The Weather Outside is Frightful

Mission:

Missing Person One: Hours ago a man had taken his horse and sleigh to pick up firewood in the woods. The weather was said to get colder, but there was no indication a blizzard would start. After many hours of the rampaging snowstorm the man's wife got worried and she talked to the local policing force. Due to the blizzard they were forced to hire ninja to brave the storm and find the missing person before it became too late. A good place to start would be the man's home where his wife lived she would know the direction he typically goes to gather the firewood.

When Akabayashi arrived he took a look around the nice little farm. As expected any tracks had been long since covered and with the ferocity of the blizzard even seeing his own footsteps behind him were difficult. What he happened to find behind the house was interesting though. Enough lumber to last a couple of weeks. Why would someone go through the trouble of getting more wood when there was already plenty? Unless, that isn't what they were actually doing. It was time to head inside and begin asking questions. At present the Terumi's current theories were he either wasn't missing and was shacked up somewhere or this lady killed her husband.

He knocked and the woman answered. Her face showed worry and not panic when she noticed the tall man. Faces however could be decieving. "Hello, I am Akabayashi sent to look for a missing person could you tell me what direction your husband left so that I might find him?" The woman pointed East and as the Terumi was about to leave to head that way she stopped him. "He normally goes the other way to gather wood, I hope he is alright." This statement cemented in the Terumi's mind that the man was not just out getting wood he was doing something else in addition to this.

The doctor would wait for his other searching companions to ask their questions and conduct their own searches before stepping off into the blistering cold and the frigid wind chill. He was in no rush to enter the freezing tundra outside. After everyone finished the doctor would exit and shiver heading the direction the woman had indicated. After not too long he came across a wooden opening sitting against a tree half covered in snow. He would pick up the item and see it was an axe.

"He isn't cutting wood without this." The Terumi would say laying the item back down. Knowing standing knee deep in snow was not the best way to travel he would ride one of his masked beasts and let the others do so as well if required. The beasts flew through the air making the wind chill slightly worse, but overall it was better than walking through three to four feet of snow.

The first sign of the missing husband was found the horse and sleigh, but this wasn't a wooded area any longer they were in the business district of the town and there were multiple buildings the man could be in. They would have to split up to find him. Akabayashi checked the general store, but as he pulled at the door to open it he could tell it was locked. He hoped the others had even better luck as many places likely closed early due to the horrid weather. The next place for him and maybe others was likely the jewelers whose lights were still on. Approaching the door the Terumi heard people inside.

When he opened the door he could see a man matching the description of whom they were looking for assuming no one else found him first. When he was told they were searching for him he gave his reason for being here and not cutting wood. Apparently, his wife thought she had lost her wedding ring weeks ago. In truth her husband had stolen it to add an engraving and some gemstones. Their anniversary was the day before Christmas and he wished to present her with the gift. Then the storm set in and he couldn't find his way back in the blizzard so he returned to this area hoping the general store would be open so he could buy a map. He found they were closed upon his return, but the jeweler was his friend and lived here so he tried to get his friend to aid him. With the group of ninja there they would be able to get him home easily either through flight or any method the rest of the group might have. The doctor would return the man to his home and collect the reward.

WC: 794

This mission had been relatively simple, or was supposed to be. A woman had lost her husband- well, perhaps misplaced him- but that was the mission. The story the wife had advised to the local authorities and asked the ninja be dispatched to handle was one that seemed fairly straightforward. The man had taken the small farm’s lone horse, hooked it up to their sleigh, and proceeded to head out to get more firewood. Baliquis took up the mission and briskly met with Akabayashi Terumi- a member of Hoshigakure’s own NOVA Corps, which was meant to be their most elite-of-elite shinobi warriors. Not that she meant to diminish or be condescending, but as someone still learning about their culture, ways, and hierarchy, she was always inwardly pleased to learn new things and apply her own terminology to them so that she would recall the information a bit better and help it stick mentally. Either way, she stuck with the man and followed him over as best as she could in her boots- unfamiliar with the taste of snow and how much traction was needed for her to transverse to the landscape.

