Mission Name: Festival Security: Cat Burglar
Rank:  EVENT
Objective: Hunt down the Nekomata who has been stealing Ryo from the festival goers.
Location: Namahage Festival.
Reward:  10 Tickets
Mission description: Nekomata are catlike yokai who can assume the forms of humans in order to better mingle with the populace. However they are intensely kleptomaniac and will attempt to make off with Ryo in order to spend it on fine fish and other delicacies. A group of particularly crafty local strays has been taking money from festival goers both human and yokai alike. Catch one and make sure to give it a good beating to dissuade it from doing it again.
Mission details:  The Nekomata thief if noticed will attempt to lead the security into an ambush comprised of its 18 siblings. While none of them are particularly good fighters they have sharp little claws and will bite and kick like crazy.

Hanbei had passed the tests of the monks a few hours prior, the news spread quickly throughout the feline nekomata and they reveled in being placed in their new home, the location was a temple not far out of town, though within the first few hours it seemed that there had been issues between them and the monks already, the Nekomata had begun stealing some of the holy relics in the temple and stockpiling them somewhere underneath where the monks were not able to get to due to their expansive size. Hanbei, being small and the person who had attempted to get them to take in the furry little mongrels was called in immediately to solve the issues of the cleptomaniacs... Rushing to his destination like a wave of wild wind hanbei would break into the gates and look upon the temple. The image that met him was borderline divine and nothing like he had ever seen within the scope of the namahage festival to date.

The buddhist inspired temple almost shone like it was day, even though the realm was plunged into a purpetual single night that lasted just over an entire month. The turrets of the almost castle like basilica had holy symbols written upon them, each and everything while it almost radiated a form of holy light, they had a sense of ancientness about them that he was not able to explain, like this temple in some form had existed since the dawn of time and the birth of the first buddha himself. The gargens were littered with honorable statues of the daisoujou, mummified monks who had allowed themselves to be calcified over time as they starved to death, never once breaking their meditation. Younger nokomata running around the wide open fields and playing in the faux sunlight.

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The nekomata that seemed to be acclimatizing to the place were the younger ones, the ones that were wide eyes and playful, Hanbei doubted for a moment that any of them had been involved in the theft. The older ones however were nowhere to be seen, Hanbei move forward to be greeted by one of the female shrine maidens that looked after the temple, bowing, hanbei was greeted and bought into the hall, several of the monks were moving around with their staves, very few of them looked like they weren't happy in the slightest. Many of them were guarding gold and silver in one form or another, each of the treasures on display in the temple seemed to be old, though it was to be noted that after he took some notice, that some of the stands around the inside of the temple were empty, of which he could only hope to understand that that was the reason he was here. The woman would explain that while many of the Nekomata who had moved in were enjoying themselves in the sunlight, some of the older ones who had been nearer the ringleader of the adult cats that had ruled them, had been causing some trouble.

"Hmmm" Hanbei would begin to think for himself. "While I understand the issue, i feel like these cats have not had the best lot in life, they're probably see opportunity here and have no intention of staying for very long for now. To them, they're still out for themselves, its how they've survived this long right? So, they see all these pricey things that could set them up for life, and they've decided not to risk it. The thing that will get through to them is love and giving them some space. as strange as it seems, for now, i would ignore it. The more you turn against them the more they'll do the same. They can't go anywhere yet because everyone in the festival hates them. But, if you extend to them the teachings of Kannon, i believe everything will be okay." The woman didn't seem all that convinced but what hanbei had said did make a kind of sense... however, out of the corner of his eye, he could see one of the adult cats crawling along the rafters, looking down above a guard at one of the gold urns...

"one sec..."

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Jumping up tot he rafter Hanbei would place a hand on the cats chest before it had the chance to drop down. "What on earth do you think you're doing..?" The cat immediately looked embarassed, not knowing what to say before getting huffy and folding their arms. not wanting to show any form of weakness, though, the fact that it was hanbei here and not one of the 'enemy' hanbei could see the guilt on his face.

"Look, i know you don't like it much here, but, the little ones outside are having the time of their lives, they're getting food and they're getting sun without anyone here to hurt them, i know you, i know you're just protecting them, but if you keep this up, either you're going to get hurt, or, you're going to end up back on the streets with all your brothers and sisters." There was a moment of protest, when he spoke, saying that they didn't understand and didn't like them here anyway. [i]"Well of course they don't understand, they'll never understand, and you wont understand them either unless you both try. But someone's going to have to budge first, and unlike them, you have something here to loose, believe it or not. Hey, i know this is all hard, but you can do this. I'm not saying all this to get on yours or your sisters' back. I'm saying it for the little ones who love it here. Don't let them down. They even make the old grumpy monks smile, and I've NEVER seen that happen. If you work, half, or half of half as hard, doing what these guys want you to do, instead of playing guardian for all of them. They'll open up to you.

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Whaddya say? fresh start? Lets give this an honest go huh? and if you ever get mad, come to me, and i'll beat them all up. hmm?"[/i] The boy smiled, and Hanbei gave him a hug, leaping down as he went to go outside and look after the kittens. Hanbei would nod at the woman as he left. As a couple days went by all of the relics began to slowly re-appear as if they never left. There were some fights, and things got hard, but, eventually love won. Many of the Nekomata became monks at that temple in the end, elite ninja-like monks of the shadow, skilled fighters and experts in the art of chakra. Their eldest brother amongst them. Hanbei would recieve letters from them every week, simply appearing wherever he lay, telling them about their training, new litters of kittens being born, their good deeds and fights protecting their temple, and eventually, a silver seal of a cats paw, ringed in holy symbols.

A symbol of thanks, and the eternal debt of gratitude of 79 cats.

[103 - fin]