Big Boss [io]

Chai's ears flattened against his head as he looked at the odd woman before him. Perhaps woman was not really the right word though. Wolf would agree with her companion on that count, operative Cheshire was an odd one. Maybe short a few marbles? It wasn't Wolf's place to judge at this point in time. After all, Cheshire made it to the rank of anbu; Wolf had to believe it was for a reason.

Instead of reacting much the same way her companion did, Wolf did not bother commenting on Cheshire's antics. On the bright side it the group seemed have agreed on a course of action. Having a course of action was good. Direction was always key.

Taking the blade and mask from Cheshire, Wolf nodded once after placing the sword and mask onto the table next to her own mask. Words weren't needed at this point in time. The three operatives knew what they had to do. Cheshire left first shortly followed by Tiger. The two operatives were no doubt off to change into something more...baity. Wolf, on the other hand, had to blend in instead of stand out.

Sadly she would not be changing into something more comfortable. Her hair was never done up, so that would not be a problem. However, an anbu mask and black cloak were far too conspicuous. No, that would not do in the slightest. With the room to herself she glanced down at Chai who tilted his head slightly.

"Chai, we'll need to look a bit less, well, like ourselves."

A sad whimper from the hound.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Let's get it over with."

Standing up, Wolf's snakelike features disappeared behind her namesake mask. Next came Cheshire's gear. The feral mask slipped into the inky blackness of Wolf's unending pockets while the sword found a place on the woman's back next to her own blade.

Then a breath, a deep calming breath.

Dog-Boar-Ram

Wolf's hands moved in the familiar pattern she had been taught so many years ago. How laughable it was now to think she had trouble with such a simple jutsu at one point. A plume of smoke obscured Wolf's slight frame. Where there was once a youthful woman there now stood a elderly hag. The transformation jutsu was simple, but a powerful means of deception which hid both identity and weapons.

Standing about half a foot shorter than she did normally, Wolf now had a defined hunch in her back. Her skin looked to be made of poorly aged leather and twice as wrinkled. The black cloak of the anbu that covered her remained, but it looked as if it had aged right along with Wolf. The edges frayed and dirt near the bottoms. Sure, her head was covered by a black cowl, but one could still see wiry white hair underneath, here and there.

"Well, it's time we get going." Wolf cackled in a dry voice.

Chai looked a bit uncomfortable, but he went with it. The pair now looked like an old lady who was led by her loyal dog. She wouldn't look too out of place, hopefully.

In a matter of minutes Wolf and Chai were in the thick of it. Barkeeps vigorously inviting patrons, women of questionable morals and a few drunks just watching the passersbys. Were Wolf not on duty she would have accepted each and every entreaty. Hell, in an alternate world she was probably wasting away in some bar at this point.

To keep her mind from the dens of temptation all around her, Wolf focused on the scents all around her. Like trails scents crossed and mingled. Sweat, alcohol, makeup it all had a smell, but Wolf was in search of two in particular, Cheshire and Tiger. In a moment she had Cheshire's scent.

To the outside world it would appear that the elegant Tiger, or Nanase as the case may be, was simply passing an old woman and her dog. Hopefully Tiger noticed the large brown dog and could make the right connections. All that remained was for Cheshire to make her appearance. Then the mission could truly get under way

In the meantime, Wolf and Chai idly walked from street to street keeping their distance from Tiger, but always watching. Always smelling. Wolf could admire those who could pull off a kimono. Perhaps it was the wild part of the woman, but she could never quite feel comfortable in such an outfit. Plus, how was one supposed to properly drink in a fancy getup like a kimono? It was preposterous, at least for operative Wolf and Ashi Inuzuka.

Now we wait for a bite...

Lights, music, drinks, party, you name it and the entertainment industry had it. Artemis simply smiled and wave to all the already dunk men making moves on her; whistling and shouting at her direction. She was already capturing the attention of the guys, so it would only be a matter of time until one of them was associated with the black ones. It wasn’t often that the girl found herself walking down these streets in one of her most elegant cloths. Typically, she preferred a quiet tea shop near the edge of the city. Though, she had to do what she had to do for the village.

