Dance on the Iron Throne [Mission Thread]

[Takaki Saeko]

"A Game of Thrones" OP​

The Red Palace
Raiden no Me, Kaminari no Kuni
...1700 hours

The train ride to Raiden's Eye had been an uneventful one, despite the overarching tension created by sitting astride an ongoing war that every day threatened to draw the country into the maelstrom. Every rail stop had seen the embarcation or departure of soldiers, many of them no older than the three members of the Merces Letifer who journeyed to the Capital. Grim tidings permeated the air with every influx of new passengers; that the Bear Capital of Sagishi-Souru was under siege and about to fall, that the Marsh had introduced some sort of virus into the air that was turning their own soldiers into ravening, mindless creatures possessed of the desire to eat flesh, or that the dread-lord Hayata Makoro had been reanimated and was now leading an army of draugir toward Lightning at the behest of a necromancer from a foreign land.

Shinobi knew to dismiss such rumors as foolishness, but in a world where chakra could infuse a human's veins and turn a child into a weapon of mass-destruction, even the wildest of rumors had some kernel of truth at its origin. Tales of atrocities committed by both sides in the war were bandied about loudly by the other passengers - about how an entire platoon of Marsh soldiers had been tossed into molten lead by a vengeful Star shinobi, or how a baby princess of the Haninozuka line had been speared on a pike in a town square near Chipyong-Ni when the Liberation Army had rolled through. It was enough to turn anyone's stomach. Still, the train ride eventually ended at the Grand Station of Raiden's Eye, and the three shinobi were picked up by carriage that had been pre-arranged for them.

Security was noticeably heightened since Tama's last visit. The great milling masses were still present, but their enthusiasm was tempered by the accompaniment of numerous soldiers in uniform who marched down the streets in formation, led by the shouts of officers and the beating of drums. A quick look at the chalkboards posted outside of the markets and food stalls showed that the price of food in general had shot up almost double, and there were many more beggars lining the streets. The strain on the economy was showing. If things continued at this rate, the first riots over food might start soon...

Regardless, the carriage now stopped at the heavily-fortified gates of the Red Palace, where it joined a queue of other carriages, some of them richly gilded and decorated, waiting for entry. Each of the vehicles was undergoing a rather comprehensive security check before even being allowed into the inner plaza, and the war-wagons from Tama's first visit were still present, their main arbalest turrets sweeping the line of vehicles. Eventually, their carriage's turn came, and soldiers approached to sweep under the carriage with a mirror, interrogate the driver, and look over the identification of those inside. The documentation provided by Kumogakure had been flawless, and they were easily passed.

After departing from their vehicle, the shinobi walked the length of the inner courtyard approaching the Palace doors. The interior had been lit with a multitude of lanterns for the occasion, and they swayed prettily in the twilight, casting warm glows of yellow and soft red on the cobblestones below. In front of the main entrance, a crowd of richly-dressed nobles of all stripes jostled for entry and the attention of the Master Steward who checked names on the guestlist. Four tall guards in full plate flanked him, carrying gleaming halberds (although their role was mainly ceremonial - it was the plainer guards standing nearby with long bolters who would actually fight most effectively). From within the palace, the strains of music and conversation roared outwards, indicating that the ball was already started.

From behind them, Jo's nose caught a whiff of what could only be...the faint smell of horses, coupled with the faint tinkling of bells. Curiosity getting the better of him, he turned around, coming face to face with a rather interesting-looking couple. The man stood almost seven feet tall, with a dramatically-chiseled and tanned face, and a long, braided mane of hair that almost reached the ground. It was studded with small bells interwoven into the strands, which was an affectation of Kagoshiman warriors from the northern hinterlands. Even though he wore a tuxedo himself, it was clear that he was uncomfortable in this foreign garb. The woman next to him was much shorter, and her features as soft as the man's were defined. Her hair was a silvery color that reached down to her waist and was unstyled, lending her a natural, ethereal beauty punctuated by her red eyes. She was about to open her mouth and say something to Jo, when all of a sudden, another girl, who had been standing beside the couple, suddenly moved toward Jo.

"That's close enough, sir. Turn around and move on," she said in no uncertain terms. With jet-black, almost purplish hair, a hime cut, and a pair of glasses, she was a striking presence, but the thing that most interested Jo was the fact that she had a Cloud forehead protector worn on her shoulder, with a chuunin's rank button. Before he could react, however, it was his group's turn to be let in. The tuxedoed man blearily looked them over.

"Madam, Madam, Sir. Your names and titles, please?" he asked, trying his best to retain some semblance of courtesy.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Whispers and tales of horror permeated the air throughout their train ride into the capitol. Jo listened intently, but took everything with a grain of salt; knowing every story grew as it transferred from one mouth to another. At the heart of each was a kernel of truth that Jo considered one-by-one until the train began to slow a mile or two out from the city. Excusing himself from the girls, Jo went to the bathroom to change into his formal wear…

…

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the Red Palace, the ride particularly uninteresting; though Jo did consider the plight of the people here in the Capitol City. The fear of war, the ridiculous cost of living, the homeless beggars; all of it realized how sheltered he was in Kumogakure. That thought also brought forth the reminder that shinobi like him were the only shield between these people and the horrors of combat. As the formidable security forces at the Palace checked the carriage and their Identification, Jofound himself thanking Raiden that he didn’t have to undergo a pat-down. Otherwise, they would have found the silenced PPK holstered under his left arm, the punch dagger hidden up his left sleeve, the garrote up his right, and the syringe of poison in his jacket pocket.

Jo was (in his opinion) looking absolutely spiffy. He wore a black tuxedo, complete with black silk cummerbund and bowtie. His hair was combed straight back as per usual, and he was wearing his grandfathers watch. His shirt cuffs were held together by silver cufflinks inset with polished jet, the which matched the buttons on his white tux shirt. Jo had sparingly used some of his favorite cologne, giving him a scent similar to a campfire made up of sappy pine logs and herbs.

Jo offered his arms to both Tama and Ren as they exited the carriage, escorting them through the courtyard and the throng of nobles. About halfway to the door the earthy scent of steed graced his nose along with the sound of bells. Turning to see the source of the interesting combination of sensations, Jo espied the massive man behind him and the exquisite woman he was escorting. Just as she was about to speak, another girl came between them.

Jo felt his stomach knot for a reason that had nothing to do with nerves. The chuunin that hurried to shoo him off was beautiful! Something about her glasses-framed eyes drew him in. While the girl had him distracted for a moment, he didn’t fail to notice her rank and forehead protector. He was sure he hadn’t seen her around Kumo before now, but something about her seemed very familiar.

While he was contemplating the identity of the people behind him (including the foreign couple who had hired a local shinobi guard), he turned back to the front and the Master Steward.

”Saiken Jo, IV; son of Sir Saiken Jo, III of Kojisake.” Jo said matter-of-factly, awaiting his two companions introductions.

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Tama had chatted amiably with the myriad soldiers across the aisle of the train, most of the soldiers had been surprised to find someone as noble-looking as Tama currently appeared had a very down-to-earth and approachable personality. Of course she only introduced herself as Tama, so if any soldier suspected that she was not nobility, they would most likely assume that she was simply one of those nouveau riche. Still, the male soldiers were pleased to have a pretty girl talk to them, and the female soldiers were glad to have another girl to talk to. But Tama could feel the underlying tension beneath the jovial conversation on the train. War, it seemed, was inevitable. And despite Lightning Country's protestations of neutrality, the fact that so many soldiers were being mobilized meant that it was most likely only a matter of time before it was drawn back into the war.

The thought of war brought Tama some unhappy flashbacks, getting shot by Makoro, Shiri-tan on a cross, the man she had killed by crashing his head into a washing machine, and all the mercenaries and soldiers she had killed while fighting to re-take the Torre from Makoro. Speaking of the terrorist nuke-nin, as Tama forced herself back into the present, the were rumors he was an undead lich leading the armies of the netherworld in the conflict. Well, they're right about him not being dead, she thought to herself.

As they neared the station, Jo got up and left to get changed, and Tama assumed Ren would follow suit. When they pulled in, Tama bid the new friends she had made farewell, as she, Jo, and Ren boarded their carriage. Don't die, she thought to herself. She shook off her melancholy attitude and tightly grasped the package she been carrying all the way from Kumogakure. It's Shiri-tan's birthday, after all. It's supposed to be a happy occasion!

Their carriage was stopped and searched, and surprisingly nobody questioned the present Tama was carrying, though one of the guards doing searches did a double-take when checking Tama's identification. And then asked for an autograph. Which Tama gladly gave. Even before they became associated with Kumogakure, the Mochizuki Troupe had been fairly well-known throughout Lightning Country, and the members were all individually famous on some level. Granted, Tama was only famous for being the younger sibling of the big three, her elder siblings Sonoko, Takama, and Kimiki. As well as being the daughter of Mochizuki Ryoji. Tama hadn't made her own personal debut yet, and everyone in the family had assumed that she wouldn't do it without Tomo. And being an active shinobi meant that she had no real time to go putting on shows. Tama didn't mind though, in her opinion it made her performances more significant, because they were not as frequent. But reality was that she was only famous because of her relatives.

Staring at the heightened security Tama said quietly to herself, "The cage has even less windows now, poor Shiri-tan."

Hearing the commotion behind her, she turned in time to see Jo get told off by a Cloud chuunin. Odd, she thought to herself, I don't recall any other Cloudies being assigned to this mission. If there were, Barfight-sennin would have said something. But now it was finally time to enter the party, so Tama didn't have time to investigate.

"Madam, Madam, Sir. Your names and titles, please?"

"Mochizuki Tama, star performer of the Mochizuki Troupe!" she said beaming brightly. Shiri-tan's inside! Tama clutched her package even tighter.

 

[Takahashi Ren]

What a...grey city, Ren thought as their carriage brought the trio ever closer to the palace. It was called the Red Palace, but to Ren - it all looked grey, desaturated. Like the life had been there and then erased away, and wouldn't return until fires lit the sky. The thought reminded her of her last mission and the mess that had come with it, so she grimaced slightly and turned away from the window. Soon enough, the carriage came to a stop, was inspected (rather thoroughly, she noticed, though maybe that was only to be expected), and then let through.

They exited the carriage and entered the inner courtyard that would take them to the Palace doors. Ren looked around, noting that while the outer city was crammed with beggars and soldiers with gaunt faces, areas closer to the Palace were rich with color and light. This, too, was to be expected, but the divide in class still left Ren with a bitter taste in her mouth. This was why she disliked covert missions; Ren could lie, sure, had done so many times, but she doubted she would be able to pull off a convincing noble attitude. Nobles were...distant, otherworldly, and Ren disliked them on principle.

As if to prove her point, a dark haired girl barked at them for - what? Ren glanced at Jo, and slightly ahead, at a ghostly looking girl. Beside her was a giant of a man squirming in his tuxedo (she could sympathize; she, too, wore a dress and while she'd forgone heels for sandals, it still killed her to wear it); Ren assumed that they were foreign dignitaries and the dark haired girl was their escort or guard. Of course they wouldn't be allowed to associate with 'lesser people,' it would be unbecoming of them at such a large event. Ren only barely managed to hold back her frown as their group was motioned forward to the Master Steward.

"Takekura Ren," she supplied when he looked her way. The fake name might have been too similar to her own, but Ren doubted many would pay attention to a supposed scholar in training. Besides, with her track record, it was better to be simple than to overthink it and end up incriminating herself later.

And speaking of overthinking... Ren glanced at her sides, looking for that sharp-toned girl. She hadn't processed it a second ago, too caught up in her toxic thoughts about class, but Ren had seen the Cloud headband on that girl. That...probably spelled trouble for later on, Ren decided. Hopefully they'd get a chance to talk to her before their stories got mixed up, even if it didn't seem like the girl recognized them, or that Tama, the most senior of them, had recognized her in turn. Maybe that girl's just with her cousins? And she's, like, wearing her headband because she's got pride in her job, or something. Yeah. I like that idea.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Because 80's music fuck yeah...​

The ballroom was a buzz of activity and noise - already, many of the attendees of the ball were dancing with each other to the strains of music played by a full-sized orchestra lining one of the sides of the hall. In the center of the ballroom, a lavish, three-meter-high fountain spewed a constant stream of distilled daiginjo sake for all to partake in, and tables for food and drinks were scattered in between. Trenchers of roast capons, scallops, sweetmeats, salmon nigiri on ice, and even live octopus were on offer, with a constant replenishment vigil kept by the white-clad stewards walking around with their trays. Silver and crystal chandeliers overhead were the new electric models and blazed at full power, drawing untold amperes of current to keep the place bathed in glorious yellow light.

Intermittently, as new arrivals of stature made their way into the room, a herald with quite possibly the loudest voice anyone had ever heard would stand next to the stairs leading down to the main floor, and shout out an introduction for everyone to hear, including the Shogun himself (sometimes). Tama's attentions immediately sought out the position of the man she loved and quickly found him.

Shiranai sat at the center of a grandly-set table raised on a dias at the far end of the ballroom, firmly planted on the Golden Throne of the Shoguns of Kaminari no Kuni. He was uniformed as a General of the Imperial Army, which was a deep crimson color jacket emblazoned with medals of all sorts across the left breast, and topped with plenty of braided cord. His pants were of tight-woven linen that showed off the muscles of his calves, and at his side he wore the Shogun's ceremonial katana, its hilt encrusted with jewels. On his right side, to the Mochizuki's dismay, was seated the Marchioness Kurumi, and adding insult to injury she appeared even lovelier than when Tama had first encountered her. She was dressed brilliantly, in a fine, purple silken kimono that cost more than the yearly budget of most cities. Emblazoned on one of the lapels was the White Tiger of House Lee, done in fine silk embroidery. In her hair, she wore a glittering, star-shaped silver tiara from the points of which hung diamonds the size of thumbnails. She was, in effect, glowing with the full flower of her womanhood, and her left arm was wrapped around Shiranai's right.

To the left of His Majesty sat a familiar figure - Chancellor Ami, who wore a less-flashy outfit compared to Kurumi's, more understated if not less expensive, and bore the Pauwlonia Leaf of House Tachibana. She still wore a silk neckerchief, as if to hide an old wound. Next to the Chancellor sat a blue-haired woman dressed in a navy-blue Western-style dress, a white ermine shawl draped around her shoulders with the Turkey of House Oishi on a pair of stylized bracelets. From the way Ami and the woman looked at and playfully fed each other, it was clear that they were more than simply acquaintances. Notably absent was the Marchioness Kurumi's father, who would have occupied the place next to his daughter. Instead, seated in the spot was the Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy, one Kato Takumi, who appeared to be already sodden with drink, the breast of his white uniform already stained with food and beer, and his medals all covered with grease. Kurumi gave him a wide berth, drawing closer to Shiranai.

