Desperate Times; Desperate Measures

[Amy]

It had been three days since she had found the man with the lotus brand on his wrist. Yutaka, he called himself, and she had no reason to believe he was lying. It was possible but it didn’t matter at this point anyways. Because at this point, he hadn’t remembered a single damned thing. That first night after he left her outside the brothel he was staying at, she took up a post on a building across the street. This was now the second night in a row that she would be getting no sleep, but Misaki knew she could go at least four nights without sleep so while annoying, it was doable. Most of that night was spent grumbling to herself about the annoying way their conversation had ended.

He seemed to think that she cared about how he earned his money and who he slept with when in reality she couldn’t have cared less if she tried. She would have thought threatening to break his bones would cue him into the fact that wasn’t exactly a “by the law” type of person but maybe he was too stupid for that. Which was also just fine with her because if he was stupid he would be easy to manipulate into giving up all of the information she wanted. Once she had all of the information he had to offer she could leave him behind and never see him again. Until then, she decided that first night, she just had to play nice. The same way she always did. He seemed like a guy who didn’t take much too seriously and seemed amused by the simplest jokes. So that’s how she would be too.

But, it didn’t end up mattering in the least because the man had literally fucked his own brain by consuming more alcohol than an entire village in his short life. And poor Misaki had tried, and tried, to be understanding. She followed him around and coached him and tried everything she could to ruffle those memories and bring them to the surface. And all the buddy buddy stuff she was doing was about to be all for naught because she could not go another day without sleep and until he gave her actual information she had no reason to trust that he wasn’t still trying to run. The small voice in the back of her head whispered to her as her fingers tapped rhythmically on the roof at night.

He’s probably lying.

Tap, tap, tap.

Each word followed with each tap, a sort of chant drifting up towards the stars. It lulled her into a place calm enough she could stay awake and on the roof but still her anger festered. So, today, she was done playing games. He was going to give her information. Or, she was going to resort to her much less kind ways of finding out what she wanted. And how sad it would be to cut off what those women probably valued the most. Oh well.

As soon as he exited the brothel, Misaki would drop from the roof in front of him, shoving a bottle of sake into his chest, a scowl darkening her face. A scowl that she had meant to wipe off before dropping down into view. The lack of sleep was definitely starting to affect how well she could control how others portrayed her.

“Start drinking. You’re going to remember something today.”

She stalked off several steps, telling herself that she had no choice but to be who she needed to be, before throwing a bright smile over her shoulder, nose wrinkled up slightly.

“Also, good morning!”

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka was quickly shooed out of the room after waking up. The mistress often complained to him that she ran a brothel, not an inn. But why couldn’t it be both? Though even if they were willing to rent a room out for him, he probably couldn’t afford it. Street level cons weren’t exactly what one might call lucrative. As he made his way into the main room, he was stopped by the mistress.

"Hey before you leave, Taka. Just thought I’d let you know that someone was looking for you last night. Said you owed them money. I told them that I threw you out for being broke. I’m not sure how much time that’s going to buy you, though."

"I owe lots of people money, and don’t think some thug lookin’ to collect is going to stop me from seeing that pretty face o’ yours."

He gave the woman a wink as she rolled her eyes and tapped out the ash from her pipe. With a yawn and a stretch, he opened the door and left the building. Out of nowhere, his new associate dropped from the roof and shoved a bottle of alcohol into his chest. While she never exactly looked happy, Yutaka couldn’t help but notice she was looking extra pissed off today. The bags under her eyes suggested that she wasn’t getting much sleep. It appears she truly was watching him like a hawk.

"Aww, this your attempt at breakfast in bed? You’re too nice!"

The man wasted no time opening up the bottle and taking a few drinks. He was no stranger to getting drunk first thing in the morning. It was a great way to start off the day, really. Plus, who would turn down free booze? Falling into step alongside the girl, he spoke once again.

"Ya know, you should really get your beauty sleep. Don’t want to end up with a bunch of wrinkles from stress, do ya?"

Poking the bear was never a good idea, but Yutaka wasn’t exactly known for his good decisions. With a sigh, he thought about just what he was going to do. He really was trying to help the girl, if for no other reason than to get her off his back. But everything was so foggy and he knew that he was unconsciously avoiding those memories at all costs. Maybe Misaki was onto something, though, maybe he just needed to get really drunk. Problem was, that was an incredibly expensive endeavor for a man like Yutaka. Simple cons weren’t exactly going to cover it if he still wanted to afford a place to stay for the night.

"It might be what you’re already thinking, but I have an idea. Maybe if I get truly drunk, it’ll knock down some mental walls. That’s expensive though. I got a hell of a tolerance, and I doubt you got the money for that kind of thing. So I suggest I change gears a bit. Go for a bigger score this time around. Now, I don’t want the heat that a real robbery would get me, so I’m thinking of selling some counterfeit products. All we need is some gold paint, and I can make jewelry from my ability."

As a demonstration, he grew a chain from his wrist and showed it to the girl. He was pretty sure that she would want nothing to do with his shenanigans, but what choice did she have? This was their best option, and he was pretty sure that she knew torture wasn’t the best way to get honest information. People would make up lies just to stop the pain. But then again, this girl was sleep deprived and, quite honestly, a little batshit crazy.

[Amy]

Sparing the man no more than a withering glance, Misaki kept her thoughts to herself. About how annoying he was. And how the thought of him sleeping sounding in that brothel with some little slip wrapped up in his arms, made her hands clench at her sides and her footsteps fall just a little harder. But she kept her expression relaxed, a small smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. The tightness around her eyes couldn’t be helped but she doubted he was scouring her face and trying to examine her deepest feelings. That sort of thing seemed beyond a man who had to pay for a woman’s attention every night.

“I’ll take the wrinkles if it means getting what I want. Luckily, I don’t make my living off of my cute face.”

Before Misaki could lay her plan out, he seemed to catch on. If his abuse of alcohol was the reason he couldn’t remember what happened to him as a child then it only stood to reason that alcohol was the key in him remembering. It probably wasn’t going to be so easy as just getting him really drunk but if he got really drunk and she started putting some heavy stress on him, especially thinking he was in danger, she could probably drag up some of those old memories. It wasn’t going to be particularly pleasant but the plus side was that he also probably wouldn’t remember that either once he sobered back up a little. Most people’s brains had a funny way of blocking the painful things out to protect themselves. She wondered what that was like.

“Yeah, you’ve pretty much got the gist of it,” she said after a moment of silence. She had thought about stealing the booze but if they got chased away right after consuming it, it could mess up her plan. There were plenty of job requests in town but those would all require a multi-day commitment and it would be too easy for him to disappear while she was gone. The jewelry he held up looked decent enough and people around here were too poor to know what actual expensive jewelry would look like so they didn’t need to go overboard on the details.

“Wait here.”

