Legend of the Dragon Clan [IC Thread]

[ZeroNumerous]

Hiroshima, Japan; August 6th, 1945; 7:34 AM

A scything wind swept across the plains leading up to Hiroshima. It traveled across fields of short grass, over tar roads and finally into the city itself. The wind trumpeted the coming of fall and behind it lay the cold icy grip of winter. A blue loosely worn coat fluttered as the wind grabbed at coat and tried to tear it free of the owner. The wind gave up when it found the coat to be indestructable. Instead it simply barreled forward into the depths of the city and blasted exposed hands and faces. A baby-faced young boy hugged his coat tightly, shivered as the wind passed by and turned toward the sky. A somber smile forged from experience he didn't have spread across his childish features. Today would be a good day, he thought. It'll be a good day indeed. The boy turns and faces down a street littered with cars awaiting their hurried owners. He remembered doing this so many times before, but something was not the same about today. Indeed, one of those cars was moving steadily toward him. The boy shrugged and picked up a large blue ball. It was play time.

Inside the faded blue vehicle sat a man not even into his third decade. A short, plain leather jacket protected him from the wind that barged into his open air car. Hands wrapped in brown gloves worked a red padded steering wheel while legs wrapped in brown slacks worked the faded rubber pedals. His short, shaggy brown hair denoted a youth disconnected with the society he had grown up in. His brown eyes stole a glance at the girl sitting beside him. Her soft, long black hair had been brutally combed into straight sheets that seemed more like a curtain than human hair. She stared off into space, utterly devoid of interest or movement aside from the rhythmic rise and fall of her green knitted vest. She acknowledged neither the man nor his car as the vehicle puttered along outside Hiroshima's city limits. They had driven in silence since Master Susuimou ordered Johan to leave the city. Indeed, the old woman had been rather adamant that they leave this morning. As soon as possible. He secretly wondered why.

---

Over the Sea of Japan; August 6th, 2008; 9:31 AM

The four of you sit two by two in a twin-engine Cessna 404. Whomever had refurbished the 30 year old airplane reset the seats to face inward so that all ten passengers would be able to converse. The windows were blacked out and obviously the plane was not intended for commercial flights. To your immediate left sits one of those corporate types in a dark black suit with matching shoes, tie and sunglasses. He introduced himself as Mr. Monday when you met him at the airport on Ullung-do Island in Korea. Monday specified that he was not the client, but instead a representative of the client. He happily turned over half of the agreed price(1.2 billion USD) as Master Joshua informed you he would. He begins by handing out an 8" by 11" photograph of a youthful, bright-eyed Japanese woman waving to the paparazzi gathered around a black limo.

"This is the primary target. Her name is Saithe Obita. She's staying in the Rihga Royal hotel in Hiroshima." Monday waited for the image to be passed around before he continued. "She knows something we'd like, and we want her under our control. We do not want her dead or injured." Once Monday has gotten the photograph back he passes around another black-and-white 8 by 11 of an smiling, aged and sunken-faced man holding a young child up over his head. "This is the secondary target. His name is Koji Sunashi. Our contacts says he's in Hiroshima visiting the Ankoku-ji temple in the east ward of the city." Again, Monday waits until everyone has seen the photograph before continuing. "We want him eliminated along with his son. The two should be together. I'll leave you to discuss your plan."

With that done the suit unbuckles himself, gets up and heads toward the front of the plane. He disappears into the cockpit and the four of you are left alone together in the plane. None of you had worked together until today, but now you have thirty minutes to discuss.

[Callos_DeTerran]

John Cross

This wasn't the first time that John had been ferried out on a private plane, but usually it was harder to tell that it was up to shady business then this one. Blacked out windows with seats turned inward to accommodate secret meetings with no one person clearly at the 'head' of the discussions? That was something new and snazzy, promising that whatever this job was about could possibly break him into the big leagues finally. John relaxed idly in his chair throughout the miniature briefing, spread out in the chair with both of his hands crossed across his stomach as he lounges.

Thick golden blond hair is just long enough it begins to pass into his field of vision, deep blue eyes taking in each other person aboard the Cessana with nonchalant interest. A black leather coat, in the same style as the trench coats worn in World War I, hangs down to the top of thick-soled boots with steel toes. At the moment the coat is parted to reveal the flashy purple and red silk shirt underneath and, more importantly, the pearl-gilded grips of the dual H&K USP Match that were holstered at his waist at just the right height for his hands to reach easily. Clearly a lot of work and love had gone into the silver-plated and engraved pistols and John carries them with an easy confidence that tells of experience in their use. One gun is holstered on each of the two brown leather belts he wears, numerous clips slipped into loop holes on the belts though it's the almost gaudy gold belt buckle that draws the eye the most. With long tailor-made dress slacks to complete the ensemble, John makes for a dashingly dressed figure with hard cut features that make the man look younger then he is.

As the two pictures are passed out, Cross picks up the picture of the energetic looking Japanese woman and gives a soft whistle, taking in the details slowly so as to remember the target. "Oh, I definitely call the cutie assignment. I'm more'n happy to sweep her off her feet. You lot fight over the wet-work."

As Mr. Monday heads to the front of the plane, Cross takes one quick glance at the middle-man then turns to the closest member of this little 'team' and extends his hand out warmly. "By the way, John Cross. The Red Eye of Fate. You?"

[Cespenar]

Arthur Wolff

Sitting calmly in one of the four seats was a man with clothing that hardly fits a private meeting in a custom Cessna with lives and riches at stake, but the man hardly seemed to care. He sported a regular dark-blue jeans and a featureless black shirt could be noticed through his thick brown windbreaker, which gave him the outlook of an everyman rather than drawing any kind of suspicious pictures. His short black hair was well-kempt and combed, however, and his eager brown eyes were darting around the plane, consuming everything but letting out nothing. No weapons were directly visible on his person, but a keen-eyed observer could notice the two indistinct bulges around the man's waist, under the coat.

When the photos are handed over for them to check out, Arthur spends a little more than the usual few seconds, his young features crossed with serious attention. If anyone expresses discontent over his speed, he will pass a cold look before handing the photos back.

As the suit leaves them alone and the blondie who calls himself John introduces himself, Arthur revolves in his seat and shakes the man's hand with a manner that doesn't show much gladness in doing so.

"Arthur Wolff. Or simply Wolf will do."

He raises a thick eyebrow when he hears the second part. "Red Eye of... Fate?"

[PhoeKun]

Lilly Sabrem

In another seat, a young woman sits rigidly and uncomfortably upright, dressed head to toe in form fitting greys and blacks. One heavy boot taps unconsciously on the floor of the aircraft as she takes in her surroundings, particularly the others who would be acting as her teammates and superiors from this point forward. High caliber rifle bullets decorate her belt, and the many pockets on her black vest would seem to serve a similar function as the belt, although she does not look like she's properly equipped to actually shoot any of them. She clenches her gloved fists tightly, resting both hands on her lap.

