[IC] The Raven's Cry

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Most funerals are supposed to be dramatic affairs. Dark clouds obscuring the sky, heavy rains beating down on the Earth, and the wails of mourners filling the air. Pallbearers stoically carrying the casket to its resting place amid the cries of bereaved family. Stone-faced men carrying the casket struggle not to cry as a wife, a mother, or a daughter throws herself over the top and cries to God and Heaven to bring back the dead. The end of life should have some dramatic flair, at least, right?

Sadly, Dimitri's funeral is nothing of the sort. The sun's slow rise has already obliterated the summer mists and dew from the night before. It's brilliant glare illuminates a graveyard with only a scant few mourners, a ragged priest trying to sneak a drink from a flask hidden up his sleeve, and not a single wailing mother or even grieving son. Dimitri's casket is a simple wooden box, and sat ready to be lowered into his grave. Nothing was inside but ashes and dirt, and that was all that had been left of the former head of the Ravens. Two workers sat, smoked, and chatted near the grave. They were waiting for their cue to lower the casket down, and were clearly not involved with the funeral beyond that. One could count the funeral goers on two hands, and still have a few fingers left over, even if you included the drunken priest. There were no chairs set up for mourners to be seated at, no pavilion set up to keep them in the shade, or even any pictures of the deceased or wreaths devoted to him. It was as naked, simple, and ramshackle as a funeral could get.

Whether through your own information network, or being called by someone else who learned of the event, you've made your way to an unscheduled and unpopular funeral to watch an empty casket be lowered into the ground. The head of the Konpaku Clan, one of the two survivors of the Mibu, a forgotten Ishimaru martial artist, a dead relic of a forgotten era, a blind man with stolen power, a demon summoner and his red-haired bodyguard, and a white-haired angel are the only guests. The priest's drunk, the gravediggers were bored, and even the sun didn't bother to stop shining nor did any rain bother to show up. It was the kind of funeral Dimitri would have claimed to deserve, and he probably would have laughed at how pathetic it was.

And then the priest got up to slur his way through a eulogy to the dead.

[Cespenar]

It didn't hurt anymore for Izumo. At least not like everyone else. Make a friend, lose a friend. It continued like that for all his life, so what was the point of getting sad? That wasn't to mean he wouldn't act, though. Otherwise, people might think they might get away with such actions, and where would that put us all?

Other people might also get offended by the insufficient funeral, or the drunk priest. These were also trivialities for Izumo, insomuch that it felt funny to him how precisely the funeral met the Bulgarian's character, if in a totally unintentional way.

Taking a cue from the priest, Izumo produces a silver flask from the side pocket, and takes a swill. Blegh. He had filled it with Dimitri's favorite drink, plum Rakia, but it really didn't suit him. Still, Izumo raises the flask as to cheer the dead man, and pours one to the ground too, for him.

Without looking to his side, he offers the flask to his right. After a moment, he realizes that he offered the drink to a living construct, and pulls back, unsure. He offers it to the Mibu at his left instead.

[manwithaplan]

He heard the chatter of detached casket workers. He heard the priest's swig from a flask. He heard, among all the subtle little background noises of the day, the awkward silence that narrated Dimitri's finality. It was perhaps a blessing, Tony mused, that he wasn't forced to lay his eyes on the pathetic ending of his old friend's story. It was a formality in what would follow, really; not one he expected the dead man would have been overly concerned with regardless. His barely-intact heart longed to find the man responsible for this, and more than that, his wounded pride knew what awaited him when he did. As sad as it may have been to use this unfortunate situation for his personal gain, Tony knew that proving himself in Dimitri's name would be the first step to the restoration of his power.

But that was later. For now, he leaned on his cane, occasionally giving out a small cough. He did his best to enjoy the brief quiet before he would have to work.

[Ionbound]

Azumi stands next to Izumo, acting perhaps more like one would expect someone to act at a funeral. She pushes the offered flask away and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she says, more to herself and the possibility of Dmitri's spirit than anything else, "See you in the next life...Or Naraka, as the case may be. Kami know that's where we're both going." She sighs and rubs her forehead, growing increasingly angry as the priest begins to slur the eulogy.

[Princess Tracy]

Amon wasn't one to make herself known. She had been in hiding after all - even if no one in the Nest had been looking for her, she still had a professional paranoia. You don't get to be as old as her without dotting the i's and crossing the t's when it came to expecting the unexpected. And it wouldn't be the first time that a funeral had been used to lure an old underworld types into one place. But then, if there was anything fake about it she'd have expected... more effort. Somehow sitting there watching the dull and obligatory funeral procession disregard the man she knew made it seem all the more real.

Currently Amon was sitting in the audience, but not as herself. A quick Henge to hide her face was the least she could do, though she decided against going whole hog with the deceptions. After all, she'd made up her mind to see these people by coming here. Currently she possessed the face of a withered old white haired lady (http://safebooru.org//images/1373/79a4b4d1e47701ef61124fb2392dfe79b5462c5a.png?14392 51) that she was starting to feel like on the inside, sitting here seeing those kids from the Ravens all grown up as they were. "If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people," she mutters under her breath as she sees the Konpaku. Her heart freezes over a bit as she recognises Tony, though she makes little outward sign of it. He would show his face here? He practically singularly symbolised the bloodthirstiness of the Nest. Her eyes linger on the seemingly blind old man. Had his vision really gone? In that case, his eyes might be...

Her attention is momentarily diverted by Izumo, courteously waving the flask away before listening to Azumi's comments. "Do you want me to rust, you big lug?" she whispers to him in her own voice, smiling briefly. He was one of the few she'd let in on knowing her true nature, not just as a spy but an 'immortal', she figured he's got enough going on upstairs to recognise her even incognito. Yes, he was a lot more intuitive than he let on and loyal to the end, she figured he'd keep her secret well enough, though she wonders if it isn't common knowledge in the Nest by now.

Putting aside her paranoia, she puts her eyes forward again, biting her lip at the half-assedness of it all. "He was a good man," she says in her old lady voice, banal but true.

I had some actions I was gonna take, but I've been too busy making Azumi to finish off my last couple of technique selections, so I'll just have Amon show up like a good girl.

She does use Remote Viewing on the funeral before walking in, but she trusts everyone here well enough. Disguise take 10 for 31 before the Henge bonus, though any sensory ninja's gonna see through it anyway, yada yada.

[Bad Situation]

Kirei stands at attention, with only half a mind on the drunkenly delivered eulogy. He's a wizened old man with a face as gentle and stern as you might expect from a grandfather, but with a shock of white hair so pale as to hint at infirmity. In spite of his apparent old age however, he stands tall and proud, wearing an expensive and clearly tailored suit that looks extremely out of place at the sad excuse for a funeral. His body language is loose and dignified but the aura of casual danger that he wears so well would give the untrained eye the impression that of a powerful oyabun. And, perhaps to top off the absurdity of it all, he's smiling softly despite the circumstances. With a brief nod and wink at Amon he comments, "I do believe he would contend that statement, madame."

He snorts in amusement and breaks his vigil of the descending casket to look up at the sky. "He would appreciate the irony of all this. For the man of the underworld so unlike the rest, to have his last rites served in so unorthodox a fashion. He would laugh and I think we should appreciate that for what it is."

"He wasn't a good man. Not really...but he was a better man than most. Something that's very easy to forget in our line of work..." And at that Kirei closes his eyes and mutters something in prayer, a solemn look on his face as he speaks some final words for the departed.

Placed in various locations around the graveyard are men in black suits similar to the one worn by Kirei, some with ear pieces as they stand guard all around the site of the funeral. Some are fairly well hidden while others are remarkable less subtle in their presence.

[Princess Tracy]

"Hmm. Indeed he would, the old fool," the old lady agrees plainly at Kirei's rebuttal, sighing. "Call my standards in men low if you want, but he was better than most..." she mutters, resting her chin in her hand. She nods in agreement with the Konpaku. "Better than most..."

She hasn't any prayers to give with the others. Still, a Konpaku saying a prayer was more than enough - that and a good word in with the Princess would be favour enough. She reaches into her pocket and flips an ancient-looking thick golden coin with a square hold onto the coffin lid. "One for the ferrywoman..."

Spot [roll0]

Amon glances over the entourage of suits, though makes a point not to stare as she quietly notes their presence.

[Ionbound]

Azumi raises her eyebrow at Kirei and says, "Be that as it may...He deserves more respect than a drunken priest and five people. Perhaps that's to be expected when you run an organization like the Nest, though...I don't know. But he was a great man, if not a good one. And a better fighter, at that." She sighs and says, "And what's worse...He was killed. Which means that someone killed him...I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that it was either Azuna, because she's a kami-damned idiot that doesn't know when to stop, or Alexi, because he's a prick and would definitely off his own father."

[Princess Tracy]

Quietly, Amon's thoughts turn to the other Mibu. An immortal... she rather detested that. And she wasn't the only one in the Nest either. A mortal villain will eventually turn to ash, but an immortal... an immortal she must engage sooner or later. Her thoughts in the wake of the burning house turn to Shukuyuu. Back then... the lava dragon I was to seek out... I wonder if it was her? Hm. It's rather too late now. Though I'm sure White would be happy to hear it. Kyoji's here today, I should ask if she's still around.

Something about other immortals certainly made her cast her thoughts back to ancient times. But for now she contends to remain quiet and play the part of the anonymous old woman for those not paying what she considered the smallest lick of attention to identify her. "You kids simmer down, we're at a funeral," she snaps at all the speculation.

[Cespenar]

Izumo shrugs when Azumi refuses him, and smirks when Amon "admonishes" him. Fun group, these are.

"Truth," he finally says after Kirei's interpretation of the Bulgarian. "He was."

To Azumi's speculation, he finally comments. "I don't like the boy either, but he's already 'the King'. I dunno."

"Right, sorry," he replies to Amon. He can't wait for ten seconds.

"I have to add, though. Just putting it out there. I will find the person. Should be simple." Another smirk appears on his face.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

"He was a nice man... A decent sort... An alright associate. A, uh... A fine fellow. He, uh. He was good. Uh, great, even." The priest rambles through his eulogy, and eventually the white-haired Raniel breaks ranks, walks to the casket, and placing a small wooden box on top of it. Raniel clasps his hands together as he offers a prayer, then makes the sign of the cross over his chest and turns to leave.

One of the black-suited yakuza-esque bodyguards approaches Kirei from behind, and stops a few feet away from him. The bodyguard coughs, once and loudly enough to make himself known, then waits patiently to be allowed to approach. If he is granted leave to approach, then he whispers to Kirei.

