A Thief and a Crow [P]

It was the last day, hours before the move. The black Market had always made a habit not to stay too long in a certain location. It decreased the chances of them getting shut down by village shinobi. The Market was always a step ahead of the Intel received by other village somehow. A simple practice that proved to be very effective. You’d hear whispers, faint rumors, about a certain individual who ran things, the one in charge of it all. Where to go, how to set it up, and most importantly, when to go. Setsuna never knew who it was, just like most of the others. But such matters didn’t really concern him at the moment. What matter now, was the equipment he needed. Setsuna needed to take on a heist, and for that to happen, he’d need to be a little more than what he was now. His arsenal was lacking. All of this was going on within his head, this thought process of what his next move would be, while taking a shot of tequila, in front of the bar counter.

Setsuna is seen in front of the glossy wooden bar counter, late in the afternoon. The inn was filled, with its usual noisy atmosphere.He is wearing a plain slim sleeveless white shirt, with a pair of slim fit black jeans. His feet incased in black boots, while wearing a red bandana tied on top of his head. His somewhat curly brown hair still hung down just past his shoulders. He places down the shot glass with his left tattoo covered arm, with firmness, after finishing it. Letting out a muffled groan, the burn of the shot setting in, he leans forward against the counter, still in control. “Que rica…”, he enjoyed a shot of Tequila every now and then. His arms now crossed in front of him, against his body for support. He leaned in not due to the shot, he was still sober. No, his mind was never at rest. That’s just how, Setsuna was programed. He always took in his surroundings, always thinking what his next move was. He glances over to the left upon hearing another shot glass slam against the glossy counter.

The heavily armed man next to him about a little of a meter away, was greeted by another well-armed individual. It wasn’t really none of Setsuna’s business, but what caught his eye was the paper that was shown, or rather being discussed by the two of them. He didn’t really see much, the only thing that came into clarity was two figures that worn head bands from Hoshigakure. From what, Setsuna could guess, it was probably a wanted poster. Bounty Hunters from what, Setsuna deduced. Money is money, and they seemed pretty interested in collecting it. Setsuna couldn’t see himself as a bounty hunter, too costly in his opinion. All the good paying bounties were after individuals who were trained to the max, possessing a skill set that could easily catch you off guard. Most Wanted papers only give you a face, and sometimes a name if they are from a village. Too many variables in the equation, at least for Setsuna’s taste. With thievery, one could handle lifting an object of interest. A gem is almost always located in a vault, within a building. With buildings come casing, recon that gives important information. It’s darn easy to gain information about a large building than one lone person that’s always on the move changing identities.

[Word Count: 586]

Even in her weakened state, Alice was an experienced criminal. She had apparently been trapped in that strange dimension for much, much longer than the ten or so minutes it felt like to her. Whatever had happened had left her severely drained, unable to use her strongest techniques to defend herself if she needed to. Luckily for her, she was well known in the Market and only a fool would make a move against her. Her eye patch remained over her left eye as she walked, making her way toward the inn to get a much needed drink and a room to sleep. The small patch, although truly unnecessary, served to mask her chakra presence to an extent, making it feel like a random civilians. This was even more beneficial now that her own chakra stores had been depleted so much; Alice couldn't risk any of these idiots finding out and thinking they could finally pay her back for some beatdown or other inconvenience she had given them over the years. No, she would continue as if there were no issue at all.

Her back straight, head held high, and her left hand resting on the crown-shaped pommel of Royal's Edge which was sheathed at her left hip. Her hair was black as a raven's feathers and fell just above her shoulders. A black, low-cut shirt and a thigh-high, navy blue skirt over black stockings showed off her modest curves while still leaving something for the imagination. A kunai holster could be seen strapped to her lower right leg, and a medium-sized bag was secured to small of her back. Her eyes scanned from side to side, taking in her surroundings as she walked through the current home of the infamous 'Black Market' where the people in her line of work, among many others, came to do their business. Eventually she made it to her destination: a small inn on the outskirts of whatever shithole town this was.

