Let's meet a Person [Andalusa, Inv Only/NK]

"A bright sunny day like this? Why not walk around here looking for contracts to do my friends?," the young male mused as he walked around the black market. An area usually for missing ninja and here a mercenary found himself walking around until his "contact" had notified him of an appropriate mission...oh wait he already thought that didn't he? The blonde haired male known as Raikou felt it was necessary to know the area where most of the filth and degenerates had hung out at, but not everyone here was of that caliber. In fact there could have been a few gems and so on that were just in this lifestyle because of circumstances. No matter the crime, not everyone deserved the crime.

Besides that? Raikou didn't actually care about your specific life choice as long as you weren't doing something...criminal like. The brown eyed male continued to observe his surroundings as the other two, a male and female did the same watching their "charges" back as a just in case knowing just how...aloof he could be sometimes. From his inner jacket pocket he pulled out a simple yet ornately crafted pipe as he walked. Raikou was known to smoke while he had been out and about with today being no different. With every step he took he packed the small pipe before finally bringing it to his lips and taking that first, and sweet hit. Smoke trailed from his nose as he continued onward, spotting out some rather cute girls to the right of him before stopping at a local tavern.

The sounds of a hungry stomach filled the air as he looked down at his stomach and sighed for a moment, tapping the pipe in order to clear some of the ash before shrugging and walking in. Among entering he had gotten a few odd looks from the patrons inside currently, some of which had noticed his choice of clothing. None of them had openly stated any form of distaste toward them but he couldn't be too careful. Sitting down at a table for four, Raikou had smiled looking at his two escorts for a moment before looking at the menu with the pipe still fresh between his lips," So what are we having today? I was thinking Miso soup and some beef cuts? Or maybe something...more," that flirtatious nature of his floating out carelessly as he stoked the pipe and exhaled slowly.

[406]

Life tended to bring you to the most unexpected places at the oddest of times. The brunette, shinobi would be sitting in the corner of the tavern, mildly chatting with a few of the patrons. Of course since he was naturally unsocial he would have to have some kind of reason for this yes? Their wallets of course. He needed a moment where all of them were preoccupied to he could slip them from their persons as quickly as possible, take the money and return them. Which, was a granted, a simple feat for him. One well practiced over the years as he learned how utilize his tools in the most, interesting of ways. They would all be sitting around the table of four, chatting and smirking and small inside jokes made throughout the conversation. Raucous laughter could be heard at times and Andalusa did what was necessary to blend in just enough. Too much would draw too much attention after all, and not enough would make him appear too shady. It was a busy part of the day, the tables were almost completely full up with only one or two left unoccupied. One was at the table near to them as a matter of fact, it would seat four comfortably and Andalusa intended to try to slip these kind folks money off their person and move over to that table when someone sat down. Kind of like his ‘get the hell out of dodge’ card if you will. 

As he was considering giving up and moving onto the next group of people, under pretense of seeing an old friend. The group of three would enter the Tavern, the leading one carrying a pipe of all things as they walked in, blowing smoke out of his mouth before stepping fully into the Tavern. They would move toward the table nearby, his odd clothing drawing the eyes of the entire room. ‘There’s my distraction’ Andalusa would think as he smoothly spawned chakra threads to attach to the wallets of the three individuals he was chatting with as they eyed to new arrivals. Without missing a beat, and a few simple movements with his fingers the wallets would be emptied and returned to their place without his targets being the wiser. Of course this would all occur under the table, and away from the possible eyes of anyone who might see this ‘transference of funds’. Standing up as the new group sat down at the nearby table Andalusa would smile softly at those he had chosen to have around him as company. “I believe I’ll go greet our new arrivals. Good day gentlemen.” He would say as he moved over toward the group of three. “Mind if I sit down?” He’d ask politely, flipping a coin between his fingers deftly as he spoke. It was always hard for him to keep his hands idle. What with his main style of combat being to utilize them to control puppets and all.

Of course he’d sit down whether he was invited to do so or not. The first step to meeting new allies, or targets, was to get your foot in the door. It was something he’d learned quickly after his old home was destroyed and left in ruins. He wasn’t sure if this group of folks would be targets, or allies, but he would find out soon enough. He would wave a waitress over, the pretty girl, about his own age would step up to them with a polite smile as Andalusa flipped the coin he had been idly playing with to the girl. “A round of drinks for the table while we decide what to eat. The drinks are on me.” He would say with a small smile toward the girl before turning his attention toward the one with the pipe. The one who had been leading the group in and the one who had selected the table. ‘Obviously the head of the group.’ He would think as his red eyes met the brown eyes of the man before him. “Name’s Andy, pleasure to meetcha” He would say, using a childhood nickname instead of his real name.

