Carts, Boats and Adventure! [Mission]

[Kazumi]

This had been Tsubaki's first time outside of the village sine her arrival there over a year ago. Back when she was a humble daughter of a merchant family that specialized in flora and botany. Now, standing on the docks of Sonn's Haven, she marveled at the sights and smells of the distant ocean, not a mere merchant but a shinobi. She was here on a strict and swift purpose, to obtain passage to Tea Country so that she might escort a woman to a wedding. It was more complicated than that, but as she poured over what little details she had, she only found herself breaking into fits of worry that would only serve to make her even more anxious than she already was. Standing next to her, unable to appreciate the view as much as she, though she did so in her own special manner, was Samejima Naoki. The girl had volunteered herself to accompany Tsubaki on the trip, who had insisted that they not delay any more than possible, and it was within hours of her swift departure from the Kazekage tower that they had set out towards Soon's Haven.

They had already discussed what they needed to do upon their arrival here, and it was only when they walked into Soon's Haven did they realize they were not provided any funding to assist in their travels. Thankfully, they presumed they had enough money between them to secure passage aboard a merchant ship bound for Tea Country. There may have been some special way they were supposed to go about this manner of travel, and for all they knew Suna had their own ships for such a purpose, but she had neglected to investigate such before they departed and now their pocketbooks would pay the price. So, after a minute of admiring the view, the girl tightened the forehead protector that sat on her brow and took a slow deep breath before she lead them on towards what looked to be one of the larget buildings on the harbor. There must be a log of travel to and from such a large city, and she would need to ask around to find any ships that would be setting sail for Tea Country as soon as possible.
[spoilername="Actions"]

• Departed Sunagakure immediately after Prison Grey, pausing only to gather supplies from home.
• Arrived in Soon's Haven with Naoki and made way to Harbor.
• Seeking out someone with Knowledge on scheduled shipments to Tea Country to attempt to secure passage for payment.
• Garbed in mission attire w/ village Forehead Protector displayed

[/spoilername]

 

[Michi]

Narration:

Salty air hung heavy here. The sound of foghorns broke the chatter of denizens, fishmongers, travelers and shiphands that had gathered at Soons Harbor. It was like any other day here on these large wooden docks. The shinobi and her escort were barely noticed here at this busy shore. The ship was set to sail at nine AM and Tsubaki had gotten there with time to spare. The pungent smell of fish was overwhelming here as the fishermen were unloading their morning catch. Tsubaki had secured passage on a rather nice ship considering the haste with which she had sought a sea worthy passenger vessel. The captain was a sturdy, short older man with a potato nose and a pair of lips too thick for his face. His eyes had a permanent squint, his face marked with a maze of deep creases that suggested this man had spent more than his fair share of time in the sun. He seemed friendly if not overly so as he offered the two young women a room that they would have to share on the port side for close to no cost. In exchange he had a small job for them that he hoped that they would undertake, you see there were rumors scaring his men when they were out to sea. Rumors that the ship was haunted and he hoped that superstition was uncommon among shinobis. If they were able to prove that there was no such thing or even prove that a specter did in fact haunt the ship, he would offer the young lasses fair compensation for the success and the ride regardless of their efforts would be free for their mere token effort.

Bound for Tea, once Naoki was on board they would set off for Tea Country aboard a potentially haunted ship.

OC: Waiting on your partner before I assault you both with a wall of text. Feel free to settle into your 'awesome' room.

 

[Samejima]

Okay, I left Oriza-san some of the money for the drinks, a note with a map to the croquette vendor so she can pick up the special ones and save them for whenever I get back, a little can of candy if some of my buddies come around to drop off that thing I wanted... Naoki worked through a little checklist in her head for the trip out, not exactly sure how long it would take. She did clear it with her aunt in any case, and expected her parents to be completely fine with it since she was a big girl now and would be perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Uh... did Tsubaki-san tell me what exactly the mission rank was? I can't remember if she did... It probably wasn't anything she couldn't help with, and she was very confident in this fact, but they did have to leave the country in order to do it and that idea made her feel less... secure. Still excited of course. Going to the Tea Country! Oriza-san's said a buncha stuff about it, I might be able to find her old place... Ehh but I doubt we're going to spend too much time in the capital itself. Escort missions... Never liked 'em all that much. She'd done a grand total of two in her career, and those missions have just been to and from Soon's Haven. Even those have been stressful, with some rather outlandish worries about what could go wrong while travelling a well-travelled route with a lot of other people travelling alongside them and people at checkpoints making sure the papers of those around them are legitimate.

