An Ordinary Park Bench [Open]

[Kazu]

Yatamaru waited, impatiently, on an ordinary park bench. If this guy's late again, I'm gonna lose it.

A quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the slums, free from watchful eyes because nothing ever happened here, was where this park bench was located. The park itself looked neglected, though there were still a few children who used it. A small game of kickball was being played by a group of children, though beyond that the park was mostly empty. While Yatamaru was spacing out, a man sat down on the bench next to him, Took him long enough to show up.

"Your delivery," the stranger said. The stranger had been holding a plain looking envelope, and had set it down in between the two of them when he'd sat. Yatamaru calmly took the slip of paper and tucked it away — when his hand had re-emerged, there was a different envelope in his hand. He placed this new envelope in the same spot where the first had been.

"Your payment," Yatamaru explained. The stranger gripped the envelope, feeling its thickness. Looks like he's enjoying himself. The stranger didn't admire his prize for too long, and slipped his envelope away as well. He stood up, addressing Yatamaru without looking back.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

"Likewise. We'll stay in contact."

Walking away, the stranger seemed pleased to hear this — Yatamaru knew he, for one, was. This has been a very fruitful endeavor, indeed. Time to celebrate! Yatamaru lit a cigarette, leaned back on the park bench, and closed his eyes. He wanted to soak in the moment, the personal victory. This had taken a lot of planning, but it finally paid off.

What was in the envelope for him? Top secret. Need to know only.

 

[Teke]

Teke had awoken from her long overdue slumber within the walls of her own bedroom, feeling refreshed and raring to go. Sadly there was still about a day before the promised mission with her father so she decided to take a walk through the village. There was no particular reason for this other than it being something to do, all she knew what that she needed to stay out of trouble... for the most part. Her little wandering took her through the usual places that she tended to frequent, picking up some snacks for herself to sate the hunger until the actual feast that was coming.

Her wandering eventually brought her to the slums, not the best place for someone so beautiful, she'd run the risk of being targeted by some of the scum that lived amongst the shadows. Teke wasn't exactly helpless however and whilst being the daughter of the Kazekage painted a bit of a target on her, it wasn't especially common knowledge. She dipped her hand into the bag she'd brought and pulled out a small, pinkish cube, placing it into her mouth and chewing slowly. She'd come to a stop at this point and was now watching two men having a very odd conversation on a bench, exchanging what looked to be small pieces of paper, there was still some distance so she couldn't make anything out fully, only that it looked extremely shady.

Once one of the men left, the other seemed to relax a little more, Teke would use this as an opportunity to get closer to the man, quickly and quietly she placed herself onto the bench, in the same spot that the other male had vacated. She waited for a moment in silence before speaking up. "Not that I care, but doing shady shit in broad daylight is going to garner attention." She commented pretty nonchalantly. "If someone who did care had seen, that would have been just an awful mess, don't you think?" She bore at him with her unblinking, golden cat eyes at the same time dipping her hand into the bag she held once more and placing a cube into her mouth, chewing slowly. From this close it would be obvious what she was eating, not to mention the easily recognizable smell, raw beef.

[WC - 385]

 

[Kazu]

The smoker did not stir, not even to put out his cigarette, as the young girl sat down. Her accusations, however, forced his hand. One of his evergreen eyes opened, examining her appearance and expressions with meticulous precision. The man's pleased and relaxed demeanor had not subsided.

"Shouldn't a little girl like you be playing kickball or something? What are you doing, wasting your time being interested in the affairs of adults?" You're a nosy one, ain't ya? "And really, is that language necessary at your age?"

Something about her attitude was intriguing, though. This little girl had a certain cockiness, mixed with confidence, that you rarely see in a Genin. Reminds me of myself. There was something else, though, that was bothering him. He couldn't tell what, until he saw her take another bite of the little pink cubes. Then he noticed the smell. Nosy and feral? What an interesting kid. Yatamaru liked interesting. He took a sip from his pocket flask, wiping at the corners of his mouth as he spoke.

