Julius had awoken early in the morning as the sun rose. Stretching as he felt sore from the night before. He was still on the deck of the Cog they had sailed in on the night before. Unaware of the large amount of lightning in the skies above Kumogakure. His sister had retired the night before to the captains cabin at the back of the wooden ship after it turned out they were both safe but Julius had remained awake to roll up the hot air balloon they had utilized to make the cog air born and stowed it on the deck. It was heavy and difficult to manage but it had to be done. After all they had crash landed because a lightning bolt had torn a hole in the baloon. Now it was tied to the side. However he had found the air warm for the night and opted to simply sleep on the deck rather than stumble around in the dark below deck to find his cot. Especially with how hard they hit the ground. Their supplies were likely scattered everywhere.

For now Julius would rise to his feet and straighten his clothes. His long pants tight to his legs but flexible with his tie tightened quickly with his brisk hands. His long white coat covered in green patterns was buttoned up after as he ran a hand through his hair. On his back was a sword crossed with three arrows. The mark of a mercenary. Yet he held no weapons on his person and the cog didn't have a single cannon or defensive position. However if one looked at it from the outside the damage from the landing was minimal scratches. After all he had thrown up a barrier right before they hit. It had exhausted him of course but it had saved their home. For now he kicked some dirt off his black boots before walking to the edge of the ship to have a look around. His boots clunking to announce his movements as the sun rose.

His blue eyes scanned the area around them. They seemed to have landed in a small clearing with some trees only meters away from the front of the ship. A square indent had been dragged several meters in the ground behind them. To the side of them though just barely within view was what appeared to be a mine. It was in disrepair but if he needed anything to patch anything on the ship besides the balloon he could find it there. He would be sure to loot it later. However that did mean one other thing. A resource gathering station like this one likely was close to a village. The one they were heading for was close. Kumo couldn't be far away. For now this would be as good a place as any. He had wanted to dock his ship or rather their ship somewhere it would be safe but next to an abandoned mine was going to have to do. For now he moved to the cabin and stopped next to it. Collecting two apples from a chest next to the door before straightening up and knocking on the glass lightly. It was tinted so the best he could hope for was seeing shadows moving within.

Cleo sleepily rubbed at her eyes, what a night it had been! All the thunder and lightning, crashing and BOOMING!!! The only thing that could possibly have made it any better would have been a substantial amount of fire. And explosions. But then of course they would have been in a much sorrier state than they currently were. She cackled at the thought though before even opening her eyes and then shot up out of bed and scrambled for a kunai as she heard a light rapping at the window to the cabin.



Cleo was not very fond of surprises, especially not first thing in the morning. She was very tired this morning as they had had a hard night going through a rough storm. It was quite stormy here, and their balloon was not made for lightning it had seemed. She’d hadn’t had the energy to change into her nightclothes after all was said and done, and had ended up sleeping in her clothing. She hadn’t even helped Julius with rolling up the hot air balloon, which she did had felt bad about. Not bad enough to stay conscious, but bad. And now, bad or not she was awake and grumpy. Grasping her kunai firmly in hand she marched up to the door her long black hair sticking out wildly as though she had been in the center of the storm all night rather than their ship, and she would fling open the door with another curse ready to fling from her tiny scowling face. Her scowl would flip as quickly as a cake in a pan during a breakfast rush as soon as she saw Julius standing there with two apples, and she beamed up at her older brother.

“Good morning Julius! Sleep well? Thanks for breakfast!” She would stab at one of the apples with her kunai, a playful smirk on her face while she would turn and walk past him outside into the morning air. Cleo was quite the sight, her long white dress wrinkled in places from having been slept in, her short emerald green coat a match in style to the one her brother wore, with a sword crossed by three arrows across the back. The symbol of their mercenary company. She would look around at their vessel and let out a loud and exasperated sigh, recklessly kicking at the side of the ship.

“Well this is just FUCKING GREAT! What are we supposed to do without our ship Julius? Walk? We don’t walk! We FLY!”

She would jump up on top of captain’s cabin and fling herself down onto her back melodramatically, kunai stabbed apple still in her right hand, her left hand held lightly over her brow. This day was not going at ALL as planned. They were here to gain a foothold in Kumogakure no sato. Not crash fucking land in it. If their father got wind of this failure before they fixed it they were in deep trouble. Deep, better not come home or he’ll send someone to make sure we don’t, trouble.

“Julius, we need a plan. So far all I’ve managed to come up with is fire. I’ll start one and then we can rob anyone that happens along to try to put it out. Father would like that right?”

