Monster House

Haunting of Mayberry Mansion:

Building Blow Up:

Rebel Series:

Rebel Series:

In the dead of night, the last thing that Lucian expected was a knock at his door. Since becoming a genin, the Goka came to be a light sleeper. And so it was no surprise that he would be the only one in his house of eleven to be woken by the gentle yet swift knocks at the home's front door. His room, shared with two of his brothers, had been towards the front of the house so those soft sounds were even easier for the young man to pick up on. In a moment's notice, he'd leap from his bed and slip on his training set and cloak. He had become accustomed to doing so without waking his younger brothers, which allowed him to easily and quietly escape the room afterwards. As he arrived at the front door, he'd notice a sealed envelope that seemed rather dense on the welcome mat of his home's interior. Lucian would lean over and grab ahold of it, then softly tear it open to reveal its contents. What he would find was shocking, as the first slip of paper inside of it indicated that Lucian was to report to an address as soon as he received the note and wait for his team to join him. Just after that slip were four more small sheets of paper, each of which detailed the contents of a series of missions. For a moment he would sigh. All he wanted to do at this time of night was catch up on sleep after a long day of training. However as a genin, it was his responsibility to answer the call when summoned. And so after wiping the coal out his eyes and brushing his teeth, Lucian would depart from his house and head in the direction of the address.

As he walked through the silent and empty streets of Kumogakure, his footsteps echoed around him. The sound was rather creepy, forcing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. Sure he was a shinobi, but he was also only 15. Shit like this was creepy. His eyes would shift from the bare streets to the night sky, which was nearly pitch black but not dark enough to hide the grey clouds which wisped over the sky. They'd cycle through shrouding the half crescent moon above, and then offer a clear view of it. And the moon's light itself was alluring, yet considering the rest of the setting Lucian was still slightly spooked.



When he'd arrive at the address he'd look upon it, immediately getting an eerie vibe from it. He shuddered, as the night time wind breezed by him. His skin shifted from being smooth and calm to subtly covered in goosebumps. And the pit of his stomach had sunk like a boulder in an ocean. Despite how he was feeling internally though, he folded his arms and appeared calm on the exterior. As he waited for the rest of his team to arrive, he'd study the gated off mansion's exterior meticulously. 

"Just what the hell am I getting into?" he thought to himself, keeping his ears peeled for the sound of approaching footsteps.

WC = 530

"Time waits not for anyone who idly sits by and chatters."

The voice of the young Akari echoed within the confines of his home. Many had been asleep at this time of night and had even chosen to retire but the will of the young Akari had been strong. In the backyard he would continually be training, not letting a single moment brush by him that would prevent him from becoming stronger. Most had found his tenacity and drive annoying but did he care? Not in the slightest. With each passing moment he would become stronger and soon would rise through the ranks. Sure that would take a while, but with his drive it would soon become a reality. As he continued training he would hear a rap upon the front door that slowly traveled to the back of the house causing him to stop. Peering his head around the corner he would begin to tie his hair up and head toward the door with haste," Hold your damn horses I am coming," the closer he got the closer he could hear someone was impatiently waiting for him. As the door opened the light blue eyes would stare up upon the person who had been wearing a Kumogakure headband and he was puzzled but intrigued on who and why this person had been at his home at this time of night. As it would turn out they were here to present to the Genin a set of missions that had the utmost urgency to be taken care of. Of course the question would beg why did they wait until the grasp of night and not sooner to tell him, but missions could come at anytime so he did not argue with it.

Instead he hastily accepted the missions and waited for the details before grabbing his jacket and tying his headband onto his face, heading out into the embrace of the night. His walk was full of purpose and speed as he headed to the destination of the missions, unperturbed by what could or might happened only concerned with the success and rewards. Nothing made him happier than completing a mission and then getting praise or even a good fight out of it. What he did not expect was having someone else here for the mission as well. Showing up second, he would see the tanned male standing outside to which Ryuko would cross his arms and sigh," They did not tell me someone else would be on this mission as well...No matter this only means I can shine even brighter," he did not get to see who it was that he was talking to since he had been standing behind them, but something did feel familiar about them.

459 WC

Travin laid in bed sound asleep. Dreaming of becoming the most powerful shinobi in the entire world, and defeating entire armies single handedly. Only to return back to Kumo and rub it in Lucians face, that he saved the world. However, as his dream was just getting to the good part his door flew open and his father was standing in it. “Wake the hell up and go get that mission, the poor guy can’t leave till you go accept it” he would scream at Travin while throwing some random object and nailing Travin in the face with it.

