Staycation [Ban, Kato]

Mission:

It's been a stupid busy few weeks for the rank and file shinobi of Kirigakure.

The influx of money and boom of new projects has lead to a high number of new missions within the village, keeping the genin particularly occupied. A destructive typhoon also rolled over the village two weeks previous, leading to an exhausting few days of evacuations and search and rescue, with the cleanup still continuing in hardest-hit areas of the village. Murata swears she still feels a little chilly from those days out in the flood zones, even with a few days off afterwards to recuperate and cozy up warm in her apartment.

It's likely a welcome reprieve for the three of them when the messenger birds tap on their windows. The mission scroll describes a week-long mission tagging along with a local tour group - guided and planned by a retired shinobi. All the team has to do is show up, not do anything stupid, and keep the tourists from getting themselves hurt or seeing anything they shouldn't. There are a dozen of them, young heirs to money or business.

The first morning is cool and windy, the thick carpet of fog draped over the village overnight momentarily surrendering the streets. The tour group is not due to arrive for about an hour, with the team meeting in their hotel to get themselves established and meet the guide.

The team has a three bedroom suite to themselves - a very nice one, at that. The entire hotel is quite swanky, but it seems quite empty, with few visitors milling about. That seems to be about right, to Murata... but who would make the decision to open a hotel like this in the first place? Surely a ninja village doesn't get enough travelers to justify the expense? Murata will not complain. This room is much nicer than her apartment is.

"Now, do not cause trouble for our hosts,"  she says to her calico cat, Princess, Murata sitting on her bed and cooing to the cat cozied up in her arms. Technically, the pet allowance for shinobi is only for highly-trained killing machines that are necessary to missions, such as the Inuzuka's prized hounds. Princess is a highly-trained killing machine (of mice), and is necessary to the mission (emotional support), so Murata hopes that this little white lie will go unnoticed. Next to Murata are her supplies for the week - her kanabo leaned against the bedside table, precariously close to knocking over a lamp, a little bag of clothes that looks like a very spartan selection, and several little books on Kirigakure's history.

[434]

The mission that Ban was sent on this time was a week-long escort mission. She, Kato, and Murata would be accompanying a group of tourists. They would be in charge of being their guide and 'cater to their needs'. That latter phrase brought shivers down Ban's spine. They were shinobi, not servants. The nice thing about the mission was that they would be staying in a suite along with the guests. 

Ban would arrive at the hotel in an orderly fashion, holding a bag full of clothes for the week that she packed the day before. The morning was windy and cool; blowing the misty waters around the island. The hotel would smell like the salt waters that Ban called home. She entered the building and headed to the shinobi's room. Once she got in the three-person room, Ban noticed Murata and another guest. Princess. Princess was Murata's cat that she used for emotional support. "Hey, Murata." Ban would greet her with a low and calm voice. She would set her bag on one of the beds, claiming it for the week. Ban would look around the spacious suite room. "Are you enjoying the scenery?" 

WC: 195

Kato was pulled from the land of slumber but the tapping of bird beak on window. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching he opened the window, accepting the mission scroll by the carrier pigeon. He laid the scroll down on his bedside table initially as he finished transitioning into the land of the living. "There sure has been a lot of work being carried out by the village in the recent weeks" Kato thought to himself as he looked over at the scroll, this mission was another C-Rank. For a moment his thoughts jumped to his last C-Rank "I wonder if this one is a crazy as the last C-Rank. I doubt it though" Kato assumed it was uncommon to be asked to track errant chakra-enhanced monkeys.

He unfurled the scroll and read the details of the mission. Definitely not monkey related, which was a relief, Kato enjoyed the novelty of the last C-Rank mission but it was not one he was keen to regularly carry out. The village was due to have a group of important visitors, young investors in the business sector, they were going to be lead on a tour by one of the retired shinobi of the village. Kato noticed that there were two other shinobi assigned to the mission, both names that he recognised. The scroll continued stating that the 3 person team was going to be staying in the same hotel as the tour group for their week long stay in Kirigakure. Kato looked around his basic apartment and gave a little smile "It will be nice to stay somewhere a little fancier than this humble abode" Kato enjoyed the thought of this mission, it felt like it was going to be a little holiday rather than a mission. The scroll finished by stating that the team was to meet in the hotel so they could situate themselves and coordinate with the tour guide so Kato prepared his things. He packed a small travel bag, he was on the job so there was no time or space for his funkier attire, only the clothing he wore for official shinobi business was required. Along with his small travel bag he packed the pouch containing his smaller ninja tools as well as both of his katanas, tying them together with a cloth so they were easier to carry.

It did not take long for Kato to make it to the hotel, his feet were swift and he took missions seriously, even if they seemed like a doddle. He greeted to hotel receptionist upon arrival, displaying the mission scroll before being directed to the room where he will be spending the week. The two other members of his team had before him, a somewhat rare feat in his experience so far, he was usually the early bird. Kato smiled at the two kunoichi as he cast his eyes over the room they had been assigned. It was much fancier than his simple apartment but the view was about on par. He noticed that Murata and Ban had already claimed their beds so placed his own luggage on the remaining bed in the room. 