566

She had seen a flying ship. There, in the distance, outside Kumogakure. For a brief moment, Nariko thought it had been a last trick of the mind by the toxin she had suffered, but as lighting crashed into it and illuminated the whole thing for a brief moment, she had been fairly certain about it. She had partially cackled at the idea that someone had been foolish enough to fly at altitude when thunder rumbled, and otherwise frowned at the annoyance they didn't need wings to reach the skies. In moments as these, she'd love to ruffle her wings as if to make a statement but since they were sealed she could do little more than shrug her shoulders.

That done, she was curious about the phenomenon and had therefore made her way towards the crash site in hopes to find its remnants and see if she could make some sense out of its existence. Its blasphemous existence, to her humble opinion. Leaving in the early morning, guided only by her memory and innate intimacy to the winds, she hoped somewhat on a bit of luck to find her way. At first, things seemed rather easy as she left the Village and followed the road through the woods. At times, the road edged the woods, then reentered it and left it again, as if it wasn't sure on what direction to pick just yet. In the end, it went away of the woods, crossing an emerald sea of tall grass for what seemed to be hours on end, only to end up at the base of a -gasp- mine! And an abandoned one, with that, from the looks of it. It reminded her of that time where she had to ghost hunt for a mission, and she wondered if this one would have one as well. She sure hoped so, as it had been a while she had screamed her lungs out in terror~

But equally requesting her attention was a heap of ship debris from a colossal construct that had crash-landed into the nearby trees, leaving a serious mark in the natural environment and partially covered by a giant, deflated balloon. A wry smile played across her face, devilishly delighted at its failure to hold the skies, yet equally intrigued by its mechanics if only to learn how to sabotage any future airship holding the ground in wait. Or something like that. Even if she disliked the construct's existence, if the people on board died because of her meddling it would be a most boring aftermath. One she wouldn't like to be the cause of, either.

As she approached the airship, or whatever remained of it, she could see some movement happening. Did others get here first? How? When? She frowned at the idea that she wouldn't be able to amuse herself with the airship, but didn't allow it to stop her from wandering closer. Depending on who it was, she could easily send them running in fear with a few little mind tricks.


wc 513

(( [x] Nariko's current looks, though with violet eyes, should you need it))

Julius would watch the shadows in the room and wait. A shout from within told him his sister was well and her usual aggressive self. Truly he wondered if he was meant to have the energy to deal with it or if this was just something no one was built for. Such strong language was usually reserved for extreme moments but he supposed getting up as the sun rose was extreme enough for her. Still he wasn't very perturbed by it. He had grown up training with her after all to be fathers good little gatherers. Certainly starting off the first morning with a sturdy breakfast would be worth something. The ship was in decent enough of a state that it wouldn't fall apart though he wouldn't set it in water any time soon. The balloon was wrapped up and on deck. If they were to leave soon he would simply lock it below deck. Not that basic locks would stop many but aside from the casual hiker her doubted they would come across anyone this far out without better things to do than to steal from them.

Still the door would open and he would be presented with the frightful sight of his sister, fresh from bed having slept in her clothes and having done little to nothing with her hair. If anything she appeared to be more wild creature than his sweet darling sister. With knife in hand and scowl on face any way. However that would swiftly change to the sweet smile he was accustomed to. Sure she still held a knife up idly and appeared rather insane but he trusted her. It was why he didn't even flinch when her kunai plunged into one of the fruits and took it from him. His free hand idly swiping her other kunai from her waist amongst her arsenal of throwing weapons so he could cut his own apple as he listened. The blade of the weapon slicing a chunk of the apple off so he could chew on it easier without the effort of having to rip it apart with his bare teeth. She likely wouldn't mind him borrowing one of her blades. Or so he hoped. When she mentioned their father being happy with a plan to rob people. He would swallow his bite and speak as his mouth was cleared. Eyeing her where she laid sternly.

"We will walk if we have to. Our base of operations is better off out of sight any way. First things first is we take inventory of our supplies and see if we lost anything. I can't believe this bares repeating but starting fires in a place we need to be friendly with is not an option. We finish inventory and then locate the village. From there we find work with the skills father taught us and send him back the wealth he is waiting for. Over time I will pay for repairs and neccessities. When we can fly again we will settle to a more suitable location. Aside from likely boring you does any of that sound impossible to you?"