"Haunted huh... What do you think of the situation Tsubaki-san?" She was less paranoid about ghosts than one might think, on the basis that things wouldn't be able to touch her if they could phase through walls anyway because things don't work that way. Either you can touch it or ya can't! Dunno why people are so scared of those things. She snapped her fingers to try and get a read on the room so she could figure out how they were going to sleep. Something about sleeping in the same bed was... nerve-wracking. In a good way. She set down her bag near the doorway though, rolling her shoulders a little.
[spoilername="Actions"]Checking out the room for the obvious furniture as well as any less noticeable things such as hooks where things can be hung or trapdoors of any sort.[/spoilername]

 

[Michi]

The room was bare but nice. The windows had a film of what one would think was dirt that dully illuminated the room but it was in fact dried salt from the waters that stubbornly grabbed onto the glass and refused to let go. There was a bed leaned up against the wall that housed a well-worn comforter and a pair of pillows. The nights on the sea were much cooler than those in Sunagakure. There was no electricity in the room, or on the entire boat in fact. Brass candle bases held long sticks of wax, more candles were housed in the top drawer. The nights would be surely treacherous and dark considering the fact that there would be nothing but the moon to light their way. A table several feet away housed a bit of parchment that seemed to be of no particular interest, blank on both sides but weighted down by a colored globe of glass. A dresser and a pair of chairs with a single mirror comprised all of the furniture in this space.

As Naoki ran her hands under and behind the pieces of large wooden furniture she would find no trap doors or unusual hooks but she would find a hidden stash of candy and *yum* it was still good if found candy was also considered edible candy in Naoki's book. The windows however would be a curious sight indeed, how the windows were so salt covered that she could barely see what was happening outside. If she ran her hands over the inside window she would find it completely clean. If she were to try to open the window she would find that the window was locked from the outside.

The Captain would peer his head inside the room shortly after Samejima finished her assessment of the room and of its furnishings. "Is everything all right ladies? I hope you do not mind sharing, the men are a bit superstitious and I do not think it would be safe for you lasses to share the common area with my men. They believe that women on ships can cause ruin but I put no stock into that sort of hog-wash," the captain warned with a serious but warm expression. "If you ladies need anything, please find me or my first mate Gonji. It is his room that you are actually sleeping in, he hopes as much as I do that you put to rest these rumors and these superstitions," he concluded.

 

[Kazumi]

Tsubaki found herself rather surprised that they had managed to acquire a ship to sail upon at such a short notice, and the fare they had been asked was more than reasonable. Her wonder died down soon enough as she learned the reason for the reduced fare. She had expedted some sort of differential treatment, presumably for the better, due to their status as shinobi, but she did not expect to get signed up for the job of excorcist. Had this been earlier in her life, she would have dismissed the notion out of hand, but given her own circumstance, she could no longer do so with a clear conscious. Gratefully, she passed her thanks on to each invidual she spoke to on the subject until she and Naoki finally made their way to and into the ship they had chartered.

it was not until she set foot on the firm boards of the ship that her nostrils took full notice of the combination of fish, salt and sweat that seemed to permiate the area. For some reason she had expected to see more woman, or even a single one aboard te ship, adn the looks she felt she was recieving from a few of the crew did not give her any reassurance for their trip. A silent council of voices murmured anong themselves as Naoki and herself entered their appointed room, which was more spacious than she had anticipated. She had half-expected to be sleeping in a hamok down in the holds with the crew, but after seeing some of the looks they recieved, she was thankful it did not come to that.

Once they were alone, with the cabin door closed, Naoki broke the few minute long silence between them. "Haunted huh... What do you think of the situation Tsubaki-san?" Tsubaki was not, in fact, sure what to think in any regard. The ship cetainly could have some sort of presence, but people were often superstitious and tradesmen and lower-class workers were the chief offenders in such regards. Tsubaki set down her duflebag next to the bed, walking over towards the window to try and peer out of it as she discovered that she could neither see through it, nor open it. It didn't appear as if it was permanently sealed, but she could not locate any mechanism to open it so that they could air out the odor that permeated the room so thickly. "I cannot say. It is possible I guess, but it is more likely just a thing sailors blame bad luck on." Her response, as was typical for the telepath, was a silent mental communcation, sent directly into the mind of her companion.

"Is everything all right ladies? I hope you do not mind sharing, the men are a bit superstitious and I do not think it would be safe for you lasses to share the common area with my men. They believe that women on ships can cause ruin but I put no stock into that sort of hog-wash," Tsubaki did not mentally respond, allowing Naoki to do so if she saw fit. It was a troubling thought however, and there was a chance that if a storm overtook them or if someone simply stubbed their toe that they both would get blamed. It did suddenly make sense what she had not seen another female on board, aside from themselves, but that moment of realization offered little comfort to her concerns.

"If you ladies need anything, please find me or my first mate Gonji. It is his room that you are actually sleeping in, he hopes as much as I do that you put to rest these rumors and these superstitions," Tsubaki nodded to the captain in nderstanding, but once again she did not mentally communicate. He knew they were shinobi, and while he did not seem to share in his crew's bout of superstition, on the grounds of female-voodoo at least, she was not going to give him any reason to change his mind. "Naoki-san, could you ask him about this window for me? I wish to get some air in here, but I cannot seem to find a way to open it." Her shorter companion would be the only recipient of the message, with no obvious tells that any such ninja-magic had transpired. As she waited for Naoki to relay the question, she would nod her head and give the man a respectful and appreciative bow.

