved of this frilly monstrosity.
"It's really nice," Akira says, lying through his own intact, smiling teeth. "But … How come you live in a hidden place? I couldn't even see it until you touched the wall." The boy does his very best to sound somewhere between impressed and surprised. So much the better to satisfy Emeri's tiny ego. The exhibit that is the fort is met with approving eyes, but as they wander, he begins to suspect that this is not a privately held bedroom. That could be a danger. "Uh, you can tell me while I look inside."
Akira, thinking it best that he be prepared if anyone else should enter the room, ventures into the proudly displayed fort to provide himself with a bit of cover. Were he discovered here and flat-footed, beyond sight of his team, he'd be in over his head. On the other hand, he may presently be in the best position to acquire details.
Arashi looked at the lady and nods a bit. "Maybe I could get both of those then." He looks around as he noticed….and interesting smell.. It was disgusting. "Uhhh.. What personally do you think is the best item to purchase? like if you were a customer what would you come get." And he took this time to look around and try to figure out what that smell was. Though he would make it seem like he was looking at items still.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…32
Reza would nod towards the mention of the daily special. "Pork Ramen. I could go for some of that." He'd nod before pondering quietly. "And maybe a small bottle of sake." He'd say before he'd stand. "And if you don't mind I need to use the gentlemen's room. Be right back." Offering a modest bow to the waiter as he began walking in the direction Akira headed before veering off a bit to blend in with the crowd and look around a bit.
COMBAT: Reza attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 29
Emiri puffs out her chest proudly and smiles wider. "Cuz we dun want cun-stew-mers axe-ident-wy coming up!" she tells Akira. "It'd be siwwy if someone came up to my woom! Me and my big sis wive here." She spins a bit, like a ballerina, as she continues, "Wea- do you live?"
Shiare would blink a bit. "Well, it's a recent addition to our shop. Maybe six months ago or so?" Hiei might realize that the timeframe actually lines up with how long the strange prisoner kidnappings have been going. "I think it's just popular because our shop is popular. Not the goods. Ramen plushies was my mom's idea." The teen shrugs lightly and scribbles down the orders, then bows. "I'll put your order in right away." Then he turns to leave.
The woman would blinks. "Our best item? I love our ramen plushies. They're so cute and soft… Perfect for the bedroom~~~!" Arashi's continued hunt would allow him to note that the smell seemed to be wafting from the underground, of all things. As Reza disappears, a few people would notice. Most specifically, the cook in the kitchen. …. Dun dun dunnnnnn.
Hiei offers Shiare a grin. "Ah, I see. Thanks." The date did indeed line up. Though he does chuckle. "Ramen plushies…not really my thing, though maybe my daughter might like it. I'll have to check it out after we eat." Now Hiei is looking for where Akira went and looking through the door towards the shop to check on Arashi. Otherwise, he'd just sit there while sipping his tea while people watching. Looking for something else that might seem suspicious.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a PERCEPTION-II…60
Akira resists the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, naturally, they don't want anyone wandering up there. Hidden door. "A little village. It's far from here," he explains. "This is my first time to a big city." Again, those little demons of his allow him to continue playing at the role of the deceiver. "Your shop's nice. Everyone seems happy. Really, really happy. Even the customers."
Where does he go with this? Akira was trained to fight, not to spy. He spends a moment's silence hidden in the fort, trying to think of how to squeeze information out on the child's terms. "Still, that's really special. A door that looks like a wall! Do you have lots of those here?"
Arashi looked over at the woman and raised a brow. "Well I will be sure to get a few then? What is your name anyhow. So I can address you and thank you properly for the help." He frowned a bit when he noticed the smell…was underground? Was there a body buried there in some form? His eyes shifted and he frowned a bit. If only he could make clones without it being… Obvious. "I don't know about their own tastes in ramen plushies though so lets still look at other things."
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…24
Reza would wander around a bit taking note of the area before finally heading to the bathroom. After doing his business..and a quick scan there. He make his way back to the table with Hiei regardless of what was discovered to avoid rousing suspsicion. Taking a seat he'd let out a sigh of relief. "Phew. Did I miss anything?"
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…24
Hiei probably wouldn't notice anything else. The crowd was essentially making it difficult for him to see anything particularly suspicious. Emire would nod. "That's cuz we have the best wamen shop!" she declares proudly. "We got wots of sekwit stuff. There's a sekwit thing downsta-yahs that I can't go to. Mama won't wet me…" She pouts. "And papa is too busy."
"Jinzen Rei! I'm Jinzen Kentoshi's wife." The woman would smile brightly. "You should get all of the ramen plushies, of course. We also have the clothing line, all soft. Very amazing to the touch. I highly recommend it~~~."
Not spotting anything overly amiss, he turns his attention to Reza once he sat down. "Absolutely nothing. I can't get a read on any of these people. But Akira and Arashi have been gone for awhile. Either they've found something, or they're in trouble. I'll take another look around, I suppose." However, instead of using his eyes, he closes them and feels for active chakra in the area. That would alert him to someone doing something they weren't supposed to.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSITIVITY…46
Akira, still concealed within the little fort, lifts his eyebrows. Another hidden room, downstairs, which the little girl isn't so free to go to and from. That sounds like a winner. Still, there's the concern that someone may come along while he's pinned in the upstairs area. The boy quickly grabs his white hair, which is far too telling at his age, and ties it up into a topknot. He then covers it over with a bandana cut from cloth matching his kimono.
"I feel better," Akira says as he emerges from the fort, brandishing a smile at Emeri. "Thanks! It was really nice of you." He looks to the door and asks, "Can we go back downstairs? I didn't tell my dad where I was going, and he might worry."
Arashi looked at Rei. "Rei-san. It is nice to meet you. My name is Hizumu Arashi." He did a small bow, but only a slight tilt. Nothing more before he looked at the clothing. "Is it soft? Hmmm… Maybe I could go back and talk with my brother-in-law to see if he wants to buy my sister some things as well. You mind if I take my leave for now and return after I convinced him to loosen his hold on his coin?"
Reza would frown as nothing new popped up for the two remaining at the table. "Arashi I know for a fact would be able to make noise if he were in danger. That leaves Akira to worry about.." He'd note. "But they already know they'd have to deal with us if something happened to the one kid with us. They wouldn't want our commotion." Unfortunately Reza's skillset wasn't the best for quiet searching. He couldn't example slap detection seals all over the place in a crowded resturant. He'd merely wait for the others to return watching out for them and for anything suspicious that might occur.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…33
Emiri would blink a bit at the slight change in appearance from Akira. Why did he look different…? Well, she didn't care so much. So teh girl would nod and say, "Hai! I'll show you back!" She would take Akira by the hand and tug him back downstairs to the front of the restaurant where he would have first seen her.
Rei would smile and nod. "It is very soft, yes. You're free to leave, but I hope to see you again with a bit of change in your pocket!" She would giggle, then usher him out the door towards the restaurant section of the building.
Akira waves a hand to Emiri in a friendly goodbye prior to returning to their table. He doesn't remove his bandana once there, as it's less suspicious to just leave it, rather than look like he's slipping out of a disguise. "Hi," he says to his tablemates. "Sorry. The little girl wanted to show me around the shop. She's nice." All smiles, this one.
