Round 2: Princess Hunting [Mission]

Princess Hunting (Take II)

As the large oaken door of the library closed behind him Lucian exhaled. He didn't realize it while he was in the library, but he had been holding his breath. Up until this point, his life had been so simple. Wake up, meditate, train, do a mission and learn more about Hoshigakure. He had actually come to like the routine; there was something calming about going through life knowing what to expect. All his life, even his time in Funkagakure, had been a safe one. Never once had he felt uncertain about the future. Never once had he truly tasted fear.

That all changed as he stood outside the library. His heart raced, his thoughts blurred and a cool rush of adrenaline passed through his veins. For a moment he felt as if he could bring the whole world to heel. It was quite the feeling. Alas, pesky reality descended with a startling weight.  Ahead of him, he had a night of uncertain with a kill order from one of the sitting princesses to save the other one. The situation he found himself in was anything but routine and the future anything but certain.

Whoever is writing this script has a flair for the dramatic, Lucian thought idly as he made his way out of the palace. The whole building was quite the maze and even after having been there many times it took some effort not to get lost. Luckily he made it out without taking a wrong turn or having to get directions.

Stepping out the discreet backdoor, for it would be inappropriate to waltz out the front door, Lucian found himself faced with a curtain of rain the likes of which he had not seen since the rainy season in Funkagakure. With no umbrella and no time to get one he braced himself just a bit and stepped out into what was turning out to be a deluge. In a matter of seconds, all of his clothes clung to him and it became hard to see too far in front of him.

At least the streets aren't packed...

Every once in a while Lucian spotted a lantern or two in a nearby window. Beyond that, he heard nothing save for his own heartbeat and the pounding of the rain. It was an interesting feeling really. Lucian knew he was walking, but it felt as if he was not the one walking. The elders often called these out of body experiences brought on by extreme stress or extreme calm. The Nazar boy couldn't put his finger on it nor did he really care as he made the familiar left turn onto the street that led to his apartment. He was already thinking about his next move. He had all the information on Meryn clutched in his right hand and the power to turn the village upside down in his pocket.

You can't hide.

Unlocking his door with a jiggle of a particularly odd-shaped key Lucian stepped out the rain and into his apartment. His heart rebelled as he made his way to his room and the closet therein, but his mind spurred him onward. It would take much longer for him to locate Kanzaki if he did not plan his actions. He needed a plan. A proper plan would no doubt save him from hours upon hours of scurrying around the village in the rain and getting nowhere.
Stripping out of his soaking clothes he gazed blankly into his wardrobe. He did not have the clothes for battle. His only real armor came in the form of a flak jacket given to him on his promotion to chuunin. Luckily for the mission before heavy armor would do him little good and blow his one advantage. Meryn would not see his end in the eyes of a monk. By the time he did it would be too late.

Pulling on a white undershirt Lucian next reached for the flak jacket. This would be the first time he wore it and hopefully, it would be the last. Next a pair of pants, long and brown. Then a long robe of weathered orange reaching to his mid-thigh courtesy of the sect of the sun. Cinched shut by a white sash  Lucian looked every part the holy man; the flak jacket perfectly hidden beneath his robe.

A glint of dull metal caught the boy’s eye as he moved to close the closet causing him to pause. Delito, the puppet he had modeled after his one-time travel companion, Taios, lay in the far back. Darkness passed over the Nazar’s face as he seriously considered using his piece of artwork for what amounted to a sanctioned hit. A flash of lightning with a distant roll of thunder and the darkness was gone; Lucian closed the closet leaving Delito on the floor.

He had a plan to put together. Fishing out the royal seal from the clothes on the floor he made his way to the kitchen table where the folder waited. Flipping open the laminated pages he began the task of becoming closely acquainted with Ser Meryn Kent along with his rather extensive holdings in and around Hoshigakure. Apparently, it paid to be a Queensguard or at least such a job gave certain benefits and ready access those in power.

There were two residences around the palace that Lucian felt he could discount. The housing was provided by the village and would easily be searched by the authorities, by him. Meryn would be a fool to stay there. The rest were, well, troublesome to say the least. Meryn had a major stake in three churches that lay on opposite sides of the village. Sure, he could get lucky and happen upon the right one, but guess wrong and he would simply have wasted time. He couldn’t waste time; Tehniyat did not have time, nor did he.