There was a long line for well-wishers and prominent personalities to go and be received by the Shogun, and Shiranai did not seem to ever get a chance to really eat or sit, as he was constantly inundated by a stream of guests who wished to present gifts, pay their respects, or ask for favors. Kurumi seemed to be handling most of them, however, proving that she was a lady of graces used to the way of life at court.

As Tama approached the stairway, the Herald took note of her arrival and bellowed for all to hear: "Lady Mochizuki Tama, chuunin of Kumogakure and Prima Donna of the Mochizuki Troupe!" (She probably had a certain Sennin to thank for that last bit, but Masao himself would probably never admit to it in a million years).

She descended down the stairs, flanked by Jo and Ren, who were introduced as "Sir Saiken Jo IV of Kojisake and Lady Takekura Ren, of the Department of Engrish at Lightning National University!"

Behind them, the imposing couple that Jo had run into earlier outside were next. "Chinggis-Khal Daisuke Date, President-For-Life of the Democratic Kagoshiman Republic , along with his wife, Khaleesi Kimura Rei, former Jounin of Kumogakure! With Lady Takaki Saeko, Chuunin of Kumogakure!"

Soon after hitting the main floor, however, Jo and Ren ran into a very familiar sight. In fact, they almost collided with him, making the toady-faced man fumble with his glass of champagne in an effort not to drop it. As soon as he made eye contact with them with a rebuke loaded on his tongue, however, his eyes widened and he froze for a second.

"Oh, you..." said the Baron, rolling his eyes at the sight of Jo and Ren. "This is...awkward. What are you here for? To steal more of my money? To further distort the terms of your contract?" he sighed.

"Please, father, you are being too unkind to these fine people. After all, aren't they the reason you are now a Count, and that our family's wealth has effectively quadrupled in the last month?" asked a younger, strikingly handsome man who now appeared at his father's side, his mouth formed in a brilliant, heart-rendingly handsome smile. He appeared to be around Jo's age, sixteen or seventeen, from the looks of him, and wore the pure white of an Imperial Navy Commander with its red sash. The only affectation of his family affiliation was a golden brooch he wore emblazoned with the sigil of a Lion. "If I'm not mistaken, you two must be the shinobi my sister and I have been hearing no end about. Father simply cannot stop talking about you, and for anyone to have left such an impression, well, that's simply unheard of. Oh, I do apologize, I haven't introduced myself yet. Saiken-sama, Takekura-sama, I am Jai-Mi Rannistah. It is a pleasure," he said, bowing to Jo before taking Ren's hand in his own and delicately kissing it.

"Ah yes, I did give my name correctly, before you ask. Our family is not of this land originally - our ancestors came from across the waters a long time ago, although you would not be able to tell now. One of the things our line has preserved is the backward naming. I tell you, it causes no end of confusion wherever we go!" Jai-Mi chuckled easily, running a hand through a mop of golden locks atop his head that seemed to do what they pleased. As they fell on the shoulders of his white Imperial Navy uniform, they seemed to shine like so much golden sun. "My father's name, for example, is Tai-Win Rannistah, and my imouto is Sera-Sei... Oh, and it looks like my father has left us suddenly. I apologize for his behavior. He's a stubborn man, but he never forgets his debts," said Jai-Mi, looking around and shrugging. He turned to Ren and gazed at her for a moment, before gently taking her hand in his. "Takekura-sama, this may sound sudden, but...may I have the pleasure of a dance?" he asked, getting on one knee.

Jo's eyes wandered for a moment over to the couple that had been announced as the Kagoshiman head of state and his wife, who was apparently a former Jounin. They seemed to be engaged in conversation with each other, with Rei pointing out various things to her husband who nodded in approval. The female chuunin, Saeko, stood a short distance away giving them space but keeping an eye on them. Interestingly, however, she looked to be a bit bored. She caught Jo's eyes at a glance, before quickly looking away (but not very quickly). And if that wasn't a subtle come-on, then nothing else was.

"Daimyo Shiro Amakusa Ryuu ro Kaminari, of Seiryu no Me!" continued the herald from atop the stairs, as a lizardly-looking man made his way down, flanked by a bodyguard who looked like he would rather be anywhere else than here at the moment.

"Doctor Takenaka Shigeru, Dean of the Department of Agriculture at Lightning National University!" Ah, so the professor had arrived already - he would be useful as an ally should anyone question Jo and Ren's purpose here, although it looked like no one seemed to care overly much.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Of course! Why wouldn’t they bump right into the one person at the entire ball who could blow their cover? Right at the bottom of the steps, no less! Jo bit back a snappy retort before he got himself and his team into even more trouble. ”Ah, it’s a pleasure to see you too, Count Rannistah.” Jo returned Jai-Mi’s bow. ”And a pleasure to meet you as well, Rannitsah-sama.” Jo allowed the flippant son of his favorite client to ramble on about his name and ancestry for as moment before he fell to a knee and asked Ren for a dance.

It was all Jo could do to keep a straight face. Ren… Dance? Every fiber of his being wanted to fall to the floor and clutch his sides in hysterical laughter at the thought of hoodie-and-sweats Ren twirling about on the dance floor in her formal dress in the arms of this frivolous popinjay. Though at the same time, Jo felt a fire burning within him at the thought of this courtier laying a finger on Ren with the intent Jo knew burned in his loins. The question was; did the fire within represent the protective nature of a friend, or the green monster of jealousy? ”Oh, yes; she would be absolutely delighted to dance with you.” Jo said through a grin. ”If you’ll excuse me, I must speak with Doctor Takenaka; he’s my favorite professor at the University!” Jo gave a polite bow (no more than an inclination of the head and shoulders) before turning and walking away from the pair.

Once the Counts son could no longer see his face, Jo spoke to Ren through their earpieces. They were tuned on a scrambled frequency only he, Tama and Ren had access to (though that honestly wouldn’t stop anyone with the right skills from listening in). ”Ren, keep Jai-Mi company. He and his father are the only two people outside of the Professor that could blow our cover. Besides, they’re both on the ins here at court. They’ll know something’s going on long before we ever would. Pump them for intel; remind them of the debt they owe us for their recent social and economic standing. Tama, do what you’ve gotta do to keep the Shogun safe. If that means you have to wipe the floor with that bitch on his arm, then so be it.”</B><i></i> He had only known Tama-sama for a day or two, but already he was rooting for her. Nothing should stand in the way of true love; not rank, not title, and not overdressed whores.

As he was walking towards the staircase where the Professor was descending, his eyes caught those of Saeko. They held each others gaze for a moment before she looked away playfully, Jo giving her his small smile (no more than the turning up of one corner of his mouth) before she quickly looked away.

PAUSE

Spoiler

In the back of Jo’s mind there exists a place where he goes to contemplate his next course of action; a place where he exists in not one, but many forms. Many Jo’s sit at a round stone table, too many to count. The complete Jo, the one that exists in the real world, picks up a gavel and hit the table once… twice… thrice… and order is called. All the Jo’s sitting around the table stare expectantly at their culmination. ”Alright, this meeting has come to order. The issue at hand is; what do we do about this girl…?” Jo waves his left hand in the air, bringing up a holographic image of Saeko at the center of the table. ”This is Takaki Saeko; daughter of Takaki Masao, and chuunin of Kumogakure. She’s my age, she drop-dead gorgeous; and I’m fairly sure she’s coming on to me.”

A roar of voices all shouted at Jo simultaneously. Eventually, the testosterone-pumped teenager part of him was able to shout over the rest. He was dressed in a muscle shirt and wearing a sideways baseball cap. ”Dude! You gotta hit dat!” Thankfully, a roar of indignant voices shouted him down; though it was the hopeless romantic in him that got in the next word. He was dressed in a tuxedo similar to the one Jo had on now, except he twirled a rose in his fingers and wore a top-hat.

”Ask her to dance, of course! The music is amazing, the atmosphere perfect; the timing is ripe!” A fist slammed on the table, causing everyone to turn and acknowledge the military portion of Jo’s sub conscious. He was dressed in parade dress, his headband tied firmly around his head.

”Damn it people! We’re on a freaking mission right now! Keep your heads in the game!

Testosterone Jo piped up; ”Dude, we’re trying; but you keep blockin’ it, dawg!” Roars of laughter filled the room until Military Jo threw a brick (don’t ask me where he got it, I DON’T KNOW) into Testosterone Jo’s teeth.

”Your other heads, smart-ass.”</I>

”Order! Order!” Jo pounded the gavel on the table as everyone started grabbing bricks (where the HELL are they getting those!?!?) and flinging them at each other. Everyone ashamedly put down their weapons and resumed order just in time for a deep, monotonic voice to speak up from the chair opposite Real Jo’s. It was the voice of Intellectual Jo; dressed in a tweed suit with leather elbow patches. ”Of course, we should be thinking about the mission, Military Jo; but just because we’re here for a purpose <B>doesn’t mean we can’t dance with the girl.” To everyone’s confused looks, the reasonable fraction continued. ”She’s a shinobi, a chuunin. She’s got more field experience than we do. She’ll probably pick up on things more quickly than we would. Besides, it would be safe to reveal our true identity to a fellow Kumo shinobi.” Everyone seemed to agree with Intellectual Jo in that regard; he’d even gotten on Testosterone and Romantic Jo’s good sides! ”However; let us not forget that she’s the daughter of our boss. Normally, getting romantically entangled with your employers child could get you fired; but if their father is the Sennin of the Main Branch of Kumogakure, it could get you killed… Horribly and painfully killed.” Everyone took that grave thought into consideration for a moment, flooding the room with silence until the gambler in Jo spoke up; his outfit complete with see-through green visor and green vest.

”A little risk sounds good to me! Lady Luck is golden! She favors the bold, don’cha know!” He threw the dice at Real Jo, the small cubes tumbling to a stop before him; a three and a four! ”So get out there and rock! And Roll the Bones! Get busy!” A cheer went up from the crowd of Jo’s around the table, all of them finally in agreement over the next course of action.

”Alright, after I talk to the Professor; I’ll ask her to dance! Meeting adjourned!” Real Jo swung the gavel down on the table with a loud clack!

UNPAUSE

All of the above happened in Jo’s head in the time it took to blink. He passed Saeko by, giving her a second glance (and another small smile if their eyes crossed again) before making his way to the base of the stairs. ”Ah, Professor Takenaka! It’s me, Saiken Jo, from your basic biology class last semester. I enjoyed your book on the amaranth plant. I can’t believe you got your work published in the semester you were gone!” Jo’s eyes bored into the Professors with the silent message to play along. Takenaka was intelligent enough to figure out what was up when someone he knew to be a shinobi was operating under an alias at an event such as this. ”Come, let me get you a glass of champagne! We’ll toast to your success and the Shoguns health.” What he said was fairly commonplace at a Ball thrown for the Shogun, but Jo hoped the Professor would pick up the serious undertones to Jo’s seemingly offhand comment. Thankfully, a waiter was walking by with a tray of champagne flutes, the which Jo retrieved two of without the man even realizing they were missing. Jo handed one to the Professor, speaking quietly so only the Doctor could hear him, the noise of the crowd and the music working to his benefit. ”Just play it cool, Professor. I need your help.” He was sure the man would be more than amicable. ”I can’t go into detail, but I require your scientific skills of observation. I’m new to these sort of big to-do’s, and I’m not sure what would stand out as something out of the ordinary. Have you heard any rumors that seemed to be more than just idle gossip? Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?”<i></i> Jo waited for a response before continuing. <I>”Thanks for your help, Doc. If you see anything else suspicious, please let me know.”

Jo noisily clinked the two flutes together and raised his glass; ”Cheers!” He said, returning his voice to normal volume and taking a sip from the glass. ”Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said, depositing the flute on the tray of another waiter who was walking by bearing a burden of dirty glasses. ”I have a matter of some importance to attend to.” He flicked his eyes over to Saeko to give the Professor his meaning before leaving the man to go about his business (or Jo’s, whichever one he felt more important).

As Jo approached the girl his heart suddenly jumped in his throat, pretending for all its worth that it was a fish out of water flopping about in his chest. Somehow during the meeting in his head, he had forgotten to listen to the mouse-sized version of him that stood on the edge of the table, shouting furiously in a failed attempt to get everyone’s attention; ”But I’m no good at talking to girls!” It was too late to turn back now, Jo had just arrived in front of her! Without thinking about how horrible he was at anything even remotely close to interacting with the opposite gender with any sort of romantic intent, Jo extended his hand to her and spoke; ”Dance with me?” He said, smiling his small smile that was more than a smirk but less than a grin. It was a question, but it was spoke with the confidence that Jo already knew the answer.

{OOC: Hey everybody! Sorry, but I completely forgot that I’m going on vacation next week until someone at work reminded me that I had requested the time off three or four months ago! I’m going on a cruise, so from 8/12-8/20, my world will consist; a cramped SUV bound for Florida, a cruise ship in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, and the island of Cozumel. None of which have internet that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to use. Sorry about the delay!}

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Ku-ru-mi!!! Tama inwardly screamed. Apparently she had the same idea that Tama's mother did, tradition over trends. And Kurumi had the gold to back it up. The Mochizuki were by no means poor, but had nowhere near the amount of capital the Marchioness' family did. So it was within reason that she could have a brand new kimono made out of the finest materials that money could buy. Tama's kimono was older, well-preserved, but still not as fashionable as Kurumi's. It could be considered an antique among kimono, more suited for the museum than everyday wear.

But what was she doing fretting over Kurumi, it was Shiri-tan's birthday, so he should be having fun. But it appeared to not be case. The long line of well-wishers and guests meant that he had most likely not left the dais at all. So he hasn't even eaten yet? Baka Kurumi, I obviously can't leave him with you. Not even seeing to his health. And so Tama began to formulate a plan to remove him from the dais without suspicion. But then stopped, because she thought to herself, Why does it have to be sneaky? Shiri-tan needs to eat, so his health and needs should come before any noble. Stashing his gift securely into her obi, she whisked herself off to the dais. Standing in line for what seemed like an eternity, she finally reached the throne.

