The Gossip Pt 1

Mission Info:

Blinsky's Gambling Hall was well known to Kannagi in Nikkousato and she was unsurprised to see that there was another hall with Blinsky's name upon it in Gekkousato. Where money was to be made by leeching it from the unassuming adrenaline seekers, Blinsky was there. The blue haired woman had recently taken part in a mission to destroy some property owned by the Ketsueki family. They were a group of thugs as far as she could tell; she had gone to their night market before, hoping to find rare and unique items to enjoy. She expected honorable business and had found instead a thread of guaranteed theft from her own beloved clan. She could not let such a thing stand of course, not with her morals, and even in the face of the hardened leader of the Ketsueki within his own compound, Kannagi had stood resolutely opposed to his rule and demands. Even as he killed the merchant responsible, she had not caved to his requests and though it had nearly cost her her legs, the kunoichi had humiliated him with a serious loss that night. The property that she and Sojiro had discovered was covered in a spider design that had felt so familiar to her and when she finally made the connection to the Ketsueki family, she had all the motivation in the world to follow up on the intelligence she and Sojiro would need to take out as many of their compounds as possible. Thugs and thieves should not have been allowed to prosper upon the backs of the hard working and innocent and Kannagi knew she could do something about it even if the Moon nation chose not to. She was one of the few who was not afraid of the name Ketsueki.

In the gambling hall, Kannagi had to take care. She sat at a counter facing a bartender, with her back closest to the wall. It was a smart position to be sure that nobody who did recognize her blue eyes and blue hair might go after her in such a public location. She couldn't very well put on her usual disguise. What she wanted to know was if there were any more details that she and Sojiro had missed. How many supply camps were there? How often did guards change roles? What routes did they travel upon and where were they most vulnerable to attack? The blue haired woman wore a slinky red dress covered in tiny shimmering jewels. She had her hair pulled back beneath a luxurious red feathered cap with a red mesh veil, something to blend in with the classier of the hall's patrons. And from where she sat, she overheard bits and pieces of every conversation that came to the bar for a hearty ale, bitter wine, or fruity mixed drink. For three hours, she sat and she sipped, approached by handfuls of men and women interested in her company for cards or more. She refused them and eavesdropped on their lives in silence, drinking only water with ice and lemon. In the short glass it was poured into, it looked like a hard liquor and prevented her from actually needed to get tossed to acquire any useful intel.

An older couple fought, debated and made amends at a nearby table; something about desiring more passion and romance in their lives, something about wanting a child. She stopped listening when the man promised to give her a baby and giggles ensued. That was certainly not her business. There was a friendly group of genin, eagerly regaling each other of tales from their first missions out. A man who had been forced into chasing around a pet cat, only to discover that the cat he had captured was a stray and the owner had made a mistake. A woman who had needed to place up posters all over the village as an advertisement for a festival only to learn that the posters were misprinted with the wrong date, and she was asked to remove them all directly. A pair who had thought they were going to guard a treasured temple from thieves who ended up simply trying to stay awake all night at the local temple, which had had no crime or visitors for weeks. It was nearing the three hour mark when Kannagi began to wonder if her mission to collect information would yield any results at all when a pair of men wearing black suits took a seat at the bar just a few paces away from her. They had shot her a smile and one had even thrown her a flirty wink before they settled into a quiet and terse conversation. The kunoichi pretended not to listen as she drank from her glass but with the practiced ears of a shinobi who had been only listening in on conversations all evening in this busy locale, she was able to catch almost every word.

The pair were lower ranking men of the Ketsueki clan, having just ended some sort of patrol shift and choosing to come to Blinsky's for a relaxing drink. Kannagi concentrated and heard them complaining. The first male with a brush of facial hair around just his lips and chin grumbled, "A ten hour patrol? It just isn't right. And a fifteen minute break is hardly enough time to take a piss and close one's eyes!" "Yeah, you're right, pal. But then, don't grumble too much. They could always send you out to one of them supply camps," answered the man with the pale green eyes and hunched shoulders. Clearly they were both tired. Kannagi wet her lips and closed her eyes, minding her own business at least in appearance as they continued on. "Those guys make more ryo! They get to hang out all day, only answering to one guy, and then they all sleep in shifts! Hell, I could go for some real money like that!" "I don't think so," said the green eyed man, resting a hand on his friend's arm, "You hear about the random attacks lately? Some masked fellow keeps going after the camps. It's got everyone up in arms right now. Recently, a crazy lady with pink hair even joined in on the raiding." "You're kidding..! And the men..?" The bearded man whispered, his eyes wide and nervous. "Most of them dead. You don't wish that do you?" "Oh hell, no," He slurped down his shot in one gulp, waving his hand at the bartender. "I guess today wasn't that bad. Still, ain't Alvah or someone doing something about it?"

The next words were exactly what Kannagi had needed. The green eyed man was just a gold mine for her tonight and Sojiro would be pleased. "Security will be beefed up a bit in the northern camps as that's where the valuable stuff is. For now, I think they are putting out traps and riggings to put an end to these supply raids before other groups start getting the wrong idea. You know?" Kannagi finished her glass of water, unable to stop herself from smiling. The information was perfect. She slipped some ryo onto the counter and gently swayed past the pair of Ketsueki clan men, throwing them a flirty wink before departing the hall. That's right, she thought. She was just some random floozy. Nothing to see here.

WC: 1230