Somewhere to call home? [Mission - Arcanis]

Mission Parameters:

Seagulls cry over the cluttered streets, the occasional sunbeam breaking through the spotty clouds and scattered showers. It's early-mid-morning, and the general public are beginning their days. This island, of its nine siblings that together form Kirigakure, has seen some of the fewest changes since the days it was called Shima. Though it suffers the same often-dour weather as the rest, the residential and commercial neighborhoods here retain much more of their colorful Island country flair, bustling with street food and laughing children. It is the most comfortable and familiar place for visitors to the village from the surrounding countryside, so that is where Mino has decided to begin.

Mino Kurokabi leans against the front wall of a handsome bed and breakfast, the middle-aged, gangly woman exhaling smoke out into the rain from her protection under the eaves. You might call her outfit 'shinobi casual' - the typical Kirigakure lined turtleneck and pants, belt buckle substituting for her forehead protector in bearing the village's symbol. Unarmed, today, though she figures she could likely kill a man with the umbrella leaning against the wall beside her if necessary. She ashes her cigarette into the decorative shrubbery.

Today, she has the pleasure of taking a newcomer to the village on his first formal mission. His briefing instructed him to meet her here, in front of this fine establishment. They will have the pleasure of showing around a group of wealthy Island country landowners who have expressed cautious curiosity in acquiring property in the village. This past typhoon season was quite rough on the country, and those to retreat to the shinobi village for the interim found themselves enjoying much gentler weather under the protection of Kirigakure's seal arrays.

Mino had selected Arcanis' file personally. It looked new and shiny. One disadvantage will be that he will know little of the village to answer any questions. Instead, he will be learning alongside their little flock of landowners, which suits Mino just fine. She enjoys talking.

[329]
[Mission Completion: 329/2000]

Mino lifts her chin in acknowledgement as he joins her under the eaves, smoothly snuffing her cigarette and flicking it into a nearby trash bin.

"Hedatari," Mino greets, establishing that the pair will be on a surname basis. "Good morning."

He shouldn't have to stretch his brain muscles much to surmise that she expects him to refer to her as 'Kurokabi' in turn (her name having been provided to him during his briefing). His immediate impression of her youth is swiftly disproved by the lines under her dark eyes and the developing gravel to her voice. The woman looks him up and down, judging the fresh meat. Reasonably young, opted for casual wear. Arrived a little early, but not painfully so. No umbrella, and feels no need to voice his presence, trusting her to have already caught it. Forehead protector is right where it is supposed to be, likely an intentional display of loyalty. Could do much worse.

"Our clients are still enjoying their breakfast, and I would hate to disturb them before they are ready to begin," she says, eyes focusing sharply on Arcanis'. Even with visibly seasoned shinobi, Mino experiences many instances where they will arrive having only barely skimmed their missions... or slept through the briefings standing, it would seem from their cluelessness. Of course, it is also often the case that mission briefings are delivered quite vaguely and unhelpfully. Information collection is an important part of the job, after all.

"Would you kindly go over our mission's goals today, in your own words?"

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[Mission Completion: 915/2000]

Mino grunts in approval.

"Our job is to make them feel safe and confident." she says, gesturing through the window to the wealthy civilians within. They are finishing up with their meal, now, one of the employees beginning to gather them up as per Mino's earlier instructions.

"Their material comforts are amply provided for, so rest assured, we are not their maids. Otherwise? Yes, observe. I expect you to know the village inside and out by the end of the day. Shadow me, be professional, and make this village look appealing." With that, Mino turns towards the door and slides it open, slipping into the bed and breakfast. Inside the foyer, a group of about eight people is gathered, quietly chatting amongst themselves. They go quiet when the two shinobi enter.