Waking up via screaming and a throwing object hitting him in the face, Travin jumped up out of bed making hand signs, till he saw that it was only his dad. For which he dropped the hand seals and moved into pummel the man only to be muscled out by the taijutsu expert and thrown on the ground. While his dad was still yelling at him to go get the mission while holding him down. In all the commotion his mother walked into the room pulling his father off of him. Yelling at his father that he couldn’t do that if he was still holding him down, and scolding the both of them for wasting the poor man's time. Before kicking Travin in the ass and sending him down stairs.

Travin approached the man in nothing but his boxers since he was basically pushed down the stairs. The guy that had been hearing everything was doing his best not to laugh as he handed Travin the scroll. Opening the scroll he saw that it was several missions that he was going to have to go do. “Hell yea Haunted Mansion, blowing stuff up, and dealing with rebels. It's like the trifecta of awesome” he almost yelled back up at his parents as he ran up the stairs to put some pants on. His parents got out of the way so that he could get back into his room.

With his clothes on and out the door Travin started to make his way to the meeting spot outside of the Mansion. He was excited because this was his first real mission that wasn’t just cleaning up bird shit or whatever the hell that stuff was in that alley. He was going to be able to really make a difference, and just maybe get to fight a ghost. The thought of fighting a ghost had his mind racing at a million miles an hour thinking of some of the most crazy jutsu anyone had ever heard of that a ghost would use to fight with. Arriving at the gate he got a creepy feeling and the excitement slowed down to something more manageable, with all the ideas that had been going through his mind about the ghost he was now not so sure that he wanted to fight a ghost. Standing outside of the fence were two people, one he recognized as Lucian, and another he wasn’t sure about.

“You guys ready to go kick some ghosts ass” he would call out as he closed the distance.

WC-524

He was one of the most talented Shinobi that was set to live a goated ninja life. --- actually, nah he was not gifted, but he considered himself that. It had been the happiest day of his life as he lay on his bed, watching the sunshine across his face. However, his Ninja days were just about to begin. He only remembered when he was robbed by an unknown female who looted his trousers and baseball cap. Lucid sat up from his bed, inspired to make some money as he stretched both hands to exercise, wondering about the possible options.

As he observed the window in front of his eyes, it was wide and open. A striking voice indicated that Lucid should come down. The Iburi understood that his mother had been sleeping tightly and that waking her up would cause an altercation. At that moment, he had no choice but to head down. So, he walked on tiptoes and gently opened the door. He glanced at the man with a smile as he was handed an envelope which Lucid took calmly. He only hoped whatever he received was good news from Kage.

Lucid opened the scroll, wondering what it was about. A sigh of relief filled the air from Iburi as he read the sheet of the report he was reading. All he thought about was money. He did not care about haunted houses, blowing things up, or bargaining with rebels. He beat anyone who appeared in his path. The Iburi needed to save time cruising to head back upstairs and organize himself. He was outfitted in black pants, a white tank top, a backward-fitting cap, and sandals. Lucid arranged in a black jacket that contrasted nicely with his tank top.

As everything was straightforward, he decided to head upstairs one last time before leaving. He loomed over his mother's room as she dozed soundly. He hovered over his mother, kissing her forehead, thanking her for everything. She clutched him by his right hand as he departed. Her voice comforts him as she whispers into her son's ear. "Don't let nobody bully you son." Her words reverberated throughout his ears as he was enthusiastic about becoming the top dog. He grinned as he left his mother's room with a thumbs up, signifying he was ready.

Lucid was eager to participate as this was his first mission, yet he was also keen to know who would attend. Although he only cared about money, eagerness was in his veins. Thanks to his mother, he was boosted. He wasted no time, as he was tasked with heading to the gates, which he did. Lucid saw an individual calling out as he travelled, where he reconnected with three Shinobi. Not knowing who they were, he nodded greeting them.

"Yeah, not gonna lie it seems like you guys are afraid of ghosts." As he would rub both his hands, grinning whilst eyeing at the three individuals who were there. "Let's get this started shall we?"

