Spoiled Royals Can't Afford a Good Map? (IO)

Royal Emissary:

Tsubaki had a good week of no missions preparing herself for the incoming visitors for the chunin exams that Hoshi was hosting. However, she had to get back to her normal working times and get some missions done. Luckily, what she was about to receive was a low-rank mission with not a whole lot of risk but with a strange twist. 

Upon getting the information that she was going to be doing a mission that day, Tsubaki headed down to the mission center to receive the briefing. The mission was an urgent one, a royal had gotten lost on the way to the village and their goal was to find the royal and escort them to Hoshi safely. It was one of the younger royal, a princess named Okano. She was only 10 years old. There weren't any reports of bandits in the area, but that could always change in a moment. This mission had to be done quickly. 

Strangely, there was a note at the bottom of the briefing that she didn't normally get. It was about her partner on the mission. Sebastian Loghain was on orders to always be accompanied by someone in case of an "outbreak". They explained On this mission, you are to make sure Loghain doesn't do any harm if one of his outbreaks happens. This left Tsubaki with so many questions. Why was he on the mission if she had to babysit him? What was this "outbreak"? How worried should she be?

It didn't seem she was going to get any immediate answers. So Tsubaki would head to the gates and wait for her partner to show up. Her curiosity made her imagination go wild on assumptions. 


WC: 278

Another day, another mission it would seem. The young wolf was finding himself much busier than he would like to be. These missions were impacting his ability to bring wood to the village, though some might say that these tasks were far more important. Of course, this particular job had been rather… disheartening. He was assigned what was essentially a babysitting mission. Sure, one might argue that this was a search and rescue mission of the utmost importance for keeping political peace, but that would be giving it far too much credit. Now the wolf understood how his handlers must feel.
 
It wouldn’t be long before he found himself at the gates, approaching from outside of the village. There was a woman standing there quietly waiting, likely lost in her own thoughts. No other shinobi were around other than the usual guard sentries, so it was very likely that this was his handler for the mission. Couldn’t have the big bad wolf traveling alone with Little Red Riding Royal.
 
The young wolf would approach, the solitary lady dressed in his dark cloak with loose, forest green breaches could be seen underneath. The wolf’s sensitive nose couldn’t help but pick up the faint hints of flowers, perhaps a perfume of some sort. “Are you Tsubaki Senju?” he would ask, hoping that he found the right person. Nobody else was around, so if this wasn’t his handler he was likely in for a wait.
 
Once he knew that he found who he was looking for, he would offer a light nod of his head in respect to their position of authority. “I am Sebastian Loghain, your subordinate for this mission. I imagine that you were given the details of my condition? Despite it being very unlikely, know that should I lose control, I request of you to do everything in your power to prevent me from bringing hard to our ward.” The wolf would gaze into her olive eyes, both a sincerity and sternness in this request.
 
“Shall we be get started then?” He would ask and then turn his gaze to the lands surrounding Hoshi. “Where was this noble traveling from? That will at least help us narrow down where to search.”


WC: 371

Luckily for Tsubaki, she didn't have to wait long for Loghain to arrive. He stood out with his long, well-kept, black hair and large build. When Loghain got closer, it became obvious that Tsubaki was taller than the werewolf- at least in his current form. 


 “Are you Tsubaki Senju?” The Lycan asked. 

Tsubaki gave a warming smile while scanning him from down up. "Yup, I'm Tsubaki. I gotta say, Mr. Loghain, you don't seem that intimidating," She teased. She knew better than to underestimate someone for their appearance. She would remain on guard for any kind of "outbreak". Despite the teasing, he warned her to use all her power to stop him from bringing any harm to the princess. 

Turning their attention from formalities, they started their mission by finding a good place to start. Tsubaki would pull out her map provided by the village and use it as a visual. "She and her entourage came from the Moutain country. The report that she could be from 50 to 100 miles from the village at the moment. So we have about 50 miles of ground to cover. She's likely still close to the path, so we'll probably start from there." She would take the lead out the village and onto the path leading towards the Moutain country, assuming Loghain will follow. 

About 10 minutes into their journey to find some clues and the princess, Tsubaki would start a conversation with Loghain. "The report said you had some kind of outbreak or something, but never said what it was. What exactly happens? I know about the bloodline that gives individuals natural rage that can be dangerous for the village. However, they haven't been around Hoshigakure in awhile. Are you a newly registered member of that clan?" 


WC: 295
TWC: 573

The Jounin before him seemed to be in good spirits, jesting about him not being very intimidating. This was actually a good thing, since he didn’t wish to come off as scary or intimidating to his fellow villagers.  The wolf took no insult to such words.
 
