Denizens of The Delve [Private]

[Okada Kaji]

Denizens of The Delve
A Black Vein Scorpions Adventure

Somewhere in the neon-lit expanses of New Tanzaku Town stood a tavern, facing the sunset as the long day came to an end. This tavern was known as The Delve, and it was always a welcoming establishment where citizens could come have a drink after the workday. Though, upon entering through the swinging double doors of the entrance, new patrons would quickly discover that the delve was often quiet, with only a few reoccurring patrons who called this place their primary watering hole. There was a single bartender standing behind a long mahogany counter, pouring glasses of wine to one middle-aged woman sitting alone at the bar. Though sparse, it was larger inside of the bar than it appeared from outside.

Any first-time patron would always get noticed by the new Bartender, a new hire brought in recently to replace Kaneda Akimichi, the last bartender who vanished unexpectantly a few days ago. This new bartender was younger, spry, and adamant about putting on a show when mixing drinks; he wanted to keep his new job. Any patron entering would receive a hearty greeting, asked what they'll be having, and requested to show their identification. He wore a nametag with the name Gyotaku printed on it well enough for even a drunk to read it.

- WC: 223
- This is a Scorpion Initiate Mission, modded by yours truly.
- Requesting Hakuren Yamanaka.​

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[Ryu Hime]

A courier has come to the Yamanaka Temple delivering a sealed envelope meant exclusively for Hakuren. A letter was included, containing coordinates for a tavern in Crater City known as The Delve, which Hakuren was directed to visit the following night, at dusk. The instructions stated specifically that she come alone. She was told to find the bartender, and ask a specific question: 'Who's the big cheese?'

Unfortunately Hakuren was not at the shrine when the courier arrived. At the time she was on a blind date set up by her big sister. Eventually the letter did make its way to Hakuren's hands unopened. Whether its contents was kept was another matter. Despite who might have gotten to the letter after her, she was careful to make sure she would not be followed.


Arriving at the described location was a black cat. This is one of Hakuren’s many pets in which she likes to control. As a Yamanaka she can possess animals and explore the village without physically leaving her room. It was a very handy reconnaissance technique and she was quite good at it. One never knows when she may be watching.

After getting to the bar the feline would hop onto a barstool and look at the bartender and order, “I’ll take a saucer of milk if you have some.” Despite the talking cat, this was not a summon. If contract animals proved anything is that beasts have the capability, but lacked the intelligence of speach. This is why some Inuzuka companions can talk.

 

[Okada Kaji]

Now, this wasn’t The Delve’s standard patron, or so the bartender thought as he discovered some mangy feline making its way into his establishment. As your everyday bartender, the man behind the bar knew nothing of talking animals and had never welcomed anything that walked on more than two legs into the establishment. He was merely a new employee and began looking around frantically, concerned if this was a prank being played upon him. Rather than serving the feline, the bartender made for the faucet and pulled out a long nozzle with a hose from a sink.

Ignoring the cat as an intelligent creature, the bartender made a general call around the bar, which had very few patrons, and no one jumped up to claim the creature as their own. He then unleashed a jet stream on the cat, certain she would flee out the open door.

“Aye, what are ya doing down there, blockhead?” The familiar voice of Nezumi Kozo would echo through the establishment from a second floor, over a balcony that hid her station. Her vocals were as scratchy and slang-ridden as ever, yet this time she sounded as if she also had a drink or two. “Leave the damned cat alone Roshi, she’s the friend I was expecting.”

By now the kitty was surely sopping wet, but the bartender would not have doused the feline enough to force her through the door. The sound of Nezumi then called down yet again, “On the Five; why can’t ye just show up looking like a normal human being, Haku? Sheesh, get up here already.” There were stairs to the far right of the bar where Hakuren could find her way up to the balcony where Nezumi awaited in the privacy of a V.I.P. area.

The bartender was left with a half-apologetic look on his face and assured the cat that he would have a saucer of milk up to her table in a moment, on the house.

Once she arrived up those stairs, the cat would discover Nezumi seated alone in a booth with a plush indigo seat that wrapped around a large mahogany table. There was a flagon of ale, and some cigarette butts in an ashtray. There was also a half-eaten plate of sliced gouda cheese with berries and fruit, which were untouched. The woman herself was noticeably cleaner and dressed a bit more nicely than how Hakuren would remember her from their last meeting. Her armored attire was replaced by a tunic, trousers, and boots. Her hair was conditioned, and a light touch of makeup complimented her olive skin-tone. Her feet were kicked up onto the table, and she was laid back comfortably. “Well well well... Look what the cat dragged in.”