Her neck and face are the only portions of her body not covered, revealing soft skin that looks more pale than it actually is thanks to her dark clothing. Even from across the plane, her brown hair appears immaculately cared for; perfectly silky and unblemished as it caresses her shoulders and tumbles down her back, where it slowly shifts to a deep green color at the tips, which curl up ever so slightly. It sways mesemerizingly as she shifts her head about, trying desperately to conceal her discomfort.

And then there are her eyes - piercing and (more surprisingly) pure white. They seem physically incapable of missing a detail, and indeed at the moment they are hard at work making sure absolutely nothing slips by. A mistake here would embarrass their owner profoundly on her first big chance to impress whoever the heck it was that needed impressing, and take real steps towards living up to her training and heritage. Every last muscle in her body is tensed. To say that she is nervous would be an understatement on the order of saying that the sky is big. She heaves a tiny sigh.

"M-my name is Lilly. Lilly Sabrem. I have not yet earned the right to carry such an impressive sounding title as yourself, Sir Red-eye of Blue Eyes. Ah... t-that is, if you were interested in me at all. I am sorry for speaking out of turn."

She hangs her head to hide the flush of color rising to her cheeks.

[KaganMonk]

Joseph Santos

The final member of the group sits in calculating, brooding silence throughout the presentation. As with all missions for the clan, he does not question his superiors nor does he resent being called upon. However, being taken from his training is an annoyance, even if he is putting it to use.

He is constantly fingering the sword hanging from his belt, which is partially concealed by the loose white shirt he wears over his dark tank top. Like the rest of him, his light khakis look slightly worn from running and exercising for long periods of time. His dark hair is cropped short in an obvious effort to keep it out of his face, his skin looks sun darkened, though whether from the sun or his heritage is anyone's guess.

As Mr. Monday outlines the mission, Joseph barely glances at the photos. It is obvious what path he will lean towards. I'm Joseph Santos. I would be more than willing to take on the assassination, since I would be nothing more than a bodyguard on a diplomatic mission. By the way Mr. Cross, your eyes are blue, not red.

Then he smiles slightly as he turns to the woman next to him. Miss Sabrem, I would be honored if you watched my back on this mission

[ZeroNumerous]

Japan, 9:43 AM

The plane's suddenly shakes and shudders, but the movement soon stops and your pilot's voice comes over the intercom. "Sorry about that, we hit a little turbulence there. We'll be arriving in just ten more minutes ladies and gentlemen." Naturally, you cannot see the Japanese countryside you fly over due to the blacked out windows, but you can guess from your time of arrival that you are somewhere over the Japanese countryside. Time passes quietly and quickly on the small plane, and eventually it shakes and shudders again as your pilot announces that you've arrived. The plane comes to a complete rest before Mr. Monday steps out of the cockpit and motions toward the plane's exit.

You step out onto a small paved runway amid flat green grassland. In the distance is a large city with spires reaching up into the clouds, and beyond it lies the sea. To your immediate right sits a short, squat wooden building dubbed "Anji-ku International". Two women dressed in the same meticulously pressed coal black suit as Mr. Monday stand at the corner of the building waiting for your approach. Mr. Monday walks down to the end of the plane's boarding stairs then waits for you to come down. "I will not be accompanying you any further. These two young ladies will take over from here." When your group makes their way over, both women bow the shortest and curtest of bows you've ever seen. Both wearing the same type of black reflective sunglasses as Mr. Monday, but you can tell from their skin that one woman is rather old and the other rather young.

The old woman speaks first. "200 billion yen buys us children? I fear Chi--" The younger interrupts before the elder finishes her statement. "Grandmother! I apologize, she has been on edge as of late. My name is Kayoubi. Getsuka Kayoubi. This is my grandmother Getsuyoubi. Getsuka Getsuyoubi. We are pleased to meet you." The elder woman grumbles aloud about "putting on faces" before outsiders, but does not speak out again. Instead, Kayoubi guides you behind the small wooden structure to a pair of rather plain cars parked in well-used tire ruts. Kayoubi motions toward the cars and speaks again. "Grandmother and myself will be escorting you where you need to go. Unfortunately we will need to split the group to accommodate everyone. I apologize for this inconvenience."

She waits for your group to pick a vehicle. Both are rather small Subaru Impreza GE model sedans and both are silvery-white in color.

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

The older woman's interrupted commentary makes Lilly grimace. But then, this sort of thing is really to be expected. She wasn't exactly sure about exchange rates, but after dropping that kind of money, she can't imagine expecting someone like herself showing up, either.

"Um... no, that's really no trouble at all. Is there, I mean will your vehicles be traveling to predetermined locations? It was requested that I participate as an aid in the completion of the secondary objective, so if there's a specific car, then..."

Her eyes pass over the entire scene twice over, moving almost imperceptibly due to their overall... whiteness. She catches herself in the middle of a sigh, and adds an afterthought, addressing the older woman specifically:

"I'm sorry for being a child."

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Arthur hardly stifles a sarcastic smirk as the older woman addresses them as children. Ignorant and/or condescending clients were a staple in this business, and he has seen more than a fair share of them to pay any heed to this kind of commentary. He will silently follow the group and only nod briefly at Miss Kayoubi's greeting.

When they reach the cars, Arthur gives them an appraising look but seems to be rather unimpressed in general. However, his brows cross slightly as the young woman (girl?) beside him tries to apologize. He turns to look sharply in her eyes.

"Don't apologize to them. We're here to lend our service and have nothing to be ashamed of."

His tone is not of a reassuring, kind one though, but rather a confrontational, matter-of-fact one.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

Before landing...

"Very observant the both of you, maybe you'll get a chance to see what I mean before all of this is over. John promises with a roguish wink to the trio who had introduced themselves as well and languidly stretches in the seat once more. Despite his obvious expertise in his particular field, he's as anxious as a guy on his first job and he's eager to get off the plane to discover the true meat of this matter.

"Haha, and don't worry Lilly, a pretty little thing like you never has to worry about being interesting to me." Another wink, specifically at the flushing girl, and then John fell silent through out the rest of the flight until they touched down and climbed out of the airplane.

After landing...

John is the third out of the plane and pauses in shock at the disparaging remarks from the older Japanese woman.

"Hey, GeeGee, I'm over thirty years old and stopped being a child when I killed three men at the age of fifteen. If you really want someone over the hill though, I'd be happy to get back on the plane." He growls out, taking up an intimidating stance at the insinuation that those assembled (And by extension him) would not be enough for whatever this job would be. Why did someone always have to start the 'not getting what I paid for' game to try and drag the price down?

But Cross brushes off the older woman and gives a polite nod of the head to the other. "Any new details that we should be made aware of or has everything remained the same?"

Even as he talks, the slick Vegasian slides up besides Lilly, taking a subtle but keen interest in what car she takes.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

"Grandmother" only turns a blind eye to the group and waves off their responses with an off-handed dismissal. "Then leave. Certainly your master would have plenty to say when he finds out you refused to do a job." The younger woman puts her fists on her hips and puffs out her cheeks. "Grandmother! How could you?" She turns to the group, clasps both hands together and bows deeply. "I am profusely sorry for the way she's acted. Either way, no. There isn't any particular vehicle going to any particular objective. I assume Mr. Monday identified the targets, correct? I will be driving two of you to the staging area for the primary objective. There, we will wait for the target to arrive then... Well. I guess you'll do what you do best." The younger girl just looks down at that as she's obviously uncomfortable with the dagger part of the cloak-and-dagger business. "Grandmother will be driving the secondary team to the last known location of the secondary target. I've been authorized to give you free reign to accomplish our goals in any manner necessary."

