Okay, it was just high to get the hell out of the desert. He'd been here far too long, and he longed for cooler regions of the world; he'd almost kill for a nice, dark forest somewhere icy cold and frostbitten really. Not that he'd like it there for long either, but just the sheer difference was appealing. The sun never really left this place, even in the deepest part of the night the heat radiated upward from the golden sands in such a way that it never really cooled down enough to be comfortable, or else it was far too cold entirely; he'd seen frost the other night, after nearly melting in the noonday heat just a few hours prior. This place, it was far too extreme for him; even if the people had turned out rather... nice, after some time of adjusting to them, and perfecting his ways of passing to them. Yep, he could see the charm of the desert, but never again would he come this way, not if he could help it. Too much for him, and he was pretty sure his body would never fully recover from the ordeal of surviving in the region for as long as he had.

More to the point... He just needed to get away from this place. Too many bad memories, now; after everything that had happened, he just... he couldn't. Samael had disappeared, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He'd been so drawn to the demonic male, and for a while it had seemed like the feelings where mutual; but then there was the hiccup at the brothel, and though they had talked after that... embarrassing moment; the other had vanished not long after and Haruka couldn't help thinking it was his fault. Just so many ways and reasons it could be... and no way of knowing otherwise, not unless he ran into the boy again. It was depressing, really; but it shouldn't be, it was par for the course, no one stayed around the male for long periods, he had no friends and no real allies, and people were usually repulsed or scared by his very existence, so that Samael had (abandoned him, jesus why did everyone he liked do that?) left wasn't all that strange in context of his life.

Sigh.

Well, the albino was almost ready to leave, now. He was in the market, he needed to get food and water and maybe see about a camel to cross the sands with. He needed to leave, he could trade the camel for a horse once he was out of the desert and into some terrain better suited for the large beasts. Or something. He didn't really care. He had plenty of coin on him, his pay for the job his clan had sent him to the area for was in his pocket; sent in full by the local clan outpost since he'd stayed around for so long; so he could afford a beast to ride, and plenty of supplies. So it was, he was moving through the market from the parts that had the beasts of burden penned and auctioned off; leading a fine specimen that would survive the rigors of the long travel well, already partially loaded with supplies, but still missing the most important parts; water skins and food. He barely ate, but he would need some to keep himself alive in the desert sands after all, and water was more valuable than gold in these parts; he knew the route he'd be taking, but there weren't enough stops to risk not taking water; that would be the height of foolish to even attempt, so he was moving toward the areas that catered to the travelers; they sold the skins he needed to get the water (that was thankfully free even in the desert city) to survive. Food was an afterthought, but he'd be okay with a few bags of dried dates, some hardtack, and iron rations. Simple. Bland. Easy. He needed that after all the spicy food the region had. Moving through the area had him lost in thought, he'd spent enough time around the market to have a good idea where he was and where he was going, so he could space out and just sort of... exist. That left him open to gaffes, though; he was notorious for bowling into people when he got like this, and he wasn't likely to realize he was about to hit someone until he did.

WC: 775

Market day. Certain items were required to survive traversing this desert if he wanted to make it out of Suna. First off, a weapon. There's had to be some good quality shit in these markets. He'd been at it for hours, searching for several weapons to take with him for protection. He'd already gotten himself a standard Kunai and several shuriken to start with, but he wanted something... better. A sword of some kind, perhaps? A sword would work. If he was going to spend that tip he recieved the other day from his bouncer mission, he was going get something worth it.

Through the stalls of the market he went, speaking to vendors and weighing out his options. There were plenty to go through, and each was more interesting than the last. Giant curved scimitars, grand jians and elegant katana were abound in the market stalls. He was mildly trained in the art of Kenjutsu, but also knew how to pick up just about any strange weapon and use it properly. He was a fan of swift, silent attacks, he figured he would need something compact and lightweight that could still get the job done.
It was then that something caught his eye. A bit further down the right next to the fruit stand; a weapon smith was showing off his wares, speaking about the history of one of his items. Normally, Dakuman did not care much for a weapon's history, but rather how it performed in a fight. But something about this weapon drew him closer...

"Twenty years ago, a small village on the outskirts of Tsuchi no Kuni was attacked by a band of shinobi. After slaughtering the inhabitants of the village and burning it to the ground, they left. One survivor, an elderly man named Hogo-sha, was all that remained. After collecting every nail from the ashes of his torched home, Hogo-sha smelted the steel down and forged the Ochi hōfuku. He died shortly after its completion, but the weapon lived on! Some say the ghost of Hogo-sha lives within the blade, guiding the hand of the weilder so that he may cut down his foes!"

