Not-so-buried Treasure

Mission:

stats:

After the boring ass night watch of the old village leader's grave and somehow even more boring funeral Ryal was finally free again. Naturally, the first thing he did was head to the bar; In a place like this with so many glaring eyes you'd think they'd be strict about drinking before a certain time but then again they were mostly passive aggressive. Therefore no one was going to decline his request, instead, they'd just whisper about him but he was more than used to that by now. First being a Chosen One, then with his face being rather feminine, and leaving and having random people stare confused and/or scared of his eyes and what his face markings might mean. His hair was another thing but it could be ignored as dye, that logic was less applicable to his eyes because one can usually tell when a person is wearing contacts. But once you get over the initial shock he's easily overlooked with his old fashioned outfit, even his winter outfit isn't anything impressive. Kind of strange for a guy who's used to being pampered but simplicity suited him and it also allowed him to pick up on some juicy info every now and then. As it would turn out now would be one of those occasions as the blue haired male overheard that some local rich guy has a stash nearby. Ryal would continue to listen for however long he could or at least until Jamie showed up and he could see if she was interested. These past few days she was the only one of their group he'd seen which was rather concerning but his guys had telepathy seals so all they had to do was yell, literally.

Although if the intel he'd just gathered turned out to be true it'd be a hell of a lot easier to go after it if they had numbers. Those two were also inclined to the bare basics lifestyle, especially the brute, yet at the same time they enjoyed getting to stay at inns and eat seasoned food. Having grown fond of them in their time to get Ryal wanted to make sure they also had money to do whatever with so even if Jamie didn't want to join him the Shinkou was going to find and rob this guy. Sneaking in his house at night was what most people would probably do but Ryal didn't want to wait that long. He also had no problem torturing the man if he wouldn't tell him where the goods were hidden. If the guy was smart he'd use a jutsu to hide his valuables however that would only make them stand out due to this guy's meigan. Hopefully, his company hadn't been speaking to him as the male had gone silent planning this out in his head. Yet if she had asked what he was thinking it still would've sounded like he'd forgotten there were other people around him as he spoke his plan aloud. Snapping out of it the golden eyed god would scarf down his breakfast and beverage, jetting off to the rich guy's residence. When faced with security he'd transform and slip in, best way to get close to the boss, after that it'd be a piece of cake to tie him up and begin the interrogation.

WC: 558

Jamie walked into the lower part of the inn (which doubled as a bar, small town and all) and...

Instantly knew R was planning something. Or perhaps lamenting over the seeming absence of some friends? That was an option. That Levi character had seemingly up and vanished. (Then again, Jamie had been preoccupied for awhile with getting the smithy up to snuff so maybe only she did not notice Levi's departure.)

But it could always be both! And maybe other things, too. Not really possible to tell, without asking.

Walking up to the table, Jamie plopped into a seat. Still, R was absorbed in thought, oblivious to the outside world.

Or something.

Eventually, Jamie managed to get his attention, and he discussed some of his plan.

Turns out, there's a rich dude living in the area. But when R said the dude's name, Jamie kind of... stalled. She knew that name.

She had strong feelings about that name.

But she could not remember just yet who it was... or what direction the feelings were strong in. She... kind of missed the part of R going over the plan for taking the guy's gold. Like, she basically glossed over the entire thing, trying to remember why she remembered that name so vividly.

Then it struck her. The other night, digging the grave.

She had seen someone, and she had been struck with an intense feeling of hate. She hated that man. And things clicked in her mind.

This man, he had used to live in Skyscraper Village. He was a machine mogul: made tons of money by telling some people to design machines, some people to build them, and then going out and selling the result.

Jamie had always seen him as an exploitative monster. He had no understanding of the field, no knowledge of the restrictions they had to work under. He frequently called for machines that only had a CHANCE of being real by...

Jamie stopped herself from going on a rage tangent. She was annoyed at him for all those things. She reviled him for his warmongering. He forced the design and construction of so many war machines, including the ultimate device that sat under the bottom of her home now. Not Skyscraper, no. Her more recent... ex-home, since she had been exiled.

Jamie took a deep breath in. And then a slow breath out.

"Imma be legit with you, R. I missed 90% of what you said cause you saying that name brought a WHOLE lotta memories up to the surface and I had to parse through that for awhile. But I think the jist of what you said was 'we are gonna steal his gold', yea?"

Obviously, Jamie spoke this in as quiet a voice as R had.

"Well I think we're in luck!"

Jamie would then go on to regale R in the tale of witnessing the man bury something in the forest. She was sure it was him. And she knew the burial site.

