[Sora Minami]

Sora gave the rough, ugly man at the gate a soft smile as he spoke, asking what Enyo could possibly want with the merchants in town. After all, he was only just a boy. This was the part that, in her mind, would be the most difficult- convincing the merchants themselves would be easy enough, once they were in. They followed money like a bloodhound on the trail, and wouldn’t stop following it until every last ryo had been squeezed from an area. But men like this, petty children given an ounce of power and authority? They were difficult. Very, very difficult.

"The young master is here to discuss a few things on behalf of his parents. They want him to learn how to negotiate, and figured that the best way was through experience." She said, still holding that soft smile. The man likely wouldn’t be convinced by just that, but she had to at least try. It was possible, after all, the man might just let them through on a whim. But, on the (fairly likely) chance that he didn’t… well. They’d cross that bridge if and when they came to it, not before.

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo looked towards Sora briefly, not in an attempt to get some sort of support - though she gave it to him regardless - but rather in some little act of needing support. He was going to play up being a young little lordling that had no idea what he was doing. Even if his brain wanted to absolutely scrape the mans face off with a knife. He might have looked better if he had no skin, at least that was Enyo's mind even if it was weighing out on the side of violence.

"It is as my escort says, my parents wish for me to practice diplomacy." He parroted, looking now back towards the man with a pretty little smile. The man however was pretty used to pretty little smiles and the like and just stared at the duo. It wasn't a particularly odd duo, this was the kind of thing that went by his nose on an almost weekly basis. But he couldn't just let them by, could he? He was in a bit of a mood.

"Where is your identification?" That usually got those that weren't truly here for what they said they were squirming and sweating, bandits were pretty proficient nowadays after all! Maybe he could get under the skin of these two - potential - hooligans.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Sora wasn’t surprised at the man’s attitude; she had seen men like him before, had dealt with their pettiness and spite often, and knew the best way to handle the situation was simply not to engage with it. So when the bureaucrat asked to see their identification, Sora did what any law abiding traveler would do- she complied, pulling out the pair of false identification cards she’d procured for the mission and handing them over. They weren’t top of the line, not with this being such a simple mission, but given the lack of any actual security about the city, she was fairly certain they’d pass muster. And if they didn’t… well. She had a few tricks up her sleeves.

The man grabbed the cards from her outstretched hand with a huff, his gaze meeting hers for a moment as he looked them over. Much to the man’s consternation, the identification looked legitimate- they were worn, but no more than would be expected given the distance the pair had claimed to travel. He spent a long time going over them though, much longer than he really needed to, if only to see if he might draw out some reaction from the pair. Particularly the child, with his nice clothes and vapid smile.

"It’s disgraceful that your parents couldn’t even be bothered to come here themselves.” The man said, sneering down at Enyo as he held out the identification cards. "But I suppose they don’t want to see their son fail miserably, so I can’t fault them. Your paperwork is in order- please, feel free to head in.”

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo stood as a shinobi in that moment, unflinching staring at the man still with that smile though somewhere in that smile, there was contempt, vitriol and the desire to kill. He would have killed the man too. The images were flashing through his head, unhinged and raw. The most visceral images that made his mind and body feel good, it made him smile a little more, the pretty smile that was carved into his face by his family. It would be easy to kill the gate guard, all it would take was his hidden dagger so firmly placed against his forearm.

All that blood spilling, pooling at Enyo's feet...

But he didn't move, not a muscle really did. Just that smile widening.

If only he could. If only. The way those brats at the academy had insulted. The way the woman who stood next to him did. But he was a shinobi, he could not compromise the mission even if everything in him screamed that he should to teach the man a good lesson on just how superior Enyo was.

Once the identification was handed back to Sora he started to move.

"Well, sir, my parents have their reasons," He finally breathed out. "Not that someone like yourself would understand." It was all he could do without shoving a blade into his jugular.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Sora didn’t flinch when the man insulted Enyo, her expression never wavering as she took their identifications. On the outside, she appeared as little more than a concerned guardian, a woman tasked with protecting a somewhat spoiled rich kid who had no true experience in the world- and to a degree, it was true. But she wasn’t merely a civilian guarding a child; she was a Shinobi, a Jounin watching over her Genin on his first real mission of any import. The Jounin met the bureaucrats gaze for a moment as she walked away, her chakra pulsing gently as she nodded her head in thanks… and in that brief moment, she cast a single, sealless Genjutsu over him.