Interesting. Dakuman would start walking in the direction of the vendor, but his day would take an unexpected turn; someone would bump into him. From the looks of it, it was a scrawny persona, one who looked sickly pale. While Dakuman himself was not hurt, his anger was stoked; who the frick was not paying attention to where they were going?

"Open ya fucking eyes, man! You ain't see me here!?"

Those grey eyes turned down to look upon the persona who'd bumped into him, fists clenching as he debated the pros and con's of decking this poor frick and walking off. But with his harsh words would come attention from thier surroundings; several people stopping to look in thier direction. With this many people, if he punched this person out and walked off, it would not be long before a ninja of the village showed up to investigate. Shit would go downhill then -- especially with his history. Suna was not famous for its treatment of its prisoners, that was for sure. Instead, Dakuman crossed his arms over his chest, taking in the measure of the person who'd bumped into him. From the looks of him, he seemed really feminine -- pretty in a sense. Thin as a stick, with almost no muscle or fat on his body. If it came down to a fight, this dude was gonna end up on the floor with something broken -- possibly his arm or neck.

"Apologize. Right fucking now."

608 wc

Suddenly, he was hanging by the lead he'd been leading the camel with. Literally hanging, as he was so lite compared to most things that he was barely noticeable to the beast, so after he bounced off whomever he'd just run into, he sort of just.... hung. Hung, and stayed hanging, as he was confused and bringing himself back to reality was taking a long moment. He (almost literally) stared slack-jawed in confusion at the larger body before him, ears picking up the words tossed toward him but his brain just not comprehending.

Oh, right. Right. Apologize. Right. That thing that kept him from getting his teeth punched into his colon. Right.

"Er right, yes. My apologize, sir." He finally managed to right himself, rising to his feet and backing away a few steps until the lead stopped him from moving further without needing to pull the beast around with him. "Entirely my fault, I should have been paying attention. Please forgive me." His tone was contrite in a way, and there was a sense of proper apologizing there; but it was still very distant and rather like he was miles away mentally, which he exactly was. Even with the beast positioned to move between him as a shield if he needed, he was instantly on guard and nervous, the other male was rather large compared to him, and looked like someone that would kill him without much trouble. Yay.

CLANG!

OHGODWHY.

Suddenly Haruka was jumping out of his skin and clothing, the loosely wrapped headscarf flying off as he responded to the metal bouncing off metal; a demonstration from the weaponsmiths nearby catching him off guard somewhat and enough to spook him; now his silver-white hair and red eyes were on display and now was the time to freak the frick out because that was enough in most places to get him killed for existing. Yay.

And now he was staring around in sheer panic, trying to gauge whom, if anyone, was reaching for torches and pitchforks to come after him. Fun times, yep.

WC: 349

349 + 775 = 1124

"Er right, yes. My apologize, sir. Entirely my fault, I should have been paying attention. Please forgive me."

Gray eyes stared in fury at the scrawny male (female?) that was literally hanging by the lead  that they held.  A slow twisted smile crossed the face, lips lifting in a slight snarl. While indeed, an apology was given, it did not seem sincere enough, like this person's heart was not into. Or perhaps... his good mood was making him particularly vicious? With each second that passing as he stared a hole into this persona's body, it was starting to seem like the latter. An idea flared into his head, and in that instant Fate took over.

CLANG!

The sound of metal on metal rang out through the air; a weaponsmith giving a demonstration of his wares was the cause, but the effects could not have been more in Dakuman's favor. The persona who bumped into jumped at the sound, causing his head to become uncovered and exposing his silver hair and red eyes.

Intriguing. An albino? In this place? Surely he was not from around here; Dakuman never heard of anyone or anything like him, but then again he was limited to his knowledge of the academy and the prison. Either way, it did not matter. Like the predator he was, Dakuman took the opportunity as it came to pounce, so to speak. His left hand snapped out, attempting to grab the other male [female?] by the front of thier robes. Judging by the look of terror that was currently upon the persona's face, they would be too afraid to move; like a rabbit praying that it was overlooked by a hungry wolf. If that was the case, it would be this person's undoing. Should Dakuman be successful, he would grip hard and lift the person into the air, allowing them to dangle roughly half a foot off the ground.