No, I can’t just gamble. I have to be certain.

As he thought about the conundrum before him Lucian read up on each location. The ins and outs became ingrained in his mind. The blueprints were easy enough to read. All three of the buildings were one story with a few easy to identify exits and entrances. It wouldn’t be too hard wherever Meryn was to confront him. The trick was finding him…

How do I find him?

Turning to the last page he lazily scanned the page, once, twice and a third time. Then, right there, at the bottom of the page was the answer. The name of the properties. It all made sense.

Of the three churches two had mass each evening while the third was used only on weekend mornings. It was so obvious that Lucian found himself shaking his head at his own denseness. Meryn would be a fool to go to churches that held mass in the evening. People were constantly going in and out, someone could easily find him and his captive. See? A little bit of knowledge went a long way.

Yes, it all made sense now. Lucian’s next stop was the house of the golden lady. Truthfully, the bald boy did not know what to expect. Closing the folder with a certain finality he took a breath. Pushing himself up and out of the chair, Lucian gave his apartment a once-over before heading back out into the storm.

The only light he now had was the occasional flashes of lightning and the soft golden glow of the necklace he wore. Using his shakujo as a walking stick of sorts the boy made good time. For any onlookers, Lucian appeared to simply be a holy man caught in the rain. In fact, one woman offered him shelter. Lucian, of course, thanked her for her kindness but declined before moving back into the deluge.

Hoshigakure really was quite an amazing place. The people were both warm and cold. Some would welcome anyone to the village while others would actively try to drive them out. It was odd to think about. Once Lucian had been just another immigrant from afar. Yet here he was running a high-profile mission for the crown. Life was moving too fast, much too fast.

Ten minutes later and Lucian’s clothes clung to his body as he was soaked to the core. This whole rainy season thing was kind of irksome. Fortunately, such thoughts were banished from his mind as his destination came into view. Turning a corner and glancing down the abandoned road he saw it.

No lights flickered in the windows on the street. In fact, the whole place seemed deserted. Of course, there was no way it was truly deserted. Perhaps some information gathering was in order? Get a sense of things? Unfortunately, the luxury of pounding on doors was not something he had. Meryn could very well be watching, better to just get it over with.

Approaching the doors the Nazar boy prepared his act. It would be easy to look like a man running from the storm. Pushing open the large doors Lucian stepped into the antechamber to the building. With the door closing behind the deluge became muted and Lucian found himself immersed in some weird place between silence and pandemonium.

“Hello, is there anyone here?” Lucian called out to the darkness his eyes were still adjusting to. Now, he doubted Meryn would simply come out surrender so he also reached out with his chakra senses searching for anyone else within the building. He had to be here, he had to be.

Where are you?

[WC: 1592]

It was amazing how easily one could get used to the abilities of the ninja.. especially when it came to the weather.  The days of strong and unusual weather were rare, so when a particularly good storm came up, the young boy was always expecting to see some sort of ninja magic make it gentler, calmer.  It did wonders for the hot summer months; when rains came locally to wherever they were needed. The stack of barrels in the cellar did attest to the wonders of these shinobi.  What the young man considered an act against God was changing his view, as well as the Father of the Church.

The heavy rain outside filled the young alter-server with such thoughts, as he realized he had forgotten how big the weather could be.  Usually by now the Prince would have done something, but this evening seemed to give natural glory to nature.  He shook his head and his focus went back to his broom; the final task given to him by Father Tyan.  The rain was going to keep those wishing to worship away, meaning that the church could probably be considered closed soon.  At least that meant an early night.  He lifted his head, trying to understand what happened earlier, and then went back to sweeping, before he heard the rain get louder and then muffled.  He froze when he heard a voice calling out.  Someone had just entered the church.

Sighing, the boy picked up his broom and made his way towards the antechamber, hoping that this would be an easy task.  To his surprise, it looked like a man of the cloth, though certainly not of the Golden Lady.  Perhaps someone coming in from the storm?  He cautiously walked over, giving a dip in his head to show respect.