[KaganMonk]

Joseph Santos

Joseph notices the gap closing between Lily and John closing rapidly, just as he noticed John's obvious interest in Lily earlier. He nods in understanding to the directions Kayoubi gives, even as he inserts himself between Lily and John in the blink of an eye, not seeming to cross the intervening space at all.

It seems that Miss Sabrem and I will be going with Grandmother Getsuka to our objective. Wolf, Mr. Cross, best of luck on your objective, and may we meet back here in one piece. With that, he pointedly turns his back on John Cross and escorts Lily to the car the elder woman is headed towards. He makes a point of holding the door open for Lily before getting in the opposite side himself, behind Grandmother.

As he walks, he suggests rather stiffly to the grandmother, I hope you will delay your judgement until you see what we are capable of. I think you will be rather surprised.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

His light scolding ignored, Arthur shrugs and throws a brief nod at Joseph.

"Luck has no place in our business. We will meet again in one piece, that's a fact," he replies with a serious face, but tops it with a grim half-smile at the last moment. "See you."

With that, he will silently board the first car and cross his arms while waiting for it to get off.

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

The attention showed her by John seems to confuse Lilly. Whatever it was that makes her interesting to him, it's beyond her ability to guess. Still, for a man of his apparent stature to be acting this way is flattering in some way or another. She offers the briefest of smiles as she is lead towards the car being driven by the grandmother.

"It would seem this is where we part ways for now, Sir Red-eye. I'd wish you luck, apparently that's some sort of faux pas? Along with apologizing... I'm sorry, I'm still learning proper etiquette. Until later, then."

As she steps into the car, the chivalry of Mr. Santos is not lost on her, either. She wonders what it's all for, privately pondering if it might have something to do with the fact that she seems to be the only woman of the group. Although, both clients were female, and neither seemed to get the same courtesies... she shrugs inwardly. She'd learn these things in time, now that she's actually living in a co-ed environment. She turns her head to face Joseph fully.

"From your earlier comments, I'm guessing you would like to make the actual kill?"

[KaganMonk]

Joseph Santos

I don't actually care whether I make the kill or not. I'll wait to see how the situation unfolds to see which of us will have a better chance at completing the mission successfully. If it's a case of letting you snipe at them from a distance, I'll gladly stand cover for you. However, I'm not quite sure what I would be doing to help coerce anybody. My people skills are a bit lacking in that area.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

One eyebrow raised at the one man's behavior towards Lily, and himself, and a low chuckle rumbles out of his throat even as he gives a disparaging shake of his head. "Geez, if you stay that protective of her then how do you expect her to get off a decent shot?" He drawls sarcastically even as he gives a nod to the younger Asian woman.

He climbs into the car beside Arthur, taking the moment to slip both guns out of their holster and ensure a full clip was in each with the safeties on before slipping them back into their holster.

"So? What are you packing?" He asks abruptly, leaning back in the seat with his eyes shut as if getting ready to take a nap though one eye opens to observe Arthur. "And do you know the target any? I don't."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The two women look at one another, exchange a few words in Japanese then the younger woman nods and stiffly wanders over to the car with Arthur and John.

Cross and Wolff

Your driver gets in the driver's side with stiff almost puppet-like movements. She makes no attempt at small talk, and instead keeps her eyes focused straight ahead. The other vehicle pulls out first as your driver takes nearly a full minute to compose herself before driving ahead. She's a careful and methodical driver, but suffers from a mild problem. Namely, she has a rather heavy foot. You quickly discover her problem as she starts pulling nearly 128kph before catching herself and slowing down.

It takes several minutes, but eventually you drive past a small river that bleeds into the ocean. To your immediate left, separated by the river, stands a very tall rectangular building that your guide identifies as the Rihga Hotel. "We believe Mis--The target is inside. She checked into Room 313 two days ago and is scheduled to remain in the city for one week. We would like her in our custody before tomorrow morning. Can you do this without harming her?"

Lilly and Joseph

The old woman falls into the driver's seat like a rock. She slumps forward a little and rummages around in the glove box for a few seconds. Soon you hear the distinctive click of a cigarette lighter as she lights up a crumpled cigarette, takes a long drag then leans back in her seat and closes her eyes. "Do you kids think you can do this? My associates are paying quite a lot of money for your services and we do not want you faltering in the middle of the job." Without waiting on an answer, she starts the car and sets it into drive.

Several minutes pass as you wheel your way through the high-rises of the city. The old woman is reckless and frequently cuts off other drivers as she maneuvers the sedan into position on the road. Eventually the car heads out of the city and into a small suburban area lined with skinny two story homes. Grandmother eventually pulls into the driveway of a nondescript home that appears exactly like the home beside it. "This is our staging point. The target's home is directly across the intersection from this one." She turns off the vehicle and waits. "Well, now is the time to admit you do not have the stomach for this and walk away."

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Arthur can't help but grin when he notices Cross taking out two fine-looking pistols- H&K USPs to note. Seeing his face, he feels the need to explain his expression, and pointing out a finger to ask for a moment, Arthur reaches for the two indistinct bulges around his belt to produce two handguns of his own.

"Glock 20s, modified as you can see, not much unlike your pair."

Checking them out as Cross did, Arthur nods contentedly and puts them back into their holster.

"No, I don't know of her too," he says, but then adds silently, "Though she should be more important than they let us know."

"Aanyway," he leans back and returns to his original tone. "How do you suggest we do this? It seems that your... charming self would have no problem taking care of the target peacefully, while I cover your back and deal with any other possible 'obstacles'." He doesn't care to hide the double coat of sarcasm he put on some of the words.

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

If there was anything Lilly didn't have the stomach for, it was the old woman's driving. Every close call, swerve, and aggressive surge sent a chill down her spine, and by the time they reach the staging area, she has an almost supernatural, white-knuckled death grip on the door handle. She exhales deeply, thinking it might lower the old woman's opinion of her even further if she gave into the urge to drop down and kiss the ground.

"If... if I don't have the stomach for it, I'm afraid I'll just have to throw up after the job is done. I'm not able to walk away, so..."

She trails off, leaving the thought unfinished. Her gaze wanders across the street, to the area she would soon see a man and his child die at.

"...Mr. Santos? If you don't mind my asking, what skills are you proficient in? And also... I'm really sorry for pushing, but could you please make a decision as to which of us you want to eliminate the target? I don't mind taking the shot or being your backup, but with you being the more senior operative I don't... um... that is... I was told to make sure you had first choice in assignment over me. And, your choice will effect which bullet I should prepare, so...

...You are familiar with 'casters', right?"

