The Den [Residency]

[Barry_VII]

The den is a detached two story house that is in one of the nicer neighborhoods in a rural village. On the outside it is entirely plain looking outside of a sign attached to the front above the doorway that reads "Blazing Top Ramen". It is undecorated for now as the owners have just moved in. Next door to the building almost attached is also one of the finer brothels, know as "Drafty Illusions".

Inside it has been decorated with a mixture of keep sakes from the past. There is a personal workshop recently attached and ready for use, as well as at least one of the rooms dedicated to a meeting style room rather than a living room.

Manse - A manse is a detached home, typically a single family two-story house with a front and back lawn. Considering the dense nature of the villages, they are typically found in outside residential districts - like suburbs - or in very wealthy parts of the villages, and generally, have around four bedrooms. Up to eight RPCs may be present in a manse, and a manse allows the purchase of up to [two] [expansions].

Personal Workshop - Lowers the time it takes for scroll crafting, enchantment, mechanism, technology, pharmacology, and toxicology Crafting missions by [2] paragraphs.  

[Might Senju Flowers]

Normally Kaias had an air of respect when it came to entering Yubiyo’s new property. Even though he was given a full invitation, he still couldn’t bring himself to just barge into such a new place... However, today was no call to stand on ceremony. Kaias needed a brother now more than ever and his audible entrance was more than a red flag. Gripping a knee high jar of potent rice wine, the slightly inebriated shut-in would struggle with the doorway and he tied not to slam the door, but inadvertently slammed the door anyway.
“ YUBIYOOH!! IM ********! so ******** all he managed to get out before dropping to his knees, using the jar of wine to support his weight. Yubiyo would have never seen Kaias in this state before, at most they’d had a few drinks to pass the time. But this time was different, the man was drinking to drown something out.

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

He had been expecting company today, or at least the astronomical feeling that company was heading his way, but how it came to be was something else. From deeper within the building he heard the sound of a slamming door and the yell of his friend.

As was his standard Yubi walked around the corner looking rather nonplussed, one hand in his pocket and the other one with a juice box lifted up to his mouth. He raised an eyebrow looking at Kaias before he finally parted his mouth with the straw. If Kaias wasn’t completely out of it he’d spot a pair of Tonfa slung across Yubis back.

”Eh? Usually getting laid is something to be celebrated, was she that bad dude?” Yubi said with a confused frown as he purposely ignored the bad mood. With one final suck he finished the juice box and barely managed to dunk it into a nearby trash bin with an under hand toss. Recycling wasn’t at the forefront of his mind right now.

He walked over to his friend on the ground and hauled him up by an elbow that wasn’t holding onto the jar of wine. ”Come, pour your worries to me in the living room. If you are going to be on the floor you might as well have a pillow under your a**” Yubi cooed as a way to calm his friend down. If he didn’t resist too hard he’d drag his friend into the ‘living room’ which had been converted. A large table sat in the center with a collection of pillows throne around the border for seats. He’d plop Kaias into one of the cushions before Yubi took his own place across from him and placed his chin on his hands as he looked at his friend.

”If it isn’t a woman though what happened. Sit on a pole by accident?”

Might Senju Flowers

 

[Might Senju Flowers]

The fateful encounter was already enough to shift the tides of Kaias’ mood in a better direction. As he was being drug by the elbow like a ragdoll, the gruff redhead made damn sure to keep a steady grip on the wine as he slid along the smooth wooden floor. He hasn’t started paying close attention to the house until this little ride, but Yubiyo really was starting to get the place in livable order. As he was tossed on the fresh new pillows, the vice-like grip he had on the jar was all but reversed. The sober Yubiyo would have had the wits about him to catch it for himself. Kaias however, wouldn’t settle for just one pillow and instead flopped down on his back as he chuckled at the sitting on a lol jab.
“WHY THE ******** IS NO ONE HIRING!!”
He sad shooting upright, in a dazed yet controlled motion, his eyes riding low as he contemplated moving into the wood and taking his chances amongst the animals.
“I got denied by that last decent pharmacy nearby. No ones got any use for a toxin chemist on these parts, and I’m still on the run from those samurai ******** so I can’t just freely travel back and forth for work. Somethings gotta give man. ”
Kaias stated emptily and drunkenly at the bare meals as he regretted spending his last red cent on that booze. Surely he knew that he’d need to eat after drinking so much.