The man at the gate didn’t notice anything odd at first; a little tingle in his limbs, a sense of floating that he couldn’t quite place, but it wasn’t significant enough for him to react to. It wasn’t until he heard the boy’s remark that he realized something was wrong- he tried to stand, but his body felt wrong, as if every nerve had simply shut off and made his whole frame devoid of feeling, which made him tumble from his chair in a heap. He tried to talk, but his words came out like babbling mush, his limbs thrashing wildly as he tried to rise to his feet, unable to feel anything.

"Come along now young master." She said as the man thrashed on the ground, ushering Enyo away from the commotion, her face grim despite the viscous smile she held inside. "We should let the guards handle… whatever that is.”

No one fucks with my Genin.

Jutsu Used

SPOILER: Click to show

Kuronmeru Enyo

NAME: Genjutsu Binding [Genjutsu Shibari]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium (Low Drain to maintain)
CLASSIFICATION: Genjutsu
TRIGGER: the user glares at the enemy, and if the enemy is looking at the user's eyes they're bound by this genjutsu
DESCRIPTION:
As the name suggests, the user binds the opponent in a genjutsu, rendering them incapable of movement; and this genjutsu can be used on more than one target at the same time. Unlike other genjutsu that use illusory objects to stop movements, this genjutsu simply affects the target's sense of touch to make it feel as if every inch of their body surrounded by hardened cement, effectively paralyzing the target. Once the target(s) are bound, the user or an ally can rush up to the enemy and deliver a devastating killing blow.

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo did not notice that the man was being put under genjutsu, he wasn't really well versed in that kind of thing so he just sort of stood there until he was very suddenly on the ground writhing around. Oh, but he wasn't allowed to stab anyone? Lame. Still, Sora told him to come along so that's what he did, not wanting to linger at the gate when they had a mission to get to and now that they were inside they had to convince a few people to pack up their things and move their economic growth all the way to Kirigakure. That probably wasn't going to be as difficult as actually traveling and getting into the village, merchants were pretty stupid and just followed wherever they were told would be a lot of money to make.

"Are you going to do that with everyone who denies us?" Enyo asked though his voice was low, in a bit of a whisper to make sure they wouldn't be overheard. But he had a smile on his face, as if he had taken delight in what Sora had done to the man. She definitely had earned the right to be spoken to normally for the time being from Enyo just because of her rather cruel act.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

"Only the assholes, young master." Sora whispered back, her lips quirking up in a slight, barely noticeable smile as she ushered Enyo away from the gate and into the village proper. The genjutsu she’d cast on the man would wear off in a few minutes or so, long enough for the pair of them to be out of sight and out of mind- there were few things she despised more than a petty middle management piece of shit who lorded their power over other people simply because they could. So if he happened to have to be carted off to see a doctor over what happened? Well, she was just fine with that. People like him deserved what they got when fate finally got around to returning the favor.

At last in the village proper, the pair of them strolled down the streets, walking past some small vendors and merchant stalls before entering into a large, open air bazaar filled with tents, stalls, and buildings of all kinds. The air carried a mixture of different smells, each mingling with the others to make a near indecipherable scent that was both exotic and utterly weird all at once. Sora glanced at Enyo as they entered the bazaar, her lips parting as she gestured to the mass of merchants before them with a single hand.

"Which one shall we speak with first?”

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo felt that was agreeable enough, was it a perfect answer? By no means, but the woman had at least proven herself to be not some lily-livered person who couldn't act right when someone was insulting someone that was clearly higher up than them. So with that they moved forward. It was a bit of a walk but they soon entered the open-air bazaar something they managed to navigate towards by the thickening of crowds and the scent that seemed to linger here with an almost cloying quality. Some of the scents Enyo was able to recognize, others were more foreign and hard to determine.

That was when he was asked about who they should speak to first.