He would smile knowing that she was not as patient as he was. Everything was about taking steps towards a goal. The goal being to obtain a base of operations for the guild within Kumo. In order to do that they had been instructed to make a good name for themselves within the village. To do this they were to take on missions and be of use to the village itself. For the moment he sliced another section of his apple. Prefering the skin as he cut it thin. Chewing on it as the sweet juices filled his mouth. He had a general idea of what direction the main road leading to the village was. However what he did not know was that they were being observed. Already their home had attracted the attention of another. His guard was too far down at the moment to notice. If nothing else his attention was fully on his sister. Her lack of empathy for others had been a problem in the past. If he was to keep her whims under control he would need to offer her something to keep her interest. A combat mission or two would probably work wonders.

Cleo didn’t mind at all as Julius swiped her second kunai and started slicing his apple with it. He was the only one in the world who could get away with that. She trusted him completely and didn’t bat an eye as the weapon was casually drawn near her. Beyond the fact that they had trained together, he had proven time and again that he only had her best interests and wellbeing at heart, and she never doubted that for an instant. Lying on the roof of the cabin listening to her brother’s stern reproval was enough to quiet her temper for a few minutes. She would roll over onto her her hip, propping her head up on her hand and taking a bite of her kunai skewered apple, and chew thoughtfully as she considered her brother’s words. He wasn’t wrong. He was NEVER fucking wrong. He was damnably perfect, which was part of what she loved about him. At the mention of their father she got annoyed again however and sat up, pulling her apple off her kunai to better use the knife to emphasize her point as she would wave it around vigorously.

“No it doesn’t sound impossible. It sounds PERFECTLY GODDAMN FINE!!! But you know what it doesn’t sound like? OUR PLAN! Or fun for that matter, there aren’t ANY explosions or FIRE or KILLING or ANYTHING!!”

She was standing on the roof of the cabin by this point and would stop in her tirade as she caught sight of her shadow on the lower deck floor and saw the very odd shape that was currently her hair. With a gasp of dismay she would sheath her kunai and clamber down from the height she had ascended to her in fit, with no small amount of difficulty considering her small stature, a mere five feet and four inches. She would look imploringly at her brother as she struggled to get down, hoping that he would assist her to help save her some time, and dignity.

“Julius, you’re right. Of course you’re right, like always. That’s why you’re here with me, and I’ll help with the inventory. But for the record, I am not happy about it. And for another thing, why didn’t father choose you? You always make the plans anyway, I just wanna blow shit up, and preferably get paid to do it. And I’d prefer dear brother if we were able to keep more of the money this time around.”

Assuming she had reached the deck she would walk into the captain’s cabin and retrieve her hair brush and begin gently teasing out the tangles that were making her otherwise adorable features look rather hellish.

“Are we going to store everything in here, or try to lug it to the Village then? I’ll carry what I can, I don’t want anyone to think I let you do all the heavy lifting.” She would smirk up at her brother as she finished smoothing out her hair and tossed her hair brush carelessly back inside the cabin, letting it clatter to the floor.


534/1100

Arriving at the airship all casual like, as if she was nothing more but a tourist, Nariko eyed the wreck of the ship. Whatever had moved around before hadn't shown itself again, so she assumed whoever was around was currently occupied with assessing the damage, repairing or maybe just moping around for its loss. Not that Nariko cared much for that, she was only out to sight-see, if anything, and considering there was a mine nearby she could just as much run in to see if that mine had a ghost as well. She sure hoped so, as hearing the screams of terror would be like music to her ears in her current boredom.

There were plenty of cracks and scratches to be seen, debris scattered around, and the weight of the ship had left a crater in the earth. Nariko had to admit that creating a flying ship couldn't be an easy feat, but to her the thing was clunky, pointless and of no use other than showing off. Its size made it difficult to manoeuvre and was useless in combat situations or when in need of an escape. Even if it was durable, she could imagine A rank jutsu to take it down nonetheless simply because it would be unable to avoid the attacks properly. If anything, wings and smaller vessels were superior by far.

Nariko picked up some noise from inside the cabin. A yelling of sorts, heavily muffled by the wood that surrounded it. Was the figure she had seen not alone? Or had it gone crazy and was it shouting against itself now? Nariko hoped for the latter, but assumed the first option was more likely the case. Taking a good look around for people in hiding, she concluded that the figure wasn't part of a bandit gang. Those usually had look-outs. As she meticulously scanned the area, the two strangers around the ship left the cabin to hop on the roof and deck briefly, before deciding then for whatever reason it was better to go back inside, leaving the door open. She concluded out of this that the figure wasn't speaking to himself - much to her disappointment - and was instead the owner or a scavenger of sorts. The question rather remained between peeking inside the cabin and slake her curiosity to what was being held inside, or leave it as it was and rummage around outside.

She decided on the latter.

