The grand ballroom

“Are you really only a genin Rin? If so then I suppose Kohana doesn’t have a good eye for talent.” said Alkaid trying to fluff his ego a bit. “Maybe you should move to Kiri instead, I’m sure you’d make Jounin in no time.” she said half jokingly. The idea of actually adding him to family for real and creating a reverse harem with her at the center was amusing but impractical.

“When did I become so twisted?” Alkaid thought to herself wondering where the pure girl of the past had gone. The hot to trot ploy she often employed was supposed to be nothing but an act. Yet while she had never actually slept with anyone other then her cousin and lover Tsubaki she found herself gradually becoming genuinely attracted to some of her marks. Kiri ninja where known for their bloodlust but it was almost like the emphasis was on lust itself rather then the blood when it came to her.

For a moment as Rin talked about her needing to speak with the council to set up shop in his town she was worried her flirting had flown straight over his head. She’d been about as subtle as a bag of hammers, trying to suggest she more out looking for a marriage partner then a one time fling. She wanted to make it seem at least on the surface that she was actually serious about him and that this wasn’t just some practical joke at his expense.

Thankfully he had gotten the memo after all as he basically replied that he too was in the market for a wive and that she was a prime candidate. Now the long con had truly begun. She’d start small by trading silly missions stories with him, something that they could relate and bond over.

“Well at least with a technicality failure you at least accomplished part of your goal. I’ve outright botched at least a couple of missions in my time.” Alkaid admitted wondering which one she could tell him about. Certainly not one of the two murder mysteries she’s tired and failed to completely solve . She’d have to come up with something more humorous.

Taking the arm that had been offered, Alkaid thought briefly about pressing it to her chest so that Rin could get a more direct feel of what she had to offer but decided against it. If she was too forward it might come off as desperate. “After you.” She said with a warm grim as he lead them towards the gardens.

[Exit]

Sebastian looked over the room and sighed. Unused to battles of life and death in his inexperienced eyes almost none of these people looked like they could go into the maze about come back alive, much less bring the crown with them. He remembered the last time they had tried sending mercenaries in back when he had still been a young man. Over a hundred of them had gone in less then ten had returned.

They hadn’t tried again in the last few decades because the Count was unwilling to spend more people marching to their deaths in futility. The reason they were going to try again now was simple, these people from another continent another land where different. They where supposedly stronger, faster and more resourceful but so far the Butler had seen very little to prove it.

Walking over to Ken who was by far the toughest looking man in the room the Butler waved at him to get his attention. “You seem like the strongest of the lot, The count would like to hire you for a dangerous mission” The butler explained wondering if their where any other Jou-nin in the crowd he should also be inviting while it was at it.

As Ken continued to mingle he heard a mans voice from next to him, turning he would see it was the man that took his invention. It appeared the count wanted to hire him for a dangerous mission, while this was fine to him he would have to speak to the count and ask details he could not be away from his village for long after all.

"I would not lie and say I am not interested, however, my duty first and foremost is to protect my village but I am willing to listen and discuss this with the count. As you know we protect our villages so we must always be prepared to defend them and if this takes me away for too long it could be a risk to my village."

He would wait to either be lead to meet the count or speak directly to this man, either way, he could not say yes or no until more details had been given. Ken felt this was some sort of strange trap from the beginning and his instincts told him this was not a situation he should trust. He had been gone for five years and had many ask him for help, he learned early on never trust a book by its cover and he had high suspicions about this party.

The girl was as smitten as ever, picking up on who she was rather quickly, and enraptured by the little performance that she had given. It made Nozomi smile a little, an oddity for her to genuinely do these days, but also reminded her that unless Ryuko was to join up with Honiko, they would likely never have an actual honest interaction besides moments like these that they could steal away.

As they moved away and began to talk, Nozomi took the time to properly view Ryuko. The last time she hadn't exactly had the best opportunity to do so, and if she was being honest, 2 years had a lot of memory clouding, as well as changes physically. She was perhaps a tad bit prettier, but still spoke in that strange way. It brought a wry smile to the missing nin. Of course the joke did as well, doubly so considering her outfit.

Speaking in soft tones so as not to talk too loudly, she replied. "Honestly, I've been more than relatively safe. Quite a deal of training you know. My sensei isn't as bad as I'm sure everyone thinks. How's your team mate? I heard that I didn't remove her arm." She spoke, and then immediately switched to a lie with no hesitation. "I'm glad she wasn't injured too much, I barely had any control over myself through that fight. I don't like hurting people." She mixed in some truth with it, as she didn't really have a lot of control and she didn't enjoy causing pain usually. She was largely indifferent, but it wasn't enjoyment.

