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Naruto Saga » Kaze no Kuni » Sunagakure » Excavation Site » Bazaar Bizarre [Plot | Training | Private | NK]

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Shinko Akemi

Shinko Akemi


D-rank
It had been a few days now since Akemi had arrived in Sunagakure with her child, Ami. While she had left her kit in the care of the monastery, Akemi had explored the Village to see what it was about and found that, of all the places, the Bazaar spoke most of all to her.

A busy place, seemingly alive 24/7, full of shops and merchants setting up their stalls and carts to sell their wares. The place teemed with people, crawling around like ants in search of something good to bring home, each of them quite passionate about finding the 'right price'. Sure, there were a lot of scammers, and even the shady dealers barely bothered to shun the light as they selectively picked their clients. Street kids romped around, distracting shoppers with their antics, upon which pick-pockets took the golden occasion to sweep away their ryo like the brush of a wind. If anything, honest trade or shady deal, Akemi could see the full potential of this district as a new temporary play-ground for shopping, training and performing her trade. In here, there would always be someone requiring something to be transported or delivered, stolen or retrieved - the perfect place to be for a contractor like Akemi.

But that was just business talking to the kitsune, and the Bazaar was more than that. Despite the beating heat and sweeping winds of Sunagakure, the way the buildings were arranged, there was always a shadow covering part of the Bazaar. Like a cloak shrouding one district or another of the Bazaar and inducing an air of mystery about its life. And a mystery it was, as the Bazaar had its own way of being a labyrinth. The buildings weren't exactly lined up in a dam board pattern. No, they turned and twisted at the oddest moments, and as stalls and carts were folded up and new ones took their place the 'streets' seemingly changed just as much. It was generally mind-boggling to the people who weren't native to Suna, but to Akemi it seemed like one fun game of hide and seek. The Bazaar was much like a mirage in which one tried to guess what would be the next shape it'd reveal.

That said, the kitsune did wanted some sort of mapping. Even if the carts and stalls ever changed places, the buildings luckily did not and so a lot of the shops would be able to be mapped out. Akemi had already figured out there was a certain divide in the shops not dissimilar to districts, even though they weren't exactly a hundred percent guaranteed to be correct. Mapping these out would certainly improve navigation for a starter, but as time passed, Akemi would be able to add other sensitive information such as small pick-pocket gangs, potential hide-outs as shinobi or for trade goods whenever those would be needed, entrances to the black market or good meeting points to forge contracts with business partners. If need be, she could even make copies of this little map and sell the information for a good price - and not just in Sunagakure, should this be the case. Though she wasn't of a mind such information should serve as a means to destroy the Village should it fall in the wrong hands, the kitsune wasn't ashamed of filling her pockets with ryo in exchange for information.

She had decided, then. In the next coming weeks, she'd tackle every district for a full week to take note of just about everything she could discover.


wc 604

Shinko Akemi

Shinko Akemi


D-rank
Bazaar Bizarre [Plot | Training | Private | NK] Suna_m10

The Tourist District


It's hard getting a good idea of a Village's layout without the help of a bird's point of view. Even if Akemi aimed to get an idea of how the Market District looked like, being able to place that one small piece of the puzzle required her to get a better idea of the Village in general. The rest would come later. For this reason, Akemi had looked for the outer most streets of the Village, their directions halted and redirected by massive walls rising upwards. She had heard of Suna being build in a valley of sorts, but to actually see it with her own eyes was impressive - not a single story was able to convey the impression facing these walls actually left behind.

Having ran up the wall with the help of some basic chakra trick, the wall had proven to be even higher than what it had shown at first sight. It seemed endless, now that Akemi was running up the sandy mountain that surrounding Sunagakure, and was none too glad when she finally reached the end. Panting lightly, she could certainly feel the strain the continued use of chakra had demanded of her, further emphasising how taxing Sunagakure's weather and environment actually was to those not living in there. Sitting at the edge, the kitsune looked around, her gaze gliding over the massive Village while she rested from the long run.