"Father," he says to Hiei, just to grab his attention. He bumps the outside of said man's closer leg with his hand, and briefly directs a finger toward the floor. It seems he did come back with something of worth, but he's wise enough not to say it out loud.
Arashi nodded. "Alright. Thanks." Then he let himself be ushered out and moved to meetup with the others. Where he would quickly sit down to tell them a tale of the ramen plushies and comfy pjs. Though if Akira arrived first he would let him speak before he spoke himself. Once Akira did speak and Arashi took note of the pointing towards the ground he stretched a bit. "Yeah. I agree with the kid. The place 'smells' fantastic." The emphasis on the word smell would be followed by his own pointing the same way Akira did. A small frown was on his face as he spoke.
Reza would raise up as the others began returning all indicating the fact that they've located something. "Ahh yes. Food won't be much longer. I'm starving." He'd say keeping the theme going as he learned further in.
Reza was quite right. The food didn't take much longer to arrive. In fact, as they spoke, a waiter would come over and deliver the food! The daily special among other things. It actually looked like there was a lot of food, and it all smelled delicious. It may also be hiding whatever nastier scents could be arising from the floor…
Hiei smiles at Akira once he returns. "That's good. I'm glad you had fun with your new friend." However, he nods subtly, indicating to Akira that he understands his meaning. He also looks at Arashi and chuckles. "Interesting. Perhaps I'll check out the shop before we leave." As Reza comments on the food, Hiei motions with his hand. "Alright. Let's eat." As he piles a plate of food and passes it to Akira, he then piles another one up for himself and begins eating with his chopsticks. As soon as the waiter leaves their table, he murmurs in a low voice. "Something below us, and something smells off…I see. For now, we'll enjoy our meal and then return here after dark. Right now there are too many civilians around. Agreed?"
Akira offers Hiei a smile as his father considerately serves him a plate of food. Taking up his chopsticks, the boy begins to eat, albeit carefully at first. It'd be a shame if the stuff was poisonous! "Over where the girl took me, you press a part of the wall and a door opens. Leads up to her bedroom, and her sister's," the boy explains in an equally quiet voice. "She told me there are a lot of secrets in this place, but there's another door to the downstairs room. She's not allowed to go there."
Arashi had something small and just snacked into it ashe listened before speaking himself. "I told the receptionist that I might bring you by to check out the gift shop by the way Hiei. I am sure she would like to show you everything while I take a look around myself. Either way if not then your idea of doing everything later works perfectly fine with me. Sounds like a plan at least." He stretched a bit and sighed. "At least the food doesn't seem to taste bad." He chuckled some.
Reza would nod towards the flood of new information. "Good good. And agreed. We don't know exactly what were going to encounter. Don't want to many moving parts." As he prepped to take part in the meal. He'd do his usual routine of sniffing the food first before taking small bites. This was less to check for poison and more a habit out of living on a boat where food had a habit of being a little ripe if you weren't careful.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…35
The food was perfectly fine. Probably not the best in the world, but it was definitely very good. High quality for moderate prices. While the group continued to dine, the ramen shop would seem to have its crowd get bigger and smaller. Eventually, of course, the crowd would disappear for closing time. But that was long into the night! Around midnight.
With everyone in agreement, the family finishes their meal, pays, and then goes on about their day. However, once closing time comes, Hiei and the team are back. This time, Hiei is clad in his battle armor, complete with mask that covers his lower face. The armor is matte black and covers every inch of him, except for his head. His hair is tied back still, and his swords are belted around his waist. He stands on the roof of a building across the street from the resturant. "Thanks to Akira and Arashi, we know that something is wrong on the lower level of that place. From the description of the smell, there is either dead bodies, or people living in such close proximity that hygiene is a problem." He turns to face the others. "Are we ready for infiltration?"
COMBAT: Hiei focuses 3444 stamina to turn it into 5000 usable chakra!
Now that time has passed and they've left the restaurant, Akira has removed his bandana and retied his ponytail. Back to looking like a little Hiei. The boy stares in slight awe at his father's changed appearance, what with the armor and all. "I know what I want for my birthday," he absently states. Shaking his head once so as to break from his preoccupation, Akira nods. "I'm not sure if you press a panel to open the door down, like with the wall, or something else. The girl didn't say. Her sister just won't let her go down there." He signals his readiness with a nod as his chakra pathways spark to life.
COMBAT: Akira focuses 4282 stamina to turn it into 5000 usable chakra!
Arashi simply followed and had a bit of his own chakra flow through him. He was ready for this whatever it was. Honestly with what the smell was he assumed it was dead people. "Alright. Shouldn't be too difficult as long as they don't see us." And he figured he would be the most likely one to get them caught. He had basic stealth techniques and a mist…. Anywho he would follow Hiei's lead here.
COMBAT: Arashi focuses 5570 stamina to turn it into 7000 usable chakra!
Reza would poof into position on the roof wearing his mission attire, a simple grey flak jacket with a black scraf around his neck and mouth. He'd simply give a thumbs up before pulling a sleeve up exposing 4 seals placed on his arm. "I've placed seals near the building. We should be alerted should someone approach." He'd roll his sleeve backdown before focusing his own chakra. "He'd nod towards Arashi and Akira. Good job earlier."
COMBAT: Reza focuses 3944 stamina to turn it into 5000 usable chakra!
Hiei nods at Akira. "It's fine. If it's her and her sister's bedroom, we'll be avoiding that area anyway, if we can help it." He looks over at Arashi and nods again. "We want to do this as quietly as possible, but we should expect resistance. I did sense a faint chakra signature earlier, so someone in there is versed in the shinobi arts." His gaze shifts to Reza. "Excellent work, be sure to give us a head's up if anyone trips your sensory network." He turns to the buidling again and gives his standard comment. "Let's be careful, but let's get it done. Follow me." He then leaps off the building, landing at the bottom in a silent crouch before he silently moves towards the entrance near the alley.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 34
Akira jumps down from the roof and, thanks in equal part to his agility and size, lands without making much noise at all. He follows along behind Hiei's armored form, still admiring said armor for so long as he can. Soon, however, they near the alleyway entrance. Attention is then paid to any dangers which might linger there, be it actual people or traps left behind.
Arashi followed along with them, and hopped down. He wasn't the best at being quite, but he could do enough to avoid making noise here. If anything he could cover the whole area in mist and just have everyone run around in circles while they get the job done. His eyes shifted from side to side as he looked to see if there was anything to take note of, but if he saw nothing then he would just stay quiet.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…29
COMBAT: Arashi attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 14
Reza would nod before doing a quick check on his seals. With this in place he'd hop down from the roof landing near Hiei his body low in a trained stance taking care to silence his steps.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a DETECTION-SEAL…47
COMBAT: Reza attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 19
[NPC System]: ??? roll(s) Traps (Stealth) vs. Hiei from 30 to 50 and get(s) a 38. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: ??? roll(s) Traps (Stealth) vs. Akira from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: ??? roll(s) Traps (Stealth) vs. Arashi from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Michiko
[NPC System]: ??? roll(s) Traps (Stealth) vs. Reza from 25 to 45 and get(s) a 29. - Rolled by: Michiko
As the team moved in, they would not encounter any resistance until they reached the actual door to the place. If they attempted to force their way in, the traps would activate. Fortunately, Reza might be able to warn everyone before bad things happen. After all, his detection seals were actually a bit useful in finding these traps. There just wasn't much in terms of people aside from the family sleeping.