She was about to let Ryuko respond when she heard the cracking of tile behind her, and turned slightly to shift Yomi into her peripheral vision. Ryuko would be able to see her eyes narrow slightly, and Nozomi silently gritted her teeth.

Ignoring her for the most part, Nozomi simply replied in that lofty voice she had used earlier. "I'm quite certain you've got me mistaken with someone else my dear. However, I would think you are the type of woman who shouldn't be underestimated, and whoever you are hunting has probably been preparing for the eventuality of meeting you, assuming they are smart." She said, her senses focused on Yomi's entirety.

Assuming she left without further hassle, Nozomi would simply shrug off Ken's words, as she wasn't interested in speaking with him. "My lady, this party is quite crowded it seems. Shall we find somewhere quieter? I'm sure you have questions about me as much as I do about you."

Yomi had left a rather sour taste in her mouth, and a scowl unbefit for an angel such as she was beginning to form. To think that woman would threaten her so casually, when last they met they were equals. As if she could casually destroy Nozomi. The blonde had undergone intensive training, and hadn't made the assumption that she could crush Yomi in a fight. She understood her threat level. Apparently the woman's arrogance knew no bounds.

“I’m afraid the Count is currently busy with other matters. The mission should you chose to accept it is to enter another dimension and retrieve our countries lost crown. Said dimension is hazardous and fought with peril, a place where the normal rules don’t apply. However I am told you Nin-ja can bend those rules yourself using some strange energy I don’t quite understand.” said the Butler loudly making sure others in the room could hear what he was saying. Surely their must be more interested in the task, one’s who where capable in ways he wasn’t trained to tell.

“Should you accept your village will receive a large retainer as compensation for the risk involved. A retainer they shall keep even in the event the missions fails. If you managed to return with the crown in hand you shall be handsomely rewarded with 1 million ryo’s worth of gold coins.” said the Butler name dropping an astronomical price.

“I have one of the servants on standby, ready to show to you to the otherworldly maze at a moments notice. Say the word and he will lead the way at once.” urged the Butler. Time was of the essence.

This was the first time Ryuko had been able to hold a proper converstation with Nozomi. The last time they had spoke she had been trying to negotiate with the missing ninja, to defuse the situation that had been forced upon both of them only for her teammates to screw everything up with their needless aggression.

It was more then a little nice to see her up close. Her beauty when it wasn’t covered in blood was breathtaking. The intensity of the situation, Ryuko desperately trying to heal her when she had been on the brink of death had sparked the initial attraction, but it was reassuring to still feel it there after meeting once more under much less dire circumstance. That told her that her feelings where more more then just the Florence nightingale effect at play.

It was too soon to call what she was feeling love yet, it was closer to infatuation but it could grow to be more if given the chance. The biggest question on her mind was, how to make it work. Was Nozomi willing to leave such a powerful sensai? Ryuko had spent the last couple of years training to defeat the Honiko, believing that the sage was the one leading Nozomi astray. Believing that Nozomi needed to be rescued from her, but Nozomi was so strong now that the notion of her needing to be saved like some damsal in distress seemed utterly ridiculous.

She was dubious about the woman who had killed an entire village being not as bad as she seemed but then she still didn’t know her true motive for doing that. As distasteful as it was their might actually be a good reason behind it even if Ryuko didn’t exactly agree with her methods.

Following Nozomi’s lead she pretended to be puzzled about what Yomi was talking about. “Tis a fine jest.” she said with a laugh acting as if clearly this is someone she had just met for the first time, someone who had caught her fancy just now and not somebody she already knew. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to a fight, thought she was prepared for one just the same.

Right now Kumo and Kiri where neutral with each other. Interfering in a fight against them trying to take out own of their own missing ninja would be cause for an international incident worsening relations between the two villages and yet Ryuko wouldn’t hesitate to jump in if it came to that. She’d been aiming to defeat Honiko after all, she had to be able to go toe to toe with someone like Yomi or her cause was already lost. Thankfully things quickly resolved without escalation as Yomi issued a warning and walked away.

Before they could resume their conversation they where quickly approached by yet another person, this time a large burly man wearing armor that looked almost demonic in nature. Ryuko who wasn’t very good with man in general was almost shaking at the sight of him. “For the love of Hakkin can’t people give us a break?” she wondered as she gave him a demure bow of the head.

“I’m sorry, Sir Ken perhaps we might speak another time. As you I’m attending to my company here. Lady stuff, I’m sure you understand.” she said politely brushing him off. Moving to place a hand over Nozomi’s shoulder she made to pull her away from the crowed that seemed to be constantly begging for their attention towards somewhere they would be left alone to finally be able to talk without interruption.