"Kid, not that it's any of your business, but this world's a lot bigger than you think. Not everything is as it appears."

Yatamaru's cigarette was spent, so he dropped it to the ground and snuffed it out with his foot. He leaned back in his seat, crossed his leg, and returned the child's unblinking gaze with his own emerald eyes and carefree smirk, challenging her to press the subject. He didn't think it would work. Something tells me she's a persistent one.

"Why don't you tell me your name? Mine is Fuu."

 

[Teke]

Teke continued to eat her little raw meat cubes nonchalantly as the guy responded to her inquisition. She couldn't help but chuckle as he compared her to some of the normal kids hanging around the village. "Unless you're offering yours up for a good kickin' I'd suggest we don't entertain that thought." She teased, sticking out her tongue playfully.

She popped a final piece on meat into her mouth and then folded the top of the package up roughly, saving the remaining pieces for later. Then as if it was just the normal thing to do she would suck the blood from the tips of her fingers whilst continuing to speak. "No shit the worlds huge... I could tell whatever you were doing... wasn't just some low-level shit... S'why I wanted to give you the warnin'... I'm hardly trained up yet and I caught it... then again I am a super prodigy..." She said between sucking her digits with an air of haughtiness to her as if she was simply above everyone and they should just know it.

"You can call me Teke, Sands greatest prodigy, prettiest girl and most badass bitch ever to grace scalding sands." She gave Fuu a full grin for the first time at this point, showcasing her pointy, shark like teeth. "Also an orthodontists nightmare could be yours to at request." She laughed, she was clearly in a very jovial mood, the anticipation of the upcoming mission still tickling the front parts of her brain, she didn't even realize she was being quite the asshole and she usually loved knowing it.

[WC - 266]

 

[Kazu]

Funny thing is, it wouldn't matter even if she tried. Nothing there but wood. Of course he was thinking about that, but not like that assholes.

Yatamaru had decided. He was, officially, intrigued by the little hellion. That confidence is gonna take her places. Glee began to bubble up from inside him, for a potentially remarkable shinobi had just presented themselves to him — a gift from the universe. Being that his profession was dealing and trading in secrets and information, he liked to keep one eye looking towards the future. What could be more forward thinking than this?

"Very pleased to meet you, Teke." Swiftly after saying so, the man stood himself up off the bench. "And now I must say good bye."

He casually walked away, taking another long pull from his flask. And yet, after a few strides, he stopped and turned back. "Unless, you decide you'd rather have some fun?" Yatamaru paused there, waiting for her response. "This wasn't the only business I had to attend to today," he stated coolly, patting on the pocket where he'd stashed the envelope.

Of course, she was free to decline. She would probably be sensible to. But when was anything sensible ever fun?

 

[Sand Council]

ATTENTION​

</B>

This thread has been selected as a Random Chance Encounter (RCE)​

What is a RCE? It is an event that happens based on random chance (literally every piece of it is rolled for based on a few different catagories). This event is meant to provide a fun and random opportunity for our players to explore at their discretion. The RCEs could incorporate scenarios that range from random beasts of the country to plotlines that incorporate aspects of the current village plot or future plots.

How does it work? You either accept or decline. If accepted, the moderator will post the start of this new side quest and it will be up to you, the participants involved, to either complete the assigned task or objective. These are not simple hack-slash events, you may be tasked with an objective(s) to complete to pass. You will need to meet the rank requirement of your RCE's solo/group modded mission equivalent.

What do I get? This can serve as mission level rewards and will work in the capacity of your "Event Thread". Aside from the points/yen, you gain the opportunity to incorporate quest items and/or expanded knowledge to your characters story. Again, these RCEs could include your involvement with people, places or things related to the current village plot (in this case The Sovereign Arc) while not necessarily having you interact with a primary member of the story. Again, this is similar to a side quest in the video/PC game world.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Event: Observe the Target
Rank: A Rank
Requirements: Observe the Target to see what they are doing up to, but getting too close/too directly involved may spook them. Time to be a ninja. Mechanically, you will also need to achieve the word count of an A Rank group modded mission.
NPC Post Count: 3-6 posts, and then they will transition out of the post. This is not intended to be a long term event and should resolve quickly.