While not exactly sneaking, Nariko made sure not to make too much noise as she wandered around the ship to analyse the construct as good as possible. She wasn't really interested in meeting the people and having to explain herself in what she was doing around here, and neither was she exactly the serving sort to care for those in need of help. She was merely here out of an interest in what for information she could pick up about the flying ship. Though she was driven by curiosity, that was about all there was to it.
If anything, picking all sorts of knowledge might be an interesting thing to do should she ever need to sabotage a massive construct as this. Not that she knew a lot about proper sabotage or anything of that sort, but you never knew. Her pride as a Santaku, a winged being, was mostly at stake here and that was more than enough reasons to do something even as small as just gathering information.


wc 584 + 513
= 1097

Julius would watch her take a bite of her apple and chew vigorously. She was less refined than he was but of the two of them only she would be capable on her own. His training was never centered towards combat in an offensive sense. His body always grew tired too quickly. Strenuous activity was simply unpleasant. He was the tails of the coin and as such he was a support type. Trained with one goal in mind. Keeping her from harm. However as she had matured she had sought out adventure for some time regardless of the risks. His blue eyes watched her wave the blade around as she calmly spoke of fire and explosions. Two things he himself was not overly fond of. The blade in her hand seeming to emphasize her points. Still it was all things he had heard before. Plans had a tendency to go awry. A moments difference from the plan can change many things. Idly his eyes shifted to the rolled up and strapped down balloon. That would be the hardest piece to repair. He would need to order something custom made from a specific fabric likely.

Still her scream seemed to snap his attention back to her. Part of him expecting them to be set upon by shinobi of the land. Or the owner of the mine and his men. Already his chakra was gathering at his finger tips. However he noticed her standing alone and looking at her hair. With a sigh he crossed his arms and let her struggle to get down as a price for scaring him. It took her a moment longer than it might of with his help but she managed to get down skipping the stairs and choosing to climb instead. He would quietly follow her to the captains cabin as he leaned against the door frame. Watching her gather her brush and take it to her hair like a battle. One she was winning. Still she continued speaking and he shrugged his shoulders. Listening as she spoke. Replying with a monotone sounding tone and an uninterested glance to the side. "He chose you because I have no interest in the things you two do. Battle and riches aren't exclusive to me. There are other ways. So he trained me to be your personal support. As for what we are taking with us, my bet is the village is likely only a couple hours hike from here on a main road. So we only take one change of clothes and rations for two days. Remember, our goal is to find an employer, not burn down the gates."

With that he would smile as if taunting her with a little jest. She was far more combat oriented then him. She knew the truth though. His body couldn't take much physical combat. His jutsu were more focused on keeping anyone from touching either of them. It was as if the energy she had been born with was inherited from him. However his thought process was broken by the slight sound of a creak of wood. A broken ship was difficult to move on without distributing your weight wrong at any spot. Immediatly he wirled around and stepped clearly onto the deck. Holding out his sisters knife to her behind him as he looked to the strange girl on their ship, welcoming themselves onto their home. They seemed to be looking for something. A looter already? If so they had made a foolish choice. He would relinquish the kunai if his sister took it but his arm would still block the doorway. For all he knew this strange person was the welcoming committee. Still he spoke loudly and with some air of authority and warning.

"Welcome to our home. Care to speak as to your reasoning for intruding like a thief in silence or should I allow my sister to do as she wishes? It's a Sunday so likely that includes cutting off your face."

Having tamed her hair and ‘safely’ deposited her brush in the cabin Cleo listened to the wisdom of her older brother. He was not wrong, she did adore battle. It was just so invigorating. All the adrenaline pumping through you as you held a weapon in your hand, not knowing whether you would hit first or the other guy. It made her feel ALIVE! Which was more than she could say for the other people. Her smile would light up her face as Julius spoke about it, and only wavered slightly as he detailed the minutia of hiking and carrying supplies and rations. These were the parts of being heir to a mercenary company that she despised. It made her unendingly grateful for her brother. She just didn’t have the patience for all the paperwork and strategizing of red tape. It wasn’t her thing. But WEAPONS and FIRE. Now those were her thing. She would smirk as Julius quipped about not burning down the gates.

“Yes, I know Julius, and I’m glad you take care of me. I was just complaining. I’m bored and just itching to shoot someone, or cut them, or light them on fire.” She really was bored, it had been too long since she’d been in a good fight. Or lit anything on fire that wasn’t stationary. While the life of a mercenary wasn’t one she had chosen, it was one that came with some perks that fit her personality well, such as the occasional bit of wanton destruction if the coin was right. Now it was, as he had said, just a matter of finding that right amount of coin. “Well, I don’t even know if they have gates dear brother. But if they do I’ll be sure to not burn them down. Unless they piss me off.”

