A lot had happened so fast within the last few days between his capture and transportation out of Kiri and into Kumo. He would know he would to return to assignment in some fashion, no doubt in a fight to prevent suspicion. However his wounds still hadn’t completely healed so he needed to keep himself in the village for a little longer. He still had plenty of money even though he had only a couple minutes to prepare before he had been taken according to his plan. Still it was more than enough to rent out a nice suite for himself and a couple rooms for his students that would be scattered about during their assignments for the Chuunin exams. He could at least walk now to some extent though his body was covered in bandages. He left his room after tossing his coat on and locking his door behind him. He needed to relax for a while which was something so uncharacteristic of him. Dameon was known to be more or less married to his work within his village but that had changed the moment he had begun this new assignment. He also knew he more or less wouldn’t be welcomed back to his village until he completed it. It wasn’t that he couldn’t return home but he didn’t want to put the Mizukage in a situation that could compromise her intentions for the village and the country. He was first and foremost a loyal servant to his lord.

None the less he was useless while he recovered and couldn’t even think about infiltrating the same organization that was hunting him till he did so. He walked down the stairs, his eyes watching each step he took carefully so as to not miss a step. He brushed his black hair out of the way of his face as he reached the bottom and began to search out the hotel bar he had been told about. He wasn’t so much concerned about the gambling but he needed to vent a lot of pent up steam that had been building up over the last few months. After all it wasn’t like he saw much breaks as a higher up of his village that also ran a business on the side. He would casually make his way past the crowds of people that seemed to glance at him. No doubt they were curious about the extent of his injuries and how he was even capable of walking. It was easy to see even with his coat on that he had seen better days. Bandages around his waist, shoulder, and wrists popping out from the cover of the coat. Still it had been a much easier recovery process than he had during the Seven Bells War back in Kiri. He sat down on the bar stool with a small wince of pain from having to compress his abdomen as he sat down. He shook it off as he held his hand up for a half a second so the barkeep would notice him.

”Bottle of cold sake, and a glass of water please,” he ordered from the man who looked at him with a puzzling face. It took Dameon a moment before he realized why the man had that blank look on his face. Dameon knew he was of legal drinking age in most villages especially with his rank in his villages military but this man obviously didn’t notice and on top of that he was not in Kiri anymore. He sighed as he tossed his forehead protector on the top of the bar for a second and the man nodded and snapped to doing what Dameon had asked him to. A minute or so later that man had come back with a chilled bottle, a small glass for drinking it, and a cold glass of water that he placed on a coaster. The man looked at him again with another odd look and Dameon could only imagine what it was this time.

”Put it on the Raikage’s tab. Tell him Dameon was the one who ordered,” He stated as the man nodded and wrote it down and went to go help another customer. Dameon poured some sake and quickly tossed back the much needed liquid. He knew Sanosuke wouldn’t mind the bill especially since he had bought him a bottle earlier that day. Now they could be considered even. As he felt his body warm up from the alcohol he relaxed back into the stool and let out a sigh of relief. This break was much needed.

[766]

Blinking apathetically, the fairy girl watched as her charge squealed in delight once mifune exposed her, relinquishing the safety of the fitting room. The woman had hired her to escort her throughout the day doing whatever she wanted (within reason of course) which was okay at first though she ended up being treated like a toy instead of an escort. Apparently the woman spotted her from her carriage when she was taking a tour of the city and demanded to have her. Her guards had some difficulty explaining that she wasn't something to be bought like a pet but rather a citizen of kumo. Yet the woman was relentless and wouldn't take no for an answer. So she sent some of her guards after her, demanding any and all information about her and how to get her. Mifune however wouldn't give them the time of day and ignore them, walking right by as if they didn't exist, well they didn't to her anyways since she didn't see them as worth her time. If they got to close she sent her bugs after them, scaring them off and returning to their hobble with torn clothes and melted skin. It wasn't until they found out that she was a shinobi and could be hired that their mistress' mood settled.