- WC: 467​

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[Ryu Hime]

Not only did Hakuren prepare for being followed. She also made preparations in case the welcome party was less than welcoming. When dealing with a group of mercenaries it pays to be prepared. What Hakuren did exactly was place a combustion seal with an immolation armor jutsu onto the cat. The little attack the bartender did triggered her trap, so instead of a soaking cat he had a flaming feline sitting at the bar. The fact that shooting water at the pet caused it to burst into flames would likely startle the poor bartender. If he would try to put her out he would need a bigger hose.

The cat hisses at the attacker angrily. Her back was arch, her fur stood on end and her claws dug into the vinyl cushion of the bar stool. Hakuren was starting to lose control as the creature she possessed was threatened by the bartender. Fortunately, while Nezumi was berating the bartender, Hakuren was able to take back control before finding herself kicked out. Though pets have week will, they have strong instincts that can interfere with the jutsu. “I’m Yamanaka, it’s how I like to operate and can you please not shorten my name like that. People are going to get confused on what bloodline I am.” Considering Haku is a name of a bloodline completely unrelated to her own.

Before heading upstairs as instructed, she decides that she did not feel like walking. After that ordeal she had right now, she feels like pampering herself. With eyes closed she pictures her soul as a small flame within her body. It shines within her body and flickers with every heartbeat. She concentrates on her breathing taking slow deep breathes. The air mixes with the fire and fans the flame. Ever so gradually it gets bigger, hotter and brighter. The light, the light was almost tangible as it flowed through her body like little streams. As more light was put out the rivers begin to flood in excess. Hakuren places a hand above the bottles and directs the flow of light down her arm. Though invisible to the human eye from the palms of her paw she pours out the essence of her soul into the burning flames of her armor.

The flame grows, comes to life and like a clone takes on a humanoid form. This was her abysmal harbinger. The created being was a woman far more endowed than Hakuren. The being gives a stern look at the bartender and glances down at her master. “Kaida, please carry me upstairs,” Hakuren commands politely. With her order Kaida picks up the feline and cradles her like a child in her arms. Softly Kaida hugs the feline to her bountiful breast as she climbs the stairs. Hakuren enjoys being carried by Kaida for her skin was always soft and smooth. Hakuren wasn’t sure if it was because Kaida was made from flame, but she had a warmth that was ever so comforting. Hakuren could not help but purr as she relives a childhood memory and nuzzles one of Kaida’s melons. Kaida merely responds with a smile and the occasional stoke through Hakuren’s fur. Kaida takes a seat at the table still holding Hakuren. The cat looks at the woman and notices how different she looks than she did before. “I must say you clean up nicely.”

 

[Okada Kaji]

The poor bartender really wasn’t affiliated with the matter of shinobi arts, whether they were straightforward jutsu, or the advanced, taboo jutsu being used prolifically by Hakuren. Fearing for his life in the presence of a flaming house cat, Roshi persisted in dowsing the cat with tap water until he came to terms with what he was experiencing. Every bartender knew that the VIPs could essentially do what they pleased in The Delve, but Roshi was too frightened to do as he was instructed. He gained his bearings and stopped firing at the feline by the time Hakuren manifested into a homunculus being devised by her will. Roshi was totally at a loss. Only quivering red tips of over-styled hair poked up from behind the bar as he tried to hide from her evil shinobi magic.

An elegantly dressed maiden of the noble sort emerged from the rift created from Hakuren’s vessel. She was pale-faced, with cold, steel eyes, and a fashion-forward dress, low-cut to accentuate her full bosom. The being appeared corporeal from what the eye could see, but the few patrons who witnessed the creation weren’t in much of a position to disagree.

As the homunculus named Kaida scooped up the housecat and marched it upstairs, Nezumi Kozo remained lax and took another sip from her flagon. However this time, the cat had dragged in some eye-candy, as the maiden did not seem very responsive beyond following the cat’s commands. And while Nezumi’s cheeks reddened at the sight of the busty maiden, she was otherwise unimpressed with Hakuren’s game of faces and trickery.

