Spending and Buying (Open, Free)

[Kairyuu]

Travel was always a risk in this world. You could fall prey to brigands or wild animals, you could feel the wrath of mother nature herself in natural disasters that no mortal could dare to defy, you might even just plain get lost. Of those, Enzeru need only worry about one, and for that one he was going walk right into the worst that the world could throw at him and hope to come out ontop once again. Going to Kiri was not something to do lightly, it required more preparation than any journey he’s been on in his life. It was due to this very knowledge of danger that Enzeru was currently arguing with a middle aged man who kept bowing and speaking in broken words about how good the thermal survival gear was without actually answering his questions.

”For the last time, is it water proof? I don’t care how warm it makes me, I need it to not absorb the ice I’m going to be trekking through and melting with my own body heat. I also need to make sure I don’t get the inside of it wet with enough sweat to freeze me from the inside out.”

“Yes sir, yes. Is warm yes. Very warm. No water here sir. Is desert.”

With a sigh of disgust he put the items back, deciding that he would simply find another place to get what he wanted. If he has to, he’ll get it at a port on the way to Mizu proper and just deal with the jacked up prices in the middle of wherever they end up stopping for the night of their journey. ”To go back home to the frozen wastes should not be so difficult as all this.” He steps out into the streets of Suna and looks around for another place that might sell what he needs.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

As Enzeru left the store to his left down the street a sewer manhole would be sent flying up. Water would be sent sprouting upward along with several other dirty unmentionable objects. A crack would then form and then said crack would burst open. A rather large and most likely mutant crocodile tore up from the sewers and with it Sousuke who was holding onto it for dear life? It certainly seemed that way considering the creature was now trashing wildly now. The creature in question was indeed a crocodile given its maw, and body type. What made it susposed mutant was the colour of it which was an ash colour and its massive size which was ... about half the size of a light pole. The air was filled with a roar from a voice Enzeru recognized. The voice roared at Sousuke to hang on or else face being eaten. The crocodile oddly would veer left and charge into a wall trying to ram Sousuke into the same and ultimately trying to get him off probably. The Steward said nothing but held on tightly but black sparks seemed to start coming out of his hands. The crocodile let out a roar of sorts and continued to trash as it was being shocked by black electricity. In a flicking movement the owner of the scream from earlier emerged. The hulking Inuzuka female Enzeru had met during the aftermath of the scuffle. She gritted her teeth and then delivering a full force power punch. The creature staggered from the mighty blow and then toppled over. More specifically on the side Sousuke was on.

Shizune shook her head. "Sousuke you better not be dead."<i></i> She kicked the crocodile only to find out it wasn't quite as knocked out as she thought it was. Again the creature took to violently trashing back with great vigor. The creature tail swiped and knocked Shizune off her feet which then led to again the continued trashing and rampaging with Sousuke still holding on and seemingly not crushed to death by the creature's weight. Amongst all of this the Steward finally spotted Enzeru and acknowledged him with a small wave before grabbing on once more to the mutant crocodile and continued to fight. Indeed it seemed that Sousuke was three for three with meeting the hunter from mist in awkward situations.

MFT: 394

 

[Hoshirei]

Kimi was shopping for an insulated tent for her upcoming trip into the desolate wasteland once named Kirigakure. She had left yet another store, even more frustrated than before. Yes, they lived underground (at least until the city upstairs was completely built) in a relatively hot climate, but ninja go on missions in other countries for the Mother's sake.

Kimi and the twins started to head to another store when the sewer cover blasted from its place. The trio startled and froze momentarily until the ground opened up and showed what caused the rupture. Of course, who else could it be but the Steward of her beloved country. Wait, was he riding a giant crocodile?!? Kimi stood stock-still just blinking for quite some time. Only after her Inuzuka counterpart showed up and socked the reptilian behemoth did she snap out of it.

They gamboled forth, Kimi's expression showing her exasperation. She grimaced as she tread a foot away from the large hole in the street. That was going to take a lot of work to fix.
"Sousuke! Just what in the name of the Mother do you think you are doing?! How in the world did you come across that giant beast, and why in hell did you piss it off?!" she yelled after the flailing form of the Steward, still hanging onto the great beast.

Once she got close enough, she and the girls focused and aimed a Fang over Fang at the belly of the beast.