She would stifle a laugh, she hoped that her comment was both taken for the joke it was and that he found it mildly irritating. That would teach him for making her struggle down from the roof earlier. She knew damn well where the stairs were, that wasn’t the point, he was supposed to help her dammit. She wasn’t really angry of course, she loved the back and forth of their conversations. They both knew perfectly well what the other was suited best to, and were both entirely comfortable with it. She was the aggressive one. If there was something that need killing; she was the one that killed it. This was a nice way of saying she had one hell of a temper. She sometimes felt bad for Julius, since he was the one that was tasked with holding her back. She did some on her own too of course. But mostly it was his knowing looks, or calm voice that kept her from hauling off and skinning everyone in sight before reducing the world to ashes in an unholy conflagration.

Concern crossed her features as suddenly Julius whirled around, and stepped out onto the deck, presenting her kunai behind him before he went. Without a word she took the knife from him, holding it firmly in her right hand and advanced to just behind her brother. She hadn’t heard or felt anything, but she trusted Julius implicitly. If he felt she needed a weapon, there was a danger and that was good enough for her. As if there was ever a time when she needed a better reason to start planning violence. She peeked past his large form and was surprised to see a person. She was not expecting anyone on board but them and she listened gleefully as Julius proceeded to give her full permission to rid herself of her cabin fever. She wanted desperately to go out there and cut whoever it was to pieces, however that sort of rash behavior was not part of their careful training. So instead she would casually slip into the spot between the doorway and her brother and lean onto the doorframe, calling out in a sweet voice to the intruder.

“It is Sunday you know, and I’m bored today. I’ve half a mind to just teach you a lesson for coming onto our ship without fucking knocking! We were in the middle of breakfast!” She would keep a careful eye out for other intruders as she spoke, there was one on deck but that didn’t mean that was all there were. “Now be quick, who are you and what do you want? And believe me when I say I’m looking forward to the answer either way.” She would punctuate her last sentence with a grin and a quick wave of her kunai.


792/1892

The debris littering the landscape proved to hold little of interest. It was too clean to be a ship in the traditional sense of the word, carrying no souvenirs of where it had been and showing no sign of a solid rump enduring the antics and turbulence of the skies it flew through. The only memory the ship would ever seem to have was its sorry landing in the lands of Kumogakure, and even that would probably be erased in time by its owners. It seemed what little of interesting secrets the ship had was kept inside its form - machinery, cargo, that sort of things. However, as she turned around to look for a means to get inside, the figures had made their appearance. A guy and a girl, carrying pride as if it were a coat as they opened their mouth to let out a most uncivilised greeting.

"Threatening visitors at first sight? How quaint a greeting.", she replied the duo with a chuckle. "And you have the audacity to call me an intruder while you are reforming the terrain with that... ship of yours, barging in Kumogakure's lands without so much as a polite bow? You must be relieved to hear I'm no ANBU who's considering your vile tongue a threat to the Village right away. I can't speak for all the others that saw you crash down like a brick, however, but I'm fairly certain they either heard or saw your entry happen just as much."

And by leaving such a mark in the lands, Kumogakure would not forget their presence soon either. A crash land as this was almost impossible to mask even if the two would succeed in repairing and leaving the lands in all quietude. Nariko had learned Kumogakure was fond of the blade, and patrols were bound to discover them sooner or later. If anything, she had found the lands and the people to be a bit lacking on the diplomatic and subtle side of things.

"Now, let's try this introduction again with less pointless violence, shall we? Consider it training for when you do meet ANBU, hm? You may address me as Nariko, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

For a brief moment she was about to curtsy out of force of habit, but stopped herself just in time. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, rested a hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one leg. While she assumed the two were being impolite because they lacked proper education or because they felt unsafe, she couldn't be as sure. By placing her hand on her hip, it was also close to the weapon pouch that remained out of sight. Should either of them decide this hobby of 'skinning the face on a Sunday' had to be practised she'd be more than ready to counter them, even though she expected this encounter to be just a bad start of the day.

wc: 498 + 1097
= 1595

Julius would watch her for a moment. His blue eyes scanning the mystery woman in front of them. She didn't seem alarmed or surprised that she had been caught on their ship. For someone sneaking about he was rather surprised that she held no concern for being detected. If anything she stood with an air of confidence about her that was setting of warning signals in his mind. There were two of them and one of her and the threat held no effect. She was so sure she could handle any threat she even spoke in a tone that was if anything demeaning. Attempting to educate them in their flawed ways. Certainly not some one looking to descalate the situation. His shoulders stiffened as she spoke of ANBU and accused them of their own trespassing. She seemed to think of them as if they were criminals of some sort to be hunted and question or killed by some force from the village. He supposed they might come across as such to someone outside of their life. They were an armed force of foreigners. They posed a threat.