"Konbanwa, Amicchin, Shiri-tan,...Kurumi...," she said when she approached the throne, "and happy birthday Shiri-tan! Have you eaten yet? Y'know it's bad for your health to skip out on eating, greeting nobles and stuff is probably important and all, but you shold take care of your body," as she said those words Tama actually got a good look at the uniformed Shiri-tan, toned muscles, the kind face, damn he looked good in crimson. Tama's face flushed as she continued to stammer out words, "A-Ahem, anyways, I'm going to borrow Shiri-tan for the moment, so he can rest and eat. I'm sure Kurumi is capable enough to deal with well-wishers until he finishes. I-It wouldn't do to have him fainting from hunger." He's gorgeous and looks so regal in that! Maybe my gift is a little too plain and childish after all, she thought of the gift tucked inside her obi. "So," Tama then would attempt to swap Shiranai with a clone of Shiranai and simultaneously make the real Shiranai invisible with her Photon jutsu.

If she succeeded she would smile and say to Ami and Kurumi, "I'll be back," and drag the invisible Shiranai towards the food tables to make him sit and eat.

And if she was prevented from doing this, she would then bow and take her leave, wondering how to give her gift to Shiranai. It was too personal to simply give and walk away, and she wanted to see his face when he saw it.

After whichever event at the dais occurred, Tama would amble around making small talk with some of the lesser nobility, and even some of the servants. She gave out a few more autographs, and kept an eye out for suspicious behavior among the never-ending line of well-wishers. It was around this time that she heard the name of the person she disliked the most, right after Hayata Makoro and Kurumi.

Daimyo Shiro Amakusa Ryuu ro Kaminari, of Seiryu no Me!

What's he doing here? After all he did to take the throne away from Shiri-tan, he still gets to keep his position and power? He's still a threat, a very dangerous threat, maybe I should take care of him right now... But then an image of Shiranai looking disappointed flashed through her head, No, I shouldn't. That would make me as bad as those Kingslayer guys, one of these days justice will catch up with him, and I will be there to see it. Still, she was going to have to talk to him eventually, so, "Hey there, Mr. I-would-have-been-Shogun-too-if-weren't-for-those-meddling-shinobi," Tama said, "I don't have much to say to you, and I know you probably neither remember nor care who I am. But let me make this clear, if anyone makes an attempt to take the throne away from Shiranai, I will end their threat, permanently. And that's not a threat, so Bodyguard-san can cool his heels for the moment. It's a fact." Normally, Tama would not have been so confrontational, especially since this was Shiri-tan's party, but the whole Kurumi thing was really bothering her. And there wasn't a thing she could do about it. The worst part of it was that she was hoping for an attack, so that she'd have an excuse to take Shiranai away from her. I am the worst, she thought.

Then her earpiece crackled to life, carrying Jo's words of encouragement. "Tama, do what you’ve gotta do to keep the Shogun safe. If that means you have to wipe the floor with that bitch on his arm, then so be it." That's right, first and foremost she was here to protect the man she loved. Even if it meant that she could never be the one by his side. She clapped her hands to her cheeks a couple of times, to snap herself out of the funk she had gotten herself into. Right so, if I draw everyone's attention, that will make it so anyone wanting to strike against Shiranai or another noble could make their move. And then Sleepy, Typical, and I can take 'em out. Tama made her way over to the orchestra to have a few words with the conductor, "Hey do you take requests?"

 

[Takahashi Ren]

I can't decide if he's secretly happy or if he wants to stab us... Ren eyed the Baron; he seemed...relaxed, to an extent. Much calmer than he'd been at their last meeting, but then again, it wasn't like he could cause a scene in this big of a crowd. She put him away for the time being, her attention caught by the blond boy at his side. He introduced himself as Jai-Mi and then - Ren just refrained from gagging - took her hand and kissed it.

He kissed her hand. This...this dude who was one, the son of the Baron she and Jo had stepped all over, and two, who looked too much like her. Like, to a stranger, Jai-Mi could've passed for Ren's older brother easily - they had the same coloring, and to anyone not paying attention, that was all it took to be blood-related. It freaked Ren out and the red flushing her cheeks had more to do with her being way out of her element than it did any embarrassment (though she wouldn't be surprised if Jai-Mi took that as encouragement). And, of course, he did, because the next words that came from Jai-Mi's mouth (after a mini-lecture on family and finances and blah) were a request for a dance.

Abort! Abort mission, I'm getting creepy vibes from this dude! Ren glanced quickly at Jo, only to find that her friend had thrown her into the lion's den and was now walking off to greet the Professor. And to make matters worse, he soon removed himself from the good Professor and walked to the Cloud nin who'd barked at him earlier. Ren had, for once, paid attention to the names being called out by the Herald, and it couldn't be a coincidence that the girl shared the same name as their Sennin.

Rest in peace, Jo, Ren thought, sparing a second to wish her friend well. If - no, when word got back to the Sennin about this, Jo would die. End of story.

"Um." Ren smiled vaguely at Jai-Mi, wondering if he was going to get up any time soon. She just couldn't do formal things well, and...yeah, he was freaking her out a little. She was all for believing that kids could overcome their parents' shortcomings, but something in her gut told her that Jai-Mi had the potential to be just as bad as his father. "I'd be delighted to, Jai-Mi-san," Ren said, inclining her head. Her earpiece crackled in tune with her movement, and with her face down no one would be able to see the fierce frown on her face as Jo told her to stick around the blond heir. It was a good plan, a great plan, she just...got a bad vibe from him, was all.

But this was still a mission, so as much as she disliked it (and she greatly, greatly disliked it), Ren would have to do anything and everything to ensure its success. So she put another smile on her face, this one smaller but more genuine, and said, "This may be forward, Jai-Mi-san, but please call me Ren. Takekura-sama is reserved for my grandfather, you see, and I would rather not be compared to him today."

Not that her grandfather was alive, but details, details. Ren needed to keep Jai-Mi talking, and while she doubted he'd be so stupid as to let something slip - everything that came out of his mouth seemed, to her at least, polished, like he'd chosen his words beforehand - she could try to garner a few pieces of information. Jo was right about the Rannistahs having connections, and those connections could have only improved after the Baron became the Count; if anyone was going to do something profoundly stupid tonight, then it was safe to assume the Rannistahs would know something about it.

First, though, she'd have to get through this dance thing without ruining Jai-Mi's feet forevermore. Though, Ren mused, if her vibes turned out to be right, maybe it would okay if she 'accidentally' broke a few toes here and there.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Wow, this took a long time to write, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Sections of the dialogue were written by the participants in the mission and included here as an integrated piece. I moved around the timing of Tama's jutsu a little bit to accommodate the narrative. Jo is on vacation until 8/20, however Ren and Tama, if you guys post during this time I'll respond to you guys and Jo can catch up later.

Also, this is not in keeping with the overall theme of 80's ballroom but the song was so awesome I had to include it when I re-listened to it:

The Cult: She Sells Sanctuary

Jo​

Takanaka Shigeru’s eyebrows raised in confusion for a brief moment as Jo sauntered up to him playing the role of an inebriated graduate student from Lightning National, however the professor quickly got the message, demonstrating that in order to survive in the cutthroat world of academia, one had to have a similar set of skills to that necessary to survive the intrigues of court.

“To Shogun-sama’s health!” loudly toasted the professor, tossing back the flute of bubbly after clinking his glass on Jo’s. “Ah, of course, Saiken-kun, we couldn’t have published the research without your aid! Although I have to ask you to refrain from burning down any more of my lab space, hear?” he added, playfully, as he expertly played the fool and listened to Jo’s whispers. To the genin’s query, he subtly shook his head at first, but as Jo was about to leave, he quickly tapped him on the shoulder.

“Oh, about the seminar, you forgot to hand in your schedule…” began Shigeru, before leaning in to whisper, feigning that the noise of the crowd was too much. ”I’m no linguist, just a farmer at heart with a fancy degree, but I’m picking up a lot of Hangul being spoken by the kitchen staff and hosts,” he said, referencing the native language of Marsh and Bear. ”They’re saying a lot of what sounds like the words for ‘death’ and ‘accident’. ‘Jug-ida’ and ‘sago’ are the words. Be extremely careful. Good luck!”

And with that, Jo bade his silent thanks and continued on to a pressing task – perhaps not as important for the sake of national security, but of paramount importance to a boy of sixteen. He was to ask one Takaki Saeko, who happened to share the same name as the Sennin of the Main Branch: ”Dance with me?”

Saeko's face formed into a smirk as she regarded Jo. "You...want to dance...with me?" she asked, peering at his face over the tops of her glasses. For what seemed like a long time, she stayed silent, as if to tease him with uncertainty. "Well, I don't hate guys like you, but I'm at work right now," she said, tilting her head toward the Khal and his wife. "Besides, I'm dressed more like one of the waitstaff than a debutante. Wouldn't it draw too much attention...Merces Letifer?"

The awkward silence after Saeko's comment had Jo's stomach tied in knots, though on the outside he looked cool as a cucumber. I there was one thing they taught at the Academy, it was how to put on a poker face. "It would draw more attention if I didn't ask a beautiful young lady to dance. We are at a Ball, after all." Jo wasn't even phased by the fact that she knew who he was. Her dad probably filled her in on the details and assigned her to keep an eye on them while performing her bodyguard duties. "Besides, we'd still be working. All that twirling about will give us a 360 degree view of the room without being too obvious." Jo's small smile turned into a grin. "Not to mention that you put even the most elegantly dressed debutantes to shame." Hey, every girl wanted to be told they were pretty; and Jo wasn't even lying.

Her eyebrows raised involuntarily at the sheer brashness of the young man who faced her. For a boy who was her junior in rank, age, and power, he was tenacious for sure. “Ara ara,” she chuckled sardonically, although she did so more to suppress the urge to blush a bit at his compliment. “Your tongue must be made of silver, or your mother a Hashigaki, to be such a smooth talker. Tell me, does that little blonde girlfriend of yours know you’re flirting hard enough to make Mochizuki Tama blush?” she asked, looking over at Ren. “Then again, as I said, I don’t necessarily hate guys like you…as long as you have something to offer,” she said, brushing the back of her hand against the front of his trousers. “Hmm, maybe I will waltz with you. But just once, then back to work. The Khal isn’t exactly a loveable sort.”

Jo smiled, the compliments rolling off him like water off a ducks back. Jo could tell before the words came out of her mouth that there was a cleverly disguised jibe on its way. ’And there it is!’ He thought with a twinge of guilt at the mention of Ren. Jo liked Ren, maybe a little more than he should; but as of now, she was just a friend. ”Ah, you mean Ren? She seems busy enough entertaining Count Rannistahs’ son.” He played it cool, at least until she started touching him below the belt. It reminded him of the game “Are You Nervous;” a classic at parties with his classmates at the Academy and his old school before that.

Jo was never popular enough to get invited to those parties. As such, he wasn’t used to any sort of stimuli that he didn’t cause himself. ’Baseball! Grandma! Dead kittens! Sennin Masao!... Oh thank Raiden! That last one did the charm!’ Jo thought as he fought for control of his body and won, preventing any embarrassing tent-pitching. However, if she had brushed the right spot, she still would’ve encountered something long and hard in his pants.

Realizing that it would be difficult to conceal the PPK with the suppressor attached, he had hastily removed it from the bolter and tucked it into his pants before exiting the carriage where was safely concealed in his underwear in a way that wouldn’t show. He grinned wolfishly at the Sennin’s daughter. ”All I’m offering right now is a dance. Maybe when we’re not so busy we could discuss this further.” Jo resisted the urge to make her an offer she’d probably refuse. ’She’s taken the bait, you hooked her with the compliments, now it’s time to pull back and let her come to you.’ Jo thought as he offered her his arm and led her to the dance floor. Once there, he turned to face her, taking her left hand in his right, and placing his right hand on her hip. In the brief moment before the next song began Jo looked deep into Saeko’s eyes. He silently thanked his mother for the dancing lessons, and begged her forgiveness for everything else.

Then he pulled Saeko in close; very close.

The music started.

’Finally, a worthy opponent.’ He thought, doing his best to concentrate on the crowd while still giving the beauty before him the attention she deserved. Using the music and motion of the dance to his advantage, Jo spoke to Saeko in the veil of privacy the Ball so willingly offered. ”So, why are you really here?” He asked pointedly, his face a gentle smile, but his tone more businesslike. ”A man that size and an ex Jounin seem perfectly capable of protecting themselves.” He would let her speak her piece, mentally preparing some interesting quip or jibe to counter any she might throw at him. ”Being that close to someone so important must be very interesting, I’ll bet you’ve heard all sorts of things.” Was Jo talking about the Khal, or her father? Jo let her decide that one for herself. ”Anything I should know about before I go trying to get myself killed?”

“Daddy might not like it if I were to hook up with one of his minions,” Saeko murmured playfully as he drew her in close for a dance. “Even if that’s a really thick suppressor in your pants,” she chuckled. This one was young and brash, but there was a refreshing air of culture and knowledge about him, unlike many of the male shinobi she knew back in the village, of Kagoshiman bravos she dealt with on a daily basis back in Vaes Okaya. Their main motivation in life seemed to be composed of the words “Fight” “Kill” and “Drink”, and truth be told, she was tired of such boorishness. It was the one thing in common that she shared with her mother, Santaru Rin, even though everything else was different.

“Ah, you ask why I’m really here. You mean it isn’t to be hit on by you? That’s a surprise,” she snorted. “The truth is more mundane than you think, shounen. I am actually the Khaleesi’s adjutant and bodyguard for the President. While he is a fearsome foe in battle, he’s not a shinobi, and Kimura-san isn’t as strong a fighter as she used to be. Also, I wanted to get away from the former ANBU Sennin, which is another story in and of itself,” she murmured. “As far as interesting tidbits, well, my area of expertise is mainly Kagoshiman politics, although I will tell you, that the powerful are always dogged by the same issues and threats, no matter who takes up the title. The Bear Queen will arrive soon, and she will draw her own share of trouble just by being here. They say she wishes to ask for an alliance with Lightning and there are plenty of people in this room who would hate for that to happen. And it’s easy for some agent from Marsh to slip into the kitchens or bathrooms. But, that’s not really my concern. My mission is to protect the Khaleesi and the Khal,” she said, essentially telling him he was on his own.