WC: 695

He never thought about his clothing causing a scene and making him the object of someone's ire, but then again this was him being carefree. The male walked in with the two others as planned only stopping once again to look around and sitting down with the pipe firmly placed between his lips as he looked around. Quite a shady area, but then again...he WAS in a place for missing ninja. It wasn't like he wasn't expecting the stares or attention, but the way he had been shrugging it off either showed his stupidity or his carelessness. At either rate he sat there with his two compatriots looking through the menu while the other two had been carefully looking around the area to assure nothing would harm their charge, most of all making sure he wouldn't cause harm to himself. There was a certain allure to trouble that this world had since it had been thrusted into the cycle of constant war this time, but with someone like him roaming about? Now that invited trouble to come knocking on his door.

As fate would have it or...decree it someone had came over to the table, this someone being spotted by the two first before Raikou had caught a glimpse of him. One of them, the female cleared her throat before motioning to the brunette male with her head," You seem to have attracted "someone" to the table..Care to acknowledge your guest?," the female spoke rather....bluntly as she watched the new male with morbid curiosity. The male on the other hand? Simply sat there looking at Raikou who had now only decided to peer from his menu to the male standing on the side of the table. There was an exchange of looks between the two before a small trail of smoke left his mouth and he smiled," Sit if you want. More company wouldn't hurt us too terribly much as long as you don't cause us any trouble mm?," the female looked almost disgusted at Raikou before he only smiled to her and shook his head.

She really didn't like how the Grandson of their deceased leader had been acting of late since being on his own, but she knew this was how everything would be without the old man and his father around. Sitting the menu down he would give the male a weird look before chuckling," They say kindness is often not given from strangers unless something is wanted...in return. Pray tell us what sparked this...Kindness Mister Andy. As you know i've come to be a little weary since all of these looks are giving me the chills~," there had been a coy smile on his face as he took a small hit from the pipe before tapping the sides of it and returning his eyes to the male," Though that begs the question of why you would join a funnily dressed male and his traveling companions out of everyone in here?," the other male at this point would yawn and look at Andalusa quizzically.

"Don't mind him. He's only interested in hearing why people are interested in him. I personally tell him its the clothing he wears. Draws too much attention in the "wrong" places. Though I am curious as to why you are in an area known for missing ninja," the male had nothing to hide personally though for the sake of his mission he would ask this question on Raikou's behalf. Raikou on the other hand would only look at the male for a moment in contemplation of why the question was asked. Was it out of protection or curiosity that it was asked? Either would definitely bring on different answers, of this he was sure of but what would the male respond to was his real question.

[634]

So they practiced caution, good. Curious as to his intent with the ordering of the drink the leader of the group would ask what he wanted in return. To be honest, the teenager didn’t want anything except to associate himself with the man in the eyes of the other patrons. The other shady character, thieves, and the like all noticed Andalusa approach the group. They would associate him with them now. This would paint a target on his back, as they would hopefully attempt to rob him later on. While also presenting themselves to be robbed. As well as pointing out to the puppeteer who the other thieves were in the area so he could look out for them. But of course, he couldn’t say that to the group here in the middle of the table. As everyone would hear it and that would spoil the fun. So he made something up. “What can I say? A man dressed as interestingly as you must have some stories that are just as interesting.” He would say with a shrug. There was truth in that statement, it was incredibly boring here at times. The possibility of an interesting story or two was not an unwelcome prospect at all. He could shell out a round of drinks or two for that. “Although I must say, you and your friends here have been extremely rude so far. You’ve overlooked something important.” He would say with a small smirk on his face. 

It would be amusing to see if they caught what it was but the female bodyguard/escort that was with him kept looking at him untrustingly. Sighing deeply he would glance at the women “I understand you just can’t keep your eyes off of me. Shall we go to a private room?” He would ask in jest. Anyone would be able to pick up the playfulness in his voice. The girl needed to learn it was impolite to stare. If a bit of public embarrassment did the job then great.  After all, it was fun to make folks freak out in public. Even if it’s just a little bit. At this point the waitress would return with their drinks., setting them down on the table and passing them around to everyone. “Would like to order something to eat?” she would ask politely, pulling a notepad out to write it all down. The red eyed puppet user would not his head in confirmation before shrugging “I’ll take some miso soup and beef cuts please.” He would say, prompting the girl to nod before she turned to the rest of the table to see if they might want anything to eat. 