The snow that had been blanketing the quaint farm had been manageable from what the local police force implied, and though the temperature was dropping as it tended to during this time of year, what they were not expecting for a snowstorm to start up, which turned into a blizzard. Truly if Baliquis had not been pushing her chakra into sensing and partially trying to follow where Akabayashi was? She would have been lost and tried to follow and step into the leader’s footsteps to keep up where she could barely see a foot in front of herself. It would be common sense to assume that with such a snowstorm, whatever tracks they could have tried to find for the missing husband were long covered up. Thankfully with his steady and determined guidance, they could make it to the homestead’s main home where the wife was- however, as the leader knocked on the door, Baliquis scanned the homestead and saw a log holder… that seemed full? It was several feet high and maybe ten feet wide with stockpiled wood…so why had the husband left for more? As the door opened, the leader spoke, "Hello, I am Akabayashi, sent to look for a missing person. Could you tell me what direction your husband left so that I might find him?" Baliquis looked over as the woman pointed to the east,

"He normally goes the other way to gather wood, I hope he is alright." The woman said, and Baliquis mentally questioned what was happening with this scenario. The Terumi paused to let her ask any questions, but Baliquis didn’t have any, so she followed him back into the snow. Making sure to try and keep track of him as they headed east on the property. Not too long after heading in that direction, they came to a wooden opening that was half covered by a tree and snow; however, since he got to the spot first, he was the first to recognize that an axe had been left behind, so clearly the missing spouse would not be chopping wood anytime soon. Then it happened- A creature consisting entirely of strange, black threads and wires with a singular ceramic mask at the helm of its strange body to serve as a face. Then it grew wings, and when Bali questioned whether or not she should be worried, the man climbed onto the creature, and she hesitated a moment longer before following suit, and then they were- fucking flying. It just jumped into the air easily and started soaring sand Bali found herself hunkering down a bit on the -thing. At one point, it may have been cold, but it was easier for Baliquis to regulate her body temperature than others, but that wasn’t important as she looked at the grounds below.

What was important was that they weren’t over the woods anymore but a business district, and it seemed the leader spotted the horse and sleigh as the creature they were on dropped down to an area behind the buildings, and she stepped down. Who knew which building he could be in? As he led the way to the streets, Bali watched Terumi go towards a store, and she looked around to see if others had lights on- only seeing one shop in particular. A jewelry store. She openly made the executive decision to go over and try the door- It allowed itself to be pulled, so it was open, and she paused a moment to listen for voices. When she heard some, she opened the door and went in just as the mission leader arrived.

Inside were two people- a man who seemed to be the shopkeeper and another who matched the description of the wife’s missing spouse but in regards to verbally interacting with them, Bali hung back as the Terumi once more took the lead.

Apparently, his wife thought she had lost her wedding ring weeks ago. In truth, her husband had stolen it to add an engraving and some gemstones. Their anniversary was the day before Christmas, and he wished to present her with a gift. Then the storm set in, and he couldn't find his way back in the blizzard, so he returned to this area, hoping the general store would be open so he could buy a map. He found they were closed upon his return, but the jeweler was his friend and lived here, so he tried to get his friend to aid him. With the group of ninja there, they could get him home easily. With a new and completed mission under her belt, Bali was more than happy to make her way back home and at least try to warm up after collecting her rewards for a successful mission and a job well done. Maybe she could buy herself something nice too?