Returning his attention to his team mates Kato began to speak with a smile and cheerful tone "Hey Murata, Ban, it's nice to see you two again. Looks like business is booming in the village if they're putting us up in a fancy room like this" He chuckled before noticing the calico snuggling in Murata's arms. Raising a somewhat sarcastic eyebrow Kato continued "I didn't realise there was a fourth member assigned to the squad. Who is this ferocious feline?" there was a a humorous tone to Kato's words as he reached out to pet the adorable addition to the squad. 

[630]

"Good morning! I told you I would be early!" Murata greets Ban. She had felt a small amount of trepidation when she had seen the other woman's name on the scroll, given the odd feeling she had departed with in their last mission, but she is now confident that everything will go well. Even if they have to spend an entire week together and getting on one another's nerves.

"It is a nice treat," she says neutrally, kissing Princess's little head. Though she allows herself to enjoy such extravagance when it comes, she always feels some trepidation towards talking it up. She must remember humility, after all.

Kato enters shortly after Ban. Murata lifts Princess towards Kato to allow him to pet her, resulting in an annoyed 'mrp' from the cat.

"You two are familiar?" she asks, glancing between Kato and Ban. "This is Princess. Please do not inform her that she is not being paid."

Princess had been tolerating the babying, but the doting of a stranger is beyond her patience. She quickly wiggles from Murata's arms and slips away under the bed, a dismissive air about her.

[189]
[TWC: 623]

Ban chuckled at Murata's remark that she would be early. It was a reference to the previous mission they did together. Ban was upset about Murata showing up late to their guarding mission of the bank with some tea. Ban was on edge then, she wanted to show herself worthy of being a good shinobi like Xyxer, but that ended in her getting spooked by a baby raccoon. She was glad to see Mutara keeping to her word and trying harder. Perhaps Mutara and Ban would become closer as time went on. 

Kota entered finally. His attention seemed focused on Mutara's cat, Princess. He joked about the cat being the fourth member of the mission, Mutara adding on it by joking about the cat not being paid. Ban would zoom out of the moment and look at the two. It was strange in a world full of murder and battles in the name of the village that humor was still normal. Ban figured that humor would never die out. It lives on as long as there are people to tell it. 

Ban would focus back in and look at the itinerary for the tour group they were escorting. While reading it, she would leave a hand down for Princess to rub against to get her familiar with Ban. The week was going to be busy for the group. Today was a bit of basic exploring of the biggest and most busy parts of town. They also wanted to stop by the Mizukage Monument of Xy. Later in the week, they wanted to have a 'beach day' where, if weather permits,  they would spend most of the time on the beach relaxing or letting their younger family members play in the water. There were the various attractions in the village that Ban had never heard of on the list too. "It looks like we are going to have a busy week ahead of us." Ban would allow Kato and Mutara to see the itinerary if she hadn't seen it already. "Have either of you met the tour group we are going to be escorting yet?" She prayed they weren't rich snobs. She really didn't want to get on the bad side of Kiri by killing some rich people. 

WC: 377
TWC:572

Kato gave a short chuckle as Princess squirmed from Murata's grip and hid beneath her bed after he had petted her. He was not terribly familiar with cat's but he knew they were creatures that liked to act on their own whims. "Looks like that might be too much attention for this one" turning his face to meet Murata's Kato responded to her question "yeah we worked together on an protection mission, turns out pirates know how to wield jutsu nowadays"

Kato then sat back on his bed as the trio conversed adding "Is that the itinerary there? I feel like I'm going to be learning a bunch of new things about the village myself" letting out another lighthearted chuckle as he cast his eyes over the plan for the week. It was quite the packed schedule, whoever had planned this was really trying to make the most of the tour groups time. Kato wondered how important this group was based on this, possibly a group of new investors, nobles from another land maybe? He'd seen a glimpse of a group making their way from the docks on his way to the hotel so it was only a matter of time before his curiosity was satiated "As I was making my way to the hotel I saw a gathering of unfamiliar faces making their way here. Actually I think I can hear them arriving now"

The sound of tourists was easily to identify. Small children weary from travel crying and complaining, parents trying to calm them, young businessmen networking with each other, and then there was the boisterous partying type tourist. Between the lot of them the noise they made it very clear that they had arrived and Kato rose from his bed and began to head for the stairs "looks like our tour group has arrived and from the sounds of it they are quite the lively bunch. I think its best to greet them and make sure they're settled in.. and hopefully calmed down"

[336]
[TWC = 966]

"It is a suitable life for a chakra user," she muses. It could easily have been her own path. "Did they give you much trouble?"

Shortly enough, it is time to head out, the sound of the tour group arriving outside drawing them out.

The team is greeted outside by the retired shinobi leading the group. Yumeji Yuki is a plump older woman who moves with a pleasant grace - a shinobi's intentionality, softened by time and less violent pursuits. Her skin is tan and wrinkled, dark eyes warm and gleaming, her body dressed in comfortable, fluffy offwhites. When the team moves downstairs to greet the tour group, she is the first to introduce herself, dazzling the children with swirling snowflakes produced from her fingertips before allowing the team a few moments to speak to the group. Murata's introduction is brief, simple, but enthusiastic - but she's a little jealous of Yumeji's trick with the snowflakes. She has to assume that the parents present would not appreciate her showing off in a similar fashion with knife tricks.