Hiei makes it to the door, but doesn't try to enter just yet. Experience tells him that just walking in would be way too easy, especially since Michiko's report on this family was surely accurate. His number one never skimped on intel. He looks at the group behind him. "I could force the door, but that's probably not the best way to gain entry right now. Anyone have any ideas on how to get in? Any jutsu or lock picking skills?"
Akira shakes his head once at Hiei's query. "Nothing I know about," the boy explains. "I wouldn't want to mess around with that. Could set off a seal or something." He looks to the other shinobi in their party to see if they happen to have some expertise.
Arashi frowns a bit. "I know about lockpicking, but none of my jutsu help for it. My hands aren't as steady as the could be either and might cause something bad to happen. I know where you would look though. I have done it before when …… plundering a village." He rubbed at the back of his head. "Yeah…. but it has been so long I wouldn't remember. It is a pain to do anyhow… Reza might know more about it." He looks over to where Reza was.
Reza would roll his sleeve up as the tingling on his arms hinted towards something. "Not sure as to the nature. But definitely booby trapped. Our entry needs to be especially cautious. I can't be sure if it's the type that warns people or explosives." He'd frown when asked about infiltration techniques. "Not my forte. Best I could do is with a senbon and sometime." Reza ponders for a moment. "If we didn't already know about the traps. I might've said a small explosive would work."
RP: Hiei makes a Int and Tai roll and got 18 and 18, respectively, for a total of 36.
Hiei takes a moment to inspect the lock and reaches into the pouch at his belt, pulling out two senbon. Kneeling down, he whispers. "Stay back, just in case." He inserts one senbon and then bends it to hold it in place, and then uses the second one to trip the tumblers. Working slowly and methodically, he attempts to slowly and gently move the senbon so that it trips the right tumblers and pops the lock as if he had a key.
Akira waits patiently as Hiei works on the lock. When he hears the mechanism within click, he quickly swerves about from having stood alongside the door, facing it with hands raised in the ready position. Wouldn't want his father to be caught off-guard, after all. A bit of lightning crackles along his limbs, but only faintly so, until he's certain that no one's bursting out.
Arashi was simply thinking about what he could do if Hiei failed. Well when he didn't fail he just shrugged and prepared for a fight if something was to happen. If nothing happened then he would just stand back and wait for Hiei to take the lead on this. He figured Hiei or Reza would probably have the best chance of spotting trouble before they encountered it.
As Hiei picked the lock Reza would keep an eye out for anything strange. He'd listen closely for any sounds of mechanisms or seal tags igniting which would be telltell signs of a trap triggering. As the lock clicks open Reza would nod. "Sometimes the best solution is simplicity." He'd make a mental note to work on infiltration techniques at some point….after a few more explosives. "Ok with the setup Akira describes, we could be dealing with pressure sensitive traps or things of that nature. Perhaps keeping floor contact to a minimum might be best. I'm not sure if these traps were set for common folk or shinobi."
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…32
The team would get to make their way inside as the door swung open, and nothing seemed to hinder their progress. The room they opened to was the gift shop, by the looks of it. Most of the merchandise was covered with a tarp of sorts to keep people from noticing it.
Hiei doesn't immediately step into the door. "Reza raises a good point. There might be traps on the floor. In fact, there might be an alarm system designed to keep normal people out. Let's try something different." Instead of walking through the doorway, he grabs the door frame and then lifts himself up, planting his feet on the ceiling inside. Then using tree walk, he crawls his way across the ceiling, looking a lot like Spider-man. "Don't touch the floor or the walls until we can figure out if it's safe." He looks at Akira. "You can do this, right son?"
"Yes, father." Of course, Akira would do just about anything Hiei asked of him. Definitely the worshipful son. He jumps up and, with his usual unexpected agility, grabs the door frame and swings up toward the ceiling. When his feet are securely attached to the ceiling via chakra, he swings himself forward and arches his body so as to attach his hands in the same fashion, and then carefully flips himself over. Now, finally facing the ceiling, Akira crawls along behind Hiei.
Arashi just looks at Hiei and then Akira do that. "Uhhh… Okay." He then looked upwards, but wasn't as acrobatic or strong as those two so he just with a little bit of chakra boosting him was able to get up and attach himself. "Yep. I need to work on my taijutsu type skills." He looked at Reza to see if he did it well enough. "Alright…anyways…the smell was coming from there." He pointed.
Reza nods as everyone makes there way to the ceiling. He'd follow the kage's suit grabbing the top of the door frame and flipping his feet to the ceiling and letting go of the frame. "Ahh yes. the esteemed gift shop. Gotta remember to grab one of those ramen plushies later." Looking towards where Arashi indicated, he'd give the place a once over from his higher perspective before moving towards it.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…30
No traps on the ceiling! Apparently the family didn't think anyone would be walking up there… Ninja bandits were odd or something to have. The smell, though… It was worse now, for some reason. Perhaps because the cooking scents haven't been wafting over from the restaurant.
Hiei squats on the ceiling for a moment as he rubs his masked chin. "Hmm. I smell it as well, Arashi. Good call. Now we just have to find a way down to the basement. Everyone, look for any secret entrances or something that might open a path. The smell is strongest here, so it stands to reason the entrance is somewhere in this room. Be mindful of traps while you search." He then crawls over to the wall and begins searching himself while being careful not to touch anything for the moment.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a MASTERED-PERCEPTION…60
"For the stairway up to the girls' bedroom, she just pushed a panel in the wall. It looked normal until she pressed it," Akira recounts. He crawls along the wall like a little spider, glad for the moment that he'd tied his obi tightly so as to keep his kimono from dangling down. The smell was unfamiliar to him, but something so unpleasant couldn't be a good thing. Akira doesn't have the perceptive abilites of the Raikage, but he hangs from the ceiling, ready to drop down and protect as necessary. While he waits, he does look here and there, just on the odd chance that he might spot something.
RPCOMBAT: Akira defends against with a PERCEPTION…17
Arashi nodsa bit to Hiei and thinks for a moment. "Do you think it would be behind the counter maybe? Like a secret staircase?" He crawled along the ceiling and hung near to the counter area and looked to it specifically. He wanted to see if he could spot anything. "I will look here and tell you guys." He still kept his voice to a whisper just in case someone came in.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…17
Reza tighten his scraf around his nose. Few times has he desired a stuffy nose, this was one of them. He'd make his way across the cieling. "…you know what..I bet…" He'd say as he began examining various light fixtures. "Every. Single. Mystery novel." He'd examine each light fixture noting any dust or uncommon scratches. "The trick door was always triggered by pulling either a light fixture or a book." He'd continue searching based on his hunch.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…28
Hiei had searched every inch of the area that he was in, after not finding anything, he turns to the others. "Anything?" After they answer, he turns to Akira. "Son, why don't you take us to that secret door you said the girl showed you. Take point, but be careful." The point position was an important one, and if Akira was seeking to impress him, not messing up while doing it was a good way to do that. "Let's move quietly, stay on the ceiling until we get there." He says as he crawls rapidly towards the dining area where they were.
