Private Eastern Brisshal Purse Snatcher? More like Thief Catcher!

[Higanbana]

"Ahh my purse! Thief! Thief!"

Higanbana had been nondescriptly surveying the town when the shout rang out. Having only recently joined Terrasphere, the kunoichi of the Kirakage Clan, a made-up clan of ninjas that currently had two members, spent most of her time trying to get the lay of the land. Her first adventure had been fighting a rat and though she still had little to no idea what she was doing, her passion for being a ninja as well as doing ninja-like things range true.

"Could it be another shinobi?"

Perched in a tree, Higanbana ignored the small group of children that called out to her asking how she had climbed so high and if she could teach them. After all, she wasn't playing a game and she wasn't a play ninja, she was a real ninja.

"No, they're not an evil enemy shinobi, just a bandit.

Higanbana called down to the children below her.

"I'm not playing a game children, though if you have spotted me blending in with the leaves of this tree, perhaps you too could make decent shinobi one day. Still, I have no time to play with you, for now, I must return that old woman her purse. My shinobi code forbids me from looking the other way unless, of course, that bandit is more powerful than me at the moment. Then I will return the purse later after I have garnered the strength to teach the bandit the meaning of shinobi justice."

Jumping out of her tree, Higanbana gave pursuit.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra heard the shout from afar, her ears twitching in response, already folded half-over in order to try and block out most of the sound of the settlement around her. She'd learnt to hate coming to these populated areas - her enhanced hearing causing nothing but pain as she found herself overwhelmed by the excessive noise that so many people made.

Still, there was nothing to do. She'd needed to come here, and so she'd come. Now, though, she found herself in a dilemma. As she turned the corner, she found herself looking at a crowd of children calling out questions to a...tree? The noise caused her ears to fold down entirely, almost flattening on her head in response, as her eyes squinted against the pain.

"Why do they have to be so loud?"

She muttered the question aloud, not realising. She was just about to move passed the children, when another voice called out - and then a moment later a body dropped out of the tree, rushing off towards...something. Kyra, her curiosity overtaking her, decided the chance was too good to pass up. It wasn't every day that someone fell from the sky in a settlement, much less someone claiming to be....a shinobi?

"Hey! Hey you! I have a question for you!"

She called out as she raced after the individual, her tail twitching behind her in excitement. She indeed had a question, and more than one if she was being entirely honest.

@Higanbana

 

[Higanbana]

Continuing to run full speed, Higanbana turned her head to face whomever it was that was calling her.

Ah, a cat girl... this world is surely blessed if such creatures exist here. This is heaven, but better because it was made for weebs.

"Yes, cat. I am in the middle of chasing down a villainous purse snatcher, such is the duty of the Kirakage Clan, though as I am so exemplary at my duties, I suppose I can answer questions while in the midst of bringing this villain to justice. Ask away, but do keep up. I cannot afford to let the purse snatcher evade me, else I may have to commit seppuku, or possibly have beats for dinner, certainly a fate worse than death."

Jumping over some boxes, Higanbana called to the purse snatcher.

"Stop fiend! The Kirakage will never cease their pursuit of you! To run is simply idiocy, I could assassinate you from here in the blink of an eye if I wished it!"

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She'd finally managed to catch the individual - momentarily. The individual slowing just long enough to throw a collection of words at Kyra before continuing their made dash, this time over a collection of boxes. Kyra herself had slowed in reaction, coming to a near stop as she registered what had been said aloud.

"Cat...Hey, no wait! I'm a fox! Not a ca-...you get back here! What's this about...a purse snatcher? And committing sedoku?? Or...come back here!"

She chased after the other player, her own exertion certainly far more painful than the other - who seemed to be used to the physical effort of leaping to and fro, easily clearing obstacles that Kyra had to take her time to overcome. She questioned her own chase, wondering why she was taking so much time to follow this individual.

"Does this person...actually think they're...a ninja or something? Holy...they might actually...be one...with how they move...I can barely keep up with them!"

