Dropping Apple-san Off

Subject: Dropping Apple-san Off Thu May 16, 2013 1:45 am

That trip had been far more trouble than it was worth. For the last leg of their journey, Vox had regretted walking alongside the Sokage and his young friend. Interesting though it had been, the client fuming about her the entire rest of the way had been almost unbearable. The man had been ranting nonstop since they'd gotten out of earshot. Apparently, he was a real tough guy once the people he wanted to fight were far enough away. Vox had suggested once that they go back and give those two a piece of his mind, and that had bought a few minutes of silence, but soon enough he had been babbling again. Vox almost wanted to drop to his knees and thank the heavens when they finally got to town, but he decided against it. Even if he were a dramatic sort, that would attract too much attention and they still had a few blocks left to their destination.

"We're almost there, sir." Vox said, barely disguising the disgust in his voice. The man was everything he hated. Selfish, snobbish, spoiled, and a whole lot of other unpleasant words beginning in S. This is it. he thought. No more VIP escort missions after this. Someone else can deal with the Very Important Pain-in-the-ass. He smiled at the thought. His people skills were debatable, but his ass-kissing skills had always been pretty abysmal. He just wasn't suited to this sort of thing. Maybe some nice sabotage jobs when he got back, those would be much better.

[Word count: 256]

Spoiler:

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Sat May 18, 2013 7:06 am

Sakura, smiling for no particular reason, kept her head focused straight on skywards. Above head the sky was nice as clouds seemed to drift by eternally, and every now and then she had to remind herself of why she was where she was. In distance she could hear birds chirping, and with her Byakugan active, she could also see those birds frolicking about - daring her to come and pet them, but she knew that they would hate her like all other animals did. Elsewhere, pass the birds, pass the cascade of trees where she was resting, about thirty or so meters away, her reason for being was in sight. He had been for quite sometime, but he wasn't going anyway fast and the tall well built that was with him had seemingly yet to notice her presence.

Her mission was simple. Assassinate some important business man in anyway possible. She wasn't sure, and she didn't care why as long as she received her money. Unfortunately, the client who hired her for this task was one of the smart ones who knew of her habit of taking money no matter how much, and so all he had given her was a single penny for the job, which she didn't object to in the slightest - money was money. Nevertheless, a penny somewhat was a considerably payment since this mission seemed easy enough in comparison to her having to assassinate S class criminals which had gotten her into her fair share of close calls.

Finally content with the amount of relaxation she had taking in from the forest, Sakura sighed and got up, sitting on the tree branch that threatened slightly to break under her weight. She kept her sight on the man now more intently. She took a arrow out from the holder she had in front of her resting on the branch, and considered the arrows carefully. Which one, which one, she thought, studying both the arrows carefully even though both were exactly the same. Finally she decided on one, and carefully inserted it into her bow. She aimed the bow directly at the man head, and followed him as he walked along - the bow never once leaving its mark. All of it was unnecessary since her training permitted her the ability to snipe the man from this distance in less than a second of concentration, but rushing wasn't needed here.

With a smile, she released the arrow and it sailed through the air towards her target. After the arrow was released, she suddenly frowned as a idea came to her. "Maybe I should have checked if he wanted to pay me to not assassinate him," she pondered. Too little too late i guess.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Sat May 18, 2013 8:16 am

Vox had been raised and trained in a very different place. In his homeland, projectile weapons were the norm, and they were horrifyingly fast, usually traveling several times the speed of sound. Arrows couldn't compare to that. Hearing the signature whoosh of an approaching arrow, instinct kicked in. He grabbed his employer's shoulder, roughly pulling him out of the arrow's path. The man was about to yell at Vox when he saw the arrow bury itself in a nearby wall. Without waiting a moment to explain, Vox picked up the man under his arm and started running, keeping his own body between his employer and where the arrow had come from. His free hand drew a sword from his belt, ready to parry any more shots. He darted from cover to cover, going as fast as he could without straining his powers.

Coming to the mansion, he threw open the doors and rushed inside. The guards were alarmed at first, but they quickly recognized him as the man they were expecting. "Is there a panic room?" One of the guards nodded and was about to speak when Vox cut him off. "Lead us there, now! And avoid the windows, there's a sniper out there." He turned to the other guard before he ran off again. "I want a general lockdown. Alert everyone and close this place off, and tell everyone to keep away from the windows until they hear the all clear. Shutter them if you can." With that, he ran off after the other guard. This was risky, but at least it was familiar territory. He had to get this guy to a safe place and secure the area. The assassin would either have to fall back and return another time, or follow him inside. And in here, that bow would be all but useless. He hoped his enemy was that stupid.

