Atsushi prepared for yet another routine mission and rising before the sun, so he could make it to the village on time. Quickly rising to a sitting position on the little futon he had spread out in his bedroom he'd raise his arms slowly into a stretch, yawning deeply as he arched his back. He'd slip out of his blanket and hop up, stretching his legs. Atsushi would bend down to pick the book from last night off of the ground he'd pause for a moment, staring at the now closed book rather blankly as he realized he just lost his spot. He'd sigh and set it back on the shelf with others stretching his shoulder by rotating his arm. In a light jog he'd grab a towel as he made his way out of his little cabin in just pants.

"Aah. It's so cold today." The cold crisp air bit into Atsushi's skin as he slowly sped up into a sprint in a relatively futile attempt to warm up. Up in the spires of Kaminari no Kuni the air was always wonderfully clear. As he ran he could feel his lungs fill up with the vital energy that made it so worth waking up early. The blood in his veins slowly began pumping the energy through his body, and he let it soak completely into the innermost fibers of his body. It was nice living so far away from the village. While there was an argument to be made about safety, the space within the village's walls was so noisy, crowded and full of powerful smells. It was different here he could smell the grass as it was pressed flat under his feet, the morning dew as it was kicked off of the grass, and as he got closer he could start to smell the acrid air beginning to bite at his nose as he got nearer to the hot spring.

The genin ran back to his wooden cabin a little under half an hour later still steaming from the bath he'd just taken. He followed the steam and smoke that trailed from the top of his house and into the conifers that surrounded his house as his body heat fought off the sting of the crisp, early morning. The light crunch of his feet signaled his arrival to a companion that had arrived in the half hour he'd been away from home. Her thick coat of white fur hid her canine body from his sight as he arrived, but the subtle traces of her smell still alerted him that she was nearby. As he made his way back into his home, he'd leave the door slightly ajar for his friend Hotaru, inviting her to come in when she was ready.

---

At twilight when the night sky began lay down the blue path for the magnificent chariot to race its way across the sky, the young genin paused for a moment as he tied his Kumogakure head band around his head, taking in the beauty of the coming dawn once more. He'd completely stop, just happy to be enjoying another day exposed to the coming warmth of the sunlight. He remembered that not everyday had held this privilege making it that much more special to him. A light growl from Hotaru would snap him back to reality. He would lightly shake his head from side to side as his eyelids fluttered rapidly. For a moment Hotaru and Atsushi would make eye contact.

"You're right. I should head out soon if I wanna make it in time."  Atsushi would sprint out the door making it maybe 20 feet before he turned around and ran back in. The She-Wolf would have a scroll in her mouth and would meet the genin's gaze with a disappointed glare. The soon to be tardy genin would grab the scroll before throwing his arms around his friend. "Heh. What would I do without  you Taru." A snarky, pointed bark would echo behind him as he bolted out of the room once more. With a laugh he would throw his own snark  over his shoulder, "Uh huh, sure. Make sure you lock up on your way out."

After about an hour of running East, towards the rising sun, Atsushi got to see the full spectrum of the sun's regalia, the lively oranges and greens, the deep reds and purples, and now its brilliant white light began to warm the skies once more. He would finally make it onto the path that he always took to get to his village. Though no longer in danger of being late, his brain was pumping endorphins through his body. If he were to get to the village early he could stop by one of the restaurants and get a bite to eat before the Raikage's offices opened up to low ranking ninja. The pace he was going at while not very fast by the standards of most, was as fast as he could sustain for long periods of time, and that along with the thick, light blue mantle draped over his tight, black, windproof combat outfit kept him quite warm. Headband forehead facing the sun glistened for all opposing traffic to see as he raced to the village gates. Unless given a reason to stop, he would make it to the village in another half hour or so.

[WC= 915]

Opening the door to their home, Daremo allowed his family to exit before following suit, locking the door once everyone was out. Stretching, joints popped into place as a familiar weight rested on his shoulder. “Good morning, Hiretsu.”, He spoke to the King Vulture, receiving bites to his fingers as he went to pet his companion. He could not help but to shake his head at her antics. Despite being them companions for some time now, Hiretsu still took it upon herself to inflict wounds onto him. He did not mind her behavior, he knew that he deserved it. Plus, he found it endearing that she tended to bite him during his greetings, mainly because he knew she didn’t do it out of hatred for him.

