[P] It Takes Two

The room was small, crowded, and smelled faintly of sweat. It was a recreational fighting club of some sort, technically illegal in the small town of Bahala but no-one seemed to give a damn. Lots of assorted Men and scattered women crowded around a raised circular platform upon which two fighters were beating each other senseless. Large bets were being placed across the room, and Elspeth found herself craning her neck as she was much smaller than the average height of the viewers. The techniques used were interesting. It didn't seem to confine to one particular style, but was a mixed medley from across the continent. She had studied a bit of different martial arts on her own, but wasn't confident enough to put it on display in front of complete strangers.

One of the competitors launched a vicious kick to the other's head. The clunk rang throughout the crowded room, and the following wince was almost collective. The victim of the attack fell to the floor momentarily. Noise levels in the room rose as people began to gossip and cash in bets.

"Damn, I had a couple hundred ryo on the guy..."

"-well, the standing champ is unbeatable..."

"-on, buddy, fork over the money-"

"...screw all this-"

The dull drabbling of the room seemed to fade away and she found herself closing her eyes lightly to better process information. Deep in thought, Elspeth didn't notice an approaching colossal man until he was standing right in front of her.

"Unless you're here to bet on competitors, you shouldn't be here at all," the voice was surprisingly soft for someone so big. She opened her eyes, head tilted. Should she or should she not?... Well, if she had to ask...

"Actually, I was wondering where to register as a competitor." The words were awfully bold, coming from a small woman such as herself. Apparently, it surprised the man, too, because the look of surprise that radiated off of him was almost tangible for all of three seconds.

"You don't," he stated bluntly, "if you wanna fight just get into the damn ring." She nodded semi-politely. "A small woman such as yourself don't stand much of a chance. You wanna lose so badly-"

"Okay." He blinked once more. Coughing, he tried again.

"Anyway, you wanna lose so-"

"Okay." An awkward pause rang between them, and he looked like he was about to say something before changing his mind. He shook his head in a gruff and irritated manner.

"Just- just get to the ring." He left immediately after saying that. Did her abrasive, non-caring attitude weird away another stranger? Apparently, yes it did. Weaving her way through the crowd of people, she had to perform several evasive maneuvers to avoid getting stepped on, walked into, and even punched by accident. Already, she was off to a great start. Eventually, she arrived at the stairs that lead up. She paused. So... What happened now? Was she supposed to just walk up? She shrugged largely to herself.

Maybe she'd be better off asking.

"Hey!" She called, waving her hand. The fighter looked down at her from above, cold eyes unreadable. "Can I fight next?" Silence, then... A firm nod. A hand reached down to help her up and she gleefully accepted. "Thanks!"

The instant she stood up in the circle, chatter rose to unbearable levels.

"Who's that?"

"-about to get crushed-"

"-hundred ryo on the standing champ-"

She scratched her neck awkwardly. "Count of three?" She asked. Her opponent nodded. One... Two...

She dropped to the ground as a high kick went flying above where her head just was. Elspeth made a quick leg sweep, which her opponent avoided with an upwards jump. She used the momentum to swing herself back skywards and aim a rotating kick at her thighs.

Any higher than that, and her foot could be grabbed. A thing that was never good in hand to hand combat. The impact was hard enough to leave a bruise, bit her opponent didn't led that stop her. A punch was aimed at her jaw and she ducked beneath it, using one foot as a lever and the other to use the momentum to kick to the stomach. Another wild punch flew in at her from the side, hitting her jaw and throwing her backwards a few feet. She wanted to stop then and there but she'd be pummeled further.

Plus it'd look horrible in front of that one jerk guy from earlier. She jumped up above a sweep kick to the backs of her knees, jump front snap kicked at her opponent's solar plexus while mid-air, and upon coming to the ground slammed a fist on her opponent's back as she was hunched over from the former attack's impact. She crumpled to the ground. Before her opponent could get up she placed a foot on directly above her spine.

It was dead quiet.

"So... Does that mean I win?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room was a riot after that. It was much, much too loud for her tastes, so she decided to ditch everyone to head outside. Looking around, she noticed a small wooden bench outside of the building and sat down. It creaked slightly under her weight but held. A chill wind blew by, rustling her hair. She didn't shiver, though. The cold felt kind of nice. She was sweating like crazy.

Eventually, the door creaked open to reveal a petite young boy. He had blond hair, curious brown eyes, and looked like he had yet to suffer the terrors of puberty. Something was grasped in one of his hands. She tilted her head. He stepped forward and sat on the bench next to her. They sat in silence for a minute before his head turned.