She pushed around another corner, seeing the individual ahead of them, quickly catching the poor thief who appeared to be looking back with terror; an emotion that Kyra could empathise with, given their position. I'd be terrified too, if I was being chased by this person. They seem almost more beastly than I am, given the circumstances...that poor, poor thief!

 

[Higanbana]

"Ah, a fox. My apologies. I assumed because of the ears you were a cat. I've never met an animal person until now."

The bandit, a few feet ahead shouted behind him angrily.

"Quit followin' me! I stole it fair and square!"

As he shouted, the thief grabbed a barrel with boxes stacked on top and knocked them over into Higanbana and Kyra's path. Not breaking stride, HIganbana jumped her feet making contact with the building wall, she wall ran for a few steps passed the obstacle and landed without breaking stride."

"It would have only been fair and square if you asked to steal it first and she said yes! I'll ask you to stop once more thief and then I will be forced to force you to stop."

Higanbana shouted back to the fox woman.

"Did you still have questions to ask me, or has my shinobi prowess dazzled you into a stupor?"

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

The entire situation was baffling. Kyra had no other way to describe it, other than completely baffling. The response - somehow not what she had expected - and the words of the thief, all leading her to question what she had walked into. Still, she could feel her curiosity growing, the more this individual spoke.

Tired of running, she decided to at least bring a shortcut to the chase itself. A wave of her hand, directed towards the thief's path, and suddenly the individual was back peddling, screaming in horror at whatever her illusion had pulled forth for his eyes alone. She knew the spell reached into the mind of the target, grasping for whatever they truly feared. She hoped that it would never be cast on her.

"Actually...I do have a few questions...to begin with, you keep mentioning a...shinobi? Is that some sort of faction in the game? Like a clan, or a guild, or something? Are there more ninjas in the game? I didn't seen anything about this when I first created my character...but I didn't look into everything in depth."

She paused as she considered her questions, suddenly speaking the first one that came to mind. Her voice carried a tone of disbelief, considering that the indiviudal had clearly not just dropped into the game.

"You've...never seen a beastfolk before? Really?"

 

[Higanbana]

Higanbana chuckled as she dodge over boxes. Suddenly a man in the center of the road looked at her running towards him, his eyes grew side.

"Have no fear citizen, just stand very still."

Rushing towards the man, Higanbana leaped, using his shoulders as a vault she flipped over the man and continued her chase.

"So much like myself having never met an animal person, or beastfolk was it? You have never met a true kunoichi. This is of course no surprise to me, we shinobi are a secretive bunch. At times you may find us working from the shadows to plot the demise of others. Other times we are secretive couriers, spies, and guards. Whatever the mission, a shinobi always carries it out flawlessly."

Pressing her fingers together almost as though she were making a shadow puppet, Higanbana slowly pulled her fingers apart. As she did, blood filament from her fingertips began to fuse into a ninja throwing star or shuriken.

"As for me, I am Higanbana, kunoichi of the Kirakage Clan. A shinobi clan destined to rise to greatness in the shadows. Though to be sure, I am still fairly new to this world."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She slowed her movement as it became clear the individual wasn't going anywhere - blocked by whatever phantasmal creation she'd brought to his attention, his back likely quite literally against a wall, in his own mind. She cocked her head to the left, her face full of confusion as she considered the other's words.

"Shinobi...clan? Kirakage? I..."

She'd heard of none of this before, not even in passing. Once again, she felt the urge to congratulate the other on their immersion into the world - even if it was leaving Kyra entirely puzzled. There was something to be said for someone who found that much engagement, that much joy, in something so...this.

"So...what is your purpose, then? Are you a spy? A courier? Do you have a message to deliver? Or is it something else?"

Her eyes passed over the thief, considering the implications. She wondered what the enthusiastic person would do; whether they'd take vengeance upon action, and serve out justice here. Or if they'd simply contain and arrest, and provide the individual to the authorities as required.

The better question is, what do I do if they do decide to hand out justice here?

 

[Higanbana]

"Ah, excellent job. Now I will not have to strike him with my shuriken created through my kekkei genkai."