 

[Samejima]

Having been rather oblivious to the crew since they set foot on the ship, drinking in all the little nooks and bits of rope that hung from the mast and trying to figure out what they did, the genin felt less apprehension and more excitement as she walked along, the smell of the fresh salty air being far too familiar to ignore. Naoki nodded along quietly after the captain came in and asked about their comfort level here. There was a bed so that's good, though Naoki will most likely offer to sleep on the floor as soon as the man leaves. Ahh I've heard of that... It's a weird thing to think though. Wonder if it's because the hemorrhaging that happens every month is a cause of that. She took a mental note of the first mate's name as well as the captain's helpfulness, then interjected with Tsubaki's question before he left. "Excuse me sir, but is there some way we can get this window to open? It seems to be all locked up, and I can get a little motion sickness from time to time..." She walked over to the window to try and demonstrate its locked-ness, and continued, "Ooh and also, could you tell us what we're looking for when we wanna try and find Gonji-san? Or did we pass him by earlier?"

 

[Michi]

The captain's brow furrowed in response to the ladies' question about the windows. "What are you talking about, just slide the latch," the Captain replied. One of the young women demonstrated their plight and much to the Captain's surprise the window did not budge. He meandered over to the young woman's side, he might remind most of their grandfather -- the mix of salt an tobacco and the worn woolen layers he donned. His grey hair pulled back from his face it was long enough to pull back into a stumpy tail. This face had five o'clock shadow despite being only late morning. He gave the girls a toothy smile, his teeth better than one would expect of an old seadog he tried to open the window the girls failed to. "Strange," the befuddled captain devised as he peered up at the widow at an angle. "Someone has nailed these windows closed from the outside,"</B><i></i> he verbally announced his discovery.

The girls also asked about this first mate: Gonji. "Ah, yes... Fine young man and a gentleman. Since these strange happenstances the men have been nervous and unruly, their superstitions seemingly supported as of late. As soon as he heard that I had bartered with a pair of kunoichi to investigate this matter," hopefully free of prejudice but that went without saying. "He insisted that you take his quarters and that he would make a bed in the cargo hold so that you could investigate this matter fully."<i></i>

He looked again at the window with a concerned frown before returning his gaze to the two investigators. <B>"I will get one of the ship hands over here in the next few hours to remove the nails," he promised but there was a tone of worry in his voice. "Meals are six, noon and six... The door is sturdy and has a strong lock. Use it at night ladies. he cautioned as he attempted to excuse himself from the room.

What to do now ladies?

• Feel free to look through the ship, talk to the crew or simply settle in.
• If you want to simply settle in, nothing will go wrong until nightfall.
• If you want to question the crew or inspect the rest of the ship, we can do that too. Your call.

 

[Kazumi]

After her partner relayed the message, Tsubaki stepped off to the side of the window as the captain replied, "What are you talking about, just slide the latch,". For a moment, she suspected she must have simply failed to notice how do to do, given the captain's annoyed response. That tinge of worry was instantly replaced with a smug smile, one she managed to hide before the captain turned her way, as she reveled in the turnabout. The elation was replaced with confusion soon enough, "Strange. Someone has nailed these windows closed from the outside." The notion that the captain was not privvy to all of the workings of his ship was not a comforting one. It didn't mean she was going to rush out and drag them off the ship, they were on a deadline after all, but if he didn't know about something like this, then that might only be the tip of the sand dune.

As he completed his inspection, Naoki spoke up her own question. "Ooh and also, could you tell us what we're looking for when we wanna try and find Gonji-san? Or did we pass him by earlier?" Tsubaki nodded to herself, content on the sidelines on the conversation. This was his room, perhaps her had tampered with the window himself? Something as simple as the window was always loose which caused sea water to splash in from time to time would explain it. "Ah, yes... Fine young man and a gentleman. Since these strange happenstances the men have been nervous and unruly, their superstitions seemingly supported as of late. As soon as he heard that I had bartered with a pair of kunoichi to investigate this matter. He insisted that you take his quarters and that he would make a bed in the cargo hold so that you could investigate this matter fully."</B><i></i>

A few of the Many murmured among themselves as Tsubaki attempted to split her attention between the real world and the village that practically existed in her own mind these days. Questions over Genji's genuine kindness over the offer, or if it was some sort of ruse to leave his cabin. That and dozens more floated about as the captain continued. <B>"I will get one of the ship hands over here in the next few hours to remove the nails. Meals are six, noon and six... The door is sturdy and has a strong lock. Use it at night ladies. Her attention broke away from the internal discussion as she met the captain's momentary gaze, nodding her appreciation once again. The thought of signing words to the man crept across her mind, but she presumed he would have nary a clue as to what they meant. He was a sailor, after all, and over her years it was rare to find someone she could communicate with by signing, even less so among the lower educated.

A thought did creep across her head before the captain excused herself and she looke dover to Naoki to quickly relay it, "could you ask how long the trip will take?" There was a reason to that information, outside of simple curiosity, but she could explain that to Naoki once they had more time to themselves. After Naoki and the captain would finish their final words, hopefully after hearing that they journey would not take overly lonh, Tsubaki would step over to the door and clasp the lock a few moments after his departure. She took in a deep breath and let out a faintly audible sigh of relief. This was stressing her out far more than it should, and she could not help but let her midn wander to what they would do once they arrived. The fact that there might indeed be some sort of spectral appirition stowing along for the ride on the ship was far from her most pressing worries.