Misaki would be out of sight almost before she stopped speaking, jumping up onto a nearby roof. She took the opportunity to drive the heels of her hands into her eyes, desperate to rub away the ache. This was torture. The information she needed to get started on her actual mission was right there in that giant oaf’s head. Who took him, who sold him, a description, a name, anything would be enough to get her started. Just one small, juicy bit of information she could sink her teeth into would be enough. She didn’t know what she would do if he had truly destroyed those memories. The thought of having to start over was too much to think about. So, she just wouldn’t. Not until she had to.

Less than ten minutes later, Misaki dropped next to Yutaka again, this time with a glass jar of gold paint and a brush.

“You make them and I’ll sell them. No one’s going to believe you, who has been scamming people in front of that brothel for months, has just been sitting on a stash of gold jewelry.”

She walked him to an out of the way alley where they wouldn’t be seen while he worked, stifling another yawn, gesturing for him to get started.

[ThatGuy]

"Damn, that was fast. You normally keep paint handy?"

She was an interesting character. It kind of reminded him of stories of shinobi freely jumping from rooftops. Yutaka supposed that he could technically do the same, but that seemed like way too much work. He rarely used the ninjutsu that the academy taught him. Though he supposed that his cons would be much easier if he did. But at the same time, he thought it was a risky gamble. If he was caught at any point, word would get around fast. Especially considering that he wasn’t a military personnel anymore. As they entered the alley, Yutaka wasted no time creating a makeshift workspace and getting started. He made a few rings, necklaces, and bracelets, figuring that it’d net them enough money for what they were going for. To kill time, he spoke to the girl as he carefully painted the counterfeits.

"So, we got a pawn shop on the other side of town we can go to. It’s a bit risky, though. Never know when people are going to scratch the paint off. I’m confident that no one will be able to tell at a glance, though. I’ve done this more times than I can count, which is pretty high, mind you. Otherwise, we can try and set up somewhere and convince some passersby to purchase something. It might take a while, though. I guess it really depends on your skill as a saleswoman. Seeing as you’re going to be the one selling, I’ll leave the decision of how to go about this to you."

He maintained focus as he spoke, finishing the last necklace. It took a steady hand and a good eye to pull something like this off. Thankfully, Yutaka had a lot of practice. As he moved on to the bracelets, he spoke again.

"I know you’re worried about me boltin’ and all. So you want me to keep close while ya sell them? I don’t really like using jutsu, but I guess I could change my appearance for a bit while you take care of business. Seeing as ya don’t want to let me out of your sight, I just need to make sure no one catches me using chakra."

With that, he finished the last of the bracelets, listening to Misaki’s response as he moved to the rings. They were much easier, which is why he saved them for last. It didn’t take him long before he had managed to get a good coat of paint on them. As he let them dry, he spoke once more.

"There’s enough paint for a little more, but I think we should call it here. Don’t want to get greedy. I’m sure we can get way more than we need if you manage to sell all of these. I’m counting on you!"

After waiting for them to dry completely and touching up some of the pieces a bit more, he showed them to Misaki. A look of pride on his face as he looked them over. They were damn fine-looking counterfeits. Best he had made in a while. Now it was just up to Misaki’s social skills.

"Right, time to test them charms. Let’s go make a living off that cute face of yours!"

Yutaka gave a shiteating grin as he handed the jewelry to the girl. Surely she’d be able to appreciate a good joke. Right?

[Amy]

A tight smile was all she offered him at his first comment. Because either he was stupid enough to think that she went to retrieve the paint from her supplies, rather than buying it, or he was trying to be funny. And neither option amused her. She leaned against the alley wall, half facing Yutaka and half facing the entrance to watch for anyone who may interrupt them. Watching him work, she finally found something she could appreciate about the man. He was good at what he did. When she pictured him painting the jewelry she one hundred percent expected him to dip the entire pieces into the jar and drip dry them. The fact that he actually put effort into it was a happy surprise.

She considered what he said and started formulating a plan. They needed to sell the items quickly and he was right, the pawn shop was way too risky. If they showed up with nine similar gold items, they were definitely going to check the items. Setting up on the market street was liable to take days, maybe even weeks, even if she was the one running the stand. People weren’t apt to buy things they didn’t plan on buying to begin with, especially not expensive items. She was going to have to be a bit more creative than that but there were a few things she had in mind and it should only take a couple of hours to unload everything.

“No need, you can stay close enough, we won’t be going into the pawn shop. Just nearby, and I’m sure you can manage to stay in my sights. I only need the money for our plan so if you bolt, I’ll just follow.” She shrugged lightly as she finished speaking, resting her head back as he started to finish up. The toe of right foot tapped against the ground as she waited. She figured how to sell the first two sets but the third might be trickier because it wasn’t a big town and they had to count on the fact that neither of the first two marks would realize they had been had before they unloaded the third. Truth be told, it was pretty unlikely anyone would notice but it wasn’t impossible. Conning people had never been Misaki’s preferred source of income but this was really no different than conning people into giving her information. This time, she just wanted money instead.

“Make a small box too, big enough for the pieces to lay side by side.” There was no denying his skill was handy.

Taking the box, and the jewelry, Misaki’s movements froze just a fraction of a second. He really did not want her to like him at all. Her brow scrunched down, eyes rolling dramatically around once before she placed the jewelry neatly in the box.

“You should stick to conning people, I don’t think comedy is going to make you any better of a living. Follow me.”

Misaki followed his directions to the pawn shop, stopping across the street and far enough away where it didn’t look like they were waiting outside of it. Yutaka would be able to stay where they currently were when she found their first mark. Finally, about thirty minutes after they stopped, the perfect couple exited the pawn shop. A young couple, dressed decently well but modestly, arguing with each other. The man’s head was shaking slowly back and forth, his hands raised up slightly against the woman who kept jabbing her finger into his chest and then lightly touching her ears and neck.

“Stay here like a good boy.” She said before crossing the street so she would be walking right at the couple. She busied herself looking into the box of jewelry, pretending that she was not looking at where she was going, making sure to shoulder check the man hard enough that when she crashed to the ground it was perfectly believable. A loud yelp exploded from her, unable to catch herself as she grasped the box tightly to her chest.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, let me help you up.” The man said as he reached down, helping Misaki up as she placed her hand in his gently, squeezing his hand just a tad harder than she needed to. Holding onto it even after she was back on her two feet. Misaki noted that she was correct that his angry woman had stayed several steps back, not interested in conversation.

“It’s quite alright, to be honest I was not looking where I was going at all. I may be the one who owes you an apology.” A wide smile brightened Misaki’s whole face, her nose wrinkling slightly as she tilted her head at the man. Her hand reached up to lay on his forearm. “I feel quite bad for running right into you. After my business, would you perhaps like to grab a drink? My treat.”

“Are you kidding me!?” The woman screeched, stomping up and slapping Misaki’s hand off of his forearm, feeling threatened. “You would ask my fiance out for a date right in front of me!? Who do you think you are!?”