In the distance, she could see Operative Tiger making her way through, the bar patrons referring to her as Nanase. Following suit, Cheshire made her way to the girl, yelling out to grab her attention “Nanaseeeee-Chaaaan!” Artemis waved her hand frantically as if it were on fire, trying to get the girl’s attention before the Pendragon finally made it to her. From her peripheral sight, she spotted an old lady and most importantly, a big brown dog. Goosebumps formed on her arms as she thought about the animal, but seeing him was a sign that Operative Wolf was in position.  “Ohh thank you so much for inviting me out tonight! This is amazing!” Cheshire put on a big spectacle as she caught the looks of those nearby. The more attention they could gather, the more dimwitted they would seem and ultimately, the higher chance they’ll be chosen as targets.

“Let’s go in that one!” She said ignorantly, making quit the show as she caught the eye of nearby men and a couple of judgmental women. Artemis headed off into one of the many open bars, this one having it’s very own casino. The inside of the fairly large bar was dimly lit and smelled of smoke, and puke from the night before. The few men who occupied the space were mainly well dressed while the women were were wearing rather skimpy clothing, two of them dancing upon the steel cages that stood at the corner of the bars. The place was practically a Las Vegas casino, except the ambience was sort of dead since it was off hours.

“Ooooo, how… um.. touristy!” Artemis found the words, her voice practically screaming innocent visitor. She took a seat at one of the many blackjack tables, half expecting her teammate to join her as the card begun to get passed around. Putting down 5,000 ryo, the girl handed the cash to the dealer before being given her chips. “Shall we get started boys?” She called out to the others sitting at the table, all men in suits and wearing a pair of shades. Like it wasn’t dark enough in this hell hole.

“Sure thing gorgeous, but only if you let me buy you a drink.” The man next to her called out. Cheshire eyed the man down, analyzing him before she responded. His hair was slicked back, his fingers finely polished and his suit fresh as if just being picked up from the dry cleaners. His proposition felt rather mechanical, hinting that this was something he did quite often. If the girl didn’t know any better, she would be knocked unconscious from the spiked drink that was soon to be sent her way. “Of course handsome! But how about me make it two.” Artemis replied as the man called for the waitress with the booty cut shorts. She believed she found one of the many that they were looking for. All she had to do was play along until he revealed his hand.

Those two have the easy job.

Wolf might be a little biased in her thoughts, but it was partially true. After all, Cheshire and Tiger had something to do. Wolf, on the other hand, could only wait. Were it a normal night she might be a patron at one of the many bars she passed by. It had been a while since she bar hopped as each brightly colored sign and dimly lit lantern reminded her. Shame really. Here she was trying to look as lost as possible yet all she wanted to do was get lost in the bottom of the nearest glass.

Later...later...

Enter Cheshire; she was hard to miss. Internally wincing as the woman announced herself to the entire district and maybe a few others, Wolf tried to look as casual as possible while also keeping a respectable distance from her fellow operatives. Following the rowdy pair Wolf was pleased to find a convenient bench across from the casino that Cheshire and Tiger entered. It was not hard to look like a tired old woman needing a rest.

In a matter of moments her fellow operatives were swallowed up by the mechanization of Konohagakure's entertainment machine. Sadly, this meant waiting. Wolf hated waiting. In her experience it was not the fighting and killing that took it's toll, but the downtime in-between all the action, the waiting. It was in these lulls where demons gnawed on one's conscience and unsettled even the most dedicated solider. Taking action was easy, it was all about getting to that point. Yes, for the moment all Wolf could do was follow both the scents and chakra signatures of her teammates. As the endless parade of debauchery unfolded before her Wolf remained unmoving with Chai by her side, her time would come.

Come on already...take the bait...

Artemis waited patiently as the waitress was called over to order their drinks. Nanase, or Operative Tiger, took a seat on the other side of Cheshire, cheering her on. It seemed like the girl had changed compared to the version of herself that the Pendragon saw while in the mission room. The waitress approached the table and took the orders given to her by the man who flirted with Artemis. After ordering the drinks, he quickly whispered something into the waitress’ ear that was an instant red flag for the anbu operative.