"Should we follow him, sir?"

Meanwhile, the demon sage looks to his red-haired companion (http://i.imgur.com/RTLAnrj.jpg), and points to the priest.

"Mayako, please inform the priest to stop. Gently, if you could." The wild beast fixates its blood-red eyes on the priest, and walks toward him with purpose. For most it would seem as if she were just walking, but to the trained eyes of a Raven it's obvious that she's ready for a fight all the time. She stalks to her way toward the priest, and he stops rambling long enough to look at her with unfocused eyes.

"U-hm e-excuse me miss? I--" He's interrupted by her raising a hand. He seems confused, then she steps to the side and points away from the funeral. Another moment of confusion passes, and then she stamps her foot and points away from the funeral once more. Once it becomes clear he doesn't understand, then Mayako simply steps forward, grabs him by the collar, and throws him to the ground.

"Gently!" The demon sage sighs, and shakes his head.

[Cespenar]

"Okay, okay, I got it." Izumo reaches the downed priest with a couple of long strides and pulls the guy up from the ground. Dusting him off, he accompanies the priest out of the funeral in a more civilized manner.

"Thank you Father. That was an... alright speech." He smiles blandly as he sends the man off. Watching him go for a few seconds, he returns to the small gathering, sensing something unfinished there.

[Ionbound]

Azumi watches the priest get thrown to the ground, unable to keep herself from smirking in amusement, both at the demon sage's consternation, as well as the priest's 'punishment'. She looks around and says, "So I suppose this is it, huh. The five of us, a sunny day...Sheesh. Is there anything anyone else wants to say? Or...Should we let the gravediggers get to it."

[Princess Tracy]

The old lady gives a slight nod at Izumo's promise to find the culprit but says nothing more while the priest and any other unknowns are present. Amon shifts a little uncomfortably as the oni gets its orders. That boy should have been summoning long enough to know better than that. She moves to get up as the priest is thrown to the ground, thinking of a subtle way to intervene, but Izumo seems to have it well in hand. "Young man, control your girlfriend," she scolds Kyoji.

When Azumi asks for any other words, Amon pauses in her flippant act and sighs, coming back down to here, where He was dead. One of the last few symbols of the damned Ravens amounting to anything good in the world. She stands and turns to the others, her eyes briefly pausing on the bodyguard-types orbiting Konpaku. Paranoia aside, she was still at the grave of a friend; she drops the act of being some irelevant old woman to speak from the heart. "Those who knew him might say its an end of an era. But time marches on. Even in his absence the world just changes, never ending. New people will come and go and make happy without him, just as he would have it. Even now in this pitiful funeral, the world marches on disregarding him, his death to it might seem like a formality as much as this occasion has been. But there are always... opportunists. Unfinished business of his which can only seem more urgent now, as tragedy breeds opportunity. And as the gears of the world grind on, who knows what that unfinished business might devolve to if someone doesn't take an opportunity to clean up after him. It's nice to see at least this many would turn up. Dmitri was a controversial man, neither warlike nor wholly peaceful, in a world defined by the binary of a constant present war and a fantasised future peace. Whether he'd recognise himself as one though, I will, as a man who did what he could, a legacy he now leaves to us.

"And for us to be gathered here... is itself an opportunity."

She sighs and turns to the coffin once more. "Goodbye, you old dog you. I hope it isn't long before I see your eyes in another person. It's been too long. I'd pray you aren't a dying breed, Dmitri."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei grins at the bodyguard and waves him over to his side, giving the man a discerning appraisal before he nods. "If it pleases you. But, if he asks you to stop you will do so at once, understood?" The almost meticulous security detail was, of course, a product of his son's practically legendary paranoia. Which, all things considered, was a fine trait for a clan head to have if only it weren't currently directed at his own father. Sending a few guards to follow Raniel was harmless enough, the angel was too good-natured by far to let anything become of them. He could remember countless memories from his misspent youth demanding lessons, or in some cases, attempting to push the ancient Raven's buttons to little avail. Mayhap the man would appreciate the niggling of nostalgia. Or mayhaps not. But it would cease being his problem at that point.

At the roundabout conversations the others are having however, Kirei glazes his eyes over, turns off his brain, and lets them awkwardly dance around the subject for a time while he nods sagely at certain intervals. When the noises have more or less stopped he steps in to speak, "Well, I may as well be the first to say. I plan on investigating the circumstances of his death as well cut off some loose threads that I've allowed to bunch up over the years. It's the least I could do for the man who raised me as he would a son and regardless of that, I should say that I have somewhat of a personal stake in rooting out the Nest for good."

He pauses for a moment to consider something and adds, "...in case it wasn't immediately obvious, consider this a formal...request, invitation, petition...whatever you want to call it. I want answers and will need help putting a stop to Raven operations for good. And since you lot are here and aren't likely to die at the first opportunity against these enemies of Dmitri's I thought it meet to ask for your aid in this most trying of endeavors."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The bodyguard nods, and then steps back from Kirei. Within a few moments a small detachment of four men are off trailing the white-haired old Raven.

Kyoji just sighs and shakes his head when Amon suggests he control the oni. "I try. By the gods do I try. But even a thousand years won't change her."

The red-maned beast in question lets Izumo approach and escort the priest away without so much as a comment or even a look. It's almost as if she knew that Izumo did not intend to attack her, and thus she had no concern for the ninja whatsoever. She approaches her summoner, and Kyoji starts to explain something about humans and how they deal with problems. But before he can get a word out the red-haired woman reaches up, places a hand on the back of his head, then playfully headbutts his forehead against hers. The two seem to stay like that for a moment, but then they break apart. When it's done Kyoji's frowning and seems to have forgotten what happened earlier. The red-head takes her place behind Kyoji, and just watches the other ninja.

When Kirei suggests getting to the bottom of the what happened, then Kyoji's brought back from wherever his mind had wandered.

"Investigations? Into what happened? You're not gonna like this, but Alexi posted a bounty on whomever killed his father. Alive, paid out on the condition that target makes a confession. He said he wants to kill them. Failing that, you might wanna investigate the Bar. Madam Eva disappeared around the same time Dimitri's house was destroyed." The Bar could only be one place: The ratty rundown bar/brothel that the Nest had originally operated out of it. It was a small bar set up in a basement, and had remained a popular meeting place in the early days. Supposedly the fat old woman that ran it retired with Dimitri, but if she disappeared then she may have been involved in his death.

[Princess Tracy]

"I imagine we've been tight lipped because of the extra company we've had here. Though I guess if you can speak openly in front of your entourage, we can too. Quite high profile even in retirement are we? I must say, I've never conceived as a Konpaku as one needing a bodyguard, Ki-kun," Amon remarks, addressing the equally white haired old man by a nickname of old even now. Though, his hair had always been white. Something about being half-ghost must deplete your melanin.

She watches the oni and her summoner with some fascination at the exchange. It was a prettier sight than Sunako at least. As he drops the bomb of his lead, she nods. "Well, I should hope so. To not take an interest in his old man's murder would practically be an admission of guilt. Though, how we're to get a confession from someone who'll then immediately be executed by the brat, I don't know." She takes a seat, putting on a show of frailty. "How's retirement been treating everyone? If you're too rusty feel free to scamper off. Otherwise... if any of you kids were too young to remember where the Bar is, I'm sure I can lead the way. Amon, at your service," she remarks, beaming.

She focuses on Kirei. "You would bring an end to the corrupt functions of the Raven's nest? A foolish mistake. Madness beyond what I can attribute to a midlife crisis. Ghastly fantastical, maniacally unreasonable," she scolds, smiling. "I always knew there was a reason I liked you."

[Cespenar]

Izumo sounds uncharacteristically reluctant as he replies to Kirei.

"As much as I don't like the way the Nest is right now, my main beef is with Dmitri's murder. If the Ravens stay out of our way, I won't wage war against them.

"I'm in. To that extent."

[Ionbound]

Azumi shakes her head and says, "I can't get behind wiping out the Nest entirely. As much as I was loathe to admit it in my youth...It serves an important purpose. Some people can't be trusted to be left to their own devices, and a monopoly on super-powered violence is a good thing. It keeps things from getting silly. That said...Alexi is not the leader that it needs. Nor am I, mind...I'm retired for a reason. Which is a shame, because my daughter hasn't shown any powers of her own...Anyways."

She turns, locking eyes with Kyoji, and says, "I have a feeling that I know where this road ends. But I'll walk it. It's the least I can do for Dmitri."

[Princess Tracy]

"Pfft..." Amon has to choke back a disbelieving cackle at Azumi's presumption that a monopoly on superpowers was a good thing. "Well... it certainly stops open warfare between the superpowers themselves." She clears her throat, in no mood to get into a debate on it, at the very grave of Dmitri. "Dmitri did what he could to make the Ravens something more than murders for hire. He worked with what he has, something I and others will understand," she says, nodding briefly to Kyoji, making an obvious reference to the generally violent oni at his beck and call.

"For now, let's get the facts. Are you coming, Human Prince? Hell, invite Youki - um, Raniel, we'll make a day of it." Sometimes she couldn't help see the same old eyes in new people. She clears her throat of the reference to war heroes of old. She really did a bad job of hiding her true age sometimes, but imagined only the Kirei picked up on that one if it all. She gives a last sigh, patting the coffin. She'd done her crying already and would do it later, but for now... she might as well keep her chin up. She knew too well her natural habit of her mind wandering in despair and losing sight of her objective.

"I'll be at the Bar, then. For now I assume our priority is finding Her," she says, standing straight as she leads the way.

[Bad Situation]

Kirei shakes his head, "The Ravens are too deleterious an influence on the world to ignore. I've overlooked their actions for too long, out of a misplaced sentiment for Alexi perhaps, but the death and chaos they have sown will come to a head mark my words. I will speak no more of this however. If I must pursue that particular goal on my own, then I will simply do so. We all must protect that which we hold most dear in the manner of our own choosing."

The Konpaku glances at Amon at her slip of the tongue but turns his gaze easily to address the others. "While I assume you all are capable enough of procuring your own transport, I am prepared to accommodate any of you who would be willing to accept my aid. The offer goes doubly so for you, Miss Nimblegod. My father always told me to pay you the appropriate respect and it is only now that I realize that I was quite remiss in treating you with the due appreciation in my youth."

He winks and smirks at her, "Consider it an old man's request. Or, if it pleases you, a younger man's dalliances."