"She did say they hid the stairs that way because they didn't want people wandering in," Akira whispers. "I thought it was for privacy, but …" When he's asked to take point, that's something of a surprise, but he only blinks once before immediately crawling ahead. The boy stops just short as he reaches the entrance to the main restaurant, looking around slowly for anyone who might be left behind. Only once he's certain does he continue ahead, scuttling along like the nimble creature he is.
Akira removes one hand from the ceiling for long enough to indicate a particular panel behind the bar with an outstretched finger. "There. She only took me upstairs, to where her and her sister sleep, but maybe I didn't see another way in there …"
Arashi just followed a bit. If they needed him for any water to open the doors from afar(without using too much pressure or having….visible body parts moving/touching the doors.) If just an passageway of course they could all get through easily as he followed Akira to the spot. "I could probably put pressure on that spot with water if we need too. Though if you have any other ideas I am up for doing whatever. Just…. I can do that probably." He looked to both Akira and Hiei. He figured Hiei would like to see how his son did at least.
Reza would sigh as the light fixtures came up empty. Taking note of where Akira indicated he'd nod. "Okay so. We don't know what we're about to encounter. But. What we're about to encounter doesn't know we're here." He'd form a single seal. "Everyone ready?" With that he'd inhale before flowing his chakra into his mouth and spitting forth a small shot of water towards the panel before drawing a kunai.
COMBAT: Reza attacks target 1 with WATER-BULLET with a roll of: 28
No alarms! Odd, but… Perhaps because the group managed to go through the proper means? Regardless, hitting the panel meant that the door would open. The secret panel split from the wall to reveal a spiral staircase that led both up to the girl's room and down to … Something. The smell actually seemed overpowering…
Hiei was really glad that he has a mask over his face, it does help a little with the smell. As Reza opens the panel, Hiei peers inside, looking down the stairs that lead to the basement. He looks over at the others and places a finger to his mask, then points upwards. The girls' bedroom was above, so they needed to be quiet. He silently drops from the ceiling to the floor and tip-toes down the stairs to take a look at see what's there. They were doing well so far, but disaster could be right around the corner.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 31
Akira keeps out of the way as his father resumes taking point. Having need of his full concentration, he reaches into his kimono and produces the wrap of silk he'd used to conceal his hair earlier, this time winding it about the lower half of his face. Anything at all would help now! That done, Akira crawls along and peeks down from above the door, looking in all directions before first releasing his feet, and then his hands from their chakra-laden grip. "Their father," the boy whispers, as if suddenly realizing something. "She said her father was always too busy, about going downstairs."
Having risked saying that much, but finding it important enough to do so, Akira then creeps along after Hiei. He has the advantage of still being so small, and less likely to place burden upon the staircase.
COMBAT: Akira attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 15
Arashi frowns as Reza just rushes in doing so, but they seem fine. He followed silently, and simply covered his face with and arm as they walked along. He didn't say anything, but did listen and take in what Akira said. It was good for him to tell them even if it was a little late. He wondered a bit how Hiei would respond, but for his own response he would prepare his hands(sadly removing his arm from his face.)keeping them in a seal for quick use.
COMBAT: Arashi attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 19
Reza waits holding his breath as the panel is pressed and what they were looking for is exposed. He inhales with a sigh of relief before immediately holding his breath again after catching a whiff of the stench. "I'm not going to like this..not going to like this one bit." With that Reza would release his grip on the ceiling as he lept the stairs landing as quietly as he could before wrapping what part of the scraf swayed behind him around his nose. He'd take the time to apply another detection seal under one of the stairway's steps in order to watch their rear.
COMBAT: Reza attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 28
The basement of the Jinzen family's restaurant was dark. But there was just enough light to see a multitude of cages. Within were bodies so emaciated that their own families would have difficulty recognizing them. A few had rotting carcasses within. On the walls that were bare were very explicit diagrams of the human body that detailed the most painful ways to torture a person.
Hiei withdraws a stick his boot. It's about a foot long and smooth, like it might have been a fighting stick. However, he does handseals and blows on it, catching it on fire to provide more light. As he looks around, he feels a little nauseated at the sight. His first inclination would have been to hide Akira's eyes, but the boy needed to see it. He needed to see the kind of horrible atrocities that humanity was capable of. "Arashi, see if you can find anyone still alive." His voice is hard and his gaze icy. His fingers wrap around the hilt of his sword but he doesn't draw it. "Someone's going to pay for this. I swear it."
Akira, perhaps most disturbingly for his father, doesn't recoil at the sight now made apparent to them. If one were to guess by the number and varied kinds of scars on his body, he might well have experienced a few of those pain-inflicting techniques. He just faces ahead and goes about his duty, eyes blanking a bit. Akira's there, but there's another part of him this brings out, those demons of his past. In any case, Akira waits for Hiei's instructions to be carried out and for more skilled shinobi than he to conduct their investigations. He'll stand as the backup fighter in case they're ambushed whilst busy.
Arashi frowns and moves forwards paying seemingly no mind to the scene before him. This was horrible, but he has seen…similiar..probably nothing as bad, but he had been a part of doing things like this before. To people he thought deserved it, but…maybe these people thought the same. Either way he was careful to make sure he didn't step on anything that….may reveal himself. Maybe even climbing again to be sure, but when making it to a cage he would look closely before checking for pulses on any that COULD be alive.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…28
COMBAT: Arashi attacks target 1 with STEALTH with a roll of: 15
Reza heaves just a bit before continuing through the room. He'd ponder just how much what happened down here had to do with what happened upstairs before pushing that thought from his head. Studying over the bodies he'd frown thinking of the kids. "The food wasn't good enough to let this pass." He'd say quietly checking each cage for life or anything noteworthy.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…24
The ones that were alive tended to cower at the back of their cages. Bright fear-filled eyes stared back at Arashi. It was surprisingly easy to tell who was dead, as the worst of the smells came from those cages. Rotting corpses that sat in their feces. The live ones got their cages cleaned out once every other week or something. There was really nothing to fear in terms of being caught. The security upstairs was so uptight that the Jinzen family didn't invest in anything down here.
Hiei notices the blank look on Akira's face and places his hands on his shoulders. "Son. Don't internalize it. This shows you just how evil some men can be, and why our jobs as shinobi is so important." He frowns as he looks over at Reza. "I think it's time we woke the family and got some answers. After we free these people. Help Arashi get them out, then we'll deal with the owners."
"I've felt what they've felt," Akira says to Hiei, leaving it at that. It's the same blank look he gets when he's made to do harm. "Maybe they can come back from it." Blinking twice, he seems to come fully into the here and now again. Akira touches his father's hand once before slipping away to look over the rest of the room. "This doesn't make sense. The room upstairs was a girls' room. I never saw the older sister, though … And, where's the father?"
