From one gent to another

If asked, Gyokosho could not have honestly said that the various entertainments available in Kirigakure had inspired in him much joy. By his own standards, he was effectively slumming it. Something about the culture of the land of mist just... missed the mark. The nightlife, the music, the je ne sais quoi could not compare to the splendor of a Village Hidden in the Clouds with an entertainment district run by a horde of demons. No amount of mist, nor cement buildings, could possibly compare. Still, strangers in stranger lands may as well at least give it the old college try.

And thus, enter one of the few higher end joints on Kiri's strip, a mere two stories up, in private booth. A small entourage of suitors, salesman, randomly important people, party animals, and hangers on had gathered. A boring crowd, when all accounted for, but perhaps the best a village like this had. He'd browsed and found not even a functioning forge, nor a lab of which he could make use. How sad, for somewhere as wealthy as this, but he supposed priorities came from the princesses who ruled from the shadows. Maybe they took all the money for themselves for all he knew; rumor had it the jounin commander had the real reigns of power, that its own strange turn of events. Still, he had smelled opportunity here and yet pursued its fruits.

He sat, sipping quietly on a blood-red wine as noise filtered around him. Small talk from small people, he allowed his thoughts to wander to this particular establishment and the potential it had. He'd suspected some kind of illicit activities in the basement, but snooping had turned up fairly bland results. He wore, rather unusually for him, a perfectly tailored, double-breasted navy suit, his normally flowing blond hair tied up in a quick pony tail behind him. A navy bowler had rested on his lap, his slender fingers idly spinning and fiddling with it. He seemed restless, agitated. As he sat musing, a kind of bubble of calmness drifted through the area. Walking calmly through a crowded area filled with music for dancing tended to disrupt the flow somewhat, though people also tended not to pay much mind. It slowed upon coming to the booth, finding Gyokosho sitting directly in the middle of a three sided couch, low table before him. A white haired man tossed an identification onto the table, looking completely out of place. A pair of almost rainbow eyes swept over him, it, and him again hungrily. He almost subconsciously shifted his free hand to a breast pocket wherein his own badge resided; he'd not seen another in quite a long time.

A snap and a few following flicks of his fingers indicated to the assemblage to leave and, like a school of disrupted fish, the scattered and would eventually reform around another. He stood, retrieved the badge, and handed it back to the other man, eyes alight with curiosity and a touch of amusement. And to whom do I own this honor? Saving me just when I thought there was so little to do here. He gestured vaguely to the booth. It did not seem that this man would want to sit to chat, but he'd offer up the space to him nonetheless.

Hearing the name Okane, Gyo's eyes alit with a flare of hope and pleasant memory, in spite of his normally deft ability to keep his face in a low-grade grin at all times. Forgetting himself momentarily, he asked Is he back then? Despite his recent return from his spiritual sojourn, he'd searched in his own ways for the man. Though he had no real political clout of which to speak, he did have deep ties in the underground, yet his contacts either could not or would not divulge any information. After a brief moment, the thought better of the question. No, we would know by now. The world would know. Foolish of me to ask He composed himself once more, realizing that Okane may well have had this meeting in person had he returned from wherever he'd been spirited away too.

A small wave of pride washed over the man, recounting the ask made of him. On the one hand, he felt both flattered and honored to be entrusted to such a task; on the other, this was the reason for which he had been hired in the first place, so it only made sense it should fall to him. Yes, I can see great benefit in branching out here. Selfishly it will be nice to have a functional forge. The amenities here are otherwise so primitive. He met the other fellow's eyes. I serve at the pleasure of the Stag, and if we need land here, I shall happily secure it. His eyes then raked the beautiful scroll placed down, lovely in the way in which Okane was so fond. Interest and intrigue filled him; artifacts were quite rare and powerful to a degree he'd never fully comprehended. Certainly the prospects of the drill excited him, though raised questions as to why he of all people should be entrusted with such a relic.

A small grin appeared as the man continued to speak and Gyo steepled his fingers. Generally, he wanted for nearly everything, but from his employer he wanted for very little. Okane had treated him quite well and Gyo respected the man. Still, he almost compulsively bartered and loved a good deal. Since you mention it, I could use a corvette. I plan to spend some time here, but traveling away from an island nation can be so tedious. He paused momentarily, as if casually, but looked to read the other man's reaction. Though Kumo now has a fleet for which is no longer has any use. I could probably acquire one there. He winked.

As far as other demands, he could think of very few, and regardless of whether they were met, he would carry out the task. Alternatively, if we've any spare Midnight Ore, I should quite like to work with it. I would not call either of these demands, however. Since you are good at finding things, though, have we any promising new recruits, or any crafters of interest in general? I'm looking to make some connections and get the fellow crafters "on side," so to speak. As the borders shift and sway, it would be beneficial to have the makers of the world know one another.

With that, he produce a small carafe of exquisite sake, distilled by himself from fine rice from Kumo. He'd noted the other man turn aside a random drink from the table, likely spiked with something fun, and offered him a glass. The alcohol content of this was quite low, the flavor very delicate, but a nice toast to conclude, if he should accept. Oh, one more quick question: Do you know of any good fences anywhere? The shinobi village have all, apparently, clamped down on the free market like a bunch of puritans and it makes raising additional capital quite... tedious. I could always travel to Stag nation, of course, but I will find myself here for the foreseeable future it seems. He'd lift the thimble-full of sake up then for a toast with this Zephyr.

The man had given him much to think about, and even more to do before vanishing in a way quite endemic to the shinobi. Gyo smiled, finishing the last sip of the glass of sake which he'd poured for himself, pleased the other fellow had agreed to drink on it. Such a pleasure to work with the competent, especially when they could spare a quick moment for company. Be safe, Zephyr-san Gyo would say to no one, though he suspected the other man may have heard him anyway. His wild eyes slid back down to the scroll which, with a blur, would appear to vanish into the folds of his jacket. His mind raced with possibilities, but for now he'd need to better understand the item. And that field test vexed him slightly; he'd need to find someone willing to have such a thing tested on him, but who would be unlikely to spill the bean on precisely what it was. He'd need more contacts, to be sure.

He put away the sake and tossed a collection of ryo onto the table. Even now, the courtiers began to regather like a host of hungry wraiths. No one here had enough clout, authority, power, or money to be of much use in this new venture of his, and thus he would take his leave. He wanted to rid himself of these clothes anyway. Now to meet these princesses, or Valen. He had not been able to fully glean exactly who ran this dreary village. To be honest, he assumed that as a foreign entity, especially one which spent as much money as he did, it was only a matter of time before someone knocked on his door. In the meantime, he needed to find Tsumi, and try and find any leads he could on Okane. And locate trackers. And actually build a puppet. His schedule had suddenly filled.

Exit.
Acquiring Mechanical Drill Arm