Market Place

Being the absolute center of the Merchant District's trade, the Market Place was a common thoroughfare of all manners of people. From the city's commonplace citizenry, military patrols adorned in their magic enchanted Samurai armor, to the merchants and nobility mingling with the influx of foreigners visiting the proud country. Among these were also the riffraff, and undesirables who pulled their asses from the Poor District to panhandle and beg for Okane Tsuba or Gilex coins or bank notes. Others, like Rin-Rin here, made her living relieving the intermingled bodies of all the above of their hard earned coin. Slipping through like a blade in the crowd, the cutpurse could make a modest profit on evenings such as this. Rin was already in possession of an assortment of coin that could give her a hot meal and a place to sleep for the night, with a bit left over for tomorrow perhaps for breakfast. I could go for another sweep, day's still bright. She thought, being a stubborn one, but couldn't help but feel some pride liberating riches from the nobility.

The eighteen year old weaved through the crowd again, subtly slipping her hand through pockets, purses and kimonos. The coins rattled so it took a quick hand and subtle approach, or else she'd lose a finger or the whole hand, but she had a lot of practice growing up since her father lost to the damned Busujima Clan. The thief's weathered katana bounced on her bum as she walked and weaved, every now and then it bumped into someone else or their holstered weapon of choice. She couldn't really rely on it if it came to a fight with the City Imperial Guard, whose steel and ebony weapons would snap her rusty iron mantelpiece decoration; but it was sharp enough for protection and threatening fools on the road leading to Beijio.

She continued to peruse the market stalls as a cover when she needed to cool down her pickpocket spree, for even the most skilled among her would know, eventually one person cries thief- then everyone is a thief. The guards would be on the street faster than a Selachi swims to the scent of blood.

The young woman would soon feel a hand upon her left shoulder, tight in its grip as it pulled her to face the individual who had suddenly grabbed her. A tall man with a kimono and haori in the colors of the Busujima Clan's endorsed Yakuza group stood before her. He was glaring daggers deep into the young woman's eyes, his traditional top knot swaying in the blowing wind. He was joined by two others in similar garb, both being rather showy with their weapons, given one had a mean dark steel axe hung across his shoulder while the other held tight onto the katana on his hip. Given they were with the Busujima Clan who protected the Empire's personal interests, the City Guard of course turned a blind eye.

"Hoy..." the head of the three begins, gripping her shoulder tighter. "You think we don't have eyes or somethin'?" the other two behind him snickered and grinned slyly. "Yeah, you think we dumb we don't see what you're upta?" the one with the axe chimed in. They began to crowd her around the stall. "Better answer my man Tetsu here, or we'll make this a scene purse snatcher." Threatened the other man behind this 'Tetsu'.

"Shion, Ito, shut your mouths." he snapped to them in respectively in turn. He then looked back to the young woman and bowed his head. "You heard them correct street rat. We saw you snatching purses in this district. We understand times are tough, but this is our turf and we safe harbor all those in it. There's gonna be harsh times ahead for us, hell, the Empire. Turn your loot over and we'll let you go, and you can still keep your digits." he explained the situation, thoroughly.

Rin scowled as she was forced to meet gazes with the lot of them. Of course, they're with the Busujima Clan... she recounted their purple colors and gold symbols. She looked from their garbs to their superior weapons, before glancing up in this 'Tetsu' individual's eyes. "Purse snatcher?" she echoed, her voice showing irritation. She reached up and smacked his hand from her shoulder, brushing off where his hand had landed as she continued: "Such garish accusations coming of course from a two bit thug! Pick on someone else, I have no money!" she furiously protested, turning towards the one opening the men had not blocked off, her pace increasing in her step as she 'stormed off'.

Before any of the men could step in, a geisha of sorts approached the gang. "Leave the girl alone," she says, her sweet voice was loud enough to be heard. Her breasts bobbed behind her short, crimson yukata, her curvaceous frame getting between the teenager and Busujima clan's thugs. She wrapped her arm around this 'Tetsu' her bosom squished flat against his ribs, glancing up at him with her large ebony eyes. Her bob styled hair swayed, her crimson lips pursed into a charming, alluring smile. A red ribbon was delicately wrapped around her neck, tied into a bow in the back. He could feel everything as she pressed her body against him. "...even if she is a cut purse, what would you do with her stolen goods? You have no way of returning them to their proper owners realistically... then again, you could re-purpose them..." she continued, rubbing his shoulder and looking up into his eyes with her lidded gaze. "I don't come cheap, handsome~" she cooed.