With this said and done, she would pull out a map of the surrounding lands and point to an area leading towards Mountain country. Fifty miles was a lot of ground to cover, but it wasn’t likely that a noble would wander off into the wilderness and away from the safety of the roads. “Does she have some sort of guards accompanying her?” He would ask, hoping that there was at least some sort of escort for the child. If not her home country wasn’t sending her to visit Hoshi, they were sending her to an execution. The wolf hoped that bandits wouldn’t be foolish enough to attack a noble, but the bandits in these parts were always looking to make an easy fortune and ransoming a child noble might be the way they do that. He’d just shake his head. “We need to make haste. Bandits roam the borders the farther you get from Hoshigakure.”
 
As they began travelling it would seem as though Tsubaki wanted to inquire as to what she had to prepare for. She also seemed to have an understanding of what his bloodline was like, though he wasn’t certain if she meant that other clan that Doctor Akabayashi spoke of. “Are you referring to those descendants of the Jugo bloodline?” He would ask, figuring that this was far more likely than another werewolf. “If so, I am afraid not, though I am informed that my curse is very similar in nature. I am a werewolf.”

WC: 296

“Does she have some sort of guards accompanying her?” The Lycan asked Tsubaki. "To my knowledge, she had two bodyguards with her and her entourage. She should still have those two bodyguards since detaching from the rest of the entourage. That is if they're still alive." The fact of the matter was that this mission could easily change from bringing the princess to Hoshi alive or dead. Either way would still be a successful missing, but Tsubaki rather not deal with a dead princess. 

Loghain did explain his bloodline a bit when the Senju asked, saying that he was a werewolf. Tsubaki wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. "A werewolf? I didn't know a clan like that existed. Now I'm kinda hoping to see this side of you." She jested of course. Saying that he was a werewolf did leave Tsubaki with a lot of questions. Like, what did it look like? Was it an entire transformation or just a minor one? What kind of abilities did it grant you? It didn't seem appropriate to ask all those questions at once though, so Tsubaki let slide.

After some time passed by, Tsubaki and Loghain reached the 50-mile mark. "Alright, let's keep our eyes out for any sign of them." They were going to have to travel for another 50 miles for the rest of the search. Tsubaki just hoped that it wouldn't be too late. 

The sun was starting to set and the brisk spring air brought in a chill. With Loghain and Tsubaki working soon with little light, it was going to make their search a lot harder to spot any helpful clues on where they are. Luckily, in the distance, smoke would become noticeable to the two of them from a campfire not too far from their location-about another mile or so. "Perfect! Let's hurry." Tsubaki would use body flicker to travel most of the way there, hoping Loghain would follow. She had high hope that it was them because she knew that bandits wouldn't be stupid enough to make their smoke so noticeable.

She would soon find herself to be correct. Surrounding a poorly build fire was a wealthy-looking 14-year-old girl and two male guards, both armed with royal swords, customary of royal bodyguards. When Tsubaki and Loghain approached, the two guards quickly got between them and the princess and drew their swords. Tsubaki raised her arms slightly to show she was unarmed. "Relax, We are Hoshi Shinobi. I'm Tsubkai Senju,  a jonin and this is Sebastein Loghain, a genin."  The guards immediately sighed in relief. "Thank god," one of them exclaimed. The princess glared at the two shinobi. "Well, you certainly took your time." Her voice was like a kauni across a blackboard to Tsubaki. "We've been waiting for you for so long! I thought you shinobi were good trackers or something," the princess pouted. Tsubaki responded crudely, "Good thing you guys made it easy, now everyone in a 50-mile radius can find you. Let's go now before we find out who find s us." The princess continued to give a snarky look but just responded by standing up and the guards gathered their things. 

WC: 532
TWC: 1105

Two bodyguards was far better than none, though unless they were incredibly skilled or incredibly lucky they wouldn’t last long with rogue shinobi and other bandits on the loose. The young wolf had no desire to allow this young noble lady to die. When Tsubaki made note that she hadn’t known about a clan of werewolves Loghain would let out a sigh, “You and me both, it would seem.” She made light of wanting to see the wolf, a testament to her prowess as a Jounin. The werewolf was a creature right out of nightmares, and any shinobi that could stand toe to toe with the beast was noteworthy.
 
As light started to fade and night began to fall, the temperature would quickly begin to drop. Loghain was accustomed to such conditions, but a lost noble wouldn’t be. This was good for them, as it meant that the party they were tracking would likely set up camp soon. Camp meant a campfire, and that meant light and smoke. Of course this meant that anyone else looking for them would find them that much easier, too.
 