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Haru was lucky enough to have received just what he was searching for. Then again, getting yourself an assortment of scrolls wasn’t all the difficult in a Shinobi village. Haru himself was a bit of a special client since he was always a stickler for the quality of the paper. Often times he'd use the scroll whenever he got the inkling to doodle or write something down...A nice cup of coffee in one hand and his material in the other hand he was ready to head back home. It was always nice to have a bit of a slower day, though helping rebuild the village was one tasks he was glad he could help with. The breather day gave him some time to catch up in his reading as well. The one story he was still on his mind. It was a decent little novel, though he couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of the mime troupe in the middle of the woods... there was a difference between surprising the reader and a big lipped alligator moment like that...

Then again, life was sometimes full of big lipped alligator moments. Just like now as a large reptilian being busted through the sewage drain, trashing violently. And attached to it was a person...Sousuke?! Setting aside his bag of scrolls and drink (he had enough faith in the Steward to take the extra second of not dropping them on the ground) as he moved in closer the commotion...only to see the alligator squishy Sousuke down under his massive body. And before he could truly react to that, he heard another women shout towards him before she whizzed through the air, attacking the unusually sized reptiles belly. Just in case Haru stood by, making the sands shift under around the crocodiles body. If the attack didn’t move it, or worse, enrage the beast, he was ready to stop it in its tracks...While thinking about all the questions he had regarding the whole situation.

 

[Kairyuu]

The manhole cover flies up just past him, Enzeru managing to step out of the way and even has his hand on his weapon as the reptile comes pouring out of the opening with all the rage and malevolence of a woman scorned. And of course Sousuke was on its back, riding it like a bull. Well…if bullriders held on for dear life like that. He loosens up slightly as Shizune also shows up, punching the thing. Well, his life since coming to Suna was full of spontaneous chaos like this, so today would prove to be normal by being as far from normal as possible.

Kimi’s voice ringing out nearby was a surprise, however. Of course she was chastising the steward, it seemed she did that often when Sousuke was around. Enzeru chuckles and looks around, spying Haru holding back to help, giving a nod to the man. This was proving to be a social visit. Enzeru walks in a circle around the thrashing beast and watches as Kimi begins to attack as well. That decided things, he couldn’t let her get hurt. His hands begin to form the seals even as he runs towards the lizard and runs one hand along it from tail to rear legs. Wherever his hands touch gold begins to form and grow, trying to tangle the beast in a golden casing to keep it from hurting anyone. He tries to get higher, but the wriggling thing proves too spastic for that so Enzeru leaps free and pulls out one of his bows, fitting an arrow and trying to get it in the eyes.

”Sousuke, you seem to anger the most interesting things my friend. Everyone, try to pin it down so it can't hurt any civilians!”

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward continued to fight. Indeed he did fight. The monstrous crocodile seemed now to gather a host of viewers. Amongst them were Kimi and his good natured friend Harupia. The former demanded what he did in order to piss it off, but how he 'pissed' it off. Piss. As in to ... make liquid waste? No. Wait. This was being used in a slang fashion so as to make this thing angry. "I am grasping onto the body of this chemically altered crocodile so as to make sure its rampage is not left unchecked. I think this creature was at one point the pet of a child before it was forced to be flushed down a toilet. Then given time and ... very unfortunate chemical releases due to the Cabal break in at Keystone Prime... and the release of said chemical into a sectioned off and abandoned sewer section...<i></i> He rambled on back and forth as he was going to and fro. The giant crocodile with its seemingly larger arms seemed to grasp at the concept of grabbing onto the thing holding onto it. Luckily the creature had yet to understand that its reach while longer was still short. Again the creature seeming grew smarter and tried to back drop Sousuke. A sickening crunch was heard as impact was made. Sousuke was still being stubborn and held on. "Also. Why it is angry is not my fault. Not entirely. Someone ... not mentioned who ... shot it with an adrenaline dart instead of a tranquilizer."<i></i> Shizune emitted a canine growl at the mention of this, and then shouted back at how the set up made no sense, let alone the fact she did not know how crossbows worked. "Ah. My good Harupia. Salutations."<i></i> Sousuke greeted his friend as the battle continued on.

Kimi attacked the creature with a melee attack. The crocodile snorted and turned on Kimi. What was this? Small creature? Hurt? Not good. The jaw proceeded to begin snapping at Kimi. Luckily Harupia began to encase the beast with his sand, and more importantly he began to immobilize it. It was a slow process, but it was working. "But... but... I didn't anger it. It was already angry. It was shot with adrenaline, and not by my hands. I was trying to contain it because of reports of ... well ... the people."<i></i> Enzeru opened fire and shot the creature in the eye. The shot wasn't lethal but the creature continued to slowly rampage. Eventually the creature stood still. Sousuke continued hanging onto it. After a full three minutes of it no longer fighting he simply let go of the beast and fell to the floor with a clang.