The cards began to be distributed as each current player was give two, with the person on the far left beginning to make his move, trying to get the 21. As he began making his decision to stand or take a hit, the drinks arrived. four velvet hued glasses of alcohol were placed, two in which were meant for Artemis. Taking a closer inspection at the alcohol within the glass, the girl could see a slight sizzle from within her drinks. It didn’t take no scientist to come to the conclusion that he was trying to drug her. He was either a typical scumbag, or one of the guys Cheshire and team were looking for. “Oh my gosh! Is that who I think it is!” Artemis rose up from her feet and pointed to the opposite side of the room just as a patron was walking into the bar. Everyone’s head turned, including the man’s, giving the girl just enough time to switch one of her glasses for the non-drugged ones that was mean for the suspect. “Ohhhh never mind!” Artemis sighed in disappointment as she sat back down, taking a sip of the regular drink.

The man could be seen sneering from the corner of her eye, so he was definitely buying it. “Alright my turn!” Artemis shouted out as the guy finally surrendered. She flipped over her two cards and had a six along with an eight, adding to a total of 14. Feeling a little risky considering the high tense scenario of the mission, she though she might as well add on to her playful demeanour. "I’m going to call for a double!” The dealer shook her head as she gave another card, the others adding to the pot. To her sudden surprise, as well as the other patrons, she got just the card she needed. A seven. “Lucky me!” She screamed out as she clinked glasses with the man and finished off her drink.

The game finished with Artemis beginning to pretend as if she was quite woozy. Whether it had been from the alcohol, or the drugs the guy tried to make her consume. The man was trying to stay completely sober as he hadn’t taken a single sip from his drink, which unknown to him played to the girl’s advantage. “I’m such a lightweight!” The girl said as she leaned on the guy for support. His hand fell to her lower back as a smile appeared on his face. “How about I take you to a place a little more quiet.”

Bingo.

“Ohhh yes! of course! that sounds good. Nanase dear, can you collect my earnings. Can she come with us too?” the girl ask as the man nodded. “The more the merrier.” he said eerily as he led her out. It was time to go to the base of operations. Upon being led out, Artemis would spot the old lady and the dog sitting on a nearby bench. Things were soon going to get messy.

It was amazing how little mind people paid the elderly these days. The endless stream of people heading off to god knows what frivolity would, at most, give Ashi a sidelong glance. This glance would of course be followed with a quick aversion of said gaze. Were Ashi more sensitive about her image she might feel insulted, but that was not the case. Oh, and it also probably helped that many of the passersby  had down one too many rounds of drink. Yes, that undoubtedly helped Ashi's anonymity as well.

To keep her mind from the endless possibilities of failure that oft plagued the woman before a dangerous mission she turned to people watching. Most people that passed were the younger crowd, early twenties all the way up to the upper thirties. The area catered to the younger crowd by offering a more 'exciting' experience. The Inuzuka was certain she would not be found dead in such a place if she could avoid it. The environment just felt...tacky. No, this was not the woman's 'scene'. She much preferred the older bars that served a more sedate customer. After all, when Ashi went drinking it was not for a good time, but to forget the bad times in her life that hung like ghosts in her dreams.

Luckily Ashi was snapped out of her own monotony by the movement of the two familiar chakra signatures of her teammates moving back towards her position. Perhaps a less experienced operative would start to get that adrenaline rush that came before action, but that was not the case with Ashi, this was not her first rodeo. Instead she remained where she had for the past while, right on the same bench. Though she did take time absentmindedly run a hand through Chai's brown coat.

No need to get all excited just yet.

And there they were, Cheshire and Tiger. The pair appeared to be accompanied by more than a few men, which was good. Were these the right people? She could not be sure-there were a lot of creeps in the world-but there was one way to find out. However, the time to find out was not yet upon the three operatives. There was still a dance to be had. It was a dance with many steps and the next was pursuit and verification.

Wolf was not foolish enough to outright follow her teammates. No, she would wait a bit. When her mental count reached somewhere near a minute she got up and followed the trail left behind. It was not too hard to follow the distinctive smell of cinnamon. So, went the odd train of humanity, Cheshire Tiger and their would be suitor followed by three men of questionable morals with operative Wolf and Chai behind them all.

The path the group followed was an odd one. Zigs and zags, left then right; one might think they wanted no one following them, how rude. However, Wolf was able to keep her distance through it all. The only thing that Wolf could say for certain at this point was there were less and less people milling about these parts.