"frick that. Thats not good enough. You owe me." Teeth were bared at this frail person; surely this display was enough to put a fear of Dakuman into this person. He would shake them, causing people around them to begin to gather and murmur, whispering amonst themselves. "You owe me, first for bumping into, and second, for that shitty ass waste of hot air you call an 'apology', so you know what?! You're gonna pay me what you owe!"

At this point, the murmuring would grow louder; it would seem that the bystanders were unhappy with seeing someone being shookdown in broad daylight, but Dakuman could not find a single frick to give. A few were shaking their heads in disgust, a few of the smarter ones simply looked the other way and went about thier day, glad that it was not them. One unfortunate person decided to open his mouth and utter the words "The price of bail from the prison is Twenty thousand ryo..."

Dakuman's attention snapped up, eyes turning thier attention to the person who said it; a woman, clutching two snot nosed brats to her robe. Dakuman's face twisted into an irritated frown, and his sharp tongue was brought to bear down upon this woman for her audacity to speak up. "And it costs zero ryo to stay in yo god damn lane and mind yo fucking business, bitch." Numerous gasps were heard from the crowd; did he just say that to her? It should not have come as a suprise, though; given everything that had happened so far, why was this a shock? "Why don't you go find another ninja's dick to suck so you can keep that fucking mouth of yours busy, because you flapping those cock suckers at me WILL get you smacked into the middle of next week." More gasps, followed by the sounds of the children crying as thier mother ushered them away from the scene; how dare this man talk to thier mother in that fashion?! Turning his attention away from the crowd, Dakuman turned his eyes back to the person he held captive. "So yea, you're going to pay up for this bullshit, plus you're going to pay for what that bitch said; empty your fucking pockets, bitch."

698|1306 WC

Aha. Ahahaha. Hahaha fuckmylife. Seriously, why was it so damned difficult to just get through one day in this village without something outright insane happening. Seriously. Why. Why did the psychopaths gravitate toward him so hard? Hnnnn. This wad going to suck, hard. Very hard. It would look as though he wad being robbed just because he'd zoned out and smacked into the worst possible person in the area. Jooooy. Was it worth it to try and fight back? Not likely, money wad just money, it wasn't like he couldn't work to replace what was being taken, and add he didn't have a death wish at the moment...

"Oh. Right. Yes, that seems... acceptable." Neutral still, as calm as he could muster with his secret exposed and so many eyes on him. He could hear the grumbling, see the flash of metal and whitening of knuckles out of the corners of his eyes, and it was kicking his fight or flight response into overdrive. A sheen of sweat that very obviously wasn't related to the sun and heat was appearing across his exposed (and very quickly burning at that) flesh, and he made what might turn into a massive mistake; instead of reaching for his money purse he went for his hood: the power of the noonday sun was very literally cooking his skin and eyes, he couldn't handle much more of it so he instinctually moved to escape the only way he could. "You are welcome to what little I have, of course. Fair compensation is required for my misdeeds, yes."

His second great mistake, he continued to speak. It could easily be taken as if he was attempting to stall, a dangerous bluff he wasn't sure he could back up if it came to a fight, even with all his recent training and the inevitable toughening up the desert caused in someone, he had little to no faith in his power to protect himself. He'd been beaten to the ground to many times to have any inkling of belief in himself. A lifetime (remembered, anyway) of being downtrodden and destroyed the moment he attempted to rise above the dirt had taught him not to risk a fight, nor make waves. Better to capitulate and roll over and survive.

He began reaching into his robes, attempting to fetch his money from the hidden pocket deep in the innermost layers where it would normally be safe. He wore so much that sans stripping him naked and searching each individual layer, no one would be able to take it normally, as they wouldn't be able to feel nor see were it was. Given his new blades were right beside his money pouch, the reach would allow him to grab them if the larger made a move to attack him during the action, but he would have rather parted with the coin than start a fight.

WC: 484

484 + 1124 = 1608

"Oh. Right. Yes, that seems... acceptable. You are welcome to what little I have, of course. Fair compensation is required for my misdeeds, yes."

Dakuman grinned wider still. That predatory instinct was in full effect, and this kid was about to be taken for what little he had. Dakuman released the male [female?] for the moment, and waited as the person began to reach into thier robes to retrieve thier money. After a moment, the frown returned and anger took the place the momentary mirth.