[ WC : 1000 ]
[ Claims: completed B-Rank mission, 6,000 Ryo (+2000 Rank Bonus) / 30 AP / 1,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Full Dice (d10), Claiming +10 AP (From WC)
WC claims: 58 WC towardsDebuff Bolt ( 942 / 1000 ) -> ( 1000 / 1000), 942 WC towards Water Clone ( B-Rank ) -> ( 942 / 1500 ) ]

Baliquis wrote:This mission had been relatively simple, or was supposed to be. A woman had lost her husband- well, perhaps misplaced him- but that was the mission. The story the wife had advised to the local authorities and asked the ninja be dispatched to handle was one that seemed fairly straightforward. The man had taken the small farm’s lone horse, hooked it up to their sleigh, and proceeded to head out to get more firewood. Baliquis took up the mission and briskly met with Akabayashi Terumi- a member of Hoshigakure’s own NOVA Corps, which was meant to be their most elite-of-elite shinobi warriors. Not that she meant to diminish or be condescending, but as someone still learning about their culture, ways, and hierarchy, she was always inwardly pleased to learn new things and apply her own terminology to them so that she would recall the information a bit better and help it stick mentally. Either way, she stuck with the man and followed him over as best as she could in her boots- unfamiliar with the taste of snow and how much traction was needed for her to transverse to the landscape.

The snow that had been blanketing the quaint farm had been manageable from what the local police force implied, and though the temperature was dropping as it tended to during this time of year, what they were not expecting for a snowstorm to start up, which turned into a blizzard. Truly if Baliquis had not been pushing her chakra into sensing and partially trying to follow where Akabayashi was? She would have been lost and tried to follow and step into the leader’s footsteps to keep up where she could barely see a foot in front of herself. It would be common sense to assume that with such a snowstorm, whatever tracks they could have tried to find for the missing husband were long covered up. Thankfully with his steady and determined guidance, they could make it to the homestead’s main home where the wife was- however, as the leader knocked on the door, Baliquis scanned the homestead and saw a log holder… that seemed full? It was several feet high and maybe ten feet wide with stockpiled wood…so why had the husband left for more? As the door opened, the leader spoke, "Hello, I am Akabayashi, sent to look for a missing person. Could you tell me what direction your husband left so that I might find him?" Baliquis looked over as the woman pointed to the east,

"He normally goes the other way to gather wood, I hope he is alright." The woman said, and Baliquis mentally questioned what was happening with this scenario. The Terumi paused to let her ask any questions, but Baliquis didn’t have any, so she followed him back into the snow. Making sure to try and keep track of him as they headed east on the property. Not too long after heading in that direction, they came to a wooden opening that was half covered by a tree and snow; however, since he got to the spot first, he was the first to recognize that an axe had been left behind, so clearly the missing spouse would not be chopping wood anytime soon. Then it happened- A creature consisting entirely of strange, black threads and wires with a singular ceramic mask at the helm of its strange body to serve as a face. Then it grew wings, and when Bali questioned whether or not she should be worried, the man climbed onto the creature, and she hesitated a moment longer before following suit, and then they were- fucking flying. It just jumped into the air easily and started soaring sand Bali found herself hunkering down a bit on the -thing. At one point, it may have been cold, but it was easier for Baliquis to regulate her body temperature than others, but that wasn’t important as she looked at the grounds below.

What was important was that they weren’t over the woods anymore but a business district, and it seemed the leader spotted the horse and sleigh as the creature they were on dropped down to an area behind the buildings, and she stepped down. Who knew which building he could be in? As he led the way to the streets, Bali watched Terumi go towards a store, and she looked around to see if others had lights on- only seeing one shop in particular. A jewelry store. She openly made the executive decision to go over and try the door- It allowed itself to be pulled, so it was open, and she paused a moment to listen for voices. When she heard some, she opened the door and went in just as the mission leader arrived.

Inside were two people- a man who seemed to be the shopkeeper and another who matched the description of the wife’s missing spouse but in regards to verbally interacting with them, Bali hung back as the Terumi once more took the lead.

Apparently, his wife thought she had lost her wedding ring weeks ago. In truth, her husband had stolen it to add an engraving and some gemstones. Their anniversary was the day before Christmas, and he wished to present her with a gift. Then the storm set in, and he couldn't find his way back in the blizzard, so he returned to this area, hoping the general store would be open so he could buy a map. He found they were closed upon his return, but the jeweler was his friend and lived here, so he tried to get his friend to aid him. With the group of ninja there, they could get him home easily. With a new and completed mission under her belt, Bali was more than happy to make her way back home and at least try to warm up after collecting her rewards for a successful mission and a job well done. Maybe she could buy herself something nice too?