"Good morning. You've all brought your umbrellas?" Mino says to the congregation, casually taking an umbrella from next to the door that certainly does not belong to her and handing it to Arcanis. "My name is Mino Kurokabi. I am a squad leader in the medical corps, and I will be accompanying all of you today." She pointedly does not introduce Arcanis, leading to a few curious glances towards him from the landowners. They are upper-class, well-dressed and well-groomed, but do not seem like the kind of exorbitantly wealthy who would expect ninja to be at their personal beck and call.

Mino turns back towards the door. "Follow me."

The tour begins, sensibly, upon the island they have started. This neighborhood, as one with the most potential for civilians to move in, is also the most 'fun'. There are relatively few shinobi milling about, today, assuaging fears that outsiders would be constantly stumbling upon the seven foot armed to the teeth homicidal slabs of muscle they had been expecting.

Once they reach the first of the village's many bridges, Mino ducks aside to acquire clearance for them to cross, leaving Arcanis for a few moments alone with their entourage. That gives one of the women, perhaps in her late twenties and accompanied by her husband on her arm, opportunity to lean in towards Arcanis with a conspiratorial 'psst!', earrings and bracelets clinking.

"Hey, mysterious! She didn't introduce you," she says while her husband good-naturedly tugs back at her and halfheartedly tells her not to bother him. "What's your job, huh? What kind of spooky ninja powers do you have, or is it a big secret?"

[403]
[Mission Completion: 1620/2000]

"A big secret, then," the woman says, inclining her head in understanding, a tone of simultaneous amusement and disappointment to her tone.

"My father is in the fishery business in Taroshima. We manage his properties," the husband says - voice monotone, slightly nasal. "Actually, it's really interesting, I..."

He doesn't really have anything interesting to say at all. Thankfully, assuming that Arcanis has little interest in tuna prices and how they are affected by shifting village policies, Mino comes to bail him out of the conversation in short order and get the group moving over the bridge.

They are almost finished by the time dusk settles, the group settling in for a brief break in a tea shop on the eighth island, one dense with mid-rise apartment complexes - shinobi housing, largely. Likewise, this business is largely patronized by shinobi, a few of them laughing loudly about something or other in the corner. Likely where Arcanis is housed, though Mino wouldn't assume. A radio drones in the background, the sound quality occasionally marred by scratchy static interference from the storm barrier.

Mino seats herself and Arcanis slightly aside from the rest of the group to allow them to gossip about them and the village in peace. It also affords herself and her mission partner time to chat. The objective of their mission hasn't afforded them much time to speak to one another aside from their brief exchange outside the bed and breakfast.

"What brought you to Kirigakure, Hedatari?" Mino asks him matter-of-factly, sipping at her tea.

[251]
[TWC - 1241]

Mino turns over this new information in her mind. She hadn't expected a puzzle - particularly not one that she could not easily fit together.

"Interesting," Mino says, gazing at him for a long moment, appraising. He is being intentionally vague. The environment of their conversation allows him reasonable cover - of course he would hide the whole truth, in such a public place. If Mino had known better, she would have chosen a better venue. For a moment, she considers avenues of pursuing his story more deeply... but she eases back on that instinct. The questions of his age and origin are (quite likely) simple set dressing for the purposes of judging his character and loyalties. The core of his story is quite familiar.

"You'll find many here who can relate to you, in a more mundane fashion." Mino takes a sip of her tea. "The world's been cruel, and whose who've kept their homes more than a few years count themselves very lucky."

Mino makes an amused noise at Arc's mention of earlier events. "I trust you were as cagey with them as you are being now?" she asks dryly, little blame in her voice for his reluctance to sate her curiosity. She pauses with a thoughtful hum, setting her tea back on to the table. From his words, he has no particular attachment to Kirigakure. The only thing stopping him from using the village as a stepping stone and abandoning it when it has suited its purposes is the threat of physical force, which is rarely ideal. How to keep their catch hooked, then?

"The life of a ninja is your destiny," she repeats thoughtfully. "Why? Why not do something else? I'm sure you know well by now that it isn't a kind life."

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