epidemiology | closed

CHARACTERS: Haise Sasaki

pursuit And Sai

daimeinashi
DATE: 10/21
WARNINGS: N/A
SUMMARY: Clear the Way bounty.

[It's bright and early in the morning when Haise sets out to complete one of the optional tasks ALASTAIR has set out for them. The job strikes him as simple enough. Clear some debris and fend off some dangerous elements...that's easy enough. And it ensures that others might travel more safely, which is always far preferable to the alternative.

He stretches, linking his hands high over his head before he lets them drop and roll his shoulders. The weather's not too bad today, far less intense than the desert stretch of Zeta-12, but that world was bereft of bandits. This world, on the other hand, is riddled with them.

Shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand, he squints at the horizon, sun peeking over the mountains]

I wonder how early bandits get up around here...

[Well, one way to find out. He strikes out from the edge of town, hefting up a stone that should be too heavy for his short stature and dropping it into a pothole. Waste not, want not]

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[Sai is not particularly gifted in the physical strength department, but he makes up for it in various other abilities he's got up his sleeve. Completing ALISTAIR's various tasks is about all he knows to do with his time, lacking as they are in any significant intelligence about the Deemers right now.

He just so happens to also be nearby in Boneyard Junction when Sasaki begins his work. For his part, he's taking care of some scraps of metallic debris from whatever machines were destroyed in the old settlement. He makes a series of handsigns, almost too quick to follow with one's eyes, inhales deeply, and then exhales a stream of fire at the metal scraps, melting them down to a puddle on the ground.

When Sasaki speaks up, he turns in his direction, tilting his head]

If they know what is best for them, not early enough to cross paths with us.

[Because you know, he was open to discussion on the whole Qorral thing, but anyone who attacks is gonna die, simple as that.]

[Haise doesn't pay particular mind to another associate being around, and he can guess the fellow is a member of ALASTAIR since the Qorral have a particular look to them. It's such that the lot of them stand out quite starkly, none among their member cast in shades of sepia-tone so far as Haise is aware. While they may stand out to the locals, they're somewhat innocuous to each other, unless one recognizes a face.

So he continues his approach of using stones to be cleared to fill in gaps in the path, hefting another boulder when there's a particularly sizable pitfall in the road and dropping it in. If he were to guess...it looks like a trap, if not a purposeful obstacle of another kind.

Naturally it's the sudden burst of heat and light that makes him pause abruptly, staring owlishly in Sai's direction]

...Did you just...spit fire?

[This is a legitimate question. Bandits are coming in second to guys breathing fire, alright]

[He's perfectly content to leave the boulders to Sasaki. He's not strong enough to lift them himself, and while he has the tools at his disposal to destroy them, the other man seems to be putting them to good enough use.

The question has him shrugging. Breathing fire isn't particularly rare among shinobi; it was once the signature of the Uchiha clan before they were wiped out by Uchiha Itachi.]

Yes. Why do you ask?

[With that answer, and a question in return, Haise reminds himself to stop staring. One of the first associates he'd met was a talking dragon who could use magic, after all. And the very first could conjure fire, though he hadn't breathed it so much as made it appear over his hand like some sort of human lighter]

Sorry, I just... I've never seen a power like that.

[Reminding himself they're there to work, and that he can talk and do so at the same time, he picks up another stone to relocate]

Where I come from, we didn't have anything resembling magic.

I see.

[Technically speaking, "magic" doesn't exist in their world either, but it's analogous enough to ninjutsu, and he's not particularly interested in splitting hairs and explaining chakra to this guy.

He turns to melt down another pile of debris before turning back to Haise.]

Every shinobi is capable of performing ninjutsu, though the nature transformations such as Fire Release are a bit more advanced.

[That's not said arrogantly; he sounds like he's stating that the sky is blue with how flat and toneless his voice is. He seems to lack much inflection in general, Haise might note, much like the mild and impassive expression he's maintained since he first spoke.]

[Haise pauses in hefting another boulder around to squint at something that glints in the distance, just behind some closely-cropped shrubs. For now, he turns his attention back to work, casually ignoring it as though he doesn't suspect they're being watched]

I imagine that differs from ninpō...

[Since Haise is well aware that ninja in his world weren't capable of conjuring fire. He can well imagine that there are ways to make it appear as though they were breathing fire, but he understands the discipline historically to be more about guerrilla tactics than anything quite so attention-grabbing.

It's one of the wonders of different worlds: they may use the same terms to entirely different meaning. In truth, that sort of thing is terribly interesting to Haise, though he doesn't want to pry too much.

As such, he keeps it general]

So that makes you a ninja, I take it?

[Pirates, ninjas, dragons...their squad's got it all]

[Guerrilla tactics are certainly a core part of being a shinobi, but sometimes you need to have a Big Climactic Battle, and those just aren't complete without an explosion or two.]

That is correct.

[He indicates his headband, with its stylized leaf symbol.]

I am a shinobi of Konohagakure.

[Following that indication, his attention flicks to the headband for a brief, assessing moment. The name is foreign, as so many others are, but it's a detail Haise will commit to memory.

He appreciates understanding more about his associates, although their squad is so much larger than he'd ever been accustomed to]

Is that a clan, or your hometown?

[Satisfied that he's filled the gaps in this stretch of road, he moves the next large stone he comes across well aside]

I'm an investigator from Tokyo. I...imagine you may not have heard of it either.

It is the name of my village, yes.

[He follows Haise, cutting through some kind of mangled aluminum or plastic that's blocking his way with a kunai.]

I have not heard of Tokyo, no. I presume it is not anywhere within the Five Great Shinobi Countries, correct?

You're right. I haven't heard of those countries before... Tokyo is the capital of my county — Japan.

[He carries on casually, hefting another large stone up high. Pivoting then, he uses the stone to block any view of his face from that glinting spot in the distance, in the guise of turning to face Sai]

It looks like someone's observing us, although I don't know if they'll engage.

[Perhaps lifting huge boulders and breathing fire are deterrents enough]

I suppose we are indeed from different worlds, then. I have not heard of Japan, either.

[When Haise speaks next, he's immediately scanning the area with his eyes (though keeping his head still, of course; it would be too pointed to visibly begin looking around as soon as Haise turned), looking for the source of the potential threat.]

Should we capture them? They might potentially have information for us.

[And hey, it's not as if the Qorral look kindly upon bandits, so it'd be killing two birds with one stone. Well, at least metaphorically, but maybe also literally?]

There's a chance we could get a lead out of it... Or if they retreat, we may be able to track them.

[Well, Haise doesn't think it's a matter of may. As a half-ghoul he could follow the scent, and if ninja in Sai's world are anything like those of his own world when it comes to areas outside superpowers, he may be able to track a target with his own skills. Either way, they could easily follow.

Whether it's intelligence on where these bandits are camped out and their numbers or more information about their intentions and allegiances, it's something they can use.

Haise sets the boulder down beside him, casually dusting his hands off]

[Sai is excellent at searching; he might not be one of those ninja who are specialized in picking out and following particular chakra signatures, but he has other methods at his disposal that are directly suited to such things.]

Yes. An ambush, then? They may not realize we have noticed them already.

I'd imagine they haven't, since they've yet to move.

[Haise could hear it otherwise, though he doesn't say as much. He debates the suggestion, wondering whether they'd be able to get the drop on that scout when they're surrounded by little more than rocks, dirt, and scrub brush]

We don't have much cover...but if I got their attention, could you flank them?

[Considering he's talking to a ninja here, he suspects the answer is yes]

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