"Good Evening, may the Golden Lady warm your heart.  I apologize, the Father is not here at the moment.  Are you here to rest from the storm?" the young man asked, going up to the monk.

Lucian's initial sweep of the compound with his chakra senses brought up nothing save for a single exceedingly weak signature. One could almost say the chakra he sensed was nothing considering its size but the Nazar boy was not so callous. There was value in even the smallest of things and tonight, especially there was also a possible danger therein.

That said there were two options to deal with the fast approaching individual. Well, truthfully, there were many more options than that. However, there were only two acceptable ones, the diplomatic one or the authoritarian one. Lucian, as was oft his nature, chose the former over the latter.

"More or less," Lucian replied with a calculated smile as he returned the boy's shallow bow. "In fact, I was traveling with a group before we got caught in this deluge and they went ahead."

A slight pause as Lucian took an exasperated breath.

"Is there a chance anyone else has come through here this evening?" He asked politely. "Ser Meryn said not to get separated but then the storm hit and I lost track of him. Typical me, I suppose..."

Acting came naturally the to the young chuunin; one had to be reasonably creative when putting on puppet shows, after all. Plus, acting was a bit easier than shoving Tehniyat's locket in the poor boy's face and demanding information. Better to get information another way and he doubted Tehniyat would much like the idea of Lucian flaunting his temporary authoirty over others so willingly.

"A group?" the young man asked, turning his head.  He smiled.  "I guess Prince Arashi is away.  Hopefully this storm won't be so bad." he said, offering the monk a chance to try off in the back.

"The Golden Lady will warm all, even you, my friend." he said, as the monk continued.  The words of Ser Meryn stopped him, however.

The Captain of the Guard.... that was the reason he was in this particular situation.  That is why the Father was not around.  The sole provider of the church had arrived and left just as quickly.

"The Captain did arrive, but I didn't realize he had a group.  Ser Meryn has been good with the church, and he left with Father Tyan.  If you would like to wait out the storm here, I'm sure at least one of them will come back." he said, again offering the monk a warm place to rest.

"To be honest, the Captain seemed to be in a rush.  Didn't even speak much."

"Yes, he was in quite a hurry," Lucian agreed with a knowing nod. "He was dispatched on a rather time sensitive mission. However, in his haste, he forgot an item essential to his quest."

To accent his point Lucian reached within the folds of his clothing and produced the locket given to him by Tehniyat. Holding up the small golden trinket he allowed the light to catch on the details. The elegant crest of royalty readily visible on the locket went a long way in Hoshigakure. With such a locket and Tehniyat's backing, Lucian could bring the village to its knees without a need for violence. The respect for royalty went that far if not farther.

"I hope you'll understand when I say it is vital I get this locket to Ser Meryn without delay."

Returning the locket to his pocket, Lucian took a moment to catch the gaze of the boy before him. Hopefully, the message was clear, he needed to know where Meryn went. Any information would help, anything at all. That said, the idea of getting closer to Meryn was starting to invite the demons of doubt into his mind. Could he actually kill someone?

The young boy stared at the golden locket, as if verifying it's authenticity.  Of all the things for the Captain of the guard to forget, this was probably the last thing that the boy would expect.  He glanced up at the monk, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think the Captain will need his royal badge as it were down there.  I'm sure he'll be back up in a bit, there is only one entrance to the cellar." he said, shaking his head.  Father Tyan did ask for them not to be disturbed, after all.

"Ser Meryn was just stopping by to select a wine for his guests.  He won't be long." he said, glancing towards the back of the church.  There was no hint of a delay in his voice, he wasn't stalling for anyone at least, it just seemed like there was no way for the Captain to not have to come back through the Church.

"If you would like, I can call down to them that you are here, but Father Tyan asked to not be disturbed.  Commandment 5, respect thy Father above all others."

Perhaps the boy was blind or perhaps he was just unaware both were acceptable. Lucian would not fault him either way. However, had the altar boy looked closely, he would have seen that the crest was unique to one of the two princesses of Hoshigakure, Tehniyat in this case. Food for thought, no? The devil is in the details or something like that.