Tsubaki would spot the smoke, noting it out loud and exclaiming that they must hurry. She would produce a seal and rapidly increase her sprinting speed. The wolf would just pick up the pace, no longer holding back his speed to match his handlers pace. They would soon find themselves standing before their target, a poorly build fire and well equipped bodyguards the first things that he would note. The guards drew their blades and his lip would raise, nearly into a snarl. It was involuntary in reaction to the threat of the men. Tsubaki would of manage to calm the men, ensuring them that the pair had been sent by the village to protect them. “Tracking involves following signs of a trail, young one. We came from the village, somewhere you weren’t. You wouldn’t have left a trail for us to follow.” His tracking skills being questioned by such an unskilled child wasn’t something he took to heart. She knew very little and so the wolf would just shrug it off. He would of course keep his nose to the winds, making certain they weren’t trailed. It wasn’t an immense area he could keep track of, but enough that they wouldn’t likely be caught completely by surprise.
 
Tsubaki was the team leader, and so he would allow her to take lead and he would follow. She mentioned that they would likely attract company unless they moved quickly. The wolf would stand between the wilderness and their ward, taking the rear position. He was fast enough that he could quickly make his way to the forefront if need be, but this way he is their first line of defense should they be attacked from the rear. Plus, if he transformed he would be in the back and not in the way of the travelling party so that they could escape without concern.


WC:497

The team would make quick movements to get to the safe village. Tsubaki decided to keep the fire lit so that if there were bandits around that noticed the novice survival campfire they would think the group was still there and not on the move back to the village. And if anyone was worried about a forest fire or anything, Tsubaki had a way to take care of that as well as keeping them safe. The princesses would demand one of her guardsmen to carry her to the village. It seemed they were used to degrading orders as one of them hunched over automatically and allowed the princess to crawl on his back like a cradled baby monkey with their mother. Tsubaki didn't care too much as long as she wasn't the one carrying her. It might lead her to drop the princess in a lake. 

Regardless, the group would be lead by Tsubaki into the forest, giving Loghain and the one guardsmen with their hands full a torch to light the way without bringing too much attention to the group's location. After a couple of moments while moving away from the campsite, Tsubaki would weave the hand signs for Rain Tiger at Will. "I hope you guys brought your umbrellas," She grinned.   This summoned rain from the heavens to fall all around them. This simultaneously wipes out the campfire meters behind them and also hides their tracks from any tracking bandits. Since the group was traveling under the trees of the forest leading to the village, their torches were safe from being snuffed out themselves. The princesses gasped at the feeling of cold water hitting her fragile skin and complained, which just made Tsubaki's grin more devilish. 

Luckily for the group, they were able to make it to the village without a hitch. No Loghain outbreak, no bandit attacks, and no dead princess...unfortunately. The princess still wet from Tsubaki's techinque, found her way to the rest of her escort to do who knows what with taxpayers' money. "Thank god that brat is off our hands," Tsu sighed in relief once the princess was out of earshot, "And hey, no werewolf outbreak. Win-win." Tsubaki patted Logahins shoulder. "I hope we meet each other again for another mission or for something more casual. Maybe I'll even get to meet the other side of you." Tsubaki blew a kiss and waved goodbye to Loghain before taking off to claim her rewards and finally going to bed. 

WC: 414
TWC: 1519
EXIT 
CLAIMING 
Pink Rose Barrier Techinque (1519/2750)
Mission Rewards (4500 ryo, 20 ap)

It had to be rain…The wolf would find himself somewhere he didn’t wish to ever be, his now damp hair clinging to his neck and his clothes weighed down with absorbed water. He was soaked… At least it was for a purpose, likely to keep the fire from spreading. Still, he wished it could have been far more localized at where the camp had been. Due to his displeasure of being caught in the rain, he would remain silent until he was somewhere he could get dry. Nothing pleasant would make its way from his mouth until then.
 
Loghain and the party would find himself making his way back to the village with ease. It was odd to think that none of the bandits in the area thought the young lady would be a prime target, although perhaps Tsubaki’s efforts of misdirection paid off. Either way, they found themselves saying their farewells to the young royal and her bodyguards. Tsu would be glad that the child was now no longer their concern, along with how smooth everything went during the mission.
 
“I count us as lucky.” Loghain would say, wiping moisture from his face. Tsu would pat his shoulder in an endearing way, noting that they should meet again in the future. “I am certain that we will find ourselves working together again, whether training or doing assignments.” He would offer a nod, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Tsubaki.” With their farewells done, the wolf would make his way towards the wilderness. He needed to change out of these clothes…


---Exit---

WC: 262
TWC: 1423

Claims:
9 stats
1423/2000 wc memorizing Tsu's scent

1423/1750 wc towards Damage Reduction Shield (B rank)

Mission rewards (4100 ryo and 20 AP)

Approved