[manwithaplan]

"I shall follow."

It had been a while, really, since he'd had to speak at all. He'd lost the taste for it.

"I don't intend to kill any more Ravens. But..."

Tony straightened up, suddenly free from feigned dependence on his cane.

"I wish to investigate the matter also. If my assistance is needed, I will offer it."

He moved to follow Amon.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The demon sage simply shakes his head when Amon asks about Kyoji accompanying them.

"Human prince? Well, I'm not the kind for revenge anyway. It's never worth it, and only causes you problems. Celebrate the life that was lived, and forgive transgressions. Otherwise, we are no better than demons."

The talk of slaying Ravens gets the beast behind him to actually move. She steps forward to interpose herself between the summoner and Kirei in particular. She's likely upset based on the death stare she's directing at the Konpaku, but her stance is loose and befitting that of a grappler rather than a striker. The talk of killing Ravens does get Kyoji to say something though.

"Sure, the Ravens aren't exactly ideal. There will always be battle, so containing the most dangerous fighters is the best plan we have. Unless you're gonna do something crazy and rob everyone of the ability to fight, or something similar."

As the discussion turns to what the assembled personage intends to do, Kyoji points out one important detail: "You guys are retired, remember? Walking into the Nest is gonna cause problems. For everyone involved. I would be happy to ask around, if you have anyone you want me to talk to, but I wouldn't go back unless you're looking for a fight."

[Cespenar]

Kirei's classy offer also gives Izumo a jerk as well.

"Oh, yeah," he says, as if an afterthought, "I can take one person with me as well, if anyone wants." He is seemingly oblivious or uncaring of how the back of his bike would compare to the Konpaku's smooth ride.

At Kyoji's offer of returning to the Nest for a question, Izumo shrugs.

"Maybe you could arrange a meeting with the Masked Woman somewhere? I'm not sure I can dig up a secret as important as the one we'd be asking her, but I can try."

He looks at the others to check if he makes sense.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Kyoji shrugs at Izumo's question.

"I could ask, but I don't make any promises. She'll expect some kind of payment for her services, so I hope you have some plan to pay her other than "wing it"."

[Princess Tracy]

"My my, two charming young men offering me rides, whoever shall win my attentions. Wait, one seat... are you still on that 'blastmobile'? Okay, Kyoji wins, I need to see this thing for myself." Her flirting's interrupted by an awkward gagging cough as Kyoji mentions it not being worth it unless you could take everyone's powers away somehow. "Nah that'd be silly. Can you imagine the source of chakra you'd need for something like that, whatever it was attached to couldn't be safe I'll tell you that much for free, ha ha. Do kids these days still call it 'chakra'? Some people were saying mana or ki or just 'stamina' back when I was in the Ravens."

Putting aside her awkward small talk, she nods. "I agree, the Ravens are an issue. But for the immediate future... let's not do war with them. It's not just a matter of revenge. It's a matter of; why was Dmitri killed. Who needed him dead and why. What did he know and what would he do if he were still here? A will for peace is one thing, but we can never know the will of a man as he dies or what it would be if he lived. We will carry on his will and find the truth to act upon. After this case if we find no reason to do battle... well, I'll come to you about that later Kirei."

She folds her arms. "I'm pretty rusty but I'm still a spy you know. I could get in if I wanted, but if you're willing to be a go-between be my guest. Let's see... I've leaked a couple of my good secrets over the years, who knows if my confidantes kept a lid on them," she says, eyeing Izumo faux-suspiciously. "Trying to think of stuff I'm positive she wouldn't know. Maybe it'd be better if she asked me. Though I get the feeling if she went that route I might get a question I'm not prepared to answer. Maybe my age? My own daughter doesn't know how many candles to put on the cake, ohoho," she giggles good naturedly at the stereotype of women keeping their age close to their chest, but was genuinely wondering if her eras' long existence intrinsically gave her something juicy to exchange with the Masked Woman.

Seeming to ignore him until everything else was addressed, she gives a mildly disgusted look at Tony. "Hm. Well if Kirei would have you." The blind man can hear the distrust dripping from her every syllable. "I don't know how much luck you'll have finding things in your state though." They said the good doctor could patch up anyone, no one retired into complete dismemberment. No one but Tony. Why would be so attached to those eyes to not get new ones before he'd ran off with the blood of friends on his hands? Why else... power, she concluded. Those eyes gave him power worth the cost to him.

[Ionbound]

Azumi gives Kirei an angry look, but chooses to say nothing, instead nodding and says, "I have an idea of what I could tell the Masked Lady. It's something I've kept closely guarded all these years since I retired, but...It isn't important anymore."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

When Amon suggests she could sneak back in, then Kyoji just smiles.

"They installed an airlock at the front door a few months after you left. It has one of those full body x-ray scanners. It makes little black-and-white naked photos and everything. Just in case someone tried to sneak a bomb into the building, I guess."

Azumi's solid offer gets an affirmative nod from Kyoji.

"Well, I suppose that's better than no plan. I'll tell her the Mibu heir has a secret to spill." The dark-haired young man reaches into a jacket pocket, fishes out a small notepad, then scribbes something on a page before tearing it out. He hands the torn page to the closest member of the quintet. It contains a phone number and a street address--somewhere in the wilderness of Shikoku, Japan. Amon alone recognizes the forgotten crater and tall forest that address points to: The ruins of the Hidden Leaf Village, abandoned after the efforts of a certain madman to bring peace to the world.

"You can find me there. It's a big house, and hard to miss. If you ever need information or a place to stay, then I'll do my best to provide."

[Princess Tracy]

Amon purses her lips in frustration. "Hm. Like the kind at airports? How pedestrian. Kids these days... Getting one person past that is a two man job, I'll give you that." Her eyes go wide at the sight of the address. "... You sure know how to pick a location, Kyoji," she comments, passing the slip off to Izumo after she's figured out exactly where it should be. "Hey, Hardcheese, you're from the old country, right? What do they say about this place back in your compound - nuke crater?" she asks nonchalantly.

She clears her throat all the same, moving to shake Kyoji's hand. "Thanks. Give my love to White Princess, would you? Assuming they haven't replaced her since the last time I checked, that'd be awkward. And ah... tell that secret keeper I'll be with Azumi." She shrugs. She couldn't think of anything she WANTED to share that she felt would be worth information on this case. A lot of secrets and none she wanted to part with. If Azumi's wasn't good enough for all they needed she guessed she'd have to follow up.

I'll have Azumi's completed techniques and equipment in the morning, super busy sorry

[Cespenar]

Another person would probably cringe away from being confronted with nicknames from his adolescent years, but Izumo grins wholeheartedly. "It's Blastmobile v4, now, actually. First one, I lost to K- ah, a friend, as part of a bet. Second was trashed by some gangsters, and third I... kinda exploded it." He rubs the back of his head, a little apologetic. "It literally became a Blastmobile," he underlines with a chuckle.

"Nuke crater?" Izumo seems perplexed. He looks at the paper Amon took from Kyoji. "Where is it?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The question of the White Princess just gets a shrug from Kyoji, but it causes the red beast to snarl. "I could, but I don't think you'll get a better response than that."

Kyoji just shrugs. "Shikoku, Japan. It's just an old place."

[Bad Situation]

"I suggest we split up. The Mibu would likely be more comfortable sharing her secrets with the Masked Woman alone, which would leave two pairs available to investigate the Bar and the remains of Dmitri's home respectively."

[Ionbound]

Azumi shrugs and says, "It's going to be open knowledge anyways. But at least Kyoji needs to come with me. Alexi doesn't get the idea of 'retired contractor', unfortunately...Not that I would work for him anyways."

[Princess Tracy]

Amon nods at the arrangements. "Someone go investigate the Bar. Izumo, you and me can check out what's left of Dmitri's place. If you really struggle getting info out of people, me or Azumi can help. Give me call." Amon pulls out an old fashioned pink flower-patterned mobile phone predating even the flip-phone, nothing smart about it, a little anime bobble head dangling from it. "My kid got me this, I'll give you my number. She keeps insisting I get a new one, but I'm too good at fixing things," she says, flexing her still ever-nimble fingers under her gloves. Maya had given it around her teen years as a hand-me-down in reverse, but was as embarassed as the relic of preteen cutesiness as Amon was charmed by it. The puppeteer pats herself on the back for her flawless small talk as she reflects on her most recently lived human lifespan.

Numbers exchanged and ready to go, she clasps her hands. "You can have the honour of chaffeuring me, Izumo, you madman. Get some life in these old bones," she says, grinning as she follows him for a bike ride to Dmitri's place.

When they're alone, she drops all the pretense of croaking oldness from her voice, despite her assumed form, again sounding as young as when Izumo last met her. "Did you ever catch up to Kiko?"

[Cespenar]

Izumo grows sombre as Amon mentions Kiko. The "old" woman had a knack for asking disconcerting questions, but something behind it, the tone, perhaps, or something deeper, made it so that it never really chafed Izumo. Amon sounded like she cared, be it real or not. True, in this business, there was always a chance for anyone stabbing you in the back, but Izumo often took that chance, even if decreasingly so.

"I caught up to her a few times in the last ten years, but she is often one step ahead of me. I figure it's because she actually managed to carve herself some influence on her own, while I have to do favors for other, more investigative Ravens even to just buy a hint of her whereabouts. I still ask for her every once in a while, but she seems to be doing fine since the last time I heard."

He stays silent for a while.

"We're still just a bunch of overgrown boys and girls, aren't we?"

[Princess Tracy]

Amon nods thoughtfully at that, considering giving her own advice on Kiko but... her input wasn't warranted, so she stays silent. At the question, she smiles slightly.

"You know... when I was young, child soldiers were the norm. I imagine it's much the same for you. They say it was to do with early development of chakra, but that's just how it was always done... Regular childhood was never a thing for me and my friends, and even as we entered adulthood, the trauma and bonds formed in the fires of battle as children defined us for the rest of our lives. From our late teens to what should have been our twilight years, we spent most our time cleaning up after ourselves. So if you want to know the truth, you're no more a child than myself, and no more an adult. To people like us, to a shinobi, to a Raven, we lack that distinction. We're just trying to make the best of the hand we were dealt. Maturity... is just lying to yourself to pretend those weights aren't pressing on you anymore."