WC: 445
TWC: 1140

There was something about first encounters that cause the male to become curious about people's intentions, Raikou judged the character of a person and not the person but as for his companions? That was a different story altogether and unfortunately they were only doing what they thought was best. The female, Yuko, continued her observation of not only the male but everyone in their surrounding area being cautious as she usually was. The male, Kaien, however was by no means as lackadaisical as their would be leader and kept his sights on the male for a moment before turning to Raikou. At the mention of his interesting clothing, Raikou simply laughed and shook his head for a moment," No you misunderstand my new friend, one must dress in accordance of where they are going. You do not simply wear shorts and a shirt in a place like the Land of Iron. You must wear something warm and fitting, not to mention stunning. How else will the women notice you if you just wear something plain?," there had been a slight playful tone coming from him, but whether or not this was normal was a different story altogether.

"Rude? Is it rude to be alert of your surroundings and the people in it? We all know the reputation this lovely area carries with it and one has to always be sure they are well kept less they lose more than their wallets and objects d' art. Am I right my friend?," Raikou of course only took another puff of his pipe before giving a rather small smile and patting the area beside him. Motioning for the male to sit beside him he would of course relax only slightly, but remain on guard as a courtesy. His quip toward Yuko caused him to laugh as the female stared at him and shook his head, resorting to not saying anything but that would not stop Raikou from commenting," Even if you were the most handsome male in this bar, she wouldn't accept that offer. She is....how do you say...intertwined with the same gender- Ow," a small thump could be heard from underneath the table as she collided with his shin on purpose. Boy shouldn't reveal a young maidens secret.

Of course on the other hand Kaien just smirked and looked up to the waitress as she came on back over only smiling to her," A bowl of rice and pork for the rest of us. Oh. Could you add a bit of love to it for my friend here," a sly smile covered his lips as he nudged Yuko who....of course only smiled and waited for the waitress to leave before slugging the male in the face," You should learn to shut your mouth dear brother...less i sow it shut," the two were...often like this but it made an amusing time for their charge. At this point Raikou would have looked over to Andalusa, observing him almost for a moment before looking to the other patrons," So. What brings you to this area? You definitely don't look like the others here, but as they say looks can always be deceiving.

[527]
TWC:1,567

Andalusa’s eyes would keep track of both Yuko and Kaien, of course he wouldn’t yet know their names as of yet. Raikou would laugh and shook his head before mentioning that one needed to dress for where they were going. To which Andalusa would gesture toward the rest of the room. “Yet you’re the only one dressed like that. This makes me wonder, are you the fool my new friend?” He would ask with a small grin, his red eyes flashing in the light as he looked over toward Yuko and then to Kaien, obviously not being a very trusting individual. “No, you see my friend, you’ve failed to introduce yourself at all. I find this very rude, wouldn’t you agree?” He would ask, an eyebrow raised in curiosity as he looked toward Yuko once more, now listening to Raikou’s joke about her sexual preference. To which the smoking male would get kicked somewhere out of sight for his little jest. Andalusa would smirk at this and perform a quick seal, a poof of smoke later and another Yuko would appear, looking exactly like the other. “Yet with the shinobi world there are many that aren’t as they seem. Who’s to say one has to be picky?” He’d say with a wink toward the man’s escort before dispelling the illusion. 

At this point they would have ordered, and more physical violence would be brought to Raikou’s person. “Why do I have a feeling you assaulting him is a normal occurrence?” He’d ask Yuko with a raised brow, prompting a patron or two around them to chuckle themselves. It wouldn’t take long as all for their meals to be brought to them in which Andalusa would take his chopsticks, place them between his thumb and index finger as he clapped his hand together and nodded his head in respect before eating. He would however take note of the waitress winking at Yuko as she dropped her meal off, as well as at him. This would cause an eyebrow to hike straight the hell up on his forehead ‘Uh, score I guess?’ He would think as he ate and the cute waitress walked away. ‘Don’t say anything Andalusa, it isn’t worth the physical violence.’ He would think as he pointedly avoided Yuko’s side of the table at this time. 