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

Yubi continued to stare at his compatriot as he had only just managed to snatch the booze from falling. Gingerly he placed it on the table before leaning over into a nearby mini fridge. From inside he pulled out another juice box and a bowl of grapes. The grapes were placed on the table and slid across to rest in front of Kaias.

”Eh? Well it’s not like we have too many options. My ramen shop fell apart too, though to be fair I am a terrible cook. But I may have an alternative for you” Yubi explained before downing another juice box and hitting a far too accurate shot into the trash can. From his aprons pocket he pulled out a rather crudely drawn symbol. It had four triangles connected together and pointing in seperate directions, an empty square in the center.

This drawing he put in the center of the table and smoothed out the creases so it would be visible to the man, if he wasn’t busy stuffing his face with grapes at least. ”We aren’t getting any younger. And we both have at least some training. It may be time to consider getting back into shinobi work to make some cash. I’m not talking about running off to join a village either, or getting wrapped up in whatever madness is happening right now with the war. We aren’t cut out for that, but we don’t have to be” Yubi stated. Perhaps at this point a picture would start to be painted for his compatriot. If he looked closer at the piece of crumpled paper at the bottom was the word Shishin.

It was true that both of them did have shinobi experience. Was it very much? Not really. Were they experienced in the field? Also no. But it was enough for them to get started without going to any academies.

”We form a group. Names on the paper in front of you. We work for the lower class or those that need grunt labor that helps the community, and we get paid. We won’t be chained to anyone and we will steer clear of the big boys. I don't want to deal with the monsters that run around these parts. As far as the outside world is concerned we won’t exist, because we won’t ever be official. There won’t be anyone who is the boss, nor are we going to recruit members openly. Those we trust, as I’d trust you, would be it. And you’re free to operate as you like as long as you aren’t causing too much mischief and adhere to at least not turning into a war criminal. I bought this place to be used as a home base of sorts if you want to call it, so you’d be free to come and go as you please” Yubi finished with.

There was a lot to process so he’d let his friend respond first before he said anything else. It wasn’t exactly the best thought out plan but for once he was being dead serious. To show he was indeed serious he’d place his two newly bought tonfa on the table next to him, steel still shining from a lack of use. Usually he practiced with a shitty pair of wooden ones he had to replace on a monthly basis so this would signify at least some kind of investment on his part.

Might Senju Flowers

 

[Might Senju Flowers]

It might have been instinct, or pure starvation, but those grapes stared disappearing the moment the bowel stopped sliding across the table. His mind now entranced with the thought of food. ”Why the hell did I drink so much” was ironically what he thought just as a sobering conversation arose, which he gave his full attention. Everything Yubiyo touched on made sense and it wants like Jobs here easy to come by in these parts. Grasping the paper off the table, Kaias stroked his coarse ginger beard as he contemplated if he even retained any knowledge from his shinobi days. After the samurai stick put him to work, his fangs dulled after a decade of doing research in their chemical lab.
“Shishin huh? Sounds like a fancy restaurant dish, but I like that you want to move under the radar... probably best for both our necks. My only concern is if we start taking on work, won’t we attract attention to ourselves regardless? I may not have much time on the field but I know for a fact that there are too many groups moving in the area for us to just start taking their work without some hassle.”

Kaias was far from a coward, but he knew the dangers out there were numerous and vicious to boot. Grabbing a handful of grapes, he would subsequently place the paper back onto the center of the table with a slight smack.
“listen man I’m all for making a quick buck hell I could really use a change of luck right now... but I’m too old to rumble with these young super geniuses. I’ve heard what some of these freaks are capable of and I’m telling you we wouldn’t last sixty seconds with the scarce, rusty skills we have up our sleeves”
There was a slight scrunch to the mans brow as he considered Yubiyo’s words even more. Noticeably clenching he’s fist, only Yubi would see that he had already infected his compatriot with the very idea of taking this on. The more he doubted himself, the stronger the fire burned in his gut... that or the freakishly strong sake.