"Dmitri was, too - doing the best with the hand he was dealt, that is. He didn't always succeed and do the right thing, but in a world where the Ravens existed he did what he could to keep them in line. Your goal for a long time has just been to look out for one girl... well, a woman now. But it's no less valid a thing to spend your life on, if you think you can help and be there for her when she needs you. I can't dedicate my 'life' to anything, only my time, all the time in the world to play the long game of this world. I can do my best to cultivate new generations, but in the end it is you, the living, who choose how to spend your time and explore your own world's possibilities."

She blinks as she ends her rant, apparently quite stream of consciousness. "So to answer your question, you may be stuck with the same goals you had as a kid, but I think we all are." She smiles. "Still, maybe it'll stick better if you let her come to you next time. Girls don't like guys that press too hard, you know."

[ZeroNumerous]

Azumi & Tony

Kyoji asks for Azumi's contact information, and says he'll call the Mibu when he's got a meeting set up. After a few hours he calls Azumi up, and passes along an address in Italy: A restaurant on the Venetian waterfront. He also gives the duo a date: Tomorrow at 4pm. Finally, Kyoji says:

"She said to dress sharply, and not to take it personally, but she plans to bring guests. I suppose that means you're free to bring company as well."

Traveling to Italy from Bulgaria proves easy enough, and waiting for the meeting time to finally arrive is even easier. The restaurant is situated right over a small pedestrian peer, and radiates class. The maître d' at the entrance asks for a name, and if Azumi gives her own then he escorts the duo into the restaurant. He leads them past tha dining hall, which is filled with tables surrounded by red velvet chairs, and toward a small hallway. The hall has several photos of famous actors and wealthy men--and quite a few Ravens as well--and it eventually empties out into a private room. A large table with places set for ten guests dominates the center of the room. The north wall is nothing but TVs, and they all show the same picture: A baseball game taking place half way across the world. The other walls are adorned with more photos of more people. A blond woman in a form-fitting crimson gown sits at the head of the table, her face obscured by a jeweled mask that seems to bend light and memory. The four closest seats contain familiar looking people: Two white-haired Konpaku in crisp suits, a young man (http://i.imgur.com/LqRRZ8Z.jpg) wearing a leather outfit that clashes heavily with the decor, and the other survivor (http://i.imgur.com/0qBaxJt.jpg) of the Mibu Clan clad in jeans and a gaudy rhinestone tee-shirt that reads "DIVA".

The remaining seats are empty, and the maître d' leaves once Azumi and her entourage have taken their seats. The misbegotten Mibu gives her sister a twisted smile then casually places a hand on the cursed blade at her hip, but the only word spoken is that of the Masked Woman's quiet voice. Her words are scarcely more than a whisper, and only a Raven would be able to understand her clearly.

"A sad little dragon told me that you lust after knowledge of Dimitri's death. Is this true, little princess? Do you plan to chase the gallant knight to hell?"

Izumo & Amon

A puppet and a ninja pull up to the driveway of a country villa like the opening line of a bad joke. Several police tape ribbons block the path ahead, and three vehicles sit nearby the ribbon blockade. Two police cars, engines off and their occupants missing, are parked near the left side of the driveway. On the opposite side sits a familiar and aging moped that Izumo immediately recognizes. It's been cleaned recently, and looks well taken care of despite it's obvious age. The only obvious modification is a slightly extended seat. Two helmets sit on the back of the moped: One white and painted with a stylized black wolf, and the other black and painted with a stylized flame symbol. Izumo immediately recognizes the latter as the symbol of the now extinct Shizuma Clan. The paved driveway leading up to Dimitri's villa has a mess of fresh potholes and what looks like weather damage, and as a result the Blastmobile has to be abandoned along with the other vehicles.

The Shizuma Clan were a former clan of ninja living in Japan at the turn of the century as vassals to the Iga Clan. Twenty years ago the Shizuma had used their connection with the oni to capture a girl with powerful doujutsu. Their superiors, the Iga, learned of their captive. The great ninja clan demanded their vassals surrender their prize, but the Shizuma were a proud beast. They refused to give her over, and grew haughty in their newfound power. They spit in their lord's eye, and the Iga came down upon them like a storm. The slaughter was absolute, and nothing remained of the Shizuma but the dead. Izumo had been involved in the Shizuma's final battle, and it was there that Kiko finally abandoned who she had been entirely. She refused to return to the Iga Clan, and seemingly disappeared from the world with the red-eyed girl.

Kirei

Kirei's guards return after everyone splits up, and they report Raniel had been picked up in a black car with reflective windows. They give Kirei the license plate number of the car, but did not spot the driver or anyone else inside it.

Naturally, with the others leaving to trade secrets and investigate Dimitri's place: That leaves Kirei alone to investigate the Bar.

Kirei's convoy heads north along the back roads of Bulgaria, and eventually arrives at the ruined town that looks like a warzone. Half of the buildings are condemned wrecks, and the others are clumsily repaired ****holes at best. The Bar itself is nestled between two ruins, and looks like it has seen better days. Three of its walls bear scars that resemble artillery damage, and the fourth has been replaced so many times its a completely different style than the others. A big sign with more bullet holes than light bulbs hangs haphazardly off the front wall. It reads, in big blocky text, "DIVE BOMB" and written beneath it, in smaller text, are the words "Bar and Grill". There are no cars near the Bar, and nothing seems to move or react in response to Kirei's bodyguards or himself. The front door is an impressive block of steel with only a few dents relative to the bullet ridden walls beside it, and it's got a slat built in for the bouncer to peer out.

[Princess Tracy]

Amon scratches her head at the sign on the helmets, pursing her lip at the black wolf but taking a moment to weight the flames. "Fire, fire... Shi..." She snaps her fingers trying to recall. "Shizuma, right? I haven't seen that in a while. Aren't they a... yes. Well, you would know," she rambles, dropping the subject as she recalls the relationship between the Shizuma and Izumo's own clan.

Looking at the vehicles her first guess was at least one raven and probably 4 police officers were present, and they probably weren't getting along. She makes a movement with her shoulders as if loosening up her muscles but of course it's all a pantomime rather than an actual physical reaction. Much like how she made a point to appear to be breathing at all times. "Okay... got any better at stealth and/or spying? Or do you wanna just walk in through the front door and wing it? I can use a sensory technique to scout the mansion from here but I don't like leaving my body vulnerable. Got any idea yourself?"

I deleted half this post because it was just Amon rambling about police procedure which was probably crap anyway lol. Also fun fact: there seems to be no actual in-book way of acquiring Remote Sensing, the Sensor Archetype's the only place I've ever seen it mentioned. It's so powerful it feels like cheating to use though, so Ces can feel free to suggest something better.

Amon takes 10 on Ninja Lore, as one does. 25.

Unless Ces has an idea he wants to try, Amon stands adjacent to Izumo and uses Remote Sensing to get a feel of the mansion and grounds, just to see what chakra signatures are present.

[Ionbound]

Azumi calmly walks forwards, giving her sister only a slight glance and a sarcastically muttered, "The shirt suits you," as she takes her seat. She pauses, listening closely to the masked woman, but frowns, unable to make out her words, and says politely and respectfully, "I'm...I'm sorry, but could you repeat that? I didn't quite catch what you said."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei calmly walks through the wartorn area, levelheaded more for his men's sake than his own. When they reach the metal slab of a door, Kirei does a whimsical series of knocks on the door to the tune of an obscure Bulgarian orchestra piece and simply waits. If no responses is forthcoming however, he summons his sword and sheathe both, and prepares to cleave through the steel door.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kirei

The ground under Kirei's feet shudder and shakes for a few seconds after her knocks. Then the slat on the door opens, and someone looks outside. A few seconds of rapidly spoken Bulgarian follow, and the person behind the door starts unlocking it. The door swings open, and Kirei is face-to-tremendous gut with the familiar face of Yasen Bunev (http://i.imgur.com/2sJGptR.jpg), a stray kid and bouncer. Of course, the last time Kirei had seen Yasen the boy had been only twelve years old and already as big as most grown men. Now the massive and rotund bouncer dwarfs Kirei and his entourage, standing at an enormous nine and a half feet tall, and seems to be bent over to look Kirei in the eye. The fat giant speaks in simple broken English.

"Is closed, but for friend: Come in. Mama is not of home." He shuffles about, shaking tables and rattling chairs as he moves, and eventually trundles his way deeper into the Bar. The inside of the dive is as awful as Kirei remembers it: A bar of dingy steel, bar stools that are more rust than metal, haphazardly assembled wooden tables, and matching hand-crafted misshapen chairs decorate the room. Glasses that look like they were used as grease traps rest atop the bar, and only one other occupant is visible in the bar. A small girl (http://i.imgur.com/cJXbL1B.jpg) in a boarding school uniform sits on a bar stool. She's holding one of the glasses and a rag, and seems to be cleaning it to the best of her ability. She is not succeeding.

Yasen and the girl exchange some Bulgarian, then he looks at Kirei while she puts the glass away and stands up.

"Is little stray, Lala. Lala, is Uncle Conpakyou." The child courtesies as best she can. Being a stray likely meant something happened to her parents, and Madam Eva took her in. Just like she had Yasen and most of the people who worked at the Bar.

"Good day, Uncle." Yasen pats the kid on the head with a hand almost as big as her body, then takes his place behind the bar.

"Of needing drink? Only have drink now. No work. Or girls. Mama shut down. Big bird fight, so no one comes now."

Azumi & Tony

Azumi's question merely gets a smile from the Masked Woman, and she points Azumi toward Tony. It seems like she was going to jerk the two of you around a bit more, and that meant employing the blind man as a makeshift interpreter.

"This is what you keep retainers around for, little princess, is it not? Or does the proud fool walk his own path?"

[manwithaplan]

Before he lost everything, Tony had been a whisper. Barely a breeze in the room, everything from his opening step to his perfected killstroke were void of sound. But for all the power he lost with his vision, one thing had been improved - his hearing. The failings and imperfections of his most subtle footfalls became known to him, and even as his training ceased, he grew to hate his own sounds with vigour enough that soon he truly made none at all. He didn't speak, lest he be forced to hear his own voice, and this was a principle he was still in the process of losing. After an almost awkwardly long pause following the Masked Woman's address, he opened his mouth.

"I walk no path."

And another beat went by unsung.

"But you're right. We're looking for Dimitri, and we're willing to make a trade."

[Cespenar]

Upon seeing the moped and the helmets, Izumo almost directly marches into the villa, but only Amon's voice makes him realize that he's actually not all by himself. He stops mid-step. He looks back, unsure. Forcing himself to turn back, he nods at the older woman.