“Yeah… a priestess can’t get spotted around Crater City with just anybody. It would have drawn suspicion if ya met me in my battle ‘fit,” Nezumi rationalized, simply absorbing the cat’s surprising compliment. In truth, Nezumi had dedicated hours of preparation for this meeting, only to be served a mangy house cat carried by a voluptuous human doll. Nezumi took another generous sip of her beer and eyed the sorcering shinobi whom she invited to this little meeting.

“What is this?” Nezumi was not angered but addressed Hakuren’s messengers with a bit of aggression. “I told you to come here alone, priestess… Should I have expressly ruled out your pets?” she asked, flirtatiously inspecting the curvy angles of Kaida. “You’d better understand that you are playing with fire, by coming here.”

WC: 411​

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[Ryu Hime]

Kaida picks up Hakuren off from her breast, sits the cat on the table and stands up from her seat. Hakuren begins to open her mouth to speak, but was quickly quieted as Kaida places a finger on the feline’s nose. “Let me handle this.” Hakuren gives a nod and allows her to address Nezumi in her stead. Kaida is like a fire that can be warm and comforting or a scoring blaze of fury. Though slow to burn at the start, she can be quite heated with passion. “Like most shinobi a pet is a weapon and is one she uses a lot. Yes you told her to come alone, but only a fool would come to an abysmal place like this unarmed!” Kaida was practically screaming at Nezumi. With each word she shouts her body became brighter with an eerie glow and room got noticeably hotter. Kaida slaps a hand down on the table so hard the contents sitting on top jumps an inch in the air before landing back down. “You should be honored that such a sacred priestess even graces you with her presence in this form!”

“Kaida, calm down.” Hakuren urges her creation with a little concern for her own well-being. Though Kaida would not purposely harm her. When she is this riled up, things tend to end up catching on fire and being a place that serves alcohol that would be bad.

However Kaida would not be so easily calmed. “No! I will not simply stand by as she refuses to treat you with the respect you deserve.”

“That’s Enough!” Finally Hakuren yells at Kaida, which succeeds to cool her flame. Kaida just stands there looking at Hakuren dumbfounded. “Please forgive her, she can be hot tempered. I assume you summoned me here for a reason.” Hakuren was desperate just to get this thing over with. Kaida sits back down and crosses her arms. Hakuren debated de-summoning her, but for some reason came to the conclusion to keep her around.

 

[Okada Kaji]

It appeared that there was much more fire to Hakuren’s homunculus than Nezumi thought, as she became animated, stealing the thunder in a tense moment. However, Nezumi seemed unperturbed by Kaida’s bluster and called down to Roshi to bring her another brew at once.

“I didn’t summon anything,” Nezumi quickly rejected the notion that this meeting was her doing. She cut another harsh glare at her present company, again excluding Kaida and focusing her attention to the cat. “You asked for this when ya set the scorpion’s brand into the temple grounds. My business with you ended when you handed over the poison we ordered.”

As Nezumi finished her retort, the bartender arrived with two drinks on a platter. He was nerve-wracked and struggling to not spill the ladies’ drinks all over them. The tension was so thick that he almost tripped over it as he approached their table. Roshi then set down a saucer of lightly-chilled pasteurized milk and another flagon of ale with a spicy scent. Nezumi winked at the bartender and smacked him on the backside degradingly as he made a hurried exit. “If I can be honest for a second” Nezumi’s sights were back onto the cat, “I figured this was going to be about your mama. But that’s oddly not the case, is it? What fancies you this time, priestess? What can I really do ya for?”

wc: 240​

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[Ryu Hime]

Kaida snorts, “What’s the point in even asking? She is my master’s leash and you have no intent of letting go of the reigns.” Though she was sounding a little rude in her comment it did reflect what Hakuren was thinking. Asking about her mother would be pointless at this stage.

“You really want to know what fancies me?” She gives a mischievous smile while her tail sways back and forth in the air. “An agreed arrangement between our two companies.” This is probably not something Nezumi would expect from someone trying to join her organization. She might also find it interesting that she refers to Leaf and the Black Scorpions as companies. However in truth Leaf and the Black Scorpion were business rivals. “Now it is my understanding that you have been luring some of Leafs employees.” At least that is the idea she has been getting from Kaji. “I assume you do this so you don’t have to train your workers. Perhaps we can make an arrangement as some sort of temp agency.” Hakuren end goal was to keep Leaf sustainable. If the Black Scorpions are willing to provide Leaf enough to survive, Leaf can in return provide them with influx of co-workers. Hakuren was no stranger to the art of business. Running a shrine whose funds rely on donations was quite the learning experience. There are other temples out there in the village that she has to contend with.