A black haori covered the dark green kisode that was underneath. A white slash was tightly secured around his waist and held up the black hakama he was wearing. Reaching into the haori, he pulled out a small baggy of fresh meat. Opening the baggy, he offered Hiretsu a couple of pieces, she happily took it from him. The action being one of slight shock due to her fickle behavior when it came to being fed, at least by him. Disposing of the baggy into the trash can outside of their house, Daremo was allowed to pet Hiretsu; she okay with the action after being fed.

Glancing up at the night sky, there was still sometime before the sun would rise up from its slumber, he looked back at his family. “You will only be gone for ten hours, yes?”, Daremo asked, wanting to make sure he had heard her correctly this morning. Amaya and Mamoru were assigned to check up on some hospital facilities within Hiromitsu after an inquiry about them came in, and with there not being others who could perform such, they were chosen. Depending on a number of different things, it would take them anywhere between one to three hours to get to the place. The silver-haired male did not worry about their safety because they were being escorted by others and knew Amaya could handle anything thrown in her way.

Receiving a nod from his wife, Daremo, holding Amaya’s hand, began walking towards the gate. Citrine eyes glancing over to Zaylee, “We got guard duty today.”, he informed his child. The message had come in last night, hours after she had following asleep, that they were both assigned guard duty, at least until the morning shift arrived. More or less, it was them filling in for the time being. He did not mind the duty, it would give him something to do, and give Zaylee a chance to experience something new. The opportunity would give her a chance to see other aspects of the village at work. Eventually, while having a mundane conversation, the family arrived at the gate. Daremo hugs and kissed Amaya, wishing her good luck and safe travels. He hugged Mamoru, patting his head in an affectionate manner, and telling him to keep an eye out on his mother. Stepping to the side, he waited until Zaylee was done saying her goodbyes as the pair watched Amaya and Mamoru climb into the carriage and left down the road.

“You ready?”, Daremo asked, referring to their duties as gate guards for the time being. Once he knew Zaylee was ready, he moved towards the stationary guards, relieving them of their duties, and stook up standing beside the gate.

Time ebbed by quickly for the pair. Daremo talking to Zaylee about the importance of being a gate guard. Showing her what she needed to look out for when allowing people to enter and exit the village. Just as they were nearing the end of their duties, citrine eyes spotted a child running towards the village gates. Though the child wore a Kumo headband, it did not mean much for the silver-haired male as he glanced over to Zaylee, and tilting his head towards the approaching child, “Let’s see who he is, and make sure he has his identification. You taking the lead in this.” Daremo suggested, following Zaylee as she approached the individual, with Hiretsu resting on his shoulder.

---

706

Hiretsu:

Most people had trouble with early mornings, or so Zaylee had been told on numerous occasions and witnessed for herself. More often than naught when she had a very early shift at the hospital, or was helping out somewhere else, or even when she had a mission whose completion needed done in the early morning hours she often saw people groggy and tired, relying heavily on things like coffee or tea, or other sources of caffeine and stimulants to wake oneself up. Thankfully, this had never been an issue for Zaylee. Even as a baby or a toddler she was up before the sun, greeting the day with brightly and cheerfully. Sure, she was only ten years old, so there was a chance this might end up changing as she aged and got older, but she highly doubted it - not if her father’s example of likewise being up so early without issue was anything to go by. She had watched that morning, with quite a bit of amusement considering her playful and joking mood, as her mother relied on a strong cup of tea to get herself motivated and her twin brother a nice big glass of chocolate milk. She had innocently picked on them both for it, her words all in good fun, causing a great deal of laughter around the breakfast table that morning. Yet, it hadn’t lasted long as they all had places to go and things to do that day - though, Zaylee hadn’t known in that moment that she would be busy too.

In fact, it wasn’t until they had left the house, Zaylee in her usual attire of a knee length kimono - today’s being a crimson red, like the color of dried blood, with a black obi tied in the back - and were on their way to the gates to say goodbye to Amaya and Mamoru that she realized she was doing anything at all. A slender silver-white eyebrow would be raised at her father’s words, more out of curiosity than anything, while she then nodded her head in understanding. Guard duty: it was something she hadn’t yet had the pleasure of accomplishing, but an important part of the villages overall security nonetheless. She knew it would be up to them to oversee all who exited and entered the village, ensuring that any threats were kept out for the safety of the people. Important, yes, but she knew it could also be dull as well - at least, on the days where nothing happened. Making their way to the rest of the gate Zaylee made a point to pull her long silver-white hair over her shoulder, braiding it up quickly and securing it with a hair tie: she had decided to leave it down this morning instead of putting it into its usual bun, but if they’d be working all day than having it out of the way would be a must.