"I guess I can protect your body for a moment, if you can do this quickly," he agrees reluctantly with her "remote sensing" idea.

[Princess Tracy]

Amon pauses, noting the desperate speed in Izumo before he had stopped in his tracks. She shakes her head, intuiting what it must have been to get him so riled up. "... I'll be fast, I promise. Thank you for indulging this old lady's healthy paranoia." Something about the police cars made her worry time was of the essence, too. But she refused to go in blind without some attempt to gather information. She forms a hand seal, standing within arm's reach of Izumo as she closes her eyes, extending her senses out and away from her body. "Shake me if anything changes, I can't hear or see anything like this and I'll be vulnerable for a moment even after I snap out of concentration," she instructs him, before slipping away. Her body is eerily still, standing bolt upright and completely motionless, her conscious focus on 'breathing' broken as it becomes clear from her lack of respiration that she's hardly human at all on the inside.

Amon conjures a sensing probe with her remote sensing and moves it towards the ruins. It has a 50 foot radius and speed 200 feet/round (see the book) so I figure 3 rounds of sweeping concentric circles should be enough to check most of the grounds. If she doesn't sense anyone, she'll cancel out and tell Izumo to go on in with his guard up while she follows behind from the shadows, but she expects 2 ravens and 4 ordinaries.

[Ionbound]

Azumi glares at the masked woman and says, voice hardening with annoyance at the charade, "Retainer? No. Just a tag-along that wanted to hear my secrets. Which I'm sure you're interested in as well. In exchange, I want to know anything you know about who killed Dmitri. Sound fair?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Amon & Izumo

Amon's sensing finds four fewer creatures than she expects. One creature is a wreck of molten rock and flames, a screaming chasm of fury swallowing the world and burning it for its own fuel. The other is a hurricane of lightning and wind battering against the world in its unstoppable rage. Amon is unable to sense anyone else around the area.

Tony & Azumi

The outcast Mibu laughs at her sister's words. "Someone killed the old bastard!? No way! Man. Now I'm gonna miss the opportunity to cut him to pieces!"

The masked woman ignores the Mibu's outburst, and simply points to the chairs opposite her. "Very well, then let us drop the charade and discuss business. You're retired, but I'll give you the same rates I always have: One secret for one question, and I will answer as truthfully as I can."

[Princess Tracy]

Amon opens her eyes, cancelling her hand seal as she returns her senses to her body. "Two ravens, no civilians. Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. Lead on, I'll watch your back," she instructs Izumo, letting him carry on as he had intended. She gives a flick of the wrist as she forms her chakra threads. "I think I know who one of them is. I do NOT want to get in an argument with a dragon, so let's play nice."

Before proceeding, spends 4 chakra to form A-class chakra strings since they're the basis of most of her combat. Take 10 on Hide and Move Silently for 36 each, moving at half speed behind Izumo (base speed 80 feet, so double move action at half speed moves her that far per round, she tails 20 feet back from him).

[Ionbound]

Azumi clenches her fist and grinds her teeth as she ignores her sister, replying to the masked woman, "Fair as always. How does this sound. I tell you where I live? Where I retired to. Where I raised my daughter."

[Cespenar]

Izumo nods silently, and marches forward with long strides.

[ZeroNumerous]

Azumi & Tony

"Hm. Such dangerous secrets. Are you, perhaps, intending to die in this vendetta? Well, no matter. I'll take it, but you may not like what happens afterward. Speak your secret, and ask your question."

Azumi's sister grins. "I'd love to hear about this. It'll be fun to track the rest of us down after I kill you."

Izumo & Amon

Izumo and Amon head up to path without any problems. Both of them spot various traps: Tripwires, IEDs, pitfalls, and the like plainly designed to keep the place isolated. The cops have cut an obvious path where they've disposed of bombs and traps along the way. Eventually, the duo finally find the missing police after about five minutes. Two of them are headless, and seem like they had been running away from the burnt down house. A silvery-white wire, slick with blood, hangs off a tree nearby. Their heads are sitting beside the wire. The other two are much closer to the house, and seem to have been brutally beaten beyond imagining. Their limbs are mangled messes of snapped bones and blood, and it seems like they were left to bleed to death where they fell.

Eventually the two ninja arrive at the charred ruins of Dimitri's manor, and only ash and blackened pillars remain behind. Only two things move around the manor: Eddies of ash whenever the wind blows, and a pair of humanoid figures wearing traditional ninja garb. One of them looks up when the group moves toward them, and Izumo immediately recognizes the dour glare directed at him. The other figure raises to face the enemy as well, and reaches for the silver sword strapped across its back. Its face is obscured by a bone white dog mask, and it towers over Kiko. Kiko looks at Izumo, and then toward Amon.

"Let me guess: You're here to learn about what happened to the old man, huh? Well, we're just here to pick the bones. Lets not turn this into a fight. Not everyone needs to be enemies, and I don't wanna fight either of you."

[Cespenar]

Passing by the bodies, Izumo points to the two bleeding officers, and speaks through gritted teeth. "Are they past help?" he asks Amon.

At the sight of Kiko, Izumo finally lets out a breath he was apparently holding all the while. This surprises him a little, and he forces himself to calm down, falling back to a decades-old habit of trained breaths. His mind clears as well, and he establishes more or less into his usual demeanor.

"Well, I don't wanna fight either, so after two decades we're finally agreeing on something, I guess."

He stays silent for a while. Then, with a reduced voice, he continues.

"You could have easily beaten those officers down without mutilating them like that. You have masks and whatnot, getting ID'd wouldn't be an issue."

[Princess Tracy]

Amon silently observes the traps as she goes, a rusty toolkit on hand to get rid of any in their way, though it seems the police did a fine enough job on their own clearing it for them. So then... why didn't she feel their chakra. The newer soon becomes clear as she feels her metaphorical stomach sink. She remains hidden a few paces behind Izumo, among the wreckage of the manor, though it seemed like she'd already been seen. Crap, is she a sensory type or am I just slipping? Judging by how Izumo's reacting, I take it this is Kiko? She resists the temptation to step out from cover. They said they didn't want to fight, but if they changed their mind she wasn't about to be out in the open. And... seeing the disgusting way they treated civilians, she wasn't sure she wanted to be peaceful anyway. To a raven, any police officer might as well be a civilian, just a curious lost child who wandered in to the wrong place at the wrong time who poses no real threat. She always believed you could tell everything you needed to know about a person by how little of a problem they use a big pile of corpses to solve.

She remains hiding behind Izumo, or rather pretending to hide if she had been seen, as she awaits their answer to Izumo's question. She briefly considers animating a puppet preemptively, but if her chakra was being sensed it would be taken as a sign of aggression and if nothing else a fight could destroy any clues they were looking for. No, she would wait and listen, and hope Izumo can reason with them.

Keep taking 10 on Hide, 36.

[Ionbound]

Azumi turns to look at her sister, and says, in a calm, utterly uncompromising voice, "Let me make a promise to you, as family. You will die before you lay a finger on her. I will find a way. Nothing lasts forever."

The swordwoman then sighs and rubs her face and left eye before replying to the masked woman, "I live in Hayakaw. Not in the town proper, but if you travel from the town office in the direction of the Amahata Dam, there are a series of roads that eventually become paths branching off from the 810 highway that lead up the slope of Mt. Shichimen. I live up there. If you like, I could provide a more detailed description, but not without a map...And it is, unfortunately, unaddressed."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei gives the man in black accompanying a meaningful look and jerks his head to the building and its surroundings as if to say, 'secure the perimeter. Find out why it's so quiet' and follows Yasen inside. The old man takes in a deep breathe of the stagnant bar air as he steps across the threshhold and smiles at the ****hole in spite of himself. Dilapidated and run-down as it was, he'd spent more than a few years of his life at the Bar. And memories like the ones he had were hard to just let go of. Upon Yasen's introduction of Lala he approaches the child warmly and bends down to muss up her hair, answering her in his own, somewhat unpracticed, Bulgarian, "You can call me Grandpa or even Old Man if you want. It's what most people call me nowadays." He fishes out a hard candy from a breast pocket, an obscure flavor one of his granddaughter likes, and gives it to her.

Afterwards, he smoothly takes a seat at the bar and looks at Yasen. "Would that I could Yaz, but as it just so happens I'm here on business. You wouldn't happen to know when Mama will be back, do you?" He takes a look around the bar as he converses with the two, taking in the damage and ruin surrounding them. "When exactly was this 'bird fight', anyway?"

Take 10 on Spot for 30 to locate any details that I may have missed on a cursory examination.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kirei

The little girl takes the offered hard candy and pops it into her mouth without much ado. Yasen just shakes his head. He switches to Bulgarian, and speaks plainly.

"Sorry, blackbird. I do not know where Grandma went. Four of you showed up three days ago, and asked her questions: A big old Japanese man, a small black-haired Japanese man, a little red-haired woman, and a big masked man. Grandma left with them, and has not been back since." The question of when the big fight happened causes Yasen to pause for a bit, then he speaks plainly.

"A week. The black-haired Japanese from three days ago came. He fought with small Japanese girl and dog-man. Bulgarian military responded, and tried to stop them. Lots of dead men, but they left."

Azumi & Tony

A twisted laugh is all that Azumi gets when she threatens her sister. "Hahaha! Daddy dearest struggled so much to give me this body so I could be your pretty little playmate, forever. My life, my skill, my sword: All for you! Would you really try to throw away the last gift he gave you?" The mad smile she gives Azumi tells her elder sister everything she needed to know about the truth of that statement.

The masked woman ignores and dismisses Azuna's insanity. "Very well. What do you wish to know?"

Izumo & Amon

All Kiko responds with is raising her hands with their palms facing Izumo. She then turns her hands to point the back of them at Izumo as well. Both sides of her hands are clean of blood or bits of bone.

"I haven't killed anything, clearly. But one of them foolishly laid a hand on me. You know how angry he gets when that happens." She directs her gaze over her shoulder at the wolf masked ninja behind her. But he has nothing to say and doesn't seem to move. A cursory glances reveals his hands are flecked with blood. The former Iga-nin turns back to Izumo.

"Restraint is hardly in his blood. At least that was our clan's excuse when we annihilated them, wasn't it? If the other guys hadn't drawn guns then there would have only been one dead cop. But they fought, and I simply let my retainer do as he pleased. I'm a much better boss than Father was, aren't I?" The half-smile Kiko plasters on her face suddenly brings back memories of Izumi mocking Izumo for something or the other.

