A Spooky Reconnaissance

Mysterious Figure:

Trick of Treat:

It was difficult to stop thinking about. Everything from the dream had felt incredibly hazy. He knew he remembered there being other shinobi there with him in that strange place with the chain on the walls and the laughing voice that felt distorted and far away, as though it had come through some sort of speaker or radio. The entire experience had lingered on his mind for days and yet he hadn't found a way to get back there yet. Even if he could, Yuuma wasn't entirely certain he wanted to go back, and yet he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to the scenes that had played out before him. Who were those other ninjas? Did they get out of the situation alright? Was it even real? "It certainly felt real," Yuuma thought to himself, touching a hand to his powdered chin.

"Hey Mister, you coming?" A voice called out to him, rattling Yuuma from his typical thought train that usually left him standing there and spacing out. His expression betrayed his portion of embarrassment as he returned to the group with a small smile.

"Yes of course, please forgive me." Yuuma would offer, bowing his head momentarily though it seemed the group was prepared to move along to their next destination. Yuuma had volunteered to watch over a few different groups tonight as they traveled around the village to conduct their seasonal festivities, though, in reality, Yuuma used this opportunity not only to connect with the people of Hoshi but to keep a wary eye out for any evidence of the indications in recent reports that shady figures have been seen near populated areas and were believed to be behind more than a couple of disappearances. If someone was snatching people off the street, it would only be best when people were covered from head to toe in sufficiently spooky attire that no one would look at anyone too closely. Not until it was too late. But not tonight. Not if he had anything to say about it.

His normal monk-like attire was replaced with a more ghostly shroud; black, flowing robed covered his torso that tapered off into shreds of cloth to make him look decrepit. His face, hands, and arms had all been powdered white with his normally well-groomed and tied black hair let loose and wild. The finishing touch was a fake paper seal that had a scrawl of religious text often associated with dispersing spirits stuck directly to his forehead. He was the most friendly specter people might run into that evening, keeping a pocket of candy to hand out to those he could catch with the cheap fright of jumping from around the corner or making use of a simple transformation technique to appear like part of the scenery until the opportune moment. Although his scares were few and far between, he did manage to get a laugh out of most he caught with them. At least from the adults. The children required a small stipend of candy to assuage their displeasure in his antics.

Moving from group to group along the street, Yuuma kept his eyes closely on the attendants of each eventgoer until his eyes snagged on an oddity. A loner. A shadowy figure that loomed at the edge of an alleyway had appeared within his vicinity and immediately snagged his attention. Very few people were out alone tonight- even he spent most of his time accompanying one group or another and spent very little time lingering unless it was to perform a fright. But this figure didn't seem like it was set up for a scare; it appeared only after people had passed by. Like a shadow that stretched from the darkness of seclusion. Something sinister. Something with ill intention.

Unfortunately, subtly was never Yuuma's strong point. Even from its shadowed position, it could plainly tell that the shinobi had caught sight of it. Deciding against whatever course of action the figure had been contemplating, the shadow swiftly turned and vanished back into the alleyway though not before Yuuma would move to give chase. Once again, Yuuma would feel his shortcomings as his lack of fleet steps would cause him to arrive at the entrance to the alleyway by the time it had already been cleared. He could see directly through the passage to the other side and even see other groups that were passing by on their way through a planned out route to candy central, the alley left empty of any bodies he could distinguish even with a few tentative steps forward for investigation.

Turning to take his leave, Yuuma would take his pause when a glint of something on the wall caught his attention. For all the shortcomings he had, his attention to detail was not one of them. The contemplative shinobi didn't allow much to escape his attention and the smear of something on the wall was no exception. Stepping closer to the oddity, he would reach out a careful hand to touch the spot on the wall that would offer the slight hint in the dim light that found its way into the alleyway. Wet. His fingers slid across the brick until he lift it away to inspect the digits though he could easily tell what it was even before he found the light. He could smell it. Blood. His thumb would come to swipe away at the bits that clung to his fingertips. Thankfully, the adding of the blood wouldn't dirty the image of the ghastly figure he was attempting to replicate during the festivities though that didn't make him any more pleased to have the lifeblood of someone else smeared across his fingers.

A small sigh would escape through his nose as he took in the sight and metallic scent of the blood. This would surely be a symbol of things to come, but at least now Yuuma knew for sure; whatever was happening here was more than just a bad dream. Turning back to the alleyway, he would exit the throughway and return to the groups he had been joining, putting on his pleasant expression once more.

WC - 1,019

[Exit. Missions Complete.]

Claims:

-1,019 towards A-rank Paragon Vest [1,019/1,875]

- 2,000 Ryo
- 10AP
- 4 Tickets

Approved