"The matcha merchants do well around these parts, we should ask them first." He smiled, and it seemed that he had done some research. With them being in Tea Country being able to convince some of the best tea merchants to come to Mizu no Kuni or perhaps even better Kirigakure no Sato it would be of huge benefit to the country and frankly the mission as well. But, he didn't move yet, he wanted to see if Sora approved of such a venture. Not because he thought he needed approval, but because this was a mission and he was being a bit more agreeable and deferring decision making to the higher ranking woman.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Ah. Someone did his homework for a change. Sora thought as Enyo spoke, his answer simple but clever in its own way. Tea was a relatively expensive commodity, even in wealthy countries, so targeting the matcha sellers would kill two birds with one stone; they’d secure much needed income for Mizu no Kuni and elevate the prestige of the nation for attracting tea merchants out of Tea Country. The Jounin nodded, a soft smile on her face as she looked down at the boy, for once neither sarcastic nor condescending.

"An excellent choice, young master." She said, gesturing for Enyo to lead the way, her sky-blue gaze focused on the crowd around them. She was meant to be a bodyguard, after all, and that was what bodyguards did- they watched, like a coiled snake, waiting to strike should the need arise. Her readiness would seem as laziness by the inexperienced, but so long her Genin was safe she didn’t care what other people thought.

"Lead the way."

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Despite what Sora had been led to believe, or at least what Sora had chosen to believe for herself, Enyo had an intelligence to him. Nothing supernatural, like some individuals, but he did not get away with running his mouth the way he did without also being calculatively smart and cunning. For this mission, it had not been so much that he he had done a great deal of homework, but rather he had listened to the briefing and made up his own assumptions about what to do. It made extreme sense to him, to try and steal tea merchants right from under tea country's nose. They had to have the best sourced tea here, had to, just the way that water country had the best... Well water technique users around. Tea country not being a shinobi nation it made sense they would be named for what they were simply best at doing or providing.

The compliment did not fall on deaf ears and he smiled coyly towards Sora.

"I know."

And with that he swerved and moved through the crowds, following his intuition until they came across a matcha merchant - based on all of his tins and samples laid out on his table - shouting loudly through the crowd trying to capture some attention.

"Excuse me, sir," Enyo put on his best appearance. "Is this *matcha*? I heard you were among the best!"

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

Sora followed Enyo silently, allowing the boy to take the lead as they wove through the crowd, eventually arriving at a stall helmed by a single, robust man in his mid-forties. He had a little gray around his temples, but was otherwise healthy looking, with thick black hair, brown eyes, and a surprisingly winning smile that he turned upon the pair of them the instant Enyo finished speaking.

"Why of course my boy!” The matcha merchant said, his voice loud and boisterous as he gestured towards his wares, the aroma of hundreds of different blends wafting out from the back of his tented stall as if on cue. He had every kind of matcha imaginable, packaged in most every kind of way possible; wrapped, boxed, in cans, in jars, in bags, in pouches, you name it. A good first choice, should they succeed. "What can I interest you in? I've got a fine blend brought over from Ranmataru itself, you know. Not quite as good as the stuff we make here, but exotic enough to be worth the ryo.”

The merchant paused then, looking between Enyo and herself for a moment before adding, with just a hint of a smile and, if her student was paying attention, a drop of desperation, "You do have ryo, don’t you?”

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo clasped his hands together, gleaning over the wares with feigned interest. It was not as if he did not drink tea, it was more that he was not *this* interested. Who was interested in tea like this anyway? This man clearly, kind of a freak. Maybe old people, they had nothing better to do. They were weak and gross, retirement was unbecoming. Enyo was determined to be the most powerful, and never weaken, or die being the strongest. That his ideal scenario... Not that he wanted to die, but the idea of getting old and weak was something he did not like to face.

The genin listened the best he could, before he tilted his head up towards the man when he asked a question.

"Why wouldn't I?" The boy was rather well dressed, not from lack of trying, so he had no idea why anyone would think he did not have the money. But then a smirk crept up the boy's face, almost menacing as it tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Why? Your wares are so wonderful, do you not have much ryo?" Compliment them, reel them in next... Perhaps this mission was not so ill suited for the genin who was about as manipulative as they came.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

"Of course I have ryo.” The merchant replied, perhaps a bit too quickly, his face getting slightly flush as he leaned back, not willing to meet Enyo’s gaze. "I only asked because… you seem young, to be interested in tea. That’s all.” The man gestured to his wares, face smoothing out as he took in a deep breath, regaining some of his composure- clearly, the Genin had struck a nerve, even if he hadn’t meant to. "Please, take a look at my stock. I promise, you’ll not find better in the whole of Tea Country.”