Turning and pressing her back against the door, Tsubaki leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts and separate them from the multitudes that the Many put forth for her, a tiring exercise in itself. "Since there is only one bed, we should sleep in shifts, for the first few nights at the least." Tsubaki kept her eyes closed and her expression still as she psionically spoke to her new roommate. Her thoughts were, to her credit, cool calm and clear, even as her thoughts scattered ten ways at once. "Shinobi don't do exorcisms," this was not actually true, but Tsubaki was only a genin after all, "but as long as we can keep the crew assuming we are not curing they journey, we shouldn't have much to worry about. If you wish to sleep, go ahead. After an hour we can explore the ship a little, at least look like we are trying to hunt this ghost down. I am going to try and gather my thoughts for a while, my head is beginning to hurt a little."

Sliding down against the door, Tsubaki kept her back loose against the wood as she crossed her legs, sitting at its base. Lock or not, they would not be able to enter without opening the door. The low painful humming was coming back, a consequence of her mind trying to reign in the Many and being stretched too thin and pulled in too many directions. "I will wake you up in an hour." She ended, closing her own eyes and relaxing her head back against the door. If Naoki had any questions or complaints, she would address them, but otherwise she would try to focus her efforts on relaxing and make her best effort to talk with each of the Many one by one. It was draining and time consuming, but it both helped her relax, learn more about them all, and it was one of the few ways to releive the ever growing pain in her head.

• Intending on resting for an hour, but that can be extended to night at your whim if they both nod off and don't awaken until then. Otherwise Tsubaki intends to investigate in an hour.

 

[Samejima]

"Nailed shut?" Naoki's eyebrows started to rise, but at the very least her fears of having to hurl on the cabin room floor were calmed for the moment. She caught Tsubaki's last question, hopefully in time, and blurted, "Oh, um, when are we getting to Tea Country by the way?" She'd thank the captain once more before he left, since the rest of the crew probably had a bunch of things to do to prepare for the long trip anyway, and she didn't want to get in the way. At the very least, she knows when she'd be more useful by not being present. She went and sat on the bed, testing it for springiness, fluffiness and warmth... And found none of those qualities. Maybe a bit of fluffiness. But no springiness whatsoever... She could probably do without the warmth in any case, unless it gets colder on the high seas. Naoki heaved a deep sigh, looking forward to the adventures at hand. She'd never travelled far at all, with the longest stretch of time having been when she walked to and from her parents' house. Her head doesn't turn towards Tsubaki when she was speaking psionically, not having a source of sound to reflexively turn to. She nodded, and pressed down on the bed. "Yeah, we should probably let the rest of the crew get ready. I did wanna watch though... Oh well." Then she caught the meaning behind Tsubaki's words, and made a little questioning "hm?" sound. "We're not actually going to look for ghosts? Hrmm... I guess we don't really have any means of dealing with one. Should've asked Oriza-san for those protective charms after all..."

The old lady back home had wanted Naoki to bring some wards and seals with her just in case the vessel they needed ever showed any signs of paranormal activity, having heard a couple of rumors from some of the customers who travelled there from these very docks. She wondered briefly if she might head down there to pick them up - it wouldn't take very long, and if it'll help... But she was wary about leaving the psionic flower out here with a large group of men. Would she just have to hurry down and back out? There was a lock on the door after all, and the crew was supposedly busy with preparations... "Do you want me to try and head down and pick some up? I don't think it'd cost too much, and I can always just ask around for a good shop to buy some from anyway, so..." She did remember a certain kind that ensured safe sea travels, and Oriza had told her that it wasn't the price of the seal, but the aura of the seal that mattered... whatever that meant. It's not like she was already nervous about being in the same enclosed space for a long period of time as the current object of her confusion or anything. Plus, though she most definitely wasn't scared of ghosts, she didn't like the thought of Tsubaki possibly being accosted by one of those things. Or anything really. She just wanted to feel better equipped for the trip. Maybe she'd even go and pick up some body armor! She can take more hits to the chest that way!

...that was probably the least ninja-like thing she'd ever thought. Forgoing stealth in favor of armor? What on earth...

"Oh, and I think I'll stay up. Just woke up after all, it's still pretty early in the morning. I brought a board game we could play!" Naoki pulled out her extra-dimensional bag backpack, rummaged inside for a dense cube that can unfold into a flat board with the pieces contained inside and held it up in Tsubaki's general direction with a grin. Said grin faded a little though, "Uhh, whenever you feel a bit better anyway, mmhm."

 

[Sand Council]

"Tea Country is a three day sail if the winds are in our favor and this is the season of strong winds but also powerful storms," the Captain answered. It was a detailed rely that could have been abbreviated to 'I dunno, three at best' but he seemed to enjoy the concept of playing cruise-captain instead of cargo captain. He smiled warmly although the grin was mostly toothless, a consequence of either poor hygiene or scurvy. "Good day ladies," he bowed his head politely as he shut the door behind him.