Hours passed since the arrangement was made and to be frank she wasn't having too much fun. Once more she found herself in another shopping mall being dressed up in extravagant clothing. Apparently her mistress planned to head out tonight and needed Mifune to dress appropriately not that she didn't have her own attire but free clothes was free clothes so she wasn't going to complain if ever. Currently she wore a fully swan lake inspired dress with bell sleeves that began mid-bicep and the front ended mid thigh whereas the rest cascaded in frills down the back. On her head was an assort of small diamond clips matching her jewelry and high heels. It was painfully obvious that she wasn't used to it if the slight wobbliness of her feet was any indication. Raising her arms up and down an unbearably unsteady twirl she let the woman examine her in the simple looking cocktail dress "Is Mistress pleased?" she asked in a soft monotone voice.Clapping happily the woman nodded saying it suited her tastes and wouldn't no doubt be a show stopper to where they were headed"Yes Mistress" she replied and followed the woman out of the store while an attendant paid for their items. Once they were out the two of them headed inside a luxurious carriage leaving the attendant to drive outside in the front. The woman continued to giggle and play with Mifune's hairy commenting every so often out it's silkiness while petting the young genin's head as she sat on her lap, looking out the window curious of where they were headed. It didn't take ling for an assortment of lights to appear and in front of them was a large casino and hotel. The Golden Lotus she remembered. A newly modeled casino constructed recently in preparation of them exams and to have a new source of income. Anyone could come and try their luck here but only in certain areas. Out of the carriage the two went she followed the mistress closely behind as they found some other escorts her proper ones to another part of the building which read VIPS ONLY. She didn't even need to take out a pass. Just only look at her and the guards knew she had money.

A new table just opened up so her mistress took a seat. A slight female with bright fuchsia hair and peridot eyes stepped up to the table, a deck of cards being skillfully shuffled between her dexterous hands. Carefully, she set them down in front of her, and fanned them out in an arch on the table, drawing the attention of the few eyes that had noticed her entrance. With an almost daring smile and a confident voice, she called out over the ground, to all those that could hear her "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I invite you to please take a seat at my table. The odds are waiting to be challenged. Chance is wanting to be tested. I implore anyone who thinks they beat fate. Come and take a seat" Taking a quick scope once everyone began putting their money in she stopped short at the pair at the end. "Oh Madame, I apologize but we cannot have children at the table" Her mistress tsked knowing the girl's true age despite appearances and pulled the fairy close to her. "Aww, but my cute little fairy isn't that young" She whined however it seemed the woman wouldn't have none of it."Madam. . ." she warned. Her mistress was more than simply displeased by this turn of events and put her money down. She huffed "Oh fine, Fairy-chan could you please be a dear and wait for me over there. I will call you when I need to"

"Yes Mistress" Replied Mfune while she left the table and bowed a complete 180 degree before heading off to the direction of where she was directed and set down on a bar stool uncaring of whom she was around. She was lucky enough not to be notice until a familiar face turned up.

"Mifune! What are you doing here?" The man's tone wasn't displeased or accusing but merely surprised. He reached over the bar table and lifted the aburame up from her armpits and set her down on the table top "This usually isn't your scene. Or is the princess finally playing with the big kids" Gasping suddenly the middle man realized what the girl was wearing and he felt like he lost another ten years off his life. "Actually no wait don't tell me you're here with a boy are you. Are you!" She just stared at him unamused. "Nooo my innocent fairy" The man wailed dramatically, trying to swat away the imagine of an adult Mifune in bed and galloping off with some man however Mifune snapped him out of it when she lifted a centipede out of her sleeve making the man yelp in terror at the subtle threat then decided to quite down, making the insect disappeared in her dress once more. Coughing he composed himself "A-ahem. Anyway since you're already here, would you like anything? Something to snack on or drink" She stared at him silently "Oh right you don't drink sorry. Forgot you have a low alcohol tolerance. Anyway want something sweet like desert. The chefs here are pretty good" He handed her a menu and left to attend to another customer while she sorted through it. She hadn't paid much attention to whom she was sitting beside but she did catch the clank of a forehead protector and it only took a moment for her catch the insignia. Kiri huh?