At last, the group arrived at what could only be a love hotel with its bland exterior. Such establishments did not try to look too conspicuous. After all, it was not what the building looked like on the outside that made people want to come to such places. Wolf and Chai found themselves at the front door only a minute behind their teammates who, judging by the scent trail, were already within.

Here goes nothing...

Pushing open the door, Ashi's nose was assaulted by the smell of cherry. It was an awful smell, far too strong for her liking. Luckily her distaste of the smell helped the act she was about to put on. With a scrunched up face and elderly scowl on her face the transformed Wolf stormed up to the receptionist-odd that a place such as this would have a receptionist really, suspicious even, but that did not matter at the moment.

"You there," Wolf said waving a disapproving finger at the receptionist. "Young man, tell me this instant, where is my daughter?  She is always sneaking out to this place, which room is she in?"

No she did not give too many details, better to catch the man off balance.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but your daughter isn't here. I will ask that you and your dog leave now, you are scaring away customers."

At this Wolf took note of a large man shifting towards her from her right. Yep, there was something off about this place. What kind of love hotel had bouncers? As the man came ever closer Wolf knew it would be time to act soon. The large man, on the other hand, would soon find that each step he took towards the elderly woman was a one way trip to a black eye, broken nose and a bout of unconsciousness....

[Just an update on our cumulative word count. We are at 7,439/10,000. Almost there!]

As the three continued to walk along, it wouldn’t have taken Cheshire long to take note of the three men trailing behind them making it a sextet; if you include the woman with the bad dog, well that made it a septet. It was only just moments later that the girl who referred to herself as Nanase bumped into Artemis, hinting at the men that were trailing behind them. “Ohhh don’t worry Nanase-Chan! I know how hard it is for you to hold your liquor!” The beautiful dark haired girl continued to hold onto the man as he lead them to their destination, taking a multitude of turns as if trying to throw them off to where they were headed. Of course, to the man and his gang of human traffickers, the two girls were just tourists. What they didn’t know is that they knew every single inch of the village inside and out. From the cleanest districts to the dirtiest, she even knew the patterns in which the rodents traveled for their midnight snack.

They were eventually led to a sketchy looking building, population: Perverts. The man checked into his probably already purchased room before leading the girls to the stairs. Rather than leading the girls up the steps to what a girl would assume to be the penthouse suite, they were lead down the stairs. Red signal numero uno. Down what seemed like an endless amount of steps that was poorly lit by flickering lights, the walls stained with a dark substance. Red signal numero dos. “Ooh how down is this room darling?” Artemis asked, slurring her words slightly. “Don’t worry, You’ll won’t have to come up these steps again for a long while.” Just as he was finishing his words, the three walked down a long narrow hallway that led to a perfectly white door. Upon opening it, it seemed to lead to a dark void. Just by entering one could feel the room was rather large. After taking a few steps inside, the light flickered on revealing something that even shocked Artemis.

The room was probably a hundred meters in length and in width. Along it’s walls were hundreds of cages stacked up containing malnourished girls wearing nothing but their underwear. Some of the newer ones who had been placed in there cried out for help while the ones who had given up hope laid there in silence. Men began to flood the room as it seemed they had made it just in time for the day’s operation, beginning to pack illicit goods that the file had mentioned, as well as removing girls from their cages and forcing them into what looked like a back room that Artemis could only assume was for the trafficking. “What is this?” Cheshire asked even though she already knew the answer. “This my love, will be your new life.” The man made a sudden movement towards the girl in an attempt to inject her with some sort of syringe. Finally showing off her training, she caught the man’s arm before he had the chance to inject her and twisted his arm forcing him to drop the needle. “ARGH! What the hell?” He screamed, getting the attention of the other workers. “Sorry sweety, but you brought home the wrong girl.” With her free hand, she brought her fist to the center of his face, bringing him down rather quickly.