The man sighed heavily but Misaki spoke up before he could, embarrassment reddening her cheeks.

“Miss, I am so terribly sorry, I had no idea you were together. I didn’t notice a ring and you weren’t really walking together so, you know, I just….well, you know, that is none of my business after all.”

“See? Without a ring everyone just thinks we’re nothing to each other! And maybe we are!”

“Honey, the pawn shop was just trying to rip us off. There’s no way that we could afford any-”

“You could afford it if you loved me more!”

Misaki couldn’t believe what good luck she had with the first mark. She almost believed the woman was working for her with what a show she was putting on. Pulling her brows together in concern and stepping just a little closer, lowering her voice, she spoke to both of them now.

“I suppose I should butt out now and mind my own business, but I may be able to help with your problem? The business I mentioned, I was about to sell some of my master’s works to the pawn shop. See?” She opened the lid to the box, angling it so that the sun would catch them and create a glare that both made the jewelry look real but also prevented them from getting too close a look. “I have caused you both a great deal of trouble. What if I sold some of these to you at cost? My master would be none the wiser as his income would be the same.”

The man practically deflated in relief as the eyes of the woman started sparkling.

“I feel like that’s too generous of you, but-”

“Yes! Yes, please, we would love to buy from you. How much-”

“Shh, shh, shh,” Misaki hushed, her finger hovering near her lips. “I’ll have to ask you both to step aside with me. If the owner of the shop sees me selling directly to you it could damage our reputation and I could be out of a job. I’d like to keep the sale private, you understand?”

Both of them remained quiet now, nodding their heads, one solemnly and one excitedly. Waving them off to the side, Misaki lifted the lid so they could get a better view, this time without the glare but now shadows to protect the authenticity of the pieces.

“Now, they were probably trying to sell you a ring for what, five Ryo? Ten?” Misaki gasped in surprise when the man shook his head and replied thirty. “Well, I’ll have to speak with my master about who he does business with. That’s quite steep. Now, these pieces are all part of a set; however, I can sell all three pieces to you for…twenty five...no, twenty Ryo. I feel it’s only right to give you a little bit of an additional discount. Please, see if the pieces are to your liking.”

When the couple held out their hands, Misaki handed them the ring, necklace, and bracelet, making sure the woman got hold of the ring. She immediately slipped it onto her finger and Misaki knew the deal was sealed. That woman was never going to take that right off. The man was a little more suspicious, examining the jewelry as best he could but even if the light was better it wasn’t like he knew what he was looking for. He looked like he wanted to say no but Misaki didn’t have to lower the price any further because the woman met his eyes and firmly said, “We’ll take them.”

With a bright smile, Misaki closed the box and tucked it under her arm. “I’m so glad I could help you two. Please, allow me to place the remaining pieces on you so your fiance can take in the full effect.” After helping the woman don the bracelet and necklace, the man reluctantly paid her but still, he looked relieved. After all, his woman was all smiles now. She let them exit the alley first, counted down five minutes and then left herself and walked back over to where Yutaka was thankfully still waiting. She wasn’t sure how much of the exchange he saw or heard and since they were currently working together it was only fair to keep him updated.

“They bought a whole set for twenty Ryo. We’ll have to give it a bit before working it again, just to make sure no one gets suspicious. A little more finessed than scamming people with cards, no?” This time, she smiled just slightly when she glanced at the man to her side.

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka feigned offense as the girl claimed he wasn't funny. What a sour puss. He followed her to the pawn shop and laughed as she told him to stay like a 'good boy'. She should have known by now that he was the furthest thing from it. But he was playing nice. For now at least. With curiosity, he watched what kind of con she was pulling. After she bumped into an unsuspecting couple, he didn't need to know what they were saying to figure out what she was doing. It was a good idea if you had the acting ability for it. Which, from the looks of it, she did. He chuckled as Misaki's hand was slapped away. They were caught hook, line, and sinker.

With some amusement, he watched as the three moved to an alley. She was smart. He could admire that. Well, if she wasn't playing warden with him, that was. He decided to drink a bit more while he waited. What harm could it do, really? He was just getting a head start on the day. As the couple emerged from the alley, Yutaka smiled, noticing the jewelry on the woman. Shortly after, Misaki returned and told him how much they made. Twenty Ryo was a damn good haul. But he couldn’t let her do all the work, could he?

"A damn fine job indeed. But you’re wrong. Palming cards and doing fake shuffles requires a lot more finesse than you’d think. But you don’t even really need finesse, to be honest. Here, follow me for a bit and watch. All I need you to do is look innocent and concerned when it’s time."

With that, he opened the box and grabbed a bracelet from inside. He found a mark and subtly planted the bracelet on him. No easy feat for someone of his size. But Yutaka was damn good at what he did. After following the man for a couple streets and making sure some of the crowd had passed, he found his moment to strike.

"Hey! You piece of shit!"

Yutaka grabbed the man and lifted him into the air. Pushing him against the wall of a nearby building. A couple people stopped, curious as to what was happening, while the rest went about their day. He was careful to put some emotion into his voice for the next part.

"You’re a fucking thief! You think you can just steal from my sister like that?"

"W-wha-"

"You’re really going to try and deny it? What’s this, then?"

He pulled the bracelet out of the man’s pocket and held it up. Most people were incapable of defending themselves in such a panicked state. Which made it all too easy to win over a couple onlookers. Yutaka gestured towards Misaki, who was still holding the box, to sell his point.

"Do you have any idea how long it took her to make those? You’re just going to take all that away from her?"

"No! I didn’t… Look, just take it back!"

No, we’re well past forgive and forget here, buddy. Since you seemed to want this bracelet bad enough to steal it, how about you buy it off her?"

"I didn’t steal anything!"

"The fucking nerve of you criminals. Maybe I should turn you in. HEY! WE GOT A THIEF OVER HERE!"

"STOP! Please, stop. I’ll buy it. H-how much is she selling it for?"

"Eight Ryo."

"Eight!?"

"You sayin’ my sister’s work is cheap? Eh? Don’t forget, you’re paying asshole tax here. In fact. How about you buy a necklace too? Fifteen Ryo."

"That’s robbery!"

"Robbery!? I ought to kick your ass right now. You got the balls on you to call me a thief?"

"I’m not a- fine, FINE! I’ll buy them. Just, please, stop making a scene."

Yutaka let go and let the man fall back onto his feet. As the man fished out some money, Yutaka motioned for Misaki to come over with the box. Then he grabbed the man by the arm and pulled him towards the girl.

"This man would like to buy a bracelet and a necklace from you. And he’s very sorry about his behavior. Aren’t you?"

With that, Yutaka grabbed the man by the back of the head and forced him to lower his head in apology.

"I am so, so, sorry! Please, let me buy these off of you."