Odoeb

 

[Barry_VII]

He was glad to see that Kaias wasn’t completely smashed yet. The grapes helped get food in his belly and sober him up. If he had any water to offer he would have but for now he held off. More drinks could come later once the game plan had been laid out. To what his friend said he shook his head firmly and waggled a finger.

”My man. We are the bottom of the barrel shinobi. There are literally thousands of bottom of the barrel shinobi. All of those people will just be competing for the same jobs we are, we blend into that crowd by just being one of them. The key is just to not piss the wrong people off. We don’t have to be the cream of the crop like I said remember? Or is that booze gettin to ya already” he shot back with.

There was more to come but it highlighted the rest of his game plan. The wagging finger became a palm that clapped together with his other hand. ”And that’s the point! We won’t do that. All those monsters are going to see is a couple of washed up shinobi just trying to make enough money to get by. We will give them no reason to mess with us, hell I’d hand over my wallet before I’d fight” Yubi stated standing up triumphantly, in stark contrast to what he had just said.

”We aren’t in it for the glory, let the wanna be protagonists and heros go for that. We are just here to make cash, and make the world a slightly less shitty place. If anything big turns its eyes our way we will be nothing but wallflowers. We only have to fight the battles we know we can win, and are worth winning. The simpler we’d keep it, the better. Do you get the picture I’m trying to paint yet, because I swear I have a diagram kicking around here somewhere if you don’t. I may uh...have not slept in a day or two” Yubi admitted. The bags under his eyes may have been a dead giveaway but he had more than enough coffee to stay awake a few more hours if need be.

He hoped his ramblings would make sense to his friend. So many shinobi always went into it with the expectation for greatness and high adventure. In Yubi’s case he was aiming for the polar opposite. He wanted to stay close to the earth, and stay humble. If they were to survive they couldn’t just try to run around like they were hot s**t, and even if they were would it even be worth it? Probably not. That was what Yubi had decided at least.

Might Senju Flowers

 

[Might Senju Flowers]

The perfect combination of persuasion, food, and a heavy buzz rekindled a fire within Kaias, one that has been smoldering for years now. As Yubiyo gave a further breakdown of the motives behind forming the group, he would nod in agreement as he damn near finished off the grapes. Leaving behind a handful of the plumpest grapes, he would slide the bowl back into the middle of the table as Yubiyo began to trail off.
“I see your cooking finally did it’s number on the locals eh? Well seeing as you’ve put in all the brainwork, let’s give it a shot.”

Placing his elbow on the table and leaning forward with a stroke of the chin, he would stare contemplatively into the bowl of grapes, thoughts racing through his head about what he was about to get himself into.
“man I’m really out of shape. I’ve definitely got to shake the fist of the most literal way possible.”
A sigh escaped his lips as his chin stroke migrated to his temple.
“I haven’t so much as thrown a punch in a decade... looks like you’ve gotten a head start in that regard though.”
Kaias’ eyes drifted to the tonfa on the table, now taking a much more notice of Yubiyo’s current conditioning compared to his own. Call
It envy or a healthy rivalry, but Kaias couldn’t commit to this and remain so far behind his partner.
“well! First things first, I’ll need to hunt around for something to compensate for my terrible controls of ninjutsu for now. Other than my heretic clans bloodline art, I’ll need major refresher course as well. ”
Kaias reached for the jar of wine with far more calm and purpose in his movement now.

“odds are I’ll take of on a search tomorrow, BUT TONIGHT WE ARE GOING TO DRINK UNTIL WE PASS OUT MY NÉW BROTHER! You lol like you could use the hibernation”
He then offered up the jar as a toast, normally kais was a refined and quiet person, however this was his reintroduction into a more lively way of surviving.

Odoeb

 

[Pad Chief]

It seemed her two housemates were having a discussion about their plans. She could hear them through the walls as clearly as though they had been sitting right next to her. Indeed, had they wished to keep a secret, they should write it. Then again with a bit more training she would soon be able to interpret brush strokes and other scribblings into characters. For Shiragiku sound was her world and it paid to be well versed in all sounds.