[Words: 313]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Sun May 19, 2013 9:15 pm

Sakura furrowed a curious brow as she saw the huge man save her target, and his merchant. She could feel her curiosity peak as it wasn't very familiar for her to come across ninja who were capable of dodging her arrows even when she held it back like she did that one. Nevertheless, now wasn't time for her to be admiring the man. She withdrew a few bows from her pouch quickly and started her chase, while keeping herself concealed in the trees. The man was no doubt skill, and seeing him withdraw a weapon likely to parry, she decided not to fire any arrows to risk blowing her concealment.

Still, matters would only get worst as he disappeared into the mansion. She frowned slightly, but nevertheless kept her calm and her eyes hardened with veins as her Byakugan was activated. She could see the commotion that was going on inside the castle. No doubt this man was experienced with thinking on his feet. Retreating was a easy option, but as she saw the group of guards inside the mansion already beginning to panic, she figure retreating would only delay her task. She could easily defeat these men - although the escort she wasn't so sure about.

Nevertheless, she started towards the mansion, keeping herself concealed. Before the gates could close, she shot a arrow inside with a paper bomb attached having it exploded and blast the men inside. Even with the gates open though, she started around the mansion rather than go inside. She darted pass the windows, and fired more explosive arrows inside, blasting the mansion apart from the inside. She could still see her target ahead, and she ran ahead desperately to catch up with him, firing some more explosive bows once she would - her speed surely would once again be helpful in this chase.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Mon May 20, 2013 1:39 am

When the first explosion rocked the mansion, Vox decided there was no time to waste. Sheathing his sword, he picked up his client under one arm and the guard who was guiding him under the other, taking off running down the hall. "You navigate." he said to the startled bodyguard as he scooped him up. The guard nodded, a bit frightened at being manhandled like this. He steered Vox through the mansion, shouting out directions when they came to intersections. Within moments, they were standing in front of a floor to ceiling bookshelf. Vox set his passengers down. "Open it up and get inside. Don't come out until I give the all-clear." He looked back at the door they had come through, making sure they weren't followed. Above him, he could feel explosion after explosion on the ground floor bombs falling getting closer brace the shelter i don't think it can hold

The sound of the panic room sealing behind him snapped Vox out of it. He shook his head, trying to clear the old memories. He couldn't afford to be spacing out like that, there was a job to do. The assassin was going for an all-out assault, and he had to stop him. Leaving his swords sheathed for now, Vox darted back up to the ground floor and started trying to analyze the blast pattern. If the attacker was making rings around the building, Vox could figure out his speed and move to cut him off. He'd have to be quick, this was clearly a fast attacker. If he used the smoke of the blasts as cover, he might be able to get the element of surprise.

[Words: 279]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Mon May 20, 2013 2:01 am

Sakura looked on keenly with her Byakugan as the three men darted forward in a an attempt to get away. Honestly, she hated when her jobs were easy, and as such, she was a bit grateful that her antagonist for this mission was a capable man. Although, she couldn't help but think that maybe he was a bit too capable, and could probably even cause her more trouble than she wanted. Nevertheless, she had no intention of fighting the man since as a assassin her job was to get in and get out as quickly as possible, and she intended to do that.

Things played a bit into her hands as her target was escorted to a safe place, hidden behind what looked like a secret book shelf. The protector of the merchant thought saw it more fit to come after her though. Again, she had no intention of fighting if it could be avoided. He was coming back her way, but Sakura knew he couldn't see her like she could easily see him, forcing him to either have to such the entire mansion to find her or try to followed the explosions. She quickly set of a few more explosive arrows along her way to explode every three seconds or so. The sounds of the explosions would drop him towards them without the knowledge that she was already moving forward to wards the bookshelf.

The secret hideout was only a few more meters away now, and Sakura smiled widened a bit more.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Mon May 20, 2013 3:10 am

Vox used the blasts as a smokescreen, running out ahead of where the assassin should be. When he reached the target, the trail was cold. He had been tricked. His face set into an emotionless mask as he ran back inside. Looking at the rubble and debris, he could see that someone had just passed through, and fast. The assassin was heading for the panic room. He allowed himself a sigh of relief before he ran downstairs. That room had at least eight inches of solid steel on all sides, and couldn't be opened from the outside once it had been sealed. At the very least, it would slow the attacker down long enough for him to arrive.

