Enter from OASIS :: Main buildings [ Civilian access ]
Two figures, walking side by side, entered the marketplace that was once occupied and protected by the Kogarashi. Though, even with the fall of the army that threatened two world powers, the marketplace continued to thrive and continue to sell its wares. Power had simply changed hands in this bustling marketplace, just like how money changes hands daily here. Though, there was something to be said about the influence of the Kogarashi. Though no doubt a new top dog ruled this place, this marketplace still called itself by the name of its former guardians.
One, an young woman with green hair and bright red eyes. The other, a veiled young member of OASIS garbed in white robes that covered her entire body. Smiling amicable, the older woman with green hair chatted small talk to her smaller companion, who remained silent for most of their short trip through the Kogarashi marketplace.
They had met earlier at a "secluded meeting spot." I.e. while certain she wasn't being tailed, Kagerou created a clone that retained Nezu's, the OASIS member's, appearance while she reverted to what she remembered as her original form. The technique she once used so painstakingly and carefully, aware that it was always a permanent change until change again, she had stopped being so careful of. It was already far too late. She had used it so much since learning it. It was an inevitability of medics like her in her clan, those trained to infiltrate and disguise themselves as soft and harmless healers or meek yet valuable assets. Though, at the same time, she was still privileged, with skill and family. She was still able to retain some of the boundaries she had set for herself through all these years.
Even recalling such depressing thoughts--merely matters of fact and life in Kagerou's opinion--couldn't darken her sunny disposition, however. The original and the clone pretending to be another individual peacefully finished their shopping for scrolls in the marketplace. When Kagerou offered that she and "Nezu" eat something before they head off, the "Nezu" refused, excusing herself on account of her mask. Kagerou nodded. She, the original, barely had to act. Her clone was hitting Nezu's reactions to a T.
Exit OASIS :: Main buildings [ Civilian access ]
Bought from Kogarashi Marketplace
Kage's Scroll [x10] - 10,000 ryo
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 9:34 am
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
Akihiko made note of all the fuuin symbols he saw throughout the streets of Tanigakure as they made their way to his favorite bar. It'd been far too long since he'd been here, but it would help unscrew his head to see old colleagues. But Akaran's words were still haunting him. "I know you want the best for me, Aka," he said glumly, "but I did work because I was good at it, because I took pride in my work regardless of who requested it or who ate my blade. I'm capable of doing the things you want, but it's not because I have some soft, gooey, heroic insides. I'm just me. There's - that stuff is too subjective to really make us who we are." His voice was impossibly gentle as he explained, knowing Akaran wouldn't care for his words whatsoever, but still. He hoped one day he could get it through to Akaran that his values weren't moral in nature.
Whatever he was going to say next was cut off as a small hole-in-the-wall bar appeared between marketplace stalls. The bouncer initially looked at him warily before recognizing Akihiko's face and smirking like the two had a shared secret. He gestured with his head for Akihiko to enter, but held a palm towards Akaran to stop him. "With me," Akihiko said, ignoring the bouncer's surprise.
The bar seated a dozen patrons and no more, with a warmly familiar raucous environment. The bartender's eyebrows lifted at the sight of Akihiko after all this time, to which Akihiko couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, Tao," he said pleasantly as the bartender began crafting him a drink with an orange peel decoration.
The bartender got a few words of his greeting in before Akihiko found his shoulder being clapped by a short man, one with light blue hair and a gap-toothed grin. "Akihiko, as I live 'n' breathe! How are ya? Who is this lad?" Akihiko grinned at the greeting but flustered at the question, stumbling over his words as he looked to Akaran and tried to figure how best to succinctly describe their relationship. Boyfriend, he thought, but couldn't spit out. He tried to stutter out buddy but the short man laughed heartily and clapped Akaran on the shoulder as well instead. "Potential employer, huh? Ya know, I've got plenty of stories of this guy, 'n' he's got just glowing reviews. This dude's done everything under the sun - just name it! I could tell ya all about it over a drink if ya wanted?"
Akihiko flushed at the praise, then tried to convince his friend away from his choice. "Er, that's not really necessary, Ken-" but Ken was hushing him as the bartender pushed the beverage into Akihiko's hand. Akihiko looked to Akaran expectantly, waiting for him to say he didn't need to hear about Akihiko's past work so the two could pick a job and scram.
OOC:
Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
Seeker
Offline
Ephemeral Ozymandias Captain
Obsessive Prophet
Offline
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 10:11 am
▱▰▱Akaran was disappointed in Akihiko's response and protestations. It only caused the stubborn oni to dig in his heels deeper in his position. "No! I don't accept that." Akaran became frustrated and lashed out in response despite Akihiko's gentleness. He breathed and took a few moments to recollect himself before sighing out the rest of what he had to say on the matter. "I just wish you saw in yourself what I see." Akaran whimpered this line out yet had the hope that maybe someday Akihiko would. He kept himself from breaking down and tried to seem tougher in what was obviously a rough town. It seemed that he had this conversation with Aki a million times already and he felt the sting as if it were the first time. Nonetheless, Akaran knew he would never accept that this person that he loves could be beyond redemption or incapable of morality.