No sooner did Zaylee swing her braid back over her shoulder, and adjust her Kumogakure hitai-ate which resided on her forehead today, did she hear a familiar caw - much like her father she too had a bird companion, though hers was a Harpy Eagle named Riku - and looked up to see the majestic bird soaring through the skies, back from her usual nightly hunting trip. Pausing long enough to Riku to land on her shoulder, which she did with grace and gentleness, she then continued on her path to the gate: hugging her mother and twin brother goodbye before watching them disappear inside of a carriage that was on its way quickly enough to where they were going.

As Daremo and her took over guarding the date, relieving those who had been on duty while waiting for the next shift to arrive, she listened as her father explained the importance of their task, the knowledge being absorbed by the child like a sponge. The entire time she listened she kept her rapt attention on those coming and going, making sure to watch as her father thoroughly examined documentation as it was shown. Her attention, as she stood there near the gates, would shift to movement in the distance, someone running in their direction, and no sooner had she realized they were there did he father do what was becoming a habit for him - putting her on the spot. This time around it would be up to her to grant or deny access to this individual: to look over whatever proof they had that they belonged here beyond the headband which could have just as easily been stolen from another.

As she waited for them to get near enough to hear her speak she found herself wondering if they’d actually stop - she was but a child of course, easily overlooked in the eyes of others - though perhaps her father’s presence by being nearby would help with that. Once the one who had been running was close enough she would hold her hand up in the universal sign for stop before speaking clearly, ”Identification, please.”

---

855

As the village grew in the horizon, Atsushi would pick up the pace his target in sight invigorating his quickly tiring body. The sweat on her hair evaporated rapidly into the cold, crisp air. Steam erupted from his lips like smoke stacks from a chimney as his lungs transferred their heat and moisture into the air. His pace was about the same as it had been when he left his little shack, not having lost pace in his relatively routine jog. As the village gates came into sight he'd notice the relatively low amount of traffic pouring into the gate. He truly preferred it this way. With barely any entitled or obnoxious people, no carts, no loud noises, and very few muffled obscenities from people cuing into the gate it was typically easy to get into the village without a hitch. The guards he typically encountered were chunin who had worked all though night and would be fairly lethargic. Not to say that they weren't attentive, but Atsushi imagined the night shift was the most boring of them all.

As he got within 85 or so meters of the gate, he would begin slowing down slightly, as was proper etiquette. It wasn't something he understood, but he'd learned from experience that running up on the ninja guarding the gates was something not taken lightly, and it was a lesson etched into to his body when they pressed him to the ground. By the time the genin was within 20 meters of the entry way he'd completely slowed to a walk slowly, rhythmically panting as he watched a young girl in red robes hold her hand up, palm facing him, fingers spread. She had no more presence than any of the other guards he'd met before. Behind her was a human and bird duo. The human who followed her was similar in presence to Atsushi nothing seemed abnormal about him, though they both were dressed a little less formal than Atsushi was accustomed to. On the taller, human guard's shoulder was a bird, hopefully not something the ninja thought he owned, a thing to be commanded, was the thought in Atsushi's mind. Though he wasn't sure of the species or genus, he looked could assume by the talons, 'nostrils', and leg shape that this was some kind of New World vulture.

It wasn't unusual for guards to have non-human partners with them that had extraordinary senses to make up for their own lack of such senses, some had dogs that could smell out hidden threats or paraphernalia and some had birds of prey that would watch for intruders attempting to pass the gates by other means. With new world vultures though you really got the best of both worlds as they were capable partners that could observe the area from high up as well as sniff out any hidden threats with their stunning sense of smell. That sense of smell may not be as refined as a canine's, but if Atsushi remembered correctly it is said that they could navigate with just that single sense. Though additional support didn't seem to be why this one was here. A slight bit of skepticism was beginning to build up in Atsushi's gut, these just three seemed somehow different from the usual guards that would watch the entrance. None of these things were really all that weird by themselves, but they just seemed different all things considered.

---

---

And like that, Atsushi's nerves were disarmed. The ruby, regaled girl's manners weren't lost on Atsushi. With the simple addition of a single word the heavy breathing ninja lips parted into a large toothy grin as he switched from making eye contact with the vulture to the girl, giving her his full attentiveness. He'd notice for the first time that the two humans shared at least a few of their most prominent features, hair color, eye color, and style of attire. His eyes stopped to focus for a moment to actually see who they were. Though none of them were anyone he remembered off of the top of his head.