"Actually, frick that. You move too fucking slow. From now on, you're my bitch until I feel like you've paid me back, ya dig?" Yea, that seemed right. The prospect of having a 'servant' of sorts seemed to be a better course of action rather than just taking this kid's money. Spinning the kid in the direction of the black smith, Dakuman would shove roughly at his back to get him moving. "Step, kid. I don't have all day. You can start by bank rolling my new sword."

Provided that the male [female?] did not begin to resist, Dakuman would march him through the crowd of staring people, most of whom had decided that it would be in thier best interest to mind thier own business, to the black smith who was still boasting on about the ninjato he was attempting to sell. As they would come upon the black smith, he would begin to grin at them, possibly seeing a potential customer in one of them. "Ah yes, a lovely couple! You sir! You look like you appreciate fine quality and craftsmanship!"

Dakuman almost frowned at the black smith; he was not a couple with this kid. But, to keep up appearances, he went along with it. "Aye. I'm in the market for a good sword, and that Ninjato you were showing earlier looks like it would fit the bill. And my beautiful lady here.." Dakuman would place an arm around Haruka to emphasize his point, "Has agreed to purchase it for me."

"Oh?! That is indeed a wonderful give. She is a loving woman, then. She sounds like a keeper, my friend." The weapon smith grinned, turning around to fetch the ninjato from its display case to present to the duo.

"Oh, my friend, you have have no idea. I plan on keeping her for a long time." Dakuman grinned.

397 | 1703

"Actually, frick that. You move too fucking slow. From now on, you're my bitch until I feel like you've paid me back, ya dig?" Yea, that seemed right. The prospect of having a 'servant' of sorts seemed to be a better course of action rather than just taking this kid's money. Spinning the kid in the direction of the black smith, Dakuman would shove roughly at his back to get him moving. "Step, kid. I don't have all day. You can start by bank rolling my new sword."


.....

Internal screaming intensified, to the point that you could almost see the air around him vibrating as he was being dragged along. Well, at least he was sitting on his full pay; or else he'd be totally boned. He offered no resistance to this forcible movements, merely moving to make sure his clothing was in proper order (hair covered, enough of his face covered to make his eye appear a dark brown versus red thanks to shadows, etc etc) so that there'd be less of an issue when this psychopath was done moving him places.

Aaaaaand this should have been degrading in a way, the weapon seller just assuming instantly that he was both female and with this insane kidnapper; but he was long past caring. If anything, that he passed that well with no makeup or anything was a good sign, sort of.... in a weird way. Eh.

Throwing his voice upwards was simple enough, he could speak for days without breaking the pitch and timbre of a woman his 'size', it was damn near instinct at this point. "Yes, of course. Anything for him.~ Whatever he wants.~" Harua reached into his pouch and pulled out a massive golden coin, one of the type you normally only see being used by money changers and converters; it was worth nearly a months wages for most merchants, and it was a good as an unlimited credit guarantee for this transaction. It would buy the entire stall's worth of merchandise without much problem from what he could see; so truly good enough, unless the man had something special hidden away.

Oh, he wasn't actually giving it to the merchant, it was a sort of code used by those of the merchant orders; it meant that he was able to pay for up to that amount in normal currency, so it was being used as collateral until the final total was found. Merchants, nobility, etc; they used the same code, so it would put the merchant's mind at ease, and make sure that no one called the authorities. He didn't want to die; which he had a feeling would happen if anyone at all summoned the local guards. Yay.

WC: 475

476 + 1124 = 1600

"Yes, of course. Anything for him.~ Whatever he wants.~"

Internally, Dakuman raised an eyubrow questioningly; this kid was able to pass for female easily, especially with the way he was raising his voice. It made Dakuman briefly wonder what else this kid was capable of. Pushing the thoughts aside, he looked on as the kid produced a large coin from his robes; a size of currency that Dakuman could only dream of obtaining. Even with the 'tip' he'd recieved from the party host, he still had less than a quarter of what this kid was holding in his hand. Fucking hell, this was his lucky day.

As the weapon smith nodded his head, Dakuma grinned wider and released his grip on the kid. If he knew what was good, he would not run from Dakuman; he'd kill him if he tried. Trusting in his ability to manipulate this kid through fear, Dakuman nodded to the weapon. "I'd love to see the ninjato you have, if you do not mind?"