Making a few hand symbols, Higanbana vanished in a puff of shadow appearing behind the man.

"Sleep, thief."

Chopping the man in the back of the neck, the kunoichi knocked him out instantly and watched as he fell to the ground. Once the thief was out, she would pick up the purse.

"There, now all we must do is return the purse to the woman that stole it. Of course, we'll have to wait until nightfall so I can leave it on her doorstep in the darkness. It wouldn't do for too many people to recognize a member of the Kirakage here in town. Ah yes, you were asking about my clan were you not?"

Higanbana crossed her arms and nodded seriously.

"The true purpose of the Kirakage Clan is a closely guarded secret. Our ultimate goals are our own to know and outsiders to only guess at. I apologize but this is a part of the Iron Code of the Kirakage. As for what the Kirakage does, we do whatever we're hired to. As long as the gold is true and the request fits the guidelines of the Iron Code then we accept the job. What we can do is anything, what we will do is another matter entirely."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

The ninja - as Kyra had taken to calling her, in her mind - knocked the man out. Kyra took a few seconds to glance over the man, ensuring there was still a breath to his body, before turning her attention back to the other. She'd caught most of what was being said, although it only brought up more questions.

"Why...why do you need to...Ah, to remain anonymous...alright. Uhm...I guess I can understand that? But wouldn't it also be good publicity to show you're doing the right thing?"

The other continued explaining the Kirakage Clan, leaving Kyra only more puzzled. She followed the words, understanding the general ideology behind them, but the entire concept was...secrecy? She was sure it made sense to the other, and likely anyone else involved. But there was one question that came to the forefront of her mind, if the Clan was being so secret.

"How...do people reach out to you? I mean, you speak as if the...clan?...as if you wish to remain secret to the public, for the most part...so how do people let you know when they need your help?"

To Kyra it sounded like mercenaries, just with a few extra steps. She was sure there was something she was missing, maybe. But in the end, it reminded her very much of one of the main factions she had come across - albeit, perhaps a bit more roleplay intensive, if that took to one's fancy.

 

[Higanbana]

Higanbana thought for a moment then replied to the woman.

"No, of course not. The Kirakage must remain mysterious, our goals completely unknown, and our clan's name not but a whisper on the wind. This is the way of Kirakage. Deeds are done because they must be, this is the way of the Iron Code. Fame and fortune matter not, good is done because it begets good in the world. Let others think what they may, does a man have thoughts on a shadow? of course not. Such is the way of the Kirakage."

Nodding seriously, Higanbana continued.

"As far as how we are contacted, we put up flyers."

Higanbana reached into her long coat as though she were about to pull something out.

"Ah, that was a joke. Among the Kirakage I am known as the most hilarious. My comedy is the stuff of legends. It has been said that my humor has brought down nations, though whether or not these legends are true or not, who is to say?"

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Her ears twitched, the only sign that she'd reacted at all to the words that the other had spoken. Kyra wasn't sure what to make of the individual; she admired their engagement to their role, their determination not to break from the character in the slightest.

"So...you just wait for someone to contact you...but don't put out any way to contact you? I'm...I'm not following? Or do you just...involve yourself whenever you feel like it? Whether people ask you to, or not?"

She felt her expression turn bland at the joke, refusing to smile. As the other spoke about their humour, and how they were the comedic legend at their...clan?...Kyra couldn't help but smirk. She shook her head, responding aloud before she could consider her words.

"Must not be a lot of comedy club events at your little group...err, because there's only one act?"

Her tail twitched as she realised what she had said, and tried to cover up her words. She wasn't sure how the other would take it - but she hoped they'd pass it over, as they had most other things thus far.[/banner]

 

[Higanbana]

"Those who need to contact the Kirakage will find a way. We keep tabs on who is using our name through our shinobi network using secret means we can not discuss. Needless to say, it is quite effective and we receive many job offers though as I said we only accept those jobs that align with the Kirakage Iron Code."

Higanbana continued.