[KaganMonk]

Joseph

Joseph continues to ignore the old woman, since she obviously doesn't really want a response to her taunts. He turns back to Lily, looking slightly surprised. Casting as in elements and spells? I apologize, I didn't realize your actions depended on mine that much. He thinks for a moment. I'll take point and eliminate the targets. You provide backup as you choose. If you do get a lethal shot, though, don't hesitate. My ego doesn't need a boost on a butcher run. Just let me know if you'll be following me in, or if you're providing long distance support.

Joseph turns back to the old woman with a question. By the way, is it essential to kill the child, or just remove him from the picture. Children are fairly easy to indoctrinate. They forget their previous life quickly. If you don't have the stomach to deal with his death, we can take him back with us to the Clan.

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

"Ok, I understand. I'm going to keep close to you and act as a 'finisher' if it's needed. It would be best if you stepped away from the target before giving the order to fire. This particular shot has something of a shrapnel effect..."

Rather than elaborate, she pulls a single shell from her belt, and holds it in between her hands, pinning it between a long and intricate series of hand signs. There's very little fanfare to go along with the whole process, but when she seems satisfied, the casing is covered in a series of bright blue markings. It also seems her hands are cold, because she takes a moment to rub them together after setting the shell to one side. She then snaps her fingers summoning a rifle to her hand. Again, there isn't any flair - no flashes of light or gaudy noises - simply a black scoped rifle where before there was only air. She seems to think nothing of it, loading the bullet along with 4 unsealed shots.

"I'm ready to begin the stakeout. I'll follow your orders to the best of my ability, I promise."

The ninjutsu roll to seal is in the OOC thread. The bullet being prepared is Touseisou. Chakra cost - 6. 1 hour and 40 minutes remaining before it goes inert...

[ZeroNumerous]

Cross and Wolff

Ms. Getsuyoubi pulls the car into a small parking lot, turns and gives you both a thumbs-up sign. Her face doesn't carry the confidence of a hardened criminal, however and she appears sick to her stomach. She wishes you good luck before turning around and lowing her head against the steering wheel. A stiff breeze batters itself against the car as the two of you step out. A pair of rather expensive vehicles flank the older model car you've just exited and make it stand out amongst the crowd. Luckily for you there 'crowd' consists of two senior citizens slowly meandering toward the hotel's entrance, a couple holding hands and mother-daughter pair dressed for a day at the beach. The pair make their way to the hotel entrance without issue. An older man in a crisp, pressed red uniform greets the two then opens the door for them.

Inside your eyes are assaulted by varying degrees of bright gold as the early morning light reflects in waves off the glittering walls and ceiling. A long, bright red counter dominates the lobby. Behind it three suit-clad young ladies and one much older man discuss with customers, hand out keys and generally act as one would expect from a lobby's desk clerk. Neither raises their head nor look at the pair but a sensation of being watched is there all the same. Neither of you can quite pinpoint where it's coming from and looking through the crowd shows that no one is looking in your particular direction. None the less, you feel as if someone were carefully examining your every move.

Lilly and Joseph

The older woman scoffed "Of course it's necessary. An example cannot be made with survivors left alive, and his wife is already dead. Feh. You foreigners and your misplaced compassion." The older woman shuffles over to the house in question, digs around in her pocket for keys then unlocks and throws open the door. She doesn't even give you a cursory greeting nor make any attempt at hospitality. Instead, she digs out a cellphone and hands it to whomever is closest to her. "Our contact, Kinyoubi, will call when the target leaves the temple. Remember: The man and his son. Anyone else won't get you any bonuses." With that said she turns, tries to enter then stumbles into the home. She's immediately scowling and swearing before disappearing into the kitchen.

The room you step into appears to be lived in as two pairs of shoes--a white pair and a pink pair, both tennis shoes and both in women's sizes--are lined up just inside the doorway. A family photo hangs just opposite the open door. A bright-eyed young man holds a young woman who in turn is holding a little girl. They're all wearing their Sunday best and smiling brightly for the camera. Immediately after the door you step into a short hallway which runs to your left and right. Your immediate left terminates in a sturdy wooden door while your immediate right leads to a wide open room you identify as a living room. A short table dominates the center of the room, a TV takes up most of the northern wall and the southern wall is composed almost entirely of a large three-panel window. The room feels lived in as black and blue pillows are already laid out to rest on.

Looking out the window gives you a clear view of the target's house in question.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

As they enter the lobby, Arthur takes a moment to look around himself and digest the surroundings, squinting his eyes against all the glitter. Then he grimaces, as if coming to a verdict about the hotel, and continues his walk.

"You smell a trap too?" he mumbles at Cross without moving his lips, almost under the limit of hearing. He doesn't change his pace though, and when they reach the counter, Arthur takes a step back and gestures half-sarcastically.

"The pleasure is yours."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

"Of course it's a trap. It's always a trap." Cross says with a knowing wink to his fellow partner in crime. Part of what little enjoyment he got out of this job was walking blatantly into traps...then walking back out just as easily. After all, how could normal people hope to stop him and Arthur?

He did reach out to grab his fellow's arm though as he approached the front desk, shaking his head.

"We already know which room is ours. No need to trouble the staff about this." He murmurs softly, "Come on, lets find the stairs."

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

After a moment inside the house, Lilly slumps against a wall and bangs the back of her head against it repeatedly. She starts to speak in a quiet tone, and while she is clearly talking only to herself, her particular tone of voice makes it easy to overhear what she's saying.

"Of course there would be a signal. Stupid girl, stupid, stupid, stupid... idiot show off useless twit. You can't even hold a seal for 2 hours, and you go and form one with so little information? Lilly, you great big idiot. They're going to kick you out if you keep this up..."

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Jerking back slightly as Cross grabbed his arm, Arthur grins a faint one and nods.

"Right. There they are," he says, pointing to the side with his head, where in distance the stairs can be seen. As they are walking, however, his expression changes from grinning to a calculating, thoughtful one.

"So, you don't give 'them', whoever they are, much credit, I guess? Not even making a plan against their trap?"

His tone suggests that he's not used to not having thought-out plans beforehand.

[Catch]

Lan Feng

In a hotel room high above the street, a girl waited. She sat cross-legged on the floor in the precise center of the room, which had required the moving of a stuffed leather sofa and a glass coffee table strewn with fashion magazines and half-empty cans of Diet Coke. With closed eyes, the girl reached out and listened.

There was a draft whispered coldly from the east window, cracked open to allow in the sounds of morning. Sparrows chirruped territorially, traffic rumbled at high tide, and the faint smell of ocean salt brushed the girl's nose.

A familiar voice called out from another room. "Lan? La-aan, are you still there?"

Blue eyes blinked open, and her serene tone carried a recently-practiced patience. "I hear you, Miss Obita. You were speaking on hair dyes?"

"Like I was saying, black is out. I mean, every single person you see is the same, not like in Paris or London, or even America. You really ought to consider another color..."

Lan Feng let the words roll past with a tolerant sigh, her client's steady churn of empty words. She could still hear mutterings of one-sided conversation even muted behind a closed bathroom door and under the sprinkling spatter of a hot shower.