He let go of his mark’s head and let him pay for the items. Yutaka subtly took a glance at the onlookers from before, it seemed that they had lost interest once they realized a fight wasn’t going to happen. He couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

"Don’t let me catch you stealin’ again! I’ll turn you in for real next time. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

The man scurried off, defeated. Yutaka waited for a minute before a large grin grew on his face, and he looked back over towards the girl.

"Alright, I went a bit overboard there, sorry. But I think I made my point. No finesse needed. Sometimes you just gotta scare ‘em. Anyways, we should probably keep moving."

Thirty-five Ryo was way more than he normally managed to get in a day, and they still had nearly half of their product left! If things were going to be like this, he could get used to working with Misaki.

[Amy]

Misaki’s smile grew just a little wider when he took her words as a challenge and took a bracelet from the box. She was a little concerned about his insistence that no finesse was needed because the whole point of this endeavor was to not get caught but trying to prevent him would cause just as much of a scene. Probably. But when he said he was going to need her to play along she dutifully followed a few feet behind him, the box once again tucked tightly against her side. He was an interesting guy, Yutaka. He acted like a scummy drunk but he wasn’t actually stupid. His sense of humor was basically non-existent. And he was too large to be very sneaky. She honestly wasn’t sure if he could be sneaky even if he was smaller. Misaki chuckled lightly to herself, shaking her head slightly. Hopefully, none of it mattered anyways and she would get what she needed before the day was over and she could finally get some sleep and be on her way by the morning.

Of course, her slight grace given to Yutaka internally soon turned to ash and fluttered to the ground around her.

"Hey! You piece of shit!"

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Misaki whispered to herself, stepping against the wall quickly. While she had not explicitly said “Hey, we probably don’t want to draw a bunch of attention to ourselves because we can’t spend the next three days running and hiding” she hadn’t really thought she needed to. For someone who made his entire living off of conning people he seemed to have absolutely zero respect for the consequences of his actions.

But, those feelings had to be pushed down for now because it was too late to go through this and not make any money off of it. She quickly took her hair out its binding and let it fall around her shoulders, hiding some of the sharper parts of her face. She blew her cheeks out and rubbed at her cheekbones until she could feel the warmth from how red they were. Then, just to cinch the deal she started breathing heavily, working herself up until a few tears pin pricked at her eyes and tumbled slowly down her cheeks. When Yutaka turned and motioned for her, finally bulling the man into paying for the fake jewelry he would see an innocent, heart broken Misaki standing behind him. She shuffled up slowly, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand, her voice shaking when she finally spoke.

“Th-thank you. Apology accepted,” she stammered, gripping the money tightly in her hand, holding it against her chest as though it were the most important thing in the world. She watched the man run off and stood near Yutaka until the remainder of the crowd had cleared.

“Do that again and I’ll leave you on your own,” she said, her voice deadpan. It wasn’t the most embarrassing thing she had ever done but it was always unpleasant. She slid the box between her thighs so she could do up her hair again and finish cleaning off her face. They still had a lot of jewelry to sell but they had done decently well so far. Misaki was wondering if they had enough but she did not want to go in unprepared and have to start totally over the next day. Especially because this was not a con they could keep up for long in a town this size.

“I’m gonna go hunt around for a new play, stay close but not too close especially now that we’ve been seen together.”

Misakai walked off more towards the center of town where most of the cafes and shop stalls were. There were a dozen different things she could do to unload the rest of the jewelry. Selling jewelry to men was one of the easiest things in the world but unless she ran into the perfect couple like earlier she would have to sell it piece by piece and she was much too tired for that. She could try to distract the buying at the pawn shop but one wrong move could end up with them in a cell for the night. A sigh fell from her mouth as she collapsed at one of the street tables, dropping her head into her hand. Just a short break.

“Good afternoon, miss.” A man’s voice from across and above her opened one of Misaki’s eyes.

She looked him up and down and then his companion. They were the nicest dressed people she had seen all day but they were clearly not just business men. Not with the way the fabric of their shirts stretched at their shoulders or the scars that littered their knuckles. They were obviously involved in the criminal world so far which meant that they likely hadn’t approached her just to chat. Opening her other eye, Misaki blinked heavily and lifted her head off of her hand, waving at the empty chair.

“Have a seat. What can I do for you gentlemen?” The lazy smile on her face, the tilt of her head would tell them what they needed to think about her inviting them to sit down. This was all a fun game, until it wasn’t.

“Couldn’t help but notice the commotion on the street a bit ago, with you and your brother?”

Of course this was about Yutaka, the fuck. He just had to go and cause a big scene. She didn’t know what these men wanted, but they could have him after she was done with him.

“I don’t think there’s any reason in trying to keep up that charade with you two, hm? I know you don’t know me and I’m not in the mood for the cloak and dagger bullshit. You want information about the man I was with, right?” When both men grinned and nodded, Misaki continued talking. “Then, we’re going to come to a quick agreement. I have four pieces of worthless jewelry in this box and you’re going to buy them, and the box, for forty Ryo so that you can force whoever you want to buy them for whatever absurd price you want. And in exchange I’ll answer four of your questions.”

“That’s not how things are going to g-”

The man who hadn’t been doing any speaking was reaching for her wrist while his buddy was talking but Misaki was much faster than he was and grabbed him by the wrist and flipped it upside down, pulling his thumb towards the sky.

“It is, in fact, how it’s going to go. Because I’m tired and I’m not interested in talking to you at all so you should be grateful you’ve gotten this much of my time. Now, do we have a deal or does your buddy here have a broken wrist?”

Misaki leveled her gaze at the chatty one, ignoring the curses coming from the one whose wrist she had twisted against the table.

“Fine. Deal.”

[ThatGuy]

It didn’t seem quite right to the man that someone so mean would have kept his hard earned money. So with a finesse that betrayed his size, he pickpocketed the fifteen Ryo from the girl. As she left to sell the remaining jewelry, Yutaka thought about what to do. He figured, for starters, he’d finish off the bottle of booze that Misaki gave him. It didn’t take long for him to down the remaining contents in a few big gulps. After tossing the empty bottle onto a nearby rooftop, he let out a large belch. Consequences of drinking too fast. For a brief moment, he thought about running. Now would probably be his best bet. But he liked this town and, more importantly, the money that Misaki was about to bring him. As much as he hated being followed around by an angry woman with no sense of humor, he could put up with it if they were going to be making this kind of money. The man’s ears perked up as he heard a familiar sound. With a smile on his face, he looked into a nearby alley. There they were. A group of gambling addicts playing dice. This was too good to pass up!

"Yo! You guys got room for one more?"

Yutaka made sure to show off his bag of coins. They were playing for chump change, so even with his modest amount of money, he might as well be a high roller. The group welcomed him, and Yutaka patiently waited for his turn. For the first few games, he played legitimately, which, considering his terrible luck, was a guaranteed loss.

"Fuck is wrong with these dice? This ain’t a con, is it?"

"You always such a sore loser?"