[Ionbound]

Azumi's jaw tigtens at the mention of their father, and raises a hand to pause the meeting, asking the masked woman, "I am sorry, but will you please remove her? I was content to let her stay, but she has crossed a line."

[ZeroNumerous]

Tony & Azumi

The masked woman looks at Azuna. "Would you kindly leave? You're upsetting my guest."

"Haha! No. We're one and the same."

"Could you at least be quiet?"

"If she wants to cut my tongue out, then she can try."

The masked woman shrugs, and directs her gaze back to Azumi. "I tried. I brought her here expecting you to try to kill me, but it seems I just caused you grievance. My apologies."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei nods at the Bulgarian man but can't help but pinch the bridge of his nose at the vague but still all-too alarming descriptions. "Can you describe these men and women in greater detail? And did Mama go with them willingly or was she coerced into leaving? I can't imagine somebody as stubborn as her leaving the two of you to this mess." The woman with the dog man was probably Kurotsuchi and her servant, but what could they possible have been doing at the Bar? Was Madame Eva ensconced away for her own safety after the fight or was she, and the company who took her away, complicit in some way? The prospects and possibilities spin around Kirei's mind dizzyingly but he returns his attention to Yasen easily enough.

"I'm not a Raven anymore, Yaz. Just a tired old man with a sword and what are probably brain problems for wanting to dive back into this mess...I don't suppose I could convince you and Lala over there to lay low for a while, could I? I could arrange for the two of you, and whoever else Mama has taken in, to leave the country if you so desire it."

Sense Motive: [roll0] - Is he hiding anything from me? Or otherwise obscuring a truth?

[ZeroNumerous]

Kirei

Yasen nods. "Yes. The old Japanese man had muscle and was big. White hair, wore... What do you call it? A Japanese dress. He had a rope as a belt. The small Japanese had blue jacket, burns on his hand, and smiled a lot. Very polite. Red woman did not speak, she would only growl and be angry. The masked man was big, tall, strong like Dimitri. His mask was completely black, and had a white stripe across the eyes." Based on those descriptions, Kirei is able to rake his memory to work out who they are.

However, Yasen does point out the rest of the details about Madam Eva's leaving. "She left with little Japanese man, but did not fight them. She said she was going to find the, uh.. Tree of God? I was put in charge, but nothing happens much now. All the little strays were sent away, but little Lala did not go."

[Ionbound]

Azumi glares at Azuna and snaps, "Don't tempt me. I'm still not convinced it wasn't you that's behind all this."

Then she turns back to the masked lady and replies, "I believe you have the two of us confused. She's the one that kill for sport. But in any case. My question is as follows: Who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill Dmitri in his home? Emphasis on opportunity...I can't believe that it would be difficult to pin down who had the ability and motive, but it might disqualify some who had the chance."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei nods and frowns all the while. Why would Kyoji send them here after Madame Eva if he was the one who spirited her away from Bulgaria? "Is this some kind of test of his or is he hiding his hand?" There was of course the possibility of Henge and subterfuge but at this point blind speculation would only hurt their investigation. The Konpaku leader takes something out of the inside of his jacket and slides several stacks of Bulgarian currency across the bar counter for Yasen's benefit. "Money for your time and to help you repair the bar at your leisure. You probably don't need it but you'll be taking it nonetheless. Burn it or use it. Whatever you feel is the wiser course."

He glances at the girl out of the corner of his eye and quietly asks Yasen, "Is she...'trained'?" And holds up his right hand in a half-seal position, using the universal sign to refer to the shinobi arts. Regardless of Yasen's answer he turns to her and smiles, bringing her into the conversation as well. "And why exactly did Lala not go?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Azumi

Azuna laughs heartily, and ignores Azumi's threat. "Come then! Let us see what you can do, huh?"

"I would prefer you didn't fight here. There would be too many deaths." The Masked Woman smiles at Azumi's question.

"Shukuyuu had the opportunity, Alexi had the means, and I had the motive to kill Dimitri Markov. Though, I assume you want to know about a single person. In that case... I would need time to gather all of my information and eliminate the red herrings."

Kirei

Yasen takes the money without comment, and nods in affirmative when Kirei questions about the girl. "She has the possibility. But no teacher."

Lala looks at Yasen when Kirei questions her directly, but he simply nods his head at Kirei. "I don't have anywhere else to go. This is home."

[Ionbound]

Azumi nods to the masked woman and says, "Quite. How will you contact me when you have your answer?" She continues to pointedly ignore Azuna.

[ZeroNumerous]

Azumi & Tony

"Hey, don't ignore me you annoying little brat!" The Mibu reaches for her cursed blade, and seems ready to start a fight.

The masked woman blatantly ignores Azuna. "I could leave you a voicemail at that house. But you'd hate waiting for that, wouldn't you? Perhaps, then, you'd like to sell your cellphone number for another question?"

[Bad Situation]

Kirei shakes his head good-naturedly and laughs, "A place like this is no place a for a little girl like you to grow up. But then, I'm one to talk aren't I? Hahaha." He looks around the bar and sighs, "I called this place home too, once. Though perhaps not in the way you do."

Kirei is going to Sense Chakra on Lala.

[manwithaplan]

"If it's all the same, I'd be willing to make that trade."

He was resting with one hand over the other on the edge of the table, face cast slightly down, taking in the events of the conversation.

"I operate my cell phone very rarely, and such a thing would result in little harm for me. But there is something tangible about selling a secret as part of this...investigation. It's an investment I would like to make."

[ZeroNumerous]

Tony & Azumi

The masked woman dramatically shrugs, as if acknowledging such an interruption was somehow beneath her. "Certainly. Though, I should remind you that a cellphone could be used to track you."

Kirei

The Konpaku can sense the girl's chakra, and it's the same aura that he remembers. Or, perhaps, half of an aura he remembers. She is a lake of blood and fury held tightly inside a stone crater. A tiny tree of righteousness grows from the wet stones, smashing them apart and scattering the bloodlust of madness. Kirei immediately recognizes half of Kyoji's aura, but can't place the other half of her energy. Perhaps then, this is why he told Kirei about the Bar?

[manwithaplan]

"I am aware of the ramifications. The number is zero four, three seven..."

He shared the entirety of his phone number at the table. If his eyes didn't come back after solving this case, he was happy to be found and killed. If they did, he was happy for his old friends to try.

[Ionbound]

Azumi nods as Tony gives up his phone number, turning instead to give Azuna her full attention for the first time. She takes a deep breath, and then says, "Alright. You want my attention, you got it. I don't know what...Father..." She says the word, voice dripping with distaste and hatred, "Did to you, but kami know that it's going to fall me to put an end to it. That said, I'm busy. You'll have to wait your turn, one way or another. But I promise you, by the time we're both dead, you'll get this fight that you've been dying for for so long. Look forwards to it."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei hums as he tries to make sense of the girl's aura. The only tree of significance he was aware of was Lady Yuyuko's Saigyou Ayakashi but that couldn't be what the Tree of Life referred to, could it? A terrifying prospect to be sure but unlikely to be the case as far as he knew. At the very least it was something he would need to discuss with the puppeteer. The immortal was definitely unsettling to be around, something to do with her eyes and uncomfortable familiarity, but her experience and insight into these matters could not be dismissed. Whatever the case he would need to proceed carefully and with that in mind he turns back to Yasen and gives him a serious look.

"Yaz. I need to take Lala away from the Bar. There's something to her that I can't quite put my finger on but I don't think it's safe for her here any longer. I have an idea of where Mama is now and I'd like to take Lala to her, if that's okay with you."

[Cespenar]

Izumo scoffs at the excuse of an explanation.

"Much better? I wouldn't say that, no."

He shakes his head, thinking this would go nowhere.

"So what are you doing here exactly? Who was he to you, why are you looking into this murder?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Izumo & Amon

"Gasp, I'm hurt. I haven't annihilated any clans like Father. I thought that would have been a mark in my favor." The flippant irreverence Kiko shows to the dead reminds Izumo of his teacher. Izumi ended up disappearing after the Iga destroyed the Shizuma, but where to remains unknown. When the question of what Kiko is doing comes up, then she simply shakes her head.

"Nothing of the sort. I don't care that he was dead, and frankly I'm glad he's gone. Alexi has made it easier to kill the other Ravens. I'm just here to loot something stolen from me years ago."

Tony & Azumi

The masked woman nods her head as Tony recites his number. When he's done, then she smiles and speaks. "Very well, then let us hear your question."

Azuna laughs plainly at her sister, and stands as if she were going to draw her blade. But instead, she simply stares at Azumi. She speaks in a surprisingly somber tone. "It's settled then. We'll bring an end to this disgusting clan of ours. It'll be fun to watch you die, sister."

Kirei

Yasen looks a bit surprised, but rather than decide for her the gentle giant looks to Lala. The tiny child looks up at Kirei, places a hand over her chest, and for a moment Kirei can sense the war of energy clashing within her. Ultimately, the sea of bloodlust recedes and the tree grows a bit stronger.

"I trust you. I will go."

[Cespenar]

If Kiko's 'likeness' to Izumi grates Izumo, he doesn't show. The flippancy had fit the usually calm and relaxed Izumi, but looks only childish on Kiko.

"I wonder how you'd be with a clan to command under your rule. Anyway. What's your endgame here? Killing off Ravens until it's just you left? And then what?"

[Princess Tracy]

Amon remains silent, letting Izumo have his words with his old friend, half listening as she instead strains her right eye to survey her surroundings, activating its implanted trait to see chakra. She'd stained it blue to better pass as human, as Alice once had, but it works all the same. Hmph, flippant, violent, careless, yet holier than now and self serving. What does she remind me of... tha old oni summoner more than anyone else. Calling herself a leader but not taking responsibility for a subordinate, what does Izumo see in a girl like - oh hello there. Earth chakra nature, and a web of chakra like this - so that's where her sensory powers come from, I get it. This fight was decided the moment Izumo "stepped" into her range. We don't have an ambush and I can't expect him to fight her seriously.

"Who're your friends, Izumo?" she asks innocently, taking a single step out of cover. Izumo was getting too distracted to ask the right question, it was time she intervened. "What is it you say he stole from you? It's not polite to speak ill of the dead, for Dmitri cannot defend himself. I'm just here to put his affairs in order so I'm sure I'll happily return whatever it was if the fire didn't destroy it." She extends a hand, palm facing upwards in some old ninja gesture inviting Kiko to brief her on her little quest.

These two were dangerous murderers, but she would let Izumo press that issue at his own leisure.