Again, she concentrated. A leaf had caught itself in the open window, flapping helplessly. The high electric hum of the hotel's lights perched just above her hearing and breakfast smells wafted up from the downstairs buffet. Lan Feng's stomach wuffled, a polite reminder that she had not yet eaten. Miss Obita appeared to consume nothing but diet soda, so a venture to the lobby was unlikely. Perhaps some tea, she thought.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

"Not at all, I actually think very highly of them. Just look at how much we are being paid to kidnap someone! No, I expect some serious resistance from at least five guards." Cross says offhand as they head to the stairs, keeping his ears and eyes open for a sign that somebody was still watching them in the lobby.

"I also expect them to expect the un-expected. They probably think we'll come in through a window guns ablazin' or that we'll gas the room then take out the target while everyone is knocked out. They'll plan for something weird and convoluted like that which is why we're taking the stairs." Cross says in a friendly enough tone, "Cause, to be honest, I've never been much of a person for plans before but I've seen plenty get ruined because the target just blundered through it because everyone expects the un-expected. They never expect the expected, you get it?"

Blunt logic but it seems to have worked for him in the past, but he pauses for a moment and briefly raises a hand for Arthur to do the same. His eyes close as he calls up the chakra deep inside and when the lids flicked open, the orbs had turned to a deep blood red, little commas swirling about the pupil as he takes a brief look about the lobby.

Activating the sharingan to see if Cross spots anything of significance.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

"Though I see your point, there's a basic flaw in that approach. You presume that they plan for the unexpected and leave the obvious route less guarded. The thing is, one optimally expects the unexpected after making sure they're ready for the expected," argues Arthur in a teacher-like tone.

"And while I too have seen many a plan go awry, I assure you, mine rarely-"

He freezes as Cross raises a hand and throws a wary look at his surroundings, wondering if he sensed anything out of the ordinary. He smiles understandingly when he notices the red eyes of the man, though.

"So, the Red Eye of Fate, huh?" he whispers very softly. "Should have thought that."

Leaving him to scan the area, Arthur takes a moment to focus and turn inside himself, trying to curb the flowing stream of chakra within his body into a mere leak. Whatever this bold man has said, he would at least prepare for the worst.

Suppress Chakra to 'Faint'.

[KaganMonk]

Joseph

Please don't mistake my question for compassion. I merely look for weapons wherever they may be found. It truly is a shame, and yet an irony, that the city where we do this job is built upon the ashes of the clan that would understand you and your goals.

Joseph barely pays attention to his surroundings as he walks in, except to assess any threats there may be. He then drops onto the pillows to wait for the phone call. He gets a small smile as he listens to Lily.

Calm down Lily. Everyone makes mistakes. And the masters would hardly kick you out, even if we did botch this job, he thinks for a second, then adds loudly in the old woman's direction Which we won't!

[ZeroNumerous]

Lilly and Cross

Quite some time passes. You look around for a clock, but there doesn't seem to be one in the living room. The old woman moves from the kitchen back into the living room where she sits upon a pillow with a cup of tea in her hand. She neither talks nor looks at you and certainly doesn't offer to make you some. Instead she's quite content to let silence reign supreme. The silence is broken by the chirp of a brown headed thrush just outside the window. Combining the bird's idyllic chirps, the warmth of early autumn and the smell of fresh made tea makes the scene feel almost homely.

BZZT. BZZT.

The phone buzzed as it vibrated against the table. It only buzzed one more time before going silent. If you pick it up you'll see a text message in English. "Left temple. Green car. Two men. No boy. 30m." Lilly thinks her bullet is still charged, but checking shows that it is not.

Cross and Wolf

Arthur sees no one in particular as standing out, but that was expected. Whatever Cross has seen he hasn't shared. The pair make their way up the stairs quickly and quietly. It takes a while to get to 313 as the rooms seem numbered based on how many rooms there actually are as opposed to what floor it resides on. This realization, unfortunately, tires out both ninja by the time they get to the floor in question. The pair step into a carpeted hallway lined with polished wooden doors. The sensation of being watched has long since abated, but that isn't reason enough to let your guard down. The door closest to you reads "Maintenance", but the four doors nearby read "309", "308", "307" and "306". You surmise that going left would take you to 313.

Lan Feng

Your enhanced hearing picks out the sound of the stairwell door's distinctive click. You know most of the upper floors are populated by high-profile clients and none of them would return in the middle of the day. Whoever this is has to be new. Your client steps out of the bathroom clad in a towel as was her custom. Her lithe waif-like form graced the front pages of many magazines and even more movie screens here in Japan. She could probably stand to gain some weight as you conservatively estimate her at a paltry 108 pounds. Her short height combined with low weight and beautiful looks made her a media darling, but predictably she had the body strength of a wet noodle. "Do you think Watanabe will be at the meeting? He's supposed to be big in the group, right? So. What do you think about this one?"

She holds up a pink dress that could be called a silk rag and still be accurate. Her assets are 'tastefully' covered, but her mid-drift lies exposed. The backless number looks more like someone had taken scissors to a T-Shirt then stretched it to fit an entire body.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

"Didn't notice anyone?" whispers Arthur curiously and eyes the room numbers, which finally decided to get closer to what they were looking for.

The three hundreds, at last. I really would like to meet the architect responsible with this place. Sheesh.

His head gesturing left, Arthur very silently follows Cross and watches what the man would do. It was obvious that he had his own way to act, and utilizing a separate plan would only reduce their efficiency. So, grimacing on the inside, he chose to play the role of subservient sidekick and waited for his action.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

"I'm not sure. Saw a man and a woman with more energy in them then the others in the lobby. I'm not sure if they were the ones watching us or not though. And sorry, didn't want to alert anyone that I may have spotted them." Cross whispers back once they get to the right floor, taking a minute to catch his breath and motioning for Arthur to do the same as he checks the hallway for people before pulling out both pistols.

Before they go to the room though, he taps his watch and holds up two fingers to Arthur before creeping towards the right room.

Once there he presses his ear to the door, listening for noises within as he waits for the two minutes to expire. Long enough that anyone on the other side of the door who might have noticed the click could let their guard down but also long enough to try and get a good read on where people were if they were being noisy.



Move Silently: [roll0]
Action Point: [roll1]

Listen: [roll2]

[Catch]

Lan Feng

"If he decides to reveal himself, perhaps." Lan mused.

Eyes flicked toward the doorway, and instinct brought the dark-haired girl to her slippered feet in a smooth unfolding of her small frame. Lan glanced at the garment Miss Obita claimed a 'dress,' yet tilted an ear toward the front door, producing a sideways look of confused curiosity that was not uncommon for the cloistered girl.

"It... will certainly attract attention. Perhaps you should change in the other room, Miss Obita?"

Ushering her client toward the bedroom and swinging the door closed, Lan stretched out her hearing like an unfolded quilt to blanket the whole room and reach into the hall.


Listen: [roll0]

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Nodding at Cross' 'two minutes' approach, Arthur silently invokes the hand seals of a 'just in case' technique, as he would put it. Very situational, he would agree, but what if?

