Til Death Do Us Part

Ryal would look to his partner to see the confused look on it before his whole head shook and he spoke. The blond child smirked, he knew there was a reason he liked the brute. Pain should not be feared. The Shinkou thought to himself hearing the strangers words, though living this lifestyle, if you could call it that, did get lonely. I mean who didn't want to have at least one person that meant something there with them when they died. The newcomer didn't have a chance to rebut Taishi's words as little Alice had made her decision and went to voice it. Of course, she couldn't do it normally though she just had to keep up that annoying "normal" preteen girl act. Someone really needed to explain to her that a "dere" has to come after all that Yan and Tsun. As if she felt his thoughts were on her the girl turned to him and told him to watch his mouth.

She did so with an unusual fluff of her chakra, that had to be more for Levi than him but then she didn't know the extent of the duo's power so who knows. He just let it slide this time, there was no reason to kick up her bloodlust again. She quickly added that the new guy would be tagging along with them under Taishi's supervision. With that out of the way she got to business and the male would sigh. Where she wanted them to go wasn't too far from where he had been born, Hoshi had been a secluded place just as his own village. Leaving when he did hearing the man she was after was an ex-shinobi of the village was news to him, last he heard they couldn't care less about ninja. Naturally, he wouldn't let this revelation show in his face or body language and being that she could summon him whenever and presumably where ever he didn't try declining the "invitation". It was a shame she pretended to be so big but still need their help for something like this. A fight with an S rank was one thing but she couldn't sneak into an infant village alone?

WC: 368

Taishi found himself being handed responsibility over the new guy. He had to “turn him into something useful”, though the brute wasn’t incredibly thrilled about having to do so. Maybe he could teach him a thing or two about life, but his defeatist demeanor and attitude would be a hard shell to break. “Well, this should be fun, kid,” the brute would say to the man that was actually older than him despite looking on the younger side.
 
Alice wanted them to head to Hoshi and look into the death of her allies, most notably young Roku. And on top of that, she had a lead on a high ranking criminal ninja that may have had something to do with their young comrade’s death? Well isn’t that great. The kid is most likely dead and the culprit was someone with enough weight to manage becoming a top end wanted shinobi with what he imagined would be a pretty huge bounty. Was that what they were ultimately after? Could turn a tidy profit if they somehow managed to pull this shit off.
 
“Hoshigakure, eh? I take it there is a good bit of money in this for us?” He would inquire, wondering if trying to invade another village was going to be as successful as their last attempt in Konoha. Still, easy money was the best kind, and if Alice honestly thought it was a good mark who was he to question it. He hadn’t been in contact with any of his people regarding jobs and such, so he would take up work where he could until he could find a better flow of income.
 
“What exactly do you need us to do?”

”Levi-kun, stop talking. Or lose your tongue. Your choice.” That man truly was an annoying little prat. It was depressing really, his outlook on things. It was much more fun to focus on the rude blonde one and the grey brute. At least they were able to entertain her. Hopefully Taishi would indeed be able to turn their new pet into something worthy of Alice’s attention. Unfortunately until then it was probably best for him to stay quiet so he didn’t piss her off and change her mind about killing him.

As for the other two, was there good money in them going to Hoshigakure and then confronting Kenshin? Well that was certainly a good possibility, even if it wasn’t the driving force behind this little errand. Still, was it better to tell them the truth or keep the fact that she only summoned them so she could protect them like she promised? Undoubtedly a decision that would make or break this loose little pact of theirs. Ultimately her true nature won out and made the decision for her. ”You can keep anything you can steal while in Hoshigakure, just try not to get caught. There will be a large bounty for taking down the criminal, Kenshin, as well. As for what I need you three to do, well.... That trademark mischievous look was on her face again as she spoke.

