Ark You Tek Ture [Calling Journeymen]

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward worked at the great forge as he awaited his fellow Journeymen to emerge and to join him in this new project he was working on. He had summoned as many as he could, but he was hoping that Roku and Riyota in particular would come. Sousuke's mechanical hand grasped the hammer. No. He swapped hands. Instead of his mechanical hand, it was his flesh one. He gripped the hammer hard and lifted it. He lifted it up high and brought it down upon slab of Takahashi fire-forged steel. Sparks flew as he brought the hammer down again and again. There was a musical quality to it. Something harmonious and something soothing in it. The Steward worked, and worked, and worked while he waited for others to join him.

The Steward wore mesh clothing of a sort. His mechanical features were very much present. The mesh he wore was a light grey, and he wore a visor faceguard. One could never be too safe when working with the material they worked with. Elemental metals sometimes could be a fickle thing, and one could be greatly harmed if they underestimated what they worked with. Sousuke would raise the visor up as he inspect the sheet of metal he was working on. It looked like it was going to be a mount for something. Upon being satisfied, he would place it on the side and begin working on the next slab. He half expected one of two things to occur, the first being Roku would emerge tired and angry about things. The other was that ... well given Riyota's past... Sousuke hoped the two of them could put together their differences and work towards something greater or superior for the village as a whole.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Sousuke's summons had been brief and vague, merely listing a time, a place and the big picture goal of "Benefitting the Village." Riyota had no clue what was going to be asked of him, but it wouldn't reflect well on him to miss his first proper meeting as a Journeyman. Packing up his various things, making sure to bring his hammer with him, he strapped some protective goggles on to his forehead and left the house. Dressed in usual attire, except without his usual jacket, seeing as that would likely get in the way.

Eventually he arrived in the halls of the Journeyman, quite quiet around this time. He assumed most of them would be meeting with Sousuke just as he was about to. Unfortunately the young man did not possess some kind of timekeeping device, so he just had to hope beyond hopes that he wasn't late. He quickened his pace a tad just to be on the safe side. Already expecting the annoyed look of the other artisans as the door creaked open mid-speech.

After a short while he found himself at the area he was summoned to. To his surprise, no-one else was present apart from the mechanical steward himself. Whom was busy hammering away at a burning slab of metal. Riyota watched in silent admiration as the Sousuke worked, only speaking up once he had concluded with his current piece. "S-sorry, did I get the day wrong? I just thought there'd be more people..." He stammered, stepping forward slightly so Sousuke could acknowledge his presence.

 

[Raizo]

I don't think this body has much more time... I guess I need to get the most out of it... leave things the best I can...

It was seemingly a coincidence that Sousuke's summon came when it did. He would come strolling in slightly after Riyota. There wouldn't be anger, there wouldn't be a sign or a yawn. No, he would simply approach the former-Kazekage and await what was next. He would glance over to the younger of the trio. It wouldn't even take a fraction of a second, he would almost immediately recognize the young man.

"Whatever it is Sousuke is asking us to do, we will do it and then you and I need to have a word, idiot."

On one hand, it was nice that the individual had survived his arm missing moment. If anything, it was a testament to his idiocy carrying some merit as he at least had enough survivability to withstand his personality 'quirks'. That said, however, the young gentleman not only interfered with him but also had the balls to threaten him. There was no point writing such a large check if he didn't have the funds to back it. He would be soon cashing in on that opportunity.

The big thing right now was assisting whatever task Sousuke was wanting. His friend's plan would easily supersede the side plot between the two other Journeymen present. He would look down at his hands, both looked normal, well as normal as a martial artist's hands could, except one was merely a sophisticated prosthesis supplied by the other group of Journeymen that seemed to be working on their own. He wondered if Sousuke knew about that subgroup... and their own dealings.

"So, whats up Bro-Kage?"

MFT - 290

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke held his head for a moment while Roku and Riyota would meet. Oh yes. This. This was going to be hard. The Steward had to wonder was it because he was in league in Akkuma in the past, or if this was because of that moment involving that weird debacle involving Kyuji. Either way the good thing was that this did not come to blows. The other thing too seemed that Roku was going to put things aside for the moment. "Well, the two of you clearly know each other, but I'm going to put the introductions on the table anyways. Roku, Riyota. Riyota, Roku."<i></i> Sousuke would state for the simple fact of necessity. He wasn't going to talk about Roku's alter egos, and he wasn't going to talk about Riyota's crusade against Akkuma's clan.