"You, uh... Did good. In the fight, I mean." he stuttered quietly. He clenched the object in his hands tighter. It looked to be a decrepit scroll of some sort. "So, my big brother wanted to give you this. I think it's mostly garbage, but... He noticed you using chakra up there. In the circle... Maybe you'll be better off with it than we are." He pushed it into her hands. It felt dry and crackly, like it could crumble and turn to dust in her bare hands. Slowly, she opened it, and the smell of old parchment and dust was overwhelming. She fought the urge to sneeze and noticed several signatures in blood. Was this a summoning scroll of some type?

"...Thank you," she spoke, remembering her manners. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, enough time for the sun to set and full moon to rise. Waiting for the stranger to go, she bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood and drew the stinging appendage across the paper to scrawl her name.

ELSPETH

She sighed and left the scroll furled open next to her as she waited for the blood to dry to a dull brown before proceeding with... Whatever was going to happen next. Once satisfied that it was dry, her hand hovered over the scroll. She paused, before putting it  in a hidden pocket. Deep in thought, she meandered the streets to find an open air market. The smells of spice pervaded and itched her nose. Fighting the urge to sneeze, she approached a stall and looked at the wares. She scratched her chin and forked over a few ryo with her other hand.

"Can I have an apple?" Elspeth asked boredly, not even waiting for the response to take one. She already paid, a few ryo over what the price was in fact, so she should be able to do whatever the hell she wanted with this apple.

She took a bite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

She sat in front of an abandoned dojo, staring at her name at the scroll. The apple core sat next to her, almost completely devoured and mostly seeds at this point. It was a little bland, but has sour undertones that she liked in fruits, so that was a win-win. She furrowed her brows in deep thought. If this was indeed a summoning scroll, like she theorized, then how does one summon? She specialized in taijutsu, not... Whatever summoning was. Maybe space time? She funneled a bit of chakra into the palms of her hands and promptly poked the scroll.

Nothing happened, so she tried again with a bit more chakra. The results were the same. She let out a sigh before heading up to leave. Useless. But then, she heard a squeaking sound. It was coming from the scroll. She looked down to see a small green blob jumping up and down on top of it. What in the...

As she bent down to get a closer look, it jumped up onto her finger and bit down.

"SON OF A-"

"Hello!" said a small voice. "We're the Blackwater Leeches! I'm Blank!"

She blinked, realizing what she just heard. She signed a scroll with (not very leech looking) leeches? If this worked out, it could be really beneficial. "I can't be used in combat, but I like to ease the transition for people, you know?" The voice was incredibly squeaky. It was hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl... "Sorry I had to bite you, though. We communicate through touch-based telepathy. It's a little..." Blank trailed off. Elspeth felt the leech adjust itself on her finger. "Is that an apple?"

Her eyes took on a crafty look as she began to get an idea. "Yep. It's mine... but feel free to help yourself to it." she spoke. The leech jumped off her finger and onto the apple, snd before she could blink it was gone. That was... Kind of cool. Vaguely, she wondered if the leeches fought as ferociously as they ate. Blank looked like it enjoyed the food, though, so she figured that she could add one point to the possible ally list. She scratched the back of her neck. Carefully, she lowered herself to the ground so as not to step on the parasite. She offered her finger, and after it bit down with a little sting, she decided to ask some questions.

"So, you're a summon race, correct?" she started off, feeling a little dumb for asking.

"Yep!" Was the cheerful reply.

"What kinds of things can you guys do?" Elspeth added, this time genuinely curious. The leech shifted itself on her finger before answering.

"We're not much good on our own, but if you're willing to be our temporary host we can restore your chakra for you and even make you a little stronger!" stronger, you say? That would be extremely useful in a taijutsu battle or a situation that required hand to hand combat. She nodded to herself. "Some of us can increase the power of your elemental jutsus..." she had the elemental nature of fire, so that could be a boon. "...and taijutsu." If she wasn't sold before, she was now. She nodded at the little leech.

"I'd love to contract with you, if you don't mind. If you don't want to, I understand, but-"

"What?! You gave me an apple! We're like, besties! I'll tell the others nothing but good things about you!" she scratched the back of her neck a little awkwardly.

"Haha... Thanks, I appreciate it."

Silence reigned for a few more minutes as the two just sat and listened to the chaotic noises of the slums. She heard a few screams and crashes here and there, but overall it was peaceful.

"I have to go. Sorry, I've been gone for a while and need to report back in." Blank spoke. She shook her head.

"Don't be. Everyone has responsibilities." the leech, satisfied with her answer, promptly de-summoned itself back to... The place called Blackwater, or wherever that was. She'd certainly never heard of it herself. Satisfied with her accomplishments that day, she stood up and stretched. She picked up the scroll, put it in her pocket, and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
2004 WC
Claiming 10 stats, Blackwater Leeches contract

http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t34081-blackwater-leeches

Approved.