"Of course, of course my friend. It is a splendid piece, worthy of a fine warrior such as yourself!" The merchant produced the weapon from its display case, and passed it hilt first to Dakuman. The ninja took it gingerly, and admired the sheathe for a moment. It was a bit plain; a simple floral design flowed across the lacqured wood. As Dakuma continued to admire the weapon, he slowly tugged the weapon free of its confines. The blade extended to 50cm, with a total length of 73cm. The blade boasted a plain edge without a visible hamon and a uniquely styled tsuba. The handle was wrapped in worn black cloth, whose edges are slightly burnt. Hidden in the kashira is a small hollow compartment; a flick of his thumb against it would cause it swing open.

"What is this?"

The merchant leaned over, staring at the compartment before smiling at Dakuman again. "Ah, my friend. It seems you've found the hidden compartment. Many swordsman use those to hold cream and balms for them to spread on wounds to seal them while resting between battles. Of course, that is not the only usage for such a space. Im sure a noble warrior such as yourself can think of some way to use it." Dakuman remained quiet, slowly nodding. Such a compartment could prove useful; perhaps he could place his bell into it and increase the ninjato's cutting power through use of the vibrations that would no doubt flow down the blade simply because the bell was within it. It was a genius plan; perhaps this merchant had more?

"That's a really good idea." Dakuman's voice lowered as he slipped ninjato completely free and examined the blade. It was free of scratches and notches, something that Dakuman liked. After a moment, Dakuman nodded to the weapon smith. "Say, you got anything else with one of these compartments?"

The merchant blinked for a moment, before nodding slowly. "I do, my friend. Please, give me one moment to fetch it. Were you not satisfied with the one you hold?" Concern filled his voice; an unhappy customer would surely dampen his reputation.

"Oh, I am very satisfied. I was wondering if you had more than one, because I would love another!"

546 | 2249

"Oh, I am very satisfied. I was wondering if you had more than one, because I would love another!"

Yep, he was going to be destitute when this psychopath was done with him. Greeeeat. Well, it wasn't like he wasn't used to that; even with how little money he ever spent on himself (outside of needed tools, creams, etc), he was always lite on cash and never really able to hang onto it. Such is the life of a penniless orphan working for people that were likely underpaying the frick out of him for his services just because they knew he wouldn't (couldn't) say anything about it. Such is life.

For a split instant he contemplated running; that was an instinctual need that almost overrode his higher reasoning functions. Almost. His fight or flight instincts had been conquered long ago; they had to be to survive in a world surrounded by danger at all times of the day or night. Panicking at the wrong instant, running at the wrong moment... death. Instant death. He wasn't suicidal; although he had thought about it a few times when things got too dark to handle otherwise; but at the moment he was fairly.... okay, with his situation, present instance excluded. Survival was high on his list of priorities. Although he did twitch, he covered it beautifully; moving his arms to snap a fan into his hand from his sleeves; to anyone looking it would have appeared purely natural and graceful, but the male detaining him and robbing him would have likely noticed something was amiss. Hopefully it wouldn't be enough to get him injured more than the bruising that was taking hold where he'd been dragged.

The compartments... maybe...

"I can make you some creams to store, they aren't much, but they would be better than anything you would buy from most of the common venders... dear." Aaaand more internal screaming.

WC: 330

330 + 1600 = 1930

One could not help but develop a certain degree of situational awareness when they lived life like Dakuman did. Given his temperament and the people he dealt with, he learned to pay attention to the little things when they happened; for example, the little twitch that this kid had, and attempted to hide with pulling out a fan. It told Dakuman several things about this kid; he had a thought, and almost acted upon it. In addition to this, he pulled a fan from within his robes; a clear indication that that this kid was possibly armed with a weapon somewhere in those robes. Dakuman would have to keep an eye on this kid.

"I can make you some creams to store, they aren't much, but they would be better than anything you would buy from most of the common vendors... dear."

Dakuman raised an eyebrow, giving the younger male a fish-eyed look as the weapon smith continued to search for the weapon. Was this person really playing along? Not even trying to signal for help? It could mean one of two things; this kid was scared shitless, or he came to the conclusion that his survival was first and foremost. Smart kid. Dakuma would have to figure out how to keep this kid around until he decided to get rid of him. Before he could say something about the comment on the cream, or the underlying sarcasm, the weapon smith returned, producing a sword with a squared saya.

"I have only this one, my friend, though I am unsure if you would like the design." He would pull the weapon free of its saya, showing the blade to the 'lovely couple'; a strangely designed katana that featured a double blade. The longer Dakuman stared at the strange weapon, the more he grew to like it. "This weapon was designed by my apprentice, Ashiya. As you can see, every cut you create will be doubled; the blades are reinforced so that you can trap another sword between yours and then disarm them."