Sora watched the exchange from behind with a blank expression, her sky-blue gaze noting the man’s nervousness and misdirection; he was a good mark for this mission, but she didn’t say anything. Not yet. Enyo had picked this particular mission out, and she knew all too well the sharpness of his silvered tongue; if he got himself into trouble, she’d step in, but for now he didn’t need any help. Wouldn’t want any either, even if he did need it. Maybe especially if he needed it. Stubborn little shit. At least he’d found a good first pick.

Now if only he’d had this much sense when picking missions…

Kuronmeru Enyo

[Kuronmeru Enyo]

blood as black as the ocean

Enyo kept on with his smile.

"I understand, sir."

Idiot.

"But I am partially shopping for my parents, they LOVE tea. Thought it would be a nice gift." He explained, well, he lied. His parents liked tea just fine. But not enough to go to a special merchant about it most of the time. Unless they had someone over they needed to impress, which certainly almost never occurred. Who did they need to impress? They were the Kuronmeru after all.

Once offered to inspect, that is what Enyo did, he did so quietly. Picking up the occasional tin to read it, or feign reading it. It seemed like he was really interested for a while, until he finally leveled his gaze with the merchant again.

"You know... This is really lovely. You probably have so many offers to vend everywhere you go, huh?" He didn't wait for an answer, he just placed a particularly pretty ornate white with gold embellishment down, still staring at the man. Not in an unnerving way necessarily, but definitely a determined way. The way where it looked that Enyo had definitely made up his mind about something, though for the merchant it would be difficult to tell what.

"But I think you would really benefit from moving somewhere else. I mean, Tea Country? Tea is a dime a dozen, and good tea too. You know the best place, there's Mizu no Kuni... Nearby but their production of tea? Abysmal! A place like that, your stuff would be flying off your table. You'd be *rich* like a *king*." He didn't really care if any of it was true, he was just trying to butter the man up.

Sora Minami

aeron at thq

[Sora Minami]

The merchant watched Enyo browse with a keen eye, his stern expression mitigated somewhat by the slight beads of sweat that clung to his brow. There was something about the boy that seemed off. Nothing he could put into words, nothing concrete, just an impression of danger. He dismissed it almost immediately, shaking his head as he turned his attention to the boy’s guardian, trying not to look desperate. If he needed to be wary of anyone it would be the lady with the sword- she didn’t seem very strong, but no one walked around with any kind of weapon without at least knowing how to use it without hurting themself. He’d had enough robbers in recent months to know not to underestimate a woman. Not that they’d try anything here but… Well. He could never be too careful.

"An excellent choice young man.” The merchant said as the boy placed his choice of matcha on the counter, trying not to grimace. That was his last tin of Da-Hong Pao; the boy wouldn’t have anywhere near the ryo to cover it! "Although, I don’t know if you’ll be able to afford this particular brand. It’s quite expensive. Nearly a thousand ryo an ounce, to be exact.” Of course, if the boy did have that kind of money floating around… well. Maybe he wasn’t so screwed after all.

And then the boy started to talk about moving, and he had to swallow his own tongue to keep from choking on it.

"Mizu no Kuni?” He said, voice shaking slightly as he turned to face Enyo fully, blinking in surprise. "I’d heard- Well. Isn’t it a bit lawless there? They had a Civil War recently, you know.” Although, perhaps the boy had a point. Going to a less crowded market would certainly earn him some more money, even if it was only for a little while. He couldn’t stay permanently, but a few months to off load his excess stock…

Sora smiled as she watched Enyo work his magic, worming his way into the man’s head with subtle comments and a few well placed barbs. His choice of tea was also excellent, if only for how much it made the man’s eyes bulge; there was no way he could deny being down on his luck if a few thousand ryo made him react like that. Still, the boy hadn’t won the man over yet- he needed another push, something to convince him beyond the prospect of money. Go on. Finish this up.

Kuronmeru Enyo