Summary:Ryoshi and Shiranui both decide to check out an abandoned lair. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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The Hand has been in conflict with an outside force recently and has lost many of it's operations in Staten Island. The spillover has created chaos that Shiranui has been taking advantage of elsewhere. In Hell's Kitchen, the Hand's reorganization has caused what Kian can only describe as a 'lair' to be abandoned and in some haste. Or at least that's his theory. He hasn't seen anyone moving in or out of it in several hours and it was empty when he got here.
So he pushes the door open to the non-descript car shop and peers around.
"I wonder if Ryoshi has caught wind of what's been going on…" He mutters to himself as he draws his sidearm and proceeds toward the garages. There should be a hidden room with a cache of weapons, money and information. The garage is the logical place to start looking.
Ryoshi had been staying in the bunker Shiranui had led her to - on and off over the last several days. He might get the feeling she's been moving around, making it difficult to find where she is at any given time. He hasn't seen though - just the evidence of her existence.
There hadn't been anyone that Shiranui has seen and yet when he enters the shop and heads to the garages, he can hear the slight sounds of something being moved in the farmost left area. It's faint and yet its there.
There's a soft click as Shiranui rounds a corner. He peers, looking for the source of the sound. "Ryoshi?" Is that her or is it something else. The area is supposed to be abandoned but he'd be foolish to think he's the only one here or the only one watching.
Slowly he approaches where that sound is coming from.
Shiranui is met the serrated edges of Chakram - not thrown, just thrust forward around the corner of the door frame. "Shiranui … " It's Ryoshi, with her mask over her face, a hoodie obscuring the rest of her facial features. "… you heard?"
That's all she says as she turns back to the wall, it's clear she's been shifting tool chests and benches to get to it. "Somethings freaked The Hand out…"
"I know." He says, his voice modulated. Holstering his weapon he moves over to help move tool chests. "They've lost most of their territory on Staten Island and abandoned at least six lairs off Island as well. I haven't checked to see how badly the Snakeroot and Order are affected but I suspect similarly. They're in defense mode, falling back. Regrouping."
Will they counterattack or just try to find a way around the issue? It's impossible to say.
"How did you find out?" He knows she's been sleeping in his safehouse. He doesn't mention it though. After all he said she could.
The chests scrape of the concrete floor, even though they're on casters. It makes moving them slightly problematic, they've got to go slowly or risk being heard from the street.
"There's rumours about a … gang … moving in. It's really vague what I'm hearing but the lairs on Staten are being targetted." Ryoshi agrees. She's a slip of a thing, short and slim but wiry. Stronger than her size would indicate, but not supernaturally so.
There's one more chest to move and the wall will be clear. Kian can see the seams of the drywall and either that's a really bad job or that wall moves somehow.
"I listen and I watch. I might be broken and exiled, but I do have some contacts on the street that still talk to me." He can't see the smirk on her face, but he can see her eyes when she looks up - they're dancing. "I might have waylaid one of The Order informants when he went to get Pizza and asked a few questions, with my darts."
"Charming." Shiranui says, the modulation disguising the dryness in his voice. "He told you about this place, I take it? Is that seam what I think it might be?"
The last of the chests is stubborn but they do get it moved. Shiranui is about to push on the door when he hears something out in the courtyard. Sounded like someone very lightly landing.
Ryoshi might get a headache when he fires up his powers.
"Hang on. I don't think we're alone."
Thump. That was on the roof above them. No. No they are not alone.
"Among other things. Was it my methods you don't approve of?" Ranna grunts as she puts her shoulder to moving the last of the chests. These are full of tools, they'll likely bring a pretty penny if they sold them and money is something Ryoshi could use about now. "And I think so … that's why I was moving these chests. If it's not, I'm going to be very upset. I didn't need the workout."
She freezes at the sound, doubling over slightly as the pain spikes through her head. "Neither do I… " The chakram forms in her hand again.
"I'm just imagining the mess you made." Shiranui ribs the other Ninja as he looks up. He reaches back for his sword but doesn't draw yet. "I wonder who-"
The roof caves in causing Shiranui to spring back. A man in a nearly completely black body suit with a brown cape and brimmed hat and a sword at his side descends.
"Well…" The man says from beneath his admittedly skintight mask. "The traitor AND the problem. It must be my lucky day."
This MUST be Midnight. One of Si-Fan's elite operatives.
"I didn't make a mess…" Ryoshi sounds *insulted* by that insinuation. "I mean really. Just a little bit blood and wounds in the right place." It was messy but not as much as it might have been.
"No one goo—-" She looks over the newcomer, eyes raking over the suit. "Has anyone told you that the suit doesn't become you?" Ryoshi's head hurts but she's not letting this man know that. "Are you the traitor, Shiranui and I the problem, do you think?" It's definitely the other way round but you know.
"What do you want, Midnight? Come to see if your pets are still here?"