[Bad Situation]

Kirei nods at the girl and motions for her to come closer. "You know, you look about the same age as one of my grandchildren." He eyes the diminutive child and hums, "Maybe younger. How old are you, exactly?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Amon and Izumo

"You already know what it was like. I'm a wild animal. Leadership is stifling, and Seiji was always the one groomed for that business. It's fitting then, that I'm left in charge of a mad dog with nothing but a dead name and a dead clan behind me. Just let it go, Izumo. The girl you knew is dead as the man who lived here. Let ghosts lie in the past, where they belong."

When the question of her endgame comes up, Kiko just smiles. "Hunt down the Ishimaru afterward, then the Konpaku and all the other petty tyrants living in the shadows. And then I'll destroy the next set of tyrants. And then the next, and on and on until I die. I won't allow a future to exist where a little girl can be hated by her own family, and be betrayed for doing the right thing." When Amon speaks out, then Kiko feigns ignoring her. She reaches for her neck, as if to put on headphones or something, but seems to have forgotten she wasn't wearing any. She fumbles with her hands, and seems a bit confused before shaking her head and sighing. When Amon performs that ancient ninja gesture, then Kiko frowns deeply and finally acknowledges the doll as her eyes sharpen again.

"Yes, let me just trust a Raven, and a traitorous one at that, with important information. I'm sure that won't come to stab me in the back. Do you think I'm some kind of idiot shounen hero (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=16002818&postcount=306) who would blindly believe you? People like that are already dead at the hands of people like you."

Kirei

The girl looks a bit confused at the question of her age, but Yasen is the one to answer. "We found her wandering the woods four years ago. Our best guess is that she's nine or so. We never found her parents, and she only remembers her father was a dragon." Yasen smirks as he details the girl's explanation of her father, and she immediately leaps to her imagination's defense.

"He was! A strong dragon! Loyal, and nice and everything! And mom was strong and beautiful and a demon! I know it!" Yasen, clearly lacking the knowledge to guess otherwise, assumes the girl is making up a funny story and just laughs.

[Ionbound]

Azumi simply shakes her head and replies, "No. The clan will continue. I will bring it back to it's glory. I'm just sorry that you didn't want to be a part of it."

[Cespenar]

Fire begins to creep into Izumo's voice.

"That girl isn't dead, you're just burying her under the earth. You talk about preventing a bad future and purging tyrants, but humanity always produces tyrants, ninja or not. Will you go on to topple whole countries next?"

"At least help people rebuild after you bring worlds crashing down. Otherwise you're just a killer, and a hypocrite."

He shakes his head.

"Not that I hope anything I say will sway you." He turns to Amon, looking tired. "Let's just look for what we came and leave."

Then, he turns and gives Kiko a smile, just like that. Almost as frank and warm as Blast Hardcheese, back when they had played shounen heroes.

"Still, give me a call if you need help."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei only laughs at her indignation and smiles at the two of them. And then disappears from his seat, leaving only dissipating spectral mist in his place. He surprises both patrons of the Bar by reappearing behind Lala and picking up the girl to heft upon his shoulder, spinning her around whimsically. "A dragon, a demon, and a lovely lady all in one. T'would seem only fitting that a ghost comes to sweep her off her feet. A tale grander than I could hope to tell, perhaps." He winks at her cheekily with a smile that belies all the wrinkles and manifestations of his age, the kind of smile a grandfather reserves for his children.

"Don't worry. I believe you, Lala. You're not the only one out there with half of yourself in a world nobody else could possibly understand...though I guess with me, it's more like my half is already in the grave! Hahaha!"

[Princess Tracy]

"Traitorous? I've been called a lot of things, but that's a new one. I'm a drifter like you more than anything - I was only loyal to Dmitri's cause of making the Ravens more than a band of superpowered murderers, and I left when I realised that was a bust. If your hit list includes this old retired lady, I think you need a better hobby." Amon shrugs. "I'd recommend doing the Konpaku last. You'd definitely die if you fought them," she remarks, not taking the murderous little brat before her the least bit seriously. "Konpaku Kirei happens to be interested in taking down the Ravens, in fact. Perhaps you should go talk collaboration."

Her lighthearted suggestion thrown out there, she gives a swish of her hand to pull down a nearby pillar and kick up a small cloud of ash, putting on a show of coughing from it as she speaks. "So it's 'important', you say. Something Dmitri wanted badly enough to steal from a young woman, something you think could survive a fire which reduced this mansion to this sorry state. C'mon, don't leave me hanging with only a half-secret, we're all friends here."

"We're all friends here" is a total lie. Bluff check [roll0] to seem like Amon actually likes Kiko. :smalltongue:

[manwithaplan]

"...Of course Shukuyuu had the powers to do what was done to Dimitri's home. But you say she had the opportunity. What do you mean by that?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Kirei

The little girl laughs as Kirei picks her up, and for a moment she seems like a small child and not a potential killer. She sticks her tongue out at Yasen when Kirei confirms that he believes Lala's story. Yasen laughs with the little girl, and then just shrugs when Kirei says he believes her.

"As long as she is safe, then Mama will be happy. Good luck, blackbird." Yasen is happy to provide food or drinks if Kirei wants them, but otherwise has no information the Konpaku does not already know.

Izumo & Amon

Kiko responds to Izumo's question plainly.

"If I must topple nations, then I will. I have my convictions, and I will stand by them no matter what." She ignores Amon like the interloper she is, until Amon bugs her about what she's looking for again.

"Izumo, if you want to help me then bury this talking corpse you've brought along. It's starting to sound just like Alexi with this "we're the same kind of backstabbing monster" nonsense."

Azumi & Tony

"No different than Father, huh? Fine. I can wait."

With Tony's question the masked woman smiles. "The Fire Dragon lives beneath Dimitri's estate. Thus, she had the opportunity to slay him. Of course, the question of whether she did or not remains to be answered."

[Ionbound]

Azumi locks eyes with Azuna and unleashes a withering glare, saying, "I am nothing like that man. For one, I actually care about my family. I don't want to have to kill you, for one. But you're forcing my hand."

[Bad Situation]

Kirei sets Lala down at the counter and takes a seat beside her, nodding at Yasen to bring out some food. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself Lala. Likes, dislikes, hobbies. Things like that. If I'm going to be taking you with me it would be good if we got to know each other some. Tell me what you're comfortable telling me and I'll respond in kind. Sound fair?"

[Cespenar]

Izumo shrugs at Kiko's request. "Ehhh. Nah."

"So, anyway, you're looking for your stolen 'thing', and we're looking for a clue. Given the desolation of the surroundings, I suggest we look together, at least for the next how many minutes we'll be here."

Izumo raises a foot, and slams it onto the ground. An unfelt shockwave ripples out, bouncing off of objects, people and all else in contact with the ground.

Izumo uses Tremorsense, and sees if he feels anything, wandering around to cover ground, if need be.

[ZeroNumerous]

Amon & Izumo

When the question of collaboration comes, then Kiko brushes aside the idea. "I refuse. Yuuki, kill the woman."

The wolf-masked man's body tenses up, and is ready to leap into battle.

Kiko's intiative: [roll0]
Yuuki's initiative: [roll1]

Kirei

"I like school, and learning. Mama used to take me to the city and was teaching me how to sew. I liked that. I'm scared of the fighting. It wasn't nice, and I don't wanna see it come back."

Yasen goes to make food as Lala tries to explain herself.

Tony & Azumi

"Bwahaha! As if he didn't! Your eyes and my body came from that love! But no matter, there's nothing left to do but kill one another so we can end this horror show we call a family."

[Cespenar]

Izumo puts a meaty arm in front of Amon, despite the fact that the old ninja is way beyond needing protection.

"Call him off, Kiko. She's my comrade in arms for the time being. If you have no respect left for me, then at least have some sense for your own convictions, and pick your targets wisely."

He mumbles to Amon under his breath. "I know I'm asking much, but try not to kill them, please."

[Ionbound]

Azumi shakes her head and says, "Nothing that we are was born of love. We're just the results of a madman experimenting on his family. And it was on us to rise above, to redeem the name of Clan Mibu. I am so, so very sorry that you won't be part of that future, Azuna."

[Princess Tracy]

"Izumo, do you remember what I said earlier? About ninjas never really outgrowing the trauma of their adolescence? Child soldiers born to suffer and either bury or linger on their past. Nothing I can say matters because she sees me as just one more cog of that machine." Amon's monologue is cut short when Kiko tells Izumo to kill her and though her eyes feign horror, she has to bring her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh, though still lets out a snort as she giggles. I know this must be traumatic for Izumo, but all I can think about is how ridiculous she is. She clears her throat as Kiko orders her companion to kill her, though still has the gall to act nonchalantly, scratching her face. "Yuuki, Yuuki... do you know anyone by that name, Izumo?"

It's only when Izumo moves to defend her that seriousness fills her eyes, as she almost glares at the arm he throws out in her defence. "Izumo, stay out of this. I'm the last person who needs to make a meat shield out of a friend. Lapis!" Yes, I'm quite aware of the hypocrisy, but this isn't the time to discuss that. Amon gives another flick of but a pair of fingers and all of a sudden the bag she had slung over her shoulder jostles with movement, and an entirely combatant joins the battlefield, a woman (http://65.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4zy05riIv1r0qqddo1_1280.jpg)of dark hair and a single, dead eye forever glaring, clad in heavy armour comes pouncing all at once and stepping forward. A weapon appears in her hand, a shining white katana much like the oni-blooded's own but with hardly the same killing edge, which is promptly lifted in front of Izumo, as if to symbolise protecting him over the puppets own master. A pastel-pink dress flutters about over her obviously bulky body armour as she wordlessly stands in protection of the two.

Due to the Nature of the Portable Theatre as an extradimensional space, "Lapis" possessed no weight until she stepped out, making her undetectable by tremorsense. That was Amon's thinking anyway, though the lack of blood sacrifice made it obvious it wasn't a regular summoning technique. "Lapis, Yuuki over there seems like a crappy swordsman, go give him a few lessons. Shatter that oni-crafted tooth pick if you get a chance," she instructs her puppet as if she were any ally that could hear her, though all the same she puts on a show of having the ancient warrior nod and face the swordsman, hoping to draw his attention.

I considered just blasting the two of them with Heroic Surge and hoping to kill them in one turn while they're flat-footed, but that's extremely anticlimactic and steals the show from Izumo, so I'll just go with the tactic of hanging back.