“Oh, and about the Queen’s offer of alliance. What’s the best way to cement those things? With, well, this,” she said, this time deftly slipping her hand into the front of his pants. She lingered there, long enough that he would not be able to will his natural reaction away with any thoughts, no matter how appalling. ”I see you pack a NeoKonoha PPK, 7.65 by 17 millimetres. Not the largest caliber ever developed, but it’s shot placement that really matters. Maybe you’ll show me later how well you can use it,” she whispered throatily in his ear, her breath tickling his auricle and running down the nape of his neck. As a final touch, she bit his lobe gently before pushing him away as the music stopped. Smirking at his no-doubt flustered state, she curtsied to him. “Thank you for the dance!” she said, before turning to rejoin her group.

Ren​

"This may be forward, Jai-Mi-san, but please call me Ren. Takekura-sama is reserved for my grandfather, you see, and I would rather not be compared to him today,” said the blond-haired girl who was doing her best to put forth the appearance of a highborn lady, as opposed to a mudrat-turned-human-weapon-of-mass-destruction. Her companion was the eldest son of a newly powerful and rich family, but he for some reason had asked her to dance out of any of the hundreds of women at the ball who no doubt regarded the young kunoichi with a mix of envy and hatred.

"Of course, Ren. And please, simply call me Jai-Mi," said the blond-haired Rannistah scion as he led her to the dance floor, where dozens of couples whirled in tune with a pop-styled waltz. "If I can be so bold, I assume you've never actually studied formal dance?" he asked kindly, perhaps picking up on some subtle trepidation from his partner as they neared the edge of the seeming human maelstrom.

"You caught me," Ren said with another smile as she was led to the dance floor. Truth be told, she vaguely knew the waltz - which she blamed on her mother's random bouts of nostalgia - but the more she appeared to be a simpleton, the less Jai-Mi would suspect her of being anything else. "Tell me about your sister," she asked impulsively, glancing up at him. "If I keep my mouth occupied I should be less likely to trample your feet," she explained with a laugh. That much was true, and also...she'd never bothered to learn about Rannistah's family, and now was a good a chance as any.

“It’s okay, the waltz is an easy thing to pick up, and I’ll lead us. I consider a trampled foot or two the price of admission for the company of such a fascinating woman as you,” he said, grinning at her as he wrapped his right arm around her waist and gently grasped her free hand with his. Into the whirling storm of dancers they plunged, but as Ren would find out, there was more order than chaos in this hurricane. Jai-Mi effortlessly steered them away from collisions, his feet finding purchase securely even as they shifted in quarter-beat time with the rhythm of the orchestra. If she stepped on his foot occasionally, he showed no sign of it, not even a grimace. “So you want to know about Sera-Sei? Well, what can I say? She’s my darling imouto by a few seconds, as we’re really fraternal twins. In truth, I might actually be the otouto, but she’d still call me ‘Nii-chan,’” he chuckled, although not unkindly. “Her temper flares easily, and she may be unkind to others, but she’s the type of girl who will feed me cookies fresh out of the oven while insisting at the same time that she simply made too many and that it’s not like she made them for me or anything. I think that’s called a tsundere, if I remember correctly. To tell you the truth, I sometimes wonder if she’s got a mild brother complex,” he sighed, before looking back at Ren with interest. “Now, I’ve told you about Sera-Sei. Tell me about you. I know that your surname is false, but don’t worry, I won’t blow your cover, and neither will father. We never forget our debts, after all. I want to know, is being a shinobi fun? And also…are you dating that boy from earlier? You know, the somewhat typical-looking one.”

As expected, Ren did step on Jai-Mi's foot, just seconds after he took the lead and directed her through the chaos. She glanced up quickly, an apology on her lips, but found that Jai-Mi's face was as serene as it had been before. So instead, Ren grinned sheepishly and listened as he talked about his sister. They were twins, she found out, and from the way he described her - like she was someone he knew absolutely everything about, down to her deepest secret - Ren could tell they were as close as could be. That was nice; he'd more or less confirmed to her that he was dedicated to his sister, and that his sister took after her father.

"Uh." She twitched, stepping on his foot again as Jai-Mi brought up her name and wanted to know more about her. Shinobi Ren. Wasn't she supposed to be the one interrogating him, here? "I'm...not in a position to answer that," Ren said carefully; it was the truth, in more ways than one, and it was all she would be telling Jai-Mi. "And as for your debts, Jai-Mi-san... I can tell you that you should never tell a shinobi you're indebted to them." She smiled at him, serenely. "You might just get in over your head, you know."

It'd be easy - too easy - to ask him then and there, in the cover of all of these twirling bodies, what he knew about potential assassinations. Men like Rannistah had their pride, and no doubt his son had inherited that; he would tell Ren something, and she could slip away to confirm or deny its authenticity. But better, she thought, to hold onto that debt for a worst-case scenario situation. If she wasted it now (because, while she didn't know Jai-Mi, she did recognize that Rannistah saw a debt as a transaction, not a partnership), then it'd probably come around to bite her later.

"And about, um, the typical one," Ren added, latching onto the change in subject, "he's just an old friend. I...don't think he's overly fond of being called typical, though."

Jai-Mi flinched inwardly as Ren’s weight did come to bear on his feet time after time. She had not lied about being inexperienced with social dances, and for that matter, she was heavier than she seemed, even with the weight of her balldress on. Perhaps it was all of the chakra circulating inside of her that made her so, he mused inwardly.

“If I may be so bold, Ren, I am…relieved to hear that about you and your friend. It’s hard to believe, but I am perceived as a foolish dandy by some, and queer by others, since I don’t go around carousing with girls or try to lift chambermaid skirts at every opportunity like my peers. And while it is hard to court with an imouto like Sera-Sei occupying my time, in truth I am simply not very interested in most women. But I am interested in you, as a woman, not just as a shinobi,” he said, looking at her with surprisingly genuine green eyes. “We Rannistahs remember our debts – that doesn’t mean we’re in a rush to pay them off as quickly as possible. Sometimes, I might want to get in over my head for the right person,” he said as the last chords of the waltz died down, to be replaced by applause from the crowd. He bowed to her as they separated. “Thank you for your time, Ren. Be careful here, whatever your task is. I hope I can see you again in less formal circumstances,” he said, smiling. Suddenly, a dusky-haired girl in a white ballgown trimmed with Rannistah crimson bowled into him, almost causing him to fall.

If Cersei Lannister was a 2D imouto, this would be her theme song. Listen to this with HEADPHONES, for your own sakes.​

“Onii-chan!” she pouted angrily at him. “Where were you, you baka!? Father said you’d run off with some ‘snarky little bitch’ and I searched all over for you! But it-it-it’s not like I was worried about you or anything! I just wanted to prevent something perverted from happening! Seriously, where is this girl you were drooling all over? Baka baka hentai! Seriously, you should just marry me, I’ll keep you out of trouble, stupid nii-nii…” she whined. Jai-Mi’s eyes met Ren’s for the last time, and the message was clear: Please, for your own sake, don’t say a thing. If she starts scheming against you, no one will be safe!

“Sei-Sei-chan, I don’t know what you’re talking about! There’s no one here lovelier than you! Now, let’s find Father and tell him I’m okay. Hey, would you like to see the Shogun?” he said, gently leading her away from Ren. As they disappeared in the crowd, Ren could still overhear their conversation.

“Eew, Shiranai-sama? If I married him he’d just turn really fat and grow a beard, and then I’d have to share a bed with onii-chan…”

“Sei-sei-chan, you read too much ‘Game of Drones…’”

Tama​

In truth, Shiranai had seen her long before she stood in front of him to be formally received, and by the time he greeted him, it was everything he could do not to burst off of the Throne, rush down to where she was, and envelop her in a savage embrace. Ami had realized what was going on as well, her sharp eyes picking up on Tama’s slow approach down the line even as she continued to caress the Countess Bakunin’s thigh under the table with one hand while feeding her bits of stewed Direboar with the other. And if Ami noticed, so had the Marchioness Lee Karubin, who hated her own name and preferred to be called Kurumi. As Shiranai’s muscles tensed at Tama’s approach, Kurumi dug her beautifully manicured nails deeply into his forearm to preventing him from succumbing to temptation, and hoping perhaps to wipe the smile off of his face.

"Konbanwa, Amicchin, Shiri-tan,...Kurumi...," said Tama without any pretense of formality (one might have usually addressed Shiranai as “Shogun-sama” or “Your Grace”, the Chancellor as “Your Excellency”, and the Marchioness as “My Lady” at the very least), causing Kurumi’s jaw to drop briefly and Ami to giggle despite her best efforts to remain stoic (sake had that effect, and there was a lot of it being served). "…and happy birthday Shiri-tan! Have you eaten yet? Y'know it's bad for your health to skip out on eating, greeting nobles and stuff is probably important and all, but you should take care of your body," said Tama cheerfully, albeit still totally flaunting the rules of normal court interaction.

“H-how dare you address His Majesty so…intimately?!” fumed Kurumi, balling her fists and fighting the urge to rise up herself and pull Tama’s hair and ruin her Kimono. Shiranai himself, however, reacted differently.

“Kurumi-chan, it’s okay! I told her she could call me by the name…” he protested to her, before smiling at Tama. “Tama-chan! Welcome to the ball! I really wanted to see you again! I still…” He stopped, realizing that if he completed his sentence, that even he would not be able to prevent bloodshed. A warning look from Ami also helped. He might have been a character in a shounen-demographic setting, but he wasn’t completely oblivious, or unable to pick up on obvious social cues. I still remember what we said to each other, and it’s still true! “Ah, thank you for coming and for worrying about my health!” he said, maintaining a smile despite a growing tightness in his chest.

“Mochizuki-chan, we are always honored by the presence of Kumogakure. Please, express our gratitude to the Raikage for sending his envoy, and let Hayata-sama know that I always want for his company,” said Ami graciously, but also earning herself a small kick under the table from her companion.

“Anata! Don’t you have other guests to greet? You can order your shinobi to your side at any time, but others here might take offense,” said Kurumi with a smile, putting up her own façade quickly.

But before either Ami or Shiranai could think up a response, the Mochizuki really dropped the bomb right there: "A-Ahem, anyways, I'm going to borrow Shiri-tan for the moment, so he can rest and eat. I'm sure Kurumi is capable enough to deal with well-wishers until he finishes. I-It wouldn't do to have him fainting from hunger."

“That…that will not do!” protested Kurumi…

[Khal of the North]​

“I will abide,” rang out a deep voice from behind them. Heads turned to identify the source, who towered seven feet tall behind Tama, with shoulders as wide as an ox’s, and with an exotic-looking, silvery-haired woman by his side. Daisuke Date, the Khal of the Kagoshimans to the north, who had broken away from Kaminari no Kuni after a bloody, hundred-year-long insurgency rumored to have been aided by Cloud shinobi. Although his official title was “President,” it was merely an affectation that the nomadic horse-archer people had adopted to appear more “civilized” to the softer peoples down south. He continued: “A man who does not feast on the eve of battle only deserves defeat. And meanwhile, I would be honored to entertain such a lovely young maiden as yourself, Marchioness Kurumi.”

“Why, Khal Date-sama, how gracious of you,” said Ami to the man, rising and bowing to him. “And Khaleesi Rei-sama, it is a pleasure to see you again in person,” she said to the woman, who curtsied back. “Yes, I believe we can take a break for now, and let His Grace take some refreshment on his birthday. Mochizuki-chan, if you would…”

A brief flash of hatred flashed over Kurumi’s face as she swept her gaze over Tama, but was quickly replaced with a smile as she stepped down from her spot on the dais to talk with the Khal. Shiranai’s face wore relief as he finally bounded down to get to Tama’s side. Before he could do so, however, the Khaleesi, whose name was Kimura Rei, gently took Tama’s hand to gain her attention.

“Mochizuki-chan,” she said, in a voice suffused with ethereal beauty that seemed to only reach Tama’s ears. “Good luck with him,” she said, winking at Shiranai as he approached. “And please, give my regards to Masao-kun. He and I were once lovers, many moons ago.” She smiled mysteriously and went to rejoin her husband and Kurumi. Shiranai breathlessly sidled up next to Tama, squeezing her hands because he could not simply embrace her out in public.

“Hey…” he said, gasping for air. “Tama-chan, make me invisible for a bit, please. Otherwise we won’t get a moment’s peace. I’ll be by your side,” he said, blushing.

The invisibility jutsu passed without a moment’s notice, and soon the Shogun blinked out of existence in public with no one watching. Tama wound her way around the tables with the choicest hors-d’oeuvres, Shiranai sticking close to her and making morsels of food disappear into thin air. As they did so, the Shogun’s ragged physical state started to improve, and soon he was feeling more like himself.

“Tama-chan, I still remember what we said to each other last time. I still want you by my side. In truth, though, I feel bad for Kurumi-chan. She was promised to me by the Chancellor, you see. And I think…I think she also likes me too. She’s not a bad person either, just…”

The announcement of the Daimyo Ryuu’s arrival ended that train of thought, and soon the two were face to face with the Lizardly Lord who had once led an army of a million mercenaries against the bakufuu itself, and against Shiranai’s hopes for the throne. He still looked imposing, and no less sinister than when Tama had first met him on board the ill-fated Raiden’s Breath. Even his style of dress was similar to that time, in that he wore a three-piece suit with a fine ermine overcoat, and carried a snake-headed cane. He had apparently gained some weight, but that was the only change. The dour bodyguard who had accompanied him then also accompanied him now, but gave no indication of familiarity with the Mochizuki. In response to Tama’s greeting, the Daimyo merely drew back his thin, faint-pink lips to reveal a row of sharp, shark-like teeth. His bodyguard’s hand tensed near where the hold-out bolter was holstered inside of a suitjacket, but did not proceed to draw the weapon.

“Oh, I remember you well enough from our little train ride. A true pity about that Hayata Makoro,” he said, leaving the rest unspoken but obvious. A true pity he didn’t complete the job of killing you… “But not to fear, I am a loyal subject of His Grace. And we have nothing more to say to each other, shinobi,” he said, moving…almost slithering past her.

“Tama-chan, thank you,” murmured Shiranai, giving her hand a squeeze with his. As the orchestra wound down its latest waltz, the conductor bowed to the applauding crowd, before announcing that there would be a quick break. As he stepped down from his podium, Tama’s hand found his sleeve and tugged.