Atsushi would keep walking up to the red robed ninja as he unlatched a small, palmable scroll from his belt. He'd tap the scroll to the hand held up if it remained extended when he got within reach of her almost as if he didn't acknowledge the symbol or care about it. If she'd retracted the hand he'd simply hold it out for her to take at her leisure. His breathing would slow to a normal rate and he would inhale slowly before lightly sighing revealing eight sharp, pointed canines in his mouth. The scroll was simple and had no signs of traps, jutsu, or anything suspicious about it.  



If examined, the document should hold up to inspection. As, as far as Atsushi knew, it came straight form the Thunder God's office. On the top half of the scroll, it was a very basic wildlife investigation and tagging mission certified, signed, and sealed by Miyamoto, Hastur.  The second half indicated that the mission was assigned to probationary genin, Hinode, Atsushi. This section too was signed, stamped, and sealed, but by the Raikage's assistant as Atsushi imagined the Lord Raikage was too busy to a probationary genin, someone who barely passed the academies exams, being unable to adequately perform all of the necessary jutsu. There was no photo or defining features on the scroll though, and the three of them would have to take him at his word that he was who he claimed to be.

Not having achieved full ninjahood he was unable to attain an actual ID, but being an Kumo academy graduate he could technically wear the headband and take missions. He could leave his probationary status with a recommendation, thus why he did the missions, but he'd not received the recommendation yet. Probationary genin had ID, but Atsushi was reluctantly hiding his. It was a real sore spot for him, and he'd rather not bring it up himself by handing them the photo outright. The most optimal situation he could imagine would involve them just letting him through without thoroughly reading the scroll and not knowing enough about probationary ninja to let him through.

[WC= 1112/2027]

Admittedly, he should have been the one to handle a majority of the security searches. He was the one who held the most experience between the two, having been done the job long enough to know what to look for and see through the tricks many smugglers tried to use to get inside of the village. He had a decade of experience, something that his daughter lacked. So, why did he not handle the majority of the security measures? Simple, he wanted Zaylee to learn. The only way she could learn the job is by doing it herself. By having hands-on experience, she would learn how to properly do the job. She gets to see first hand on how people attempt to get stuff in the village, illegally.

Working at the gates allowed for a unique teaching opportunity for Daremo. It gave him a chance to teach Zaylee about some of the security measures in the village, something that is rarely touched over in detail within the academy, for good reason. With her handling most of the searches, she gains experience and knowledge that many others would not have. Thus, if she is assigned to the position without him, she would be able to do the job without trouble. That said, he made sure to pass on words of wisdom and advice to Zaylee, pointing out things she has missed or what else she could look out for when dealing with others. For a job that is overlooked by many, gate duty was something incredibly important. It was a job that should be taken seriously. Alas. . .

Daremo caught the unknown’s child gazing at Hiretsu. The King Vulture looking at the approaching figure inquisitively, tilting her head back and forth though not making any movement. He should have not been surprised that Hiretsu would draw the attention of others. Vultures were not the typical pets associated with shinobi. Many shinobi preferred felines, canines, hawks, eagles, or some other type of avian creature. There was also the one Kiri-nin who had a polar bear. That was an oddity in itself. Though, he guesses having a vulture was even a bigger oddity for many.

Glancing away from the young male, Daremo watched as Zaylee asked for identification. His attention went back to the unknown male who complied with the request. He pulling out a scroll and handing it to Zaylee. Stepping up beside her, Daremo examined the scroll, taking as much in as he could from the distance which he stood away from it. “Nice to meet you two, I’m Kobayashi Daremo and this is Hiretsu”, he said, petting the king vulture once more. If the scroll was unraveled, citrine eyes would lock on the Raikage’s seal. Wordlessly, Daremo expanded his senses, allowing him to feel the chakra signatures of everyone around him. Though, he was only focused on the chakra within the seal. Official seals done by the Raikage had a sliver of his chakra within it that allows those to tell if it was authentic or not, “The scroll is authentic. It has the Raikage’s chakra intermix within it.” Daremo spoke, loud enough for Zaylee to here.

A frown marred his features at the lack of anything else that could identify the individual. While proof indeed the mission came from Kumo, it still was not enough evidence to identify who the person was. Citrine eyes glanced over to Zaylee, wondering how she would handle this situation. Would she let him through, or ask from some form of identification?