"No, you are right," Lucian ceded in earnest. "I wouldn't dream of interrupting those two. If you show me to the cellar I will wait for them there. Patience is a virtue and I do not wish to infringe on your duties any more than I already have."

If the altar boy knew anything then he was probably one of the best liars Lucian had ever come across. Of course, the chuunin did not relax entirely and kept his chakra senses extended to their maximum range. It really would be poor sport to come this far and get jumped from the shadows, right?

Yes, that would be bad.

This was a tough conundrum for the young man.  He was loyal to his Father, but the Captain was just was demanding of respect, and if this associate gave word to Ser Meryn that he was not able to reach him because of some boy, he knew he would be punished.  He couldn't have that, he had to be able to save face if he wanted to become a man of the Golden Robes.

But at the same time, Father Tyan was very clear in his instructions.  He was not to be disturbed.  Meryn was a tough person to deal with on the best of days, but recently he seemed colder, more calculating, and to be frank, less loyal.  The boy felt.. uncomfortable to say the least. 

Still, as the boy signed and leaned his broom on one of the long pews, he resigned himself and nodded.  "Alright, give me a moment, I'll show you to the cellar." he said, turning and walking to the back where the men of the cloth were able to relax and get ready in peace.  The spare keys to the building were hanging on a hook, where the boy calmly grabbed them and walked back out to the main room.

"Its just behind the fountain, follow me." he said, following behind the wall in the back of the alter, and then unlocking and opening a door in the back.  He gestered for Lucian to follow, and then closed the door behind the group, as he led him down a dark hall to a storage room full of religious wine barrels.  He stopped at the entrance, and gestured down the room towards a door in the back.

"The cellar is there in the back, sir.  Please be careful with the barrels, they are for our next gathering." he said, bowing and walking back to replace the keys before Father Tyan noticed them missing.

Now that he was way past the time he was supposed to have everything done, the young alter boy quickly went to finish so he could go home, leaving Lucian to discover the secrets of the church on his own.

"I will be exceedingly careful," Lucian replied in regards to the wine. "Thank you for your help."

Bowing more deeply than his greeting, Lucian waited silently for the boy to leave. With access to the cellar secured and Meryn's whereabouts relatively certain the Nazar boy found the adrenaline coursing through his veins rather comforting. He was going to need more than a little confidence moving forward and a little adrenaline never hurt.

Well, here goes nothing...

With shakujo still in hand, the chuunin went deeper into the church. Frankly, he found it a bit odd that religions held alcohol in such high regard. Some believed it to be the blood of their savior symbolically and then drank it. Truly bizarre.

Coming to the dark wooden door that led to the cellar he took a breath and pushed it in. The weight was surprisingly little for how imposing the door looked. Perhaps it was some weird wood or maybe it was the fact Lucian wasn't worried about the door itself but rather what lay behind it. Time would tell what sat in the cellar...

Across Hoshigakure and at a sister church of the one Lucian was currently searching through, Ser Meryn Trant made himself comfortable, his white uniform completely dry and his blade sparkling once more. The small bundle over his shoulder containing the future Queen now lay on the floor acting as the child's bedding as she lay unconscious in front of the warm fire. The old knight had made sure to clean his blade after killing the priest who had noted the abduction. His bones now lay somewhere out in the overflowing gutters of the city, sure to be either washed away or buried deep in the sands.

The good Father had died for a just cause, to save his Queen and Country. Once they had retreated to the wine cellar of the previous church, Ser Meryn had divulged that he was on a royal mission. The Father had been very helpful, had even escorted him to this particular building, in fact, the man was all smiles until the sack on Ser Meryn's shoulder's had began to cough.

But it mattered not. Her Grace Kanzaki was once again rendered unconscious and the old priest taken care of. His alter boy would no doubt not worry until a day or two and a day or two was all the Queensguard needed to take Kanzaki out of the city.

As he rain poured heavy outside, Ser Meryn put up his feet on a comfortable settee, rocking the armchair he currently occupied back and forth as the crackling fire warmed him and his small Queen. For the first time in twenty five years, the old knight felt like humming a merry tune.