Sarubou no Mai.

With that out of the way, Arthur returns his attention to checking out the corridor while Cross listens to god knows what. He pulls out his own two guns and points at them towards the ground in a relaxed position while anxiously counting the two minutes in his head.

He will try to unleash his Nidan Kousoku just before the two minutes finish. As of now, spent Chakra is 6. High speed will only cost after its 5th round, due to mastery.

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

Staring at the now-blank shell, Lilly shakes her head again. It was probably a blessing in disguise that it had worn out, given the text message. This is the first she's seen or heard of a second man... a bodyguard? Maybe. But more likely it's a friend of his.

Of course, all of this is really just more proof of how stupid she was for sealing a bullet before learning at least this much. Not only had the seal expired, it wasn't the right bullet to begin with. Whoever this other man is, he's not supposed to be involved. Any bullet she shoots will have to strike only its intended target. On the other hand, he'd make a witness. Unless his story was unbelievable... she takes a deep breath. This time, she won't make a mistake.

She puts the bullet in between her hands again, and begins a different series of signs. This time, the markings are a deep crimson, and a small amount of blood can be seen soaking through the palm of her left glove. She reloads the gun, then turns her head to look outside for a good hiding spot, while she still has time to prepare.

"I'll take position upstairs. I think it's my best sniping position..."

Trying to find a business-like tone of voice, Lilly picks up her weapon and heads to the second floor to position herself at the window, there. She slides it open and sets about trying to get into a decent position to take a shot while remaining some semblance of hidden.

Ninjutsu: Taking ten - 10+17 = 27
Bullet is Ketsusuibi Ryuudan.
If taking ten is prohibited for some reason: [roll0] (plus action point (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2243701/) is 25

Chakra Control: - converting 6 chakra to stamina at 1:1 - [roll1] (DC 17)

HP: 71/71 (6)
Chakra: 60/68

Spot: (Looking for hiding places) - [roll2]

edit: Hide - 38 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2243773/)

[Bariko]

Guan Yu/Lu Huo

What a damn bore.

The mission was many things but exciting was not one of them. Guan Yu railed internally at this travesty of an arrangement. Cramped in some tiny house in Hiroshima with half a dozen people. More than once he'd woken to find his beard tangled in response to tosses and turns on what was passing for his cot. While it was uncomfortable, it did bring to mind worse sleeps while campaigning - he vividly recalled Zhang Fei's horrendous snoring with a wry grin.

While a large part of the Chinese population was still vehemently angry and loathing against Japan for their actions against China decades ago, Guan Yu had a broader knowledge base to draw from and realised that it wasn't the people to blame for the military actions. As such, he was able to pass time with the family, when they were safe of course, even going so far as to play ball with the young boy. However, where they were staying as a family, Guan Yu was kept mostly out of the circle of amicability. That was fine with him - it was work, not a vacation.

As the family ate together, speaking in Japanese of course, Guan Yu ate a small sparse meal alone, reflecting. He'd come to recognise the neighbourhood, and though he'd never live there, he admired how far the country had come through its history, from a backwater tributary state to the power it is now. As he cast a glance out the edge of the curtained windows, a car he was unfamiliar with happened to catch his view. Knowing that Koji spoke English, he called out to the family at large, knowing he would translate.

"Stay away from the windows! And keep those curtains closed!" Guan Yu checked his gear one last time as he spotted Koji ushering his family away from windows, some to bedrooms, some to the bathroom, including himself. Exactly how we practiced, good, he thought as the lights in the house went off one by one.

And Guan Yu was alone in the dark. Silent. Waiting.

Suppressing Chakra. Activation makes Strong go to Moderate, an additional suppression takes it to Faint, and one more makes it Suppressed.

[KaganMonk]

Joseph

Sounds like a good plan, Miss Sabrem. When the vehicle comes, I'll take care of the target if you'll cover me. If you need to, take out the other man.

With that, Joseph gets up and moves to the side of the window where he can see out, hopefully without anyone seeing him. He closes his eyes for a minute, then waits tensely for the car with the target to arrive, with one hand on his sword.

[roll0]
Suppress Chakra from Strong to Moderate, Moderate to Faint, and Faint to Suppressed (11 full rounds?)
Enter Blinkstrike Stance as a free action.

[ZeroNumerous]

Team Kidnappers

Cross hears one woman talking about "Watanabe" and how "She was going to be the biggest name there" and "Put everyone else to shame". Her voice fades to an inaudible whisper as she seems to open a door and head elsewhere. A few seconds pass and the pair begins hearing voices from room #310 followed by several footsteps. You hear at least six people along with the sounds of guns.

Lan Peng

You hear two people moving around in the hallway while Obita drolls on about how important she is. The two people don't talk, but do move around very slowly. One of them approaches the door and waits. You surmise that he's listening in on the room. Another sound draws your attention and you suddenly detect a flurry of noise as guns are needlessly cocked. Someone sounds ready to get violently involved in something. And, naturally, Miss Obita is so completely absorbed in choosing the flashiest dress that danger is unknown to her.

Lilly

A rusty green two-door vehicle rolls into Lilly's view. From her position on the second floor she can clearly see someone's pants leg through the car's closed window. She can't see through the car's roof without her Byakugan active, but she would be able to put a bullet through the leg of whomever happened to be driving with relative ease.

Joseph

From Joseph's point of view he sees the car roll toward the target house slowly. A pair of older men sit inside with sunglasses on. They appear to be wearing summer clothing and chatting amongst themselves in the off-handed familiarity of friends. Their faces are too obscured to positively ID one or the other as the target in question.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Finally, the trap.

"Barge in or have a shootout. Which do you choose?" whispers Arthur sharply to Cross, his muscles tensing as his mind quickly categorizes possible options for either path.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

The man frowns as he hears the noise of other guns being cocked from a different room, shaking his head to Arthur.

"See? Never simple. But I think we're going to be doing both in either case. Split up, I'll grab the target and you hold off the armed fellows, no mercy right? We'll either meet up in the lobby or I'll be coming back out this way." He whispers softly, unaware that the person on the other-side of the door can probably hear everything that he's saying.

With that he flicks the safety off of his twin handguns and test the door handle to see if it is locked. If it is, then Cross is all too quick to press a handgun to it and try to blow the lock off.


Defense: 29
HP: 57
Chakra: 34/35
Bullets in Clip
L: 14
R: 15

To Hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Cespenar]

Wolf

"No mercy, right," echoes Arthur grimly, with an accompanying sigh. Taking a few steps forward, he raises both pistols and slowly points them to a feet away from the door of room #310. He lets his mind enter a relaxed state of concentration, and waits for the bunch to come out.

Arthur moves into at least 30' range of room 310's door and gets into Kenjuu Ryu – Sandan Daichi, which Callos may remember. :smallbiggrin:

And he had already activated Speed Rank 2 in the previous post, IIRC.

Spent chakra total: 11

[KaganMonk]

Joseph

Joseph decides to wait until the men get out of the car so he can identify the target and have a clear line of attack.