Akaran's nerves were flared and his face was stone as he stepped past the bouncer into the bar behind Akihiko. Akaran did not appreciate the various shady characters in the bar but he was accustomed to being around vagabonds over his years as a wanderer. He was confused as to why Akihiko was not acting with much confidence when the tiny man with a clandestine grin approached them. It took a few moments but he figured that it was because Aki did not want Aka to hear about what the shyster was going to go on about. "Leave me alone. I don't wanna talk to you." Akaran spoke far more curtly and bluntly than he normally would but he felt his frustration with this whole situation reach a boiling point. He looked over at Akihiko and then the board indicating that all he wanted to do was take a job and get out of here quickly. He felt no hesitation or nervousness because if anybody had a problem with it then he was prepared to defend himself and maybe even let off some steam. He refused to accept any drinks from Tao as he had no intention of staying. Akaran still needed time to process Akihiko's insistence on amorality and all of this was too overwhelming right now. He knew that if he heard about Akihiko's past that it would be too much for the warrior's aching heart.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, and they learn 1 extra technique per paragraph per body rank for a total of 6 at S+. In addition, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 10:33 am
I'm getting by with my wicked ways ✦ I'm loading up and I'm taking names ✦ I wanna dig my way to hell ✦
Akihiko was surprised by Akaran's bluntness in response to Ken. He hadn't expected Akaran to pass up an opportunity to learn about Akihiko's history, but the motivation wasn't stemming from any respect for Akihiko's privacy, but rather an anger at Akihiko for being who he was. Ken looked between the two of them like Akaran was crazy before turning to Akihiko conspiratorially, asking, "What's this guy's ******** proble-"
Except Akihiko had an arm against the man's chest, pinning him to the bar. "Not right now, Ken," and he did sound genuinely apologetic, but his expression his unmoving. "We're at a crossroads right now. Coming here was a mistake," Akihiko admitted as he released Ken gently, appearing more regretful than Ken had ever seen the mercenary.
"Actually," a quiet voice intoned from behind Akihiko, and he turned to see Mai, who'd grown since he'd last seen her but had also developed tired circles under her eyes. "There's a medic hailing from old Gimangakure that is causing problems, Aki-san. If you could find the time, we need them brought back so we can extract an antidote from them."
Akihiko put his drink down beside Ken on the bar, fixing her with an appraising look. "I don't think I - well, alright," he caved. He wanted to solve this argument with Akaran, but he also knew Mai was the only nearby accessible medic for people in town, and if there was a rogue medical nin causing problems, it wouldn't be possible for her to handle all the sick coming from them. Mai explained, briefly, their appearance, and then Akihiko was walking out of the bar, suddenly able to take in a deep breath outside. He felt like he was suffocating in there, not because of his old colleagues but because Akaran's anger was unbearable. "Aka," he said softly as he prepared to walk towards Gimangakure, "please hear me out."
OOC:
Ephemeral Ozymandias
ghostfinch
Seeker
Offline
Ephemeral Ozymandias Captain
Obsessive Prophet
Offline
Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2020 10:50 am
▱▰▱The Ken character was easily dispensed of by Akihiko, not that Akaran paid him much mind after dismissing him. Akaran was overwhelmed by the tension in the room as well but he was interested in the job the medic was offering. "We find the bad medic, you get medicine, got it." His angry expression softened a bit as he leaned in to hear what Mai had to say. It sounded like solid work to him so he left and followed Akihiko when it was time to go. He was still simmering but the fresh air on his face loosened his tight shoulders a little. He walked toward Gimangakure with Akihiko and heard the mercenary's pleas. "Sounds like we got a good job from the nurse. We're going to Gi-man-ga-kure?" He meant to say medical kunoichi. Akaran changed the subject to something more optimistic after his awkward encounter with Akihiko's former associate. He knew that he was headed to a shady place so he kept his wits about him despite being angry. "You had something to say?" Akaran asked with an exhale once they got some distance from the bar.
Personal Attributes ▱▰▱ Swordless Swordsman | As a fastidious student of Kyotoryuu, he is able to use small and medium blade bukijutsu styles through his "knife hands" causing them to act as taijutsu techniques in effect while consuming bukijutsu slots. ▱▰▱ Wandering Warrior | The Soko Sento and Kote Art styles can be used with an unarmored body. ▱▰▱ Unyielding Willow | Grants [2] stat points rather than [1] for the mastery of stages three and six of the Dance of the Meadow style for a total of [4] stat points. The Endurance stat cap of the Kaguya increases by [1] to a maximum of [9]. Finally, if half the resource cost of a bone armor technique is spent then it gains the attributes of armor and this does not cost a combat action. If the bone armor technique is E-Rank then it is considered very light armor, D-C rank for light armor, B-A rank for medium armor, and S-S+ rank for heavy armor. ▱▰▱ Martial Paragon | The favored fighting styles of the Kaguya are Taijutsu and Bukijutsu, and they learn 1 extra technique per paragraph per body rank for a total of 6 at S+. In addition, the Kaguya is able to start off with 2 additional taijutsu or bukijutsu styles. Finally, all complex Dance of the Meadow techniques are treated as spiritual in collision with other complex techniques. ▱▰▱ Curse Born | Forbidden Seals, including Curse of the Blood Orchid, owned by this rpc have an additional 100 corrupted nature chakra stored in their seal. This increases their cap from 400 to 500. Also, the Kaguya is able to recover faster from the drawbacks of forbidden seals following the deactivation of the seal making the stat reductions last for three posts rather than five.
**LEARNED - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
**MISSION - [ -Rank | / Posts ]
kiiwispoet
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 12:28 pm
A brown haired man stopped by one of the shops on his way to a meeting. In a crowd he wouldn't stand out, his height not overly tall and his build not overly large. He didn't sport any kind of brilliant hair color or markings. Perhaps the only thing that would stand out about him was his bright silver eyes.
Quietly he bought a couple of new tonfa's with the the last of his ryo that he had just splurged as of late.
Chakra Steel Weapon: Medium [x2] Purchased
It left his wallet uncomfortably empty but that was due to change if things went according to plan. He thanked the shop keep for the items and went on his way down the street again. The journey was starting.