Murata had been expecting twelve people, and that is slightly inaccurate - the young children accompanying the group were not counted, leaving the true number to be about sixteen. After the meet and greet has completed, the group is shepherded to breakfast. It is provided by the hotel, and quite nice, if limited in selection. The team is invited to eat with the rest of the group, and a young girl tugs gently at Kato's sleeve, staring at him intently with big brown eyes.

"Why are your eyes so funny?" she asks, intensely focused, enunciating her words carefully.

[272]
[TWC: 895]

The tourist group had arrived at the hotel shortly after reading the agenda. Ban and the other would go out to the lobby to greet the people they would be spending their week with. When they got out there, there were a lot more than reported originally. 12 adults and 4 children. Ban wasn't aware that there would be children. There was also an older lady, who was a retired shinobi, working with the touring group. She was a Yuki, with the kekki genki to create ice, which she showed by creating snowflakes to show to the children.  Ban gave an anxious sigh as the children played loudly and tugged on Kato's clothes, being generally rude to him and the others at the hotel. 

Their first event was breakfast. The hotel staff was busy catering to the buffet line and severing their guest. Ban had already eaten since she had to wake up early for this mission, so she just stood by the group and watched with her arms crossed. The children were quickly stuffing their faces with the most sugary part of the buffet breakfast while the parents tried to convince them to put healthy foods on their plates. The older members of the group were chatting quietly and politely, talking about the events they were going on today. Even though there was no hostility in the room, Ban didn't feel comfortable. This life was too cushiony. There was no drive and no energy to it. Not like the arena, where there were true energy and excitement. She grinned to herself just thinking of the fights she had witnessed recently. 

WC: 271
TWC: 843

The team had headed down to meet both the tour group and the person responsible for leading the tour through the week. A retired shinobi from the Yuki clan was the tour leader and introduced herself with a flashy display of swirling snowflakes. Kato was quite impressed from the display and was intrigued by the older woman. He had heard stories about the Yuki clan and their unique ability to manipulate ice but he had never met anyone who belonged to the Yuki clan before. After giving her introduction the rest of the team were given an opportunity to have their turn and when it came around to Kato he was cheerful and warm in his welcome. The group were then funnelled into a room for breakfast, the first event of the trip.  

Kato had not made it more than a couple paces into the room before he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see the curious brown eyes of a little girl who would then go on to ask him about his eyes. With a grin Kato spoke, crouching down so that he could speak to the girl on her level "so that I can see when people are being naughty and misbehaving" the veins in Kato's temples would bulge as he finished speaking, punctuating the sarcastic warning by activating his Byakugan. 

The little girl was taken aback by the sudden activation of the Byakugan but her expression of surprise quickly turned to amazement and soon most of the children that were part of the tour group were harassing Kato "What have I got myself into" he thought to himself as he tried to free himself from medley of curious children. Thankfully for Kato, Yumeji soon called an end to breakfast and announced the next event "Can I have everyones attention. Breakfast is now finished and we'll be heading out to see our first attraction" this statement was met with a large cheer from the kids and they soon forgot about Kato and flooded to the elderly Yuki. "We will be going on a walk that will take us along one our nicest beaches, through one of our bustling markets and finally to the large Mizukage statue!" The tour group soon gathered their things and followed Yumeji's lead. Kato hung back and allowed the group to funnel out before him, hoping to put some space between him and the kids who had been bothering him.

[409]
[TWC = 1375]

The monument looms above, grey stone and grey steel against grey sky. It has a distinct sense of gloom to it, the weight of a strange, tense, unresolved history. Since the disappearance of the Leviathan, Kiri's destiny has been a coin flip, hanging suspended in the air.

The sound of laughing children and chattering people does lighten the mood a little bit, though.

"How is it so big!!!"
"What kind of sword is that??"
"I heard it turns into a giant shark."
"Whoaaa... can you... still hit people with it???"

Murata trails behind the group as well, bringing herself, Ban, and Kaito back together as Yumeji goes over the reign of the First Mizukage. Murata is attentive, even as she carries on conversation with her compatriots. Yumeji's descriptions are remarkably... unhelpful. She speaks in highly vague terms, only reinforcing that he was very great and very powerful and made Kirigakure very rich.

"You both know I am only a newcomer to this place," Murata hums, looking to the other two. She knows that Kato is not originally of this village, but her 'conversation' with him in the beach cave did not provide her many specifics on when he had arrived. "]What was it like before this man disappeared? What has changed?"

She is curious as to the exact nature of the man this stone was carved from, but that is ultimately unimportant. The consequences of a leader's actions resonate throughout history far stronger than their character. The fact that his absence had been so disruptive speaks itself to how he had positioned himself structurally, in her mind - a despot's house of cards.

[272]
[TWC: 1167]