Opening the door to step inside, two things caught Alice's attention. The first, being the closest to her and the excited chittering of imbeciles drawing her attention to it, was a set of heavily armored men holding what seemed to be a couple of wanted posters for Hoshigakure shinobi. She had been there once, the city of stars. Perhaps she would be going there again soon....

The other object of interest was a man dressed in a white shirt, black pants and boots, and a red bandana tied across his head that seemed to be eyeing the same two men with the wanted posters she was. An empty shot glass sat on the counter next to him, but otherwise he looked a bit out of place with no alcohol in sight. So, of course, she made her way over to the bar and leaned in right next to him, with him on her right side so the eye patch didn't hinder her vision. "Bartender! Gimme a whiskey and coke will ya, and another shot of whatever this guys having," she said, before turning toward him and eyeing him up. She bit her lip as they locked eyes for a second or two, then decided to introduce herself. "The name's Raven. Haven't seen you around here before, cutie." Her words were punctuated with a wink as she thought to herself, 'This could be a fun night after all'

The cost of doing business, the price that all must pay. Everything came at a price, you might get away with it now, but the bill comes do. Setsuna’s train of thought still fixated on the wanted poster. Just what could those Hoshigakure shinobi could have done? He pondered this because of the line of work he too was in. Being a thief may be some glorified occupation for children, the thrill, the chase; but most being one is not without heavy consequences if caught. Everyone wants to live like the bad guy, but don’t want to live with the risks that come with that fast lifestyle .The truth was, even Setsuna’s face could have been on that wanted paper, or could possibly be on one without him even knowing. Risk and reward, however, the reward to Setsuna outweighed the risk, especially in his current situation.

While he continued his gaze towards the left of him, a young black haired girl arrived next to him. His eyes dripped down slowly, her size much smaller than his. Her presence really didn’t matter to him, until he heard her order a drink for not only him, but for herself too. Setsuna figured she couldn’t be all too bad. Where he was from, in his household, buying someone a drink was the equivalent of a friendly greeting. Setsuna’s father was of the cloud village, so he too was exposed to all their customs and culture. However, Setsuna still stood on alert, being mindful of his environment. He still was mindful of his setting, being this a bar near the Black Market. Not a lot of gentle souls hung around these parts, the young raven being no exception. Plus, the fact that she was armed with such a detailed weapon was a clear indicator too. What she was doing here, was beyond him. Then again, this wasn’t the first time he saw a young girl much like this one here in this bar. Not too long ago, he was offered a job from a similar type.

Setsuna Remembers, Amaterasu.

After the Innkeeper poured the drinks and handed them over to the two respectively, just as he turned away towards the freshly poured shot of tequila, he managed to catch the young girl eye him down. He smirks, the grin forming from the left for her to see. She was interested, and so was Setsuna.

He grabs both of the drinks from the bottom, and places the glass of mixed drink in front of the young Raven with the left hand. “Gracias, princesa…for the tequila”, he said, while bring returning his gaze down towards her. His thick enticing Latin accent was made ever clear, as well as his origin from the Volcano Village; a survivor of the tyranny that once ruled that accursed island. “Salud… a toast, to getting this far, no? Ah, perdóname, my name is, Setsuna.”, his blessing not only referencing his origin on how he made it away from the Volcano Village, but also towards his guess that this girl might be a little more than what she appeared on the outside. He holds his still full shot glass in the air in between them, tilting it a bit not out of impatience, but to guide her if she couldn’t understand his accent.

‘Raven, eh? I don’t see any headbands, or anything that would give hint to what village you came from. I wonder what she could want.’

[Word Count: 571]

The man's accent was thick, and something Alice hadn't quite come across before. She had heard rumors, of course, of what the peoples of Volcano sounded like. Admittedly, she found it kind of enticing. Romantic even, if they were under maybe just slightly different circumstances. "Salud indeed, Setsuna-kun" she said as she brought her glass up to meet Setsuna's. As the glasses clinked together, their fingers brushed against each other ever so lightly leaving a tiny, tiny dot where they met just for an instant and then it disappeared. Insurance, in case things ever went in a worse direction. A habit Alice had picked up long ago.