Rin was confused by the arrival of the street woman, but did not waste the 'opening' she was fortunate enough to provide. Slowly stepping away while the geisha talked, the teen slipped back through the crowd at a quickened pace. Gotta evade them... She thought, taking her stolen bounty with her!

From the corner of her eye, she saw the young woman slip away, and it was then she did her best to delay the men by throwing herself to them! "Oh.... I'm sure we can work things out~" She purred erotically, keeping the oafs back in case they saw her slip away!

Several hours later…

With the earlier scuffle in the marketplace handled and long forgotten, Kurenai now lounged atop the tiled roof of one of the establishments, palled on by rigid yakuza thugs from the Busujima clan with one arm propping up her chin as she glanced up at the night sky with irritation. They could have at least fucked like they didn’t have short swords… She mentally grumbled.



She was bored out of her mind, and a bit livid due to the aforementioned events, that she happily took up the assassination job she was now waiting on. It was some rich bitch, from the direct line of the Natsume Clan.

She didn’t care, it was money and she needed it. She wondered how Shion was doing, her friend who was a dog of the Garamonde clan, but a friend. She saw her earlier today, but she was keeping to herself, following members of the Kibara clan for some reason. She then saw her, her target and her thoughts about Shion vanished; her nubile body stirring slowly… catlike grace, moving from the tiled roof to another…



She was a pretty one, which was unfortunate- something Lady Hiyori Busujima would have said, but a job’s a job. She was lightly guarded, only a pair of vassals who would be no issue for bloody Kurenai. She watched them pass below her, unaware of her presence. The three were quiet, her guards flanking her as they crossed through the dark street, alert and ready. “Tss…” She spat. Such a horrible formation. They should have had one in front of her and behind her… then they could have avoided this… She mentally critiqued their terrible guard skills, her mechanized garrote, her spider’s web, descending with the slight toss of her hand down below. The poor woman didn’t even know she was dead as the thin wire looped around her neck, the mechanized gears grinding, the wire becoming taut quickly! Her mark’s eyes widened and watered, he hands instinctively go for the thin wire around her delicate neck, as Kurenai jumps down… and the long garrote’s wire winched the poor noble off her feet! She was trying to scream, unable to due to the tight wire which dug into her silky neck, blood dripping around the tight wire she failed to pluck away with her nails! She kicked and scythed her long legs, her kimono flapping gently as she was being strung up from the thick rope which usually held lit lanterns or laundry to dry between the buildings to their left and right. Still, he guards were none the wiser as she moderately ascended upwards, strangled and bleeding. Kurenai’s motor was quiet as a mouse, her grey eyes devoid of sympathy as she looked into the frightened woman’s wide eyes when her body began to turn and face her, blood covering her neck bubbled and made soft gurgling noises, her ponytail severed, thick strands falling from her back onto the street…

She watched her for a moment longer, before grabbing the wire and tugged it back hard.

A soft crunch followed by a pair of thuds soon after, and the wire, without any tension snapped back into her hidden reel without a hitch and without injury to the assassin. Her target now lays in the street, her head severed from her neck which was still spurting blood as it lay chest down. The head rolled towards Kurenai, wide, tear stricken eyes glaring up at her… her lips pursed into a shocked expression. Kurenai gazed into the dead woman’s eyes again, and with a gentle kick, the head rolled back towards the body. Her dimwit guards would probably notice their master’s disappearance soon enough, but highly doubted it, but quickly like any other of her prey, she patted the headless body for proof of the kill. She took the woman’s wallet and mirror she had concealed in her sash, before ducking back into the shadows.

She was well out of the area by the time she heard screams, whistles and shouting samurai on the night wind. The silver and azure moonlight fell over her as soon as the clouds parted from the sky. With her mission complete, it was time to collect the rest of her payment and wait for the next assignment. “Gods… that was boring… that didn’t help me with my mood at all…” The assassin grumbled. She hoped for a bit of a challenge, at least one smart bodyguard she could have sliced up along with her target would have been fine on such a night… but alas, seemed fate decided to keep her longing for a worthy opponent to help fill the void of monotony.