"Our battle with Sora are escalating. It's only going to be a matter of time when he figures out I've been disrupting his slave trade. Roku is the one we have to thank for that intelligence. By proxy ... less supplies are moving into Sora, but they are being repurposed for the fringe communities."<i></i> He would spoke frankly. Sousuke was fighting the Daimyo in the deep dark night, and Roku's declaration of war had in a way dragged his methods into the light. Somewhat. It was going to take them sometime to figure out what was going on. Suffice to say Sousuke had been very quiet about his own personal situation, but curiously he revealed it on the table to both players at the table.

"We're going to need to fortify the gates and take pressure off of the dojo as our primary entry point."<i></i> Sousuke would form hand seals to show the design he had in mind. Originally he was working on a very artistic version of the gates, but this was something far less artistic, and far more solid, and perhaps to an extent it was imposing. Thick walls that had would even take Barynx a while to break through. The idea was to keep the village on the inside, and even the Toraono Dojo was not going to be independent or outside the wall, it was going to be on the inside.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

The hairs on the back of Riyota's neck stood up even before Roku had said a word. His mere presence sparked a strange reaction from Riyota it seemed. He would cast his eyes over to see the other man standing. Roku, for his part did not seem affected by Riyota's presence here and seemed mostly indifferent to the entire situation. After he was done talking Riyota would roll his eyes and retort "Glad to see you're still just an ever-present ray of sunshine." As Sousuke put introductions out in order to ease tensions Riyota would do his best to swallow his pride for the time being and would extend out his real hand. "I can finally put a face to a name. Nice to meet you, Roku..." He would say with extreme effort on his part.

That concluded, he would turn his attention back to Sousuke, who explained how the war situation had developed. For his part Riyota had barely contributed to the war effort. He had received no such assignments to do anything for it. Instead it seemed the village wished him to remain and act as a tutor for younger Shinobi. He decided now was not the time to bring this up.

As the design was shown to them both Riyota would immediately set to work examining it, looking at every single angle and point on it with an inquisitive eye. Looking for any potential faults or weaknesses. He kept looking as he spoke. "What do we plan to make this out of?" He asked, "Traditional Steel? Something stronger? Perhaps something elemental?" He looked it over again. "Is there plans for more defences on the gates or are we relying entirely on fortifying it like a wall?" He asked, none of his questions would be asked in an accusatory manner, more one of curiosity.

 

[Raizo]

An extended hand after an eye roll, it was definitely an interesting choice. He, however, wasn't here to put on some show of being cordial. Sousuke knew Roku enough to realize once he had his mind made up about someone that it would take an act of of some higher power to change that opinion. His first impression of this boy was rather cut and dry; he allowed his emotions to easily overtake any semblance of logic that a trained shinobi should have. Sure, he understood why a young man would go to such lengths for a woman, but his complete butchering of the situation. It was too much to look past.

There would be no returned extended arm, there would be no handshake. He had done his part by not beating the ever loving hell out of the youngster, instead keeping it simplistically civil as possible. His attention would remain with Sousuke as he expressed what it was he was wanting to get accomplished.

"Just let me know what you need me to do, Sousuke. I'm sure you are aware the time isn't on our side in this effort."


OOC - Sorry for short post, but this fell off my radar so just wanted to keep it moving =[

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would notice the lack of comradeship between his two fellow Journeymen. In truth he wished that Yatamaru was present. The first being that he was an adept socialite of sorts. The other part was ... well he would be capable of getting these two to relax better. It made Sousuke look inward for a moment and consider if the old socialite playboy Roku would have been any different. Probably. Yet that Roku was long gone, much like Sousuke's fleshy arm, or his legs. Still though, Sousuke had to try and get this unit working. He was stuck trying to figure out the best method of doing this. It wasn't like the Steward was going to beat their heads together to try and make them like each other. Sousuke's mind sort of snapped to when Roku spoke to him directly. His gaze then shifted over to Riyota. The Head Journeyman replayed the last few seconds in his head. "We're going to create a new elemental metal today. We're going to push beyond Takahashi Fire-Forged Steel and create something more. We're going to make plasma steel."<i></i> He announced. It was something of a strange reveal. "The problem is ... we're almost there. We're 89% of the way there, but my tech overheats and shuts down. I need someone else to split the heating process with. The overheating issue was a problem that I had faced a long time ago with my MkII armour."<i></i> Roku of all people might have heard that name from quite a while back. Sousuke had been sporting his MkII during the time when they had initially met. That was a long time ago, for some, and it was a very annoying issue that Sousuke seemed to take personally that it had returned.

