on the hunt.

[Nujabes]

"I like my beat down low, down low, down low, down low. . . " The Jounin's voice was barely above a whisper and he slowly followed the lyrics in his current song, still nodding his head to the nasty beat bumpin' in the background. He'd been trekkin' through the misty paradise for quite some time, still unable to locate the village. In hindsight, maybe he really should have taken a sensor or Hyuuga with him; he didn't have a lifetime, y'know?

That's when he saw it, a humble little establishment off to his right. Sure, it probably wasn't the best idea to check it out; however, he might've gotten lucky and found someone who knew their way around this place better than he did.

It took Akira only a few seconds to get there, movin' at the same brisk pace as before. Though his intentions weren't ill-natured, he'd need to keep his guard up for the time being; he was on foreign soil, after all.

His entrance was practically silent, aside from the sound of the iron-like heels of his boots tapping against the floor. He kept his distance from the patrons, making sure to scrutinize each and every one of them.

And then. . .

": ) Sorry to intrude, but do any of ya' happen to know where tha' Mist village is? Got some important news for tha' Mizukage." he barked, smilin' wide.

[Axcel]

Axcel scratched the back of his head, clearly lost in thought as he stood among a small crowd. He could have sworn that this was the designated meeting spot for him and his partner. The troupe wasn’t far off--so where the hell was Lash? Ah well, if he didn’t show up, he’d simply not do the mission!

It was moments after thoughts of skipping out on a mission he said he’d help out on that he heard the sound of footsteps coming nearby. Thinking it was his absent partner, Axcel turned his head toward the source of the sound. It wasn’t his partner--but he didn’t care at this point, because his eyes had set onto the coolest fucking pair of sunglasses he had ever seen. People didn’t wear sunglasses in Yuki no Kuni--it was hardly ever bright, and usually people preferred goggles for eyewear. This, however, was something he hadn’t been accustomed to seeing.

“The Mist village?” the lad raised a brow at the inquiry. At first he thought to ignore the request, since it was directed at the crowd and not him alone, but then he remembered he wasn’t actually a shinobi of Mist. It wasn’t any of his concern, and maybe he could gain something out of pointing him towards the village. “I’ll give you the location for your shades!” he said, wearing a sly grin as he tried to haggle, albeit poorly.

No matter his answer, Axcel would unravel just enough of his world map so that the ashen haired man could see the location of mist.

[/justify]

[Nujabes]

At first, the man's request didn't even register as plausible. The location of the village for his shades?! Not his arm, the clothes on his back - hell, even Hebi?! His shades?! It was probably one of the most preposterous requests he'd ever heard in his life . . . but it was one he'd have to bow down to. A mission was a mission.

". . . Ya' better take care of 'em." With the biggest hint of hesitation, and what looked like a tear forming in the corner of his left eye, he sorrowfully tossed the beautiful pair of shades across the small distance between them.

Kaname had better be willing to replace those.

[Axcel]

Initially, judging from how the man had reacted to Axcel’s words, he thought he wasn’t going to get the shades. Maybe they held some sort of sentimental value? Axcel thought of what would happen if someone had forced him to trade the chain he wore around his neck for a village location--he’d likely turn them down, even if it meant failing a mission! He felt bad, and almost retracted his request, that is, until the man took his shades off.

As he threw them, Axcel realized it wasn’t an item of any sentimental value, it was just that awesome. The boy would catch the aviators gracefully, twirling them once between his fingers before placing them onto his face and completing the transition between owners.

With that done, he’d honor the man’s requests and show him the way to Mizugakure no Sato.

[/justify]

[Nujabes]

exit

[Axcel]

The dark colored man with white hair took his leave immediately after receiving the location to the village. The guy had official business with the village, after all, so it wasn’t like he sent an assassin their way. Although that was still a possibility. . . Either way, the guy would’ve found it eventually, right? Anyone who has business with a village is bound to find it eventually--despite them being considered to be hidden, regular people from outside of the village were often contractors for missions. Obviously if they knew how to find a village, it was only a matter of time before any real shinobi found it.

Noticing that Lash still hadn’t shown up, the lad was considering leaving. Now that he had obtained these badass pair of orange sunglasses, he could leave knowing that he wasn’t going to be returning empty handed. Grinning as per usual, the lad turned to leave and make his way back to Kirigakure no Sato. As he adjusted the shades on his face while moving, a voice suddenly called out to him.

“Oi--are you the escort from Kirigakure?”

Shit! Axcel froze upon hearing the words. What were the odds of the circus troupe finding him? He supposed he did seem shinobi-like from the outside, but he couldn’t help but think that those shades he acquired should have acted as a disguise of some sort! Either way, he couldn’t leave now.