He burst into the room, knife drawn, and was surprised to see a young woman in a very short dress standing there. She had already gotten the bookshelf out of the way, but the door was proving to be more of an obstacle. He cleared his throat to get her attention. Vox didn't know if she could get through that door, but it was best to take the heat off his employer until this was taken care of. "You've made a real mess here, kid." he said, sizing his opponent up as he approached. Her bow wouldn't be much use at this range, but he couldn't be sure how good she was in close quarters. He would have to handle this with care. Taking a defensive stance, he approached with his knife up.

[Words: 251]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Mon May 20, 2013 6:59 am

Sakura had just been testing the hardness of the metal door stoically. From what she could see with her Byakugan it was thick, and was basically a form of perfect defense. Still, with a strong enough jutsu blasting it apart would be easy enough. Still, the bodyguard assigned seemingly had figured out her plans and was now coming at her, quickly. She pondered like a child deeply for a second on what jutsu to use to blast it apart, mentally checking off those she figure wouldn't do the trick. When she concluded on one, her smile brightened, and then she placed her palm against it and took a stance. "Gentle Fis-" she started, but was cut off when the man finally appeared.

She deactivated her Byakugan as a measure to not let him know about her abilities, and then turned towards him, smiling cheerfully. She wondered what was with the term "kid" he chose to use and why since he looked not much older than she was, but she let the curiosity in her slide and passed it off as it was probably a catch phrase of his or such. She studied him up and down taking in every bit of detail she could - not for combat, but just her natural curiosity getting the best of her.

"I'm surprised you got here so quickly," she said, furrowing a brow. "I was really hoping not to fight you. How about you just let me assassinate him and we move on." She looked at him smiling fondly, although common sense could tell her that it wasn't going to be so easy, especially with such a man.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Mon May 20, 2013 5:01 pm

Vox couldn't quite make out what she was saying when he burst in, but judging by her stance it had been some form of taijutsu. He had only caught the briefest glimpse of it before she had turned to face him, but it wasn't the standard style. That meant she probably had some form of specialized taijutsu. He would have to be careful, those were usually even nastier than the usual kind. He took his own stance, different from the usual taijutsu stance. It was low, shifting slightly as he stood ready. His elbows were angled slightly out to the sides and his free hand was open. To the trained eye, it was a grappler's stance.

At the woman's suggestion, Vox's stoic expression broke into one of confusion. Is this girl serious? He'd had the occasional banter with enemies before, but none of them had ever suggested that he just let them kill his client out of the kindness of his heart. Regaining his composure, he answered. "Was that a joke?" he deadpanned, looking her dead in the eye. She had white eyes, unusual. If he hadn't seen her shots he would have thought she had cataracts, but with that accuracy it had to be a bloodline thing. He made a mental note to check how many kekkei genkai had that as a side effect, but it was certainly narrowing down the list now. "Of course I'm not going to just let you assassinate him. I mean, you wouldn't give up trying to kill him if I asked nicely, right?" there was a bit more humor in his voice now, though it vanished as he continued. "I've got a job, and I'm going to see it through. I don't like hurting people, so please, don't make it necessary." He shifted the knife in his hand.

[Words: 305]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Tue May 21, 2013 9:15 am

Even though Sakura should have been worried about whether her target was on the move inside the hidden bookshelf already since those places usually had a underground passage of some sort, she wasn't. She could easily find him with her Byakugan from more than a one-hundred meters away. Nevertheless, her discarded care for the man she was meant to assassinate was more so because of the man who stood before her now though. Even though she had made the inquiry, she knew, from his expression, right down to the way he carried himself, that he wasn't such a easy man to dissuade from a task.

She could see him trying his best to get a grasp on her easily. Particularly he must have been curious about her eyes - he wouldn't be the first person to be curious about her, or any other Hyuga's white eyes, if they didn't know about it though. Still, she herself was not much different from he was. She too wanted to gather more information on him that she might need for the fight that she was trying to avoid, but was very likely to follow. So far, a few things were mostly certain to her. For one, he was smart. Then there was some more likely qualities such as that he was likely strong giving his shape, and fast since he was able to avoid her considerably well.