WC: 502

One by one his teammates would arrive alongside him. The first of the group had been a shinobi unfamiliar to Lucian. However, he couldn't shake the thought that he had known the guy from somewhere. He had been just a bit taller than Lucian himself, however he seemed much heavier set. This could be seen even despite the covering that his jacket offered him. Perhaps the two had met at some point in the basic academy, or more likely in the shinobi academy. But regardless of where it had been, Lucian's face would mold into one of determination as his eyes narrowed and he offered a half smile to the guy. "What's wrong? Afraid of getting outshined? What's your name anyway? I'm Lucian." Lucian would lead, nudging the other genin. Already it seemed like this guy would have a similar interaction with the Goka that Travin did. And speaking of the devil, he would arrive next.  He seemed to be eager to start the mission, and because of this any sliver of fear that Lucian had at one point would be dispelled and replaced with a fiery urge to outshine his teammates. "Glad you finally made it Travin. You ever meet this new guy? Kinda reminds me of you."

And as Lucian would ask this, a fourth casually dressed shinobi would arrive at the scene. His arrival was particularly interesting to Lucian, as he appeared to sort of resemble one of Lucian's brothers. From the hairstyle, skin tone, and frame of his face, this guy seemed like he'd fit right into the Goka member's own family. Lucian's eyes would lower and shiftily focus on the newcomer. As he walked up, he'd immediately exude confidence and impart that onto his teammates, calling out that they seemed scared. This comment completely derailed Lucian's thought process, as now he was less inquisitive on this guy's identity and more compelled to prove him wrong.

"Afraid? Speak for yourself. I'm ready to start this investigation. Besides, this will be our only chance to do it since it's set to be demolished in the morning. And we have to help with that anyway. No time to be a chump."

Unless anyone else in the quartet had any final words before the group entered the mansion, Lucian would lead the way by leaping over the 5 meter tall gate. And just like that, the mission would commence. After landing safely on his feet, he'd made his way to the eerie front doors of the mansion and push them open. A loud and unsettling creak emitted from the door as it slowly swung open, which immediately was followed with a chilling gust of wild shooting out from the building. It had been enough to send goosebumps down the spine of any unhardened shinobi, but Lucian's resolve had been fortified. He was ready to put this stupid house in its place. He led the way inside, realizing that the interior of the house had been much larger than the exterior would lead him to believe. For a moment he paused to recall the details of the mission.

"Yo, the mission details said this house had four floors to investigate. I think we split up and each take on a floor. Someone start here, I'll take the second, and then two others take the third and fourth...And if this house is set to be demolished in the morning, we might as well take the opportunity to weaken it ourselves so its destruction is even easier for that crew. What do you guys think?"

He'd take a moment and listen to his squad, and should they come to a consensus on Lucian's proposed plan then that's what he'd follow. With their brief meeting adjourned, Lucian ascended up the creaky stairs until he stood firmly on the second floor. He'd continue from the stairwell to the main corridor which led to two sets of two doors, with one set at the Northern side of the house and the other at the Southern side. He went North, until he reached the first doorway on the left. Pushing the door open, his ears would immediately be pierced with a cold shriek that sounded like the cry from an elderly woman. His heart rate accelerated, and his eyes quickly scanned over the bedroom he stood within. But there was no one there, not even a trace of a person. The only thing in the room had been a bedroom set, a cracked mirror, a wardrobe and a doorway at the Southern most portion of the room. Lucian spent a few moments searching through the room, hoping to find an explanation of what made the noise but to no avail. Clearing this room, he'd push to the Southern doorway and walk into a bathroom that seemed to share a passage way with the room just beyond it. The bathroom itself seemed normal as well, save for some graffiti spray painted on its walls. Making his way to the next room, he briefly saw an apparition of a woman crying in the corner. But as he took a step towards it, the spirit would turn to look at him and disappear in a flash. By this point, his heart had been pounding in exhilaration. What a mission this way. Clearing this room, he'd exit out the Eastern door of the room and cross the corridor into the next doorway.

This room seemed to be an entertainment room of some sorts, There had been a Shogi board set up, a pool table, and many bookshelves. Though the room seemed creepy enough, there didn't seem to be signs of paranormal activity. And as he left this room and went onto the next through its Northern doorway, this room too would be mild. Perhaps his teammates would have better luck on the next floors. He'd make his way back to the hallway by the stairwell and sit on its floor. He remained still and quiet so he could eavesdrop on his teammate's experience to see if they had any better luck. After about five minutes of waiting he'd walk over to the stairwell and call out to it so that his voice echoed to each floor.