"Let's put our skillsets on the table. I'm proficient in photonic jutsu, plasma jutsu, fire jutsu, lightning jutsu. Those are the most immediate elements that come to mind in terms of having to do with actual raw heat."<i></i> He would look over to Roku, and then to Riyota. He knew both of them had some idea and some forging techniques. Riyota knew more metals than most, and Roku had been making his own equipment. "The idea is to get the entire village fortified, but then we have to expand it and get the Toraono dojo encased. Toraono Kuro and his family have been far too confident in their ... "<i></i> Sousuke was trying to find the correct word to use for this. "ability to protect the dojo. Kuro himself made a trip into Sora single handedly and remarkably escaped being uncorrupted by the Daimyo. The Daimyo is not above brain washing people as is evident with ..."<i></i> The Lord Seward paused for a moment. Speaking about Uri in general was hard. Uri had betrayed Sungakure, betrayed Sousuke, and was forgiven. Between the two present, only Roku knew of this and perhaps had an inkling of how it had deeply disturbed the Steward. "Uri."<i></i> Sousuke finally added. Even Sousuke was capable of getting slightly emotional at times.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota certainly didn't want to be friends with Roku, but it seemed Roku wasn't even interested in being cordial. That suited Riyota fine, it gave him a step up on the moral high ground for the time being, now was not the time for one-upping the older Shinobi. Now was the time for defensive planning. It seemed Sousuke had plans for an all new elemental metal. Many of which Riyota had been studying, or at least trying to study recently. Creating an entirely new one though was something he had never even thought to attempt and as such the prospect was both interesting and terrifying to him.

In response to Sousuke's call for their various affinities Riyota spoke up. "Well I'm proficient in Fire, Earth and Explosive Jutsu, but recently I've been learning the other base elements and I'm starting to get the hang of metal Jutsu." He conveyed his point by forming a small metal ball in his palm. "So...hopefully that can be of use?" He suggested. It was unlikely his skill with explosives was going to play a particularly important role here, unless they wanted to test the strength of the metal.

"Just tell me what you need from me and I'll do my utmost to get it done." He told Sousuke, the same serious glint in his eye that he got whenever it came to something interesting in this line of work.

 

[Raizo]

It was nice to hear that the foolishness of the Toraono, especially the head figure of that clan, was becoming more and more of a talking point. A clan that had once been something amazing that had recently turned to smuggling in and protecting a criminal gang like the Miroku, their fall from grace had been a long time coming. If only he had cared enough to know the name of the little shit next to him he would have immediately dropped his act of being cordial, the whole act of not beating the little idiot senseless, and would have focused solely on dropping the young man to the dirt. However, the way the Miroku spread was never by blood and always through picking up strays, and because of that Riyota had a previous surname before his adoption into the cult of dumbasses. Would it have matter that the boy was also distancing himself from his 'father'? It would have to wait until a different time for that story to play out.

"Proficient with all base elements and past that, in terms of ninjutsu, I am a dabbler in Wood, Ice, Kinesis, Vapor and recently start working on Crystal. Haven't really branched too much into Fire outside of the base, so not much on being a furnace."

For whatever reason, it seemed that he had a stronger predisposition for elements that were aligned with Water in some way, yet that entire realization and overall change to his body had not occurred yet.

OOC: Taking place before my Kin and CA change, just a note for my own continuity.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke said nothing and placed his index fingers on his forehead. He was focusing with the new data he was being given. In a few seconds his hands would move and zip back and forth as if he had a piece of chalk in his hands and was working on a blackboard. Curiously mathematical symbols born of fire and others of electricity appeared as he continued to do the calculations. Once he was finished his calculations he would allow his hands to fall to his sides. "Alright. This might turn out better than what I thought it might."<i></i> He began, "Roku will begin with a fire jutsu. Then I will combine it with my own plasma techniques, Riyota will further increase heat with an explosive jutsu. Presuming we can maintain heat consistently for seven minutes ... and forty-two seconds we should be able to-- no make that seven minutes and fifty-six seconds, we might be able to pressurize the metal and the heat to force fuse it into a new type of metal."<i></i> He held up his hand one more time and seeming worked a few more invisible calculations out. The Steward's eyes would turn skyward as he was again toying with the numbers again. He pointed over to Roku, "Well, we might need an icebreaker temper in effect, so ... we may need an ice jutsu to be used at the eight minute, and twelve second point."<i></i>