"So, Setsuna-kun," she said with a wink as she trailed her right index finger along his collarbone, "what's a guy like you doing in a bar like this, hmm?" Why was she even doing this? She was in no shape to be casing a mark, and certainly had more pressing concerns than dealing with a handsome stranger in the Market bar. At least she had a chance to place her insurance on his finger. Now if only she could decide exactly where to take this little meeting from here....

[Short, Sorry.]

“Qué, niña~?”, he said with a comfortable tone, he remains oblivious to what the girl had done; for now. However, he remains aware of the rest of his setting, a bar full of mercs and ex shinobi, all looking for that extra coin. He thinks this while, Raven runs her pale finger across his face, his body still with the only thing acknowledging her action being his eyes following her finger movements. A small smirk from the corner of his mouth is formed, entertaining her. He wanted to flirt back with the usual playful act as if he were to bite, Raven’s finger that ran along his neck. Of course he wouldn’t actually bite her, but, with her gripping her sword’s hilt still, now wasn’t actually the time. Perhaps next time, la próxima vez.

Still, the full shot glass in his hand, he continues on and downs the shot of tequila. The burn, as harsh as it was, brought about him a warm feeling afterwards. Placing the glass down on the counter next to them, he responds back to, Raven. “Por qué estoy aquí?” What a funny question to ask, Setsuna thought. He continued further with almost no delay. His brown eyes were now fixed on, Raven’s one good eye.

“Yo… este how you say. I don’t like working for the man. A woman? Not too bad Jajaja“, he finishes off with a slight laugh. It was the truth, la verdad. Why else would this inn be full with these types of people? The very moment, Setsuna walked in this inn, he could tell that at least over have these people either have a criminal record, or some type of shinobi training, himself included. It was the bar at the end of the world basically, the Wild West even. This is the place where people go to for work, to stake their claim on a business that will never, ever run short on demand. Illegal unsanctioned activities.

“What about you, mi amor? Have you come from afar? Perhaps working on a little something already? I know for sure that there are plenty of men here will to help”, Setsuna returns his gaze forward, with the rest of his body. Leaning forward like before, contemplating with himself on what he was going to do. Setsuna had plans too, plans that he would need to set in motion very soon.

[Word Count: 401. Marked as well.]

"Me? Well.." she said as she leaned in even closer to the man, so that she could whisper in his ear. Her eye was on another young man in the bar with white hair that was dressed rather similarly to Setsuna, coincidentally. Their eyes met and he gave the girl a short nod before moving toward the unlikely pair at the bar from the foreign man's back. "Maybe I'm just looking for a good time," Alice continued to whisper into the man's ear, giving it a quick, playful nip. Her other hand was no longer on the pommel of her sword at this point, but behind her back. Her smile widened then as her hand formed the Hare hand seal and her move was made.

"Or maybe you just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said, now that her jutsu had been activated. A circle of shadows had expanded from her body five meters in every direction. Anyone standing in the circle would be completely immobilized until she released them, including the young Setsuna here. He would still be able to talk though, which was probably good for him if he had any sense. "You have two choices right now, Setsuna-kunn," the girl said as she leaned back away from him and against the bar. "You can either have some fun with me tonight and then come with us to Konohagakure tomorrow to help me look for some friends of mine, or you can die right here and I'll just take whatever's useful off of your corpse," her tone had completely changed at this point. No longer was it the sensual teasing she had been using before, but one of giddy pleasure at the thought of killing the man instead of working with him.

Ikki, the white haired man who had nodded to Alice, would have reached the pair at this point and was holding a kunai knife in his hand, waiting for a signal from his partner for him to make a move.