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"Am I? Have you noticed that both of my companions here are also dressed the same? We are from an area where it is very cold and our clothing was made to compensate for that. Though the choice of clothing our elders had made does make us stand out, then again it feels good and looks good so all in all it is fine," of course he looked to the rest who were either under dressed or just in whatever they felt like wearing to which he shrugged and leaned into the booth," I am not going to speak for the rest since they appear to like it here, but for us, us being me and these two, we go into cold areas frequently. We had just came from the Land of Iron today so...There is that. Our destination however is the Lands of Yuki, there have been stories of how nice the snow is there and it would be quite a trip indeed," whether or not the male was lying was up for interpretation of the listener, but for him and his group? This would have most likely been their next destination unless something had came up of course.

Raikou of course knew he had not given the male his name, and for a probably good reason. His name did come up when people spoke of the group of nomads he had traveled with, of course that didn't tie into his life as a mercenary. Two separate lives that were actually intertwined more than one would know. Tapping his chin he would look to the other two before smiling and chuckling," Of course I haven't. Where exactly are my manners. My name is Minamoto, not my birth name I assure you but something I changed it to after a situation in my life caused me to do so. Now that we've been formally introduced, tell me. What exactly brings you to the area of the Black Market?," his right hand reached for the cup of tea he had, eyes focused on the male as he waited for an answer. The pipe, which had been settled in his left hand would be placed onto the table and only after taking a small drink of his tea would it be brought to his mouth after of course swallowing the tea.

The interaction between him and Yuko would cause him to raise a brow in confusion at the male as he used a most basic jutsu, at least it was basic to him, to turn into a copy of her in which the female simply gave Andy a small "Are you serious" look before scoffing and turning her head to look at Raikou. The two exchanged a small look before Raikou shrugged and then Yuko sighed slightly, turning to face her brother and then drinking from her tea cup. Yuko looked at the male once more, assuming her question was in regards to her hitting Kaien since he was the last person she had struck before shaking her head and pointing at Kaien specifically," This one here thinks because he is my brother I won't strike him for being stupid," to which Kaien interjected and smiled," Well i'm just trying to help my younger sister find a nice, loving young lady for herself," to which she scoffed and the two would begin to argue among themselves.

Giving notice to the waitresses wink at Yuko, he had smiled giving a small thumbs up to Kaien before returning a glance to Yuko," Going to go for it or are you going to do the same thing as last time?," to which the female just...stared rather blankly at him. Whatever Raikou was implying at here, her look was in all "Shut up or you will be in that rice". The relationship between the three of them was...weird at best, but they all seemed like siblings even if only two of them were confirmed to be as such. For the moment the three would eat in peace, with only Raikou enjoying the pork and looking around in the meantime.

WC: 683
TWC: 2250

Listening to the man explain their dress would almost bore Andalusa to tears, but that could he felt was fair considering how bored he was initially. The topic of the name though was always interesting. Was the man honest? Or did he lie? Could he be trusted? It was always a fun game of cat and mouse to which many people fell prey to before the end of it all. At his little joke they would look at him oddly to which Yuko would look at him and scoff to which the young brunette would chuckle lightly. Of course his joke wasn’t well received, he didn’t care either way though. It amused him and that was all he truly cared about. The woman would respond to his question though and point toward Kaie, pointing out their familial relation and what he felt that entitled him to. This would cause Andalusa to laugh “Are you kidding? Family is more violent to each other than most strangers, and we’re shinobi.” He would say with a chuckle before eating a few bites of his beef and taking a drink of tea. ‘Minamoto’ would give a cryptic question, at least, to Andalusa’s lack of knowledge about their past anyway, to Yuko which would prompt her to look at him as if violence was promised. This would cause the puppeteer to snicker in amusement. 

“So what brings you three through here?” The ConDoin would ask, curiosity lacing his words before eating some more of his beef and the side of rice that came with it. “I myself am simply a guy trying to make his way in the world. Learning tricks to survive along the way yanno?” He would say with a shrug. It was a standard tale in their world. Almost cliche in how overdone it was, but it was the truth. Sometimes it paid to use such, especially when it wouldn’t work out against the user. This was one of those times, after all he couldn’t make an enemy out of ‘I’m just trying to survive’. The person would have to be insane, or retarded. At this point the tavern would begin getting louder as more and more patrons began to come in to get hammered and jack around like a bunch of morons. Andalusa never personally understood that aspect of it all, but he could at least understand the desire to let loose. Or to those who needed to forget something, he could understand those types as well. 