1194~

Dameon continued to sit there as he poured the cold liquid into his mouth that would warm up his body and loosen his mind and further relax him into the new atmosphere. He relaxed as the events from the past few days replayed over and over in his mind. His dire and urgent need to head north was also looming over in his mind as he knew he was running out of time to save his village. Though he wasn’t blind, he knew he needed help and in his current state he needed even more help than normal. He sighed as he poured himself another round and threw it back. He brought his hand up to his head and rubbed his thumb and index finger against his eye lids as he closed his eyes to think. He had to play his cards carefully, or he would end up in a worse situation than he already was. He placed the cup back down on the counter and realized he was no longer alone at the bar. The bartender had been a little distracted. He picked up the glass of water and drank out of it through the straw as he saw the bartender freaking out about something. He turned his head in curiosity to see a petite and young red head on top of the bar looking mildly annoyed if anything. It seemed she was attracting more attention than she was used to. Judging by the state of her heels loosely secured he could also assume she was not here willingly.

She didn’t seem to be that much younger than him but perhaps it wasn’t so much of her appearance but the way she carried herself that made her seem so young and even more innocent. Dameon looked around at the rest of the room wondering what else he had missed while he had been trying to enjoy himself. Apparently a high roller had come in and it was then that he made the connection between the two. A moment of realization triggered in his head as he turned back to his own bottle that he had ordered. He leaned forward over the bar and grabbed another shot glass and poured some sake into both his and the second one. He slid the second one down over to her. ”You might be able to shake her if you don’t seem as innocent as she pictures. At least you would get paid quicker and you wouldn’t have to deal with her for her entire stay here,” Dameon said as he downed another shot and let his body heat up again from the liquid. He stretched back as well with a halfhearted yawn before he sat back up straight, wincing in his pain from his poor choice in movement. The last thing he needed to do was tear open his stitches…again. He could start to feel a buzz coming on now that some time had passed since he had begun drinking. This was the feeling he had been waiting for a sensation of relaxation and bliss. He just needed to not drink too much and go overboard. He kind of smiled to himself thinking of the last time it had happened. In fact now that he thought about it, everytime someone bad happened to him socially Gin had been around somewhere to entice it…the strip club incident with Sano, the chocolate he had been forced to eat that had turned him into a woman for a day, and who knew what else could possibly happen. He was in Kumo though, so the chances of seeing her were slim. Still, he became alert and started looking around the room intently. After a moment, when he became convinced she was nowhere near the casino he turned back to the bar and resumed his position.

[639. 1405 total]
[1 EP total]

The sight of a six year old girl at a casino was undoubtedly rare. The sight of one sitting at the bar, undisturbed by security staff was even more so. And yet, a small girl with silvery white hair sat on one of the bar stools, innocently swinging her legs back and forth. Her long strands were tied neatly into a series of loops and pigtails that made her round face and plump cheeks stand out. On her face was a small smile that looked perfectly normal at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, someone experienced enough might have been able to see the hidden mischief behind her eyes. "Can I please get a shot of tequila and a Long Island ice tea?" she asked in a rather high pitched voice that matched her outward appearance. The bartender - a large man with a bald head and dark facial hair - looked at her for a moment, a blank expression of confusion dotting his face.

He cleared his throat and made a motion with his hands to call the nearby security guard. "I'm sorry little lady, but I can't let you have that,"[/color] he began to say, likely thinking that the small child had no idea what she was ordering. "Now, that nice man over there is going to take you outside and watch over you until we find your parents, ok?" Contrary to what his looks indicated, the man was actually being rather gentle. The small girl mentally gave him kudos for that but pressed on, shaking her head and reaching into her breast pocket to pull something out. Her small fingers struggled for a moment before getting a solid grip on the item. She placed it gently on the bar and smiled at the man who now looked even more confused than he had been before. "Where did you get that?" He said, now somewhat wary. He motioned his hand again and dismissed the guard that was approaching the bar.

