Bandits! (C-rank/Repeatable):

It had been only a short time that Aozukin had been a shinobi of Kumogakure no sato, but alas it was time for him to actually serve them. Today was the day he would set out upon his first mission. This was a mission of C-Rank, which to him meant it ought to be relatively simple. And it did seem so as it read out to be a very simple escort job. A merchant sought out the assistance of local shinobi in his travels to the Daimyo's palace. The village saw it to be a C-Rank missive likely only due to the fact that whomever accepted would be required to stake out for a night or two, as the footwork of the journey wasn't for the feint of heart or the flat of feet.

This time in the rather unconventional black suit and pants he wore only when aiming to impress, Aozukin would set out from his small abode toward the village gates. That was where it had been arranged for the merchant to meet up with his entourage. The other participants in this were unknown to him, and for that matter he didn't really care to know.

By the time Aozukin set upon the village gates, he took notice of the visibility of his breath. The early morning chill was still very much present in Kumogakure. understandable, of course, as it was a sharp 6:00 am in the morning. The cart quickly became visible from the horizon, a medium sized darkwood composed the frame and wheels, while the intricate details and the drapery were an emerald green. Quite stunning, actually, against the rest. The entire cart gave off a very earthy, foresty feel.

The merchant himself, on the other hand, was nothing impressive. A feeble old man, hunched over and essentially glued to his walking stick. His grey, cloudlike hair was tied into a tight ponytail and his wrinkled expression was rather sullen, like old folk tended to be. Despite all of that, and the rather deplorable thoughts circling through the Seiko's mind, he arrived with only the utmost respect and concern for his body to guard.

"Ohoho! What a lovely craft you have here! What is the make and model? Is this your handiwork? It hardly feels like a job anymore at this point!"

The merchant and Aozukin would engage in much hardy conversation and laughter as they waited for the other escorts to arrive.

WC: 414

While there was certainly more room in hell at the moment, this particular creature still roamed the world; a puppet of a dead power that sought its own eternal rest. This creature had lived its life, and spread her infamy across the world and had died as peaceful a death as one in her line of work could; she deserved her six feet of earth as much as the next corpse. But alas, it was not meant to be; her grave was disturbed by a power far older than she, and her body was brought to do its bidding. And so, here she was...

It was simple to enroll herself into Kumogakure no Sato's books as a wandering ninja under her middle name; gods know the stir the creature would have caused if she used per first name, or even the alias it was graced with while still breathing. No, those names died with her the first time, despite her still being the same persona.


So, why was she here? Why was she, a persona who was once amongst the sleeping now walking the earth once more? It was very simple; there was no rest for the wicked. She had a job to do, to tip the cosmic scales back into alignment, one arrow at a time. Her master had spoken to her on the dawning of this day, whispered into her ears that she would come across three who's lives were to be sought and stolen. Three men, those who ran from their fate. Oh, what she would give to go back to those days that she faintly remembered, stalking her prey across the forest floor accompanied by another, someone whom she could not quite remember. Those three men would not last until the end of the day... but alas, she was alone, and could not remember whom her companion was. And so, she was now forced to rely on strangers to carry out her master's will, until she was strong enough to move about on her own once more. And thus, why she was here, making her way to the rendezvous location with her 'team' to carry out the mission. She had no need for the money that would be earned from this excursion, but the movements and actions would no doubt allow her become accustomed to her body once more.

The creature approached quickly and quietly, her footsteps as light as the shadows that were strewn across the ground in the early morning light. Her appearance was not much to comment on; a dirty and tattered cloak covered the entirety of her body, sweeping across the ground as she moved. The deep hood covered her entire head, save for the peculiar mask that was visible in the dim lights. Two blue shining eyes peered at the world, watching carefully as the day would go on. In the distance, the creature could see a pair of figures by a cart; were they apart of his mission today? Time would tell. For now, she would approach them watching warily.

---

540

Guiding a caravan for two days should have sounded like an easy mission for any shinobi but for some reason, Amatsu felt otherwise. It might've simply been nerves but as much as she tried to brush it off she couldn't. She'd packed her rucksack from the night before and made sure to bring her newest combination puzzle. She had given it a try last night before heading to bed and was tempted not to put it down until she solved it.

Amatsu finished slipping on her shoes and made herself presentable. She tied her white hair in a high ponytail and wore a simple tank top and stretchy black pants. She felt no need to impress during the mission. She hadn't even really considered who her teammates would be. She was more focused on trying to rid herself of the nagging anxiety. Thinking of the best way to do so Amatsu pulled out her small cube shaped puzzle and fiddled with it as she walked to where she'd be meeting the caravan and the ninja who'd be going with her.