He turned around, scratching the back of his head while chuckling some. “Yep, that’s me! Haha. . .” His laugh was lacking any enthusiasm, however, that was all changed upon his eyes setting upon the carriage that would carry the circus troupe’s equipment. His eyes lit up at the sight, and through his excitement he he thought of how awesome it would be to ride shotgun.

“Ah, mind if I sit in the front? It’ll be easier to react to any bandit acts from there” he said with a silly grin on his face. The old man with a funky beard who seemed to be in charge of the troupe was more than happy to oblige to Axcel’s request. Allowing the lad to sit in the front of the carriage for the sake of protecting the troupe wasn’t something they would hesitate about. After about ten or so minutes of preparation the troupe set off.

Hopefully nobody would attack--Axcel wanted to avoid the bloodshed, if possible.

[/justify]

[Axcel]

Either these guys from the circus drunk from all the sake Axcel saw getting loaded onto the carriage or they were incredibly lively people. They made the boy himself look like a quiet, boring person in comparison. It was as if they had forgotten the danger that their route suffered from, and the fact that bandits often targeted them. Even so, listening to their cheers and singing was relaxing in its own, odd way.

It was beginning to get dark, and they had yet to encounter any bandits. Maybe nobody was going to attack this time? Was it possible that bandits had a holiday? After all, everybody needs a break now and then, right? Maybe today was their holiday! Fortunately the lad realized how far-fetched and unlikely it was for bandits to have an official holiday. Sighing shortly after, the carriage driver glanced towards Axcel and, his face full of curiosity. The boy raised a brow that beckoned the man to ask whatever was on his mind.

“Uh. . .why are you wearing sunglasses when its dark out. . .?”

“Don’t question the shades man--they’re the source of my power. . .!” Axcel spoke with a certain bravado and conviction that actually convinced the elder man that what he was saying was the truth. The bearded man averted his gaze and focused his attention on the road ahead. “So, how long until we reach our destination anyways?” he inquired, genuinely curious about how long it would take. They had been on the road for sometime now, so they shouldn’t be too far off.

“Hm. . .at this rate, we’re probably about half an hour away.”

The geezer replied quickly, though from the sound of his voice he seemed uncertain. They traveled often, yes, but it was usually to different places. Still, it was as good as an estimate Axcel would get. He was getting a bit bored of their trip. Still, he rather himself be bored than bandits to attack them. He was more than confident in his ability to take care of a few bandits and protect the lives of the circus troupe, but he definitely preferred not having to deal with them. Bandits not attacking was still entirely plausible, though. After all, it wasn’t guaranteed that they would attack. The troupe hiring the shinobi was just a saftey measure--after all, the risk in losing their equipment or even worse, their lives, far outweighed the small sum it costed to hire a shinobi from Kirigakure.

[/justify]

[Axcel]

Alright, it was dark earlier, but now it was really dark. If bandits were going to attack the troupe, then it would most definitely be now. Axcel’s eyes began to scan the horizon, attempting to pick up on even the most subtle of details. He would need to be alert if he wanted to be able to react to a surprise attack before any harm was inflicted onto the troupe.

It was then that the boy could hear sounds from a distance. In fact, they were headed towards the sounds. It was getting louder and louder, and he could tell that there were multiple people at the source. Axcel reached into his pouch to remove a kunai, the handle wrapped with an explosive note. He was prepared to act at a moment’s notice, now all he had to do was wait for them to show themselves. . .

“Alright! Looks like we’re here!”

“. . .Huh?!” Axcel’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor--was his sense of time really that bad?! It must have been, considering that it had been just over thirty minutes since he had last spoken to the carriage driver. Apparently there were no bandits after all. Looks like Axcel ended up lucking out on this mission! He was genuinely surprised at the lack of bandits--though he supposed it was to be expected. Even though crime was rampant, it was still unlikely to be attacked randomly by bandits. Either that or he was actually right about bandits being on holiday today! He knew it!

Hopping off the carriage as soon as they pulled up near their camp, Axcel smirked at the old man. “I guess this is goodbye, eh?” he said as he adjusted the shades which rested upon his face. Though he hadn’t wanted to go on the mission, he couldn’t help but feel sad that he was leaving. These people were quite funny--and talented too (in their own way, anyways)! As the bearded man unloaded a case, he reached into his pocket and turned to Axcel.

“Indeed it is! But, take this, as a gift from us to you.”

He said with a smile, handing Axcel two tickets to their show. It was usable at any of their shows, so he didn’t necessarily have to goto the one that would be coming up soon. Axcel bowed and thanked the man. He was definitely grateful for the tickets, and he was already eager to see them in action. However, for now, he figured he should return to Kirigakure.

Lash had better have a good reason for not showing up to the mission she had picked out for them.

--Exit!

[/justify]

[Kii!]

Hanafubuki: 14 EXP

Axcel: 45 EXP