---

593[1299]

A nod would echo the words that her father spoke in greeting to the barely known individual while Zaylee held the scroll back out for him to take, having seen all that was required from it - though it was not enough. Even with the scroll baring the Raikage’s own seal of approval it would not gain him entrance to the village: there was no way simply from this alone to say if this really was the one who the scroll belonged to or another individual entirely. Secrets and plans could fall into the wrong hands with relative ease after all, so it was a chance she couldn’t take. Yet, just as she was about to speak there was something about the name and face that sparked a moment of recognition within her, but before she could address it another cart from a sea of what had been many to pass through the gates or been turned away rolled up with an impatient driver on board. ”I am afraid, if you cannot provide actual identification of who you are beyond this scroll, I cannot let you in. As much as I wish to believe you are who you say you are, things like this can fall into the wrong hands with ease.”

“I need to get through, come on. I’m late to make a delivery and if I don’t get there soon the merchant will have my head!”, the driver of the horse drawn cart would speak, casting irritated glances at all three humans. While Zaylee was known to having a fiery temper she found herself in that moment able to keep her head on her shoulders - perhaps because she actually had a job to do - and slowly turned her gaze in the direction of the cart, giving it a once over and noticing something odd - the cart seemed to be heavy despite its large load: resting lower upon its wheels than many others she had seen that day. Carts that were full to the brim tended to be lower to the ground, while ones that held relatively no weight at all were not so burdened. Glancing towards the boy with the scroll she would nod her head a in the direction of a single post not ten feet away. ”Please wait over there a moment will you? While we sort this mess out.” Not waiting for an answer she would make her way over to the cart, keeping her suspicions of something being amise from showing on her face: hoping that the boy would listen to her because she had directed him to that particular spot for his own good should this situation she was able to delve into turned nasty as she had a hunch it would. ”Of course, sir, but I’ll need to check in the back to see what goods you’re bringing in to the village.” Her words instead of causing irritation with the driver simply got him to nod his head in approval, hoping that by agreeing it would allow him access into the village in a much quicker fashion than just sitting around arguing till he was blue in the face. Zaylee was careful in her inspection, and her inspection only confirmed her suspicion more: the goods the man was carrying did not seem adequate enough to explain how low the cart was upon its wheels. The cart was of normal depth and width, hinting at no secret compartments that could be used for smuggling, and certainly she found none even as she looked it all over thoroughly.

Jumping down from the cart she had one of two conclusions to make: either the cart was built poorly or suffered some damage that was causing it to ride so slowly, or what she was searching for was beneath the cart and not within it. Looking over to her father, out of eyesight of the man driving she would glance at him and then at the underside of the cart in silent communication of her hunch, knowing well her father likely had noticed the strangeness of the situation as well. Moving to the side of the cart, keeping herself far enough away that she would be well out of arm's reach for even an adult a single kunai would be slipped from her kimono sleeve as she knelt down and looked underneath. A gasp of shock would escape the two bandits lips who were tied to the bottom and looking quite worse for wear, but they both sprung into action quickly enough, loosening the bonds that held them almost immediately upon being found, one rolling out from the left side of the cart and the other to the right and straight towards Zaylee. The bandit nearest her jumped to his feet, branching a weapon at her which was deflected by the kunai within her hand. Twice more blows would come that were deflected as the bandits actions became more desperate, the third blow being followed by a kick to the bandits chest that sent him staggering backwards and into the side of the cart, the driver shouting “I didn’t have any choice, they threatened to kill my family if I outed them!”

---

875 | 1,730

Gate patrol was often a duty overlooked by the inexperience shinobi within a village. There being no honor or respect for the men and women who does the job. Some people believing the duty was nothing more than a chore assigned to the lower ranks. However, the importance of the duty was not loss to the older and more experience shinobi. Everyday people try to enter the village illegally, hiding amongst the traffic that comes through the various gates, hoping those guarding them would not notice them. A lot of people, who would have otherwise caused harm to the village, had been caught by the guards at the gate, and, unfortunately, many have slipped by thanks to the temporary guards who found the activity a chore.

The importance of village security was something which Daremo pounded into Zaylee’s head. The need to always be vigilant, and question all who she might come in contact with. For any person is capable of lying, and it was up to the shinobi in question to catch them. Thus, he did not say anything as Zaylee denied the young male entrance into the village. If he was unwilling to show identification than there was room to suspect that he was trying something illegally. The mission statement only carries to little weight. Until the boy provided the information asked, they would not be getting inside of the village.