 

[Okada Kaji]

</FONTFACE>

“Why, that is so insulting,” Nezumi mocked Kaida first, and added a fit of laughter. “We show a wee bit of aggression in our business dealings and you take my organization for a buncha brutes.” Nezumi’s buck-toothed grin persisted. “I took your mama as collateral to make sure the Yamanaka played nicely during my visit to your compound. I mean, I’m pretty sure she’s safe and sound… You have been a good little kitty up till this point, so we have been taking adequate care of Mama Yamanaka.”

And as the feline form of Hakuren put her idea of an offer on the table, Nezumi did not seem to be very considerate at first glance. Her posture did not change, and she seemed a bit unimpressed and was instead more interested in taunting Kaida with wanton winks and smoochy lips meant to upset or embarrass her further. However, despite her games, she paid full attention to the cat’s words and did not slack in their discussion.

“You are using the term company kinda’ loosely there, Haku-chan. The Leaf is not a company, it is a military institution commanded by the Land of Fire’s crumbling government… you don’t really have the freedom or authority to pull the kind of partnership you’re poking at, little kitty.” She occasionally paused to sip on her sauce. “See, being free from bureaucracy in exchange for the power of the almighty yen-piece… that is what has been drawing Leaf’s shinobi by the masses to become our shinobi. We have no interest in a partnership with your masters, but that doesn’t mean I— we could not put you to good use.”

After her rebuttal, Nezumi called down to the frightful bartender once more, and Roshi came back up the stairs in a rush. The assassin handed the bartender a small glass vial, one familiar to Hakuren. “Here. I want a round for the whole house on me, but I want you to add this to the drink of the sap sitting at the bar.” The bartender seemed reluctant but did not refuse, and he went away to do as Nezumi bade him to.

Returning to their conversation at hand, Nezumi was unchanged and continued her grinning. “I had to make sure this batch worked before I could send ya mama home. You can have her back... today even. But I’m going to need a bit more than a square look in the eye and a handshake to know you won’t go back and snitch. We can keep doing business to a degree, but I don’t make deals with people we can’t trust to follow through… I'mma need you to put some skin in the game. Understand?”​

<FONTFACE fontface="georgia">

WC445

 

[Ryu Hime]

The rat of a woman was going to test the poison Hakuren provided in front of her. Normally this would be fine since the poison was real and specially made for coating the Black Scorpion's weapons. However Nezumi was going to use it in a way it was not intended to be used. If Nezumi expects the person is going to kill over from ingesting the poison, she is going to be in for a surprise and this surprise might cost her mother's head. "Are you kidding me? You don't even know how to use the gifts given to you! It’s an injury type poison you idiot!" Hakuren shouts at Nezumi with a hushed tone so not to attract attention. "I swear it’s like I'm dealing with children." Though if the Black Scorpion were children, the village of Leaf is the elderly. The village is experienced and wise but our time is coming and we are starting to crumble.

“Kaida, kiss of death.” With that order the summoned creation takes the vial from the bartender’s hand, open it up and pours the contents into her mouths. Swishing the poison around like mouthwash she coats her teeth with the deadly poison. “The poison given to you is only effective if it is inserted into the blood stream directly.” Kaida walks up to the woman Nezumi pointed out to and immediately kisses her on the lips. The woman was surprised, but did not withdraw. Instead the woman returns the favor, thus making the scene into a make-out session. Tongues went into each other’s mouth eagerly tasting everything inside. They stare into each other’s eyes lustfully as they relished each other’s presence. “Enjoying the show?” Hakuren teases Nezumi. Kaida bites into her partners lips and the taste of blood enters their maw. A moment later the woman appears to be in pain, but Kaida continues to kiss her passionately. Kaida lavishes the woman it kisses until the woman’s body was lifeless. “Well in term of death, I can think of worst ways to go. At least she experience some joy at the end. I hope you are satisfied with my work?”

 

[Okada Kaji]

There was always some new twist or surprise with Hakuren, that much Nezumi was beginning to expect from her present company. Rather than bothering to make a counter-statement to Hakuren’s claim concerning the methods to deliver a poison, Nezumi played the silent witness. Somewhat curious to Hakuren’s strategy, she went to the balcony and watched as the servant relieved Roshi of the vial and sucked down its contents. The bartender was partly relieved, as he never intended to include murder in his mixology.