"Whatever, just roll the dice already."

He continued to play the part of a bitter gambling addict. Allowing himself to lose a couple more rounds, he checked to see how much money was left. Of the fifteen Ryo he had , he was down to eight. Which was fine because all of that was about to change with his next big roll. When it was his turn, he picked up the dice and subtly created a replica of them with his ability. In the same motion, he swapped the dice. It was tricky, but Yutaka was exceptionally good at making loaded dice and cards that looked like the real thing. With that, he rolled an eleven.

"WOOOO! Let’s see that coin, boys! My luck is turnin’!"

The group groaned as they reluctantly paid the tall man. Wasting no time, Yutaka grabbed the dice and swapped them out with the old ones. Most would consider it a risky move, but he was practiced, and besides, they weren’t exactly an eagle-eyed bunch. Now he had a total of eighteen Ryo, which wasn’t the craziest profit, but this was only the beginning! At least, that’s what he told himself before he sensed someone approaching. He’d know that grumpy aura anywhere, it was Misaki. He thought for sure he’d have a little more time. Without even turning to face her, he spoke.

"I know what this looks like, but I promise I’m about to win it big! Just give me a few more rolls!"

[Amy]

“Ask,” Misaki said. Her eyes stayed level at the man who had asserted himself as the leader of the duo. She didn’t let up on the other man’s wrist at all, keeping the tension right on the edge of broken or not broken. One wrong move and she would probably snap it accidentally and immediately feel not bad about it. The thought crossed her mind that these people might be involved with the people who took Yutaka when he was a kid but it really did seem like too big of a coincidence. Then again, she did have to consider that they were already in the town watching him and she was the coincidence for them. Either way, it’s not like she was going to give criminals important information about the most valuable asset she had ever found.

“Aren’t you going to release m-”

“No. Ask.” Misaki stated, still unmoving. Except for the slight tilt of her hand that drove the man’s wrist closer to breaking. “If it breaks before you ask I’m walking away.”

“You crazy fucking bitch!”

“Shh, now. Let your master speak.” Misaki dropped her eyes to the hunched over man in pain for just a moment before locking eyes again with the only one of the two she cared about. For the sake of his friend, he wouldn’t delay any longer.

“How long is he going to be here for?” The man was staring at her, hard. His hands were fisted on the table, little specks of red popping up on his neck as he bent to her will.

“One to two weeks.” Misaki knew she would have to fill Yutaka in on this conversation, after she got what she wanted today. She didn’t care for the man but there was no way she was going to leave him at the mercy of some creeps, especially if they were some creeps who had anything to do with his childhood. He didn’t deserve that.

She could tell the man wanted more information but he had learned enough in their short interaction that arguing with her was not going to get him anywhere.

“Does he know we’re looking for him?”

“Not that he’s said.” The corners of her mouth tugged up just slightly. This was one of the most unprepared interrogations she had ever participated in.

“Can’t you just answer my fucking questions like a human!?” The man’s fists slammed on the table before one of his fingers lifted to her face.

“I am, and that was question three. One more.” It seemed to infuriate the man even more that Misaki didn’t react to his outburst. But it did seem that it made her final point because after a few moments of staring the man dropped back into his seat, seemingly deflated. Pulling ryo out of his jacket.

“Are you going to tell him about this conversation?”

“Nope. Thanks for playing, it’s been super fun for me at least.”

As soon as the man threw the money on the table, Misaki released the other one’s hand and scooped up the coin, shoving it into her pockets. And immediately realizing that there was something missing. She was going to kill him. Without glancing behind her at the two men, Misaki stalked off in the direction of the last place she had left Yutaka. She was getting sloppy and that pissed her off more than anything.

It didn’t take long to pick up the sounds of gambling and find him holed up in some alley throwing dice around. She stood at the entrance, her shadow cascading across the empty boxes and bags of trash, noting the moment he realized she was there. Her footsteps quietly echoed down the alley, the other men stilling even as Yutaka cracked jokes. She fisted the back of his clothes and with one mighty heave, hurled him away from the table and towards the alley entrance. Then, she snatched up the money that had been sitting in front of him and made eye contact with every single one of them.

“I assume no one has a problem if I take this, and him?”

When everyone shook their heads no, Misaki nodded and walked back to the now standing Yutaka. She did not speak to him, merely grabbed onto his clothes again and began walking back towards the side of the town with the brothel. People had to shift quickly to get out of her way as nothing was slowing her down now. They definitely had enough money to accomplish what they needed to and nothing was going to interfere any longer. Still pulling him, they entered a dirty looking bar and walked straight to the back of the room, to the darkest corner. She pushed him into the chair on the outside while she sat with her back to the wall. Misaki took several deep breaths, trying to focus what little energy she had left into something that wasn’t anger.

“Did you win fair, or is this dirty money?”

Another small smile crept up Misaki’s face. Did double dirty money make it not dirty anymore?

[ThatGuy]

”All money is dirty money!”

Yutaka laughed and made his way to order drinks. The man was shocked to hear that he wanted three bottles of the heavy stuff. He clearly had never met Yutaka before. Regardless, he should have been happy for the business. Grabbing the bottles, Yutaka made his way back to the dark corner they were sitting in. Opening up the bottle, he poured a glass before shoving it towards Misaki.

"Help yourself. We got plenty for the night."

With that, he drank straight from the open bottle, turning it upside down as he guzzled down half of it. The bite was a bit harsh, but that’s what the man lived for. Pleased to see that Misaki had taken the drink, he opened up a fresh bottle and set it at the other end of the table. He doubted she would want to drink from the first one anymore. After taking a few breaths and letting the burning in his chest pass, Yutaka polished off the remainder of the first bottle. It would be an impressive feat if it weren’t such a depressing sight. After letting out a belch (and not excusing himself), he spoke up again.

"Again, I don’t remember much, but we can go over it again. Maybe something will come to me. I was taken when I was real young. My uncle took me into town, and I thought it’d be a great idea to sneak away. I don’t know if they were already watching me or if I had simply stumbled upon them, but they grabbed me and threw me into a cart. I don’t remember much of the trip. Just being scared and told to shut up. I remember it was a ways away, though. Two days of travel, I think. Just wish I could remember what town we were in in the first place. When we got there, I remember being inspected. They had a whole system about it, I was just one of many being processed. Stripped us down and checked for any ‘defects’ before giving us some new beat up rags to wear. They separated the men from the women. I’m sure you can imagine why. I don’t remember how long I was in that cell, just that it was terrifying. They’d beat us sometimes, even if we did nothing wrong. People would be taken from the cell occasionally and come back with a brand."

Yutaka showed his brand, despite Misaki being well aware of it. Honestly, he just wanted to buy himself a little time to drink more. He was already starting to feel the beginnings of a panic attack. These were memories best left buried. But he knew he had to give the girl something. If he still wanted his bones intact, that was. Opening up the third bottle, he gulped down a bit more. This time, he paced himself instead of chugging it like the last one.