The small girl simply kept her smile etched onto her innocent features. She looked at the item on the counter top and then back at the man. It was a circular insignia that bore the official markings of the Raikage. It was a symbol, one that granted immunity to whoever wore it, making it so that his or her word was treated as if it came from the village leader himself. "One shot of tequila and a Long Island ice tea, please," the small girl repeated, ignoring the previous question altogether. The man heaved a defeated sigh and turned around to prepare the drinks. He presented them to the small girl shortly after and then went on to tend to another customer - a young man with dark hair and what the child considered to be a sour look on his face. Her eyes brightened in recognition as she quickly downed her two drinks and hopped off of the tall stool. She landed with a soft thud and took a couple of steps towards the other end of the bar.

She leaped onto the man's back and wrapped her small arms around his neck in a rather tight hug. Of course, it would likely only take him a few seconds to realize that the obnoxious silver haired child was none other than his obnoxious silver haired friend and business partner, Kuroka Gin. On the other hand, if he didn't recognize her, this was bound to be interesting. "Dame-chan!" she mused. "Hey Mr. Bartender! Get me your most expensive sake and put it on this guy's tab!" Gin yelled after the man, who now had a slight slump in his shoulders.

"Fine, I'll add it to the tab he opened in the Raikage's name."

Gin pouted and let out a disappointed whine. "Aww! I thought I was the only one allowed to do that!" She complained. "Now I don't feel nearly as special," the young woman turned young girl sighed. At this point, she would still be hanging off of Dameon's back. She turned her small head to the side and spotted the young girl that was sitting next to him. After a moment, she realized that she had interrupted what had probably been the beginning of a conversation. She looked at the girl sheepishly before adjusting her position. She would climb on Dameon's back and sit comfortably on his shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't see you there! Want some of the sake I ordered? I'm sure it's fresh. Besides, nothing tastes better than a free drink, no?" She said, unaware of the exact situation that the young girl was in.

[Word Count: 783]

Her quest to find a proper snack to devour. Mmm she could almost taste it right now. If only she had the money she would purchase everything from the apple tart with marmalade to the rhubarb cheesecake to the raspberry coolie to the french toast to the- oh right, for a moment she lost herself in her wonderland. Blinking she snapped her neck looking left and right before landing on the man besides her just now remembered where she was. She felt baffled by his 'advice' until she realized she seemed annoyed if at all by her current circumstances. She blinked and tried to convey her confusion however her voice came out as monotone as usual, dead without distinction or emotion which was not working in her favor but she pressed on "I was not aware of my appearance caused this. . .affliction"

She never understand how she appeared. She came to terms she was different only because aburame were so far and few and her elf like ears but aside from that she felt she was not worthy of more than a single passing glance. She was pretty nor kind nor selfish nor vicious (partially true) she was simple there, a wallflower if you will. It was this mindset that made it difficult to form connections, proper ones if you will, with others and understand them. She felt more in tune with nature and its blessed creatures rather than human themselves even if she was one of them. Turning to him and tilted her head to the side pursing her lips slightly, hardly noticeable if at all as she stared at the offering, a shot of sake."I do not see how the consumption of alcohol perceives impurity. Rather I think it would cause a more detrimental result if I'm not longer with my mind" She placed the menu down as she heard the start of a commotion and the tingle of chips on the board."However she is wasting my time and I've already been paid halfway so perhaps this is a good idea. Only one glass however"

She was probably going to regret this and she knew she would. With one quick single a light dusting of pink not as dark as her hair dusted her cheeks already a bit buzzed and no doubt ready to be drunk silly if she took any more. Her body heat rose and she could feel the drug flowing through her body quickly making her beetles hum in song for the rare treat. "It really was a bad idea to drink that" She mumbled quickly fanning her face "Seeing as you hadn't heard I have a poor tolerance for alcohol, even for something as light as sake"Just then the bartender came back ready to take Mifune's order before gasping and holding his heart seeing his fairy in a dulled state."Oh Mifune! You're face is so red what happened" he questioned dramatically before snapping to his first and only suspect close enough to commit the crime."You. . .did you have a cause in this? Did you touch my precious Fairy-chan"

Her beetles either hissed in embarrassment or hummed in laughter. She didn't want to know the numbers for sure. The palm of her hand met her face pinching the bridge f her nose."Michael, it's only because of how hot it is in here. You know I don't handle heat well" Not quite the lie but not quite the truth either. While it was true she didn't handle heat well if the frequent faints in the summer were a testament, but she needed to defend the kiri nin not for his sake as it was much for her she didn't need more of a headache out of Michael right now. The man seriously needed to get laid or something, how he would she didn't care but it was painfully obvious he need help of some sort.