On the cat’s command, Kaida strode down to the first floor of the bar without hesitation. She committed to a more direct approach to delivering the Yamanaka poison than Nezumi intended and spun the patron sitting at the bar around in her seat. To Nezumi, the sap at the bar was nobody of importance, just someone is the wrong place at the right time. However, Roshi knew the patron to be a regular he’d seen there for a couple of days now; the sad and lonely sort who came to The Delve after her workdays to find solace at the bottom of a glass.

“You certainly know how to put on a show,” Nezumi complimented the feline form of Hakuren in reply to her curiosity about whether she enjoyed the hedonistic approach. “I usually prefer for my operatives to take a more subtle approach, but you might be onto something…” Once the mark fell dead on the floor and Kaida stood over the body, Nezumi turned back to face the cat. Standing in her casually dressed form, Nezumi was revealing the finer aspects of her physique, an athletic and feminine build with fine, curvy lines and a peeking midriff which revealed her tight belly, and accentuated her hips. “Think I need to get a Kaida of my own,” she said, laughing.

The scene on the ground level took an awkward swing as Roshi quelled the other remaining patrons and hurriedly gave them free drinks to keep them in the bar. The shameless drunks took their seats again, and once the peace returned, Roshi was seen dragging the dead woman away by her ankles.

WC355​

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[Ryu Hime]

"Meh, but doing the subtle approach lacks the personal touch." Hakuren was a little showy in her executions. She used to be an executioner back in the tea house before she became an anbu. Death by combat was her favorite thing to do. The Kiss of Death was always a crowd pleaser as a finishing move. "I had a feeling you would enjoy it." Hakuren gives a little laugh, but then her ears immediately perks at Nezumi's next comment. "I can teach you if you like." Hakuren would be more than happy to teach her some of her special techniques. She taught one student before but was not sure if he truly grasped it. Now Nezumi is a more seasoned individual in the shinobi arts. Hopefully someone like her won’t be lost with the details. Then she noticed Roshi dragging the dead body away. “Hold on there, mister bartender. I’m not done with her quite yet.” If Roshi agrees to let go of the body, Kaida will pick up the body in a princess carry. Necromancy was not an art she commonly practiced because it was often looked down upon. However people like the Black Scorpion did not seem to be those type of people. With such an opportunity at her finger tips, she could not let it simply slip through her grasp.

 

[Okada Kaji]

With a slow shake of the head, it appeared that Nezumi was not interested in diversifying her skills any further. “Believe it or not, my abilities are considered sacred… I can’t dare to practice your kind of forbidden jutsu without losing my tsuchimikado blessings.” Nezumi then left the balcony and slyly rounded the table. She took a seat once more, but this time she dared to steal Kaida’s place instead, closer to the creature she kept her company. Kaida was still downstairs, and no harm would be done, or so Nezumi’s energy inferred. “Besides, why would I need abilities like yours when I can just have you instead?”

Like a true thief, Nezumi’s movements often went unnoticed. And while she had the cat’s attention, her hands went into motion, and she was petting Hakuren along her cheeks and behind her ears. She was being appropriate by all accounts, but the enticing look in her was meant for the being holding the creature hostage, not the cat itself. Her touch was soft, and Hakuren would have to struggle to not give into the animal’s pleased reaction to her gentle stroking. “Think about it Haku-chan…” she spoke with a velvety tone. “The Leaf will never allow a kunoichi with talents like yours to live up to your full potential, they can hardly even comprehend your power. As long as you fly their banner, the Yamanaka family will remain a second rate house below the pompous Hyuuga, and especially those filthy red-eyed Uchiha.”

The crafty woman then withdrew her grasp and leaned upright against the cushion, and crossed a leg over her lap. She was prepared a perfect spot for the house cat to sit upon. “Real power and prestige belong to those who dare to operate independently from their masters, and the hidden leaf keeps a tight collar around you, don’t they?”

Meanwhile, on the first floor of the bar... Roshi was as compliant as ever. He made no qualms when Kaida confiscated the body from him, in fact, he was glad she took the trouble off of his hands.

WC352​

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[Ryu Hime]

Hakuren would not be so easily swayed, not when conquest was within her grasp. She was of the highest rank within her branch. She was sure she could attain seninhood and from there may be Kage. Her words were sweet like honey as she desperately trying to lure Hakuren to her side. Nezumi spoke highly of the Yamanaka, but of course that is only a part of who she is.