<B>

Do you accept? Please provide a yes or no to me via PM within the next 72 hours!​

 

[Sand Council]

While the two had seemingly reached an impasse, where the encounter, while brief, would be coming to a end, there would the sounds of a roaring crowd that would seemingly spark up out of nowhere. The noise, sudden and without warning, would sounds like the gathering of a sporting event cheering on an event. There would be no reason, nor would this be the appropriate location, but the sound would definitely be intriguing if nothing else. What in the world could possibly be happening?

If our two adventures decided to venture forward, down the street roughly a block, they would come across a large crowd gathering. The crowd would be a true melting pot of the Grand Palais. There would be the poor, the rich, the middle class, shinobi, civilians, criminal elements and the shadiest of those who venture in the slums of the village. All of them, while sharing very little in common, would be enthralled in watching a singular event; two men beating the hell out of each other.

"Oh my goodness, two more again?"
"Yep! Like the fifth fight this month!"
"Never a repeat... kinda stinks..."

The two men paced around the crowd created ring, panting and grunting. Their eyes, movements and expressions almost seemed feral. One oddity about the men was that both seemed to be incredibly muscular, as if their muscles were literally about to pop out of their bodies.

"Geez, these son'bitches are gettin bigger, huh?"

The pacing would continue for a moment longer before the two would once more lunge out at each other. The fight would continue as the crowd roared. Within the crowd, one figure would simply be observing, not really caught up in the spectacle but would not remove his eyes from the scene. His attire was white, almost surgical, and upon his face was a pair of glasses. His hair was white as the coat upon him and his expression was calm to the point of almost emotionless. He would continue to watch the action.

Maybe, within the envelop Yatamaru carried, he would find instructions to lead him further down his rabbit whole. Clearly whatever was happening was becoming a common occurrence, but was it simply a fight club gaining steam?

-------------------------------
OOC: Yatamaru, if you would like me to add a note detailing an objective in your envelope let me know, if not you can make up the contents but if you want it to tie into this event just make it about observing a white haired medic that mysteriously appeared in the slums at the same time as people have started disappearing. Remember, the game is Observation, but this is an adventure that will be shaped by your actions/inactions. Feel free to do what you feel and we will play for a lil bit [insert evil laugh].

 

[Teke]

She'd raised her hand to wave the man off as he stood. She'd said her piece and if he had work to do, who was she to really stop him? That was until his offer came and she was more than a little interested. She watched him carefully for a moment, to see if there was anything odd about his invitation but quickly shook that thought away and pushed herself up from the bench with a cheeky smile. "Sure! I could use the distraction and this could be good stuff for later." She commented as she took some steps to catch up with him. When she referred to the experience being useful she meant with her training once she entered the ANBU corps, this was a very useful life lesson on top of that and she was all about improving her already perfect self.

As the pair stood in the middle of the street preparing to move out to their destination, a roar of people almost reminiscent of a riot filled the streets. "Woah, this reminds me of the Asylum a little..." She commented, thinking back to some of the louder patients who tended to set off a chain reaction late into the nights, watching the orderlies try to quell them was about the most exciting her life got back then. "That sounds pretty interesting, got time to check it out?" She asked up to him with a look of curiosity twinkling in her eyes before she broke off into a half jog half skip toward the source of the commotion.

Regardless of whether Fuu decided to follow her or not this was to fun to pass up and upon seeing the size of the crowd she didn;t regret her decision one bit. Being on the shorter side of the spectrum she couldn't exactly tell what was happening but the crowd was obviously circled around someone or something and she intended to get front row seats. "Okay assholes! Out of my way before I make you move!" She yelled in a commanding voice possible only by the brattiest of young ladies. A couple of the crowd turned back to her and gave her a look that could only be described as contempt before getting back to their cheering and jeering. Teke narrowed her eyes and instantly an arching blue aura jumped and sparked across her exposed skin and jumped out at the people stood in her way. "I said move, you fucks!" She scolded at the blue electricity jumps at and zapped people until they moved an adequate amount out of her way, she used this method till she was at the front of the inner circle, leaving enough room for Fuu if he'd also followed along, which she assumed he would, she was pleased with what she saw, releasing the aura around her at this point.