Sousuke would look to Riyota, then to Roku, then back to Riyota. "Alright. Are the two of you ready to begin then? The metallic block I have for this is well..."<i></i> He would motion for the two of them to come with him. The Steward would lead the two of them down to finding a large block, it was one hundred meters wide, tall, and depth. The Steward would make an awkward gesture of sorts now. He held up his flesh and his index middle, and ring fingers would make a slapping sound against the lower palm. Some called this the sound of one hand clapping. He looked at the block at then to the two present. "I'd like to think the both of you are open to the challenge for doing this? Sometimes one has to run before they can walk, absurd saying but ... I have heard it spoken before. I don't really agree with the words used in the saying, but most times I don't get sayings as a whole anyways."<i></i>

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota could practically feel the contempt Roku held for him being sent his direction, it would seem that the older Shinobi struggled with letting this go, and was likely content to hold a grudge and die mad about it. That was his prerogative. If he got through his day to day by glaring angrily at those he disliked, that was down to him. Riyota for his part, wouldn't mind seeing a bit of humility smacked into the other man, but he wasn't going to be starting any fights. He was invested in what Sousuke was proposing to him, and despite less than favourable company. He wanted to help it succeed.

The steward explained the plan to them both, outlining what they would both need to do to assist the melting process. It seemed Riyota had a very simple task. Still though he made sure to simplify it within his own mind. 'Right, so everyone's going to be doing things and Sousuke will be deciding the timing, just gotta listen out for it. Angry dude is starting, Sousuke's directing and I'm providing oomph. Right so...He's the trigger, Sousuke's the sight and I'm the powder..." He mentally calculated, relating this scenario to the blueprints for a firearm he had studied once.

"I'm all set, just say when!" He confirmed enthusiastically. Stepping back and waiting for the other two to begin their parts.

Once Sousuke gave the order Riyota would begin the handseals for a simple fire jutsu, swiftly after its formation, he would crush it between his hands and form a more intense flame that seeped through the gaps in his fingers. All within about a second. The flame would cover the palms of his hands and in pulses, fiery explosive force would erupt and be directed into the melting pot, each burst spiking the heat and intensifying the roar of the flame. Making it hotter and hotter and brighter and brighter.

 

[Raizo]

The plan would be laid out before them and within moments things would begin to kick start. Upon hearing the word from Sousuke to begin, he would start his own series of handseals as Riyota started his own prep work. Aiming at the block of metal, a torrent of flames would be unleashed from the palms of his hands. The flames would go rushing towards the block, shifting into the visage of dragon before slamming into the chunk of material. Sousuke would more than likely continue giving them the precise times to act, and without much of a hitch Riyota would join in with his more advanced heating element, Explosives. From that point it would become a holding game. His chakra would continue to pour out through his hands as the stream of fire would continue to be unleashed.

I guess I never realized the strain from holding a jutsu out for this long, especially one that was never intended to be maintained for a long period of time.... shit, I think I might be out of ninjutsu shape...

"Just let me know when you want the cold, Sousuke..."

The voice would sound a bit strained as droplets of sweat were collecting upon his forehead before scaling down the sides of his face. However, he would persevere in his efforts. Nearing the end point of the calculated time, he would await the order from Sousuke to stop using his fire and utilize his ice based jutsu. If it was required and it was asked, he would drop his Dragon Flame Bomb jutsu, take a moment to sigh and wipe the sweat from his face before quickly performing another set of hand seals. Within just a few seconds he would once more be seen holding his hands out, but this time a blast of ice infused chakra would shoot forth and slam into the metallic lump. Once given the final signal he would conclude his jutsu and await to see what Sousuke was able to accomplish with their efforts.