[ WC : 1000 ]
[ Claims: completed B-Rank mission, 6,000 Ryo (+2000 Rank Bonus) / 30 AP / 1,500 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Full Dice (d10), Claiming +10 AP (From WC)
WC claims: 58 WC towardsDebuff Bolt ( 942 / 1000 ) -> ( 1000 / 1000), 942 WC towards Water Clone ( B-Rank ) -> ( 942 / 1500 ) ]

Approved after being informed that others will be joining this thread, which lowers the necessary WC requirement to complete it

Missing Person Two: It was not until days later when the second person was called in missing. The storm was still going from when it had started there was so much snow walking was difficult. The chill in the air was enough to cause frostbite within minutes. Planning ahead the doctor bought the thickest jacket available to keep the warmth inside of it. It certainly was very poofy though it made walking exceptionally difficult. His arms couldn't swing and were stuck to his side at an angle. Everytime he spoke he had to move the jacket away from his mouth to prevent himself from muttering. This time the person had gone missing closer to the city. How the missing persons wife got word out that he was missing was weird also that he went missing so late into the storm.

He had to ask a few questions about that bit as it was quite normal unless there was an emergency where risking this storm was a necessity. Knocking on the door of the snow buried home was not doable so Akabayashi resolved to melt the snow with fire style. Of course he did not burn the home down along with it. Once the door was clear he would kncok and wait for the woman to answer. "Hello, I am Akabayashi Terumi I was sent to investigate the whereabouts of your missing husband. I have a couple questions that are related to the case. When did your husband go missing? How did you report he was missing with so much snow blocking the house? Why did your husband leave and brave the storm unless something bad happened?" Of course these questions were asked one at a time and not in rapid succession. She would answer each one clearly distressed by her husband's disappearance. The first answer she gave was that her husband had gone missing the night prior. The second answer was about why the man had left apparently the dog had tunneled through the snow and escaped and her husband chased the dog out into the storm. Later the dog went to the police station with blood on it and brought the police to the home where they learned the woman was fine, but her husband was missing. The dog was in the home now it likely tunneled its way back inside.

Akabayashi asked if he could borrow the dog. Clearly it had to be able to get a scent if it could refind its home in this weather. The woman gladly gave a leash to the doctor. Exiting the home the man let the dog take the lead. It sniffed around excitedly stopping once of twice to take a leak, but after a bit of walking it started pulling harder. "I think it found something!" He would say if anyone else was there with him as the dog was basically dragging him at this point. They came across the half snow buried body of a wolf which Akabayashi assumed was where the blood on the dog came from. But where was the dogs owner? Assumedly, the wolf attacked him and the dog attacked the wolf. He would not survive out here too long if he experienced too much blood loss.

The dog pulled until they reached a cave which had mostly been blocked off by snow, but the light of a fire and smoke poured out in the gap at the top. With another fire technique the snow melted and the man was visible his leg wrapped to stop the bleeding. He looked joyed to see his dog and the rescuers. Akabayashi looked at the wound and used mystical palm technique to heal it so he could walk. The damage wasn't severe, but it would hace prevented him from walking on that leg. Now that he could move he would thank his rescuers and exit the cave taking the leash for his dog. He would head to his home and greet his wife with a kiss. They both thanked the ninja and gave them a container of cookies they had baked for the holidays.

Stepping outside he would take one and bite into it. He would offer one to the people who helped him rescue the man even though they had their own. Time to collect the real reward.

WC: 722
TWC: 1516
Claims: 12k ryo, 15k ryo rank reward, 3k winter equinox tickets. 2x Full Dice. Using 560 wc to complete Coiling Dragon. The other WC can be found in this thread.

Approved for Akabayashi