"Interesting." Dakuman reached up, scratching his chin. He would pass the ninjato to Haruka for the moment, and reach out to take the strange weapon from the weapon smith. The moment he grasped the handle, the blades began to hum, vibrating rather loudly. Dakuman smiled at this, listening as the weapon picked up on the resonating frequency of his chakra. There seemed to be something special about this weapon, and it felt like it had chosen him to wield it. Dakuman gave the weapon a test swing, listening to it practically sing as it moved through the air.

"Oh ho! It seems to like you, my friend. Will you be purchasing this one as well."

"Very much so. Whats the total?"

"For both swords, you are looking at a total of eleven hundred ryo." The weapon merchant smiled at Dakuman, wringing his hands as he awaited the male's choice. He was overcharging them by about two hundred, given the quality of the swords. But there was something strange; no other sword had ever done what the double bladed one had done in the hands of a person. There had to be something special about this buyer, and he was well prepared to take advantage of that. Plus, with the size of the coin Dakuman's 'wife' had produced, he knew he could afford to push up the prices a bit.

Dakuman looked over the swords again, head tipping to the side. He knew how these games were played; selling in the bazaars of Sunagakure no Sato were always a tense negotiation. Merchants often over inflated their prices gouge the tourists looking for 'something exotic' but Dakuman was no fool. He knew how the game was played, and was willing to play along to an extent.

"Nah, man. Thats a bit too much. These cannot be worth eleven hundred. I've seen seen better quality go for less here. You aint fooling no one, bruh. Try Again." He would grin at the weapon merchant, a pointed expression that would clearly indicate that he was not falling for the bullshit. Turning his attention to Haruka, he offered a frown. "Dear, surely these weapons cannot be worth the eleven hundred ryo this kind gentle man is asking for... what do you think?"

719 | 2968

"Dear, surely these weapons cannot be worth the eleven hundred ryo this kind gentle man is asking for... what do you think?"

Oh this was not going to end well. He wasn't much of a blacksmith, but he /did/ know weapons; his persona was currently rife with knives and scrolls full of staffs and such; so he could easily discern the same as what his kidnapper had; while the weapons were of decent quality, they were not worth what the vendor wanted, not even close; the overcharge was blatant and painful to anyone that actually knew a thing about weapons and being a merchant. Highballing was par for the course, yes; but this was horrifyingly over-estimating the value and gullibility of the weaponry and personas involved in this transaction.

"Well... my humble opinion is not worth much, I am no merchant myself, nor versed in the smithing arts... but I have seen quality before... and I would venture to say these are being overvalued. As for how much, it is not my place to decide; whatever my husband decides is where I stand." Absolute submission on the outside, but the inference on the endearment would be noticeable; It would come off as fawning to anyone else, but to the male holding him captive... it would be almost disgusted and annoyed, but there was still the hint of 'I don't want to die' that was keeping him there.

Taking another leap, and one that would hopefully not backfire; "The sun grows too warm for my delicate sensibilities, may we complete this transaction and move on, please?" Hell, he threw in a slight wobble to his stance, a fluttering to the fan he was holding that made the cadence of his fanning change and seem unsteady; he was playing up the heat as a way to garner sympathy and therefore disarm the merchant into agreeing with Dakuman's request to not be overcharged so they could move on and maybe, just maybe, he could be let go; as he hadn't put the two and two together to get the four of him being this man's bitch for the next while.

WC: 370

370 + 1930 = 2300

"Well... my humble opinion is not worth much, I am no merchant myself, nor versed in the smithing arts... but I have seen quality before... and I would venture to say these are being overvalued. As for how much, it is not my place to decide; whatever my husband decides is where I stand."

Dakuman smiled warmly at the weapons merchant; the kid was even backing him up on call out. But even with the kid's 'assistance', Dakuman still noted that tinge in his voice, that little audible note in his that showed his distain for the situation. Dakuman could not blame him for the feeling like he did; it had to be stressful to robbed for your money in a situation such as this. Help was so close, yet so far when you thought that your abductor could become your murderer at any moment. But, Dakuman had to give the male credit for playing up the 'wife' so well. Almost a bit too well.

"The sun grows too warm for my delicate sensibilities, may we complete this transaction and move on, please?"