Kurenai wrote:Several hours later…

With the earlier scuffle in the marketplace handled and long forgotten, Kurenai now lounged atop the tiled roof of one of the establishments, palled on by rigid yakuza thugs from the Busujima clan with one arm propping up her chin as she glanced up at the night sky with irritation. They could have at least fucked like they didn’t have short swords… She mentally grumbled.



She was bored out of her mind, and a bit livid due to the aforementioned events, that she happily took up the assassination job she was now waiting on. It was some rich bitch, from the direct line of the Natsume Clan.

She didn’t care, it was money and she needed it. She wondered how Shion was doing, her friend who was a dog of the Garamonde clan, but a friend. She saw her earlier today, but she was keeping to herself, following members of the Kibara clan for some reason. She then saw her, her target and her thoughts about Shion vanished; her nubile body stirring slowly… catlike grace, moving from the tiled roof to another…



She was a pretty one, which was unfortunate- something Lady Hiyori Busujima would have said, but a job’s a job. She was lightly guarded, only a pair of vassals who would be no issue for bloody Kurenai. She watched them pass below her, unaware of her presence. The three were quiet, her guards flanking her as they crossed through the dark street, alert and ready. “Tss…” She spat. Such a horrible formation. They should have had one in front of her and behind her… then they could have avoided this… She mentally critiqued their terrible guard skills, her mechanized garrote, her spider’s web, descending with the slight toss of her hand down below. The poor woman didn’t even know she was dead as the thin wire looped around her neck, the mechanized gears grinding, the wire becoming taut quickly! Her mark’s eyes widened and watered, he hands instinctively go for the thin wire around her delicate neck, as Kurenai jumps down… and the long garrote’s wire winched the poor noble off her feet! She was trying to scream, unable to due to the tight wire which dug into her silky neck, blood dripping around the tight wire she failed to pluck away with her nails! She kicked and scythed her long legs, her kimono flapping gently as she was being strung up from the thick rope which usually held lit lanterns or laundry to dry between the buildings to their left and right. Still, he guards were none the wiser as she moderately ascended upwards, strangled and bleeding. Kurenai’s motor was quiet as a mouse, her grey eyes devoid of sympathy as she looked into the frightened woman’s wide eyes when her body began to turn and face her, blood covering her neck bubbled and made soft gurgling noises, her ponytail severed, thick strands falling from her back onto the street…

She watched her for a moment longer, before grabbing the wire and tugged it back hard.

A soft crunch followed by a pair of thuds soon after, and the wire, without any tension snapped back into her hidden reel without a hitch and without injury to the assassin. Her target now lays in the street, her head severed from her neck which was still spurting blood as it lay chest down. The head rolled towards Kurenai, wide, tear stricken eyes glaring up at her… her lips pursed into a shocked expression. Kurenai gazed into the dead woman’s eyes again, and with a gentle kick, the head rolled back towards the body. Her dimwit guards would probably notice their master’s disappearance soon enough, but highly doubted it, but quickly like any other of her prey, she patted the headless body for proof of the kill. She took the woman’s wallet and mirror she had concealed in her sash, before ducking back into the shadows.

She was well out of the area by the time she heard screams, whistles and shouting samurai on the night wind. The silver and azure moonlight fell over her as soon as the clouds parted from the sky. With her mission complete, it was time to collect the rest of her payment and wait for the next assignment. “Gods… that was boring… that didn’t help me with my mood at all…” The assassin grumbled. She hoped for a bit of a challenge, at least one smart bodyguard she could have sliced up along with her target would have been fine on such a night… but alas, seemed fate decided to keep her longing for a worthy opponent to help fill the void of monotony.

"That was well done. A nice clean cut without bringing out any unnecessary attention. Good. You will do well, Crimson Ninja." Came a female voice from behind Kurenai. Standing there was a young woman, dressed in the attire of a ninja herself, arms folded and in a fishnet bodysuit.


((OOC: Btw, anyone can freely play her if they want, I'm not giving this ninja a name or much of a personality, just thought the image was necessary ))

"My lord requests your presence, so come with me quickly. And if its your current employer you're headed for, there is no longer a need. He's dead." She glanced Kurenai over before yanking out a bundle of coins from her cleavage, and tossed them into the Crimson Ninja's direction. "That is your payment for the job he was going to give you, plus an additional 200 from my employer to help persuade you into tagging along... but, if you don't want to, then take the money and leave." She explained.