---

While the girls chatted and settled into their room a horn was sounded thrice and the ship rocked as anchor was lifted. Their journey had just begun, an ominous warning by the captain of a haunting as well as a reckless and superstitious crew that for approximately the next three days they were trapped alongside of. The captain made quick work of the window, a pair of deckhands they could smell through a closed window started to tinker with the window. One of them wiped away at the salt crusted window and peered inside. The girls inside, if they even noticed them they would not hear what was said between them. There would be some pointing and some words exchanged and a few moments later they would depart.

OC: Keep going ladies.

 

[Sand Council]

Been over a week. - OC

IC:

Nightfall came without incident, perhaps the young women fell asleep which might have been good for their health thy squandered precious hours that they could have spent searching the ship. A loud bang could be heard on deck that was momentarily preceded by a scream. Then there would be nothing else, just the groaning mast, the flap of sails and the crashing of waves against the hull.

If the girls tried to open the window to get a better view of what transpired they would discover that the window was still nailed closed. The superstitious deck hands who saw the pair of girls fled upon realizing that they had women on board. If they tried to open the door, they would find it barricaded. Upon learning of these unwanted guests, they took measures to make sure that they stayed put.

What happened while they slept:

The crew confronted the captain about the stowaways. He assured them that the girls were there to help and to put an end to their crazy thinking. That there are no monsters, no curses and most of all that there is such thing as bad luck. Disgruntled, the crew barricaded the girls in their room and continued on with their previous and routine endeavors. Yet there was nothing routine about that scream or the sound that followed.

 

[Kazumi]

She hadn't intended to do so, but during her meditative state, she had inadvertently passed from the realm of the waking to the sleeping. Tsubaki did as she usually did during her unconscious nights, Dreamwalking. It was nothing special, a man's fear that his woman wooed abandon him for another. Tsubaki had done her best to console the man and to rid him of the nightmare, but before she could draw her sustenance from the deed a sharp scream jolted her from her slumber. Awakening with a jolt, Tsubaki pushed herself to a bleary stand, her eyes still unfocused and her mind cloudy from the shock of essentially having her mind ripped back into her own body.

At first she couldn't remember what had pulled her back to the waking world, and even as she focused on it, she couldn't specifically identify it, but she knew it was a scream or yell of some kind. Gathering her bearings, she stood up from her seat at the base of the door and turns to unlock and open the door. While she was able to unlock it, as she attempted to push the door open, she found that it simply wouldn't budge. She gave it a few more pushes, finding that it still would not give way. A streak of worry shot through her and she hurried over towards the bed that Naoki had slept upon. If the girl was still sleeping, Tsubaki would reach over and shake the girl by her shoulders, injecting some 'loud' words into Naoki's head to try and stir her from her slumber.

If she managed to awaken the girl, she would inform her that she had heard some yell from above deck and that the door seemed to be stuck closed. Tsubaki then would proceed to the window to try and climb out and onto the deck from there, only to find that it too was closed shut. Her worries began to set in deeper, but she did her best to suppress them as she proactively walled herself of from the impending wave of thoughts from the Many. She paused, took a few deep breaths and turned to face Naoki, going to try and awaken the girl up further if necessary. Assuming she managed to rouse her into a state of passable consciousness, she would hurriedly request that Naoki see if she could feel what was going on upstairs.

As Naoki did so, Tsubaki hoped, she would hurry back over to the door to see if there was a keyhole she could look through or a crack under the door she might peer under. If neither were there, she would loudly bang onto the door, after giving Naoki a few moments to 'hear'. If there was one of the two, however, she would apptempt to peer out into the hallway to see if anyone was outside. She had no clue as to what was going on right now, and while it could simply be her paranoia flaring up, being effectively locked inside of a room in the middle of the sea was not on her list of ways to live.

 

[Samejima]

It took a little effort from Tsubaki, but the slumbering little slacker finally awoke, rubbing her eyes despite not needing to open them anyway. "Tsubaki-san... Iiiiis... somethin' up?" She'd gone to bed for that night, having deduced that nothing would really happen until later at night anyway because ghosts didn't come out in the day. She had intended to wake up at around this time, and it was good that Tsubaki had been able to awaken her at all really, as her internal clock still hadn't adjusted to waking up at this sort of schedule. "A what?" She bolted upright, now fully awake, though still a little hazy. A wordless yell could not be signaling anything good, and she rushed towards the door. The handle rattled and turned, but the door would not budge. "Wha... It worked fine when we came in..." She tried a loud clap, hoping it would show her what was going on with the door, but unfortunately sound waves did not work that way. She banged on the door in a rather barbaric fashion, and the vibrations came back to tell her that it had been barricaded. "Huh? It's blocked from the outside."