[wc 500]

While he was listening in on the rumor being spread Jamie did indeed appear before him and when she managed to get his attention she too went silent. It was weird normally a good listener would be attentive but she was just as out of it as he was before she arrived. The Shinkou ended up breaking out of trace before her and it would at this time that he consumed his meal and just as he finished she would resurface from her mind. Had she been going over the plan in her head, if she had even heard it at all? If there was any one of them that would have just as much if not more insight than the locals it would be her. However just as he was about to leave she spoke up admitting that she hadn’t been paying attention. Apparently she knew the guy and when questioned the blue haired male nodded. The woman would mention being in luck before explaining what that meant. It had just so happened that the night she was digging the grave for the village leader she saw their mark head into the forest to bury something. This was certainly sizing up to be an easy win for them and since they had the upper hand Ryal would allow her to take her time and eat a proper meal before they headed out. It didn’t matter to him how many other groups or individuals there might be also out searching since they knew the exact location.

The extraction would also be fairly quick if they could use jutsu to blow up the ground rather than relying on manual labor. Of course, there was the risk of destroying the treasure in the process too, Taishi’s ability to go underground would be perfect right now. Levi has probably also picked up that trick, smh of all the times for them to branch off. As much as he missed his boys the golden eyed god wouldn’t allow himself to get down. His dependence on them was just a sign of his own weakness, they probably felt the same and that’s the reason behind their absence though it would’ve been nice to have heads up first. Anyway, the walk through the forest wasn’t bad Ryal enjoyed nature and if a billionaire had to resort to hiding money and other goods in such a crude way he definitely would keep it close. Naturally, the tall male would use his dojutsu to scan for any chakra barriers just to be sure there were no booby traps. All clear, looking at his female companion the Shinkou would ask, “Want me to blow it up?” While wiggling his fingers, the technique he planned to use didn’t require hand seals and he could get five shots off before needing to rest, super clutch. However, should Jamie suggest they do the old fashioned way he’d oblige. He didn’t mind doing things the “normal” way but he did hope that Jamie would learn not to be ashamed of using chakra. Not that he would rush her, it just made life easier besides they’re homeless adults there really isn’t a need to worry about disappointing anyone. Especially when they were out here getting their Robin Hood on.

WC: 545 [Exit]
TWC: 1,103
Claiming: 32 ap; mission rewards; Chakra Suppression; 257 words to Seal of Absorption (1,877/2,500)

Jamie actually had to first make a pit stop in her inn room, so that she could grab a shovel. Descending the stairs back down to the bar area, she got many an odd look. Why did she need a shovel at this time of night?

Well, that would have been the looks she would have gotten, she was certain. Best not to have THAT much incriminating evidence against you when you were about to commit a crime. Sure, this guy deserved it. At least, Jamie thought he deserved it.

She was avoiding thinking too hard about shades of grey and the fallacy of absolute morality. Going down that line of thinking was a great way to get cold feet. And she knew that. She knew she would back out if she thought to much about it. So she was avoiding thinking too much about it. But that makes a very odd situation. If she recognizes that thinking about it too much would lead to getting cold feet, does that not mean she has already thought about the situation long enough? Should not she have already developed the cold feet of which has been talked about? Bah, the human brain is more complex than that! Perhaps, even, she would NOT develop cold feet for thinking too much about it. That was an entirely valid outcome. Perhaps she considered this man so evil, so vile, that he deserved this. That would truly be the twist: Jamie was not protecting herself from getting cold feet, but was rather protecting herself from the realization that she might not actually be a good person at heart, that she had just as much potential for evil as her current companions did, even as she was less likely to act on this capacity.

No, this line of thinking led ONLY to distrust of oneself and internalized hatred and fear. That must be why Jamie's subconscious was making sure she completely avoided thinking on this as she jumped from the window in her room to the ground. THe fall really was not all that much to have to catch herself from, and easy easy enough to drop the shovel down first to avoid injury from that way.

Walking to the graveyard area felt weirder. She made sure she did not enter the graveyard, even though that route technically would have been a quicker route the the burial site. Instead, she led R into the forest nearby the edge of the graveyard. After awhile of walking, Jamie noticed that the ground was very obviously disturbed. Looking to the side, she could see the elder's gravestone, barely lit by a few lanterns and candles people were still lighting in his honor. He was very loved in the village, and she would feel sad if anyone actually did rob his grave.

With a nod, she told the fellow with her to go ahead and blow open the ground a bit. Afterwards, she would check, dig some, and claim their treasure.

(exit)
[500 words]
10 stats
800 words to Doorknocker (complete) 200 words to Chakra Absorption (200/1000)
Mission rewards

Approved