”All I need you guys to do is keep me entertained and don’t die! After all I only summoned you back to demonstrate my own power, aaaaand because I was bored. Traveling alone just isn’t any fun and poor Ikki here can’t really say much anymore,” she said, clearly with some kind of hidden meaning if that smirk meant anything. The white haired male, who was standing somewhere between Alice and the other three at this point, started absolutely fuming and making flurries of gestures with his hands that did not resemble hand seals in the slightest. He continued to do so in silence for a full minute or two ending with some exasperated pointing at the rogue kunoichi. All the while Alice couldn’t stop herself from laughing so hard her stomach began to ache and she had to start wiping tears out of her eyes, which probably caused a series of very confused looks from the others.

"Apologies mylady, being on my own these last couple of years have made me lose the ability to socialize sufficiently. I'm sure this fine young man will help me regain it as soon as possible." 
If he wanted the socializing to be the only thing he'd lost Levi would have to make sure to watch his tongue, literally since the girl was looking for a reason to cut it out. And since he was still hungry he would need his tongue if he wanted to eat anytime soon. So it seemed that the grey brute was going to be his supervisor from now on, Levi figured he would try and get along with at least one of these guys. He noticed the girl calling him Taishi, a strange name befitting of a strange individual. Anyhow, he was still telling Levi it would be fun, so maybe he had a soft spot after all.

"Yes, let's try and get along shall we? I'll be in your care."

It was time for the girl to further explain their trip to Hoshigakure no Sato. They were allowed to keep everything they would be able to steal as long as they didn't get caught. She also mentioned something about a bounty on the Missing Nin going by the name of Kenshin she spoke about before. He wasn't able to speak for the others but Levi wasn't looking to get in trouble with this Kenshin guy. It was the first time he had heard about him, but the fact that it was a S-rank Missing Nin was all he needed to know to avoid any contact with him.

Claiming she was bored and didn't want to travel all by herself was the reason the young girl gave for assembling their little group of misfits. As for what she wanted them to do it looked like she wanted them to entertain her and not to get killed. Easier said than done considering she was threatening them every five minutes. 

So she was looking for company since the strange white haired male who hadn't said anything this whole time wasn't able to say much anymore, or so she mentioned. Starting to make weird gestures it looked like he got annoyed by what his master had said. Levi had no idea what she meant by that, maybe she had a thing for cutting out tongues, just like she threatened Levi with. The actions of her plaything had caused her to burst out in laughter. Confused by what was going on, Levi was hoping he wasn't the only one not knowing what the hell was going on.

Maybe she was more human than he first gave to her. No, he still thought she was crazy.

(WC: 456, TWC: 2241)

Ryal chuckled at his partner's response to the newcomer, there was no animosity or bitterness in the male's words yet plenty of room for it. While he wasn't trying to make Taishi or himself out to be bad guys the Shinkou did want the new guy pick up sarcasm that would otherwise not have been implied by the male's empty words. Some fun had to come out of having a new "pet", especially given the peppy response he gave the grey-ish male. The aforementioned man would then ask about solatium and their duties once they're there, Ryal already had it in his mind to steal what he could from whom he could. Seeing as they had yet to be paid for their last engagement and had their most recent opportunity snatched away. Rui sighed and rolled his eyes when the girl answered, typical. It's hard to keep yourself entertained when you attack first and think later, oddly enough the white haired boy who jumped at the chance to "defend" her was now pissed that she'd mentioned his maiming. A look of disgust washed over Rui's face as the bitch burst into laughter at the male's attempts to communicate, mimes were never funny even if you were the one to make them mute.

"Can we leave now or is there someone or rather something else you need to get?" The blond would ask bored with this situation already. The sooner she got her vengeance the sooner they could get rid of her.

WC: 251

“Just don’t do nothing too stupid, okay?” The brute would say in response to Levi’s words. Taishi wasn’t known for being the brains of the bunch, but even he would understand what he meant by this. Don’t do anything that will make him regret bringing the guy along. It was simple enough.
 