Arashi listened to them a bit as he watched the people here. "Be careful when freeing them. People who have been in these kinds of thing long might be…sorta feral. If you have a way to calm them or put them to sleep first that would be great." He didn't care that the prisoners would hear this because it wouldn't stop them either way. He would start freeing them slowly, and hopefully with assistance. "But yeah…..this could be…interesting depending on what happens… Where are the others…are they that…arrognant to not think someone could find this place?"
Reza would get to work freeing the prisoners thinking over the next course of action. "Perhaps Akira should get the youngest daughter out before we start the commotion. I'd rather not get her involved if it could be avoided." He'd shake his head. "Though that does raise the question…just who in the family know of this…" He'd take note of Arashi's point. "We'll likely need to get them medical assitance before being able to move them. Any of them able to speak?" He'd continue his work in opening the cages while also examining each one to see who could tell their side of things.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…24
Lucky ninja. One of the people in the cages actually seems to understand what's going on. After listening quietly to the conversation, she would crawl into some of the light. "Y… You… rescue… us..?" the small voice would ask shakily. She wasn't as bad off as some of the other prisoners, too… If that's anything to say. >.>
Hiei hmms. "Akira and Reza bring up a valid point. How many members of the family are privy to what's going on down here. The smell alone should have made them curious." He turns to his son. "Retrieve the girl…quietly. Take her someplace relatively safe and then return when you're finished." He turns to Arashi. "Good point. The ones who are worse off, just leave them in the cages for now. We'll have the local authorities come release them and get some medics to help them." He walks over to the woman and squats down. "My name is Hiei. We are here to rescue you. Can you tell us how long you've been here, who put you here, and why?"
Akira seems at first reluctant to follow his father's orders. "But they're bothered. I've seen this …" Rather than causing trouble by contesting his orders, he goes to do as asked, stopping by the cage of the girl who isn't so despondent. "Don't let them win in here." Akira pokes the side of his head while looking at her, and then jumps up, clinging to the ceiling. The boy scuttles out of the room upon the ceiling, crawling along the walls enroute up to the girls' room. Akira goes slowly as he nears the door, however, for fear that the elder sister may both be there and complicit in the crime.
Arashi nods to Hiei a bit and frowns. His gaze shifts to Reza. "Reza…maybe throw those detection seals around in here? What if we are missing something?" He looked at the walls himself, but wouldn't touch them. Not yet. For a moment he paused to look at Hiei who was talking to the woman and frowned. People having this done to them isn't right…not for any reason even. Hopefully she spoke up to Hiei.
RPCOMBAT: Arashi defends against with a PERCEPTION…17
Reza would nod as Akira left. "Hope he doesn't think my suggestion was because of his age." Shrugging Reza would get back to the matter at hand. He'd nod towards Arashi. Shaking his head. "Wouldn't work to detect trap doors or anything of that nature unfortunately." As the girl spoke he'd nod towards Hiei speaking to her and take half of Arashi suggestion and look for anything that could be hidden in this room.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…34
"N… No…" the woman would whimper, cringing a bit. "A… A while… I… I was just… Walking… And dropped something on the ground. And then I was taken…" The woman would pause, trying to gather her thoughts. She was also breathing hard, as if talking took every ounce of energy. Akira would make his way upstairs. The door was unlocked, and only Emiri was within. Odd… Not even a lump in the bed next to her to show her sister was there. Maybe the older one was away?
Hiei frowns and motions with his hands. "Just calm down and tell us from the beginning." Reaching into his belt, he pulls out a canteen of water and some trail rations. He offers them both to the woman…she looked like she was starving. "What call you tell me about the family? Who put you in here? Someone had to come clean out the cages, at least."
Akira is in serious mode at the moment. This incident involves torture, and that's something he's intimately familiar with, as the victim rather than the practitioner. However, the tortures he endured were aimed at making him into a weapon. What came of making these people suffer? Ah, meandering thoughts which the boy shoves to the back of his mind. He continues to climb up until he lingers above the doorway to the girls' bedroom, which he slowly lowers himself down to peer into. The elder sister still isn't here? The father could reasonably be away for business, perhaps, but surely such a little girl wouldn't be left alone.
Behind his bandana, Akira frowns. Something's off which troubles him quite a bit. The boy crawls into the room upon the ceiling until he's above its center, at which point he drops down to the floor. "Emiri," Akira whispers harshly as he pulls the bandana from his face. "Did you do it?" If she doesn't know what he means, good. If she does, well …
Arashi seemingly didn't find anything and just sighed a bit. He walked over to Reza and spoke in a hushed tone. "So find anything?" He looked around still, but just a once over before settling his gaze on Hiei. "I hope he gets something that helps…otherwise what do we do from here. How many people are we dealing with and what not. Still things we don't know about." He frowns and looks right at Reza once again. "Any ideas?"
Reza would shake his head towards Arashi's question. "Nothing. We'll just have to wait for Akira to clear Emiri before dealing with the family directly." Reza would roll up his sleeve and check the status of the seals once more. "Going to head up and keep an eye on things don't want to be caught off guard.
"I was … I was just… Walking… And then they grabbed me. I don't know who… But afterwards… I was here. And then they just tortured me. I don't know why…" The woman would take the food and drink gratefully, eating in small bites and drinking in small sips. It sort of hurt her jaw ._. Emiri would blink awake and peer into the darkness. "Do what?" she asks Akira, sounding genuinely confused. "I didn't steal any cookies!" she suddenly pouts.
After she finished munching down a few of the rations, she would start to really think. "Umm… I only saw… two. One was an older woman. And the other was a man." She started to describe the two parents in the Jinzen family, though things were painted in a slightly more sinister light. Both of them were sadists, by the sounds of it.
Hiei exhales slowly. "I get it. But you still have your memory. Give me a name that you heard..perhaps a description. Who feeds you? Who washes out the cages?" As she finally begins to give him information that he can use, he nods before releasing her out of the cage. "Get to safety." Hiei then stands up as lightning sparks from the corner of his eyes. "I think it's time to meet Mr and Mrs Jinzen." He launches a lightning bolt into the main room, the boom should be enough to wake up anyone who is asleep. He walks back up the stairs and into the resturant proper, drawing his sword as he goes.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with LIGHTNING-ARC with a roll of: 51
Akira presses, "Did you do what's in the basement? I've seen it." Old suspicions have resurfaced. When they first came here, he mentioned that everyone was trying so hard to look extremely happy. Emiri was no exception, being so excessively sugary sweet. Akira continues to wait, facing her with his head slightly turned. That, at least, keeps an ear directed behind himself while his eyes remain upon the girl. In this situation, Akira can't help but be cautiously suspicious.
The boom of Hiei's lightning causes his eyes to shift toward the door for a moment, and then back to Emiri.
Arashi just watched for a moment and when suddenly Hiei shot the lightning he internally facepalmed. Why make such a big deal out of stealth and then suddenly reveal people being here when we didn't for sure have everything yet. Either way he turned to the side and was ready for something to come out. Surely someone would try to come kill them now. His chakra was already ready and his hands in a seal just in case.
Reza would be halfway up the stairs as the lightning cracked. "Oh boy." With that Reza would rush up the stairs and to the doorway of the girls room. "Emiri. It's something bad is about to happen. You can't ask questions right now but later I promise to answer everything. I need you to go with him and get out of the house quickly." With that Reza would be heading back into the main room to keep watch to see what responds to the bolt.