Recovering from the state of shock he did understand it was somewhat warm in here since the girl he came to know was pretty sensitive to changes in temperature. Besides he felt bad for embarrassing her like that since he knew she didn't like a lot of attention or as she cited often none at all. "O-oh was that all then" He quickly gathered his whits and coughed into his hand as he turned to the mysterious kiri nin with the unknown affiliation with the raikage though he did hear somewhere in the grapevine that they were friends, senpai and kouhai even. Perhaps they knew each other from the brief seven bells war. He did know the current raikage had been a participate and a helpful one at that. "My apologies sir, seems I was mistaken" He didn't seemed very apologetic or sincere at all but who cared. Turning his attention back to her he smiled warmly taking the menu and setting it down under the bar and replacing it with a drink specialist menu "anyway Mifune have you decent what you wanted? And don't worry about paying I'll put it on his tab"

Free clothes. Free drink and Free food. Perhaps she really should go out more and take advantage of the current influx of the countries finest visiting the hidden village of lighting some more if this was how she was going to be treated. Maybe they will do the same for her sister? She might like or she might not. The girl's mood changed faster than the flicker of a flame. Nodding her head she recounted a particular dish that she noted she must try "Very well, I'll have the chocolate mousse with shaved coconut instead of the shaved white chocolate and a passion fruit tea"

Chuckling he noted that the dreamy look her eye as she thought about food. It was this type of naivety and innocence that he and everyone else liked about it. In fact it made him remember his own child which made her heart ache for her in a bittersweet mourning but he would let it get to him as he wrote the order down and went to attend some others."Ah still in love with the sweets I see. I'll go ring your order up while I attend to the other guests"

A couple moments later a different more rugged appearing bartender came with her order looking somewhat disgruntled and set her dessert down beside her"Oi girlie sorry about that. Michael had to step out for a moment here's your snack" He slid the desert to her and patted her head as he went to serve the table and pass out drinks as well as take some order. Mifune was then left with her desert. A smooth dark chocolate mousse served in a wine glass top with an array from fresh picked strawberries and blue berries topped with thin coconut shavings and a mint leaf for flair. A single scoop and Mifune was in heaven if the small smile was any indication though the blueberries were quickly becoming her new favorite since they paired with dark chocolate better than the strawberries. Perhaps she recommend a change in recipe later. For now she kept a close eye on her mistress whom was gathering quite a crowd since it was obvious she was loaded and in more ways than one. If things got out of hand she noted as a man sly slide a hand to her hip and remembered how stocked she was, they would be dispatched quickly.

A moment of peace ruined by one silvered haired six year old who yelled as soon as the rugged bartender returned to clean glasses. If the hum of her beetles was any indications she was quite startled by her sudden appearance and even more boisterous voice. Since when did they start allowing children into here? The girl must have been important if she got into the vip section. Popping another scoop into her mouth, Mifune shook her head dismissively "No thank you. One shot of sake is more than enough for one outing" Taking a good look at the two on them a single thin brow rose "Is this your...sister or daughter...?"

2580~

A pit in his stomach rose up out of the depths of nowhere as he continued to drink. It was an uncomfortable and uneasy feeling and it was a feeling he hadn’t honestly felt for a long time, not since he had been forced to eat mysterious chocolate outside of a strip club that had turned him into a woman for a day. The same feelings he always seemed to get when trouble was about to happen. He had already checked the current room and found no signs of trouble. The man apologizing in front of him was no threat at all and yet something was off. Even his wounds started to hurt even despite having not felt them for a little while because of the drinks he had been taken. It was like he was suddenly and all at once sobering up so his body could properly defend itself. He looked back at the cute red head whose face had already gotten red even from the little drink he had given her. That wasn’t it either even as he heard a strange humming sound manifest itself seemingly out of nowhere. He heard a voice next to him and he quickly brushed it off having only gotten a small glimpse of the small child. He was a shinobi such things like a children at a bar in the middle of a casino drinking alcohol wasn’t exactly on his radar for strange things to look out for in case of emergency. He grabbed the glass of water and took a swig of it. It wasn’t until the child had disappeared and re-appeared with her arms around his throat that he noticed the situation.  He couldn’t breathe or swallow the water he had just put in his mouth. His face quickly became a red and then a purple as he reached behind his and grabbed what he could of the small child and yanked her off of his neck and in front of him.