It was odd to realise that, despite it's rather open vulnerability from the skies, the Village was otherwise well protected and hard to reach. As she had experienced, the desert left little to the imagination despite the mirages that teased wanderers. Its devilish winds incessantly buffeted the sand around and into the face, the grains of sand crawled in between the most unexpected and undesired areas despite wearing recommended clothing for such treks, and the seemingly endless sea of sand was enough to dissuade most from even trying to traverse it. And that didn't seem to be everything. Sunagakure rested in a valley, walled in from all directions but one, as huge mountains rose up to throw the whole area into an ever shifting shadow. Sunagakure hadn't stolen its name.

A peculiar building rose in sight at the centre of the Village, from which various large streets split the Village in various areas. Like a pie, a compass or perhaps a cart wheel. It made Akemi wonder if this choice had been a conscious one. If the architect of the Village had aimed to use a formation like this one, strangely out of place in a land where pies, compasses and cart wheels were probably the last of things you'd expect to find with all that sand nearby. Akemi chuckled at the thought.

Deciding that with this point of view she might actually be able to understand the Village a little better, it was time to run back down the wall. It would probably leave her quite tired at the end of things, but that didn't bother her much. All she'd have to do after that is just walk around without requiring a constant drain of chakra, something she didn't mind at all. Though, perhaps, she'd take a small break, have a drink and converse some with a local innkeeper. They usually had quite a few of gossip and stories to share that other people generally didn't care for. Gossip that could tell more than most secrets kept close at heart.

As the kitsune arrived back on the lower end of the Village's wall, she wiped the sweat of her face, panting slightly as once more the continued chakra drain demanded its toll. With this warmth, she had decided a beauty nap would be the least she was deserving of once she had strolled around for another few hours. A few people looked at her funnily, not sure what to think of a kitsune dropping down from the wall like this, proceeding to look up in confusion at the stoic mountain side as if it was about to explain the situation to them. She gave them a chuckle and a wink before vanishing in the crowd, off to wander to the north side of Sunagakure.

She recalled that the shops at the entrance of the Village had offered little variety and were a common sight. Stables, basic provision shops and souvenirs shops, inns ready to receive travellers and offer accommodations for the night... the usual buildings one could find back in every Village, springing in sight to seize the opportunity that came with exhausted travellers happy to finally have reached their destination. Smart business it was, sure, but there were also thirteen in a dozen of that sort of mercantile. No, Akemi was looking for a different sort. The less opportunistic, more solid business. Salesmen with a clientele, restaurants that could rely on the local populace rather than tourism. The peddler who knew the back-alleys and could offer connections and more localised insight. Since Akemi had come to like Sunagakure's sand and warmth, even though she couldn't tell why exactly, she aimed to find some reliable source of trading income on a localised base. Perhaps she'd move out again at a later date, when Ami was older and better fit for long treks.

Nonetheless, her self-imposed duty now was to make sure she had everything mapped, even if this part could easily become her less favourite area - she'd have the benefit that part would be done as a first then. Wandering through the streets at a tourist's pace, her eyes jumping from one side of the street to the other as she took note of every shop tucked away between the various other buildings, it was clear that traffic here was as busy as ever, and probably rose and fell with the movement of the sun. With the exception of a few night owls, tourists generally stuck to the rhythm of the day. The commercial part of this area seemed to be build just for this - plenty of food and drinks, souvenirs and clothing shops promoting the 'local specialities', the occasional bar or restaurant seemingly offering the best party places for those who wanted to experience 'Suna by Night'. Eyeing the prices, the kitsune chuckled as she frowned. Overpriced, oof course. Just to drain every ignorant fool of a tourist down to his last ryo. The vulturous sort of mercantile.