“Normally we do not, however it is not every day we get to accompany a Mochizuki. I will play my instruments, as long as you do with yours as well,” said the man, winking at her response to a request or three. “What will you sing?”

As Tama made her requests, however, the hall suddenly quieted, and not because of Tama. With the temporary cessation of the music from the orchestra, the Herald’s voice was now clearly heard throughout the entire ballroom, and there was not a soul who could claim to have missed it.

“Her Majesty Queen Haninozuka Ekaterina the First, of the Serene Kingdom of Bear!”

At the top of the steps, a true spectacle unfolded as the Queen herself now made her appearance and descended. Although one might have initially thought that the Herald’s announcement would mean a single woman, it really meant a single woman and a very large retinue. On either side of her, on every step were men of the Queensguard, two abreast, armored with heavy silken doublets, slashed “puffed” pants, and gleaming gold-plated cuirasses and morion helmets. Each of them carried a gleaming, silvery two-handed flamberge, which was drawn and held out to form a “roof” over her as she passed underneath. Following her were men and women in both modern-style suits as well as the traditional hanbok of the Serene Kingdom, most likely ministers and ambassadors. The Queen herself, surprisingly, was a tiny thing in comparison, her stature and figure comparable to Ren’s, even though Ekaterina was actually eighteen years of age. Her emerald-colored gown, with its trailing tresses and gilded plate attachments, as well as the traditional headdress of Bear royalty, almost seemed to swallow her up entirely. However, she walked with dignity and grace, self-assurance permeating her every move.

The crowd of onlookers oohed and aahed and gasped, craning their necks to get a better view of the young sovereign, who had ascended to the Bear Throne in the wake of her father’s assassination. The fact that Cloud shinobi had been present at the event and that two of them had even been sentenced to a slow death in a frozen gulag up north made her arrival all the more compelling. For a seeming eternity, the young monarch was the unrivaled star of this show.

And yet if there was one thing that Ren and Jo and even Tama had been taught to do, it was to pay attention to details even in the presence of distraction. It was Jo’s eye that caught it first – two of the waitstaff who seemed to not pay attention to the Queen’s arrival, and instead, leaned in to whisper to each other tersely. At the distance he was between them, young Narashi could not make out what they were saying, but the expressions on their faces and the tension in their gestures was a dead giveaway that something was afoot. If he subtly moved closer to them, he would be able to make out a single word, spoken in Hangul: jug-ida.

As Ren’s eyes scanned the crowd, she also noticed something amiss. It had caught her eye while she was dancing with Jai-Mi Rannistah before, she had attributed the sight to vertigo from their waltz. As she had looked upwards by chance, she had noticed that one of the chandeliers overhanging the Shogun’s dais, right in front of the Throne, was much duller than the others, and seemed to hang lower and by a thinner chain. It bothered her from a social sense. These people were rich, stupidly rich, and this ball probably cost money that could have fed most of the country for months on end. So why was their lighting so crappy? The damned thing looked like it might fall from the ceiling at any time…

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Tama was about to have a few choice words with the Marchioness when the deep voice from behind her did it for her. This gave the man, the Khal of Kagoshima, instant respect points in Tama's eyes. Whether he knew it or not, he had made a friend in Mochizuki Tama that day. She saw Kurumi's hate-filled gaze and returned it with one of triumph. But before Shiranai was hers again, she was quietly approached by the Khal's wife.

EHH!?!? Barfight-sennin's lover?!?! she thought to herself to shocked to say anything. But the young chuunin filed that information away for later. It would be fun to grill the old man for the details. The woman's words contributed to the growing balloon of happiness growing within her. Maybe she could give her gift to Shiri-tan after all, things were going so well. She guided Shiri-tan around the tables, in a state of bliss.

Still nothing was perfect, after all. “Tama-chan, I still remember what we said to each other last time. I still want you by my side. In truth, though, I feel bad for Kurumi-chan. She was promised to me by the Chancellor, you see. And I think…I think she also likes me too. She’s not a bad person either, just…”

Then her encounter with that snake of Daimyo happened, the tension between the two was nearly thick enough to cut with a knife. The daimyo's bodyguard seemed to want to do just that, but thought better of it.

It doesn't matter if she's not a bad person, she sulked inwardly as she thought about Shiranai's words as she spoke to the conductor, and the reason I have a problem is because she likes you. The only words that quietly slipped from her mouth after she had finished conversing with the man and was back next to Shiranai were, "You only have to look at me, baka." It was selfish of her, but it was what Tama wanted more than anything else. She realized she said it out loud, and turned beet red. She had barely whispered it, and the party was noisy, so she hoped that Shiranai didn't hear her. She didn't think he would appreciate such a selfish attitude.

But Tama had no chance to find out whether or not Shiranai had heard her at all. The spotlight was soon stolen by the arrival of the Queen of Bear country. She's the reason Barfight-sennin couldn't play with me. And by that she meant, was not able to throw fireballs, lightning storms, wind gusts, large boulders, and the like at her. She still didn't know what exactly happened, but Tama knew it had something to do with Bear country. That and Shiri-tan didn't need to be surrounded by anymore, rich, powerful, and beautiful girls. Kurumi was enough of a pain without any further interferences. But hopefully, she was just here for formalities and such, and then would leave and not bother them anymore.

But then Tama saw Typical-kun staring at a pair of the wait staff suspiciously, and then saw Ren peering quizzically at the chandelier. She couldn't tell what exactly was wrong with either situation but something was up, and it didn't take long for Tama to put two and two together. "Shiri-tan, do you know where most of your serving staff comes from, particularly any of the newer serving staff?" After hearing his response, she would think for a minute. "Queen Nekomimi is probably in danger. Maybe. Possibly." Not to mention she is preventing me from singing for Shiri-tan! She radioed Jo and Ren, "Typical-kun, tail those suspicious characters you're staring at be prepared to apprehend them. Make sure to knock them out quickly before they do something stupid like use posion molars to kill themselves. Sleepy-chan, once Typical-kun is in position, remove we're gonna do some electrical work. Cut the chain supporting that chandelier you've been gazing at, and I'll take care of the rest," she clicked the radio off, "Shiri-tan I need you to do something for me. Protect Queen Nekomimi. I'm sure Amicchi would agree, we can't have her dying here. And no matter what happens I will make sure you're safe," she said, pressing a warp tag into his hands, "You remember these right, as long as you have it I can appear by your side in an instant, I had my brother make some for me they're really useful. I'll try to maintain the invisibility for as long as I can, but it will be less effective if you're in combat, or I'm too far away. I promise I'll sing for you once this is all over." Tama started to move to get into position when she turned and quickly dashed back to Shiranai, "I love you, Shiri-tan! Don't forget that!"

Tama's plan was simple, Jo was to quickly dispatch as many of the suspicious wait staff as possible, at the same time Ren would cut the chain on the rigged chandelier. Then Tama would catch the chandelier and jump with it out of the window. Her goal was to dump it into the moat that surrounding the palace. It's not that far of a fall, I've done it before. Not while carrying a sparking mess of a lighting fixture, but still it shouldn't be that difficult.

As she approched the dais she said to those present, "So some stuff might be happening, but don't worry, I have it under control." Or I hope I do. Some questions about Shiranai would inevitably follow, and Tama asnwered them with, "I gave Shiri-tan a mission! He's perfectly safe!" To Ami in particular she said, "At the very least, I will die before he will." Her cheerful expression and tone of voice remained throughout this entire conversation.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Jo listened as he danced, mentally parrying her pointed words so as to protect his ego; but no amount of mental preparation could have prepared him for Saeko slipping her hand down his pants. It took every ounce of his mental capacity to keep a straight face and continue dancing, though he couldn’t help but blush a little at the warm hand touching the most honest part of him (the which had reacted as it naturally should have). A fire flared up within him, a burning desire that had been only a spark before; now Saeko’s touch had fanned it into a raging inferno. He wanted her; wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything else in his life. She wasn’t just physically stimulating, she was also a mental enigma; not to mention the forbidden fruit turn-on as the Sennin’s daughter. For a moment he forgot where he was and why he was there, and all that mattered was the girl in front of him.

Then she spoke again, her words shaking him out of his momentary revere. ’I’m at the Shogun’s Ball, I’m on a mission to protect him and the Bear Queen, I’m dancing with the Sennin’s daughter… and I can’t think of a single intelligent come back for what she just said!’ He thought to himself. ’Just roll with it!’ His grin returned to that same small soft smile of his. ”I’m a good shot.” That was all he could come up with. The nibble on his ear sealed his fate as the song stopped and she pushed him away. He bowed deeply to his dance partner; partly to disguise his embarrassing state, but mostly to concede defeat to his very worthy opponent. ”The pleasure was all mine.” He said before turning and disappearing quickly into the crowd.

Once he was hidden by the fog of bodies he began moving quickly to one of the refreshment tables. He found what he was looking for in a large crystal bowl filled with ice and an assortment of glass bottles. Quickly grabbing a beer, he pressed the icy-cold container to his carotid artery, leaning heavily on the table to, again, hide his frustrated state until the sudden rush of cold blood coupled with thoughts about being gutted alive for his insolence by Masao released him from the shackles of his manhood. Once his mind was cleared (and his dignity restored) a wave of guilt washed over him. Most of it was aimed at him being so distracted while on the job. Hell, he’s only a fourteen year-old kid! Anyone else in his situation would’ve reacted the same way unless they were either dead or swinging for the other team. Another reason for his feelings of remorse was Ren. She was just a friend, but Jo had feelings for her too. Though, honestly; he’s a teenage boy, every other girl he see’s will attract his attention. Ren was different; their bond was one of blood, sweat and tears gained through surviving the Academy together. She was his best friend (really, his only friend). He didn’t want to do anything that would hurt her. ’Pull yourself together, man! Ren wouldn’t give two flying rats’ asses about that. Hell, she’d probably just laugh her ass off and start planning your funeral since Masao’s going to kill you for this. Now straighten up and get back to work!’

Jo put the bottle of beer back in the ice and stood up straight, popping his neck and rolling his shoulders while straightening his jacket and tie. Just as he finished properly setting himself up mentally and physically, Jo heard the Herald call out the arrival of the queen. All the pomp and fanfare was so garish it made even Jo blink a couple of times in surprise at its foolishness. Everyone was watching the Queen descend the steps and walk beneath the roof of sharpened steel; everyone but those two waiters… Jo’s instincts kicked in immediately, and he slowly made his way over to them, picking up the Hangul word for “death” as he did. Red flags immediately shot up in Jo’s mind as he quickly formulated a plan and grabbed the nearest glass of red wine. Tama-sama’s voice piped up in his earpiece as he began his approach. ’Already on it…’ He whispered. ’They can’t do anything life threatening if they aren’t conscious.’

Jo’s plan of action went into motion immediately thereafter. Taking on the role of a gawking noble trying to get a good look at the Queen by moving around the back of the crowd and peering between heads, Jo turned and “accidentally” stumbled right into the two waiters, spilling the red wine he was carrying all over their white shirts. ”Gah! You insolent buffoons!” Jo said indignantly in his best slightly-tipsy holier-than-thou voice. ”Watch where you’re going, would you?! Oh, for Raidens sake! You’ve gone and spilled wine all over my shirt!” Jo motioned down to the single small drop that had landed just above his cummerbund. How Jo was able to so skillfully douse those two while only getting a single drop on himself was a mystery even to him. ”I can’t be seen by her majesty like this! What would Lord Shiranai think if his nobles were so embarrassingly sloppy? You must get me some club soda and a towel and help me clean this up this instant! Well, don’t just stand there! Take me in the back! I can’t let my colleagues see me like this, I’ll be a laughing stock!” Jo planned on forcing them to take him to the kitchens or at least a back room with much pushing and prodding and threats on their jobs and other such nonsense he was sure nobles like Rannistah would say. ”Walk in front of me will you? Block everyones view of me so they can’t see this stain!”

Jo’s plan? Force them to lead him down a back hall where he could dispatch them quickly if they decided of cause trouble. With them walking in front of him, he had several options to take advantage of. His personal favorite was to grab them by the backs of their heads and jamb his thumbs up into their foramen magnums. With the right application of pressure, they’d be knocked out for at least long enough to tie them up and stuff them into a linen or broom closet. If that didn’t work, there was always the good-old one-two punch. Jo might not be very skilled in the chakra arts, but hand-to-hand combat was something he excelled at. Steel-toed boots could always arc out in an uncalled-for-shot if need be.

If he couldn’t force them away from the Queen, with his arrogant-noble routine, then at least he could distract them and was close enough to act if the shit hit the fan.

{MFT: 1143}

 

[Takahashi Ren]

She's...she's like a scary version of the secretary. Ren stared at the girl who'd all but jumped Jai-Mi; she could only be his sister, one who was apparently a little infatuated with her brother and had no problems with letting him know. She also managed to call Ren a snarky bitch in the same sentence, but that rolled off Ren's back like water - Ren had called herself worse many, many times. Still, she glanced at Jai-Mi to check if this was an everyday occurrence, and found that he was silently pleading with her to not say anything or draw attention to herself.

Considering that Ren had no desire to be the subject of a younger sister's wrath, she nodded minutely and kept an amused grin off her face as the siblings were whisked into the crowd. Jai-Mi's words rung in her ears as she stepped off the dance floor; not so much the part about him being 'interested' in her (yeah, that she could do without - life didn't need to be complicated and she certainly wasn't going to invite complications), but what he'd said about his family. That debt had been hard earned, and if it wasn't paid off tonight...then she was sure it would come in handy some day. Maybe soon, maybe not; but it was a good trump card to have, and the thought of it lifted her spirits a little.

Like, if someone pisses me off, I can send a Baron's - or whatever he is now - troops to fight for me. Hell yeah! Instant victory! Snickering, Ren found a corner of the room to wait in as she scanned the crowd for her two companions. There was Jo, flustered, with the Sennin's daughter, and over there was Tama, who...was talking to herself? Ren tilted her head; Tama didn't seem particularly crazy, and hadn't she been with the Shogun earlier? A glance towards the dias of 'important people' told her that the birthday boy was missing, and it didn't take long for Ren to figure that Tama had the Shogun with her, somehow. She'd ask the older girl later (it had to have been some cool jutsu) - for now, she leaned against the wall, looking for all the world like a young, slightly out of breath girl taking a break from dancing.