A smile crept onto her lips as she watched the two bloated men eyeing each other up, it wasn't fully apparent but this looked to her like it could be a fight to the death. The feral look in each of their eyes meant this was likely to be bloody and violent, just how she liked it. "I call dibs on the loser!" She called out into the crowd with a shark-toothed grin plastered to her lips.

[WC - 555]
[Jutsu Used: Volt Charge - Master Rank]

 

[Kazu]

"Excellent." I can't wait to see what she's capable of.

Yatamaru waited patiently as she caught up to him, wondering whether her enthusiasm was an asset or a hindrance to her progress. I suppose that depends on her skill level, huh? He shook the thought from his head, opting instead to briefly explain their mission. "Now, our goal today is to do some surveillance. Apparently there's a shady individual around these parts, and-" Suddenly, a roar of sound exploded from a block or two over. That must be where he is. The little carnivore seemed excited by this outburst, practically jumping with giddiness at the thought of checking it out. "Of course. I was about to get to this, actually, but that crowd is actually-" She was gone. Holy shit, I'm a terrible teacher.

Twirling around with speed that would make a professional ballerina envious, Yatamaru spotted the little pipsqueak running straight towards the crowd. "Hey! Get back here!" One thing was certain: she really reminded him of himself at that age. Thank the Mother that discipline and patience can be taught. With strides twice the length of hers, the undercover agent caught up just in time to hear her curse out the other spectators. He could barely contain the small chortles that her tirade had caused. "Now, now, you'll catch more flies with-" Was this going to be a habit, her interrupting him? Before he could even finish his sentence, the little hellion had already started electrocuting civilians in order to get her way. Let's add subtlety to the list of 'things to improve on.'

As Teke cleared a path for them, Yatamaru began to scope out the crowd. While he hadn't gotten a chance to explain to Teke yet, this was exactly where they needed to be. He'd been assigned to learn more about a certain shady individual, whose public appearances matched up a little too closely with the start of these impromptu death matches. 'A white haired medic' was the only description he'd gotten — sure enough, one man in particular, who fit the description completely, seemed to stand out from the rest of the crowd. The way he looks at them, it's almost like he's watching an experiment. That had to be the target, or else Yatamaru was a real boy after all.

Just before Teke could reach the front of the crowd, Yatamaru pulled her back towards him. He turned her around, so that she could see how deathly serious he was when he said this, and held her in place with both hands on her shoulders. "I know this is fun, but there may very well be lives at stake here. Remember that, and know that our target is already here. He's probably watching us already." He watched her reaction, making sure she fully understood the gravity of this situation. They could very easily be walking into a trap, and a novice like Teke — no matter how ferocious and skilled — would need to be on guard.

"Now, you see that guy over there?" He motioned with his eyes towards where the medic was standing, so as not to draw any more attention to them. "He's our target. Let's watch him for a little bit, see what he does. Our goal is to find out what he's up to, not scare him away by being too direct with him." He'd pat her head as he stood up, ruffling her hair a little as if to give her a hard time about all the stunts she'd just pulled. She's sure to hate that. "Act natural, kid. Looks like the show is just starting."

[ooc: The letter was just a McGuffin, I'm going to RP this like Yatamaru knew what the mission was from the beginning.]

 

[Sand Council]

The members of the crowd would clear out as the agitated, and agitating, girl made her march forward. The looks of disdain from those she crossed would seemingly dissipate almost the moment that they were formed. The members of this audience, while taking in and acknowledging the newest onlooker, would maintain a strong fixation on the event that was fixing to unfold. The white haired man was no different in that regard, as his eyes did not seem to be drawn away from the fighters even though the young female had originally entered the scene causing a very minor ruckus. The collective gaze, barring the two newcomers, was locked onto the combatants.