Naoki began panicking just a little, having thoughts that were likely not related in the least to what they were actually experiencing. Ohhhh boy. They blocked us in? Could it be that they were after our stuff? We're shinobi after all, they might think we have cash or something... I don't have too much but I might be able to spare Tsubaki-san from having to fork over her stuff too... I just hope they're not trying to do anything to us... What if that was their goal the whole time, and Tsubaki-san... Graaaaaaaah, now's not the time, plus I can beat 'em all up no problem! That said, we still need to get out of here, and I don't think I want to break the door... Wanted the ghost to think we're weak little girls who can't do anything to restrain it. Plus we might have to pay for the door! Bleh, I don't think I could really afford a whole door right now... Okay, think, thiiiiink... The thinky-thinker bobbed her head from side to side trying to think of the best course of action. If breaking the door was out of the question, even though they were fully capable of doing so, what else could they do? The windows were a much less pricey thing to try and break, and glass is fragile anyway right? Naoki walked over to the windows and tested them only to find they were still nailed shut and unopenable.

Letting out a deep sigh, Naoki spoke, "I don't know about breaking the door to try and get out... Won't they get mad at us? I haven't got enough money to get the door fixed up afterwards... I could try breaking the window, but since we're sailing now that's probably dangerous..." Then it dawned on Naoki. They were indeed... sailing. A wave of nausea hit, causing the girl to stumble backwards. She hunted around for the bed to sit on so she could stabilize herself. "Ooogh... Oh I feel sick." The movement wasn't something she was used to or familiar with, having only ever been sailing with her father as she watched the open water. Stuck in the hold down here, she couldn't gather her bearings as the ship rocked, and the sounds of the sea outside was only adding to her disorientation.

 

[Sand Council]

Tsubaki would be able to look under the door everything would look clear. No shadows, no guards, no physicals barriers preventing their escape. If she looked through the keyhole, she would notice something odd - a taut rope that traversed the hall space and was tied to the opposite wall. That was what was preventing them from opening the inward-swinging door. Even if she rattled the knob or banged on the door it would take a few minutes for someone to come, but someone would if that was what she elected to do to get them out of this mess. (2 sailors and the captain would come running to you if you chose to do this.)

The window, remains unbroken and intact; also nailed shut. Through the window, the Hashigaki would still get a clear scene due to the commotion of the waves and the the shocked gasps of the first sailor who found the source of the cry. A man had fallen from the crows-nest, his broken and contorted body laid out on deck. Naoki would not be able to see the blood, but there was so much gore that now painted the starboard side of the deck. The sailor who found the felled man called out for help, a pair of deckhands scurried to the source of the commotion and looked upward. The sailor who fell was serving as their nocturnal navigator, he was watching for stony landfall and following the starts to their destination over the narrow passage of sea. There were hushed whispers and Naoki would only be able to get the gist of their conversation - the phantom must have caused this as well because they are cursed.

Inside the room, the girls would likely feel as if they should be involved in the investigation. That they should try to help. If they had not called for help or already broken out of the room, they would hear footsteps approach.

 

[Kazumi]

blind to the happenings above deck, Tsubaki stood and closed her eyes next to the window as she tried to think. They could always wait, as long as she and Naoki were not in direct danger, and they reached their destination, she wasn't required to do anything outside of wait. Personally, she had never actually agreed to doing any ghost hunting, if there was such a thing or not. Unfortunately, she was not as cold as that, and while her drive to help people was not on the near fanatical level that Naoki seemed to occasionally possess, it was not something she could ignore.

Her attention was broken when she heard the upset grumbles of her companion as her stomach apparently just noticed she shifting ground beneath them. Tsubaki was not a frequent nautical traveler, but she and her family had made their fare share of such journies, and she had never found that her sea legs were especially sensitive, unlike her father's. Hastily , she mad her way over towards the door where her bag sat next to where she had rested. Taking a moment to rifle through its contents, she pulled out a small plastic vial filled with a number of blue flower petals. Tsubaki stood, unscrewing he lid as she dumped a few of them out into her hand, and as she stared at them in her palm an idea suddenly came to her. The girl's attention shifted to the door, the rope that held their door in place and the flower petals in her hand

"Place two of these, one on each side, underneath your tongue. Do not swallow. It will help with the nausea. I have an idea," the telepathic message would reach Naoki as Tsubaki handed her two of the soft blue petals. They would have no noticeable taste, but each of them contained a quick acting oil on the flowers that would likely help to settle Naoki's stomach enough to last her for a short while, at the least. With Naoki tended to, Tsubaki walked back towards the door as she dumped a few more of the petals into her hand. She proceeded to seal the plastic vial once more before tossing it into her bag. She then knelt down, put the petals underneath the door and looked out through the keyhole once more, to make sure no one was out there.

When the coast was clear, she knelt down to get into a more comfortable position, peered through the keyhole once more as she formed a set of handseals. Manipulating her chakra through the petals of the flower, Tsubaki willed the chakra infused petals out under the door, guiding them like the floating razors her clan's technique transformed them into. Once they were in view on the other side of the door, she attempted to guide them at high speeds towards the taut rope that kept their door closed. It likely would take a few attempted, between missing the rope or its strength, but the flower petals were sharp enough to cue flesh, surely they could cut through an old rope on a derelict shipping vessel.