Despite the prices and the obvious opportunistic trading style, Akemi was quite curious about lifestyle at night. As the nights were cooler than the day, she guessed nightlife had to be lovely. Not too warm, not too cold, the perfect temperature for a late-night terrace with a cup of tea or a bottle of sake, some snacks and a water pipe, while a casual conversation was picked up in the presence of pleasant company. She could imagine herself doing that once in a while to let go of the stress of the week. And luckily, there seemed to be several lounge bars offering exactly that: the joy of late-night Sunagakure, sitting on the second floor's terrace with overpriced drinks and snacks galore.

The ryo had to roll though. Such was the nature of mercantile.

And who better than peddlers to get this done? The streets were teeming with them. Vendors with nothing more but a backpack trying to sell small trinkets along the road, some bold enough to enter the restaurants in an attempt to sway resting people to open their purse just a little longer. A lovely rose for the lady, a balloon for the kids or perhaps a magnificently carved wooden animal as decoration for the living room - self made, mind you. Naturally, they didn't fail to stop the kitsune for two-fold reasons. To see a tailed being wasn't a daily occasion, but surely Akemi had some coin on the side for a souvenir, right?

Prying loose some information in return, Akemi took her jolly good time selecting from the offered good as she explained she was a newly arrived peddler herself and could use some pointers on what to look out for in Sunagakure. She wasn't offered much for buying a plushie in the shape of a neko dressed in a desert garb with a pulling string on its back. Under a whining, "There's sand between my toes", from the mechanic voice of the neko-plushie, the peddler told her how Sunagakure's mercantile was divided. Those weren't official districts, but the natures of the shops had somewhat huddled together in the course of time, providing a notion of organisation in Suna. That said, the peddler mentioned there was little coin to be earned in the other areas as those were either industrial of populated by the local folks. Here, the Tourist District, grinningly called the 'Tourist Trap' by the peddler, opportunities were rife for the picking despite the heavy competition.

After a brief exchange, Akemi thanked the man and moved on. As she had expected, the mercantile in this area would be rather bland for her tastes. She'd have to look elsewhere if she wanted to find some sort of reliable trade. Well, at least she had a little plushie for Ami, and under a, "Can I get hug?" from the neko, Akemi dashed off to return to the monastery.


wc 1583 + 604
= 2187

Shinko Akemi

Shinko Akemi


D-rank
Bazaar Bizarre [Plot | Training | Private | NK] Suna_m10


The Northern Industry

A new day, a new area to explore. Having left behind the Tourist District for what it was, Akemi decided it was time to get to know the industry in Sunagakure. The peddler had mentioned two industrial districts, both bordering the touristic area, who had become somewhat of an in-between. Their position was possibly the most ideal of all the other mercantile districts as they were located close to the only obvious exit Sunagakura had to offer, allowing them quite easy access to import and export, while all together being right next to the Tourist Disctrict and Commoner's Area, two mercantile areas which both served as the areas of distribution.

Perhaps less intended was that the industry zones served as a curtain between the readily available and welcoming tourist area near the entrance of Sunagakure and the more secluded commoner's area where most of Suna's locals did their shopping. It was mostly the stench emitted by the forges and workshops that dissuaded visitors to go through - only those who really had to reach the localised markets, or simply those whom had a horrible sense of smell, would move through to the deeper laying areas of Sunagakure. Akemi, whose sense of smell was quite good, wasn't as happy to realise her duties brought her to a stinking area as this. Were it not she required this information for her future, she'd already regret coming here.

Yet here she was, walking through the streets of the Northern industrial area. The streets were quite empty of simple shoppers, replaced instead with hard working transporters directing their beasts of burden from one area to another, their carts laden with several goods that were required to keep the industry up and running. When not driving carts, people were carrying several tools for construction or clean up duty, or were simply walking on and off from their job as noon break gave them some repose. It didn't look like there was much day to day trade going on here, but Akemi knew that was only an illusion imposed by the industry. Trade here was equal, if not greater, than that in the other areas as every shop owner required to take off the finished products of the industrious craftsmen that had settled here.