The anticipation would reach a fever pitch and then the two fighters would charge one another. The men snarled and growled as their hulking forms slammed into one another. The sound of flesh, bone and muscle slapping into one another would echo through the now silent makeshift ring. The force of the punches, the tackles and even the mere flexing of the men seemed to subtly vibrate the area. While the vast majority would miss this, there would seem to be a chakra exuding from the two fighters. Now this detail would be difficult for those without some sensitivity to chakra or a chakra sensing skill, but just merely being attuned to chakra as a shinobi would allow them to sense this energy emanating in the area. It would be a dark, heavy, choking feeling, almost like a think fog was slowly creeping through the audience.

Meanwhile, the intended target, the man in the white coat, would merely stand there. His appearance made it seem like he was deep in thought, or deeply analyzing what was unfolding before him. His facial expression would still be calm, almost a pleasant and soothing looking face, and he did not seem to make any threatening gestures or seem to really have any cares in this world. Maybe the man in the white coat, the figure that had been reported appearing during the time of the mass disappearances in the Grand Palais was merely a coincidence and not correlated?

While the two watchers would need to rack their brains over that, another matter would start to present itself. The thick chakra sensation that seemed to be engulfing, choking, the area would apparently start to impact those. Everyone in the crowd, barring those with chakra related training, seemed to be showing signs of strain. Sweat accumulated as if the people were sitting in a sauna, while shinobi would feel the thick growing sensation but would not notice any cause for perspiration. It would be hard to discern if the fighters were also feeling this sensation, or if they were the cause of it, as they would be sweaty from their continued conflict. If our two watchers glanced around their surroundings they would notice, aside from people sweating, a few individuals who were not, including the man in the white coat, and also begin to witness individuals starting to collapse. Even in this condition, people would remain affixed to the battle, only casually noticing those passing out around them.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly for our onlookers, their target would make his first move as he would take his gaze off the action and begin to scan around the crowd as well. Within seconds his eyes would pass over Teke and Yatamaru, if nothing else registering them as people not feeling the effects the rest of the crowd were. Would this matter? What was causing the sudden incident? Was the man in the white coat related to this current situation playing out? What will our young watchers do?

"Man in the White Coat"​

 

[Kazu]

”Shit.” What the hell is wrong with these people?

Things were happening fast. The fighters were exuding something menacing, unlike anything Yatamaru had seen before. Such dark chakra, and these two don’t even look like shinobi! Something’s wrong. This dark, invasive energy began to spread its malicious tendrils out in all directions. Whatever it was, it was placing far too much stress on these civilian’s bodies. One by one, the audience began to drop. But why only civilians? Is this some sort of chakra-inducing technique? Yatamaru didn’t really want to find out. Whatever this plan was, it was cruel and inhumane.

Of course Yatamaru noticed their target noticing them. It was his job to notice these things. The hard part was trying to figure out what to do about it. If I make a move too early, he’ll know we’re onto him and might try to escape. If he already knowns we’re onto us, he could be leading us into a trap. I need more information. I need evidence. Yatamaru needed to establish a connection. An involvement. If I was involved right now, trying to gather evidence, the most frustrating thing would be…

…oh yes, that’ll do.

”Teke,” Yatamaru’s voice was hushed, yet terse. He was not joking, and expected her full cooperation. ”Stay on guard. I don’t know what he might do.” With his warning given, he proceeded with the plan. As the two fighters continued to wail on each other, two tendrils of sand would snake up their legs. The rate of flow rapidly increased, within seconds having grown to consume them both up to their chests. Within seconds more, only their faces would be exposed.

”Gentleman!” Yatamaru called out to the combatants, and the audience at large. There was only one person he wanted to hear him speak, though. ”Stop this senselessness! Can’t you see the harm it’s causing? Let’s just cool off a moment here?” If I were a petulant man-child who thought he had the right to test something on innocent civilians, I’d be really pissed if some asshole came and ruined everything. Yatamaru was fine with being an asshole — just so long as he didn’t waste any bait, so to speak.