So it would seem their objectives were fairly clear. They were going in to Hoshi to learn about this S rank criminal, and with said knowledge they would be hunting him down for the bounty. Tracking down prey was just the kind of work Taishi enjoyed. “Sounds easy enough. Haven’t been caught up til now, and should things take a turn for the worse how do you feel about us resolving the issue with force?” The greyish man would clear his throat and crack his knuckles, “Is this some sneaky shit where we avoid casualties, or are we free to crack some skulls should the need arise?” Taishi typically wouldn’t give a rat’s ass when someone tried telling him what to do on his own time, but this was basically a job and he wanted to follow his client’s instructions proper. The fact that the client was another criminal ninja mattered little.
 
So the silver swordsman wasn’t able to talk, and Alice threatened to cut out Levi’s tongue… It took him a moment longer to put it together than he’d like to admit, but then it hit him like a club to the head. A look of bewilderment shot across his face. She really cut out his tongue?! What the hell did he do to get that sort of punishment? Taishi would just shake his head, not finding any of the amusement that Alice had regarding the situation.
 
Hearing Ryal’s words snapped his brain away from the thoughts of the tongue. “Yeah, I’m ready to get this going if you folk are.” He would pull a small animal skin container from is waist and take a large drink. “Anyone else want some?” He would ask before putting it away.

A flash of light, and Valen would arrive in the land of Iron, truly Hikari’s dimension was an interesting technique and the ring she had left him would come in handy indeed. As he appeared in the area Valen would take a cursory look around to see he hadn’t ended up in an unpopulated field. The clean smell of snow permeated the air, the cold, white, frost lay everywhere. What little vegetation was nearby was dead, and scraggly due to the cold air providing little chance in the form of nourishment. However within the field stumps layered the landscape where the area has probably been clean cut to provide what little lumber could be obtained for construction purposes. On one such stump sat a young woman about his age. Black hair, framing her face and an eyepatch over one eye. She was joined by three others, a man about as tall as Valen himself, with dark hair, wearing dark clothing. He had a muscular build but seemed, dirty, somehow. Another male was far shorter, about as tall as the woman sitting on the stump. He looked about Valen’s age, with a strong build with short black hair. The final member of the group, a blonde male who actually stood a few inches taller than Valen himself. The ashen haired, golden eyed, former kage would appear only a few meters away from the group. His appearance location would put him directly behind the three males but the woman sitting on the stump would have clear sight of him.

Frowning slightly at having potentially interrupted something the tan skinned sword wielder would nod his head toward the group. “It appears I mistakenly interrupted your meeting, I apologize.” He would say, his tone cordial, but his body ready to spring into action to cut down any who might begin to move against him. He had no allies now, so he had to be careful. To be honest, having appeared like this infuriated him for more than one reason however. He hadn’t wanted anyone to see his true appearance. It was only with hindsight that he realized he should’ve utilized a transformation before teleporting away from Lux Aeterna. The truly infuriating thing though was the fact that he hadn’t disguised his chakra signature. The four here would be able to sense how potent it was if they were skilled enough and he didn’t want to risk any word of powerful outsiders in the area. He needed to be low key until he got some kind of living arrangement so he had a reliable place to rest and recuperate. Without such a place, letting himself be discovered was a serious risk. One he couldn’t take if Hikari really was mad at him. He couldn’t risk utilizing Lux Aeterna as a home base of any kind.

‘You could kill them you know, leave no witnesses and all that.’ The Gobi would say in his head to which Valen would mentally frown. The beast had a point after all, dead men tell no tales after all. However while he was ready to leave his home he was not ready to simply murder people indiscriminately. ‘I’m not just going to murder people for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Granted I’m not in the mood to deal with anyone’s shit, so if they push it then we’ll see.’ Valen would respond, to which the great beast within him would merely shrug with an air of indifference. ‘Suit yourself, just don’t do anything too stupid.’ The beast would say, his voice slowly fading out in Valen’s mind as it quieted down. ‘Why Gobi, you almost sound like you care.’ Valen would think with a mental smirk, getting the last word in just as the presence within his mind faded away for the moment. The man would nod his head now, appearing to any looking to have successfully obtained his bearings. “I’ll leave you all be, again, I apologize for my sudden appearance.” He would say after which he would turn to leave. His hand never straying far from the hilt of Seraphim, and his body ready to move. He was ready to activate his armors full body function, creating the helm that defended him. His steps would be absolutely silent, even in the snow and he’d keep his ears sharp for any sounds that might travel through the still air of the snow covered field. All the while, his eyes would never change from their golden colour.