Emiri was about to answer Akira when a boom shook the house. Her eyes went wide and then Reza would be there. The young girl would nod slowly, then look to Akira as if awaiting instructions. "Oh, you saw the basement..? What's it like down there? Papa said that we keep food down there… And that's why it smells sometimes…" she comments, babbling as if to try and get over her fear.
The woman Hiei was talking to would nod when released and stumble out of her prisoner. She would start moving to try and get out, but she felt lost… So she ended up sticking near Hiei, ducking as the lightning arced off his body and made the boom. Said boom triggered all of the lights in the ramen shop to go on. The Jinzen family woke up quickly, though only the father and mother realized what was going on. The mother went to go ensure her son's safety while the father grabbed a knife from under his pillow. He would go downstairs to the main room and stand there, looking ready for combat interestingly enough.
Hiei is standing in the middle of the room when the father comes down the stairs. His katana is firmly gripped in his hand and his blue eyes stare at the man with the knife. "Jinzen. You have people in your basement that you kidnapped, and then tortured. This is an offense in Raiun City. Give up and you will be spared." He raises his sword slightly. "Resist…" He shrugs. "You get the picture." He glances behind him. "Reza, Arashi, find the mother."
Akira winces when Reza interjects in the confrontation. Well, the order came from a senior shinobi, which left the boy little choice but to move Emiri along half-trustingly. Of course, he hides that behind a smile. Akira can lie, too. "Come on. That's my friend. I wanted to show you /my/ secret, but we have to go outside first," the boy explains. He motions for Emiri to follow after him. "There's a lot of thunder outside, but it'll be fine."
The genin waits alongside the door for Emiri to go first. He'd rather stand behind her than the reverse. "Oh, and the basement's no good. Your father was right. A lot's gone bad down there." So to speak.
Arashi nods to Hiei and just goes to meet up with Reza. "The mother is our job. Ask her to surrender first, but…kill if she doesn't." He would think for a moment and nod a bit to himself as he seems to be thinking in his head. When he found the mother(if he did) he would say to her. "Surrender now. Your husband is already in a similiar situation. We don't need to kill the both of you, but we won't hesitate to do just that if you make us." He frowned at this woman, and the son if he was there too.
Reza would simply stare down the father as the kage arrived. "Aye." With that Reza would body flicker to Arashi's position. "No need to kill. We'll need atleast one of them alive to make sure this doesn't go beyond what happened here." Reza would check the status of his seals again to attempt to locate where the commotion would be coming from which would point them to the room most likely to contain the mother.
Emiri would follow after Akira trustingly, the girl not suspecting anything is going amiss downstairs. "Sekwit?" she asks. "What kind of sekwit?" The girl toddles after Akira, keeping close to him despite his attempts to push her forward. If he checked her at all, she didn't seem to have any weapons.
Mr. Jinzen would stare at Hiei. The Raikage himself was here? He had to alert the others… His boss surely knew everything by now, though. The boss knew everything. The boss would probably have come up with a plan against this. That was why … That was why the boss made them do what they did. The man drops his knife and places his hands atop his head. "I surrender," he says, voice calm despite the fear he felt. His wife was in no better a position. The woman was found easily by Reza with her moving around to get her son. She was rousing the teen when Arashi and Reza found her, and she'd turn to look at Arashi with a cold gaze. "Very well," she says, tone filled with hate-fueled venom. The son was just confused and staring at the Kumo-nin. "Wha… Surrender? Are there drugs in this house or something…?"
Hiei moves towards Mr. Jinzen carefully, removing ninja wire from his belt to tie him up. "What possessed you to keep people in your basement? The smell alone would have alerted anyone to what you have going on here. And also, where is your eldest daughter?" He saw Akira moving the young girl out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't draw attention to him. However there is one of them missing, and Hiei got the feeling there was something more going on here. "Tell me everything, and perhaps I can get the Daimyo to show you mercy."
Akira doesn't take his own safety for granted. Absent any weapons, he could still do quite a bit of damage to someone caught unawares. "Remember how I said that I come from a village nobody knows about? Well, I wanted to show you a secret thing we can do," the boy explains. "You showed me your secret door, right? I'll show you my magic." He may not be able to keep Emiri in front of him, but he still jostles to make it so, at least. Better that than simply let her have him at his back.
By the time they get to the main room, of course, the ruse is at an end. Hiei, a tall man with the same strange hair color as Akira, is challenging Emiri's father there. There'll be no way to keep her from seeing this, so he reaches out to grab Emiri's hand and put the other over her mouth, if he can. It'd be trouble if she were to make a ruckus and grab attention from the neighbors before the shinobi were ready."
Arashi frowned a bit, and honestly he wasn't much for using ninja wire. He didn't trust it as much as his own jutsu. So he uses his skill with water to form cuffs around the mothers arms from a distance. "Reza… could you make sure he doesn't argue, and get him out of here. Make sure he isn't a part of this." Arashi would then walk to the mother after Reza got the son out of the way and would try to get behind her. Right now he was really starting to think about learning some one handed seals ability… Would be useful.
Reza would consider things himself. Father, Mother, Son, youngest Daughter… "Where's your oldest daughter. Answer truthfully and I can promise she'll survive. But lie to me then I can promise nothing." Looking towards the son he'd continue. "Downstairs your mother and father have corpses, both living and dead. People trapped in cages, starved and covered in their out filth. That's the stench you smell. Human Suffering. Guilty or innocent of knowing we'll know later. But you'll make everything alot easier for yourself if you tell me where your older sister is before I take off looking for her." Reza would withdraw his own ninja wire with which to restrain the boy.
"I have no idea," the man says calmly. "She said she was going to her boyfriend's house today. So I assume she's there." The other shinobi would receive similar responses from their captives when pressed about the random sister they never saw. Emiri would help when Akira just spun her and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Hmm! Mm.mm!" she'd sound out, trying to wriggle free but finding herself unable to.
Mr. Jinzen would cross his arms. "One day I got an anonymous letter. I had already opened my ramen shop, and business was going well. The letter talked about a lot of things, but ultimately the point was 'join me in policing. I'll make it worth your time. Burn this note when you read it.' So I did. And I joined this stranger in trying to keep the streets clean. Most of it was just warnings here and there, but then I started getting messages about how I needed to take on some prisoners. They were high-ranking criminals that needed to be tortured, so I did my duty. Plain and simple."
Hiei smirks underneath the mask. "I'm a father as well, Mr. Jinzen. If my daughter went anywhere, and wasn't home by midnight, I would be worried." Hiei walks around the man slowly as he speaks, his sword back in it's sheath. "And you were lied to. Those people down there aren't hardened criminals. They were people who were minding their own lives before they were snatched!" He grabs him with one hand by the front of the shirt and lifts him off the ground with no effort whatsoever. "If you ever want to see your family whole again, you need to be straight with me."
Akira widens his eyes when he hears Mister Jinzen admit to being judge and torturer all in one. "Emiri, go wait at the door. I'll come out in just a minute," the boy instructs. As soon as he's pushed the girl along, he starts toward the man being held aloft by his father. His nostrils are flared, and there's a hardened look for so young a face.