Or maybe he'll try to run? That's a distinct possibility. He had a plan for that, but he wanted to wait until it was absolutely necessary. If he moves, or if anyone else does, I'll make their escape one hell of an ordeal.

Actions:
Cast Sand Tsunami on the two fighters.
Conditional: If anyone in the vicinity tries to make a run for it, cast Desertification on all in the thread.

 

[Teke]

Teke took note of the guy that was pointed out to her, he certainly seemed to stand out among the rabble of cheers and jeers, more so than even herself who was somewhat joining in on the frivolities. She was happy to observe him from a distance and simply enjoy some of the combat going on before her, it hadn't escaped her mind that these men were clearly not normal, in fact, a lot if not the whole crowd seemed just as driven to see blood spilled in the name of fun. Usually, that would be a thing she alone yearned and that's what made it all seemed so off to her.

She turned her cats' eyes away from the fighting for but a moment, looking up to Fuu and said. "This feels familiar... like... home..." She couldn't quite place it but something about the inherent darkness reminded her of her family, perhaps her clan had been inflicted by something similar long ago, maybe she was unaffected by it because she had a similar energy in or around her already, it was as good a guess as the girl had right now anyway.

Teke would take the older mans instructions with a pinch of salt, as she was prone to do with, well everyone. She wasn't stupid enough to just ignore things that made sense however, her pride wasn't quite at that level just yet. She turned back to the steam pit that was the two fighting men, this was indeed all so similar to her tribe life, though she was too young to really know what it was all about back then. "Don't worry, humans are my specialty." She said with a grin before readying herself alongside the man, only she was focused solely on the man in the white coat. "He can still talk without legs and arms, it's nearly dinner time." Unbeknownst to all around the girls lust for flesh was slowly building, the atmosphere rubbing her in just the way it needed to without turning her into a blathering beast like those around her, Fuu though would probably notice the girls body becoming hotter and sweat forming on her brow and drool coming from the corners of her mouth all of a sudden as her eyes got a crazed look in them.

[MFT - 386]

- Cast Immolation Armour on self

Conditionals;
- If the man in the white jacket tries to move at all or target either herself or Fuu with an attack cast; Lightning Torrent w/ Special Action 2

Spoiler

Special Action: By paying .5 Ap and the maintenance cost, the user may maintain this technique as a stream of electricity. This deals 30% of the damage at +2 Accuracy with -6% chance of 'electrocuting' the target(s). This may target a different target if the user wishes, or the same one. This may be done up to three times per Jutsu use.

- If bound by anyone, use special action of immolation armour to attempt escape.

Spoiler

Special Action - Burnout: While active, the user may pay the maintain cost with their HP to forcibly end this technique in a single burst of flames emitted from the users body. If used while bound this floods the body with heat and counts as an escape attempt with x2.5 of the escape chance. This Jutsu cannot be recast for a full round.

 

[Sand Council]

It was true, one way to really mess with the man in the white coat was to simply be a hero. Yet, for a man such as him to not consider heroes doing heroic things would have been foolish. A easy to deduce outcome, but what also had to be factored in was this; no real hero is perfect. Much like our two current heroes. While they were both taking steps outwardly to aid the scene, both were merely acting in their selfish impulse to take on the man in the white coat. Would that be wise?

His eyes would pass over the two shinobi, easily identified for various different reasons. While both did not falter from the infecting fog, they each managed to create another reason to be noticed. Fuu's flashy entrance and words and Teke's feral glare. One was playing a hero but not to save lives but to provoke and the other was not even attempting to play hero. They were more like a wild animal waiting on their prey to make a move.

The man in the white coat was not here to fight, nor did he really care for fighting in such a crude method. Just with one look, he could only imagine the barbarianism that the frothing faced female must use in her battle styles. So instead of riling up the two purveyors of good, he would merely turn his attention downward to a notebook in his hand. It seemed he had seen something noteworthy, or maybe this whole scene was noteworthy.