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Raikou had tilted his head a bit listening to Andy's retort toward what Yuko said, more so because family at least for them had been rather...tame. At least for the rest of their family he thought. With these two it was more of a wild card than a certainty yet the male had an interesting point. Just sitting there and enjoying the tavern food he waited to see which of the three would respond first, Kaien taking the initiative and responding to Andalusa's statement in between eating," While we are violent toward each other we still have each others backs. The same cannot be said for every shinobi in this world no? Not speaking of those from different villages, but from the same. Then again...that is terribly off subject isn't it?," to which both Yuko and Raikou would nod in unison. The male was a little scatterbrained where it counted sometimes but meant well the other half. Another fit of silence would befall their table before Andalusa had asked the trio another question, the male looking up from his bowl of rice and tilting his head. Why were they here?


On one had it was simply to take a small stroll through the area before moving on since it was a decent spot if you weren't looking for trouble and could defend yourself. On the other hand contracts could be picked up in an area not far from here, something they needed simply because they needed funds to actually travel and resupply themselves. Being the only two truthful options he could go with he sat the chopsticks down clasping his hands together before speaking," Truthfully it was to take a break from traveling and to resupply/get our bearings. This is also a good place to pick up contracts and jobs if you know the right people. Even if this "is" a hangout for the...let's say more rowdier crowd, there is some honest work here for people to take," moving back to his food he would finish off the rest of his beef before smiling quite happily and looking to the group that sat with him.

Whatever he had been thinking about had soon turned...downward as the tavern began to become a cesspool of drunk and stupid, something that he really didn't like but given their accommodations? It was in the correct area. Thinking of cutting it for a night he had a better idea that might have benefited them all," How about you take a job or two with us before you depart from the market? Just a few low rank contracts wouldn't hurt now would it?," both Kaien and Yuko looked at the male wondering if he had been crazy, but they knew of his intention at least. Whether or not Andalusa said yes however he would not hold it against the male. Then again why would you work with someone you did not know?

WC: 488
TWC: 2,738

Raikou would look over at Andalusa with a tilt of his head before answering his question, setting down his eating utensils and clasping his hands together before actually speaking. "Truthfully it was to take a break from traveling and to resupply/get our bearings. This is also a good place to pick up contracts and jobs if you know the right people. Even if this "is" a hangout for the...let's say more rowdier crowd, there is some honest work here for people to take." The man would say prompting a nod from the puppeteer as he himself continued to eat his meal, finishing it in short order while the smoker spoke. The man would move onto his own food once more, finishing off the beef and looking content as the bar became more and more rowdy as the increase in alcohol loosened more lips and lowered even more inhibitions. "How about you take a job or two with us before you depart from the market? Just a few low rank contracts wouldn't hurt now would it?." Both of the man’s traveling companions would look to him at the same time. However Andalusa wouldn’t be able to tell what went through their minds. However he himself could use the extra cash, so why not? 

“Depends on what you had in mind.” He would say simply with a shrug as he began to wonder what kind of work the group would be interested in doing. Were they the type to rob from the rich and give to the poor? While keeping a portion for themselves? Did they simply want to steal from greedy people? Did they wish to go help some damsel in distress to obtain a reward? Or were they the type to simply take supplies somewhere they were already going? Did they kill if they thought it was justice? Or did they abstain from the act altogether? He would let Raikou tell him what they would be doing, using that decision as a means to decide on if he would join them on any contracts or not. He certainly had skills they could utilize, his puppet was stashed in a scroll on his person and he could utilize it at any point to make sure that he was combat ready at a moment’s notice. One didn’t always have one watching one’s back after all. 

Should the man respond to his unasked question. The query being strongly hinted at with his statement. Or should either of his two companions do so instead Andalusa would listen intently, considering the proposition of working together with them. It would certainly make money easier to obtain for a bit that was for certain. But did he want to travel in a group for very long? He honestly wasn’t sure, he was in the process of trying to gather strength for himself and the more people he had around to see how powerful he could become the more people could talk. A risk in the teenagers eyes in his opinion. However it was one that at times had to be taken. For in their line of existence they needed to rely on others at times. If he declined them now it could harm future relations with the group. For one never knew who you would run into again. 

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