 

[Hoshirei]

The battle was short lived, thank the Mother. Despite the beast's size, there wasn't much damage. Kimi was ever so grateful that Haru popped in to help. If it had only been her, Enzeru, and Shizune, subduing the modern dinosaur would have taken much longer. She and her girls had easily avoided the beasts jaws, but still sighed in relief when sand wrapped around its maw. With the thing dead- or at least unconscious- she waved at Enzeru, who looked to be having about as much luck as she was on their hunt for cold-weather equipment.

"Thanks for helping, Harupia. That sand of yours certainly came in handy!" she said with a bright smile sent Harupia's way. She then almost sauntered over to where Sousuke had fallen from their fallen foe. She looked between Sousuke and Shizune and inquired, "Anything that should be healed sooner than later? Who knows what that thing's claws and teeth have come in contact with after all."

A small poke of caution from Kashiro saw one hand resting on the hilt of her sword and one eye stayed on the beast's head, ready in case it was smart enough to try and fool them into a false sense of security.

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OOC: school sucks, that's all there is to it....

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

The impromptu operation went somewhat smoothly. His sands managed to wrap around the creatures limbs and jaw, making sure it wasn’t hurting anyone, though the help of Enzeru's gold casing was noticeable for sure. He was slightly afraid that the arrow into he beasts eye would only drive it into a frenzy, but it seemed it wasn’t the case. As the beasts calmed himself he started to move in closer, still keeping his sand in place binding it... after his last fight in the middle of a town, he didn’t want to be partly to blame for more collateral damage.

With a bit of a sheepish smile he replied to Kimi "I do try my best...I’m just glad the situation got contained relatively quickly. Though I’d feel more calm if I knew whether it was already dead, or perhaps it was taking a nap after the adrenaline rush it just had..." as he moved closer to the beast and Sousuke. He spoke on "Good to see you two Enzeru, Sousuke...With how things are progressing, maybe the three of us will manage to meet without any wild beast trying to cause havoc around...Unless there are more of these out there. I would rather that giant sewer crocodiles would stay an actual urban legend...And out of sheer curiosity, I can understand tranquilizer bolts for a crossbow, but adrenaline?" he finished with a slightly joking tone thus he couldn’t help but worry. What if other reptiles or vermin got in contact with...whatever was spilled out. What is some people would come in contact with it...this didn’t sound good at all.

 

[Kairyuu]

The beast finally settles, the combined assault apparently draining its energy and putting it to rest. Enzeru remains alert for a moment longer, his bow aimed at the beast and eyes not blinking as he waits for a surprise from it. After several long moments of nothing, Sousuke finally falls to the ground and this prompts Enzeru to step forward and help the Steward to his feet. Only once the other was standing would be return Kimi’s wave of greeting and relax a little bit. The bow spins in his hands, collapsing into a much more compact form. It was his own creation, something he spent years engineering the design of in Kirigakure. The bow vanishes into his suit and he bows his head to Harupia.

”Good to see you also Harupia, and a pleasure as always to Sousuke and his companion.” Enzeru makes his way to Kimi and pulls her into a quick hug before looking back to Sousuke. Now that all of the excitement was dying down, the other might notice the oddity about the hunter. Enzeru’s ice-hued hair and eyes was…stained for lack of a better word. Starting from the roots his hair was going black, only an inch or so at the moment, but it was also coming in a half inch at the tips, showing it wasn’t simply a dye job gone wrong. The same was true of his eyes, the blue iris being overtaken by darkness, but here it progressed much faster, each eye seemingly a yin yang of black and blue.

”Sousuke, we should set up a perimeter and wait for someone to come evacuate this thing. I don’t think it’s dead, which means it might awaken at any moment.”