"I'm just about finished here. If you guys are too, we should start weakening the building!"

He'd wait to hear confirmation from his team, then when it came he'd start his process of weakening the building. He'd form the hand seals of his Super Steam Kill jutsu, and resultantly generate four small scorch orbs which circled him. Room by room, he'd enter then order exactly one orb to crash into each corner of the house on this floor. When it did the flames from the orbs would propel into the walls and begin a small fire in each room. Lucian controlled the size of these flames so that they did not get out of control too rapidly, so that his teammates had ample amount of time to escape the building before it began crumbling. When he finished he'd make his way back to the stairwell and call out to his team.

"Alright! We gotta get outta here!"

Lucian would race down the stairwell until he safely exited the mansion at its front door. He'd continue until he was some distance away from the Mansion, standing in its lawn of withered and dead grass. When his teammates would arrive, he'd inquire on their success.

"What did you guys find? The most I saw was a ghost of an old hag crying in a corner, but she disappeared shortly after."

WC = 1264. TWC = 1794

Was he serious? No he could not have been. Him? Afraid? Such a laughable offense caused the Akari to chuckle in amusement as he tapped his chest with his left thumb," Forgive me for you must have me confused with the rest of the Genin rabble. I am not afraid of anything nor will I ever be, especially of being outshined by anyone. No one can outshine the Blazing Blue Star of Kumo. You are in the presence of Ryuko Akari, remember the name that will bring our great village into a new Era," there was a small huff that escaped his lips as he crossed his arms smiled proudly. As he had finished his introduction another ninja would pull up on the scene which caused him to turn around and look at them for a moment up and down. Apparently these two had known each other from a prior engagement or maybe even from the academy. That could have been why Lucian had looked familiar. He did not remember many people from those days but a few others did stand out either to being strong or strong enough to deal with his unique personality. No matter. None of them would shine brighter than he and Ryuko would definitely make sure of it. As the three conversated lightly, a fourth would appear and assume the three prior had been scared of ghosts. There had been a slow turn of his head as the fourth had been looked while his right thumb pointed at them and his gaze returned to Lucian," He's serious is he not? You surely must be the only one afraid if you need to call someone else afraid. Let's get this over with so we can demolish this old house and move on," the Blue Star would exclaim as he walked in with the group. It was folly to think that he would be scared of some metaphysical construct that was at best the frugal remains of the deceased's wills.

He would never be scared of something like this and even if he was he would hide it. The best he could. As the four walked into the large house he would begin to look around and the first thing he could notice was that the house was dark. Very dark. It felt as if this house had not seen light in many years, but now he would have a shining beacon inside of it. Lucian had recommended they split up and look around the four floors before weakening the structure of the house before morning and absconding which was a good idea. While the others had tried to figure out where they would go, Ryuko would begin to walk off and scour the first floor," Figure out your own path I am taking the first floor. Don't die to some ghosts," he'd say rather wryly as he laughed and disappeared into the darkness of the house. While he didn't know this himself his eyes would begin to emit a faint, but dim blue glow as he could see within the depths of the darkness allowing him to perceive even the most darkest of corners of the house. Slowly his eyes scanned from left to right, even checking the ceiling to look for any kind of disturbances. For the moment he would not see anything though a small flicker in a nearby corner that caught his attention almost immediately. With a small click of his tongue he would silently trail what he had seen, watching it dart from shadow to shadow before opening a door and slamming it.

Finally something had happened. Moving with purpose he would run up to the door and brace himself against it before opening the door slowly and looking in. Starting from the right he would scan the room until the entire room had been accounted for and calculated before walking into it. His mind was not playing tricks on him. He knew what he had saw and he was not crazy. As the door fully opened, the figure would move once more to another corner as he made a small noise to himself, a "Hmph." As he walked closer, slowly but careful, he could make out features of a woman, maybe early to mid 30s just cowering in the corner. While he wanted to approach them he did not know if this was just a manifestation or something else. One thing he did know that he was wasting time. Whatever it had been had noticed him and only slowly faded while mouthing something that he could not make out. Typical. Around the room he could see what else he could find. As he did this he could hear Lucian, albeit lowly, that it was time to actually escape the house. The following explosions within the house caused him to begin to sprint toward the front, but instead of going out the front door like the others, mostly cause it was going to be too far, he crashed out of the front window. Balling his body into a tight ball, he would fly out of the wind before rolling a few time and spring boarding up and running to the group before chuckling," Points for style. Basically the same but she wasn't an old hag. Just some woman."