If someday, I were no longer a human,
would you still love me?
The truth I feared left unable to be told,​

Those lyric slip through her mouth in a gentle melody as Nezumi pampers her. They were words to a lullaby sung to her and her twin many years ago. It was her parent’s song and her mother wrote it herself. The shrine has four local deities in which they ask guidance for. All four of these deities are Tenko, heavenly foxes, they are a type of kitsune. Yet no one finds this odd.

Kaida came back and sits the dead woman on a seat at the table, “Oh forgive me, my mind seemed to have wandered off. What were we talking about again?” Hakuren takes a moment to remember what was being said to her. “I see nothing forbidden on making an entity such as Kaida. It’s when you move beyond that when you start treading on questionable territory.” Hakuren did not choose not to lay on Nezumi’s lap but instead climbs into the lap of the recently deceased. “Since were on the topic of the forbidden.” The feline waves around her tail like a conductor to an orchestra. From the tip of her tail was the glow of chakra and as she spirals it around in the air she drew lines in the air. She draws and five pointed star with a circle and writes kanji in each points. “Come to me oh spirit and let me see you with my own eyes.” If the spell was successful she would see the spirit of the woman before her.

 

[Okada Kaji]

“Roshi-san...” Nezumi shouted or the bartender again, never relenting in her demands. And the sound of his compliance chirped back from the bar below. The boisterous assassin tapped her empty mug against the table loudly, and rudely. “I think I’m gonna need another beer. Some of the good, imported stuff this time… you don’t think I can tell you’re given me swill?” Acting rather casual, Nezumi was not on the same tempo as Hakuren, who was delving deeper into the matters of dark jutsu.

She kicked high-heeled boots onto the table to make herself comfortable once Hakuren resisted her alcohol-fueled cosseting. Nezumi didn’t recognize Hakuren’s lullaby, nor did she knew many songs besides traveler’s shanties from her many days on the run.

Watching as the cat was attempting yet another ritual of some sort, Nezumi could feel the uneasiness within the shadows of The Delve. She raised a hand over her head, masking her command to halt in a simple stretch. The creeping shadows turned still again. Nezumi was still a bit intrigued with Hakuren and her many machinations, no matter how ethically questionable they were. After all, Nezumi was a thief so who was she to really judge?

“What are you on about, now?” Her interest was delivered in the form of a sharp inquiry, treating Hakuren’s spellcasting as a bothersome thing, for the sake of maintaining an image. It was easy enough to recognize what she was performing on the fresh corpse, but what did she have to gain from resurrecting peasants? Guarded yet reclined, Nezumi watched on as Hakuren continued the ritual, at least until she turned her attention back to Kaida, and resumed jumping her eyebrows at the homunculus.​

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[Ryu Hime]

"Well this was unexpected." When Hakuren summoned the soul of the dead, she expected someone special. However it seems the one that was kissed was nothing but your average Jane Doe. Chakra is created through the mixing of spiritual and physical energy and the soul before her showed no signs of ever been used to create chakra. The soul was flawless and unlike a gem stone that is not a good thing. Who would have thought that a group of mercenaries like the Black Scorpions would have a normal person among their ranks. "What the hell am I going to do with you?" This woman was pretty much useless to her. Hakuren felt like she just went fishing and when she reeled in the line expecting a big catch only to find a old boot at the end of the hook. So the question was what to do with her. Will she keep her and use her as cannon fotter or just toss her to the side like a piece of trash? Hakuren just gives a deep sigh. "Begone!" With that command the spirit vanishes from her sight, but not necessarily gone. Being that Nezumi is gifted with the ability to see spirits due to her bloodline, she might still see the specter standing there.

 

[Okada Kaji]

The assassin made a chuckling sigh when Hakuren dismissed her latest bound spirit. “Just what were you expecting?” He question was as cynical as it was rhetorical. Nezumi may have allowed the Yamanaka to displace her acidic clones in their previous encounter, but she wouldn’t waste the lives of her own personnel so pointlessly. “The Delve really isn’t the kind of hang out for the kind of souls you’re looking for,” she insisted, “haven’t you ever been to a front opertation before? The point of this tavern is to not draw attention… we’re probably the only shinobi within a square mile of this watering hole.”