It didn't take long to get to where she was going. At least not with her mind trying to wrap itself the puzzle. The breeze of early morning air felt refreshing to Amatsu. As her fingers worked the puzzle some of her anxiety about the mission melted off. It was when she peered up from the complex little thing that she took notice of the caravan in the distance. Two voices speaking and laughing could be heard as she neared. One of them much more familiar than the other. In front of the caravan was an incredibly well dressed Aozukin and a small old man with a walking stick. Amatsu raised an eyebrow at the as Aozukin seemed to converse easily with the man. She greeted the man and her friend before turning back. In the distance there seemed to be a figure standing, looking at them. They were far in the distance hidden in layers of what seemed to be rags or some sort of cloak covering their entire body. Was this their third teammate?

WC: 363

The old man bore with him a particular charm that Aozukin loved. The conversation itself had been a strategy for the sharply dressed Seiko. He needed to determine if he cared at all for the man to decide just how vigorously he would see to it that no harm befell him. The man passed. That was an odd thing, honestly, Aozukin found himself more often than not having no care for anyone but himself. This old guy was extremely personable though.

After allowing the man a platform to brag about the intricate details revolving around the construction of his lovely little cart, Aozukin would gently draw the conversation to a quiet stop in order to bear witness to a most surprising guest appearance. It was Amatsu. With the same forwardness and enthusiasm as he had carried to the old merchant, he reached out to shake hands with his new friend.

"How interesting to see you here, Miss Amatsu. It's almost as though we have the same job or something!"

He would gently nudge her with his elbow to drive through the punchline and irony of his statement. They did have the same job. That was relieving too, Amatsu was a capable shinobi who would likely be able to bring to the table a valiant level of protection. Not to mention Aozukin would have the opportunity to learn more about his friend. The Seiko had rarely ever had much in the way of outsiders for friends, and Aozukin himself even less-so as a member of the Kemono-no-haha.

Before Aozukin could continue with his merriment over the two lovely companions he had already discovered, he noticed one who had approached more quietly and without announcement. A torn and weathered cloak gently waved in motion with the figures stride. Two blue eyes peered from beneath a hood. An aura within the air gave way to a feeling of darkness.

Aozukin wasted no time, seemingly losing no momentum in his high spirit. He smiled and beckoned forth the new figure, whom he assumed to be the final accompaniment on the journey.

"Welcome to the team, newcomer. My name is Aozukin."

He kept it light and simple. Someone this quiet and careful in their approach would likely not be fond of loud and boisterous approaches. They'd likely appreciate the simplicity of a gentle introduction.

Aozukin would standby as they prepared for departure, the old man packing the last of his things and reigning up his horses.

WC: 416
TWC: 830

It would seem that she had been spotted; perhaps these people were her assigned partners for this mission. At this distance, the creature could not tell much about them, save for the persona that was attempting to beckon her closer. Beneath the mask, the creature blinked somewhat, and a question arose within her mind.

"Welcome to the team, newcomer. My name is Aozukin."

Did this man just invite Death to come closer?

Very well. Perhaps she could interact with these people; even if they were not her assigned team. There was no harm in being polite, and politeness was something that this creature had in spades. She would drift closer, curiously quiet as she approached. The creature's eyes drank in the appearance of each persona before her; the old man seemed to be a typical persona, save for the pride that he was clearly showing in his carriage towards the other male. Speaking of...

The other male was a strange sight himself, dressed in a proper formal business suit. Given his state of dress, Ina caught the air of someone prim and proper, someone who would be afraid to get his hands dirty if it came down it. Why would this man wear this kind of attire for a mission where he would be required to sleep outside at some point? Or, perhaps she was wrong about him -- perhaps this male was an assistant to the merchant?

Turning her gaze to the female standing close by the duo, the creature nodded its head beneath the mask and hood; the female was wearing simplistic clothing, ones that allowed for freedom of movement; her hair was tied back out of her face, and her lithe build suggested a possible background in taijutsu. Excellent. If there was at least one persona who could operate on this team at a range closer than Ina, then this would not be so bad.  Not that these other could see them -- at least, to Ina's knowledge -- but there was a  compound bow folded and strapped to the creature's left leg, along with a quiver of arrows across her back. Should the time present itself, she knew precisely how to ultilize these tools in combat, but such was difficult when there was nothing to keep the melee fighters at bay.

The creature would halt as she came within a few feet of the trio, covered hands reaching up to lower the hood that hid her head. As the cloth fell away, the thick mane of white hair would come into view, along with the entirety of the mask that she wore. When she spoke, the voice was quiet, almost melodic.

"Good morning, my name is Ina. It is a pleasure to meet you, Aozukin, and you as well, miss....?" The creature's melodic voice trailed off her the masked gaze turned itself to the female present.

Despite if the female responded or not would not change Ina's next course of action; after allowing the people present to commit her identity to memory, the hood was raised once more, hiding the great mane of white hair and the wooden mask once more.

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