"You ARE kind of a problem." Shiranui says, hand on sword. The other man hasn't drawn yet. But he knows that an Order assassin could at any time. They tend to be quite skilled on top of really, really obnoxious.
"I came to see who was scrounging around in the remains of the Hand's leaving and what do I find but dogs? Naturally. Have you been entertained by their leavings? Find something you want to take home and bury?"
The black suited man's hand goes toward his blade.
"Ryoshi, you are to come home and face judgement. Your recall order has been issued. Obey."
That SHOULD make her obey. Well, would if Shiranui hadn't damaged her implants.
"I suppose I am…" Ryoshi answers Shiranui, dark eyebrow rising when Midnight calls them dogs. "I suppose I am a bit of a bitch…" She's clasping on Chakram, ready to use it, though careful because she knows he's a lot better than her.
"Lots of things really. But nothing you'd find of value." The command when it comes, makes her implant short again and she winces. "Ngggggnh. I … don't think so, Midnight. I don't like the way your suit looks and I don't think the Order looks good on me…"
She might almost see Midnight frown through that skintight, all covering suit. "I said, Obey." That triggers the implant again but of course it doesn't work.
"You know the dog thing was just a metaphor right?" Shiranui says. "She doesn't do tricks. Believe me I tried to teach her. Roll over. Play dead. Nothing."
The masked man pauses…
And then his blade comes out. Shiranui's does too. There's the clang of metal on metal twice and the tech-ninja jumps back as Midnight takes a swipe at Ranna.
"Owww. Would you *quit* it. All you're doing is making me cranky." Ryoshi mutters, eyes narrowing as she deals with the pain. It's unclear who she's talking to Midnight or Shiranui - maybe it's both. "But he's right, I'm not a performing for the Orders Circus any longer."
As Midnights blade swipes at her, Ryoshi brings her chakram to block it, catching the blade on the serrations and twisting.
As the same time, metal scales from her second bracer flow into darts. Darts that aim for Midnight … in the groin and in the face.
Ryoshi plays dirty.
Well he can't do it right now. Shiranui is doing it every time he uses his powers but she's probably used to that. The darts hit the suit and draw blood but the suit is somewhat armored and they don't do more than slow him down. There appears to have not been much… penetration in the groin. The ones aimed for the face are deflected by a twirl of the sword.
Shiranui comes from the other and but while both ninja are highly trained, Midnight is also that and he expertly weaves between the two, parrying blows from both.
That is until the Project Ninja summons a glowing kunai into his hand and tosses it at Midnight's feet.
The blast bowls him over but also knocks over a lot of loose things, tools mostly, AND blows open the false door into the Hand supply room.
No, no Ranna is not used to the sharp shooting pains that arc through her head. They *hurt* damnit. A lot. And they're making her cantankerous. It's only her training that keeps a lid on her anger and allows her to channel it.
The darts are called back, flowing into a sharp edged chakram as they do. Ryoshi's weapon of choice - both blades fly out, not directly at Midnight but to the sides. Ranna grabs a large wrench from the workbench and uses it as improvised staff.
When Midnight is blown backwards, she sends the chakrams spinning in.
Oh look. Weapons. These, she can use.
Midnight rolls away from one Chakram but takes the other to the shoulder and cries out in pain. That did something. The flow of blood is clotted by something in the suit and he continues to fight, though. Well, dodge at the moment.
There are ALL kinds of weapons. Swords, staves, staves with swords on the end of them. Nunchaku. Guns. Also a lot of cash. And that might be a computer back there.
Midnight flips back onto his feet and Shiranui is on him again. Ryoshi gets a good look at how he fights. Blade flashing, using very short lived barriers to parry blows while he remains constantly on the offensive. Still, good as Shiranui is it's possible that Midnight is better and after a moment he has the tech ninja on the defensive.
Ryoshi's mind grabs hold of throwing stars that are there. They're not made of Cogmium and to her mind they feel sluggish but several of the stars come flying at Midnight as he pushes the tech ninja back. It might be enough of a distraction to give Shiranui a break.
Tumbling past the fighting pair, Ranna sends her disks flying as well. This time they hover on either side of Shiranui, waiting for him to make his move.
Grabbing a sports bag from the ground, the Order Ninja collects the cash, then weapons. Fitting what she can in the bag before turning to the computer and flipping it on. She's no hacker but she's learned a few tricks …
The distraction works and Shiranui bounces back to get more separation. Then his sword splits and becomes a bladed whip. He swings it out and entangles Midnight's legs, tugging him off balance while he pulls that 'gun' of his and begins to fire point blank into the other swordsman.
"Royshi! Is now really the time?"
It might be though because, worsted for once, Midnight struggles to kick himself free. When finally he does, the black clad operative bolts rather than continue the unfavorable fight.
Back in the room, Ranna gets access to the computer. It's got their operations logs from the past several weeks.
"Cool your britches…" Ryoshi calls back to Shiranui. "You've got him and …" The chakrams spin in as Shiranui moves and fires his gun. Midnight isn't going to have a choice but to back off and while Shiranui is 'playing', the bladed disks spin out again.