While he jotted down in his book, the crowd would suddenly take a turn for the worse. All around Teke and Fuu people would begin hemorrhaging blood from every visible orifice as their bodies would start to violently shake. Men, women, children, those who had collapsed previously and those who did not originally seem to be as impacted by whatever sensation was spreading through the crowd would all begin to experience the same violent symptoms. Much like a moment out of a horror novel, the crowd looked and sounded awful.

The two brutes that had been slowly encased in the sand, while attempting to struggle and free themselves, would also begin to exhibit the same symptoms of crowd. Only having their heads exposed would make it that much easier to see the blood rushing from their tear ducts, mouth, nostril and ears. Their skin would begin to discolor as their yells of adrenaline fueled rage would turn to screams of agonizing pain.

Only three people would not be showing any signs of the rest of the crowd; Fuu, Teke and the man in the white coat, but that would not be the extent of the situation. The sounds of slowly and painfully dying crowd would begin to spark the interest of those nearby. Shoppers, business people, criminals, families, all forms of rubberneckers would begin to make their way towards the scene.

In this moment our heroes had to take into account the following; the dying crowd, the healthy encroaching crowd and the man in the white coat. Could they afford to continue to focus on the man in the midst of this carnage? Could they afford the lives of those currently dying? How long before those entering the scene would also be affected? How long until all of the Grand Palais was consumed in this madness.

While those thoughts were pondered, the man in the white coat would glance up at his surroundings. With a nod, as if he confirmed something to himself or was just acknowledging the current scene, he would return to his note taking.

"Man in the White Coat"​

 

[Kazu]

It seems his bluff had just been called. God damn gambler's luck! You're supposed to only follow me around the casinos!

Yatamaru had figured a ruined test would provoke some sort of reaction from his suspect, like anger, or frustration, that could indicate a sense of investment or loss; however, it seems he'd underestimated just how little the White Coated Man cared for the people around him. All he did was scribble in his notebook, this whole time. Why get upset about a failed experiment when test subjects are cheap and plentiful? That must be what he's thinking, or else he should have made a move by now. Yatamaru paused to think. Circuits fired. Crackling. Teke might even have been able to feel it, had the young girl been paying attention.

Then it hit him. What if he's already gotten what he needs? Either that or he just had balls of steel. Maybe both? It was yet to be seen.

One thing was for certain: he really liked that book.

Yatamaru blinked, and suddenly he didn't have anymore time to be thinking. Blood</I><i></i>, <I>everywhere! The surviving trio painted a picture, formed a pattern, made a set, or however other way you wanted to say it — Yatamaru had a hunch as to why they weren't affected, assuming their white coated friend was chakra-sensitive as he predicted. His theory could have merit, but they'd yet to see the man do anything with chakra. And yet, something in the puppeteer's gut told him that this guy wasn't the type to slip up. He's a stone cold professional.

Then it hit him, again. What if I don't need to see him doing something. I just need evidence. In times like these, he was thankful for his particular skill set. Multiple skill sets, actually.

This guy wasn't the only one with a poker face. Yatamaru was launching a silent invasion, without moving a muscle or fighting back, that could earn them some interesting knowledge. He cast out his chakra threads, like tiny extensions of his own arms, out into the crowd. Weaving. Sliding. Maneuvering. His target: the book. He would snatch the man's own field notes from under his nose. If he tried to run, he'd capture him too. The mission was to observe, but this had just devolved into a hellish nightmare — or in Teke's case, a nostalgic wonderland — that demanded something complete different, and far more direct, of him.

Speaking of Teke, she seemed to be wigging out a bit. "Stay with me, Teke!" Was it affecting her too? It wasn't the same, but it definitely evoked something in her. Something primal. "If you need to blow off some steam, how about you do crowd control?" He gestured towards the gathering crowds, hoping that there was still some logic left in her awakened, bloodthirsty, mind. "We need to keep them away. Don't hurt them, just make sure they don't get too close. Make them know it's dangerous, you understand? They might get contaminated, too!"