[imitation field is what i used]

“…, Diabla”, he muttered through his now gritting teeth. He attempts at moving were useless, he was not strong enough. The veins in his arms revealed themselves at his attempts at struggle. Setsuna, now bound against his will in a technique that he could only guess to be some variant of the infamous Nara clan’s Shadow imitation technique, he now stood still. To be held down, oppressed, such a feeling did not sit all too well with, Setsuna. It reminded him all too much about the Volcano Village, the horrible tyrant that plagued it. The webs of a black widow, a raven she was not. His hatred made clear, however, his only choice should he want to continue living, was too succumb to the Succubus.

*Setsuna will remember this.

Now facing her, his glare on no other as he was also oblivious to the Succubus’ aid, he tries to decide what to say. Obviously, he plans on saying something, the destination throwing him off ever much. ‘The Leaf Village, pero… Why would she need me to go there with her? Was she from there? Y…Quién es, us?’, time was running out, and thus, Setsuna went along with the, black widow’s demand. His stomach twisted with the decision he made. First the Employer, a Crime boss operating in the Black Market, and now a little girl from a backwoods Inn.  

“Cálmate, amor…straight to Negocio. Muy bueno. So…, chica, what do you have in mind? And to what reason do you need to contact your friends in the Leaf Village? Do you have a job in mind? Perhaps maybe we should talk about this elsewhere?”, he inquired. His quickly eyes shifted upwards to the second floor once, however, he knew better that this was not the case. His noticing of the araña’s tone was proof of that. This was now the voice of a child prone to killing, in order to get her way.

As of right now, his only option was to remain alive. That would mean that, Setsuna had no other choice but to oblige with the terms set by, la araña negra.

At least he wasn't stupid enough to try to resist, as fun as that would have been for Alice. Still, finding himself completely immobilized and helpless at the hands of this pretty, young Nara seemed to have put Setsuna's place into perspective rather quickly.

"You have a lot of questions. Maybe I didn't make myself clear just now," she said, glancing briefly at Ikki behind Setsuna. The white haired man needed no further indication of what it was his master wanted him to do. Without hesitation, Ikki brought the sharp steel of the kunai knife he was holding across the foreigner's back from shoulder to hip. It was no mere flesh wound, though it certainly wasn't life threatening either. It was only meant to hurt, and to leave a scar after it healed as a reminder for the man of his place in the world.

"Ah, that's better," Alice said, a grin creeping across her face. The other patrons of this trashy, run-down bar were staring at the trio now; mingled looks of fear and disgusted played across most of their faces. Some had even started gathering their things and leaving. The foolish bartender would try to assert his dominance next, but to no avail.

"H-hey! You can't be doin' that in here! I'm tryin' ta run a business here." the poor man would begin to say. "I said get out of here, damnit! Didn't cha hear me!?" He picked up a large machete from underneath the bar and was waving it at Alice at this point. Something he probably wouldn't have done if he had known just who she was.

Her head turned to look at the man lazily, and a single hand seal was made with her free hand. In that instant, the bartender too was rendered immobile, although from an entirely different jutsu than the one she was using to restrain young Setsuna here. With that taken care of, she turned her complete attention back to the handsome foreigner in front of her.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, as I was saying" Her words came out with such a sort of nonchalance to them, a kind of air of someone completely unperturbed by what was happening around them. It was quite obvious that Alice was no stranger to situations like this. "I don't think you seem to understand. You are in no place to be asking questions. You want to live? You join my friend here and I on our visit to the Hidden Leaf. Don't feel like going? Well then I guess you don't care about your pretty little head then either. So I'll ask you for the last time. Which is it? Are you coming? Or are you...…..well you know the other option, hmm?"