His gaze shifted to his sister a moment. He doubted she would take that tone well for long. Someone acting with some sense of authority over them they didn't appear to have any need of right now. His blue eyes looked to hers a moment before placing a hand on her arm to remind her where she was. If a fight did break out here they were likely to destroy their own home. Their belongings and food supplies. She might be eager to start a fire but neither of them were quick to lose what little they had. The ship was already in poor shape. Worst case scenario, they burned down the ship, one of them or both were injured and no idea of where the nearest help was. However there was another interesting fact. This girl, Nariko. She wasn't wearing any distinguishing marks or head band herself. Nor had she identified as a member of the village. If anything there was some classic deflection there. His eyes shifted to her again as he studied her. Perhaps there was some chance that the mention of ANBU was a reflection of her own fear. Still she introduced herself however high and mighty it seemed. Even he was growing tired of it.

Still he would sigh a moment before running his right hand through his hair out of his face and leaning to the side creating a complete opening in case his sister disagreed with his assessment. When he spoke his expression was both calm and bored in appearance. He wasn't alarmed any more by this person on the surface. "Names? I suppose thats fine. My name is Julius and this is my sibling Cleo. Mercenaries from the Iron Falls group. As for ANBU, I doubt they are coming sincerely. It's been hours and their response time in any village is considerably better. Nor do I think the village is concerned with us at all considering we crashed and there hasn't been the slightest relief effort. Should an official of the village happen upon us we do have identification papers. However you do not appear to be of that variety. As such your standing on our home. Our place of residence. Sneaking about and what not. We would naturally be on edge. If you want to make it up to me however, tell us where the village is from here."

2539

Cleo’s eyes narrowed as the woman standing on the deck spoke. Not only did this intruder have the audacity to step foot onto their ship but then she fucking dared to threaten them while standing on it? Who exactly did she think she was talking to them like this anyway? Cleo was nearing the verge of meltdown, she could feel her rage rising and with it her chakra beginning to flow to the tips of her fingers where she held her weapon. She could see it now; one quick flick of her wrist and she could wipe that self satisfied look off the girl's face, maybe even start a blazing fire in the process for good measure. It warmed her heart considerably to imagine the damage she would like to do to the trespasser, and those malicious thoughts must have shown clear as day in her blue eyes. For it was a with a bit of a mild start that she felt Julius’ hand touch her arm, and then realized that while she had been looking at him she hadn’t been seeing him. She had been too busy murdering the girl in her mind to notice the warning in his eyes. She saw it now though, and she knew full well what it meant, she had seen that look often enough. It was the ‘Please think about what you’re going to do first.’ look. He wouldn’t stop her, he never did. But he would certainly prefer she didn’t destroy anything valuable, or get herself horribly damaged. She would nod once to her brother as imperceptibly as possible, trying to convey that she understood his warning and turn her attention back to the girl on deck. She was not armed well enough to deal with an unknown that for some reason was not the least bit concerned with having her face cut off. That was usually enough to at least give ordinary people pause, so this was a new one.

As Julius swept his hand through his hair giving her a clear line of sight and movement to the girl who introduced herself as Nariko, Cleo would relax and shift herself into a more comfortable position just beyond the door frame as she listened to her brother speak. In truth she had not considered any ANBU coming across them until Nariko had mentioned it, and now that she had it only worried her for a moment. Julius was right of course, he always was about these sorts of things, they were here with special dispensation, legal and all that and he carried those damn papers everywhere. So it’s not exactly like they were going to get in any trouble for anything, the worst thing they had done so far was muck up a bit of the landscape and near as she could tell it looked just about the same for their efforts. But she was always impressed with how well Julius handled difficult situations, he was very calm where she would have burned the forest to the ground by now, and herself with it no doubt. So she stayed quiet until he had finished, at which point she would clear her throat and drop into a quick curtsy a sweet smile on her face, and her kunai still in her hand.

“Yes, I’m Cleo. Pleasure to make your acquaintance of course Nariko. I hope you understand the threats of maiming, we don’t normally get visitors that we aren’t expecting sneaking up on us. Unless you are perhaps the welcoming committee for Kumogakure no Sato, pointing us in the right direction would be good enough. I have to ask though, what were you doing sneaking about?”