He entrusted her with that. He entire being was focused on his threads, guiding them to snatch the book. If they could grab the book, and the suspect, they'd have all the evidence they needed. I'm not letting this one get away.

Actions
Try to steal the man's book using chakra threads.
Conditional: If anyone in the vicinity tries to make a run for it, cast Desertification on all in the thread.

 

[Sand Council]

The chaos of the situation finally seemed to catch up to them, our two heroes of the moment. While One tried to keep from attacking outright, the other tried to do it all. He worked to keep the panic contained while still keeping his eyes on the prize. Instead of outright attacking the man in the white coat, Yatamaru would use a rather stealthy method to approach the man and take hold of his possession; his notebook. While the chakra threads continued to approach the man would once more begin to frantically jot down notes before having the item harshly taken from him. In this moment, however brief and sudden it might have all been, the man's expression would finally change. A look of confusion would quickly morph into that of searing frustration. His hand would launch outward towards the book that was being pulled away from him, only to have himself seemingly get caught into the threads. This would appear to be a complete and utter success for the skilled and patient Yatamaru, barring the maddening scene that was still unfolding. However, this was not a story destined for a complete happy ending. While the book would indeed now be in the ANBU's possession, the figure that laid entwined his his threads would not be as authentic. The pained expression on the man in the white coat would turn to a smirk as his skin would rapidly begin to change to a green hue as he would lunge outward. While he was too far away from the one who had trapped him, the figure would instead lunge into the bodies before him. It would quickly become apparent that this was not the true man in the white coat, but a clone made entirely of acid. The Acid Clone's body would break down into a wave of liquid that would wash over the already hellish scene before him. It would seem, however, that the clone may have actually had a true target as portions of its acid would land upon the face of the exposed hulks that had been captured earlier. An effort to either silence loose ends more than likely.

This would be a mess that would not be easily cleaned up, and for the true man in the white coat that was for the best. Upon a seated perch some distance away from the scene, the actual figure would be found sitting surrounded by three other figures in coats. One of the figures would hold his hand out as a crystal eye would come slowly returning to him.

"That seems to have been the end of the experiment, doctor. The shinobi have confiscated the clone's book."

The man in the white coat, eyes hidden behind a reflection of light over his spectacles, would remain calm upon hearing this news, which was the opposite of is clone.

"Expected. Sending an inferior version of me could only lead to inferior results. What of the two subjects and the gas?"

"The two subjects seemed to break down rapidly after utilizing the synthetic chakra crystals. The fail safe mechanism, the chakra poisoning gas, seemed to work highly effective against those without much chakra. The shinobi and the clone were unphased."

"Interesting. Were the shinobi suspicious of me from the start?"

"It appeared that way."

"Oh my, well I will need you to have the memory pulled from you so I can observe my new admirers. I truly hope someone interesting get's a hold of that notebook, if my new friends choose to pass it along to someone else."

A sinister cackle would erupt from the man who no longer held the composure the clone seemed to eminate. A twisted expression resided upon his face. This would not be the last time this man and his work crossed paths with those in the village, or those two who interfered with the work today.

[RCE has ended]

"Man in the White Coat"​

OOC: Sorry about the delay, but with the absence in posting from Teke I've decided to resolve this matter. My apologies for this lasting as long as it did, it was intended to go by a lot quicker.

Rewards: Yatamaru is now in possession of "Lab Book #89: Suna Slums". This special item can serve as a means of furthering your own plot or using it to get integrated into a large plot within the village (I will type up some information about what can be found in the book for you, but spoiler alert Sovereign related) and can be used to begin a specialized mission, a Quest Adventure if you will, whenever you want to utilize it.

Teke and Yatamaru - once you reach the word count total for an S-Rank mission, if you haven't already, you can redeem this thread for S-Rank mission rewards.

Thank you for playing with me, and hopefully it will happen again in the future >=]