There was little to find her for the individual shopper, but that didn't bother Akemi. In fact, the option to buy large amounts at good price and sell them somewhere else at better prices was more of the sort of trade she was looking for anyway, even if that would mean travelling from Village to Village. It was a dangerous sort of trade to do as a peddler, but it was certainly more lucrative than what the small peddler achieved in the Tourist's district. Her hidden benefit here was that, thanks to her training in the monastery, she was able to evade most of the brigands trying to strike at her and Ami - the pranks taught by Inari's disciples may seem childish, but its elusive trickery formed the base for many other techniques that could easily rival those of battle-hardened shinobi of a Village.

The area here was a matter of having the coin and the drive to get things done. If she was willing, Akemi could walk up to one of the crafters, haggle to strike a deal and see where it brought her. All in all not a bad option in the eyes of the kitsune, but she considered building up some reputation might improve her odds to get better prices and find a generally more positive attitude. The strategy here was to become more popular than the localised clients the crafters generally could rely on. Additional work offered by 'a stranger' was generally of secondary necessity to these people.

That said, Akemi realised in the course of her strolls that many of the craftsmen here created goods that were seemingly mostly aimed to sustain the Village's needs - weavers, dyers, tailors, brewers of rice and cactii based drinks, glass blowers, forges and blacksmiths, various wood workers such as furniture, wheel, cart and puppet crafters. All in all a collection of quite impressive and even surprising craftsmen despite Suna's obvious lack of many resources. Akemi could only wonder what the Western Industrial area would have to offer in comparison, since the peddler had vaguely mentioned it to be... different over there. Unspecified differences aside, it was clear Sunagakure required a great deal of import for its crafts, but could easily be assumed to offer just as much export of specialised and finished goods.

Satisfied with the gathering of mercantile information for now, Akemi decided to make her way towards the Western Industrial area since there was little she had to offer on terms of trade or social exchange currently. The best she could offer was a waste of time for the craftsmen, which was a poor approach if she wanted to build up solid business relations.


wc 840 + 2187
= 3027

Shinko Akemi

Shinko Akemi


D-rank
Bazaar Bizarre [Plot | Training | Private | NK] Suna_m10


The Western Industry

Running from one stink into the other, it was clear that the stench of the forges and crafting products was about the same for the Northern and the Western industrial areas. Here, too, it served as an unspoken and unintended curtain between the tourists trapped in the overpriced area at the entrance of Sunagakure and the localised, familiar market of the eastern side intended to provide the populace of much needed goods. Yet, there was something different in this area. Something... off. As if this part of the city didn't took kindly to prying noses and strangers that weren't here to conduct business.

The feeling was mostly emphasised by the eyes of the local people scrutinising Akemi as she passed through. A smith seemingly left his hammer hanging in the air as he narrowed his eyes to see who was passing by before proceeding his job once he realised she was nobody of concern. Here and there, seemingly casual people leaned against the wall of a building, a cock-sure air about them as their eyes followed every of her footsteps without so much lifting their gaze for a single second. And, unlike what she was commonly used from such types, it wasn't to ogle her rudely but to keep an eye on her. She didn't belong here. She didn't look 'Sunagakure' enough, and immediately stood out because of it. Other people were discussing private business with a hush-hushed tone until she sauntered by and forced them to an uncomfortable silence with her touristic presence.

Akemi could only wonder what the idea was. As someone familiar with the black market and the underworld, she quickly picked up the flair of a 'hidden force' driving these people. Influential thieves, yakuza... something of that sort had their hand in this area even if they themselves weren't around. Perhaps the people here were enforcers, perhaps they were just guards or snitches waiting to relay new information - the sort about a random kitsune wandering about. Despite the invisible presence of a shadow court, however, the district was otherwise not that different than the Northern industrial area. People worked hard, tourists were lacking and the streets were mostly filled with nothing more but carts, goods and labourers, not counting the seemingly randomly posted people being suspicious about everything not Sunagakure.