An alarm began to sound just as the shady fool hit the ground, signalling that the party crashers, aka the anbu team, had arrived. The men that had been working had their attention on the two intruders with multiple backup swarming in. It seem like their climax of the mission had finally arrived, but Artemis’ major concern was saving the trapped girls that were locked in the steel cages. First things first, take out the baddies. Boy, did she wish she had her sword right about now. She hoped that Wolf wasn’t too far behind. With a motion of her and, 30 chidori senbon launched at the men at a speed of 75 and a power of 60 towards the enemy. Some of the more skilled guards were able to block the projectile launched at them while other were struck, the lighting coursing through their body as their speed took a hit. With the senbon launched, she formed to hand signs at her top speed, forming three lightning clones. Two of the clones would charge the enemy as the other two began work on freeing the girls.

ap: like 130 used

Why is everyone so hasty?

One second the large man's hand was on her shoulder and the next it, and its owner, were laying sprawled out on reception desk in front of operative Wolf. Taking advantage of the shocked receptionist who was now looking at a fully equipped anbu where there once stood a frail old woman, Wolf mantled the desk and knocked the wind out of the man standing there. It was a clinical take-down, next came an uppercut to the chin that sent the man slumped against the wall. The man was lucky to be alive.

Wait, really?

Yes, Wolf had underestimated the man she flipped over her shoulder and onto the desk, he was still conscious. What was with guys and placing their hands on her shoulder? Luckily this time Wolf knew by a telltale snarl that she wouldn't have to lift a finger. In a matter of moments the man's grip went from reasonably loose to tight to nonexistent. All that remained was gurgling noise as a Chai's teeth sunk deep into the man's throat. Chai and operative Wolf were indeed a perfect team.

Not even bothering to cast a backward glance at Chai's work, Wolf made her way down the hallway Cheshire and Tiger's scents lingered in. There was no sense of urgency in the woman's strides nor any worry about her back. After all, Chai would always have her back. Based on her chakra senses there were a few people rushing into the entrance atrium, but were quickly dispatched by Chai. Honestly, it was hard to stop an animal. Of course, the only thing Wolf was worried about at this time was how exactly she would be getting all the blood out of poor Chai's hair.

Ah, they are alive. That's good.

As she walked down the hallway an alarm began blaring. Doors in the hallway Wolf was strolling down were beginning to open. Some were offices and others, well, they were in use. Luckily the hostile ones were easy to pick out as they were the ones not cowering back in the rooms. Rather they were running at Wolf unarmed. Shame for them really as carrying weapons may have evened the odds a bit, just a bit.

Five men in all, far too little for Wolf to fret over. As the men neared Wolf's stride turned into a run until the woman was on all fours running. The poor men were not long for the world. To them it would seem as if Wolf had disappeared, but to the predator each terrified face and each lifeless body was cemented in her mind. This was the price she paid; these faces would appear again in both her dreams and nightmares. For now though they were simply obstacles, not humans. They would be humans later.

In a matter of seconds the five men were incapacitated. Blood coated the woman's fists and ran down both arms. The bodies of her one-time opponents looked like animal attack victims. She had never once drawn a weapon, she needed no jutsu nor weapon when her body was a weapon in and of itself. Shame that the two swords on her back would go to waste.

Following her teammate's scents, Wolf made her way to the door that led god only knew where. Well, Wolf soon found out after kicking it down-so much for locks. The door itself slid down the stairs with ease with Wolf following lazily behind sans the sliding part. No, she was not in a hurry. Cheshire and Tiger shouldn't need any help anyway and Chai wouldn't allow anyone to escape.

With the final step at her back Wolf took in the scene before her. There were a few charred bodies here and there. Then there were the cages. None of it surprised Wolf, least of all the fact that her comrades were both still standing. Best of all there remained not a single guard to speak of as Wolf's arrival would be timed with the felling of the last guards in the dingy basement, this was far too easy. Using long easy strides Wolf approached Cheshire.

"Don't suppose you needed this, right?" Wolf teased as she pulled the other anbu's sword from her back and tossed the sheathed weapon towards its owner. Sure, the weapon was not damaged, but it did have a bloody hand print where Wolf had grabbed it courtesy of the five men who had stood in her way.

"Now, shall we finish up here?" Wolf questioned both Cheshire and Tiger. All that really remained was sweeping the building one last time for stragglers and any intelligence. It was all quite straightforward.

[ap: 450 remaining, TWC: 10,067, so we can just post our exits and wrap up the mission in our next round. Good stuff.]