Learning towards the other girl she began to speak in a low voice. “Yes you have a point, somewhere more private would be nice. My teammate is fine by the way thank you for asking. But she should be here any minute so we best move quick. If she see’s you she won’t hesitate to shoot again.” warned Ryuko relieved that Nozomi actually seemed to care. She couldn’t exactly blame the girl for what had happened. She’d been fatally wounded, almost any other person under those circumstances would have died.

She had read a lot about bijuu over the years. Well relatively speaking since their where few books on the subject. It was her understanding that using their power could negatively influence the hosts mind, it said a lot that even when Nozomi had transformed she had only gone after the person who had hurt her. Not once had she tried to harm Ryuko herself.

[exit]

A hint of sadness slipped in Sebastian's words as he said she didn't have to be so formal with him. His grief his own, one could only wonder why the man would feel sad by permitting a stranger to use his first name but attention to that melancholic moment was distracted as he took out and handed the oni a silver key. The way he had placed it in her palm and closed it almost felt like he entrusted her with something confidential, rife with trust as if the butler was more than certain she'd not abuse it. It made the oni feel... unsure. Sentimental perhaps, as she was a bit out of her element at that sudden, self-assured sign of trust, and equally puzzled at his seemingly naive approach.

"Why thank you... Sebastian", she replied, still unsure as she eyed the silver key carefully. She had no reason to be in the throne room there were she'd possibly attract all of the attention right away. Not quite the idea she had in mind. The treasury was an intriguing idea. A room full of riches, a silver key to open it... Hm, but it'd be quite dumb of the household to leave it so accessible with just a silver key. Most likely there were traps or other requirements. Perhaps the oni would take a peek but digging too deeply in the secrets of the treasury sounded like more trouble than it'd be worth. The Pocket Dimension, on the other hand...

"A dangerous pocket dimension sounds like the most interesting part...", she said with a pout. "Why, what's on the other side of the portal? Can't we just take a peek?

---

XP 120

“You’re welcome Miss Akari. I do hope you’ll enjoy your tour. I would guide you personally but I’m afraid I have my other duties to attend to. Coordinating all of this was no easy task I assure you.” said the Butler with a sigh. All of the effort he’d gone into make the food which was now beginning to be rolled out seemingly for almost nothing. If Ken didn’t accept the mission it seemed unlikely anybody else would be retriving the crown tonight.

Still their land had gone without a proper king for countless generations. What was one more at this point. At least the Count might have finally found a proper wife for himself. If he finally got married this would all be worth it.

“It’s too risky for children such as yourself. That dimension is so distorted that merely gazing upon it is enough to break the minds of some less experienced folk. Distance has strange meaning there, if you entered you might find yourself so far away from the exit you would never find your way back. The flow of time is also strange, Scouts have reported running across a man wandering around that where last seen over a centuries ago. They tried to guide the poor wretch out with them but he didn’t respond, almost as if he hadn’t heard them at all.” said the Butler shivering at the thought of being doomed to wander around that horrible place for all eternity.

Ken listened to the man as he mentioned this pocket dimension, the risk may not be worth it hearing about the fact you could be stuck forever. With the sound of what he was saying it could also have genjutsu being used inside and he hated dealing with that for sure, still, the reward was massive and turning down such a massive sum of money would seem very foolish.

"This does sound dangerous but it also seems like leading someone with sweet honey only to release a trap upon the person. The invites to this ball were strange enough but the offer of such a large reward to trust a man I never met to enter a pocket dimension that you know little of seems quite risky. Do not get me wrong I enjoy battle as much as any other hardened shinobi, but some risks are not worth it at least I have come to realize this over my life."

He would wait to see if more information would be provided, he was still very curious but what exactly was the goal of this place. What did they want to see, was this a test to see the strength of nations with shinobis, if it was it felt like they were scouting and preparing for invasion plans. What better way to check things and measure things than to see the shinobi and skills up close in order to know what you could face.

"If I did not know better I would say you are using this party to measure the shinobi skills in the various lands, a smart tactic if one's nation were thinking to invade them sometime soon."

While it was true she was a kid - a fifteen year old - the girl boasted the mental prowess of a potential ANBU member despite her psychosis. Years of survival in the wilderness, living in the slums of Kabukicho. She had seen her fair share of 'not for kids' - Wild animals on the hunt, hallucinating mushrooms, rape, murder, Jashinists, thievery. And she was but a girl alone. Her inhumane nature had given her sufficient troubles with Humans too, and one shouldn't mention she was the sort to enjoy torturing others' mind like it was but a child's game. The full explanation given by Sebastian of what was found on the other side didn't dissuade the oni... In fact, it only piqued her interest even more. Was there really no way for her to join the fun?