Things had rather escalated even further for the thief, still immobilized, he is attacked once more. The name he had given here, araña negra. That name was more fitting, Setsuna, trapped within the webs of his captor, was slashed straight down from behind. A mere flesh wound, from the top of his shoulder all the way down to the top of his hip waist area. He struggled after the slashed, trying to turn around. There was another player it seemed. The mark along the left side of his body, stung with pain, “Ayeee! COÑO!!” His yell was for all to hear, even the Innkeeper attempted to restore what peace was kept within the Inn, but the , Araña Negra was in control now, or perhaps was in control this whole time from the moment she walked in. However, it really didn’t matter, Setsuna didn’t expect any help. Her proud walk from before, such a thing he reminisces even now in pain. And now, in this moment of defeat, the blood now staining the now torn shirt, he grits his teeth. His pride was shot, allowing such a little girl as this to get the drop on him like so.

‘Yo no, I didn’t ride that boat all the way hear just to become another one’s slave…’, Setsuna quickly glanced down towards the black abyss like jutsu on the floor only to return his gaze towards the spider. Whether he liked it or not, he had much to learn about the world. He nods once, after receding his look of pain. Setsuna, now realizing that this was the exact same way how he got caught up with the mobster called, The Employer, he swallowed his pride.

“Si, Araña Negra. Yo voy. I will go…” his tone conflicting, yielding to the spider’s choice. To live, or to die. Indeed so, Setsuna chose to live this day. He also refrained from asking anymore questions as of now, La niña esta muy loca.

The painful lesson he learned from this, a lesson he will carry on his back for the rest of his days, always be in control of a situation. Whether you are not the most powerful person in the room, or not, always have a backup plan.

As the blood trickled down to, Setsuna’s pants, he continued trying to move. Although his attempts were futile, he still pressed on. The bondage reminded him too much of home. His imprisonment was getting to best of him. If there was one thing, Setsuna didn’t like, was confinement.

[Word Count: 412]

The young Nara couldn't help but let her lips turn up into a wolfish grin at the foreigner's scream of anguish followed by complete submission. It had been some time since she was able to enjoy the feeling of complete control over another person's life. That sensation she felt seeing the defeat in the eyes of her prey, and knowing that the only thing deciding whether they lived or died was her will. Yes. This was a pleasure she had enjoyed much in recent years, only topped by the sight of her victims succumbing to their final, bloody sleep. The thought of that unmatched ecstasy found Alice momentarily transfixed, forgetting the reasons she had needed this meat shield in the first place as a kunai knife had made its way into her hand; the cold steel of the blade was pressed tightly against Setsuna's neck, forming a thin red line along its edge.

Visions of memory swam past her eyes, reminding her of everything that had happened in her life to get her to this point. She remembered the scene of ending her father's life and finally becoming free. The jobs she had taken since then as she forged a name for herself in this harsh world. Meeting Ren and the others and beginning to forge actual connections with other people, even if slight. Then everything began to go downhill, beginning with the death of Ren. Soon after that the rest of her associates disappeared or died one after another. Faith the traitor was still unaccounted for, but the rest were long gone. Except for maybe Ryu. He and Alice had made plans to meet up in Kumogakure, before she ended up trapped in that strange dimension. Her grip on the kunai knife tightened and she pressed it harder against her prey's neck. The wolfish grin had changed to a look of pure anger at the thought of Faith still being alive, Ryu potentially dead, Taishi, R, and Roku probably captured by the Hidden Leaf. The temptation to take out all her frustrations on this poor soul was....extremely enticing. She licked her lips at the thought of it. The edge of the knife pressed even harder against the foreigner's skin.

But alas, Setsuna was one lucky little fly.

Suddenly the kunai knife was tucked back neatly in the holster attached to her leg, the Shadow Imitation Field was no longer active, and Alice was sitting in a stool leaning up against the bar with a glass of whisker on the rocks in her hand. Setsuna was free to move once more, for now. With her still not being at full strength he was more useful alive than dead. "Good. Now, tell me about you and what you can do. If you prove to be useful, maybe I'll even take you under my wing. Protect you, and help you to become.....more powerful."

TWC: 2,040
Mid-thread claim: 2k to change weap spec to fuin and 10 stats