The Herald's cry took her attention back to the staircase. She watched carefully as the Queen descended, followed by a grouping of people. The girl looked - frail, to say the least, which Ren recognized as being slightly hypocritical - but she waded through the throng of people like the noble she was. Ren decided to dislike her on principle, for no other reason than the fact that she didn't look to be in danger of tripping, and cast her gaze elsewhere. The majority of the people around her, however, craned their heads to examine the young queen. It was that action that made Ren remember her training...and why she always lost in card games: sleight of hands happened when one's eyes are otherwise preoccupied. And right now, everyone's eyes were strained on the girl who was wanted very, very dead.

She stayed in her corner since it gave her a decent, wide view, and quickly took in her surroundings. Or she would have, if a glint from the corner of her eye didn't catch her attention again.

I saw you before, she groused, glaring up at a chandelier. Ren had noticed it while dancing; the stupid thing was, like, five times less gaudy than the ones around it despite it being right over the Shogun's seat. Hell, it looked like a brisk wind would snap its chain right off, and...

...Ohhhh. This is why Jo's the smart one.

Ren took a split second to bask in her deduction skills, and then straightened just as her earpiece crackled and Tama's voice came through. Ren nodded, and reached under her dress; she'd strapped a kunai to her thigh earlier, just in case. It was the reason her dress was flowy and short, and probably the only pro that dresses had.

She gripped the knife tight. The chandelier's chain looked flimsy enough - assuming she aimed right and hit the one particularly thin chain, the whole thing would come crashing down into Tama's waiting arms. Ren wasn't super strong, but she was a trained shinobi; she could do this. She hoped. (It was this or blow a stream of pressurized water towards the thing, and that...probably wouldn't go well for a lot of reasons.

She shuddered. What if she got Sera-Sei soaked?)

"Don't fail me now, ninja skills," she muttered. Waiting a second to make sure absolutely everyone's attention was elsewhere, Ren flung the kunai towards the chandelier. It was a full action, not just a simple flick of her wrist, and the force would break the chain. It should break the chain. If it didn't break the chain, Ren would go find the Professor and beg to become an actual student because ninja-ing was too hard.

[mft: 834]

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Here it is! A few notes:

Just to move things along, I modded Jo signaling to Ren that he'd stumbled into potential danger, and Ren moving to try to meet him. They're not actually in the same little corridor at the close of this post, but very close.

I used a "King" banner for Ekaterina, because I didn't have a "Queen" one. So no, there's no confusion, she's actually a girl, not a delicious crossdresser boy.

Ren's ass just got saved by Arya Sta Weasel Nan. You might end up owing her some favors. Valar morghulis n' shit.

And yes, Jo shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. It's gotta happen to everyone eventually, you know?

Tama​

"I just...I just hate to be so cruel..." murmured Shiranai, casting his eyes to the floor, even as he gave her hand what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. However, his words to her were now lost amidst the trumpeting fanfare that signaled the arrival of the other key player of the night: The Bear Queen. In truth, Shiranai had never seen her in person before, only badly-outdated official pictures sanctioned by the Serene Kingdom's press office, or far-off photographs that always seemed blurry and jittery. But now here she was in the flesh, descending into his realm with all of the pomp and glamor befitting a heavenly messenger of some sort, and stealing the show to boot.

Just as his father had appreciated the charms of petite women, so did Shiranai, and the Queen's appearance as an emerald-and-lace-gilded gothic lolita did nothing to quench the sudden attraction that swelled up unbidden in his core, even despite the fact that he loved the shinobi woman next to him, or that he secretly and to his shame also was beginning to feel genuine affection for Kurumi as well. Shiranai's gaze caught the Queen's, and for a second, even though he should have been thoroughly invisible, he felt as if she were looking right at him. Blushing hotly, he turned his gaze away even though there was no reason to do so. I'm sorry Tama-chan, I'm such a shitty person... Shiranai thought as he grit his teeth in shame.

"Shiri-tan, do you know where most of your serving staff comes from, particularly any of the newer serving staff?"

Tama's question was a welcome blade that sliced through the descending curtain of self-loathing threatening to overtake his mind. He could concentrate on logical matters all day: security, the economy, the war - those were all free from the gut-churning turmoil of love and sex. Ami was as close of a mother figure to him as possible, and it was clear that although she loved him, there was a clear romantic boundary between the two. That made it easy for Shiranai to work with her day in and day out. Tama and Kurumi on the other hand...

"Actually, I don't," he remarked, concern evident in his voice. "Most of them are hired on or provided as gifts by the many sponsoring noble families attending the Ball...I do't even know what sort of security screening they go through, or if they even do so at all. Uh oh...you think they're plotting something?" he asked. But Tama was already two steps ahead.

"Shiri-tan I need you to do something for me. Protect Queen Nekomimi. I'm sure Amicchi would agree, we can't have her dying here. And no matter what happens I will make sure you're safe," she said. A warp tag - he still recognized the device for what it was - appeared in his hand, still warm from Tama's grasp.

"Got it, Tama-chan," he said, swallowing. A Shogun's responsibility was to protect and defend his people, he resolved. Even if such a principle was a hollow jape in this day and age, he still wanted it to be true. He would have to take responsibility and help Tama out, and this he accepted gladly. She darted off, but stopped and returned for a second.

"I love you, Shiri-tan! Don't forget that!" she said. Without thinking twice or considering the consequences, he clasped her face in his hands and kissed her briefly on the lips, his heart pounding.

"You too..." he said, releasing her. The Queen was making her way forward. She would be expecting Shiranai's presence. It was time for him to fulfill his duty, one way or another. Swallowing back a rush of bile, he shook off the distortion of Tama's photon jutsu and discreetly materialized behind one of the tapestries adorning the wall.

"Your Grace!" he announced to the Queen, who turned her head to view him, as did half of the partygoers in the audience. Putting on his best confident strut, he sauntered up to petite monarch and in a display that caused nearly every female and some of the males in the room to gasp in delight, he took her tiny hand and kissed it. "Welcome to my name-day ball. It is an honor to receive any representative from the Serene Kingdom, but it is an unexpected pleasure for Your Majesty to visit herself," he said, repeating the words that Ami had coached him on relentlessly. From her chair on the dais, Ami looked on approvingly, although she still shot a glance at Tama who had also materialized nearby.

"So some stuff might be happening, but don't worry, I have it under control," whispered the Hand to the Chancellor.

"What stuff? Is His Majesty in danger?!" whispered Ami back to Tama.

"You're...you're in my seat!" hissed Kurumi as she returned to reclaim her spot, which Tama happened to sit in now. "Get out! He's my boyfriend!" she protested. Tama ignored her.

"I gave Shiri-tan a mission! He's perfectly safe! At the very least, I will die before he will," whispered Tama to Ami.

"Then go die already!" whined Kurumi, shaking Tama's chair in an attempt to make it uncomfortable for the girl to stay put. "Chancellor, you promised Shiranai and I would wed. Otherwise you can kiss my father's support goodbye!"

"Your Grace, on behalf of my Kingdom and myself, I thank you for the warm reception you have given me," said Ekaterina to Shiranai in a lilting, almost melodic voice that could have given Kimura Rei a run for her money.

"My Queen, you and your staff must be tired from the long journey. May I invite you to join us at the table at the place of the guest of honor?" asked Shiranai, again repeating his coached lines. The next step woud be for the Queen to accept, however to Shiranai's surprise, she instead fixed her piercing black eyes on his and shook her head ever so slightly.

"Your Grace, I would be honored to in other circumstances, however I am not a Head of State who feasts and cavorts while her countrymen suffer in the trenches and eat stale rations and breathe VX gas. I have come because I wish to ask you for terms of alliance, and as a sign of the commitment I hope to foster between our nations, I also offer myself, and my maidenhead, in marriage to you," she said, never taking those eyes off of his. Shiranai's tongue felt leaden in a dry throat, and suddenly he felt faint.

But... I love Tama-chan, and also Kurumi-chan likes me too and I... Shiranai's thoughts were a jumble.

"Our Son would be an Emperor, which is the long-awaited desire of your nation, is it not?" whispered Ekaterina, pressing the issue. "And if you do not desire my body, I have no problems with having your other paramours join us in the marriage bed..."

A thin trace of crimson started to materialize from Shiranai's left nostril as he imagined Tama, the Queen, and even Kurumi naked and...

"Your Majesty, we would be happy to dicuss terms as well as marriage," said Ami, bailing him out in more ways than one. "Please join us at the table so we may continue further and so that you may enter our protection as a guest," she offered, ever-gracious. She did not look at Tama or Kurumi, knowing what their reactions would likely be. It was hard to mask her enthusiasm at the Queen's proposal, however. An opportunity to make Lightning Country into a true Empire - such a chance was an opportunity that only a fool could throw away.

Jo​

”Watch where you’re going, would you?! Oh, for Raidens sake! You’ve gone and spilled wine all over my shirt!” bellowed Jo in his best impersonation of a drunken baronet ranting about a single drop of wine landing on his finery. For a brief fraction of a second, a gleam of pure, unadulterated hatred flashed in the eyes of both of the waiters he had doused with liquor. Their faces, however, were masks of stony courtesy.

"Our sincerest apologies, My Lord. We were not watching where we were going," said one of them as they both stepped back and bowed deeply, almost inclinging their bodies at a ninety-degree angle. They remained stooped over, even as Jo continued to feign utmost distress.

"...You must get me some club soda and a towel and help me clean this up this instant! Well, don’t just stand there! Take me in the back! I can’t let my colleagues see me like this, I’ll be a laughing stock! Walk in front of me will you? Block everyones view of me so they can’t see this stain!" he continued to rave. Now bidden to perform a task other than bowing apologetically, the two waiters straightened their backs, passing a brief, inscrutable look between each other.

"Of course, My Lord, we will go with due haste. There are cleaning supplies in the kitchens," said the other, starting to move. Obediently, they both walked in front of the arrogant new-blooded noble causing such a scene, and headed toward one of the numerous servants' entrances to the kitches. Disguised to blend in with the rest of the mirrored walls lining the grand ballroom, the entrance was actually a pair of swinging doors that could open either way to allow discreet ingress or egress.

He followed them into a dimly-lit space - a corridor lined with serving carts bearing cleared platters of food piled high, with the next destination being the wash. Compared to the gilded luxury of the ballroom, this space was all utility. Pipes ran overhead on a bare ceiling, and the floor was hard-poured concrete slippery with pools of condensation and drippage. Further on in the hallway, there were a pair of large lockers that probably contained cleaning supplies, and further from there, he could hear the noise of a busy kitchen complete with the clang of pots and pans and the shouted orders of chefs and servitors. Yet in this particular place, they were all alone. The swinging doors behind him swept shut, blocking out the light and noise of the ballroom. For a second, everyone was still...

Jo's eyes caught the waiters' hands reaching into their waistbands, instantly sending his combat instincts into overdrive. Time seemed to slow as they whirled around, enough that he could even see the cartouches on the silenced pistol-bolters they drew and attempted to level at his chest. But he was also a shinobi, and they had fallen into his trap.

The steel toe of one of Jo's dress-boots crashed into one man's wrist, knocking the silenced bolter out of his grasp, and the momentum of the kick twisted Jo's body sideways as the other man's weapon fired, sending the bolt flying past the genin within a centimeter of his back. Pressing the attack, Jo followed with a savage elbow strike to the still-armed man's jaw that shattered bone and sent bloody fragments of teeth flying in the air. Sparks exploded from a wall where the errant bolt collided, but before they even hit the ground to die, the waiter Jo had deprived of a bolter now pulled a dagger from a holster on his ankle and lunged at Jo, intending to sink the blade into the boy's groin. Deftly, Jo reached out and slapped his attacker's wrist to the side, causing the blade to go wide and the man to stumble. He skidded to a stop and whirled around for another attack.

He did not get the chance, for as soon as he tried to thrust, Narashi's own silenced bolter had found its way into the boy's hands in an isosceles grip, and with the muscle memory ingrained by four years of constant training in the art of killing, the genin pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession. The 7.65mm bolts thudded into his attacker's body, one in the upper chest that severed the pulmonary artery at its base, and the second that passed through the man's forehead, sending bone fragments into the brainstem and letting the shockwave and temporary cavity take care of the rest.

Jo trembled, the adrenaline surge receding as quickly as it had come crashing upon him. On the ground before him, one of the waiters lay still, red blossoming on his chest and mingling with the dark purple of the spilled wine. The other groaned but did not move. A blackened blade lay on the floor along with two pistol bolters. The genin glanced down at his hip, which was starting to ache. A line of bleared crimson had blossomed on his trousers along the outside of his right hip, and he realized that part of the dagger had found its mark, even it it was a superficial wound.

His breathing still a bit ragged, and with no time to reflect on what happened, Jo mechanically continued with the next part of his intended plan. Within a few minutes, both bodies were tied securely in the nearby broom closet and the discarded weapons were dumped in a nearby trashbin. It was no wonder that the two waiters had taken him here - this was clearly a deserted area where they had meant to silence him permanently. Voices drifted into his consciousness from farther away.

"...the Queen. I don't know why we have to make it look accidental...we're at war. But whatever the General says, we obey..."

"...careful, this is the Shogun, he's going to have shinobi guarding him..."

"The only shinobi we've seen here is the female guarding that barbarian and his wife..."

The voices were coming from behind a doorway that was for the moment, locked shut. Through a nearby keyhole, however, an espionage-minded shinobi could see three more waiters, except these were all wearing full combat equipment over their white suits. Plate carriers, headsets, load-bearing vests decked out with grenades and flashbangs, and call of them carrying autobolters and plenty of extra magazines. One of the waiters was an imposing-looking man in his forties who any shinobi worth his salt could tell was a professional killer by trade, although whether he was a mercenary or a member of some military, it was hard to guess. It was apparent that he served as the leader of whoever was trying to pull a move tonight.

[Unknown]​

"We go with the chandelier plan, and it for some reason it fails, we utilize our expendables and retreat in the chaos. The Queen will leave eventually, and we'll have plenty of chances to hit her convoy on the way back. Almost easier that way," grumbled the leader.

Jo signaled to Ren - this was no task for a lone shinobi.