888 WC
TWC:1,347

“What you talking about we don’t look nothing alike” Travin would tell Lucian as he said that the new guy reminded him of Travin. The three of them weren't alone for long before the fourth guy walked up saying they looked scared of something Travin simply didn’t pay him much attention, and instead looked at Lucian “Now that guy looks like he could be your little brother” he would say with a smile before turning to the house. Lucian taking the second floor and telling them that the house has to be blown up anyways in the morning Travin was free to have some fun and destroy what he wanted to of the house. Once they all were in the house the new guy with the jacket said he was going to take the first floor. Leaving the stairs for the three of them. Walking up the stairs Travin would make his way to the third floor “I guess that leaves floor three for me then” he would say before heading up the stairs.

The third floor seemed to be some kind of living quarters. There were several rooms all full of random old broken stuff, and a few with pictures still in them. He didn’t know any of the people and figured that they were all dead by now anyways. After kicking in all the doors on the floor Travin thought he heard something coming from behind him. Turning around he looked back down the hallway only to not see anything. Before a cold chill ran up his spine and what felt like someone breathing on his neck. Turning back around to see no one there still he walked into one of the rooms to see a picture on the wall that wasn’t there when he looked in before. The picture was of some old guy with a cane standing next to a fireplace in what looked like the house. Except that Travin had not seen a single fireplace in the entire house yet, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t on one of the floors that he hadn’t gotten to go to due to the others taking them, as his mind thought through the layout of the house he couldn't remember seeing a chimney either. It was at that point that he thought he saw the guy in the photo move, getting closer he could see that the cane had been moved. When he first looked at it the old man was leaning into it holding his weight up with it, but now he seemed to almost be getting ready to pick the cane up.

Thunk the can slammed into the side of Travins head as he stared into the painting. Taking a step back and holding the side of his head, Travin looked up to see the old man had changed into some kind of monster and was charging at him at unbelievable speeds. Slamming into Travins chest the monster of an old man threw him through the wall and back out into the hallway. Standing back up Travin heard Lucian yelled up the stairway that it was getting time and that they could start the destruction of the place. With a smile on his face “It's my turn now” he would tell the old man as he started to make some handseals as his eyes turned crimson and a single tome would appear within. Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Tiger and with a deep breath Travin would hold his hand up forming a circle in front of his mouth before breathing out a massive fireball. The fireball spread throughout the room that the painting was in, and set the entire floor on fire as well as the roof or floor of the 4th floor and roof of the 3erd floor as well as blowing out both of the windows in the room.

“How you like that” he said with a laugh, but before he could really get a good laugh going the ghost flew out of the fire that had engulfed the room and slammed into him again, this time knocking him into the room wall across the hallway and pushing him through him. Travin stood up as fast as he could and with his Sharingan active he could see the ghost at all times thanks to the chakra vision granted to him by the eye. Running out the door at full speed and getting between the old monster ghost and the exit to this floor. Travin made a few more hand seals Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox before raising his hand up once more to his face. This time releasing several breaths into the circle he formed with his hand. With each breath a separate fireball would be created blasted out of the circle from his hand. Each fireball was much smaller than the first he had used. Travin spread the entire floor with fire, setting much of the floor on fire. Each fire was small at first but was forming together to create another bigger fire. Taking the chance to run back down stairs Travin made his way out the house with everyone else. Looking up to see that the fires he had started in the house were contained within the house for the most part, and was looking to be dying out. He wasn’t sure if that was the ghost’s doing or if the house was just too dry, rotted and moldy to really burn down.

Travin watched with the others as they got ready to demolish the rest of the house, waiting to see what the next part of their mission was going to be or if the guys would need their help with anything else to take the house down.

WC-957 TWC-1,481

Lucid was glad to see the first individual appear, but something roughly about his tone made him uncomfortable. There was no way he would identify a genin like that. It was possibly a fantasy, but it was somewhat accurate. Lucid never comprehended the outcome, but he desired it was somebody who was probably related to him. It was just a belief that scratched his mind as he scratched his head, wondering what it would be. Lucid would witness how Lucian responded to the fearful remarks as he nodded to what he said. After all, he was right; the mission had to be done. With the third individual, he nodded at him as he primely focused on Ryuku. 