Another voice reached his ears, Daremo turning his attention to look at the man who had spoken. Citrine eyes bore into the irritated ones with a look of indifference at the man’s plight, “It is not our fault that you are running late. These are standard procedures, thus, you should have accounted for such when coming here.”, he responded soothingly. He did not feel sorry for the driver’s plight. He should have left early enough to account for the check-in process. Looking at the cart, Daremo narrowed his eyes as he noticed something was off about it, with the cart appearing to be heavier than any other cart from earlier. Now isn’t that just odd?

Following Zaylee towards the man’s cart, Daremo did not say anything, as he allowed his daughter to handle the situation. His eyes looking between the cart in question, and the other boy who was told to stay there. He watched as she inspected the cart, looking for any hidden compartments that could be used to smuggle illegal substances within the village. Daremo glanced at Zaylee, silently communicating with her, as he understood the message; something was hidden on the underside of the cart. Instead of following her, he positioned himself right beside the man. If something was found, there was no telling what the man would do to Zaylee, thus, Daremo was there to prevent such from happening.

The moment he heard two new voice, and saw someone rolling from underneath the cart, Daremo reacted with the quickly. Seeing the brandish weapon, Daremo struck at the bandit, his right hand grabbing the wrist which was holding the weapon. Twisting the arm around the bandit’s back, Daremo stuck out his leg, causing the bandit to trip forward, and slammed onto the ground, with him following the movement. “Do not move.”, he shouted with his knee pressed hard against the bandit’s spine, and his other hand torquing the arm which held the weapon. Glancing around, citrine eyes spot Zaylee, and noting she was dealing with the other bandit, thus, he looked back at the driver, “Yes, well, now you will be facing charges for attempting to smuggle in others. Because, instead of hinting at us about a threat, you chose to lie about it.” Daremo responded.

He did not feel sorry for the driver. As he mentioned, the man could have easily hinted to them that something was wrong, but, he didn’t. “Get up.” Daremo harshly lifted the bandit up, the weapon he was holding falling harmlessly to the ground, just in time for a couple of other shinobi show up, they being apart of the police force. “What happened.”, One of the police members asked, while another one was questioning Zaylee on the same subject. After everything was answered, Daremo handed over the bandit to the police, watching as seals were placed on the bandits, and driver, as they were carted away. The driver’s cart also being taken away too.

Just as the shinobi left, Daremo and Zaylee would be relieved of their duties by the original pair of gate guardians. The two immediately handling the situation with the other boy. “Are you okay?”, Daremo asked, walking up beside his daughter, and ruffling her hair. “What do you think of gate duty?” he questioned as the two left the area.

[exit]

---

787[2086]

The kick to the chest that had knocked the bandit back and into the cart had served its purpose by stunning him and giving Zaylee the few precious seconds she needed to subdue him. With quickness unbecoming of a Genin she grabbed the man by his arm, twisting it which forced his entire body to turn as a means to escape the sudden pain, allowing her to finish subduing him by twisting his arm upwards and against his back, leaving him in the position to where the only way he could escape would be breaking his own arm. It was a move that wouldn’t hold a seasoned shinobi, one who had been trained to become used to the pain, but she could tell this bandit wasn’t seasoned at all - he wasn’t used to training in pain, or so the sudden shout of pain indicated when he found himself subdued and had attempted to struggle free only to suddenly stop.

“That’s not an excuse.”, she spoke to the driver as the police force showed up. “That also doesn’t say much about you if either of these two knew you well enough to know you even have a family.” Yes, that was a little bit of information that hadn’t escaped her notice: the merchant was traveling alone, there were no signs that he had been traveling with others at all. There were also no signs of torture upon the merchant and considering the summer attire he wore she doubted it was hidden beneath clothing. With that being the case she could only conclude the man was attempting to lie to save his own skin, or otherwise had been blabbing far too much about things he should have otherwise kept a secret. Either way, it was his fault, and she didn't feel bad for him. There was no telling what those bandits would have done to those within the village had they got past the gate.

Handing the bandit she had subdued over to the police force she focused her attention back onto her father, shifting over to him. As they were relieved she grinned, the grin spreading further as her hair was ruffled. Tossing a glance back to the boy who the gate guards were now talking to she walked with her father back into the village, listening to the questions he posed. “I’m alright.”, she spoke honestly, she hadn’t been injured at all after all, or else she would have been upfront about it - or at least healed herself. Of course she couldn’t say anything about the bandit, she was pretty sure she had fractured a few of his ribs with that kick, but he was deserving of it. “I think it’s definitely interesting.”, she added to answer his other question. “I don’t see why people are bothered by doing gate duty.”


480 | 2,210