"I was tortured by someone who thought they were right," he says, evidenced by his many scars. "I beat them. You just have to win up here. One lady we found did." Akira points at the side of his head and then steps around to the side. "You think hurting people makes anything right? You wouldn't have to hide it if you were right! What about Emiri, too? What happens to her?"
Akira's fingers draw back as lightning dances along his arm, but he takes a deep breath and exhales, as if expelling his rising anger upon his breath. For the moment, he resists giving in to the same thing his enemy has done.
Arashi frowns a bit. "Seriously? Where is this boyfriends house then?" He also made sure not to head downstairs. If they were kept seperate then all it took was one slip up to show someone lied. If they gave conflicting reports. His eyes shifted to Reza. "I think we should split the people up maybe?" He frowned and looked back at the mother. "Seriously what reason did you even have for doing all this? What you did isn't right… I know for fact it isn't. How would you like it if someone just snatched you up off the street and did that to you? Huh?"
Reza would shake his head. "Not alot of time to play interrogation." He'd finish binding the boy before moving to the mother. Staring her in the eyes. "Here's the deal. If you think prison is going to be bad. You're wrong. The worst part is the time we're going to spend alone. You see it wasn't long ago I was part of the interrogation squad. I left it voluntarily. I enjoyed it entirely too much for my own comfort…but i'd be willing to come out from retirement right here. Right now. With that he'd left a spark fly from his finger tips. "So if you're lying to me about your daughter's whereabouts I'll know. Either now. Or later. But I will find out."
Jinzen would sigh. "Usually her mother knows…" The man would suddenly be lifted by the shirt. "I have told you what I know. If you want to stand around talking all day, so be it. But it's the middle of the night and I'm tired." His voice was eerily calm…
Emiri would go to the door and stay there, glancing in but not hearing anything. She didn't like how things were going, though. Why was this happening? She was scared! Tears started to form in her eyes as her dad seemed to be tossed around, and she'd start crying.
Rei and Shiare would both just be silent. The mother out of insolence, the brother out of confusion. Shiare was so surprised by what was going on that he hardly had time to process it. They both would obey instructions, so long as it didn't involve talking.
Hiei stares at the man for a long moment. "You're going to make me become /that/ guy, aren't you?" He nods once. "So be it." He shakes his head to himself. He's about to activate a part of himself that he keeps locked away, because like Zori, if he doesn't keep the door firmly shut, his inner monster can come out. Now, Hiei is willingly about to let it out of it's cage. He steps towards the man's wife and grips her by the throat, lifting her off her feet. He moves to stand back in front of the man again as lightning begins to spark and flow around his arm. "I'm going to cook her from the inside out. I'm going to rob your children of ever seeing their mother alive again. And I'm going to make you watch me do it. Tell me what I want to know or she dies. And if you doubt that I'll do it, ask my companions what kind of man I can become if need be."
"A better man than him," Akira says as he exhales sharply through his nose, answering Hiei's statement. He resists his own urge toward violent reprisal in favor of heading for Emiri, who he needs to take care of. For her, the boy's tone is gentler. "Don't be afraid. It's just a game. They're pretending." He offers her his hand and points outside, saying, "C'mon. I'll show you my magic now."
Arashi just frowned and told Reza to follow him. He pushed the mom along into the main room where Hiei and the dad were, and he simply blinked a bit. Suddenly Hiei grabbed her and he seemed a bit stunned at first. "Uhhh. Hiei. She hasn't spoken any to me about things. Just so you know. Besides telling me and Reza that the older daughter was with a boyfriend I have gotten nothing." He just moved to the side letting Hiei do what he did. He couldn't really stop him if he wanted to anyhow. And he wasn't sure what he would do right now.
Reza would lead the son to the main room and simply crossed his arms and leaned back as the kage did his work. "Should've just told me what I needed. I at least would've promised an open casket." Frowning behind his scarf he'd stand back up straight and continue searching the house for any possible exits that they were unaware of. Anyplace the daughter could've escaped from that wasn't on their radar.
RPCOMBAT: Reza defends against with a PERCEPTION…32
The home itself had nothing else very secret about it. Obvious exits were obvious. Emiri would follow Akira, sniffling as she did. The only reason she managed to quit crying is because he talked about magic… That's exciting for any kid! Rei's eyes would widen as she was grabbed, and she would struggle against Hiei's grip to try and free herself. Mr. Jinzen watched, impassive expression on his face. "You are as horrible a man as some rumors say, apparently. The best of friends, the worst of enemies… But are we the enemy? Minions who were led to believe that this was all okay? If you must know, the letter I received that day had a very official-looking stamp on it… Well, I suppose you don't care. You just want to hurt my wife. Emi-chan will wonder what happened to her family. My other daughter and son will be shipped off or something. They're old enough to make their own decisions, though, so I doubt they'll miss us." Then Jinzen would shrug nonchalantly, as if he was describing the weather just now.
Hiei continues holding the woman while looking at the man. "Do you even love your wife? You don't sound like it. And yes, the rumors are true. I am the best of friends to those who earn my trust…and the worst of enemies to those who wish to do others arm. Jinzen, there's more to this than just a letter. Or are you so stupid that you'll do what anyone wants of you just from a piece of paper? Is that all it takes for you to sell your soul?" Hiei's gaze goes hard. "A real father and husband would be pleading with me to spare those that he loves. You would be begging me not to harm your wife." He looks the woman in her eyes. "I don't think he loves you at all. I bet he wants me to kill you because he's got a chick on the side and it would make everything easier for him." He looks back at the man. "Show me some proof. Or at least tell me something I can use and this nightmare is over for your family." Hiei's eyes spark with lightning. "The last person who served me off, I ended his entire family line, but left him alive with one arm still attached so he could live with the fact that everything he cared about was made ash. Tell me, Mr. Jinzen…do you really want me as your enemy?"
Akira knows well enough how terrible his father can be when he's required to be. He leads a Hidden Village. However, he's surpassed his suspicions about Emiri and wouldn't wish for her to experience or see the things he's seen, himself. "Don't cry. It's a good trick," the boy says as he leads her outside and away from the door. He looks around and finds a barrel across the way. "Watch that, and watch me, okay?"
He doesn't know much about entertaining, or anything other than doing harm, but he tries. A simple hand seal and he performs a henge, switching places with the barrel in a poof of smoke.
Arashi frowned a bit now. He didn't expect Hiei to kill them if they didn't deserve death. And maybe they did, but not like what might come here. He also didn't want to act defiant with Hiei though otherwise the other might use that. His eyes shifted outside and back to the parents here and he had a sort of sick feeling in his stomach, but his mouth didn't open. Not for words or anything. A slight peek up at Reza to see how he was reacting is all that could be seen now.
Reza would just watch on after checking the house. "Look. None of us wants this to happen. But he'd not a very patient man. You've got corpses on top of corpses in there. I don't expect you to be a compassionate person. But if she dies. Then it's on you. And after that…your children would be all that's left. We can take care of them. Make sure they're well kept and taught. Make sure they don't need to know the details about what happened here. You don't realize there are people down there that were innocent? Besides. Whether you speak or not. The type of people who'd order a thing like what's downstairs are the sort of people who'd never quit until every loose end is cut. Your children won't make it. They wouldn't live to see the end of the year without our protection."