[ZeroNumerous]

Lilly and Joseph

The driver remains seated as the car comes to a full stop. The passenger gets out first, stretching his arms and legs and laughing at something. The passenger doesn't resemble the photo you were shown in any way. The driver stays in the car, digs around in the glove compartment for a cigarette pack then lights one up. He seems content to just enjoy the alone time.

[Catch]

Lan Feng

The familiar metal chick of firearms brought the girl her toes, stretched and ready like a new bow. Miss Obita's faded as Lan's eyes fluttered, and she felt around the room and outside with a different sense, seeking the subtle ripples of chakra. She padded lightly toward the door, positioning herself behind one of the room's leather sofas, ten feet from the door to the hallway. Her left hand drew back to her hip, clenched, and began to glow with a soft blue radiance.

Miss Obita would not be harmed.


Swift action: Activate Sense Chakra.

Readied action: Perform Rei Ko Ha (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6503769&postcount=1) targeting any person(s) forcing open the door, then drop below a couch for cover, assuming it's a free action.

[ZeroNumerous]

Cross and Wolf

The door opposite Miss Obita's room slams open as someone kicks it hard enough to break it straight off it's hinges. At the same time Cross reaches the opposite door and blows it open. Lan immediately opens fire, blowing a dark-haired, dark-clothed man armed with a shotgun backwards into his buddies. Both Cross and Wolf immediately recognize the attack as chakra in nature. A woman's scream comes from the bathroom. "What the hell?! What was that? Did something explode?!"

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Guns.png

A = Arthur Wolf
J = John Cross
L = Lan Feng
Peach = Bad dudes, numbered 1 through 6
Brown = Furniture. Couch and bed.
Gray = Walls
Yellow = Doors

Initiative, please

Bad dudes: [roll0]

[KaganMonk]

Joseph

Seeing that his target is not one of the people from the car, Joseph goes immediately from ready to high alert. Something is very wrong, and that usually means a trap. He immediately puts his back to the wall and draws his kodachi, not leaving his back exposed as he looks at the old woman.

That is not the target Mr. Monday hired us to take out. Now you will explain what is going on, or my partner and I will abort the mission. I suspect treachery, and I would be more than happy to suspect you.

Activating Speed Rank 3 now. Drawing the kodachi was a free action.

[ZeroNumerous]

Joseph

The old woman shrugged. "Do I look like I've been at a temple, watching the target? Why the hell ask the person who has been here, the entire time, with you? I know just as much as you do about why there's no child, but I assume he's inside the house. Really, you seemed like the sensible one in the group so I didn't think you'd suddenly act like your brain fell out of your ass."

She takes a sip from her cup of cold tea. "So I suggest doing your job instead of looking for information from someone who obviously has none to give you."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Cross

"S***!" Cross says, reflexively jerking back from the doorway when the blast of chakra is sent through to nail a guy on the opposite side of the hall. A quick glance and the sight of a shotgun told him that he needed to speed things up a bit. Wetting his lips and feeling that familiar surge of adrenaline, Cross let the chakra flow through out his entire body but especially into his eyes which turned bloody and distorted to the familiar (to him) shape of the Red Eye of Fate.

Keeping low, he runs into the doorway and rolls to the side before somebody can get too big a chance to fire after him. Rising from his crouch, he levels both of the silver-plated guns on the girl he finds in there as he skirts the edge of the bed over towards where he had heard the woman scream.

Definitely wasn't her, if I didn't know better she's probably the one who laid shotgun boy out. Doubt that's the target.

"Listen here miss, I don't like to shoot women but if you give me a reason to then I'm not gonna hesitate to riddle that bod of yours with bullet holes." Cross says gamely, keeping his back to the wall leading into the bathroom. "Now tell Miss. Obita to come out of the toilet before she does something stupid like trying to climb out the window. I ain't gonna hurt her but she is coming with us."


Cross
HP: 57
Stamina: 52/57
AC: 34 (Touch 29, Flat-footed 30)
Chakra: 32/35
Effects Active: Sharingan, Speed Rank 2

Move to 3,9
Activate Sharingan and Speed Rank 2

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Arthur's left eyebrow twitches slightly as both doors suddenly open and a blast of chakra is launched from the target's room. His arms stay still, though, and Arthur forcibly exhales a breath as he continues to wait for his ambush.

That means either our lovely Miss Obita is a shinobi in disguise, or there's someone else in the room. Someone skilled and watchful. Just hope Cross will be enough to deal with that.

Delay initiative to 13.

HP: 87
AC: 34
Chakra: 37/48

[PhoeKun]

Lilly

Nothing looked right. Neither target was anywhere to be seen, and the informants now seemed completely useless.

Lilly frowns. Taking a shot without understanding the situation could be... she shivers. Not something to think about. To figure out what's really going on, she needs to see more. Which would mean opening her eyes and Seeing. Her eyes widen, the nerves in her face tingle and pulse with energy. Walls, car roofs... these are things that obscure truth. Not for a daughter of Nashavyen.

She stares intently at the man in the car. Is he her target? Where is he? Then her vision shifts without shifting, moving to the house. Who's inside? Soon, she'd know everything these contacts had screwed up for her. This would be Redemption. One bullet, and whatever trap or mishap that was going on here would be moot...

Activating Byakugan and telescopic sight/vision/whatever.

Spot: [roll0]
Action Point: [roll1]

HP: 71/71 (6)
Chakra: 58/68

[ZeroNumerous]

Lilly

Your chakra enhanced sight pierces the flimsy car roof with ease. Below it you are treated to the sight of a middle-aged man nothing like the photo you had been given. Below him, you see a tumor developing in his left lung, no doubt from years of heavy smoking. Your gaze widens to encompass the entire car, and beneath it's trunk hood you see another man hidden with a submachinegun of poor construction.

Your gaze turns to the house, and behind it's normally obscuring walls lie a treasure trove of secrets. A man with a great spear lies in wait in the living room, a family of three--the man and the boy your targets--huddle in a dark corner in a far closet. They appear scared to death. Strangely, while you can gaze beneath the skin of both the man and the woman, your attempts to penetrate the boy are met with.. Whiteness? A vagueness within his shape that either your mind or your eyes refuse to see. As if his human skin were just a container rather than the whole of his form. It's very disconcerting, and something in you screams with primal terror at the thought of looking at it further. Fortunately your training keeps you from gazing away.

Under your new, widened gaze you see that the old woman below you is concealing a pistol beneath her shirt. Across the street you note a family of five--mom, dad, and three daughters--are being held hostage by a man with a machinegun. The five are tied up in chairs with pillows behind their heads. Three more men stand near the door while one watches out the window with binoculars. They seem to be watching your house for signs of movement.

[Catch]

(EDIT: It should be noted that these events occur before Cross enters the room, as Lan acts first because of her superior Dex mod.)

Lan Feng

The girl breathed slowly, in time to the to the soft, rushing rhythm of her qi. She diverted the flows, pooling spirit energy into her cocked hand. It glimmered with the tide of qi, and pulsed with a familiar warmth. Lan concentrated with readiness, though a twinge of doubt tugged at her stomach. Could she protect Miss Obita again?