Assuming the technique was enough to purchase their freedom, Tsubaki would attempt to pull the door open, examining the end of the rope that was bound to the door. She would then look back over her shoulder towards Naoki, hoping that the petals provided the younger girl some relief from her nautically induced misery. "Lets go see if we can help." She insisted, waiting to make sure Naoki would follow before she would make her way down the hallway, after grabbing her bag of supplies, of course. She didn't have a plan of action, and part of her wanted to give the Captain a piece of her mind for effectively locking them into their room. Outside of this, she didn't know what to expect, a part of her hoped Naoki would...
[spoilername="Actions"]

• Gave Naoki herbs to help with Sea Sickness.
• Attempt to cut rope with Floral Razors, Yamanaka technique.
• Hurrying above deck with Naoki to see first hand what is going on.
• Letting Naoki take the lead with the talking, as usual.

[/spoilername]

 

[Samejima]

Naoki hoped the soft medicine-things on her hand acted quickly as she somewhat sluggishly placed them under her tongue as directed. The wooziness disappeared gradually, and she began to make sense of her surroundings once more as her focus was pulled towards what on earth the young botanist was doing kneeling on the ground like that. There was far too much noise outside to be able to ignore the happenings on deck, through the one boarded up inside window. What's happening out there... Did someone get hurt? Was that something about a curse? Unlike regular ghosts themselves, curses actually did manifest in the real world, or so she believed. Chills of the non-nautical sort went down her spine, and she stood up to get a little closer to the window, trying to get a clearer picture of what exactly had transpired. Holy--! Is that a body?! That's... I don't think necks bend that way... Gulping, she rubbed her own neck as if to confirm its non-unnaturally-bentness, and realized she could apparently walk normally now. Oh... The thingies musta worked. "Um, uh, thanks Tsubaki-san, for the medicine... What're you doing?" she'd ask, starting to walk over to Tsubaki as she concentrated on slicing the rope holding the door shut. She felt it prudent to communicate the goings-on outside before they stepped out however, regardless of whether or not she was successful in her telekinetic endeavors. "Y'know, I heard some things about a phantom's curse through the window... And I think there was a body too, on deck outside. I couldn't be too sure because I'd... never really dealt with that kind of stuff, but... I think the guy's neck was all bent out of shape. There might be a whole lot of blood outside... We should probably try and find the captain first too." With that communicated, she would wait for whenever Tsubaki told her the door had been opened or if there was some complication that prevented them from leaving the room, and if successful she'd try and avoid the scene of the death if at all possible, opting to try and find the captain first and foremost.
[spoilername="Actions"]Tried to listen for any more details, anything that could pose a threat to the two shinobi or help with their investigation.
If the door opening was successful, she would try to avoid contact with any of the sailors, sneaking around the commotion unless the captain was in the thick of it.[/spoilername]

 

[Sand Council]

The rope was a brittle old thing, deteriorated from years of use and stiff from decades in the salty air. The petals zipped through the air, a dull cutting sound could be heard on the other side as the petals cut through the rope. It only took two attempts for the young Yamanaka to cut through the make-shift 'lock' that had hastily been tied. The frayed edges of the rope could be seen through the keyhole as the petals purchased their freedom. There would be nothing else blocking their way once they opened the door, the hallway for the moment still clear.

The ship would continue to bob and rock in the waters, the harsh gale of the winds would batter the sides of the ship. Even on the calmest of days when out to see the waters violently rattle the ships that dot its surface. The cool salt-burdened air howled past the window that the Hashigaki had leaned near. Outside Naoki would hear some men talking.

"I-I think he m-might be dead," a nervous man stuttered. He was pacing, his hands covered his face as he did so. He would look up at the crows nest and back down at the site of his fallen shipmate and wring his hands together. "Mate, why?" His voice distressed and pained as he backed away and pressed his back against the rail of the ship.

"Don't say that, it is bad luck," another voice announced as if reminding him that saying the worst case of something usually results in the worst case of something actually happening. Still it was a nonsensical statement, the man was dead -- completely dead unless they had a good exorcist on board and this man was possessed.

"It does not make it any less true, he is dead. I mean look at him," he replied as he gripped the rail only to spin around and hurl off the side the contents of his dinner which was more rum than meat.

"This is the Captain's fault," a third griped leveling the blame.

"I heard... he brought bad luck onto the ship again, that foolish cold man was going to get us all killed one of these days," he contended.

"Gonji was right, I think I have changed my mind," one of the men announced as he stalked off-deck.

I can...n't leave 'em here," the unfortunate and nauseated ship-hand announced.

"Then wait with him, we'll rouse Gonji," the second announced as he followed the last below deck. Something was about to happen in the dead of night. The death of a single man seemed to be the last straw for at least two.

 

[Kazumi]

"Um, uh, thanks Tsubaki-san, for the medicine... What're you doing?" A small thump of the rope hitting the floor and the door outside was quickly followed by Tsubaki standing and opening it with a smooth quick motion, revealing the severed and frayed rubs handing from the door's handle. "Doing our job," she mentally replied with unintended bluntness. "Y'know, I heard some things about a phantom's curse through the window... And I think there was a body too, on deck outside. I couldn't be too sure because I'd... never really dealt with that kind of stuff, but... I think the guy's neck was all bent out of shape. There might be a whole lot of blood outside... We should probably try and find the captain first too." Tsubaki paused in the doorway, her bag on her shoulders as she was about to head out. Her first thought was to go check out what happened on deck, but if it was as Naoki described... she was a shinobi now, but she did not want to be around death if she could help it.