The crafts were similar to that of the Northern industry, though it was easily to see the craftsmen were more focused on import and export as precious little carts moved into the direction of the Commoner's area. The goods here were also manufactured on a greater scale than in the Northern area, which betrayed its desire for quantity above quality, even if the goods didn't seem to be inferior at first sight. Perhaps the industry here was just oriented towards the masses? It was hard to say without a thorough analysis, but as it stood that sort of analysis would probably not come to pass quite easily with all the prying eyes fixated on the kitsune. These people...

Her curiosity piqued both as kitsune as well as the business savvy woman she was, finding herself home more in the black market rather than the legal sort, Akemi decided it was better to leave the area for it what it was. There were too many prying eyes and with the obvious alerted suspicion she'd hardly get through anyone to pick up some sort of information. No, she'd have to return under the guise of the night if she wanted to see what caused such tension in the Western industrial area. She was fairly certain it involved the unsavoury sort of business...



Night fell. The shadows disappeared as the sun sunk behind the mountains of Sunagakure, but the stink of industry lingered around. The craftsmen had left the workshops, the forges' cinders slowly dying out as they gave off the last of their heat. Under the cloak of darkness, the Western industrial area had become a quiet monster stirring uncomfortably in its sleep. Here and there, light burned from within a late tavern in which quite a few people were having a chat and a drink, perhaps even haggled for a late-night business contract. The streets were empty, aside from a shadow slipping away in the corner of the eyes.

As planned, the shadow was Akemi, moving over the roofs and through the night with the sound of a briefly stirring wind. Her black shinobi shozoku hid her almost completely from sight, adding even more to the illusion she's nothing more but a figment of imagination to those who would spot her movement. All but a trick of the mind by the trickster fox.

It took her a while to find what she was looking for, but eventually she landed on a small gathering of people. A shinobi, by the looks of it, surrounded by rough looking guy and a rather well-dressed man. She wasn't able to perceive their faces, but her ears picked up the hushed talk easily.

"When's the delivery?"
"Hard to say. I'm way behind schedule since your boss took out one of my apprentices."
"He had it coming. We warned you of this."
"Yeah, well, what's next? Take out more of my people and your boss is going to have even less of his requested goods."
"Oho. Brave words for someone who might lose his life this easily."
"W-what?"
"You really think you're the only craftsmen out here? Plenty of folks who could use the ryo and the opportunity. It does pay well working for the boss, doesn't it?"
"I... understand."
"I'm glad that's settled. Just hire yourself a new man, you'll be fine. The boss trusts you, after all. You've proven plenty of times you're a solid choice. Don't disappoint now."

A playful smiled appeared on Akemi's face. This was the sort of people she was looking for. Not that she wanted to be threatened, but people as these had access to the black market where the real lucrative deals were to be found. Though she felt sorry for the craftsman in the group, quality goods required a quality craftsman, she was more inclined to worry about the guy dressed as a shinobi. Was it a disguise, or were Suna's ninja involved in business they shouldn't be? Was the person even a Suna shinobi to begin with? The suit and the shinobi left the scene as the third one slumped down dejectedly for a moment before he stroke his head and returned home. Curious where it would lead, the kitsune trailed the two quietly.

It seemed the two lead her into another part of the city more alike to the commoner's district. Simple houses, simple shops. Nothing standing out at first sight under the gaze of the night. As the two entered a local bar, light only briefly shining outside as the door opened and closed, Akemi considered the mission having come to an end for the night. It was hard to tell where she was, and even harder to say what the place was they had entered. She'd have to come back tomorrow, if she could find it back.

"Having fun trailing us?"

The moment's distraction she had used to orient herself in this unknown part of Sunagakure had immediately cost her. Looking behind her, the shinobi she had trailed to this point was now looking at her, face hidden by the darkness, arms crossed in quiet defiance. From this close, she could distinguish a headband with Suna's emblem, though.