"I think… there was a room specifically for the branding. They held me down while the iron finished heating, and then it gets all foggy. I remember the pain. The smell of my own flesh cooking, seeing it bubble. But it all goes dark around there. Next thing I remember is being put on display along with other slaves. I think it was a separate building. There were probably two dozen bidders in the room. The auctioneer explained to them that I was a Kisama and thus, started at a higher price. Two men bid on me, but eventually the head of a branch of the Yakuza won. By the end of the night I was loaded into their cart. They hadn’t been feeding me much up until that point, and I remember losing consciousness a few times along the way. Eventually we made it to our destination, and the Yakuza were not happy to find out that I had no idea how to use my bloodline. They kept me in a brothel. Partly to ensure I had plenty of eyes on me and partly because they simply didn’t know where to keep me. I think I was about six at the time. They forced me to drink every day, my ability only works if you have alcohol in your system, but I never learned how to make weapons like they wanted. So after about three years, they gave up and decided to raise me as one of them instead."

Yutaka took another drink and let his words linger for a bit. He didn’t really see the need to tell her any more, but if she wanted him to, he would. But he was starting to ramble off irrelevant information at the end of his account. Misaki was looking for information about the group, not his life’s story. With a slight smile, he stared at a stain on the nearby wall. Finding himself lost for a moment.

[Amy]

The sake was barely cooler than room temperature, and it went down a little rough but she was grateful nonetheless. The bar was dark, Misaki could barely see three tables over. Cobwebs drifted from the ceilings and every few minutes the pitter patter of tiny clawed toes could be heard scampering across the floor. There were a few lights scattered around the walls but most of them didn’t work and the ones that did were barely bright enough to cast a small shadow.It was a terrible place to spend your free time but the perfect place to get a large con man wasted and talking about sensitive topics.

She could guess well enough what he thought of her after she had spent the last several days following him around and hounding him. He probably thought she was a bit of a psycho, maybe a little bit mean, and a lot crazy. And the more tired she got the less control she had over herself. But the thing was, she really didn’t have anything against him and she could not imagine what it was like for him to recall the worst parts of his childhood. So, rather than interrupt with questions when he started to go off track she simply leaned back in her seat and took another sip. He was not enjoying this at all but he was trying, for her. She would not disrespect his efforts. A lot of it they had gone over before, but never in such a fully put together story. And there were some details that were new and that was a good sign.

There was no doubt that the people she was after weren’t just evil people but they were actual monsters. It made Misaki’s stomach twist in anger to think about innocent children standing in front of a bunch of grown adults who looked at them like they were meat. Adults who should have protected them. But it didn’t scare her away to think of how bad they were. It only made her want revenge more.

“Maybe it would help if you tell me what town you were in with the assholes who bought you?” She did not shy away from what was done to him but she would never refer to those cowards as men.

Rather than waiting for him to respond, Misaki kept talking. She had to say something as she watched the haunted look creep into his eyes, the way his shoulders tensed as though he was waiting for someone to come up and grab them. She remembered the way he had panicked when she first found him. He had thought she was there to take him away again.

“Listen, usually I would assume you had been told this before and I wouldn’t bother repeating everyone else, but I’m not sure anyone has ever told you.” Misaki leaned forward, her hands clasped on the table in front of her, staring at Yutaka until he looked her in the eye. “What happened to you was not your fault. You can’t look back now and think of all the things you could have done differently because you did not have all of the knowledge you have now, then. You were a child. And they can’t hurt you anymore.” Misaki smiled, probably the biggest one Yutaka would have seen yet. She hoped that if her sister had ever gotten the chance to be comforted, that someone would have treated her kindly as well.

“Now, the town they took you to. What was that called?” Back to business as usual.

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka was surprised at the sudden shift from Misaki’s normal callous demeanor. There was a kindness to her voice that he hadn’t expected. Her suspicion was right. No one had ever made a point to tell him it wasn’t his fault. She wasn’t the first person he told the story to. There were nights that he vented to ‘working girls’, and while they did provide him comfort, no one ever said it wasn’t his fault. It was obvious, right? So why would they? But hearing it out loud… Yutaka had choked down some feelings that were threatening to surface. Making sure not to tear up, he gave the girl a weak smile in response. Clearing his throat and taking another drink when she asked about the town again.

"Jianyu. Prettiest shitshow you’ve ever seen. It’s considered a fairly rich town by Tea Country standards, but it’s riddled with crime. The Yakuza branch that bought me has a stranglehold on criminal activity in the area. Oni branch, a real fucking creative name, dumbasses don’t have any sense of taste. They’ve bribed the officials and even planted a few of their own in positions of power. They’re kittens compared to the organization that took me, but they’re still not to be underestimated. A few people come to mind that could probably be of high rank if they joined the military."

He was less scared of the Yakuza, it actually made him angry more than anything. He just wanted to be left alone. Yutaka had put all that behind him when he escaped. Taking another drink, he started to get dizzy. The kind of dizziness that was a warning to slow down before you puked. So obviously, he drank again.

"They’re uh… Looking for me. They groomed me into being the captain of a family, and I used that as an opportunity to escape. They’re pissed that they lost their pride and joy. Not to mention the wasted investment. I’m sure I wasn’t cheap. I was being hunted for a while, so I joined the military. They had no choice but to back off. But I know they’re still looking for me. It’s why I bolted once you asked about the brand. I thought they’d hired some muscle to track me down."

The room was starting to spin, thankfully, that wouldn’t be enough to take out a career drunk like Yutaka. Head bobbing side to side as he sat in the chair, he racked his brain for more details to give the girl. He really did want to help her. If for nothing else than to save her sister. Letting out another belch, he gave the girl a bit more information.

"Yamamoto, Kiyoshi, the man who bought and raised me, should still be in charge. He has deep pockets and eyes everywhere. Fancies himself some sort of political prodigy. But he’s just a second rate criminal pretending to be in the big leagues. Honestly, his money is the only reason people keep him around. A coup wouldn’t be hard with the kind of muscle they have in the families. But if they did that, they’d lose their big paychecks. I don’t… I’m not sure I can help ya with that, though. It’s just… I uh…"

He polished off the last of the bottle, growing disappointed that he’d gone through so much already. Using his ability to make a cup, he poured himself a drink from Misaki’s bottle. Drunk as he may be, he still had his manners. After downing the contents of the cup, he started to lose focus. He couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or the memories getting to him. Looking back up at Misaki slowly, he spoke again.

"Eh, ignore me. I’m just a rambling drunk. Got your information?"

The man took a deep breath inward in an attempt to calm his nerves. He could feel himself starting to separate his consciousness from his body. A common side effect of digging up old memories, only made worse by the alcohol. Once again, the man’s eyes wandered until they found the stain on the wall. A blank stare in his eyes as he felt his connection to his body slip away.

