A Decent Payday

A small sigh escaped his mouth, taking the bag of money out of Aihara's small hands. "Sit down you", with a little flick on her forehead Grey let her know to be patient and wait til everyone had finished eating. Grabbing one of the wipes laying in the middle of the table he then gave it to his little sister. "Here, use this to clean your face" the Hyuuga said with a smile as he continued to consume the huge bowl of ramen with the additional steamed buns. There was nothing better than a warm meal after a hard day of work, all the more reason to enjoy and savor the delicious food. 

Once the three of them were done and ready to head out together with the sailor, only for Cid to run back as the red haired pirate almost forgot to pay the bill. "His head is probably still at those buns" the swordsman laughed out loud, waiting for the final member of their crew to arrive so they could start their search for both men. "I suppose I could look for him with my Byakugan, but where's the fun in that?" Grey would say with a smile on his face before looking at Aihara. "What do you think little brat, any idea where we should look first?". Knowing his sister she couldn't wait to run and look around and the responsible brother he was the Hyuuga would simply follow wherever she went, aware the child would enjoy herself. 

(WC: 251, TWC: 1386)

Grey would reel in some of Aihara's childlike enthusiasm, taking care that she wipe her face and generally speaking being a good older brother. When the Hyuuga speaks of his magical eyes, Cid would just grin, "Yeah, best to keep that as a backup just in case the fun bit starts to no longer be fun." The might of the Byakugan was indeed potent, but something about its use here would remove something from the mission. Efficient? Sure, but eh. It would be like knowing who the killer was at the end of a mystery before you even began reading.

Grey would let Aihara take the lead, so she would of course be spearheading this mission. Well Cid knew that when he was with Little Miss Aihara he was going to get his cardio in for the day. The kid dashed off at a full sprint, almost like a little pink blur she was. Despite his best efforts to keep pace, he was falling behind the significantly faster pair. Still, they were within sight and the bandit would keep his strides long to try to keep up. The stout sailor made no attempts to keep up, just waving them off. 

They would come to a screeching halt right in front of an old warehouse that doesn't look like its been used in years. Aihara seemed to think this was where they needed to be, so Cid would catch his breath momentarily and walk up to the door and try it. The wiggling of the knob would find the door locked. "Well, no luck there," The pirate would say with a light sigh, "but we can always make our own luck." He would look to Aihara and say with the wave of his hands and with a simple sleight of hand a set of picks would appear from seemingly thin air. "Keep an eye out will you? This sort of thing isn't looked upon kindly by society." And with that said he would begin picking the lock. It would take a few moments, but once completed the pirate would open the door, the rusty old hinges creaking. He'd turn back to the pair with a grin and move his head to the direction of the door. 

Once inside, there was a man putting on clothes next to a wash basin. A blade strapped to his waist resting on a belt made of leather. "You lot here to do me in, huh?" He'd say while buttoning his shirt. For a man that was not only outnumbered but quite literally caught with his pants down (though for the sake of the child all his manly bits were properly covered with a loincloth) he didn't sound all that concerned, almost like this sort of thing might have been common for him. "Well, what is that fat midget of a seaman paying you? I'll match it, and nobody else will have to catch a stabbing tonight. Sound fair?"

Cid was tempted to simply take the offer, but until they actually had their own ship he didn't want to cause any grief between the sailors and them, otherwise their money could very quickly dry up and their dreams of their own ship with it. "Hmm. That might work out." He'd turn to Grey with a wink and a look, letting him know that there was a scheme in the works. "Sound good to you?" He'd ask for show, hoping that the Hyuuga would catch on easily enough. "How do we know you are good for it?" Cid would ask the rogue adulterer, hoping he is foolish enough to prove he had the coin to buy them off. 

wc: 611

Barely able to contain a laugh, Grey watched as Aihara appeared to be in deep thought. Only seven years old and already the brains of the operation. "You got this, brat". With those final words of encouragement the Hyuuga gave the little girl a final push in the right direction. And then, without a word, the child would simply take off, running full speed, her small legs trying their hardest to keep up with the rest of her body as she moved along the streets of the small port town. "There she goes". Hoping Cid would be able to follow behind, the young swordsman started to head towards the location Aihara ran off to. 

Coming to a halt in front of an old warehouse Grey noticed it was where the brat believed they needed to be. Allowing the red haired pirate a moment to catch his breath, the Hyuuga swordsman looked around, scanning the surrounding area in order to make sure they were alone. Cid then began picking the lock, after a few moments successfully opening the door which allowed them entry. Once setting foot inside they would stumble upon a strange man who seemed to be enjoying his yearly shower. "Well that's a view if there's ever been one". A bit confused what was going on, the Hyuuga waited to see how the situation would develop.

For better or worse the rogue appeared to be under the impression Grey and Cid could be convinced to switch sides, as long as he paid the right price. "Sure, why not" the lilac swordsman played along with his red haired friend. It seemed things were about to get quite the interesting turn of events. 