She would then lead her companion out of their bedroom 'cell' and down the hallway, but down towards the top decks. If she had managed to gleam where the captain's quarters were, she would quite her fellow kunoichi straight there. If she was not privy to such information, she would instead make her best guess and head in whatever seemed to be the most logical location, given her small understanding of nautical vessels such as this. If they ran into the captain along the way, or another of the crew, she would mentally request that Naoki inquire as to what the commotion is about. If she was lucky enough to run into the captain, she would also firmly request Naoki press the man to explain why she and Naoki were imprisoned in their room, pointing out that it couldn't be for their safety as it the rope did nothing to keep the crew out if they wished.

If her searches went in vain, she would, with some reluctance, head up to the deck. Once there, Naoki would receive instructions to try and figure out what had occurred, not making mention of their imprisonment unless it would prove beneficial to do so, or to bring the matter up directly to the captain. While Naoki hopefully took the reins of the situation, she would hurriedly make her way over to the body to check and see if there was anything she could possibly do. Judging by the scene that would lay out before her, she doubted there was anything she could do, but she would be damned if she didn't give it a try. If any sailors met her gaze, she would give them a firm and controlled look, trying to hide her discomfort, concern and confusion behind a mask of cool and calm authority. If they were afraid of woman causing curses, she wouldn't remind them of that by acting timid and defenseless.
[spoilername="Actions"]

• Searching for the Captain or his room, if possible w/o scouring the entire ship.
  • If he is found, instruct Naoki to query him about what is happening and about the rope.
  • if he isn't found, query the shiphand about the sound and then continue.
• If can't find the captain, head up to the deck
  • Request that Naoki interrogate the sailors on what happened, while Tsubaki inspects the body as best she is able.
  • If the captain is present, request that Naoki press him for information about the rope.

[/spoilername]

 

[Samejima]

Something seemed off about the conversation she'd overheard. Naoki tilted her head to the side as she exited the room, trying to figure out what it was. For some reason, it seemed like Tsubaki knew where she was going for a little bit, as she exuded an air of calmness about her as she led the two. Naoki felt like it would have been safe to regress back to a point in time when she was allowed to show fear in the face of adversity because someone stronger was there to shoulder the weight of the situation, but she remained in a vigilant state, making sure nothing would catch them off guard if she could help it. They didn't need any more surprises from the crew after that first lock-in; next time they happened to show any sign of funny business, something was getting broken. "I think I remember dad used to say things about upgrading the little fishing boat we have into something as big as this," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood as they searched for the captain. "He used to go on and on about how he'd start living on the ship, coming back once a week and just living in the back of the areas below deck, like some kind of pirate king... And I'd be like a little pirate princess! Except I'd be handling all the chores with him, because we don't have the money for an actual crew..."

A little sigh was heard from the future two-man crew commander. She also recalled a curious detail. "It had to be the back of the ship or he wouldn't feel like he was in charge of the ship he said... Wonder why." She couldn't connect the dots despite having lived with that statement for a while, possibly because she had just accepted it as fact or dismissed it as inane chatter, but there was some significance to her father's vehemence for where he stayed in a large ship.
[spoilername="Actions"]Following Tsubaki's lead, staying alert for any sound-related cues that any part of the crew was coming their way.
If she recognized the captain's form behind any corners, she would start walking level with Tsubaki.[/spoilername]

 

[Sand Council]

The ship was large but a woman's intuition was a powerful thing. The halls were narrow and cramped, crates of supplies seemed to fill almost every space. The girls were not far from the captain's quarters. The captain quarters were located at the stern of the vessel. Due to the dimensions afforded on such a classical merchant ship, the grand captains quarters could be provided with the grandest of amenities. They would find the door ajar, the room in disarray. In fact Naoki's sensitive ears would pick up on a muffled sound, as if someone was yelling for help. It would be coming from the closet of the room. If the girls would look around the room first before investigating the sound they would find a typical captain's private space: a bed, dressing table, shelves, cabinets and a desk from where he would log his daily advances before sealing them into air tight bottles. The quarters also had a private toilet and bathroom. The captain’s bed was small but independent unlike the other crew who slept on bunks and hammocks. Strangely enough the bed was smaller than the one in the first mate's quarters. On his work desk, the captain had an hourglass, a quill, ink, and paper to record time and events that had taken place on a daily basis.

Clothes were strewn across the floor, scuff marks show that the desk was out of place. Now pressed against the closet door it seemed intent on keeping someone inside. A banging sound could be heard still. Did they look inside?

If they ignored the sounds that came from the door, they would find him on deck. One of several men who now circled the dead and broken form of a lookout. His neck was broken, a linear mark ran circumferentially around his neck. He had severs lacerations and his knuckles were cut. The girls soul not get close to the body before a pair of deckhands would block their path. "What are you doing here!"