"Sneaky, sneaky.", Akemi chuckled. "I hadn't realised you were aware of my presence."

With a cold stare, the shinobi gazed back.

"You underestimate Suna's shinobi. Who are you, and why were you trailing us?"
"Oh, I'm just a merchant, really, analysing the market in search for opportunities. My intuition told me that there was more to this area than meets the eye."
"Seeing your tail, kitsune, I have my concerns on the truth of your words."
"Oh, naturally.", she nodded. "I forgot my tail is able to play tricks on your mind. I'm sorry."

There was a brief pause as the two of them seemingly assessed each others intent and skills.

"You're free to go, kitsune, but as a word of advice, don't stick your nose in affairs that don't concern you. Your games might do more harm than good."

The shinobi then vanished in a flicker, leaving Akemi behind in the night. Though happy nothing bad happened, at the end she she felt quite annoyed nonetheless. He hadn't even bothered to tell her where she was exactly. Sighing, the kitsune searched her way back to the monastery. She had been able to confirm what she had guessed, and that was all there was to it. The whole thought about a shinobi joining some underworld crime was probably just an arranged strategy by the kage anyway.


wc 1520 + 3027
= 4547

Shinko Akemi

Shinko Akemi


D-rank
Bazaar Bizarre [Plot | Training | Private | NK] Suna_m10


The Slums

A few days had passes as Akemi had taken some time off to be with her daughter, but duty soon came knocking at the door. She had yet to finish her survey and find fitting business opportunities, and it didn't seem those would simply be thrown into her lap. Her daughter had been quite happy with the neko-plushie she had brought, tormenting her ears by incessantly pulling the string on the back and repeatedly hearing it complain about sand between its toes, needing a hug or having its claws stuck in its long sleeves. Akemi almost regretted having bought the plush, but seeing as how her kit thoroughly dragged her new friend around just about everywhere, she couldn't help but give up a smile.

Her thoughts hadn't left the confrontation of that night during all this time, however. The idea of having corrupt shinobi wander around interested her, even if she wasn't quite sure the shinobi was actually corrupt. He was probably picking up this 'side job' in name of the kage to keep an eye out on criminal activity. Probably. The thing was rather that, if Sunagakure shinobi were involved, it meant it had to be quite a lucrative business - information, contracts, coin. It mattered little what sort of gains it'd offer if possible business would require a few... exotic skills.

And so Akemi left one of these days again to go explore one of the districts she had yet to check out - the slums. Or at least part of it. Much like the 'Bazaar' didn't really consist of a single area - mercantile was present a little bit everywhere in the Village - neither was there just one area of 'slums'. There were plenty of impoverished areas all around. It was just that this particular area seemed to be the bigger cheese wheel among them - and that meant it would be more dangerous in various ways: yakuza crime lords, undercover shinobi, petty thieves and brigands. She'd have to go in prepared.

Wandering the streets in the sober attire of a wandering monk, only her twin tails betrayed she didn't quite belong here. The colour of her clothes were almost identical to that of the houses, easily allowing her to blend in with the walls if need be, and though her tails had a silvery sand-like colour, seeing a tailed human wasn't quite the common sight, it seemed. Other than that, the slums seemed dead quiet. No one really lifted his eyes until she had passed them. No one asked questions, and no one wanted to give answers. It was each to his own. While most people seemed to walk alone or in groups of two, here and there a small mob group stood on the look-out or tended to their business as several pairs of eyes made sure nobody was about to disturb them.

Strangely, as if it was a sign of pride or prestige, several streets were 'decorated' with wanted posters of all kinds. Sometimes a full square meter was covered in various faces with their value in ryo below it. Mostly alive, though some even welcome dead, Akemi whistled at the variety of criminals that had their appearance stuck to a wall for all to see - 'The Butcher', 'Noemi', 'The Jackal', 'Longshanks Lizzy'... even if the list was on the short end on one wall, there were seemingly always new faces to be found on another wall. 'Trophies for the criminals', Akemi mused, "The more posters, the more popular they are". Funny how some things just never changed, no matter where she went.