Her head would tilt to the side a bit at her last question, she was genuinely curious as to why this girl would be wandering around in the forest going through their ship. She didn’t even appear to have any way to cart off valuable goods if she found any, it was all very intriguing.

680/2572

Hearing Julius' introduction and his findings on the ANBU, Nariko wondered if the man had actually faced an ANBU before. They were usually not the sort to show themselves if all they did was taking notice of their presence. If anything, so stories went, ANBU rarely revealed themselves even to the ones pulling the strings. Their name was about the only thing that floated in the air, or that was how it should be. Now, she couldn't suspect his tale about 'papers' to be truth or lie, but it did seem as if he was trying his best to counter every statement she had made. As if that was the whole point of this game - proving who was right or wrong. Well, at least they had dropped the threats, for now.

"Making it up to you for being threatened with skinning and maiming by kunai? You're an odd pair to have such expectations.", she chuckled. "You make me think of my servants, Julius and Cleo. Jumping at the slightest bark of your boss. The difference here being that your boss isn't me, but the mercenary leader. And yet, even without him or her around, you're so fidgety you might cut someone down before thinking. It's not something I'd have expected from mercenaries, generally trained through hardships. You are mercenaries, right?"

Leaving the rhetoric question hanging, since she could care less if they were noble knights, mercenaries or brigands out for gold, Nariko paused for a moment as she watched the two, contemplating what to do with them. She wasn't their welcoming committee in the slightest but leaving them here as helpless puppies wouldn't quite satisfy her whims either. Perhaps she could point them in the right direction, but where was the fun in that? Or maybe she'd just have to do what Masked Murderer had done and ditch them along the road just to see what fun there was about that? Perhaps she would.

"However, no. I'm not the welcoming committee. I was merely taking a walk when I caught sight of this and my curiosity got the better of me. A pity you're not fond of visitors, so I'll just be taking my leave. You are free to follow me if you so wish, but I make no promises of bringing you to the Village. I'm not of a habit to bother with servants who think threats will grant them the aide they seek."

And at those words, Nariko offered them a curtsy and vanished in a flicker. Granted, considering she was in the open, the technique would not exactly mask her trace, but that hadn't been her purpose either - she had offered them the opportunity to follow her and she had meant that despite her haughty tone. She would be waiting at the edge of the clearing in the direction of her choosing, but the question remained if they'd follow her, indulge her in her whims and keep up conversation upon which she would, maybe, bring them to the Village, or if they'd stick to remaining in the middle of nowhere where her visit might just as much be the only chance for help.

To Nariko, both options were fine. If they followed, she might teach them some manners. If not, they could remain lost in unknown territory as they were.

[Exit]

wc 569 + 1595
= 2164


((OOC: Sorry for her horrible attitude. She's a spoiled princess on the run, really.

Edit: Let me know if we'll add a 2nd social as you follow through the woods or leave it at this?))

Chakra 140/150:

Training:

Julius would listen with patience as his blue gaze observed quietly what stood before them. He was calculating chances of combat erupting. This was not their ideal location for a battle. Too much of their own was at stake and they knew little to nothing of their possible opponents capabilities or reinforcements. It was certainly not in their favor. Besides that the woman spoke with a prowess and pride that suggested she held some level of importance to the village and expected to be treated favorably for it. Of course it wasn't his first run in with those like her. People intending to be treated above others. Often they had been a pain to suffer through in an effort to keep payments flowing. Or favors the mercenary corporation needed in order to cross certain lines. He had always seen to their needs in silence being as he was just the book keeper. He filled a similar role here but now he was part of the face to the company. They were off to a rough start for the time being but if anything she seemed content to mock them. Something he doubted his sister enjoyed but at the same time she was observant. They were being jumpy.

Still the woman was irking him as well. Talking down to them even given her current positioning of two on one. What if they were less educated individuals and more rough around the edges? She was basically encouraging an assault on her person. Mocking them in a tone that would aggravate most individuals. It was an effort to keep his cool with her around he had to admit. What crossed his mind above all else was the possibility this was a test. She was seeing if they were the kind to attack individuals based on personal feelings. If they did what would the outcome be? Would her guards swoop in and eliminate them as a threat? Perhaps claim the wreckage for their troubles? Or was she sure enough of her capabilities to eliminate them herself? Caution had to be warranted here. If they sidestepped it could end their adventure on day one. They needed to keep on track. That meant keeping patient with the locals. No doubt there would be others like her soon enough. Still her body flicker caught him by surprise. A shinobi art? So likely she intended to eliminate them herself had they tried anything. He wasn't eager to see if such confidence was warranted. Instead he would simply frown.