She stepped across the mats on the floor in the back of the home purposefully loud enough so that the other two could hear her approach and they would certainly notice her when she pulled open the folding door revealing herself in a slight state of dishevelment. For one so expert at detecting sounds she had very little ability to actually dress herself. Indeed why dress nicely when you couldn't see yourself and a handy genjutsu could sort your appearance out well enough for anyone for whom it mattered? She moved into the room and sat down for a moment waiting for the sound of breath about to escape their mouths.

"Yes, you are right, the profitability of this shop has been challenged as of late. We need to attract an upmarket gentile clientele. Make our services more widely known but our capabilities hidden."

As ever with Shiragiku she was just interested in earning a bit more money. She had calculated that with enough she could easily retire from this horrible business of hypnotising perverts and fools to take their money but not without stealing their wallets entirely. Of course where was the sense in that? Her business thrived on repeat customers and there just weren't enough in this area of the world. Certainly too many down on their luck shinobi with an awareness of genjutsu for her to fool with her parlor tricks.

"So what are you considering as our first job?" She asked the most crucial question. It was not as though she could read any plans which Yubi had written. It would need to be explained out loud to her in its fullness. "I am" She paused for thought "Pleased to come with you as the need arises."  

[Barry_VII]

Yubi would have taken offense to the cooking jab, if it wasn’t pretty on the nose. He had never been the best chef and making an instant version of his food didn't work out much better. If anything it had just highlighted his food issues and poor taste but for a short time there he had made at least a bit of cash. Convenience forgave a lot after all.

It seemed as though he was sizing up Yubi as being far ahead on training. All things considered, he probably wasn’t. Yubi hadn’t been excelling in his training to any sense but at the same time he hadn’t really let his skills deteriorate so far. But they also hadn’t improved. He had done maintenance work to just ensure that he had them at the ready when the time came, which it had.

Leaning over he yanked the bowl towards him and popped a grape into his mouth while he listened to Kaias speak on more.

Before he had a chance to respond there was suddenly a new voice, one that he recognized as his neighbour and housemate. Squinting his eyes at the lady and chewing the grape just a bit slower he swallowed before saying ”Should really put a bell on you”.

The ever shrewd business woman got straight to the point though and even offered her services. This was unexpected. To say the least. It was so suspicious that he raised an eyebrow but then again he hadn’t really gotten to know Shiragiku too much. He knew how frequently she used genjutsu so his trust level to start was on the low end but it wasn’t like he could have known if she used any on him or not.

”Eh? Well honestly I hadn’t planned that far yet as I didn’t know if Kaias was going to be up for it. But if we have three of us….well. We can easily go to the mission board here in town like the regular shinobi do. Not like rogues have to sign up at the village secretary, I think, or report to anyone with a group name. We start low, work our way up, and try not to make ourselves a big target. Keep it simple” he said with a slight tinge of embarrassment. There was more to consider but that needed a bit of time to actually process.

”First order of business before that of course would be making sure we are all up to date on our techniques. Once that is done, we start doing missions. We don’t have to stay in a group of three of course, that's optional. But if any of us need assistance or help the others should consider to lend aid if they think it will help”

Might Senju Flowers

 

[Might Senju Flowers]

Kais reaction would be much more dramatic than yubi’s. The giant of a man was legitimately startled by Shira’s unexpected inclusion into the conversation. So much that he noticeably jumped and hugged his jar of wine. Some ninja he would make.
“WHAT THE HECK SHIRA!! Would it kill you to clear your throat or something when you enter a room? ”
Kaias wasn’t even trying to hid the fact that he was startled, he knew the two well enough to never hide his true self. Hell he was already homeless and poor, if they didn’t judge him by now, they damn sure wouldn’t go beyond picking on him in this situation

“well whatever missions we get, I know who’s doin the sneaking. ” Kaias said with squinted eyes of suspicion aimed toward Shira. She couldn’t see him squint but she would hear the tone of his voice that implied a playful yet serious suggestion.
“regardless, I’d probably like to do this first mission as a team. Unless it’s a delivery job, I’ll probably screw it right the hell up guys... I’ve never even touched a battlefield. HELL I was bullied religiously in the old lab by those samurai ********. ”
Kaias’ jaw clenched at the very thought of coming into contact with those samurai, granted they had all but been whipped out, he knew that you could never rid the world of evil like them, evil simply changes forms and take on different causes.

Odoeb

Pad Chief