(WC: 282, TWC: 1668)

It would seem as if Grey was willing to play along, and Little Miss Aihara had turned around quite swiftly when their target was found to be half naked. Cid would nod, "Looks like you were right, we can be bought off. Of course, we know that our employer is good on his word for payment." Cid would reiterate, his head tilted slightly to the right as he gazed upon the rogue standing before them. He would probe into one of his pockets and pull out a purse with coin in it. "That looks a bit light to be a full payment... I'm not so sure-" The adulterer would cut Cid off, "Half now, and half later. You think I'm stupid enough to just hand over the full amount with no assurances?" He'd let out a laugh, thinking that he was just the cleverest man in the room. Of course, Cid was somewhat of a rogue himself, and he had seen everything he needed to.

Cid would place a hand on his face, resting his fingers on his forehead. "That makes so much sense." He would offer, playing it up for the man's benefit. Cid would slowly approach the man, hand extended ready to accept the money. See, Cid figured this rogue planned to play them, paying half now and then skipping town. He thought he was pulling one over on the pirate trio, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Once within reach, Cid would take the money, making certain to feel its weight and check the coinage. All seemed legitimate. He would turn around and look to the door to make sure the others had his back. Unfortunately, Aihara seemed to have scampered off, which meant that Grey was likely going to be close behind. Eh, even by himself he was more than a match for this dirt bag. Whispers would speak to him, silently pushing him and his actions. 

Placing the money on his belt, he would then take a step and form the tiger seal. Quickly forming in his hand, a cat o' nine tails made of pure flames would sprout out and Cid would turn and swing the weapon, lashing at the exposed flesh of the adulterer. The whips would sear into the man's flesh, cooking it and making him wail in pain. He went to grab for his blade, only for another lash to strike him causing him to fall to the ground and flail in pain. 

"See, we ain't dumb. No skipping town for you, pal." Cid would say, his lash being flung back, striking the basin of water and causing damage to the container enough that water began pouring all over the floor, though the water sank into the floorboards, not even causing a puddle. The tall bandit would kneel, making sure to get closer to the cowering man.

The man would look up at Cid in horror, knowing very well that his life was in the bandits hands. "Please! I'm sorry! It won't ever happen again! Please don't kill me!" He would plead, begging to be spared. Cid had no desire to kill this man. He was going to do exactly as his sailor employer asked. Cid couldn't go around earning a reputation of half-assing jobs, now could he? He promised to teach this man a lesson he'd never forget. 

"Oh, you know what? I'll make you a deal. You like deals, right?" Cid would offer, extending a jug of spirits to the man. "If you can hold this on your lap for as long as it takes for me to walk out that door right there, I promise I won't kill you. Sound fair?" The man would quietly but vigorously nod his head, knowing full well while he probably couldn't trust the red-haired bandit that the alternative was certain death. He would sit, holding the spirits in his lap as ordered. Once Cid made it to the door, he would turn to make sure the man did as he asked. 

"Oh, good job. You won't be dying tonight." He would then swipe his fire lash at the jug, shattering it and causing burning alcohol to pour onto the adulterers lap, burning through his pants and any protective garments before completely burning his manhood to the point where it could never be used again. "Can't have you causing anymore harm with your weapon of choice, though." Cid would then close the door, leaving the burning man screaming in pain as he locked and closed the door behind him. It barely muffled the screams, but it at least made it harder for anyone to get to him before the damage was done. 

Now to locate his companions.

wc:786
twc:3373 (Missions wc definitely met)

The Hyuuga was trying to pay attention to what happened in front of him if it wasn't for something, or rather someone, making it awfully difficult to do so. Standing there, letting out a sigh as he heard the sound of shoes tapping, Grey looked behind him only to spot Aihara being her usual self, struggling to stay still. "What did I expect?". If he didn't know better, the lilac eyed swordsman would think someone dropped her in a bowl of sugar with all its consequences. Attempting to return to the conversation taking place between Cid and the poorly dressed stranger he was suddenly interrupted once more, the young girl whispering out his name.

Disturbed yet again, Grey finally turned around with another sigh, only to notice Aihara had yet again ran off. "For crying out loud". Rubbing his temples, already feeling a headache about to arrive, the Hyuuga knew he had to follow behind her. "Apologies, I have to go and get my sister". Trusting Cid had everything under control and was able to handle things himself, the Hyuuga ran into the direction he last saw Aihara take off. "See you in a bit", leaving the redhead to take care of things inside, Grey finally left the building and started heading towards a forest nearby.

As he entered, the sound of Aihara's voice suddenly echoed through the area. "Here you are, little brat". The Hyuuga would pick her up and return in the direction they came from. Exiting the forest, for some reason followed by the cat that started all the commotion, the three of them, animal included, safely made it back where they met up with Cid again. "I take it you handled things inside?". Assuming his red haired friend caught him up on everything that happened, Grey would suggest to wrap things up. Putting the little girl down, noticing the kitten was still hanging around them, the lilac eyed swordsman would pat Aihara's head. "Lead the way". As usual. 

(Exit)

(TWC: 2000)
Claims:
- 2000/2000 Chakra Infusion
- 20 stats to chakra
- Mission rewards (3000 ryo, 15 AP)

Approved for Grey

{Exiting -- will make claims later}