The names didn't mean much to her, however. She had a few faces now, their price, their names, but not their address. Considering that these were the slums, she couldn't just ask around either as that would immediately draw all the attention she didn't want. In fact, just standing by the wanted board had already caused a handful of people to eye her from a distance. Watching. Wondering. Not wanting to linger around, Akemi quickly vanished from sight, blending in with the colour of the walls and running up to roofs. Making use of her silencing jutsu, she quietly sprinted from her previous spot to a new one a few mazed streets away before letting go her focus and dropping down again. As the wind.

Aside from a necessity in contacts and clientele, the slums did have trade going on. Certainly, it wasn't the rich and abundant sort like in the other areas, but it was surprisingly good quality, if not old fashioned and dirty. Unlike the tourist district, the people here clung to older, solid things that were actually able to withstand the teeth of time. Quality goods that had lost their shine, but still remained. To say even the goods here had a gritter look, an air of survival, was not totally wrong. The same went for the salesman pawning the goods. Gritty, usually well passed their thirties. They had experience. Not just in the trade itself, but also in the know-how of how to handle the slums' criminal lords. Protection fees, striking bargains, swindling. The rough and dirty sort of traders that wouldn't shun from driving someone else out of business if it meant two days more of peace in their life. Akemi almost felt sorry, were it not for the excitement of such an adventure.

That said, under the bright shine of the sun, Akemi guessed that the slums would not stir too much. Shady deals rarely liked the daylight, and so she expected the slums and its denizen to wake once the night would fall. In Suna, this might even be double the case as the blistering heat really did urge people to stay inside in the afternoon. Just for this, Akemi decided to walk into some old bar and do about the same she assumed everyone else to do at this hour - take a drink and have a nap as she waited for the night to fall.



As evening set in and the Village in general went to rest, the slums seemed to liven up ever so lightly. Having paid for her drinks, Akemi slipped out the tavern and into the streets that were now partially cloaked in elongated shadows. The streets still looked empty to those who were not familiar with the slums, but Akemi could see movement. A shadow slipping away, a hat being pulled down, a curtain being pulled over the window as a face hid from sight. Here and there, small groups patrolled the streets, their jacket or hat or whatever all bearing the same symbol - a gang sign, so Akemi assumed.

Despite its feigned emptiness, there was a sensitive rise in the amount of crowd wandering the streets. Bars had woken up partially by the working caste now going for a drink after a day of hard labour, but gambling dens subtly lit their lights and opened their door to welcome those who wanted to try their chances. Armed men, dressed quite properly despite their actual jobs, stepped outside buildings that seemed to sport some serious business. Casinos, mafia, whatever it was, it wouldn't be a place Akemi would frequent right now. Perhaps later, once she had some money to spare and a reputation to keep up.

Naturally, the longer the night drew out, the looser the slums seemed to become. The drunk bawled about, the occasional brawl broke out, and here and there some 'personal business' took place that resulted in moans - both of the pleasing and the painful sort. Places of laughter and joy cleaves the otherwise silent night, but no matter how or where, light seemed to stay fairly low as they threw a playful macabre of shadows and light. A theatre of its own sort, Akemi mused. With the increase in activity, so too did the amount of attention towards the two-tailed kitsune grow. And though the monk didn't mind some attention, having this many eyes on her in the slums was bound to end in trouble.

Deciding to leave the slums for what it was, Akemi made herself scarce for now. With all the information she had on Sunagakure's trading potential, she'd surely be able to find something worth building up. It was just a matter of finding the good spots, the right people and the better offers to get her set up and throw her back into business. At this hour though, with the sun soon about to rise again, the only thing Akemi was thinking about was to return to the monastery, find her bed and have a good night's rest before spending some time with her kit.


[Exit]




wc: 1467 + 4547
= 6014

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