She could try the annoyed girl route, complaining about how she was not a kid, but adults tended to arm themselves with head pats and those silly age numbers when she tried that. The same went for boasting. There was the option of dropping the 'shinobi' keyword but being, well, a shinobi in the first place, she didn't feel like revealing her hidden identity was a smart move. No one was to know that if she could avoid it.

"I know I look cute in this dress but I used to live in the wilderness. Surviving wild animals, foraging to live another day. Much like strange dimensions, living with Nature is not what most men make of it.", she began. Pulling on his empathy, making him aware of an unknown reality. "I know I'm a little girl but if sound and sight is all there's to worry about, I'll live."

She popped a stuffed mushroom from the platter of hors d'oeuvres in her mouth, enjoying the texture of old familiar food stuffed with some unknown cheese and a short-cut sprig of chive. More luxury than she was used to, that was sure.

"But... I'd be lying if I said I'd prefer roaches above your hors d'oeuvres. So I'll stay here where it's safe. What happened to the man? Is he well now?"

---

Dress:

XP: 140

The clone had been meandering about the Grand Ballroom, sampling items from the vast menu while silently admiring the decor. He walked from place to place, footsteps as silent as the night, without speaking so much as a word or even acknowledging the presence of any other. He seemed quite absorbed by the architecture and artwork, the pillars and the paintings, so much so that one might easily assume he was entirely unaware that there was a party happening all around him. With the many people gathered and talking and bustling about, and the servants and food and the impressive decorations, he more or less blended with the background, unnoticed by anyone, really. His chakra was not so great as to spur the attention of those that seemed bent on that sort of thing, nor was his demeanor so impressive that he drew any focus for this mysterious mission. What he was, throughout his unimpressive roaming presence, was an observer. He was not as unaware of his surroundings as he might have appeared, and was in fact listening to the various conversations going on around him. Some details were dismissed, others were memorized in detail. Overall, he was starting to piece together what this event was actually about. There were still missing pieces that he hoped would be completed upon reuniting his mind with that of the other. Though he sacrificed the chance to gain awareness of any further events unfolding here, he reasoned that it was worth it.

The clone excused himself to a passageway adjoining the Grand Ballroom, as if to continue admiring the decorations or to make use of the facilities. None would likely pay enough attention to really care, nor did it matter, for once he was out of sight, he simply vanished.

“Why I never.” said Sebastain sneering slightly as Ken threw some shade his way. “How dare you insinuate we went to all this trouble as some sort of ploy to deceive you. Is their some problem with trying to kill a few birds with one stone? How odd that we would gather a bunch of mercenaries together to hire for a mission. How peculiar indeed.” The Butler mused sarcastically.

“Why on earth would we bother invading overseas? We have almost everything we needed right here. The logistics alone of running such an operation would be a nightmare. Better I say to trade for the the rest then running some needless nonsensical war.” he continued rebukingly.

“It’s not as if nobody is trying to force you to go into the dimension and I’ve fully warned you of the dangers of doing so. I thought taking risks for money was what you nin-ja did, that you where made of sterner stuff but it seems that I was mistaken. How sad when a child is more brave then a fully grown man.” with that last scathing remark Sebastian turned away from Ken dismissing him as he turned his full attention back to Akari.

He was aghast and horrified to hear her story. To think a nice girl like her had been living out on in the wild, forced to eat disgusting things like insects to survive. It made him feel guilty for looking down on commoners Now that he’d met one that could be this cultured despite such difficult circumstances he realized that not all of them where so bad.

“Very well then.” he said with a reluctant defeated sigh. Reaching into the same pocket he had pulled out the key from he took out a small bracelet placing it over her wrist. “This is an experimental charm we’ve developed to help ward off the some of the effects of the dimension. It’s been enchanted with a return spell that should in theory teleport you back to this side of the entrance once but it’s never been tested….” he explained.

“Akari even with that tool if you enter that dimension I can’t guarantee your safety. Normally I would forbid you entry but it sounds to me like you really need the reward money. Still won’t you consider taking a job with me instead? As my apprentice I could promise you will be well payed and provided with a good home here in Vladveria. It won’t make you rich like finding the crown would but you would be able to live a good, honest life.” he said imploring her to stay.