His eyes had watched her flicker away but the direction was obvious even if he couldn't follow her movements. A slight lean in the direction to his left back to the tree line. He would let his steps carry him to the railing and rest one hand there gazing out. She was clearly visible on the treeline looking back to see if they followed. He wasn't comfortable with the idea, So he spoke up over his shoulder to his sister. His voice calm and collected. Turning to head below deck even as he spoke up. Grabbing a scroll and pen as he did so. All a matter of business to him.

"I advise we do not follow for now. She made no promise of actually directing us to the village so there is nothing to be gained as of yet besides further torment. Instead we should take tally of our supplies before ever leaving the ship. Should we be robbed I at least want to know what was stolen. Should they attempt to sell something if we know what it is they will be easier to track. Your choice of course. However until you make up your mind I will busy myself with the task at hand."

Exit thread
3170
Jack and Jill Series Rushed projectile 1000/1000
Endurance E-3 to D 300/300
Reaction time D - D-1 325/325
Reaction time D-1 - D-2 400/400
Reaction time D-2 - D-3 450/450
Speed D - D-1 325/325
Perception D - D-1 325/325

45 words discarded

"However, no. I'm not the welcoming committee. I was merely taking a walk when I caught sight of this and my curiosity got the better of me. A pity you're not fond of visitors, so I'll just be taking my leave. You are free to follow me if you so wish, but I make no promises of bringing you to the Village. I'm not of a habit to bother with servants who think threats will grant them the aide they seek."

Cleo was livid. It was taking every bit of self control she had not to straight up hurl her kunai into the offending woman’s face. And that self control was only a thought in her mind because of her brother standing there, calm and stoic as ever. Peeling this woman’s face off was now seeming like the easiest way to make her stop talking, and Cleo desperately wanted her to stop talking. Maybe she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, or maybe Cleo just always wanted to stab people who spoke down to her, but whatever it was it was just reaching the point where her rage was about to boil over into real violence, when she flickered away. It was probably for the best, as even with the two of them against only the one of her, she wasn’t properly armed having left her bow inside the captain’s cabin. She certainly could attack her with only a kunai, but having only one weapon was not a great way to start a fight. Looking to her brother Cleo listened as he spoke, still trying to keep her anger under control as she was ridiculously close to burning down the forest.

"I advise we do not follow for now. She made no promise of actually directing us to the village so there is nothing to be gained as of yet besides further torment. Instead we should take tally of our supplies before ever leaving the ship. Should we be robbed I at least want to know what was stolen. Should they attempt to sell something if we know what it is they will be easier to track. Your choice of course. However until you make up your mind I will busy myself with the task at hand."


Julius’ words, while they didn’t end with “Go kill her and have fun.” were enough to calm her down somewhat. It was entirely logical what he was saying, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to do. She watched as he calmly went about his work, pen in hand as though nothing at all had happened. She often thought he was the stronger of the two of them, able to control his emotions and not have his emotions control him. He would tell her differently, because he always did. Their father had drilled into them both that physical might and combat expertise were where true strength lay, and it was hard to shake a core belief like that. With an exaggerated huff she turned on her heel and went back into the cabin, grabbing a few more weapons and securing them to her belt. If anyone else came by they were getting a kunai straight in their dumb f*cking faces.

“Fine, you’re right of course. Again. She would have looked better with bits missing though. I hope the rest of Kumogakure isn’t like this or I’m going to have whatever the opposite of fun is. Murder, it’s probably murder.”

Following after her brother she began to lift and carry things, sorting them into piles that made sense to her. Broken things in one pile, food stuffs and medicine in another, and so on.

"I’ll help count everything, I don’t want you to do it all by yourself. Then what would I do?” She grinned as she worked, her previous anger momentarily forgotten as she was able to expend her energy on the task at hand. She kept a wary eye constantly scanning their surroundings though, they had been surprised once and she didn’t want it to happen again. She felt angry now with herself that she had allowed it to happen, this was what she was trained for after all. She should have set up some sort of alert system, or scouted the area before assuming that they were safely hidden. At the very least if their father found out about it they would be screamed at for being incompetent, this was their livelihood and they were both supposed to guard it with their lives. And more than that was the fact that if anything happened to her brother Julius, she really would burn the forest to the ground. For starters.

{Exit Thread}

800/3372

Jutsu Training:
Jack and Jill Series - Jill's Rush - 1000 wc + 150 ryo

Stat Training:
REA: D-0 > D-3 - 1175 words + 150 ryo
PER: D-0 > D-3 - 1175 words + 150 ryo

22 words discarded