The man would stare at Reza with a bit of pain in his eyes. "Then just take care of my kids." He looks to Hiei. "I get letters. They are from someone within the Capitol. I do not know who they are from, but they are signed by the dispenser of justice. The messages, after the first, were encrypted and burned after we decrypted them. Most of the people we received came directly from jail cells. Or holding cells. That is all I know." His tone is still calm, actually. The woman would continue to thrash about, not particularly fond of the idea of dying.
Emiri would watch Akira, forgetting the horrors she just witnessed. "Whoa! Where'd you go?" she says with a bit of a giggle. She would move to look near the barrel, peeking around it for the Yotsuki.
Hiei sets the man's wife down on the ground and releases her. He then gives the man his full attention. He actually lowers his voice. "I need to ask you something, and I really need you to be truthful with me. If you can do that, I'll let you and your whole family go." He pauses to see if Akira is outside with Emiri before he turns back to him. "If your letters are coming from the Capitol and the people are coming from the jail cells, I need to know if someone named Yotsuki Kaoru has ever been seen on one of those lists. Or if you've ever heard anyone mention the name. I can't stress to you how important this is."
Akira is indeed still outside, doing his best to entertain Emiri. It's probably better for him that he isn't inside, as well. He can handle his demons in moderation, but from basement to ceiling, that place was a reminder of his own tortures. "I'm over here now," the boy says, waggling his fingers at the girl with a forced smile. He's sitting where the barrel once was. "How was that one? Not bad, huh?"
He replaced the barrel across the way intentionally. So long as Emiri's attention is directed over there, it's not facing toward the restaurant door.
Arashi didn't think he could help the two superior ninja at this and figured he might just get in the way. So instead he moves to join Akira and Emiri outside. When he steps outside he makes sure to move quickly to avoid the girl looking inside the place as he stretches a bit. "So what kinds of tricks are you being shown? I have some of my own, but I am sure you would rather see him show you more huh?" He had caught the end of what they had said and the words right before they had left. Everything in between he just saw…like him switching places with a barrel. A barrel which he took a seat on.
Reza sighed a breath of relief as his plea loosened the man's tongue. He'd cross his arms and leaned back as Hiei continued the questioned…until he heard about them letting them go. He'd raise an eyebrow but wouldn't respond infront of people as he waited to see how things played out.
"I didn't see anyone named Yotsuki Kaoru on the lists," Jinzen tells Hiei. He was being completely honest this time around. Of course, it was easy to tell the truth when the name held no meaning to him at all. He was glad that his wife had been released, if the relief was at all visible in his eyes. Emiri would turn to Arashi. "He's showed me how he could switch places with the beaw-well!" she tells the Hizumu, bouncing a bit. "It was cool! I wanna see mo' magic!"
Hiei closes his eyes and then takes a slow breath. "Alright, Mr. Jinzen. You've played ball with me so I'm going to do you a favor. Your wife and children will go free. However, you must remain behind to take the blame for what you've done in the basement. If it has been sanctioned by the Capitol, then your legal representative will straighten all that out. However, if you were lied to, which is what I suspect, then you'll be charged with kidnapping and probably some other charges dealing with unsafe living conditions pertaining to humans." He holds up a finger. "Remember, I am doing you a solid here. I could have your entire family hauled off to prison for this." He reaches out and pats the man on the shoulder. "I'll also assign a couple of my shinobi to keep your family safe. Just in case this thing is bigger than we thought."
"Not tricks, magic." Akira clarifies this point for Arashi with a smile and then looks to the excited girl. "Uh, let's see, what else …" Occasionally, he glances toward the restaurant door, waiting with hope for his father to appear. He knows he has duties, but he doesn't like them to carry on any longer than they have to. It's difficult to think of Hiei doing to someone else what was once done to him.
Akira forces such dark thoughts from his mind and smiles at Emiri. "I know one. Guess which is the real me and I'll give you some candy." Another hand sign and he performs a simple clone technique, creating a duplicate of himself. Of course, it's an easy guess, but she's even younger than he is.
Arashi nods to Akira. "Magic tricks. Though it is actually magic in a way." He sighs and looks around the area as he gets a breath of fresh air. He just watched Akira cheer up the little girl, but frowned in thought. They couldn't leave her with those parents even if they were to live and be free.. All of that is just horrible things that she doesn't need to be around. He shakes his head a bit to clear the thoughts away and just stares downwards to the ground.
Reza would nod towards the kage's terms before remembering the last missing piece. "Your eldest daughter. You sticking to the story of the boyfriend. Or is there something else you want to tell us." Uncrossing his arms he'd walk forward a bit to get a clear look at the man's face.
"Thank you," the man replies evenly. He was glad that his family was safe, and he was set to take the fall for them. "Be wary, sir. There is always more than meets the eye…" Hiei might recall that this is the third family that Michiko had sent shinobi to investigate that was involved in this case… Or maybe not. The group was getting more and more subtle with their approaches, though, so it was not obvious to public eyes. It was only through an earlier investigation that they had a lead on this family, even.
Emiri would wait for Akira to think of something. "Okay!" she says, bouncing. When the second Akira showed up, she would stare at them blankly. They looked the same!! "Ummm… Ummmmmmmm… Uhhhhhhmmmmmmmm… THAT ONE!" She points to the leftmost Akira randomly.
As his daughter plays her game, Jinzen would look to Reza. "She went to her boyfriend's house. That is all I know. Her boyfriend is Koutamani Shigeru."
Hiei listens and then nods. "More than meets the eye." He repeats. It's the third time he's heard that phrase and he nods to the man faintly as he goes quiet in thought. He turns to Reza. "We need to check out this Koutamani Shigeru. Take Arashi and Akira and go make sure that the girl is where she's supposed to be. I'll stay here with the family and wait for the authorities to explain the situation." He motions with his head towads the door. "Go. My gut tells me something might not be right with that situation. Be careful."
Akira's clone vanishes in a poof of smoke as Emiri points at it. "Good job," he congratulates her. "You know, maybe my dad would want you to visit our village for a while. You could see some more magic …" When Akira escaped his former life, whatever it was, he had the good fortune of being related to Hiei and looking perfectly like his son. These children won't be so lucky if his father chooses not to leave them with the maniacs inside. "Your brother could maybe come along, too. We'll have to see, right?"
Ah, and the prize. He reaches for a pouch tied to his obi and pulls out a piece of sugar candy, which is deposited into Emiri's hand with a smile. "You've got a good eye."
Arashi listened and smiled a bit. "Yeah. I am sure that is a good idea Akira. Her coming by to visit." He smiled, but he turned back to the building and frowned a bit before quickly looking back to Emiri. "I have magic I can show you too if you want to see it. It would have to be there though. I am getting a little tired, so I don't think I could do it right now." In all honesty he was just not in the best of moods.
Reza would accept the man's response to his question before nodding towards Hiei. "Aye." he'd linger for a moment for any other words before making towards the door.