Ren​

The Queen approached the dais, and the young Shogun sauntered up to greet her. Jo had made his own move, and she saw him disappear into one of the many hidden servants' entries lining the hall, bulling along two of the waitstaff. According to Tama's plan, this was now her time to act. Most the ballgoers were rapt with attention at the proceedings between the royalty of two nations, and thankfully no one took the time to notice the presence of a younger girl with no real weight behind her name other than that of a University student. The Rannistahs were nowhere to be seen, thanks to Jai-Mi's efforts to divert his sister's attentions the furthest possible distance away from Ren. If there was a time to act, it was now. Tama was in position...

Thankfully, no one had subjected her to either a whole-body cavity search or irradiated her with gamma particles as was now happening at train stations and carriage stops, courtesy of the BSA. The kunai was there, and this time, Ren's ninja skills did not fail her. The metal missile arced through the air in a glinting parabola and pierced the weakened chain with a clinking sound before lodging itself high in the wall above where the royals sat.

The effect was immediate: with a horrible sound of clattering glass and shrieking metal, the chandelier started to fall even before those below were aware of it. For a second, even Ren questioned whether she should have given Tama some advance warning, because based on physical calculations that probably only Jo would bother to perform, those beneath the hundred-kilogram mass of metal and glass only had about two seconds to live (and that was being generous with rounding and fudging a bunch of constants).

To the genin's relief, Tama shot up from her seat and rocketed upward, effortlessly gripping the falling fixture and swinging it out of one of the high windows nearby. With an explosion of glass, the chandelier burst out of the hall and disappeared, followed by the distant crunching sound of metal seams bursting as it came to a catastrophic end at the bottom of the dry moat surrounding the inner palace.

The hall erupted in gasps and occasional shouts as those present all diverted their attention to the noise, and the royals on the dais looked up in confusion. Some of the guests started to turn and looked to be in a hurry to leave, their anxieties about attending an event like this confirmed by the strange happenings of the night. At this point, Ren saw fit to make her own move away from her corner, the better not to be implicated. Jo's distress signal had just reached her ears, and it sounded like things were serious. She remembered where he had disappeared off to, and pushing her way through the crowd, eventually made her way to the hidden door she thought was correct.

The servitor's corridor was dimly-lit, but thankfully quieter than the outside. Serving carts were lined against the walls with food yet-to-be-served, and there were voices and kitchen noises coming from further in, but no sign of Jo. She pressed further, peering around for her companion. Had she gone into the wrong entrance?

"What?! The chandelier just flew out of the window?! That means fucking shinobi at work. We're extracting! Team Dul, the Dear Leader thanks you for your sacrifice," she heard a military-toned voice sound out from further on, past the kitchen. Now if that wasn't suspicious, nothing was... A slight breeze touched the nape of her neck and she whirled around, just in time to see one of the white-clad waiters pull the trigger on a pistol bolter leveled right at her head.

She heard the bolt launch, followed by the ear-piercing roar of the gas blowback action resetting the bolter's slide, but instead of experiencing the expected white flash of light and then nothingness (a reasonable assumption of what might happen if one's brain was suddenly turned to jelly), she found that she was in fact very much conscious. And in fact, that the man had missed, and that there was a serving girl next to him who had just bashed her metal tray against his arm.

Ren's savior was a small, weasely-looking waif of about ten years of age, clad in the uniform of a servant of the Dreadfort, known officially as Seiryuu no Me. In short, she was property of the Daimyo Shiro Amakusa Ryuu. With her short-cropped hair, general smudgy appearance, and stickly figure, she could have been the genin's little sister in another life...

The waiter growled angrily and began to level his bolter at the serving girl, intending to punish her for her interference before getting back to the business of killing Ren. While he was distracted, however, was the perfect time to strike...

Meanwhile...​

"What is the meaning of this..." growled Ami to the air as she put two and two together, realizing that their lives could have ended only a second ago. The Queen and Kurumi stared up at the now-broken window, while the drunken Grand Admiral, who had never left his seat, snoozed with his face half-immersed in a trencher of gravy.

Shiranai's gaze swept over the crowd, but he now noticed that there were six of the waitstaff approaching the dais with flinty expressions in their eyes. He had given up the shinobi arts what seemed like an eternity ago, but he still knew how to tell if a man had murder on his mind. When he saw one of them reach into his waist and pull out a silenced pistol bolter, he knew he had to act. Tama was nowhere to be seen, BUT...

"Tama-chan, please..." he said, gritting his teeth and pulling the string on the warp tag in his fist to activate it...

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

The plan seemed to be going as well as could be expected . He had forced the two waiters away from the ballroom and into the back hallway where they wouldn’t be disturbed; but before he could follow through with his plan and knock them out, they turned and drew bolters on him.

Everything went into slow motion as his years of training kicked in. The toe of his right steel-toed boot arched around and knocked the bolter from the first waiters hand, the momentum of his spinning kick spinning him just enough to send the bolt fired by the second waiter zipping past him and into the wall. Once his foot reconnected with the ground, Jo popped his elbow up and lunged forward, pounding teeth down the second waiters throat. Jo’s eyes flicked over to the only waiter left standing. He didn’t have enough time to think about the fact that he had over extended his elbow thrust; hell, he barely had time to smack the knife blade away from his groin. As the man stumbled past, Jo’s hands reached into his pants and his jacket simultaneously; one fishing out the suppressor, the other his PPK. It was the work of a quick flick of the wrist to silence his weapon before he turned and fired. Once! Twice!

The man fell, and for a moment the world stood still. Jo’s stomach lurched and his head swam as the man hit the ground. There was no time to think about it. He turned, sighting in the other man on the floor where he lay groaning. He wasn’t getting up any time soon. Jo tucked his bolter into his cummerbund and got to work binding and gagging the still-living waiter using strips torn from the clothing of his dead partner, stuffing both still forms into a nearby broom closet. Jo picked up the two discarded bolters and the combat knife. The blade of the knife glistened red as it tumbled into the trash can, causing Jo to stop and check himself for wounds, finding the slash on his right hip. He was so jacked up on adrenaline that he couldn’t even feel the injury.

Three voices reached Jo’s ears then; voices that spoke of conspiracy and murder. Jo made his way to a door down the hall, peaking through the keyhole at the men inside. They were all armed to the teeth, and looked as if they knew their business. However, it was the man in charge Jo was most worried about. He looked like someone who killed for a living, and enjoyed his work. He took a couple of steps back, retreating to a point where his distress signal couldn’t be overhear by those he was eavesdropping on.

”Those two tango’s are down, but we’ve got problems back here. Three of them, all heavily armed. One seems to be in charge. They’re planning something to do with the chandelier. If that fails, then they’re going to cause a ruckus to cover their escape, and try attacking the Queen on her way home. I’m going to need some help with this one.”<i></i> With that, Jo prepared to wait until either those three left that room, or help arrived for him to take them down.

’If they leave that room and see me, I’m a sitting duck.’ he thought, eying the long narrow hallway. ’My only option is the element of surprise.’ Jo’s eyes quickly searched the hall for anything that could provide cover; an alcove, a side room, a conveniently placed pile of sandbags and a machinebolter, anything! If there was no other choice, Jo would leap to the ceiling; utilizing chakra to effectively stick himself above the doorway leading to the room the three conspirators were in. If he was lucky, he’d have enough time to shoot at least the two lackeys before moving in on their leader. Jo drew his bolter with one hand and prepared to charge his other fist with electricity (Thunderfist: MR) so that his blow to their leader would cause enough damage to incapacitate him without killing him. If that failed, then there was always his bolter. Nothing like a bolt in each kneecap to make someone want to stop fighting and negotiate terms of surrender.

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Shiri-tan kissed me! This is the best day ever! Tama thought to herself as she fell with the chandelier. "Ah, this must be what happiness feels like," she murmured contentedly to herself. Then she felt space warping around her, "Ah the warp tag!" She materialized in the air above Shiranai, falling to the ground. "Your guardian angel has arrived!" Instantly a shimmering barrier surrounded the dais, bolts making pinging sounds as they were deflected. "Behold, Mochizuki Tama's Nigh-impenetrable Barrier of Awesome. Now in Technicolor!" On cue the barrier of light shimmered and started changing colors, earning some out-of-place oohs and ahhs and some scattered applause from oblivious nobility. Tama realized that she wouldn't be able to fight in her kimono, at least not without damaging it beyond repair, and she still had six well-trained covert ops agents to deal with. Typical and Sleepy were not in the vicinity, so she assumed they were off pursuing other would-be assassins.

"Alrighty, then. Why don't you all take a nap?" Tama suggested, running through a few handseals (Mastered Temple of Nirvana). Everyone not encased in the barrier would see white feathers slowly falling from the ceiling and begin to feel extremely drowsy. Most of the nobles passed out immediately, although a few of the stronger-willed might have been able to somewhat resist Tama's powerful suggestion. While the six agents were well-trained and probably had techniques to aid them in resisting a genjutsu, they still were not shinobi. Not to mention that genjutsu was Tama's true forte. While her melee combat and ninjutsu were formidable, as a performer her job was to completely capture her audience's attention and dominate their hearts and minds. It was something she had been doing since birth, and the shinobi training had only made her better at it. So while not completely out of the fight, the six assailants would be somewhat incapacitated.

"Now for a change of costume," she mentioned to no one in particular as she fiddled with her obi. Pulling out her homely wrapped gift, she turned and placed it in Shiranai's arms. "Happy birthday again, Shiri-tan! This is for you, I made it myself!" After placing the package in his arms, she stepped back, ran through a few more handseals, and stood completely still. Her kimono and body began to glow vividly, so that only her silhouette was barely visible. her kimono began to disintegrate and reform itself around her stationary self (CRPJ: Quick Change). No doubt the sight was more stimulation than necessary for Shiranai's adolescent imagination. After several seconds, the light around Tama faded and she was revealed to be wearing what looked like her main branch uniform. There were a few differences, though. First, all the materials were still silk and still retained the color of the original fabric. Secondly, the extra fabric had reformed itself as knee high stockings to compliment the skirt as well as random ruffles adorning the whole outfit. Thirdly, the obi had changed into an oversized ribbon tied around her waist. And lastly, she had made a mistake concerning the overall outfit, it was a bit too form-fitting for her tastes. It wouldn't affect her combat potential in any way, but it was a little embarrassing. However, Tama's performer persona quickly shunted aside any such feelings, she would deal with it later. Right now, she was live.

She stepped through the barrier and summoned wind to surround herself to protect her from the projectile attacks. Her plan was to redirect their bolts at their bolters, rendering them useless. And then rush in and incapacitate the first one. This would probably cause the others to be more cautious, she would then use her Mastered Critical Fallacy, chained four times through a Mastered Limit Break, to hit four of the remaining five assailants. She would steel herself to receive a blow from the fifth, and retaliate with four Mastered Dance of the Waxing Moons, chained with a Mastered Limit Break. While excessive, this burst of brute force should be enough to take her opponents down. Afterwards, she planned to check for hidden poison capsules on their bodies. She wanted to take them alive it possible, she was sure Masao would like some people to practice his "brushing" techniques on.

MFT
WC: 747

 

[Takaki Saeko]

[Sorry guys, I think Ren might not be joining us for the near future. I will start the process of wrapping this up tomorrow and modding her actions. Thanks for waiting!]

 

[Takaki Saeko]

And this wraps it up. Tama is credited with actually writing the first section - it was balls awesome, so I decided to use it! Ren's actions have been modded by me. Come back, dammit.

Tama
This is basically the best music video to explain what it going on here.​

Stepping through the barrier she rushed at the first man, summoning a torrential wind to closely surround her body. This would inevitably cause her skirt to constantly torment the Shogun, a series of almost's and nearly's to further trouble his heart. Bolts were redirected at the bolters, causing the contraptions to quickly become useless. The first man was taken out by a knee to the groin, and as he doubled over, a well-placed strike to the back of head (with chakra-augmented strength, no less) rendered him unconscious. The other five assailants quickly tossed aside their bolters and assumed ready stances, Tama recognized the form as a style from the Bear-Marsh area. It focused on speed and accuracy, with kicks being the most dangerous moves, albeit not their only moves. They're well-trained indeed, she thought as the remaining assailants surrounded her, not even hesitating at the loss of their comrade.

"Looks like I'll have to get serious, then," she slowly lowered her arms, flattening her palms. The wind, which had been whipping around her, suddenly stopped, or so it appeared. If a Santaru had been watching, it would have more appropriately been described as the "calm before the storm," despite the fact that Tama had no such ability to call forth any such tempest. "Nobody will hurt him, never again, I won't let it happen, NO MATTER WHAT!" Tama's body exploded with chakra, it was a deep purple color, and so intense that even the non-shinobi in the area could see it. The waitstaff simultaneously leaped at her, flawlessly executing what seemed to be a well-practiced and effective synchronized group attack. The ground beneath her cracked under the pressure emanating from the girl. "Nice move, too bad it won't work on me," she seemingly flowed around the attacks, "Engi: Museigen no Juuyouna Gobyuu."

They all were using a form of taijutsu, and this was the perfect counter. Attacking four in quick succession along their lines of attack nullified four-fifths of their combo attack's intended effect (Mastered Limit Break into four Mastered Critical Fallacies). The person Tama chose to not attack was using a leg sweep to prevent Tama from redirecting the force from the other assailants attacks. An effective tactic, but since Tama had effectively countered the damaging attacks, it simply succeeded in knocking her into the air. Using these techniques really tired Tama out, not too mention that the leg sweep had prevented her from using her full force on the other four assailants. Just a little more, she thought to herself, as she flared with chakra once more. "Kyuukyoku no Engi: Ten no Mai!" Five Tamas appeared, striking each assailant then disappearing, Tama landing an additional hit on the leg sweeper from the air. And then five more Tamas appeared, repeating the process. And again a third time. And a fourth time. (Mastered Limit Break into four Mastered Dance of the Waxing Moons) No matter the training of the covert ops agents, it was nigh impossible that they would be able to withstand such an onslaught.

Panting heavily, outfit torn and dirtied in various places, limping from the strain placed on her ankles. Tama forced herself to stay conscious long enough to inspect each assailant's mouth for poison molars. She had gone to the trouble of leaving them alive, barely, and she have felt stupid if they would have just committed suicide afterwards. Before passing out, she looked back to the dais, seeing if they were all safe. "Thank goodness," she sighed before crumpling to the floor in exhaustion.