The wood frame of the door splintered as it was kicked in, and Lan exhaled, thrusting a smooth punch toward the intruder with her glowing hand. A spray of tiny blue orbs exploded from her fist, driving back the surprised man with a burst of concussive force.

Qianqing Tai Chi Chu'an - Jinghua Guang Feng

Lan responded to her client's panicked screech with a calm directive.

"Please remain where you are, Miss Obita. I will let you know when it is safe to come out."

Lan's eyes flashed blue as she focused her qi into a dense cloud of raw energy that almost seemed to fog the room. She slipped into a natural stance - knees bent, arms gently extended - and felt the tension return to her muscles. She was ready.


HP: 88/88
CP: 74/84
AC: 35

Ongoing effects: Chakra Presence (1/10), Speed Rank 4 (1/5), Sense Chakra ([roll0])

Move action! Activate Chakra Presence. Any creature coming within 10 ft. of Lan must make a DC 17 Fortitude save or suffer -2 to attack rolls, defense and skill checks.

Swift action! Enter Sacred Fist stance.

Free action! Resume Speed Rank 4.

Readied action! Perform Rei Ko Ha targeting the doorway if a group of enemies attempt to enter the room.

[ZeroNumerous]

Lilly and Joseph

Your sniper reports what she saw, and the old woman nods. "See? In the house. Now go about killing people, boy."

Cross and Wolf

As soon as Cross steps into the room a hail of blue energy assaults him. The attack staggers Cross and nearly sends him flying back. Luckily he's able to cover up his weakness with bravado and threats. Unluckily, the guy in the room behind him sees Cross and immediately levels his shotgun. "Hey, you! Get out of the way or I'll blow your freakin' head off!"

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Guns-1.png

Cross' Fortitude Save: [roll0] vs DC 22
Damage: [roll1], halved on a successful fortitude save.

Goons hold.

Cross fails so he's stunned for a round.

Initiative: Arthur/Cross/Lan/Goons.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Arthur can't help but cringe as he sees Cross receive a face full of chakra blast and reel back. Cursing under his breath, Arthur leaves his place, launches himself at Cross and knocks him away from the doorway with a shoulder tackle.

So much for an ambush.

Move to 9,6 and Bull rush Cross into 7,8. I believe he can choose to fail at the check, so no need to roll dice as I'm only pushing him 5 feet and not moving with him.

[KaganMonk]

Joseph

You're still hiding something, old woman. But I'll find out later.

With that, Joseph turns back towards the window and vanishes, reappearing momentarily in the middle of the street before vanishing again.

Joseph tries to end his second jump in the second story of the house, bypassing the men in the street and the man below entirely. Hopefully, he finds himself intact and alone.

Swift: Activate Blink Step
Move: Blink Step 50' towards the house
Standard: [roll0] vs. DC 19 (no seals)
[roll1] vs. DC 11 (1 to 1)

[Catch]

Lan Feng (http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t202/mathuisland/Xianghua15.jpg) (pic)

Shouts and a flash of gunmetal. Lan had stunned her attacker in a burst of qi, and she vaulted over the sofa as a second man checked his friend out of harm's way. The dark-haired girl crossed the distance in two smooth steps, executing a smooth side kick. Her silken slipper barely graced his chest, but Arthur was thrust back violently, flying and crashing into the mass of thugs across the hall.

The girl surveyed the hall in a single glance, and brought her hands up in a defensive posture, where the slipped out of embroidered silken sleeves like the mouths of flowers. Her robe, which ended at Lan's waist, was a creamy pink color, studded with silver stars that ascended the shoulders and circled a crescent moon on the back. Blue-jade form-fitting pants widened at her ankles, where she balanced on pair of delicate-looking slippers, embroidered with a lotus motif on the heel and toe. Her feet barely seemed to touch the ground, and the girl's stance and leveled eyes suggested a innate quickness, eager to spring.

"Please leave," she intoned to the two men. "I cannot promise your safety if you continue to aggress."

HP: 81/88
CP: 74/84
AC: 35

Ongoing effects: Chakra Presence (1/10), Speed Rank 4 (1/5), Sense Chakra (3)

In order for Arthur to bull rush Cross out of the doorway, he has to move into the defender's square (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm), placing him at 8,7 instead of 9,6.

Move action: Move to 7,7. I'm assuming Lan treats the couch as difficult terrain, but if you want a Jump check, I can make one.

Attack action: Perform Gekitai no Jutsu, targeting Arthur in the doorway. Lan is spending 7 chakra, so the perform DC is increased by 7.

Perform (DC 23): 1d20+22=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2273382/)

Convert HP to CP (DC 22): 1d20+22=32 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2273414/)

Attack roll: 1d20+17=34 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2273396/) (Forgot to add my +2 from Speed Rank 4. The total should be 36, unless I've missed something else.)

Damage: 2d3=4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2273390/)

There's no save allowed against this technique, so Arthur is thrust backward 35 feet, but impacts one of the thugs at 12,7 knocking him prone and dealing 4 damage to both of them. Since he impacted a creature instead of an object, I don't know what that would do to thug apart from damage, so it's up to Callos.

[Callos_DeTerran]

With a thunderous crash, Arthur is sent flying into the thug with a shotgun to bowl both of them over and another man to boot. From his...new position in this battlefield, Arthur is able to see that there are six of the men in total with a variety of small arms among them, from the two Mossberg shotguns to the submachine guns that he couldn't identify with just a look.

"Get the hell off me you idiot!" The first man who had been spotted hollers indignantly, struggling to push the man off of him. "Forget him. Kill the girl! Both'of em!"

One of the goons jumps over the tangle of bodies, not even bothering to line up the shot before letting loose a spray of bullets at Lan and the stunned Cross, riddling the walls with bullet holes and shredded wall-paper as the others huddle around the entrance to their apartment, waiting for their own chances to creep out into the hallway even as Arthur wrestles with the two who had fallen.

Inside of the apartment, Ms. Obita opens the bathroom door just enough to peek her head out and try and catch a glimpse of what is happening out in the hallway though the noise of gunfire quickly drives her back inside.

Reflex DC vs. Autofire from Lan and Cross, Arthur needs to make a grapple or escape artist check (DC 20) to get out from the tangle of bodies and still act on his turn, otherwise he'll spend a standard action getting free and a move action standing up.

[Cespenar]

Wolf

Finding himself flying through the corridor all of a sudden, Arthur revolves in mid-air just enough to catch a glimpse of a dark-haired chinese girl... and her foot? But before being able to see that line of thought to the end, he crashes upon something that was fortunately not as hard as the wall and stops. Trying to make sense of this mess, he risks raising his head, where he notices the armed men who were across the room just a moment ago. He pauses for a moment and slowly sports an embarrassing smile.

"Ahem. Hello there."

Nice.

The aggressive part of his brain deciding to return from its break, Arthur suddenly stretches himself and tries to liberate his legs from the tangle.

[roll0]

Nice roll. So it's a wasted turn then.