OOC: Taking place before my Kin and CA change, just a note for my own continuity.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would hold out his flesh arm and metal would creep in from his sleeves to coat his arm in metal. This was one of his low key armoured suits. The other arm was already mechanical by nature. His hands would open and close as he began to focus. Where there is fire, there is power.The Steward's eyes focus for a moment. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One."<i></i> He would raise both of his arms and open his palms and he would blast the metal. He was focused and consistent with the heat. Battles with the Steward did not last that long, but he had worked his stamina up for years and years. His eyes shifted over to Roku, who he noticed was starting to strain himself. Riyota had put his heart into this and he was pushing really hard.

The metal was beginning to glow red. Yes. Almost there. The glowing was continuing like it was a heart-beat. Just what kind of metal did Sousuke truly intend on making? How much research did he put into it? Takahashi Fire-Forged Steel was one of the strongest metals in the world, and the Steward had seemingly pushed the design further, or had forced an evolution? Time was counting down. Time was almost up. Hopefully in all of this Roku had enough in the tank to coat this whole thing in ice. "Stop now."<i></i> He declared suddenly when time was exactly up. The metal was still glowing and that glow was like a heartbeat. "Ice it up Roku."<i></i> With that Roku blasted the block with ice. The sounds of cracking could be heard upon immediately impact, but the block was covered in its entirety. The block of ice encased fired-steel stood. It stood and the glowing was slowing down. Eventually it stopped glowing altogether. Sousuke would grab a beam of metal. "This is Takahashi Fire-Forged steel. Watch."<i></i> He spoke as he would grip the beam and then hit at the block. The ice would fall off of it, and impact upon the block would shatter the beam entirely. The Steward was then sent flying across the room and went through a wall. ""I think we made it too strong."<i></i> His voice was heard from a small distance. Second later Sousuke would be coming out of the man hole. He was covered in some dust and he would approach the two. "So. What do you two think? Do we have a contender for the gate's material?"<i></i> The block of metal was a dark grey in colour. It was not a pretty colour.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Once he was told, or had gathered it from context Riyota would cease the explosive assault and take a step back, wiping a bit of sweat off of his forehead. "Phew..." He would sigh as the last part of the procedure began. The ice surrounding it would force the molten metal to cool off with a hiss, leaving an ice-encased block of steel in its wake.

It seemed Sousuke sought to demonstrate the strength of the metal by testing a different metal on it. Riyota was expecting neither metal to chip or break. Perhaps Sousuke's arm would recoil at the most, in any case he wasn't quite expecting to see the former Kazekage sent flying backwards into a distant wall which now had a brand new...feature...The young man would do his utmost to stifle a laugh but only managed to lessen it to a chuckle. Luckily Sousuke was preoccupied during this. Emerging from the crater. The steel shinobi would ask the pair if they thought the metal was sufficient.

"Well, at the very least we could make it a tourist attraction!" He called back jokingly. "But for a matter of defence. I would say it'll probably do." He confirmed, he would wait a moment to see if Roku answered before asking. "Sooooo...what's next? We keep doing that a few more times?" He asked.

 

[Raizo]

It would seem that everything would work out, the efforts of the combined three of them would bring about a forge process. Sousuke would question them on if the material would be strong enough, but was that really a question? Of course any material that could take the energy the three of them emitted and only grow malleable, but not broken, was clearly something that could withstand all sorts of hell.

"If you think it will hold then I say let's get started."</COLOR><COLOR color="#BF0000">

No reason to pat themselves on the back. The lack of a gate and the reliance on the Toraono had been a glaring weakness in his eyes. It was time for Sunan to protect Sunan, not rely on some slowly diminishing mythical beast clan. It was the future he wished for, it was the future he was going to push for and it would be the future he would see to at any cost.

"Let's build that wall..."

That saying sounded foul for some reason, but it was what needed to be done.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The dust covered Sousuke would wipe himself off. He would brush off his pants, his shirt, everything. He would look at Roku and then Riyota. For a moment Sousuke would give Riyota a stern look. "I am not endorsing a photo booth outside of the Gates. The intention is to keep thugs and ne'erdevildoers... neerdowells?"<i></i> It would seem that the Steward had troubles with this word and eventually just gave up and used two very simple words in its place. "Bad people. Out. Especially those of a number being that of the Sovereign."<i></i> Sousuke made a statement which turned into a question on its own. Sousuke's eyes would shift to the ceiling for a moment. "I think it'll hold. People's egos may go and challenge the wall, I believe that the wall will shatter their egos."<i></i> The Steward answered his good friend.