The pounding of footsteps made on the creaking staircase preluded the return of Roshi, who was visibly tiring from the constant trips up and down. He held a single flagon of ale and substituted it for the empty one Nezumi was holding. Before he left, he paused and waited for a break in their conversation to ask Kaida and the cat if they’d have anything else for the time being. Nezumi waited, and as Roshi departed she resumed their conversation. “With your talents, you could do much more than tamper with the dead… what kind of end game do you have with these ambitions? I may be able to help with your goal if you can stand being pointed in the right direction.”​

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[Ryu Hime]

Nezumi was wrong for it was not Hakuren's talents that she was using, but Kojoro's. Hakuren's own abilities have been suppressed in order to make way for hers. "I wish I knew." Gods are whimsical beings and is hard to determine what they are after. Even as Kojoro's emissary Hakuren has no reason why she is to collect souls of the dead. Maybe she wanted to make them into servants or perhaps she just wanted to eat them. Despite being Kojoro's representative if she chooses not to disclose information, she had no choose but to accept.

Hakuren decides to change the subject for she rather not have to explain her work at the shrine to her. It was not something she should be concern about. "Anyways you mention something about my mother’s release earlier. I do hope now that you see the poison is indeed genuine, you will relea..." Suddenly her spirit was drawn back to her body in mid-sentence. The cat just meows at Nezumi and Kaida was nowhere to be found. She should have manage her chakra better for it was stupid of her to maintain a summoning jutsu while possessing an animal. Once again she let her arrogance get the better of her.

In anger she stands up from her bed and grabs a vase on the night. “I failed again!” Hakuren throws the vase across the room and it shatters against the wall. Now who knows what might happen to her mother and it was all her fault. She was arrogant thinking this could out maneuver them and she was arrogant thinking she could pull something like this off without needing to go to the location in person. “And I call myself a captain. Would a captain let this happen to her own mother?” She then punches a wall in frustration.
[Left Topic]

 

[Okada Kaji]

“Well, that was interesting,” Nezumi said before pressed the latest beer against her lips. Quite suddenly, the homunculus was banished from reality as Hakuren’s spell was canceled. The house cat Hakuren possessed lost its spark of intelligence and made the first simple meow Nezumi had heard from it that day. The feline hopped across the table and began to feast on what was left of Nezumi’s cheese plate. Oh, how cats loved cheese. “You’re a cute thing,” Nezumi admitted, “you’ve made me hate your fleabag kind a little less… I think I might hang onto you. You don’t want to be a pawn for a witch any longer, don’t you?” The assassin enjoyed the irony when she set down her beer, stood to her feet, and swept the willing feline into her arms. She had earned her moniker as “The Rat” long ago, and her she stood with her namesake’s nemesis, a small life coddled in her grasp, lax and vulnerable. She fondled its ears, and the small beast encouraged her by pressing its face against her hands as she pet it. Nezumi took pleasure in knowing how easily she could kill it, whether by twisting its neck or by revealing a dagger from within her garments, to spills its insides onto the floor. But rather than doing such cruel things she continued to pet it affectionately and made her way down the spiraling staircase.

“Roshi, my business meeting has concluded,” she announced openly as she created bumping sounds with every step. “It seems that my company had to make a sudden departure.” Nezumi then appeared to face the bartender, who was mopping the floor where his patron met her untimely demise only moments earlier. He was using a contraption on his yellow rolling mop bucket to strain out the sanguine fluid and then dropped the mop back onto the floor. Nezumi’s nose crinkled as she stepped close enough to get a strong whiff of the mop’s water, which would have made the floor dirtier if anything. “If Hakuren returns, tell her that she missed her chance... but we’ll be in touch.”

Nezumi then snapped her fingers, and the storeroom door beside the bar slid open. Out came a shinobi clad in tattered black assassin robes, which shrouded his appearance like a large black spot. Behind him came a feminine figure who walked with a fatigued slouch. Her posture defined her as defeated and broken in every sense of the word, but her identity was hidden behind a brown sack covering her head. Her upper body was bound tightly with rope, with her arms tied behind her back in a complex system of Kinbaku-style bands and knots. The knots ended at her waist, where a single rope ran to the captor who was leading her along. She was dignified with most clothing for a captive, indicating that a minimal amount of respect was being shown. The Captor led the unknown woman outside, and Nezumi followed.

// Nezumi has left the thread.//
Mission Complete: Success.​

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