Oh gods, this kid was good.

Dakuman changed his expression to that of a concerned husband, reaching out to steady his 'wife'. A loose grip, meant to offer support, playing on hard on the weapon merchant sensibilities. Was he truely going to make this poor 'woman' suffer simply because he wanted to make a bit more ryo?

"Well, perhaps I could lower the price a bit. How does nine hundred ryo for the two of them sound to you? Fair deal?" The merchant was nervous; it would seem that they were not mere tourists, but people who knew what the hell they were looking at. They'd called him out, and now he had no choice but to do damage control. Despite the actions of the sword, he could not gouge these people; he had a sales reputation to uphold. If word got out that he tried to overcharge a purchase to the point that the customer fainted from the heat, his sales and reputation would crumble.

Dakuman thought about it for a moment, appearing to become lost in thought. Perhaps he could force this man to go lower on the price, simply because of the bullshit overcharge he attempted, but decided against it. Nodding to Haruka, he offered a sickly sweet smile to the weapon merchant. "Pay the kind man, love. Nine hundred ryo seems a bit more fair for the quality of these weapons." Dakuman would gather up the ninjato and resheathe the katana. He grinned again at the weapon merchant, awaiting for Haruka to pay for the purchase. "Have a wonderful day, kind sir."

448 | 3416

Oh, so he didn't get shanked for his little game. Good, good. He was testing his boundaries in a way, yes, it was playing along and helping his assailant; but that wasn't a bad thing to do at the moment. Survival meant doing whatever one had to in the moment, and this was required. He dug into his coin purse again, fetching the agreed amount and reaching with an empty hand for the large merchant coin back. He wouldn't turn over a single ryo until the other coin was in his possession. He played up the scene beautifully, his hand wobbled, and the flesh was reddened from the heat and sun as it was, so everything was lining up to mae is performance perfect. Geisha were actors, stage performers on a stage of the personal level; they had to be extra perfect as the client could see every mistake and misstep. He was a consummate professional, it was why he was able to be paid as well as he was for going undercover as a geisha or escort. He was one, if by training and not lifestyle, so he fit the bill to a T. Valuable asset; enough to keep around. Enough to keep him alive.

With the ryo visible in his other hand, the merchant was quick to hand over the large coin, which was quickly stashed away and the proper currency exchanged; Haruka was quick to retract his hand back into his robes, even in the few moments it was exposed his skin was burning, and while it would hurt like a bitch later, it made the merchant even more willing to send them off now that payment was made. If Haruka was to faint or something it would bring hell down upon him; and business was good during this time of the year. Losing that now would ruin him. He couldn't risk it.

A wave of his fan was his dismissal of the merchant, leaning slightly into the larger male to add credence to the need for support and such even as he turned toward the larger crowd behind them. There was no attempt to move away, merely playing up the part he was in. He knew better than to bolt, or even try. Not yet. Even with all the people around, no one could help him, not from this distance. He needed to be in the crowd. He needed to be near a guard. Something. He was fast, and he could blend instantly into a group; but alone he was weak and easily disabled. Not a good mix for escaping a thief that walked so confident in his skills. Who knew what else the male was trained in.

WC: 456

456 + 2300 = 2756

With the transaction made, and the weapons in his grip, Dakuman was satisfied. He had gained two new weapon without spending a dime of his own money; A scroll was was produced, and into it the weapons were sealed to be retrieved later. Said scroll was pocketed as the male turned away. Some how, this day was turning out better than expected;  he'd gained a servant, sort of. Speaking of said servent.. He leaned closer to the persona, wrapping an arm around thier shoulder to keep him from having thoughts of bolting.

The touch was gentle to those looking on; if anyone cared to look in thier direction, it would seem like a loving husband and wife out for a stroll through the markets. But Haruka would be able to feel the difference; the vice grip upon his shoulders as Dakuman pulled and steered him in the direction he wished to go.

"Do not worry, my dear. We are going to have so much fun together today." That predatory smile was back; white teeth flashing at Haruka in the sunlight. "Remember, dear wife, I own you." He was merely reminding the male of thier earlier arrangement, Dakuman would 'own' this male until he felt as if Haruka's transgression was paid back in full to him. How ever  long that took, only Dakuman would know; it could be as early as the next day, or several years from then. Time would tell. For the moment, Dakuman's thoughts turned to his current goal: getting out of this shit hole of a village. As they moved, provided that Haruka did not put up a  fight, Dakuman would begun to wonder; with skin like that, surely this kid was not from this village. Perhaps he knew of a way out of the sands, and something of the world beyond.