Free Action: Unleash Speed Rank 5 for 1 chakra/round, gaining +5 to defence, hide checks and reflex saves, +2 to attack, and +30 feet speed (bringing me up to a total speed of 110 feet/action).

Move Action: I animate my human puppet of Sanagi Bea, still inside my Portable Theatre. 14 chakra for 14 Hit Dice (giving her 110 hit points on average. If I need to roll, then [roll0] HP)

Attack action: Trade attack for an additional move action, which I give to Sanagi. Sanagi exits the puppet theatre and takes a space adjacent to Izumo, between Amon and Yuuki.

Free Action: Sanagi uses her gloves of weapon storing to retrieve her Thorium Scattering Shielding Katana.

Free Action: Sanagi assumes Speed and Strength Rank 3 (bringing her defence up to 37).

Swift Action: 2 chakra to assume the Puppet Theatre: Typecasting - Seven Paths stance, to give Sanagi the benefits of the Steadfast Defender form.

Status: HP 87/87, Defence 43, Reflex 35, Fort 20, Will 26, Hardness 4, DR 5/chakra, Chakra Pool 113/134
Ongoing Effects: Speed Rank 5 (1 chakra/round), Henge no Jutsu (Old!Amon), Chakra Threads (A-class)

The Containment Seal on Amon's currently hidden blades component contains the Elemental Destruction: Rank Two technique (empowered to 12d6 electric damage). The seal on her puppets each contain the Thunder Strike Axe technique.

Crystal Doll: Lapis (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=954763)
Status: HP 113/113, Defence 37, Reflex 25, Hardness 3, DR 5/chakra, Chakra Pool 17/19
Ongoing Effects: Gloves of Spirited Performance (+3 attack/damage chakra enhanced slams and thorium weapons), Innate Mastery (+1 attack and skills)
Katana +29/+24/+19 (1d10+15)

Sanagi is 'inconspicuous' and dressed so it isn't immediately obvious she's a puppet, though if Kiko's an old world type ninja she can probably figure it out.

[roll1] unused will check for mirage

[ZeroNumerous]

Izumo & Amon

Kiko simply closes her eyes, and the wolf mask seems to raise its hackles as the madman wearing it draws his blade. The sword sings a song of sorrow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMud81QvaK0) that Amon alone would recognize. It heavily resembles the demonic black violinist at the end of the Hidden Leaf, and may be all that's left of her legacy. The blade is a new moon sky in material form: Black and impenetrable, a lightless void beyond the edge of sight. Its solid black edges are rigidly defined, almost as if it were cutting itself into existence, but then it takes a deep breath. The sword swallows the world's light, consuming the sun and bright sky in deep heaving breaths that destroy the very concept of sight.

The lightless world is ripped asunder by a horrific and monstrous howl made by something neither man nor beast. But both Izumo and Amon recognize what it means: 'Mad dog' was not simply a flippant insult, and the demon-blooded monster is now out for their blood.

Yuuki activates his speed/strength ranks, and draws Amano-Iwato. As part of that drawing, the sword activates her effect. Yuuki then uses an unknown ability. Effects are in the OOC thread.

Kiko readies an action to do something.

Azumi & Toni

The masked woman continues to await Tony's question, but Azuna responds to Azumi's declaration in kind.

"Hahaha! You're a mother now. You should get it. Would you not want her to have everything, to prepare her for everything? What better show of love than grant your daughter the power of a dead god, and give her an immortal bodyguard? In his own disgusting way, he loved us more than sanity itself. And it was our clan's twisted nature to deny that love... It's almost comically tragic!"

Kirei

Both Lalah and Kirei's entourage are awaiting the clan head's next move, especially now that he has a small child and liability in tow.

[Princess Tracy]

Amon groans, taking a moment under the weight of the genjutsu as it threatens to swallow her perceptions and leave her defenceless. Just as it seems like all hope is as lost as the light of day, she lets out a shriek, her eyes snapping open and arms thrown up in a rage. "Are you... KIDDING ME!? The Black Princess!?" She kicks Izumo's shins "Hey, can you see? Why didn't you tell me these guys weren't just hot air? If I have to actually exert myself I'm gonna be annoyed I didn't just ambush them." Calm down, he isn't actually the black princess. Somehow that sword has her technique I guess. She continues to ignore Yuuki and his killing intent even after almost certainly been made helpless, he was just Kiko's puppet as far as she was concerned, and it was best to focus on the puppeteer when fighting. Just as well I didn't use genjutsu, apparently this one knows... of it.

I'll wait on Ces since its Izumo's turn and he needs to roll anyway. I'm quite partial to disrupting the sad violins with yakkety sax by picking up my puppet and running away, but if Izumo's too blind to run Amon will have to stay and defend him from the rampaging swordsman.

[Bad Situation]

"School and learning, huh? When I was your age...well, a little bit older I guess, I was always more interested in chasing after swords and skirts..." And wasn't that precisely the reason his father had sent him away to Dmitri in the first place? "Not much to say about myself, I used to love fighting as much as you hate it but nowadays...it's certainly lost its luster. Which, I think means you're more mature than me..." He breaks out into a smile at the thought and ruffles her hair.

"If you like sewing though maybe I can see about my wife picking up the slack. Lord knows my granddaughters don't have the patience to learn."

Before they head out the door, Kirei calls someone from his entourage in and asks for their expertise in disguising the girl with whatever means they have available to them to avoid any unwanted suspicion from the seemingly empty neighborhood.

When they're ready to go he commands them, "Alright, so we're flying back to Japan now. Contact the Mibu and...whatshisface, the blind guy. We should rendezvous and head back to Japan together. And for the time being focus your attention on protecting the girl. I repeat: the girl, not me. My son can stuff his paranoia right back up his ass and you can tell him I said that even I know you won't." Kirei faux grumbles and shakes his head, turning to Lalah to confide in her loudly, "A man raises a family, protects them from all the baddies in the world, and sends the organization he runs straight to the top. But poof, he turns 50 and suddenly can't do anything for himself anymore. I swear... Treat your elders with care, got that Lalah? But not too much care that you expect them to shatter into a million pieces at a moment's notice. That's the more important part, I think."

[Cespenar]

Izumo stumbles as darkness descends on him, but Amon's comment makes him realize that it was a genjutsu and not a real darkness effect in the first place. "Not everyone needs to be enemies, right, Kiko?" he calls out to Kiko, quoting her first line just minutes ago. He shakes his head.

Blinking his eyes open, he sees his once-comrade flipping out like a mad dog and coming after their blood. With Kiko planning something in the back, probably a precaution. Eh. Though he was stronger than Kiko in the past, Yuuki was also stronger than him, and with no way to find out what both of them have become, this was a fool's errand in any case.

So, hop we go.

Izumo turns back, focuses his chakra on his feet, and bounces away. Mid-stride, he grabs Amon and holds her like a sack of potato with his one arm, vaguely remembering something about the old woman not ever using the Blink Step. "Sorry to manhandle you like this, I'll treat you to a beer or two sometime. Did you drink anymore?"

Opening Speed Rank 5 and using Shunpo to get away, grabbing Amon in the process.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kirei

The Konpaku entourage do their best to follow the orders they're given, and by the end of it they have Lalah wrapped up in a huge coat as a form of "disguise". Naturally they've put in calls to whomever handed over their phone number. One of the bodyguards, a thin young girl from the Ranmaro branch of the family, approaches Kirei with a cellphone. She has her palm over the receiver, and speaks to the old man plainly.

"It's your son. Someone told him that you're investigating this murder, and he's upset. What should I tell him?"

Azumi & Tony

While the duo are traveling to wherever they had finally decided to go, they receive a phone call on Tony's phone. Naturally, it was the only way the Masked Woman could get in contact with them directly, and thus they couldn't simply abandon it.

"Dimitri was not killed by a Raven. I know, it's not what you want to hear. But while many of us had our differences: No one individual has the motive, opportunity, and means. Whatever happened: It wasn't anyone I know about."

Assuming either Azumi or Tony gave Kirei their contact information, then they receive a call from a terse young woman. She informs the duo that Kirei is returning to Japan, and gives them a place to meet up with the old man.

[Bad Situation]

Kirei makes a scrunched up face at the young woman, a look of lemony annoyance perhaps unbefitting of someone of his age and station, but most likely familiar to his entourage by now. He holds a palm out for the phone and puts it up against his ear when it's offered. The scrunched up face diminishes only slightly as he takes the call in his characteristically bold voice. "Kisuke! I'm busy doing very important things right now. Things that I was given to believe wouldn't involve me being followed around every hour of the day. Can't a man go out to buy groceries and smokes without being suspected of running off into danger? Who even told you I was out and about, anyway? Was it your sister? Tell her I'm disowning her again."

[Ionbound]

Azumi listens to the phone call and hmms as she thinks about it and says, "That's...An interesting turn. Not one I was expecting, certainly..." She sighs and flips open her phone, calling Amon. If the puppet-woman picks up, she'll say, "According to the Masked Woman, Dmitri wasn't killed by a raven...Which is interesting. I'm at a loss. What do you think?" Otherwise, she'll leave a voicemail along the same lines.

[ZeroNumerous]

Kirei

The young girl provides Kirei the cellphone when prompted.

The familiar voice of Kirei's son comes on over the phone. "I learned you were out there when I got a call from the secretary of Alexi Markov, Kirei-sama." The rigid tone of his son's words and use of Kirei's name said everything the old man needed to know. He was likely with the clan's councilmen, and that in turn meant he was acting within his capacity as clan head rather than as the son of Konpaku Kirei. "I'm told you're investigating the death of a personal friend. Does it involve a Raven?"

[Bad Situation]

Kirei visibly frowns into the receiver even though he knows his son isn't able to see his displeasure. No matter. His tone switches from the previously unrestrained mock irreverence and takes on a more commanding tone. He answers not quite as a clan head, but with the stern, reprimanding voice of a father. "This doesn't concern the clan, Kisuke. Not in the way you've undoubtedly been informed. I've tolerated the presence of your retainers thus far and have even made use of them, but my goals are strictly my own. For too long have I let the reigns of my station tie my hands on this matter. With leadership now passed to you I must see to settling these affairs myself before I pass to father's side." The former clan head fails to answer his son's questions, leaving the tacit implications hanging in the air.

He shuffles the phone to his other hand and sets him right palm atop Lalah's head, "If you would see me stopped I would first hear your reasons. You deserve that much as my son. And as the man I deemed worthy of inheritance, besides."