However, he looked directly at the second individual who decided to ramble about his greatness. He saw the gentlemen before him, quivering in fear with blunt words that initiated him. He would let out an uncomplicated grin. He struggled to hear such remarks from a genin, who somehow chose to put himself above others, which Lucid opposed. Lucid observed the Blue Star of Kumo up and down, mostly analyzing his average height and lean and muscular build; this guy was something else. Although he looked more significant than Lucid, he remained unshakable and calm, answering to Ryuko.

"I could say the exact thing, as well...- They call me King Lucid and allow me to get this straight for you, coward."

He would halt before resuming in a peaceful tone manner.

"King Lucid will convey true greatness to Kumogakure, without a doubt. And you? Well, you can be a fan of my new chapter."

Moreover, like that, he had a smile on his face with that answer; he listened to Lucian, who was going through the assignment details. They were assigned to take specific rooms, which Lucid was the final choice, with the fourth room being the last. He solely wondered how horrifying it could have been to be isolated. Possibly. Lucid was a chicken, as he started to sweat, scratching his head. He sincerely did not know what he got himself into. All that dialogue, yet he could not back himself up. It was a disgrace, as he relaxed and rolled to nod what Lucian said. He only expected others would conclude theirs too. He listened to the plan carefully, assembling his way to where he was notified to go.

The horror screams of the monster house was heard, and he made his way to the fourth floor. By reviewing each hallway and door, he made sure that whatever the case was, he would be the first to decipher it. The hallway was filled with many broken pieces of stuff and items of the past individuals who lived there. Many of them were prominent couples or family members who yielded to the cause. Lucid ought to focus on the task rather than being distracted by the photos he was starting at. He picked up a piece and stared directly at it. 

"Yeah, this ugly one here looks like Ryuko." As Lucid would say, letting out a slight snicker, continuing what he was supposed to do.

He entered the seventh door, and an unexpected bluster was heard behind him. He turned around but saw nothing as he resumed his mission, steering to the next room. As he jolted to the next door, taking a peak, he glimpsed a chair with a random ghost sitting on it. He eyed the spirit as it disappeared in a flash; he was concerned. He cleared out the rooms' servers but discovered nothing at all. Upon hearing the voices of Lucian, he would listen to many of its buildings being set on fire. He would join the demolition team by supporting what his comrades were doing as he made his way to the stairwell, exiting the mansion and meeting up with the rest of them. It was safe to ensure that the crew had completed the demolition. It was now on the next.

"Thought I witnessed Ryuko as a ghost, but man, it was just a random ghost doing this thing." He would say, chuckling and responding to Lucian, as he would look at Lucian, Ryuko, and Travin waiting for the next steps.

WC:705
TWC:1207

The personalities of this newfound quartet were all over the place to say the least. But one thing that each genin had in common was their ambition. Each one sought to prove that they were superior to the other. Perhaps it was a display of machismo, or there could have been an underlying reason within all of them. To Lucian, he thought it was aligned with the latter. He knew that his friendship with Travin was founded upon competition, and perhaps the same would be true for whatever future he'd have with Ryuko and Lucid. But nevertheless he took their comments with a grain of salt. Talking was one thing, but he needed to see everyone in action before he knew who he needed to prove himself to. Still though, the unnatural familiarity that Ryuko had towards Lucian was astounding. And the resemblance that Lucid had to some of Lucian's brothers was unexplainable. Even though these thoughts occasionally occupied his mind during the mission, they did not sidetrack the Goka shinobi at all. 

As described, he'd dart out from the house and meet with the rest of the crew on the lawn. Shortly after his exit, Ryuko came darting through the front window of the home in a glassy explosion. A tuck and roll followed, which led to some manuever that was best described as a gymnastic routine. He seemed proud of his display, awarding himself recognition. Lucian would sort of scoff, quiet enough so that Ryuko couldn't hear. And internally thought to himself, "I could probably do that too..."

But aloud, he'd reply to Ryuko's observation of the ghostly woman. "Huh, so you saw someone too then?" Following this exchange came Travin and Lucid's arrival to the scene. Travin didn't offer any immediate briefing, but the comment that came from Ryuko would draw a light laugh out of Lucian. "Unlikely, but funny," he said as he reverted his expression to one of concentration. Before the group could discuss further, the sound of the gate to the premises opening would catch Lucian's attention. Quickly, he'd shift his gaze to his rear and observe a demolition team coming in with equipment to take down the house. They'd notice the mansion ablaze, yet in a controlled manner. With a heartly laugh, their team leader would chuckle. "Seems like you four already started the process for us. This will make our job easier. Thanks for that!"