"So kid... we need to have a little chat..." He grinned at Haruka, giving his shoulder a 'loving' squeeze as they walked out of the markets.

This was going to be so much fucking fun. He'd never had a personal servant before, so it was kind of exciting to think about. Especially if this persona proved useful in helping him leave this god forsaken shit hole of a village. With a grin that would seem loving to anyone looking on, Dakuman leaned closer to Haruka. "Here is how this is going to be from now on; you work for me now, kay? You are going to help me get the frick out of this god damn village, and out of this fucking heat. Once that happens, I will might consider letting you go free. Either way, I do not think it would be wise of you to attempt to escape from me. If you do, I will hunt you down, kid. I will hunt you down and cut your sorry fucking carcass open and leave you in the sands for the buzzards and wolves to feast on."

His tone had lowered while he was speaking to that of a whisper, making sure that only Haruka could hear him as he spoke. After all, it would do him no good if someone else happened to over hear him speaking to his 'wife' in such a manner. Perhaps someone in this village might grow a pair, and seek to intervene on behalf of Haruka, and attempt to save the poor boy; if and when the situation came to that, Dakuman would deal with it. Until then, he would use this child mercilessly for his own personal gain. He had no remorse for the child; he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now he would learn a life lesson from Dakuman.

618 | 4034 WC

-Thread Exit-

"Do not worry, my dear. We are going to have so much fun together today." That predatory smile was back; white teeth flashing at Haruka in the sunlight. "Remember, dear wife, I own you." He was merely reminding the male of thier earlier arrangement, Dakuman would 'own' this male until he felt as if Haruka's transgression was paid back in full to him. How ever long that took, only Dakuman would know; it could be as early as the next day, or several years from then. Time would tell. For the moment, Dakuman's thoughts turned to his current goal: getting out of this shit hole of a village. As they moved, provided that Haruka did not put up a fight, Dakuman would begun to wonder; with skin like that, surely this kid was not from this village. Perhaps he knew of a way out of the sands, and something of the world beyond.

"So kid... we need to have a little chat..." He grinned at Haruka, giving his shoulder a 'loving' squeeze as they walked out of the markets.

This was going to be so much fucking fun. He'd never had a personal servant before, so it was kind of exciting to think about. Especially if this persona proved useful in helping him leave this god forsaken shit hole of a village. With a grin that would seem loving to anyone looking on, Dakuman leaned closer to Haruka. "Here is how this is going to be from now on; you work for me now, kay? You are going to help me get the frick out of this god damn village, and out of this fucking heat. Once that happens, I will might consider letting you go free. Either way, I do not think it would be wise of you to attempt to escape from me. If you do, I will hunt you down, kid. I will hunt you down and cut your sorry fucking carcass open and leave you in the sands for the buzzards and wolves to feast on."


....


The deja vu was strong with this moment. He'd heard damn near the same words a few times before; how many times had some random pun too big for his britches 'claimed' him before? I mean shit, it was barely any different from what his 'father' had done; he'd never been more than a tool to anyone, useless or useful, it didn't matter, he'd rarely been much more than an object in the eyes of anyone around him.

Meh.

"Buddy boy, you're not the first nor the last to tell me that; so get over yourself. I was on my way out of this godsforsaken place myself, hence why I have the camel. You want out? That's fine, I can show you out. But only because it benefits me to do so; I played your game, you got your weapons. You wanna bleed me dry? Have fun, take everything I own right now and I'll still do better getting out of this desert than you would. I've got enough water and supplies for two people to make it clean to Kirigakure and back three times over, so if we're going, let's get the frick out of here now; we'll hit the oasis outside of the village just in time to wait out the worst of the heat if we leave now; and I can celestial navigate us through the night."

He wanted out of these place that damn badly. He really did. He was more than willing to help his kidnapper for this one thing; because his words rang true; it benefitted him to do so, both in survival of the situation, and in getting out of the hellish sun this region of the world boasted. A bit of bravery, a bit of control; he took the reign of the camel and used it lead the male toward the village gates; all without it looking like he was doing anything unbecoming of a passive little wife to the outside world.

Man, he really was just too good at being an actor; even if that meant being a crossdressing geisha most of the time.

-EXIT-

WC: 711

711 + 2756 = 3467

3467/3000 Fuuton B-A