"As for the comedy clubs, no, there are not many in the Kirakage. Of course not many are needed, in fact, none are needed because I exist. Know that at times I have been called Higanbana of Hilarity, Higanbana of the Unending Laugh, and Higanbana the Ha-Ha-Hale Laugh. This is not the right time or place, but if it were trust that my comedy jokes would explode your lungs and bladder with their power. It's a dangerous thing to be so good at comedy, but for a member of the Kirakage, even a beloved pastime can become a weapon."

After giving her a spiel, Higanbana turned her attention down to the thief. She picked up the purse and handed it to Kyra.

"Here, take this back to the old woman when you get a chance. I believe she will be happy to receive it. Ah, unless you're a thief. Are you also a thief? No, that wouldn't make sense. You helped me catch the thief. So who are you and what are you doing here fox woman?"


@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

She couldn't help but giggle as the woman explained her standing as the core expert on comedy within the clan that she belonged to, rolling out what Kyra could only assume were meant to be puns upon the name. As she fought to control her outburst, the woman suddenly handed Kyra the purse - before prattling about whether she was a thief or not, before finally ending in question.

"Ah...no, no thief. A simple healer, looking for her way. I've been told there was a medical clinic in the vicinity that would provide some of the more mundane materials I'd need at the Emergency Encampment in Lyrwick...seems I was distracted from that, however."

She gave a wave towards the thief and the woman, trying to indicate the cause for distraction. She eyed the purse in her hand, before cocking her head to the left. Her brow furrowed and she took on a perplexed expression as she opened her mouth to further question the other.

"Err...not to question logic and all that, but...how am I supposed to know whom to return this to, exactly? I didn't quite see whom it was taken from in the first place...I just happened to be nearby and saw you fall from a tree...then I just kind of, well, followed the chase."

She glanced again at the purse, before handing it hesitantly back to the other woman slowly. She wasn't entirely sure what to do here, but it felt better to be in the hands of the one whom had chased down the thief, who would likely know the original owner of the item in question.

 

[Higanbana]

"Hmm... I apologize. I forgot you were not a shinobi. If you were, you would have used your kunoichi sense to immediately sniff out who this purse belonged to. But I digress, you are not shinobi."

Higanbana scratched her chin.

"Maybe you could walk through town and ask people saying you recovered the purse? That could work? Or turn it into a local authority that was trustworthy? That could also work maybe. Though if you ask me, following a shinobi for fun seemed strange in and of itself does it not? Why would you follow me? Did my kunoichi spirit stir something in you? Amazed by my skill were you?"

Smiling perhaps a bit smugly, Higanbana handed the woman the purse and pointed to the man knocked out on the ground.

"I believe you could also perhaps turn in this man for a reward of some sort. As I said a shinobi cares not for fame. If you perhaps shared some gold from the reward though, that would be acceptable."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

Kyra

Her ears twitched in amusement as the other woman spoke. Not that there was much amusing about the words themselves - in fact, Kyra felt that this was becoming normal, in her mind. What she expected from the woman. It would've been far weirder had she turned normal. She smiled at the thought, before answering the other.

"Well, I don't honestly have any interest in a reward. So if there is one for turning either of these two things in, you are more than welcome to it. That being said...you make a good point - but I think I have a fun idea as well."

She crouched down beside the man on the floor, summoning her hemomancy and connecting it with his own bloodstream. She was careful - she didn't want to cause any harm, simply to awaken the man by rerouting the bloodflow a little bit.

She knew she'd had success when his eyes flitted open, a gasp coming from his throat. Placing a hand on his chest, she smiled down at the man before speaking softly, her tone meant to placate and calm the thief.

"Careful now...quite the tumble you took, wouldn't want to cause more damage. I've got some basic questions for you, and then maybe we can get you back where you belong..."

She flashed what she hoped was a comforting smile, before beginning her questioning.

"So...to begin with, where'd you get this purse from?"

A bit of back and forth later, and Kyra had a decent description of the woman who the purse had been taken from. Turning to glance at the other woman, she stood up, keeping an eye on the individual on the ground - just in case.

"So...do you want to return the purse, or the thief?"

@Higanbana