“Goodness has nothing to do with it,” said Takaki Saeko as she gently caught Tama by the shoulders, cushioning the younger girl’s fall. “You have impressive skills. I’ve never seen anyone incapacitate a Shogun so quickly,” she smirked, pointing to Shiranai as he lay on the floor, giddily semi-conscious. Around him, Ami, Kurumi, and even the Queen hovered over him with worried expressions on their faces, trying to nudge him back to alertness. As far as what had caused him to enter such a state, it had not been Tama’s earlier genjutsu that had done it - the trickle of blood from his left nostril was a dead giveaway for the real reason. “Now, you need to rest or you’ll have a burnout. I’ll protect everyone until you wake up…” she said, placing a hand over Tama’s forehead. Darkness fell over Tama’s consciousness like a curtain and she knew naught but blissful sleep.

Jo:​

The door swung open below him, just missing his face by a centimeter as he glued himself to the ceiling with a surge of chakra. It felt weird, akin to something an insect would do, but it would afford him the same window of opportunity as that given to a mantis in wait. Outside, the sounds of shouting, bolter-fire, and heavy jutsu usage filtered in through the gently swinging side-doors and indicated that Tama was doing something no doubt spectacular. However, Jo’s mission was the concentrate on the task at hand, so he would stay where he was. The three heavily-armed “waiters” strode out of the doorway beneath him, fanning their bolters in a wide sweep of the corridor.

“Hey, what’s going on…” asked one of a group of four cooks who had been rushing by to check on what the commotion outside was all about. The words died in the man’s throat as the three killers in disguise lifted their weapons and started to fire in unison, tearing into the unfortunate workers whose only crime had been to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 5.56mm bolts entered skulls and chest cavities and splattered the walls with blood and gore, and even before the bodies had slumped to the ground, the three started to make their way deeper into the palace.

Jo’s bolter thrummed as it sent a missile into the junction between one of the lackeys’ shoulder and neck, dropping the man instantly as it tore into vessels and nerves. He crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes, letting out a cross between a scream and a death rattle. The other henchman as well as the leader did not waste a second – they whirled around, spraying bursts of bolts down the hallway toward Jo’s general direction but fortunately missing him as no one thought to examine the ceiling above. Keeping steady, the genin fired again, double-tapping the other lackey in the chest. The man stumbled backward, however he did not fall. The trauma plate he was wearing had absorbed the impacts, and he was able to level his weapon at the ceiling and the boy hanging from it like a spider.

Quickly, Jo disengaged the chakra hold, dropping to the ground and narrowly missing lethal ventilation. Again, his training-imbued muscle memory manifested and he found himself leaping toward the lackey with knife in hand. Warmth spilled over Narashi’s closed fist as the blade slipped under the trauma plate protecting the thorax and easily punched through the Kevlar weave that was supposed to protect against bolts but not sharp pointy objects. He twisted the knife inside as he had been trained to do, in order to lacerate as many internal structures as possible but also to make it easier to withdraw the blade and stab and stab again. Although he knew that the entire process had only taken seconds, it still seemed like hours that this went on to the young genin. Eventually the man’s eyes rolled up into his skull and he became limp.

Frantically, Jo looked up and scanned around for the third man – the leader. The white flash of a suitjacket rounding a corner caught his eye. He was escaping into the bowels of the castle, and once he found his way there, it would be easier for him to lose the genin chasing after him. There was no time to wait for Ren – Jo had to act. Picking himself up, the genin ejected the magazine from his bolter and changed it for a fresh one. He swallowed, and bounded after his target.

Ren:​

Ren grumbled as she made her way blindly toward the increasingly less-fancy bowels of the palace, bolter held at low-ready. She had lost track of where Jo was, thanks to an interruption earlier. Her life had been saved earlier by an impossible combination of chance and stupidity, but the little serving girl had seen her face…

The fake waiter crumpled to the ground, a kunai buried in his throat. Ren stepped over him and mechanically yanked it free, the better to erase traces of her presence there. But standing wide-eyed and staring at her was something – rather, someone – she could not erase as easily.

“H-how did you do that?” asked the serving girl, wide-eyed with fear but also with awe and, if Ren could be a bit vain, envy. The servant girl was property of the Daimyo Amakusa Ryuu, who was no friend to Cloud and probably no friend to the current bakufuu either. If word got back to her master about this, it would spell trouble for Kumo. Ren considered her options – if the Sennin were in her place, it would be an easy thing to wipe the girl’s memory, or even intimidate her into silence, but Ren was no Takaki Masao, at least not yet.

“It’s a secret, and I expect you to keep it that way,” said Ren, bringing a finger to her lips in an attempt to add more menace to her appearance. “What’s your name?”

“I’m…I’m Nan,” said the girl meekly. “I…I know you can’t tell me yours. But I want to know, how can I learn how to do what you did?”

Ren thought for a minute, before reaching into a hidden pocket in her gown and pulling out a small metal button and pushing it into the girl’s hand. It was a humble-looking thing and not shiny at all, and its only decoration was a small, worn-out stamp of a triangle surrounding a crowned skull.

“If you want to know, give this to any caravan master heading toward Kumogakure, and tell him this phrase: ‘For the wages of sin are death.’ I’ll be watching,” said the genin, as she disappeared into the shadows…

The unmistakable sound of bolter-fire coming from ahead raised the hairs on the back of her neck, and she hastened her pace. Her best friend was potentially in trouble, and it was now up to her to help him out, she thought as she pushed thoughts of the serving girl out of her head.

A few minutes later, she found both of them. Jo sat against a nearby wall holding a hand to his thigh, under which bloomed a slowly-spreading crimson stain. Nearby, a man’s body lay prone on the ground, a machine-bolter still clutched in his dead hands. The head reeked of almonds, and a trail of bloody froth spilled from his mouth. Jo shook his head, and smiled at his friend with a sad expression.

Aftermath​

“Mochizuki-san?! Wake up. You have to wake up!” sounded an insistent female voice in Tama’s ear, accompanied by a batting sensation at her face. Tama’s eyelids fluttered open and she sat bolt upright, scanning her surroundings instinctively for threats. However, instead of the ballroom she was passed out in, the chuunin found herself in a smaller, but still opulently-decorated guest room. She was sitting on a downy, soft bed in her battle outfit, and through the barred window, the moon was visible in the sky. Surprisingly, the one who had woken her up so insistently was not Shiranai or the two genin or even Ami, but Kurumi, of all people.

“Hey! Don’t look so put out!” pouted Kurumi at Tama’s no-doubt disappointed expression. “Look, I wouldn’t normally talk with you like this, but…we have a problem. I know you like Shiranai-chan. I like him too, and not just because he’s the Shogun, despite what you might think. There’s actually a bunch of nobles in court who look as good as he does, maybe even better, but he’s…he’s a really good person, and he’s really kind-hearted and gentle inside. I want to marry him as much as or more than you do, and that’s the truth,” she said, sniffling.

“But as I said, we have a problem now. That damned Bear Queen and her offer of alliance. All this commotion, which by the way, I’m blaming on you and your shinobi, has just convinced the Chancellor that an alliance is the way to go. That means that Shiranai-sama is going to marry Ekaterina-san! Do you understand?! They’re betrothed now! Arrrgh!” she growled, balling her fists and pounding them into the mattress….

Elsewhere…​

“Does it hurt?” asked Saeko playfully as she poked a delicate-looking finger at Jo’s bandaged thigh. She licked her lips and glanced up at him with a somewhat sadistic, and yet unmistakably tantalizing smile. Without her glasses, she looked almost entirely different from before – wilder, less reserved. They both waited outside for their carriages to make their returns – Jo to Kumo and Saeko to the Kagoshiman hinterlands.

“I’m told you and your friend killed some of the attackers and took down their leader. Sounds to me like he was Marsh SpecOps. That’ll be sure to piss off the bakufuu plenty, and well, drag Lightning into another war. Funny how that seems to happen so often these days,” she sighed. “But, that’s kind of above all of our pay-grades, isn’t it? In any case, you seem to have a bit of skill. Too bad you have a wound that might open up again were we to do anything very…taxing. Still, I plan to drop by Kumogakure in a few days, as I’m overdue for vacation. I might tell my friends in the Deathwatch not to let Daddy know I’ve arrived for at least a few hours. Heal fast, now,” she said, winking at him before replacing her glasses and sauntering off to rejoin the Khal and his wife.

Mission Success!
Be sure to make your exit posts and re-enter the village!
Sorry for the delays, it was great fun with you guys though.​

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

’Don’t blink… don’t blink… don’t blink…’ Jo thought desperately as he sat on a bench outside of the palace, awaiting the arrival of the carriage that would take Tama, Ren, and himself home. His eyes stared straight ahead, pupils seemingly straining in a mile-long stare that hadn’t left his face since the action stopped and the bodies were rounded up. Ever since then, closing his eyes had been torturous. Not even his blinks were safe; but his lids were so heavy, and his eyes so dry.

BLINK

Teeth and blood erupted from a mans mouth…</I>

…Blood blossomed on another mans chest as grey matter exploded out of the back of his head…​

…A man fell forward as blood poured from a hole in his back…​

…A mans heartbeat throbbed through the knife handle as Jo plunged it into his chest and twisted, flooding his vision with red…​

<I>

…The crunch of a hollow tooth echoed in his mind as a man who had been killing people his entire life took his own to avoid capture…

Jo’s eyes opened, and Saeko’s voice forced him back to reality, saving him from falling back into those horrible memories. The pain in his thigh where she poked him reminded him of the fact that he was still alive, and that’s what mattered. He put on an exaggerated grimace followed by an equally exaggerated brush-off as he ran his fingers through his hair. ’A scratch; 'tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door.’ Jo paraphrased Mercutio, giving Saeko his small smile, though his eyes still seemed so far away.

Saeko spoke so calmly of killing, Jo wondered if she’d ever taken a life. Was she innocent to the spilling of another mans blood, or had she simply killed so many that she was numb to it? He tried to distance his mind from death as he spoke to her, focusing more on the life he hadn’ttaken; and the girl so full of life sitting beside him. ”Yeah… but we captured some too. They might have some intel on other undercover agents in the area… Then again, maybe not.” Who cares? Jo’s part in this was done, and all he wanted to focus on was the ravishing beauty beside him and getting home without having a mental breakdown. He simply nodded to her comments about the impending doom that was war and her comments about their pay grade. His right eyebrow shot up at the mention of taxing activities, and his smile got a little wider as she planned their next rendezvous. ”I’ll be looking forward to it.” Jo unashamedly appreciated the view as she sauntered off; he hated to see her go, but watching her leave and the knowledge that she’d return made it well worth it.

With Saeko’s absence came complete silence. Jo was left alone with his thoughts as he awaited the arrival of the carriage and his teammates. Tama was still recovering from her overexertion, and Ren was standing alone, her head down and her arms crossed in stony silence. Jo was worried about his friend.When they were in the Academy she had no problems speaking her mind or expressing herself around him (though she was often blunt when she did so). He wondered if the man she had killed was taking his toll on her psyche.

BLINK<i></i>

Jo’s mind returned to his own troubled thoughts as he waited, his elbows resting on his knees, his chin resting on his folded hands, his eyes staring a thousand yards away. He’d probably spend most of the carriage ride home that way. He would be physically close to the two girls, but mentally, he was still in the underbelly of the palace, soaked in blood. ’Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas in incarnadine, making the green one red.’

{Topic Left w/ Tama and Ren}

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

“Now, you need to rest or you’ll have a burnout. I’ll protect everyone until you wake up…”

"No, but, wait, I need to, Shiri-tan, ho--," Tama's stammering was abruptly cut off as she went limp in Saeko's arms. She had a dream that she and Shiranai were on a soft, fluffy cloud. They were laughing but all the while something kept buffeting Tama's face.

"Shiri-tan, I wuv you...kiss me again...," Tama mumbled as she groggily awoke to see Kurumi hovering over her. "Cheh," she snorted disappointedly, "Go away, have Shiri-tan wake me up." She tried to pull the covers back over her head, but Kurumi resisted forcing Tama to sit up in bed. "Ouch!" It seemed that while most of her superficial wounds had healed on their own, the strain on her muscles wasn't going to be going away anytime soon. Kurumi then began going over how much she loved Shiri-tan and all but Tama couldn't accept something she said. Interrupting Kurumi she said, "I can accept that you like Shiri-tan, but no one can love him more than I do. It's physically impossible. I live for Shiri-tan, and I would die for Shiri-tan. There is nothing I won't do for him. So unless you can make the same declaration, don't go comparing yourself to me." Tama meant to sound serious and intense, but failed. It was hard to make such a scary declaration when one was flinching from pain from simply sitting and talking. "You may proceed," Tama gestured with the air of a noble, something that would undoubtedly irk Kurumi to no end.

Upon listening to Kurumi explain the situation she sat in thought for a while, "First off, why is it my fault that assassins tried to kill Queen Nekomimi!!" she raged pinching Kurumi's cheeks, "Ow!" Tama's muscles twitched again, causing her to briefly cringe in pain. "Secondly, you're welcome from saving your life from said assassins. And finally, I think it's time Shiranai made his own decisions, don't you Tsundere-san?" she smiled devilishly at the noble girl. Having seen her frustrations at how close Nekomimi had gotten to Shiri-tan, she reasoned that it was probably not a good time to gloat about the fact that Shiranai had kissed her full on the lips. Her face turned beet red as she remembered what had happened, then quickly turned to depression as she realized, she had never given Shiranai her gift. She pulled herself out of bed, then looked around for the package, it hurt to move but she had to find that gift. She saw a bit of the wrapping underneath the blankets. She quickly pulled it out, only to find it severely damaged. The wrapping had been torn in the fight and her gift, a custom-made haori and hakama, had been ripped and torn all over the place. The hakama and haori she had worked so hard to make, it even came with a panda hood. Her panda hood. It was missing, It must have been torn off during the fight. Well, that's what I get for not giving it to him when I got the chance..., she moped inwardly. "I'll go talk to Shiranai....later. I need to report back to Masao-sama first. Mission stuff, and I need to fix this. Somehow." She unabashedly removed her torn battle garments, changing into some of the frilly things she found in the nearby drawer. "This stuff yours, Kurumi? Or are they Shiri-tan's? Or Amicchi's? Well whatever, I'm borrowing these ones. These clothes are too fluffy..." With that she walked out of the door in noble's clothing, and headed back to Kumogakure with two ruined outifits and a troubled heart.

[OOC: I made a return thread we can all use here.]

MFT/Topic Left with Ren & Jo
WC: 678