He listened as the man was willing to let the little girl go in alone, no way could Ken do this he would let out a sigh as he would step forward. Even if she had a rough life, he was not going to let some young girl go alone, whatever she was did not matter he would be irresponsible to let her. He had to think exactly how to say this, he would go with her no matter what and only hope this was not some insane trap.

"I won't let a young girl go in alone, let us go Akari, I know you don't need help in your mind but I would feel bad if something happened to you. I will go with this young lady, do not worry I will bring her back safely, let us go and enter this insane place."

He did not look forward to entering this place at all, as he had big suspicions on what this was really all about. Some odd place an extra-dimensional rift and he was supposed to just trust this, any shinobi with a sane mind would think this was a trap.

EXP:4X20=80


-Exit Thread-

Picking up the conversation between Sebastian and the knightly looking stranger, Akari had to credit the old butler for his reply. Working hard, smart and with a bit of an attitude, the demoness grinned slightly behind a hand. Though it made sense for a shinobi to be wary of strangers and hidden plans, their very training being one to uncover such ploys as good as possible, Akari was not as caring about lies or deception. She lived too much in the now, a rebel living on the streets dealing mostly with the situation before her. If the whole dimension thing was a trap, she'd figure out an exit when the moment was there rather than to worry about what could be the case.

Hearing Sebastian sigh in defeat and take out a charm of sorts, she rose from the chair and gratefully accepted the gift. Experimental were the best sort. That it could fail to function was a thrill of its own, and should it come to that point it would only put more pressure upon the girl - she worked best under pressure anyway as she was otherwise acting lax and uncaring due to boredom. Of course, the girl was of a mind to go in just alone despite the worry in Sebastian's voice. Price money was not what she was looking for, just the thrill of adventure. Not being bored for a change. A unique experience of the surreal world.

Fortunately (?), the man that had seemed so sceptical about the whole dimension thing was now stepping up to act like a valiant knight wishing to protect a damsel in future distress. Such care for a total stranger that could just as much be a trap considering Sebastian's empathy towards her. Still, after a brief second of thinking it through, Akari would flash him a smile of acceptance. If he wanted to be the sacrificial pawn in her stead, who was she to deny his offer? He was probably better trained than her to deal with opponents anyway.

"A promise of assurance to Sebastian, I'll gladly accept your valiant proposition. We should leave after the foie gras at earliest, but probably it's best to leave early in the morning when we're all fresh and rested?", she said with a small curtsy to Ken before she turned to Sebastian himself. "Living in a castle sounds lush. I might be too used to a rebellious life of survival to do well in a more... proper job, but I'll be sure to return by knight, charm or otherwise."

Plus, other than the brief summary of Sebastian, they could probably do with more information concerning the goal and expectations imposed by the count himself. Not to mention possible preparations and logistics requiring time to be set up.

---

Dress:

XP 160

Nozomi would excuse herself and follow alongside Ryuko to go and find a more private place. Interruptions were always annoying, and it came at a time when she just wanted to talk to Ryuko and work her for information and maybe a little bit of fun. She wouldn't get anything done if people kept trying to talk to them though.

"If she shoots at me again, she won't hit. But I agree that we should move away from prying eyes. I'd like to get to know you a little more personally anyhow."

-exit-

The butler had hoped his chewing out of the swordsman would be enough to get change his mind and get him to take the job. He couldn’t but help feel a pain of guilt that in a roundabout way he had used Akari to guild the kiri ninja into taking action even if that hadn’t been his actual intention. He simply saw someone that was in need and was trying to help her the only ways he could, even if some of those ways where fairly extreme.

The untested bracelet was not something meant to be given out, it was supposed to remain on reserve in case of an emergency. His own personal insurance policy. There where times in the past the door had flung open on it’s own and sucked an unfortunate soul that happened to be nearby in never to be seen again but he couldn’t in good conscious let someone so young inside without giving them at least that one lifeline. Even then he still wouldn’t have allowed it if not for the fact she was a nin-ja which meant she must have some ability to defend herself beyond what one would expect from a normal teenager.

“An excellent idea. Best to be at full strength before going on an adventure. Dinner is served.” said Sebastian with a clap of his hands. At this command swarms of the servant dolls poured into the room carrying trays upon trays of food even fancier and more voluminous then the snack plates from earlier. Of course one of which contained the Oni’s custom order of foie gras.

“Please at least this one time, eat up. Know that you will always be welcome here young lady should you change your mind. Now if you’ll excuse me I have other duties to attend to. If you need anything simple ask one of the servants and they shall attend to you.” said Sebastian as he gave Akari and Ken a polite bow then made his way to the kitchen to being preparing desert.