All controlled by Ranna's mind as she goes scavenging.
"We won't get a chance once we leave." The Order ninja says as her eyes scan the screen. Inserting a usb key from the pocket of her hoodie into the machine, Ryoshi starts to copy the files.
She'd take the computer but seriously? Carrying it while they try run is just awkward.
"Yeah but usually you finish the fight first." Shiranui sheathes his blade and comes back to see what she's got. A lot of it won't make sense to him but it should give them some insights into Hand movements.
"Look there. Looks like the order to abandon was given four days ago. And it came after two other posts were lost." They've not only pulled back from Staten Island but they're pulling back in general around New York.
"Hrm. I don't see anything about a general withdrawal order. They mean to stay. But they got bloodied. They don't think they can hold what they have if they're pushed."
"There was no guarantee that fight was going to go in our favour." Ryoshi says, her blades spinning back and becoming scales that slide under the sleeve of her hoodie. "So I analysed the risk and decided that you could hold him long enough to let me get through here."
She's unrepentant and that's likely to get her a 'look'.
"At least you've stopped using your abilities and he's stopped trying to command me. I'm going to develop an addiction to vicodin if I'm not careful."
The logs are transferring to the thumbdrive as they look through them on the computer. "There's got to be in here where they're consolidating. If we can find that … we can organise hits on there while they're disorganised."
Kian makes a face. So she'd figured that he could deal with it and if he didn't she'd at least have the information. It's very process driven. Very logical. Not incredibly tactical though. Usually it's 'win the fight, then do the other things.'
"See. This is why you have no friends." The tech ninja mutters. "We could hit them but I don't know if that gets us anything. If we just wind up annoying their street level ninja then we won't actually stop what they're doing. If we want them to hurt we need to know what's important to them. Then hit them."
"Don't give me that look. It was a valid assessment of the situation and you know it." Ryoshi shoots back. "Are you thinking I would have left you if I got the information?" Brown eyes meet his over her mask. Questioning. He won't miss the hurt that flashes across them though.
She knows she's friendless and now she knows why. It's not for reason he's just outlined.
"Well maybe that's here as well but we need the data to work that out." The data transfer to the thumbdrive and Ryoshi takes it out. "What else is here that you want? I'm taking the money and some of the weapons, though they're only somewhat useful to me." She starts poking about to see what she can find.
"I want to know why they abandoned this place…" Shiranui says as he starts to look through cupboards. Weapons. Weapons. Drugs. Money. Spare sets of black pajamas. Oh say. This is interesting.
The tech ninja pulls out what looks very much like a small shrine. It has clearly had incense burned on it at some point.
"Devotion to the Beast. The creature, idea, whatever the Hand worship. This wouldn't have been left behind on purpose…" He mutters, flipping it over to look at the bottom.
"This was made in New York…"
"I'm not sure they left us any love notes, Shiranui." Ryoshi quips, shaking out a set of black pajamas and holding them up to the man, sizing them against him. She doesn't say much as she folds them and put several sets in her bag. "Or a forwarding address. We'll have to find one of them and see if they can speak."
Wrinkling her nose at the shrine, the Order Ninja sighs. "I know what it is. Here? Most things are made in China. Or Taiwan. Maybe Korea now. Or Pakistan." She peers over his shoulder at the markings.
"I know that place. It does nice household sculptures. It's not far from here."
"If they make this kind of thing odds are good that they are in with the Hand. Either in debt or in their service. Both of which are bad." Shiranui makes a face.
"We don't know where Midnight went or I'd say we should go there now. Put the place under observation." He puts the shrine back and then wipes his hands off as if holding the thing hat made them dirty.
"You know most of the Hand aren't actually people. At least most of their foot soldiers. We'll have to find someone important if we want answers."
"That's a possibility. I often stop to browse when I'm passing. I can check them out …."
Can she now? Ryoshi isn't sure that's sensible but it's a lead and a good one. "We could go there now, sit tight for a bit and just watch. Midnight clearly wants me, he can find me…"
"Yes of course I know that. We'll just have to keep looking, won't we? Maybe this place …" she gestures to the shrine "… will help us. Or maybe we need to speak to some of the street thugs."
Midnight had been beaten by the two of them but he's clearly a better swordsman than either. "Maybe but the Hand doesn't have street thugs for us to talk to. We might need to find someone else's thugs."
Shiranui takes a breath. "Take what you need. We shouldn't stay." They can go and watch the other place but all they've found here for the moment are questions.
"Also now I want something to eat. We'll pick up some takeout."
"I've got what I need." Ryoshi answers. "We'll need somewhere to analyse this data. I wouldn't recommend the library, but that's where I've been using." Taking one last look around, the brunette nods.
"Let's go then. I'll keep my ears open at the Market. Lots of people come in." She pauses at the mention of takeout. "We'll… pick up takeout?" beat "OK."