Sousuke would turn his attention over to Riyota. Roku knew who Riyota worked with or who he was in line with. "Mum is the word on this. We may have conjured or created the element of surprise here. It'll be nice to keep it that way."<i></i> He would add for good measure. Given that Riyota was on the outs with Akkuma, he knew that the boy could be trusted with this. "We may need to take a break in between building walls, but yes let's go and indeed build that wall."<i></i>

He would notice Roku's sweat and slight strain. "Do you need a break before we go to make the next wall? I can have Ken move the first block of the wall outside. It may cause a few heads to turn but ... anyone who has known me for some time is used to the whole giant beetle thing. I mean you've seen me summon a toad with a large hat who proceeded to beat down Barnyx, and Shouki respectively."<i></i>

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota's face fell slightly. It seemed Sousuke didn't exactly appreciate his joke about making the Wall a new attraction in Sand. Riyota felt like he was under the scrutiny of a disapproving parent. Roku for his part, seemed quite tuckered out which was quite surprising to Riyota. He may not like the guy much but he was under the impression that he was a Shinobi of considerable strength. To be so tired after a little bit of jutsu maintenance was quite odd. Perhaps Roku was just all talk.

Sousuke asked if Roku needed to rest before they continued their construction. Riyota nodded. "Yeah, it's fine if you need a bit of a sit down, Old man. I know certain things can get tough over time." His words were disguised as concern but meant as a criticism. Perhaps it was in poor taste for Riyota to be saying such things, but it's not like Roku was completely a victim.

[Sorry for shortness, just wanted to keep things chugging along.]

 

[Raizo]

In his mind, Sousuke's concern was not necessary. He could be dead but would still keep going. His eyes would glance over to Riyota.

"Careful, boy. It'd be a shame for this old man to take more than just your arm. I'm not as generous as your crazy girlfriend."</COLOR><COLOR color="#BF0000">


He was not in the mood. Not for Riyota. Not for questions on his health. Not to play a fun and friendly game. He was called upon to do something so he wanted to do just that. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he would turn back to Sousuke. Eventually he had questions for not only the young man but also that crazy woman friend of his, along with the rest of the idiots present during the butchering of one of the leading medical shinobi of the village.

"I don't need a giant bug. Let's just get this show on the road. We've allowed our door to remain open for far too long."


OOC: Sorry for also being short, just not a lot to add at the moment.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Again. Roku and Riyota were trading remarks. Was this what it truly meant to have a working relationship? Do most co-workers get angry at each other and trade jabbing remarks like this? Either way this was going to have to work out. At the very least Sousuke was not stuck in a room with a bunch of 'smiling Miroku agents', this in fact was an upgrade to that in almost every single was possible. The Steward would allow the silence to continue for a few moments. This in itself was a form of rest, albeit a short one. Roku would remark about not needing Ken. "You might not want or need Ken's help, but it will make the process quicker."<i></i> What's a few heads turning really when Roku was right. The Steward didn't care really at this point for hurting Kuro's feelings about an enclosed dojo.

Sousuke would raise his metallic hand and sickly blue chakra would been seen emanating from his metallic limb. The Steward concentrated and focused for a moment. He made the call to Ken. Several glowing runes would appear in the air as he was making the way for his summoning contract. Sousuke would shoot the runes up into the air. There was a flicking effect and within seconds the giant beetle was summoned. Ken looked a bit cramped, but he was present. "Hullo Sou-Steward and hullo Sou-Steward friends."<i></i> The giant insect spoke. The insect was attracted to the new shiney in the room being the block of steel. "Oooh. Shiney. New. Ken likey."<i></i> The Hercules Beetle stated. Ken was perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was strong and a loyal ally. Ken would look down at Roku. "Oh. You're Broku. Sousuke thinks you're great."<i></i> The giant spoke in a small way embarrassing Sousuke. The Steward would shoot a glance up and Ken, who then covered his maw with many hands.

"I may know a guy or two to help us out. Independent contractors. We're just going to push the clock here so... as the saying goes ... many hands make light work? Which in fact is true... unlike certain sayings."<i></i> Sousuke would pause for a moment. "Right then. Let's head outside to the dojo."<i></i>

[Topic to conclude here]

 

[Miroku Riyota]

[Just leaving topic for paper trail purposes. Don't have anything worthwhile to add really.]