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke couldn't help but stare at Enzeru. This was one of those awkward moments. Much had changed about the ranger. His hair. His eyes. His features were still very much the same. The Steward blinked as he was helped up. His attention was broke by Kimi who had inquired if anyone had required healing. The Steward paused for the moment to survey himself. He dusted himself off. "Well."<i></i> He began. "I am seemingly in one piece, which is excellent."<i></i> He hesitated for a moment. He looked over to Shizune who merely offered a shrugging gesture of sorts. "Shizune is fine too, maybe a slight bruise or two, but she is operating at nominal levels."<i></i> Harupia threw in a good natured joke. Sousuke coughed at the remark, "The crocodile is much more accommodating and better humored than Shouki."<i></i> He added. The Steward shook his head. Shouki was someone he never wanted to deal with every again. Sousuke turned to regard the monstrosity that they had captured. The suggestion to make a perimeter around it made a lot of sense. The Steward shook his head. That would be unnecessary. The Steward reached into his coat and removed a vial. He inserted the vial into a slot on his armour and then proceeded to power punch through the sand to hit flesh. A loud grunting noise was heard and then Sousuke pulled back his fist. He turned to regard his company once more. "That was a hexa-sleeper serum I introduced into the bloodline of the beast. She'll be sleeping now, and I'll do the heavy lifting... once the sand has been removed of course and the other barirers."<i></i> Should that indeed occur, the three of them (Shizune excluded as she knew of Sousuke's strength), would be treated to the surprise of Sousuke carrying the beast across his shoulder's in a fireman's hold. It was indeed something somewhat frightening given his small size.

The Steward would turn to his companions one more time, "Before this happened... I was wondering ... what were the rest of you up to? I apologize for the ... problems that this must have brought unto all of you."<i></i> A seemingly odd statement to make given all that had just happened. The Steward was indeed a very curious individual.

 

[Hoshirei]

Kimi and the girls settled closer to a building and she leaned up against the wall. "I was just trying to search for some cold weather items. I swear for a village full of ninja, with some that can create snow, we have next to nothing in cold gear. Best I've found for sleeping rolls are ones that can stand just below freezing temperatures." It really was frustrating that they could find next to nothing in their markets. She really didn't want to have to shop at Soon's Haven.

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Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry this is late!

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Haru did noticed the change of Enzeru’s appearance now that things calmed down which surprised him slightly. It seemed to be something deeper than just a dye job...unless he was using some advanced techniques. There was nothing one couldn’t expect in the Shinobi world. He was a bit surprised how…enthusiastic Enzeru was when greeting Kimmi. Heh…lucky guy. As Sousuke spoke he simply nodded, not really wanting to talk much about the Cabal member then necessary. He raised his brow as Sousuke moved in, placing some vial into the glove of his armor…and punching through his sands. Damn…he could feel his sand resisting the attack. That was one hell of a punch for sure.

As Sousuke explained just what he did, Harupia simply nodded, slowly retreating his sands. He usually trusted his friends judgment in his inventions. Another impressive feat of strength was shown as Sousuke lifted the giant beast on his shoulders. Hmm…to think he couldn’t see Sousuke as a physical powerhouse…well, best not to underestimate the power of tech and chakra, hehe. After all that came a question from him…a somewhat surprising one. Chuckling he said “Well, I wasn’t doing much…just some miscellaneous shopping and enjoying a coffee…which seems to be in good shape” he said in a chipper tone as he used his sand to carry it over. As Kimmi mentioned her own shopping goals, he said in a somewhat surprised tone “We do? I mean, try as I might I don’t recall facing a lot of people specializing in Ice jutsu…or working with them. Hmm…I’m not sure how many shops you’ve been to, but these here are more local stores. I know a few merchants who went out more often to Soon’s and back. I can’t guarantee anything, but I think there is a bigger chance they’ll have something for colder weathers…Pardon my curiosity, but I don’t think the surface will be much colder then out underground home, hehe. Why the need for winter gear?”

 

[Kairyuu]

The staring was definitely noticed, Enzeru meeting it with an impassive gaze in return. He had no clue what, exactly, caused this change in his features but he was never one to get embarrassed about his looks. Far too often he’d had to look worse for lesser reasons than a life with someone important. Instead he gives a chuckle at Sousuke’s comment to his companion and looks at the beast, one brow rising as Sousuke gives it a megaton punch. And then explains himself. Enzeru runs his hand along its flank, the golden bindings crumbling to dust. Dust that some people run up to grab for. Enzeru was left wondering why gold was considered to be worth so much when people like himself could simply create it out of thin air. Was his gift with such really so rare? Perhaps he should moonlight as a jeweler or some such to earn enough money for certain things he was wanting.

His thoughts are interrupted as Sousuke asked about their purpose here. The trip to Mist wasn’t something many knew about, but he doubted the other did not. Word had a way of getting around to him, especially when said word was likely already given to Kimi’s father who was apparently a close friend of the Steward. Kimi gives a good answer, and as she does he notices Haru’s surprise at the affection between her and himself. And then Sousuke hefts the giant beast to a shoulder, a feat that left Enzeru speechless. The more he was around the Steward the more he was sure this man was simply not human.