Kurenai had not killed the woman outright, especially given how they tossed money at her. She turned to face them and without looking away, grabbed the coin purse and reached inside... pulling out several platinum Tsuba... they paid her more than her supposed deceased employer. "Hmm... so I can just leave eh? Pay me three times the worth of a job and just let me walk away, eh? That woman wasn't worth this much, no one's worth this much..." Her voice was a bit bored, maybe slightly irritated in tone as she juggled the cash... "But you know, I'm bored... and a bit curious. I'll play along for now..." she says, pocketing her change. "Where is this 'Lord' you serve?" She asked. It was hard to determine given her attire... she lacked any sort of clan coloration, or any clothing really for that matter.

Kurenai wrote:Kurenai had not killed the woman outright, especially given how they tossed money at her. She turned to face them and without looking away, grabbed the coin purse and reached inside... pulling out several platinum Tsuba... they paid her more than her supposed deceased employer. "Hmm... so I can just leave eh? Pay me three times the worth of a job and just let me walk away, eh? That woman wasn't worth this much, no one's worth this much..." Her voice was a bit bored, maybe slightly irritated in tone as she juggled the cash... "But you know, I'm bored... and a bit curious. I'll play along for now..." she says, pocketing her change. "Where is this 'Lord' you serve?" She asked. It was hard to determine given her attire... she lacked any sort of clan coloration, or any clothing really for that matter.

"Everyone has a price, no one is above the power of coin..." she replied with a rather robotic tone. She then nodded. "Well, follow me then. he isn't too far." She explained, walking towards the shadows and into the adjacent street.

Yasuyuki Kibara wrote:

Kurenai wrote:Kurenai had not killed the woman outright, especially given how they tossed money at her. She turned to face them and without looking away, grabbed the coin purse and reached inside... pulling out several platinum Tsuba... they paid her more than her supposed deceased employer. "Hmm... so I can just leave eh? Pay me three times the worth of a job and just let me walk away, eh? That woman wasn't worth this much, no one's worth this much..." Her voice was a bit bored, maybe slightly irritated in tone as she juggled the cash... "But you know, I'm bored... and a bit curious. I'll play along for now..." she says, pocketing her change. "Where is this 'Lord' you serve?" She asked. It was hard to determine given her attire... she lacked any sort of clan coloration, or any clothing really for that matter.

"Everyone has a price, no one is above the power of coin..." she replied with a rather robotic tone. She then nodded. "Well, follow me then. he isn't too far." She explained, walking towards the shadows and into the adjacent street.

She let the coin bag drop into her inner kimono, and watched the woman walk away. She followed at an even gait, disappearing between the alley and shadows. "Okay, where's this boss of yours?" She asked as she followed.

Kurenai wrote:

Yasuyuki Kibara wrote:

Kurenai wrote:Kurenai had not killed the woman outright, especially given how they tossed money at her. She turned to face them and without looking away, grabbed the coin purse and reached inside... pulling out several platinum Tsuba... they paid her more than her supposed deceased employer. "Hmm... so I can just leave eh? Pay me three times the worth of a job and just let me walk away, eh? That woman wasn't worth this much, no one's worth this much..." Her voice was a bit bored, maybe slightly irritated in tone as she juggled the cash... "But you know, I'm bored... and a bit curious. I'll play along for now..." she says, pocketing her change. "Where is this 'Lord' you serve?" She asked. It was hard to determine given her attire... she lacked any sort of clan coloration, or any clothing really for that matter.

"Everyone has a price, no one is above the power of coin..." she replied with a rather robotic tone. She then nodded. "Well, follow me then. he isn't too far." She explained, walking towards the shadows and into the adjacent street.

She let the coin bag drop into her inner kimono, and watched the woman walk away. She followed at an even gait, disappearing between the alley and shadows. "Okay, where's this boss of yours?" She asked as she followed.

The female ninja didn't answer her, simply walked and expected Kurenai to follow. She turned down another alley, heading towards the Noble District.

Kurenai sighed at this. She was growing a bit tired of the silent treatment, but continued to follow obediently.

Kurenai wrote:Kurenai sighed at this. She was growing a bit tired of the silent treatment, but continued to follow obediently.

As Kurenai turned the next corner, she would suddenly find herself entering a haze of smoke... and then she was in complete darkness!

(to here)