He held the small child by her waist with both arms as he went to swallow the water so he could finally get some air. His eyes looked at the face of the culprit though and he immediately recognized who it was. His body had a response all on its own and out of sheer surprise the water flew out of his mouth in a sort of high powered mist of cold water. He finally grasped for breath and dropped the child as he leaned back in his bar stool to try and back away from the symbol of every bad thing that had happened to him ever. It was as he was trying to scurry away albeit in the worst way possible that his mouth opened. ”GIN?! What are you doing here?!” he exclaimed as he kicked the barstool out from underneath him so he could stand up properly as he pointed at her in his state of shock and fear. He had looked and scanned for her the moment he felt she would appear to ruin his day again and here she was like a manifestation of his bad luck. It was then he looked at the child version of Gin and realized he had completely soaked her in ice water with his surprised response, to which the only words he could think of were, ”Don’t hurt me,” which he said in a very low and defeated tone of voice as he prepared himself to feel her wrath. He could only imagine what was going to happen next but everything was going too fast for him to even anticipate it as his wounds were already hurting again in response of what was sure to come.

[619. 2024 total]
[Spending 1,498 toward strength training]
[526 WC remaining]
[2 EP Total]

Gin nodded her small head at the young girl's question, her light hair swaying back and forth as she did. She saw an opportunity to annoy her old friend and took it without a second thought. She flashed her a mischievous smile. "Dame-niichan is my big brother! He's the bestest ever!", she said, hugging onto the man's neck. Just like that, however, she was yanked off of Dameon's back by the collar of her pink kimono and held like she was some sort of rag doll. Her eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to say something probably snarky and maybe a little bit condescending. However, fate would have it that he would spit his drink all over her face. The playful grin from before vanished in a matter of milliseconds and was replaced by a death glare. If looks could kill, the dark haired man would be writhing on the floor, on his way to a very slow and agonizing demise.

However, since that wasn't the case, Gin did the next best thing. She would grab Dameon's forearm and twist it tightly before using it as leverage to toss him towards the other side of the room. In this form, her strength was nowhere near the level it usually had, which meant that Gin didn't have to measure herself. Even with this body's current limits, she still had far more physical strength than he did, which would make it quite difficult for him to resist. He would fly across the air and tumble on the ground a few times without losing momentum. Only when he hit the pachinko machines around twenty meters away would he come to a full stop. The machines would give way under the force and fall around him, if not on top of him. Letting out a "ding", one of them would flash a winning score: five small versions of the current Raikage's face in a row. Gin wondered if she could claim that prize as hers. It would likely only last her half of the night before she gambled it all away, though, not that that would stop her.

Gin now turned to the bartender with an innocent smile on her soft features. "Could I get a towel, please?" She asked, her voice sugary sweet. The man didn't quite know what to make of what he had just seen, so he would nod and hastily get a towel from underneath the counter to hand it to the small devil. Gin cleaned her face and let out a satisfied sigh. She now turned to the bright haired girl next to her. "Dame-niichan can be rude sometimes, but it's ok, he's not all bad," she said to her, speaking as if this was simply how their relationship functioned on a daily basis. That was true, though only partially. Gin had a habit of dragging her friend into situations that just spelled out trouble and chaos. The now young girl sometimes wondered why he put up with it, but came to the conclusion that it was probably because he secretly had just as much fun as she did during their adventures.

The former Kazekage extended a small hand towards the girl in a form of greeting. "I'm Gin, by the way!" She introduced herself happily, not bothering to turn around and inspect what would most likely be a mildly injured and rather pissed off Dameon.

[Word Count: 1388]

[End]