"Actually, I normally would, but since I was paid I would hate to disappoint my beloved employer and see him sad," she said, frowning at the genuine sadness. She noticed him preparing more for a fight, but Sakura nevertheless kept her composure - her doing the same would only alert him, she knew. "Although," she said, looking at him more deeply now to see whether his interest would perk at the sudden new words, "I am willing to... for the right price of course." She looked at him with a cat-like smile, although she was still watching to see his reaction and response to the sudden offer.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Tue May 21, 2013 4:34 pm

Vox was beyond confused. Most assassins he had ever met were frighteningly persistent. They had a reputation to uphold, and there was nothing on earth that could convince them to back down once they'd been given a job. And yet here one was, offering to accept a bribe. What's more, she claimed that sometimes she would have just settled for a polite request. She must be insane. I guess that line of work attracts that type. Usually a different kind of crazy, though. He knew he was hardly one to talk, but she was making him seem like a picture of mental health.

In his head, Vox considered his options. He'd been in a rush between missions, so he still had the payment from his last job tucked away in his pocket. Along with his usual spending money, that put him just over four thousand ryo. Of course she could just be trying to scam him before continuing with the assassination, but in that case he could always just kill her and get his money back. "Seems reasonable enough." he said, keeping an eye out for any sudden moves. "Make me a bid."

He had a feeling he wasn't going to turn a profit on this mission, but that was an acceptable loss. Failure was not. If his wallet had to suffer so that Apple-san may live, so be it. He could just go on another mission and recover his losses, anyway. The loss in reputation from letting a client get killed would be a lot harder to recover.

Words: 259

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Wed May 22, 2013 10:02 am

Considering the look the man before her was giving her, and how long it took him to answer to her proposal, Sakura knew he was bewildered by not the proposal, but by her. He wouldn't be the first, nor the last person, to be confused by her unexplained kindness. To some, they didn't even consider it kindness, and apparently neither did the man before her. To them she just seemed downright crazy and delusional, and to Sakura she was more pleased when they were bewildered by her actions since it left much to their imagination - which generally was her way of playing mind games.

She placed her index finger thoughtfully for a few seconds, running it along her slim lips. Finally, she sighed a bit out of depression. Her tone shifted from its usual smooth and mesmerizing tone to a more childish, worrisome one. "I usually leave it up to my client to decide how much they will pay me. I'm at your hands, so whatever you decide to pay me is fine with me. So how much would me doing such a task cost?" she asked, looking at, a soft frown at her lips, yet a person who knew her could tell she was enjoying the situation at hand.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Wed May 22, 2013 3:37 pm

Vox considered her words. Either this woman was terrible at haggling, or had a very strange way of starting it off. Either way, it was an art he had plenty of experience with. Several of his tours of duty in his pre-shinobi days had been in places where the barter system was well used, he'd had plenty of practice haggling like an old merchant. He would start the bidding low, but high enough to get her interest and raise some hope for a real payoff. "What do you say to a thousand?"

As he spoke, his stance relaxed somewhat. He was still ready for a fight, but he didn't want to show that. They might be negotiating peacefully and he didn't want to risk setting her off. The knife went back to the sheath on his belt, and he folded his arms across his chest. He had to admit, her tone was throwing him off a bit. The mock worry was pretty odd, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Maybe it was just part of the crazy little game she was playing. He'd seen a few gen-augs back home who'd been overgrown children playing a game, maybe that was her issue. All that power, nobody to direct it, and she'd just gone off the deep end.

Still, he had to keep his feelings hidden. Can't show too much during a negotiation like this. He kept on his best poker face, carefully monitoring her facial expressions for any response or tells.

[Words: 252]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Wed May 22, 2013 11:05 pm

Those who knew of Sakura's bad habit would know of her terrible habit of accepting any quantity of money for things she did, no matter how big or small that task was. Still, there was only a few people who knew of that bad habit of hers and took full advantage of it like her current employer had. Those who didn't know usually would overpay her, much like the man before her presently was doing. Still, she never did correct them as while she was kind and somewhat crazy for that little quirk of hers, she wasn't stupid enough to tell them that it was far too much - at least not directly.

"That will suffice," Sakura said, smiling now out of excitement and pleasantry. She placed out her hand in front of her, not willing to go up to the man and ask him for the money since she knew he was still weary of her and was trying to keep his distance so she didn't try anything. She herself wasn't one-hundred percent sure at the point whether he was actually going along with paying her to cancel her assassination task. Most people didn't since the idea of paying her the money that they had just made from the mission itself was stupid and useless if they could just kill her and cancel the mission instead. Most of them would then try to kill her, which would either leave them dead - although she had had her fair share of cases where they actually did pull through in beating her, leaving her supposedly dead.