[Amy]

A small pang in Misaki’s heart told her that she should feel bad for making this man think about these things. The problem was, she had learned to ignore that feeling a long time ago. She had been forced to make a decision when she decided to hunt for her sister. There was no room for guilt if she was going to put finding her sister above all else. People were going to get hurt by meeting her, and she was prepared to sacrifice all of them if she needed to. She had spent years hardening her heart when she was nothing but a second loved child and when she became old enough to join the military the atmosphere there had only created the perfect conditions to shut out any feelings and emotions that would get in the way; and consequently be praised for it.

But this was the first person she had talked to whose story must run parallel with her sister’s. She couldn’t let herself feel sorry for him, Misaki knew. She couldn’t go easy on him and tell him that it was okay and he didn’t need to think about it anymore. But that didn’t mean she would shy away from what she was doing to him. So she fully took in the way his speech patterns changed as the alcohol started to take hold of him. For the first time since she had met him anger started to lace its way through his words, showing his true emotion about what had happened to him. He wanted to forget, she thought to herself, but he would never be able to. His brain, his body, were never going to let him forget the atrocities that were inflicted upon him. She accepted his pain as her own, let it wash over her, and tasted the bitterness of it on her tongue. And, in that very moment, made a sudden and rash decision.

A lot of new information had started to be laid out, Misaki now having not only a town to visit but a man to look for as well. Yamamoto, Kiyoshi. Misaki ran the name through her head over and over again. Promising in her heart, that she was coming for him.

“It’s a lot to get started on, yes,” Misaki said, waving for someone to bring them two more bottles of booze. She wanted more, she would always want more. But he was starting to shut down and though these circumstances weren’t exactly the same she had seen people take on this look before. It usually came right before their brain split and once that happened any information she wanted would likely be gone forever. She needed more, but not right now. It could wait.

“I don’t think I need to tell you that I’m going to go find them. I don’t want you to come with me.” She didn’t want him to worry about that. He didn’t need to see them ever again. But before she left Misaki was going to have to tell him about the men she talked to. She had been going to tell him anyway, but now it seemed even more important, knowing that the people who had bought him were still looking for him. There was little doubt now that they were involved somehow, the coincidences had piled up much too high. Two more bottles appeared and Misaki grabbed both of them before Yutaka could, lifting her elbow at him to encourage him to stand up.

“C’mon let’s start walking back.”

They both needed a good night’s sleep. Misaki’s body was dragging and she wasn’t sure if she could absorb any more information from Yutaka anyways. Plus, if he started crying it was going to be a real drag. She gently kicked open the door with her door, holding it open with her hip and ushering Yutaka through the opening. The man was still moving pretty well but who knew how long that would last for. Dusk was starting to fall, the night starting to come alive out on the streets. Scantily dressed women who weren’t good enough to get hired at any of the brothels walked lazily down the street. Men huddled on corners and near alleyways watching for a good mark. And small children ran underfoot, trying to find where they belonged.

“Don’t ya fuckin’ dare try’n run off again, ya shit head!” The loud male voice boomed through the streets and quickly followed by an echoing slap. Misaki’s head whipped around quickly to find the culprit, seeing a tall man in a large coat holding a small child up by his arm. The little boy, maybe six or seven, had a small trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wide with fear. The man kept the boy elevated by his arm, grabbing his face hard with his other hand. His words were hissed now, full of hatred. “I told ya that if ya couldna make money with ya brain that ya’d do it with yer body.”

Misaki watched them stare at each other for a moment longer, the boy having no choice in the matter, before the man dropped his face and dropped his feet back to the ground. He didn’t let go of the boys arm though, dragging him off into the night. The boy’s head fell in defeat, his small shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

“Tsk,” Misaki cluckled loudly. “Disgusting.” She hated it, but couldn’t interfere. That wasn’t her fight. She owed her life to her sister and wasn’t going to risk it saving someone else on the street. Not when there were situations happening like these every day. “Let’s go, Yutaka.” Shaking her head once more, Misaki walked off a few steps, holding out one of the bottles for the man to take. But when he didn’t take it, or respond, Misaki turned to find him standing in the same spot, staring after the man and the boy. Waving the bottle in front of his face, she tried to break him from his drunken stupor.

“Hey, c’mon. Wake up, let’s go.”

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka did his best to keep from stumbling as they moved through the street. Despite her small frame, Misaki worked surprisingly well as support for the large man. He watched as the nighttime denizens started to fill the streets. They were his people. Lucky for him, however, he wouldn’t have to be around them for much longer. It was pathetic, but the brothel had become a place of stability for him. It offered everything he had ever wanted. A bed, companionship, and a nice bath. The only thing missing was a good meal. But beggars can’t be choosers. Yutaka stopped in his tracks as he heard the commotion between the boy and the man. Staring straight at them. Things around him started spinning much faster than they had before. Everything in his body told him to run away, that he wasn’t going to like what happened next. But there was no running from this.

Memory took the large man, leaving him in a dazed state. Suddenly, it was all coming back to him. The screaming, the crying, the sound of people being struck, and that damn stain on the wall. Back in that dingy cell, he’d learned to focus on that stain to tune out the chaos around him. But some things simply couldn’t be forgotten. Yutaka couldn’t remember what he had done, but he’d somehow earned the ire of one of their handlers. They walked right into the cell and punched him in the face. A closed fist strike to such a young child. Yutaka didn’t make a scene, simply cried silently as he apologized to the man. Then he remembered being pulled up by his arm, dangling at eye level with the man. They had a look of pure disgust in their eyes. Like they didn’t even see the boy as human. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he was still with Misaki, so he tried to relay the information.

"Not just kids… Adults too."

Yutaka remembered falling to the ground as the man was struck in the back of the head. One of the adult captives had had enough and started viciously attacking the man. Yelling at him to leave the child alone. Yutaka tried to get him to stop, but it was far too late. A few other men burst into the cell and grabbed the boy’s savior. Even more men came in to control the crowd in the cell as a hulking man walked in. They pulled the adult captive up by his arms and presented him to the brute. The words echoed in his mind.

"It seems that some of you have forgotten your place. Let me remind you, you’re all merchandise now. You know what happens with defective merchandise?"

The brute put on some rings before punching the man repeatedly, very slowly and methodically, putting strength into each punch. Yutaka couldn’t watch past the first couple, his savior was already bleeding from his mouth. So he focused on the stain on the wall, tuning out all the noise around him. All except for the sounds of the fists crashing against his savior’s skull. It grew more and more sickening as time went on. Eventually his savior stopped making any noise, and the sound of the strikes started to resemble more squishing than hitting.

"It gets disposed of. Now, do we have any other defective merchandise in here?"

"Beat him… to death."

He was starting to breathe heavily again, attempting to keep the fear at bay. It had been so long since the event, and yet he was still a scared little boy. What other memories had he locked away? Closing his eyes, he kept himself from running away from the memory. He was sure there was more to it. Everything was growing foggy again, likely because his mind was trying to protect him again. But one detail popped into his head. Something that he’d never put together before.