The captain of the demolition team would lead his team pass Lucian's own, and make their way towards the building. They'd begin to rig the house with fuinjutsu seals at its exterior. Upon getting themselves into formation, they'd perform a series of jutsu in tandem which would cause the house to immediately become engulfed in flames, burn for a few seconds, and then be reduced to ash. They spent the rest of their team cleaning up behind them. By this time the sun had risen and morning was upon them.

As Lucian observed their work, another group of pedestrians could be heard approaching. Their footsteps were loud, and angry. When the Goka laid his eyes on them, he'd observe them approaching the mansion's gated exterior bearing picket signs, pitch forks, and torches lit on fire. They seemed to be chanting something in unison, something reflective of their disdain on the mansion's demolition. Tuning his hearing towards their chant, Lucian began to further discern what they had been audibly protesting. 

"Ichigo, Schm-ichigo, Why the mansion gotta go? Bring back Kai-to! He's the man for Ku-mo!"

Entirely confused, Lucian could not figure out why the mansion's destructed caused the protestors so much displeasure. It was just collecting cobwebs and taking up space. And who liked ghosts anyway? Visually displeased, Lucian would squint his eyes further and take a step or two towards the protestors. From this distance, he could make out strange markings that appeared to be on the foreheads of each person in the crowd. He'd turn to his group and reluctantly look to employ their help.

"Any of you know what that's about? I know our missions said we were bound to deal with protests, but this seems...petty. And yo Travin. Can you use your sharingan to see what those marks are on their foreheads? Are they giving off any chakra? If they are, can you and another investigate that? Maybe myself and someone else can try to calm the crowd...or worst case, detain them."

WC = 738. TWC = 2532

There had been an obvious blank stare at the one known as Lucid, probably the only one that had been off of his rocker compared to the other two. Thinking himself as a King when in reality he had only been a jester at best was...comical. None the less the team finished their mission of scouting the house with success though the puny joke left by the male was not all that funny and only proved to show his...lesser intelligence than the others. There was a saying that told others not to go poking a hornets nest, but Ryuko would not stoop to the level of this lesser character for anything. Returning his gaze back to Lucian he would recount his experience on the first floor," I too had seen someone on the first floor though they appeared to be mid-aged and were trying to speak but no words had been coming out. If I had to wager a guess based on the movements of her lips it had been a warning and a plea to leave. Luckily the house is being destroyed so whatever happened to them won't happen to any others. How they died however is my only question left unanswered...but that is neither here nor there," as if on cue the mission leader for the demolition of the house would show up and give praise to the team for helping out on the starting stages of getting rid of the house. It was a trivial matter to start it, but the praise was very much appreciated anyways. As he was about to turn on his heels to head home he could hear the incessant chanting of a group of people getting louder and closer to them which prompted him to look in the direction of the noise.

People with torches, pitch forks, the whole nine started coming up to the area where the once decrepit house stood chanting something that honestly would never reach the ears of the Akari as he stared in annoyance. Were they trying to stop the house being demolished? Why? It was an eyesore and had to significance to the might of Kumo so why let it stand? Looking over to Lucian he would shrug as he pointed his left thumb at the group," I do not know what their malfunction is but their chanting is poor at best and annoying...Whatever they are here for we need to disperse them and send them on their way," though he gave the perfect suggestion for it. When he said for them to split in order to deal with the issue, he was not going to be stuck with Lucid. Not a chance. Moving forward he would grab the arm of Lucian and push forward," Then let us go deal with the rabble while these two go do...something else useful. WE should have this done before you know it," he would get to the bottom of this and find out what exactly had been going on so that he could go home...or actually go train.

As the two, if Lucian had followed, came to the group he would stop a meter from them and clear his throat as he spoke," Citizens!!! Cease your rabbling and poorly time chants. You are in an active demolition zone and are hereby requested to leave with the utmost of urgency. While we understand you might be displeased with the current state of affairs you are putting yourself in harms way. Please leave in an orderly fashion, put out your torches and be on your way," he would boldly exclaim to the group, hoping they would just leave and not put up a fight. Though a small part of him wished one of them would.

624 WC
TWC: 1,971