In thought of that point, she couldn't help but play some more mind games in the situation. She knew he was still conscious, and she wanted to see where his trust lied. Whether he was willing to risk taking her word for it or was more weary. "Should we seal the deal with a hand shake or something more extreme like a fuinjutsu which would ensure the terms aren't broken?" she asked furrowing a brow as she waited for the money.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Thu May 23, 2013 3:27 am

Again, she surprised him. Apparently she really was bad at bartering. These assassination jobs usually paid three or four thousand, and she was willing to call it off for only a grand. Still, he could hardly complain. He had been worried she might gouge him, and here she was letting him off for barely more than C-rank pay. All told, he was making a handy profit. "Glad we could come to an arrangement." he said, counting out the money and handing it over. "Feel free to make your own count, it's all there."

So far, she seemed to be holding up her end of the bargain. Insane though she may be, it seemed this woman was going to keep her word. She even offered to seal the contract with a fuinjutsu, though Vox couldn't do it himself and didn't trust her to do it. "A handshake will suffice." he said, mirroring her earlier words. He gave a firm handshake, enough to be businesslike but not enough to reveal his strength. Better to keep that card hidden, just in case. "I'm a man of my word, and I've got no reason to go after you now. Just remember, if you go back on your end of our little bargain, then one day soon you won't be waking up." He liked to leave his threats vague. Some preferred the more graphic or dramatic threats, but Vox always had believed that it was more effective to leave it up to the victim's imagination. Their minds could dream up more than he could.

He stepped back after their transaction was over, leaning against the wall. He had to make sure she was away first, and then he could check up on his employer. He was probably panicking inside that tiny metal room by now. "Now I believe your business here is done. Run along, kid. Hopefully, we won't have to meet like this again."

[Word count: 320]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Wed May 29, 2013 2:24 am

Sakura took the money, watching him with a smile, yet she was watching him in the eye carefully for anymore changes in his emotions. She smiled even more hearing his comment, particularly since he was still keen on keeping the trade between them professional. "I trust you, don't worry," she said, placing the money into her pouch. "Wish you felt the same with me," she added, pouting slightly out of disappoitment, but nevertheless her eyes still told that it was just her mocking him. She would surely count it later, but even if he was to fall short she wouldn't persist any further since she was at least pleased to make some money out of the mission in comparison to the single dollar she earned from her hirer.

Sakura could sense the venom in his next words though. She knew he meant exactly what he meant, and she couldn't help keeping her eyes focused in his more intently now. "So business like, but I understand you not trusting me," she said, saying what she knew he didn't want to admit so as to not offend her. "Although, not waking up sounds a bit fun." She giggled before she started back down the mansion, where it was mostly destroyed from her tags. "Have a safe trip," she said, waving him off before she faded, although her sight never truly left him as she decided to watch him from afar. She was interested now.

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Wed May 29, 2013 2:57 am

Vox remained stone-faced and silent as he watched her leave. She was trying to get a reaction of some kind, and he wasn't planning on giving her the satisfaction. The poker face stayed up, unshakable and mysterious, or so he liked to think. She seemed to be putting a lot of emphasis on him not trusting her, though Vox wasn't sure why. He thought he had made it pretty clear already, why was she harping on the obvious?

But that wasn't important right then. What was important was that the threat had passed. He watched her leave, listening to make sure she wasn't circling around for another attack. Once he was satisfied she was gone, he turned to the panic room where he had left his employer. The bookcase facade had been destroyed, but luckily the intercom was still intact. Vox hit the button and spoke into the little microphone embedded in the wall. "All clear, sir. The assassin's been driven off." He decided it would be wise not to mention the part about paying her off, the man might get huffy about that. As the huge steel door hissed open, he explained the situation further. "She ran off, apparently wasn't up for a close quarters fight. I'll make a check of the area before I go, but I recommend going incognito and going to a safe house. Get a few body doubles, dress everyone in ordinary clothes, and head to separate locations nearby where you can lie low for a while. Make sure you have the same level of security on all of them, that should throw off any other assassins." The man just nodded, still in shock from the attack.

True to his word, Vox went on patrol around the area before he left. And true to her word, the white-eyed assassin was nowhere to be seen. Satisfied that she was gone, Vox headed back towards Kemuri.

[Word Count: 319]
[Total word count: 2554]
[Exit to travel board]

Subject: Re: Dropping Apple-san Off Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:25 am

Approved As for money I have no idea how to get that two you.

Dropping Apple-san Off

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