"The ring! O-one of his rings! Someone had the same one back in the Oni branch! Maybe… Maybe it’s related."

While the man was no longer trapped in his memory, he hadn’t fully returned to his body either. Barely able to pull himself out of the trance he was in. With great difficulty, he met Misaki’s eyes and started to tear up.

"This world is no place for children."

With that, he wiped his eyes and put on a strong face. He’d always seen that part of him as a weakness. So he pushed away from the girl and stood on his own two feet. Stumbling forward with a drunken gait.

"Time to go see my girl! Bet she misses me."

Yutaka gave a tired laugh as he made his way forward, trying to pretend like he didn’t just have a massive episode. He hoped Misaki would be kind enough to pretend with him.

[Amy]

Misaki’s head tilted to the side when Yutaka still was not seeing her. She backed up several steps in case his quiet stupor changed into a drunken rage. His eyes were drifting in and out of focus which could have been attributed to the three or four bottles of highly potent alcohol he had consumed but Misaki was thinking it had a lot more to do with what they had just been talking about. With the memories so fresh in the front of his mind, the boy in front of them must have triggered some flashbacks for the Yutaka. He kept mumbling a few things to himself but they did not make any sense to the woman watching him. At the very least, it did not seem like he was going to try to attack the abuser. There was no way she could let him get arrested or killed. As hard as this was for Yutaka, Misaki saw what it meant for her.

There was still so much more knowledge that he had.

Finally, he seemed to shake off the fog that had held him so steadily in place and he was able to offer her one final piece of information for the night. Not only did he give her a way to identify someone in Jianyu but they now knew that there may be people from that section here in the town they were already in. A conversation would need to be had, but tonight was not the night for that. Yutaka had pressed on past her, clearly not interested in talking about what had happened. That was fine for her, Misaki thought to herself as she caught up and handed him one of the bottles she was still holding. She wasn’t his counselor or his lover so as long as he remained in one piece what went on his head wasn’t of particular concern to her.

Or, at least, that’s what she told herself. Misaki knew though that she wasn’t as cold as she wished she could be. The walls around her heart were tall and nearly impenetrable but that didn’t mean nothing was left inside. She just couldn’t afford to let anyone see it. Not only would it lead to false expectations of who she really was, she knew that the path she was walking would ruin her. That even if, ten or twenty or thirty years from now she could let down those walls finally; there would be nothing left after all. She was just preparing herself in advance.

A few of the groups of the men eyeballed them as they walked by, seeing Yutaka for what he was, an easy mark. But any that dared to even take a step towards him quickly caught Misaki’s eye and a flash of her blade. He was her mark until further notice which meant no one else was going to take advantage of him while she was around to stop it. Luckily, they weren’t far from the brothel and made it there after too long. She stopped with him at the bottom of the steps and pressed half of the remaining money into his pocket, a little over twenty ryo. She had significantly overestimated how much of that booze they would need to jog his memory. When he thanked her she simply raised her hand at him, not bothering to correct him when he said he would see her tomorrow. He probably wouldn’t remember if she did anyways.

She watched him walk right past the mistress without paying but before the woman could call out to him Misaki waved her over. The woman glared at Yutaka’s back before following Misaki’s intense glare.

“Send him a girl who will just comfort him, don’t think he could get it up tonight even if he wanted to. And in the morning, send one of the girls to get him a hot meal from the local inn and bring it to him. The extra ryo is for telling him it’s on the house and not mentioning me at all, yeah?” She was the reason he was this wasted and he was going to feel terrible in the morning, for more that one reason. A hot plate of food was literally the least she could do.

The woman scoffed but pocketed the money, turning quickly to walk away.

“Oh, and ma’am? If I find out you charged him anyways, and I will, don’t think I’ll forget it.” Glaring for one moment longer, Misaki was the one to turn first this time, heading straight for the closest inn. She was going to get a hot bath, the largest platter of food they could scrounge together at this time of night, and she was going to sleep for the next two days at least.

There was absolutely no one who wanted to see her tomorrow.

[ThatGuy]

Yutaka woke in the arms of one of the girls from the brothel. He had no idea how he’d gotten back. Hell, he didn’t remember much past their time in the bar. Mai, his normal companion of choice, had already been awake. She kissed him on the forehead before whispering in his ear.

"Don’t worry, Tiger. We can stay like this for a little longer."

This was odd, but he did vaguely remember that they had made a lot of money yesterday. He probably spent a little more than normal last night. Obviously, he was a drunken mess by the time he got there. Something told him that he’d fallen asleep like this. It was odd, the women would comfort you if you paid them, but it never felt so… genuine? Not taking this moment for granted, he nuzzled further into her embrace, fully taking in the next few moments of total relaxation. But eventually there was a knock at the door, and realizing his time was over, he thanked the girl before sitting up. Mai had gotten up to grab the door, and much to Yutaka’s surprise, they were bringing him a fresh meal.

"The hell is going on? I finally drink myself to death last night?"

The two women simply chuckled as they set the tray on his lap. Mai got dressed while he ate and laid out his kimono for him. She reached out and briefly squeezed his hand before giving him a wink.

"I’m sure I’ll see ya tonight, Tiger."

Yutaka’s mouth was full of food, so he simply gave her a stupid smile. Everything about this morning was one big act, he knew that. But it was nice to pretend. After finishing his meal, he took a brief moment to soak everything in. He honestly couldn’t remember if he’d ever had a morning this nice before. Current location aside, was this what home was supposed to feel like? Nothing could last forever, though, he knew they were waiting for him to leave. So he got up and threw on his kimono, noticing the money in his pocket. With another confused look, he counted it all out. After making it downstairs, he spoke to the mistress.

"Did she really pay for all this?"

"Who? You came in alone last night. Never seen you in such a bad way, so I gave you a little extra on the house."

"Shit, didn’t realize ya guys had a loyalty program. I’m assuming she paid you a little extra to keep quiet."

"You're being awfully rude to someone who just gave you the VIP treatment. Believe what you want, Taka. But come back soon."

Her tone turned sarcastic at the end of her statement. Taking another few puffs from her pipe and blowing the smoke towards him. Yutaka gave her a smile before leaving the brothel. It all felt so surreal. To the point where he couldn’t even feel the hangover that he was sure he had. After waiting outside for a few moments, he realized that Misaki wouldn’t be coming back. Whatever happened last night, she apparently got the information she needed. That whole situation at the brothel was likely her goodbye present to the man. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.

For the first time in what felt like a decade, Yutaka didn’t need to earn any money for the night. What was he even supposed to do during the day if not pull a con? The feeling was strangely liberating. For a single day, Yutaka was actually free. With renewed vigor and a smile on his face, Yutaka decided to simply take a walk around town, enjoying the sun.