WC: 751
[Invasion and potential exit, anyone up for a tad bit of CD? ^_^]
I'll make claims if no one wants to

Also Ring of Gathered Will buff is Chakra for this thread
AP - 5 for GE level 2

1095 remaining.

”Sneaky shit? No not really. I prefer a more violent approach myself, if you hadn’t picked up on that yet.” The words left her mouth with another playful wink. If Taishi wanted to stir up some trouble and smash some heads together she sure as hell wasn’t going to stop him. And then of course there’s the oh so boring R. Wanting to get this over with and head out already. He probably didn’t really have anything better to do anyway so what’s his rush? Well, she was almost ready to leave anyway.

”Oh we can leave in a few minutes. I just have to do something first. A little patience goes a long way.” Alice would then cross her legs on the stump and bring her fists together in her lap in a sort of meditative position. Already she could feel the nature energy being drawn to her. It was an almost indescribable feeling that she had discovered after returning from the Void. Just another new ability she seemed to have picked up somehow.

However her meditation was almost immediately interrupted by the arrival of a new man, showing up behind her little minions in a flash of light. Undoubtedly it was similar to the technique she used to teleport herself, if not the same one. Ashen-haired, tan skin, and definitely a high chakra level. Higher than her own was before The Void weakened her. His physical description was familiar, but if she was right.....no she couldn’t be right. What would he be doing here?

”Wait!” she said, hoping the man would stop and talk for a moment. ”What’s your name? Mine is.....Alice.”


[mid-thread claim:
TWC: 3,254
16 stats
3,000 to learn Sage Art: Energy Transfer

Levi noticed that the blond male was seemingly getting bored with the situation as he asked if they could finally leave for their new destination. Looked like someone was itching to get their hands dirty. The brute who went by the name of Taishi turned to Levi, advising him not to do anything stupid.
“Something stupid, you mean like running around on my own and getting caught by that little maniac over there?” he pointed at the young girl who was still looking like she was having the time of her life.
 
“But don’t worry, I’ll keep those words close to heart.”
 
As bored as the blond was, the more motivated the brute seemed to be. Cracking his knuckles as if he couldn’t wait to get the job done. Taishi looked like he was the type of guy who didn’t need much details, just give him an assignment and he would get it done. Straightforward, aimed at his target whatever it may be. He would then pull a small container from his waist from which he would take a rather large sip, asking if anyone else wanted some. Levi would take a look but politely decline.
 
“I’m not really much of a drinker, but thanks for the offer.”
 
When he took a moment to look over to see what Alice was doing, Levi could see she was getting herself into a position where she would cross her legs as if she started to concentrate to gather some energy. Not long after she began assuming this meditive position, a giant flash of light suddenly appeared behind Levi and the others.
 
“Great, what is it this time?”
Afraid of what he might spot behind him since he expected nothing good would come with a flash like that, he slowly turned around. Behind him stood an ashen haired male with golden eyes. “Aw, come on. Really? Who the hell has golden eyes?” were the thoughts going on in Levi’s head. Even the inexperienced Nara was able to feel the impressive chakra level of the newcomer. Carefully stepping aside he would get next to the others since he didn’t want to become a target, not knowing the intentions of the man who was now standing in front of him. What does a man have to do to finally catch a break? Poor Levi, first he almost gets killed and now this, what other surprises would he encounter? Turning to Taishi he reconsidered his offer from before.
 
“On second thought, I think I’ll have that drink now.”

(WC: 422, TWC: 2663)

Alice is approved