”We need very high quality gear.” He looks between the two men for a moment. ”I’ve seen the stuff at Soon’s, and while it might be good for a trek through the mountains of Raijin’s Heaven, it will not suffice for the bitter cold that has overtaken my original home.” A small addition there, only one word, but it spoke volumes on his opinion of sand. This was his new home, this was the place he never hoped to find, somewhere that he could be content with his lot once more. Enzeru was no stranger to the other shinobi countries, but none of them struck him as welcoming. His experience with them was usually covert in nature, to boot. So Sand it was. Mother Suna welcomed him with open arms, and he would return that with all of his abilities.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke stared at Kimi and then Enzeru. He was still holding the sleeping crocodile. "Although Keystone Prime has been destroyed, I can still make armour and other items."<i></i> He paused to think for a moment about the whole issue of making cold-resistant gear. He stood very still like a statue as he was thinking it over. "Let me drop this off..."<i></i> He said slowly as it was apparent that Sousuke was not fully with them mentally. He was playing with materials and numbers in his head to put together the cold weather gear that they needed. "I could put together the gear as required. I would just need to pick up a few more items."<i></i> Sousuke exchanged glances with Haru. He listened intently to Enzeru speak of his homeland. Yes. Mist as indeed frozen still, that cataclysmic event still lingered on and people were still frozen solid in their coffins.

Without a word spoken Sousuke had zipped away with the crocodile in hand and was off to deliver the sleeping beast to the proper authorities at the medical centre. The beast would indeed need to be treated in accordance and restored to its original form. Soon enough the Steward was back again with a mobile work station in the middle of the street. He had exotic materials, a sewing machine which he was working at, and a press. The Steward sat there intently as if everything was normal, for him at least, as he was working on the gear that Enzeru and Kimi needed for their travels. "Hrmmm..."<i></i> He pulled the coat that he was working on out of the sewing machine before scanning it intently and going back to work on it. "Given the situation at the eye of the storm, and the fact it snowed there ... cold weather gear would be very helpful indeed."<i></i> He spoke out loud, more to Haru than anyone else given that few enough people knoew of his experiences at the eye of the storm that had plagued Suna for decades.

MFT 338

 

[Hoshirei]

(I am so sorry for the late post...)

When Sousuke offered to make them gear, she felt extraordinarily thankful. "That would be amazing, Sousuke-san. Thank you very much!"
She turned to Enzeru and quipped, "Sousuke made most of the armor for those who needed to go out into the diamond maelstrom when it still raged."

Sousuke ran off carrying the crocodile and Kimi couldn't help but snort at the sight. It was rather odd to see-- and then he set up a workshop in the middle of the street. She just blinked at him as he started fashioning cold weather gear for them.

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again, sorry for the late post

 

[Sunaku Harupia]

Haru blinked and averted his gaze as Enzeru noticed him. He didn’t mean to gawk or anything like that...but if something interested him it was tricky for him to look away. The conversation moved along regardless, with Enzeru pointing out they would need even better quality gear for where they were going. The Water country...he didn’t know as much as he'd like, though he guessed many could say that. A thriving country reduced to a frozen wasteland...he could only imagine what it felt to lose your home like that. He did come close a few times in his life already, but he never actually had to endure it actually happening. The archers resolve impressed him immensely...and the fact he saw this village as a worthy home filled him with joy. It was always good to make new friends, even if from faraway lands. He could only wish it was all sincere...not that he had any serious doubts...but the events of past months had left a jaded scar in the back of the Sunaku's head.

The conversation moved on, with Sousuke suggesting making the garments they needed himself. Heh, he wouldn’t expect anything less from the Steward. "Well I’d guess gathering the materials might take some it..." just before the Steward charged off with the Crocodile. He simply raised a brow, taking a sip of the coffee he had "Bah, lukewarm...and I don’t think these cups can handle heating up via fire jutsu" he said in a bit of a joke. He was somewhat baffled by Sousuke charging of so fast, though he got used to the Steward surprising him in such a way. Another surprise came quite soon, the Steward returning with a workstation in tow, starting to prepare the clothing. As he started working, a though lingered inside of Haru's head, until he finally spoke up "Soo...were all three of you there? In the heart of the Maelstrom? Dealing with...whoever caused us such grief over the years? What happened there?" he asked, glancing at all three of them. He felt a pang of guilt, not being able to take part in the task...unfortunately, the wounds he sustained while defusing the charges set up by the Cabal put him out of commission. And it still nagged him not being there...not only not being able to help, but to see just what kind of power it was that was able to cause so much damage over the years.